New Puppet on the Block Likes Water

Freezing rain pounded the ground in the land of the giant puppets.

The deadline for the proportional representation ballots had been extended by a week to December 7th. So the canvassing continued, and the phone calling, and the sharing to social media.

The puppets were getting pretty tired.

But, wait -- who's knocking at the door?

*******

NOWCA (opening the front door, then looking around and, finally, looking down to see a small puppet): Hello.

GNAT: Hello, I heard there were some giant puppets living here so thought I'd pop by and introduce

myself. You can call me Gnat, that's Gnat with a "G".

NOWCA (leading Gnat in): I'm NOWCA. Come on in! I'll introduce you to the others.

GNAT: Thanks, NOWCA. Nice place you have here.

NOWCA (entering the living room where the other puppets were sitting): Everyone, I'd like you to meet Gnat -- that's Gnat with a "G". Gnat, this is Per, Good Time and Mr. Pipeline.

MR. PIPELINE: Well, short stuff, what brings you to town?

GNAT: Please! Enough of the short stuff. I'm just passing through on my way north.

MR. PIPELINE: No offence intended. What's in the north?

GNAT: A little girl who I'm sure will appreciate me more than you do.

PER: I'm sure she will, Gnat. Being small has its benefits, especially when you're going to be friends with a little girl. She wouldn't know what to do with a puppet my size. Is that a cape you're wearing?

GNAT (turning around): Thanks, Per. Yes, it is. Here's what it says on the back.

GOOD TIME: 'Planet before profit' -- that's pretty cool, Gnat.

GNAT: Thanks, Good Time. I just wore it to a demonstration to protect our watersheds from being logged. Here's where you can read more about it. They've started a Gofundme page called Kootenay Water is Life. I was sticking out my tongue at drivers who wouldn't honk for our water.

PER: You don't think that's kind of rude?

GNAT: No one complained. Don't you get frustrated that people don't even care about our drinking water?

NOWCA: Really? Our drinking water's under threat?

GOOD TIME (sighing): And I was looking forward to taking it easy with the pro rep stuff coming to an end. I have a feeling we're going to get involved with protecting our watersheds. It's so important!

NOWCA: Even if we do, Good Time, we need to take a little breather and recharge our batteries before jumping into something else. And it won't be just us. Lots of people care about our forests and our drinking water, so they'll be taking action.

MR. PIPELINE: I'm not getting soft, but I want clean drinking water.

GNAT: Mr. Pipeline, you seem like the kind of guy who knows how to make companies stand up and listen. What would get your attention if you were hell bent on logging our watersheds?

MR. PIIPELINE: I don't know about protests. Even though they're good for bringing people together and getting publicity, big corporations are used to them.

image courtesy of Pixabay

Anything that affects the bottom line would make corporations take notice.

NOWCA: Like what, Mr. Pipeline?

MR. PIPELINE: Right now lumber is a hot commodity since there's lots of building going on. Switching to a different building material? Boycotting the company? Enforcing regulations that are on the books but that are ignored?

GNAT: Or how about getting citizens' to report stream disturbances with this RAPP form? Someone from the Ministry of Environment has to investigate and can make the logging stop if it's damaging streams.

MR. PIPELINE: Sounds good. This is threatening our drinking water and we should be mad.

NOWCA: Mr. Pipeline! I've never heard you talk that way before.

MR. PIPELINE: Polluting my drinking water is way too close to home.

image courtesy of Pixabay

GNAT: Maybe these notes and footage from the demonstration last week end will help.

MR. PIPELINE: Sure spreading it around social media draws attention to the issue.

GOOD TIME: It would be fun to print up a bunch of those forms and then go for a hike -- get a few people together, pack a lunch, take a few pictures...

NOWCA: Good Time, I appreciate how you turn activism into something fun. What a great way to prevent burnout!

PER: And when we're hiking, we can come up with more ideas about how to stop the logging.

GNAT: Then afterwards sharing what you did all over social media, and writing letters to the editor would inspire others.

NOWCA: Gnat, thanks for letting us know that our drinking water is in peril!

GNAT: You're welcome, NOWCA. You've got to admit, good things come in small packages sometimes.

MR. PIPELINE: You bet, short stuff.

GNAT: Please, don't call me that!

image courtesy of Pixabay

Taking a Stand for Proportional Representation

The giant puppets were recovering from a busy day they'd had earlier in the week. They had joined friends who were raising awareness about proportional representation on Vernon Street in Nelson.

Bumped and bruised, the puppets were enjoying some quiet time to relax and heal while the November rain splashed on the ground outside.

*******

NOWCA, Per and Good Time with Diana
 photo courtesy of Sjeng Derkx

PER: Well, it's nice to get out now and again, but I sure pay for it. I have so many aches and pains, it's hard to sit comfortably.

GOOD TIME: I know what you mean, Per. I have such a stiff neck! But it was fun to spend time with friends and bring some attention to pro rep. Geez -- I hope people get their ballots in.

NOWCA (yawning and stretching): Oh, but isn't it nice to be taking it easy today?

At this point, I hope people bring their ballots to their nearest Service BC office instead of putting them in the mail. It's getting close to the deadline.

PER: And I hope if they're still not sure how to vote they'll take the quiz at referendumguide.ca.

NOWCA: How are you doing, Mr. Pipeline?

MR. PIPELINE: Much like the rest of you.

I hope I convinced a few people not to vote in this silly referendum. Why change a perfectly good system?

PER: To make it more democratic.

GOOD TIME: To make it more collaborative and responsive to voters.

NOWCA: To make it easier to address climate change and to get big money out of politics.

MR. PIPELINE: Let's face it. People are pretty stupid, and all these options are too much for them to handle. And they wouldn't know what to do with the extra power they'd gain through pro rep.

PER: It's not people who are stupid Mr. Pipeline, it's this crazy system that has something wrong with it. A lot of ordinary people are doing everything they can to make the world a more caring and liveable place.

NOWCA, Good Time, Mr. Pipeline and Ron in front of the credit union 
in Nelson - photo courtesy of Ann Remnant

GOOD TIME: The voting system is a good example of that, Mr. Pipeline. How can people make good choices when a system forces them to vote strategically?

And how can politicians make good choices when the voting system forces them into adversarial roles?

With proportional representation, we'll all have a much better time. We'll have a system that helps our representatives to collaborate, and our votes will mean something.

NOWCA: And frankly, Mr. Pipeline, I'm so sick of oil and gas companies treating our province like garbage. Fracking is poisoning our water, air and land -- even wilderness and agricultural land. Fish farms are killing our wild salmon and the life that depends upon them. Our province is investing in destructive industries at the expense of future generations. What are we leaving them? Don't we have a responsibility to leave them a liveable future?

MR. PIPELINE: NOWCA, you're so emotional! You and other environmentalists don't understand that what you aspire to impacts our profits! And what about the workers in the fracking industry and the fish farms who'll be out of work if you get your way?

NOWCA: Mr. Pipeline, workers can and should be retrained to work in industries that are cleaner and that have a future. Fossil fuel industries are laying people off -- they're being phased out. It's time for a meaningful transition plan.

And as far as emotions go, we all have them. What kinds of emotions do you experience, Mr. Pipeline?

MR. PIPELINE: Why bother with emotions when there's work to be done. I experience as few of them as possible, NOWCA. They're just troublesome.

Per and Bill canvassing across the street from the Hume Hotel 
in Nelson - photo courtesy of Ann Remnant

NOWCA: They may be hard to feel, but they're valuable. They're an important part of life that gives us perspective. Emotions contribute a lot to relationships, values, and art and music appreciation. They are a normal part of life and give us valuable information.

PER: I felt a lot of joy and solidarity with others when we were all canvassing, and like I was doing something to benefit the world we live in. Making one small part of it a bit more fair is a big contribution.

But, Mr. Pipeline and NOWCA, I had to get away from your arguing. Mr. Pipeline, you kept telling people not to vote and, NOWCA, you kept telling people not to listen to him. It was just too stressful for me, so I crossed the street and canvassed on the other corner.

GOOD TIME: I know what you mean, Per. I eventually gave them some distance too. It was fun hanging around with other people. We don't get out much these days and it's nice to see them.

NOWCA: Even though I'm stiff and sore, and even though we argued, and even though there are no guarantees that we'll be successful, I'm glad we went out and helped the people working so hard to get proportional representation in BC. A society's only as healthy as its citizens are engaged, so the more we engage the better.

Sometimes it's messy, sometimes we don't feel like it, often there are differences of opinions but that's the only way we're going to create a better future together. It's a slog, and it's got to be done.

GOOD TIME: And, even though you're right, NOWCA, it's fun to be with others who care. Even if you and Mr. Pipeline were arguing, and even if we're stiff and sore why are we here anyways? I love having a good time, but this kind of fun has an extra element of meaning to it.

PER: I agree, Good Time. Being active is so meaningful right now. The more of us who act, the better our future will be. I hope more people will join us.

MR. PIPELINE: Well, I hope a few people listened to me and didn't get their ballot in.

PER: Maybe they did. I don't agree with you, but I respect your right to have a different opinion. At least you came out.

MR. PIPELINE (sniffing the air): Is that garlic I smell?

PER: Yes it is. I have spaghetti sauce on the stove. Anyone hungry?

*******

For the moment, as their appetites took over, the puppets forgot about proportional representation. They would enjoy this interlude that would help to fuel their future actions.

image courtesy of Pixabay

Special Cookies for the Puppets

Just over two weeks. That's how long until the ballots would be counted. The referendum will determine whether or not British Columbians will get a Proportional Representation voting system.

It's ordinary people wanting a more democratic system up against big money which supports the First Past the Post system. Big money gets its way more easily under First Past the Post.

For months, people have been demonstrating, posting to social media and canvassing their neighbourhoods.

As November becomes colder and darker, the puppets and their friends are getting tired. Time to rest, to dream and catch up on some reading. And to eat some special cookies.

*******

NOWCA, Per and Good Time were sitting in the living room reading. Per's feet were up on the ottoman with the newspaper spread out -- still no letters in support of proportional representation. So many people had sent them in -- why weren't they being printed?

NOWCA was engrossed in a novel by Thomas King, and Good Time was reading articles and messages from friends on Facebook.

GOOD TIME (looking up from the laptop): Oh, this video's really cute! And I've got to say, I'm so grateful for everyone's favourite tool, the referendum guide quiz. When people say the options are confusing, wham! It shows which options align best with their values, and their confusion is gone.

image courtesy of Pixabay

PER (sighing): I know pro rep's a big deal, but gee I'm getting tired.

GOOD TIME: Me too. And losing my inspiration.

PER: Is all this work worth it? What if we're doing all this and the no side wins?!

NOWCA: Maybe it's time to take a few days off and recharge: relax, do a bit of reading, put our feet up, drink tea...

AND I made some cookies! Some very special cookies, with a very special ingredient ... maybe it'll help us to dream, and to come up with a strategy that'll win this referendum!

Per, will you give me a hand? If you can bring the tea pot and a couple of cups into the living room, I'll bring in the plate of cookies.

PER (getting up and walking to the kitchen): Sure, NOWCA -- really? You made them with the special ingredient I'm thinking of?

NOWCA (bringing in a plate of cookies): I think you're hot on the trail, Per: the special ingredient was illegal in Canada until about a month ago. The other ingredients are standard peanut butter and chocolate chip cookie ingredients.

GOOD TIME (reaching for a cookie): NOWCA! You surprise me. But since you went to the trouble of making them, I'll give one a try.

PER (taking a cookie): Thanks, NOWCA. I'll try one too.

image courtesy of Pixabay

NOWCA (pouring them all tea and taking a cookie): I like mine dipped in tea and sogged up a little.

PER: Tastes pretty good, but there's a bit of an earthy aftertaste.

GOOD TIME (taking a bite of a cookie): I taste it too. Not bad, really, just a little different.

NOWCA: Aw, that's the special ingredient! It does alter the flavour a bit.

After they each ate a cookie, the puppets went back to what they'd been reading. About half an hour later MR. PIPELINE walked into the room.

MR. PIPELINE: Cookies? Don't mind if I do.

NOWCA (holding out the plate): Help yourself, Mr. Pipeline. But they're very special cookies.

MR. PIPELINE (popping one into his mouth): Hmm. It has a slightly unusual edge to it.

NOWCA: Yes, it's a bit of an odd flavour isn't it? Another?

MR. PIPELINE (popping another into his mouth): The taste is growing on me.

GOOD TIME (starting to giggle): Mr. Pipeline, don't you want to know what makes them special?

MR. PIPELINE: I care about results, not details. They're good cookies and that's all I want to know.

PER (giggling): Oh, I think you'll be getting results. What are you up to?

MR. PIPELINE (walking out of the living room): Bookkeeping. I'll be in my office.

PER, NOWCA and GOOD TIME all burst out laughing.

NOWCA (gasping for breath): Well, good luck with that, Mr. Pipeline.

image courtesy of Pixabay

NOWCA, PER and GOOD TIME, in a fit of uncontrollable laughter, had tears streaming down their faces. Finally, NOWCA and Per put down their reading material and Good Time turned off the laptop.

PER: We should have told Mr. Pipeline what the special ingredient was, don't you think?

GOOD TIME (between giggles): We offered to, but he didn't want to know.

PER: I wonder how his bookkeeping is going...

NOWCA (giggling): I imagine he'll be changing his activity before too long.

Anyways, I spy with my little eye something that is pink.

PER: That pink cushion?

NOWCA: Good guess, Per, but nope.

GOOD TIME: I know! Is it that beautiful blossom on the Christmas Cactus?

NOWCA: Yes! Isn't it exquisite?

PER: It's so complex -- amazing really. Even though the world is in such a crazy state, there are still bits of profound beauty here and there.

The puppets sat and stared at the blossom. After some time had passed, Mr. Pipeline walked back into the room.

MR. PIPELINE (looking around): What are you doing?

image courtesy of Pixabay

NOWCA (pointing to the Christmas Cactus): Looking at the beautiful blossom on the Christmas cactus.

MR. PIPELINE: It's extraordinary! That blossom is divine! I've never really looked closely at one before.

Funny, I feel a little odd. Just can't wrap my head around the books for some reason.

NOWCA: Here, I'll pour you some tea, Mr. Pipeline.

MR. PIPELINE: I can't take my eyes off that blossom. It's like a small miracle right under my nose.

NOWCA: Yes, we're so lucky to be able to see beauty when it presents itself, aren't we?

MR. PIPELINE: I've never thought of it that way but, yes, we are.

NOWCA: It's such a wonderful thing to be able to drink tea and look at the beauty around us, isn't it? What could be nicer?

MR. PIPELINE: It almost makes me want to cry.

PER: Beauty does that to me sometimes too, Mr. Pipeline. It makes me so happy to be alive.

MR. PIPELINE (looking around): I look into your faces and see such indescribable loveliness. How have I missed this before? My companions, and I only just noticed that each of you is a universe I barely know. How does that happen?

NOWCA: How do so many things happen, Mr. Pipeline? How do we take life for granted? How do we lose our ability to appreciate? Where do those things go?

MR. PIPELINE: So many of us have stopped noticing, haven't we? We have deadlines, and bills to pay, and we miss out.

GOOD TIME: I hope it's not too late.

MR. PIPELINE: What do you mean, Good Time?

GOOD TIME: Well, I worry that the way we're destroying life around us, we'll pull the plug on the future, and we'll be some the last ones to be able to enjoy these simple things.

MR. PIPELINE: No need to worry, Good Time, things aren't so bad...

PER: Why do you say that, Mr. Pipeline? Our planetary situation is dire, and everyone I know is worried sick and scrambling to make things better. Right now we're focusing on proportional representation here in BC so citizens will have more control. But nothing feels like enough.

MR. PIPELINE: You have to be patient.

image courtesy of Pixabay

NOWCA: Maybe we've been too patient, Mr. Pipeline. We should have put our foot down long ago. No matter how bad the situation gets, corporations keep mining and drilling and fracking and building pipelines. When's it going to stop?

MR. PIPELINE: Maybe sooner than you think. Have you seen the price of oil lately?

PER: Maybe you're right, Mr. Pipeline. Maybe we're just a flimsy membrane away from a breakthrough. Not just with pipelines and fracking, but with a worldview that honours all of life instead of seeing everything as a way of making money.

MR. PIPELINE: Maybe, Per. Maybe.

NOWCA: So many of us have been pushing so hard for so long. Something's got to give.

GOOD TIME: Maybe a push or two harder and things will start turning around.

PER: In many ways, they're already turning around. We just have to speed things up. Maybe groups like Extinction Rebellion will give us the extra oomph the world needs.

MR. PIPELINE: And with the price of oil there could be a confluence of factors that trips the switch so to speak. Why am I talking like this, anyways? Why can I suddenly see your points of view?

NOWCA: I think it was the special cookies, Mr. Pipeline. An ingredient recently legalized in Canada is what makes them special.

MR. PIPELINE: No wonder my bookkeeping was so confusing! I've put smilies in places where I should have put numbers!

The three other puppets burst into giggles and soon Mr. Pipeline joined them.

NOWCA: Mr. Pipeline, I like you. And I apologize for giving you those cookies, but am really grateful to be getting to know your gentler side.

MR. PIPELINE (bursting into tears): NOWCA, that's one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me.

The puppets surrounded Mr. Pipeline in a group hug as he sobbed, and as the sun shone brightly on the Christmas Cactus.

image courtesy of Pixabay

The White Poppy for Peace

Snowfall was closing highways in the giant puppets' neck of the woods. The bleak weather reflected the grimness of recollections of wars past, and the reality of present day wars. Remembrance Day was fast approaching.

With bread in the oven and lentil soup on the stove, the giant puppets were getting ready for lunch. Although it was cold outside, the smell of baking bread and hearty soup created a cozy atmosphere.

Gathered around the table the puppets were ready to dig in to their food.

image courtesy of Pixabay

*******

NOWCA (bringing the soup to the table): Comfort food sure suits this time of year.

PER (slicing the bread): I love having fresh bread to dunk in the soup. Say, NOWCA, is that a white poppy I saw you wearing? Aren't the poppies supposed to be red?

NOWCA: Yes, the poppy I'm wearing is white. It symbolizes remembrance for all who've died in war, including civilians, and the desire for peace.

MR. PIPELINE: That seems disrespectful to the soldiers Remembrance Day is dedicated to.

NOWCA: Not at all, Mr. Pipeline. You can wear both a red and a white one -- they don't cancel each other out.

GOOD TIME: Wearing two sounds pretty! I'd like to know more about this seldom seen white flower. By the way, NOWCA, this soup is wonderful!

image courtesy of Pixabay

NOWCA: Thanks, Good Time. I'm glad you like it.

Anways, White Poppies for Peace was started way back in 1933 in Britain, after the first World War, by people who wanted a peaceful future. Here's the website of their Vancouver branch.

MR. PIPELINE: NOWCA, you always have to be different, don't you? Why can't you just honour the one day we set aside to remember the soldiers?

NOWCA: Mr. Pipeline, when a symbol has a powerful and important message, I don't mind breaking with tradition.

What did those soldiers die for anyways? They died so that future generations could have a better world. We need peace now more than ever so we can stop fighting and start addressing humanity's problems, including wealth inequality and climate change. Besides, killing people doesn't solve problems. There are much better ways to resolve disputes.

PER: When you put it that way, NOWCA, it makes a lot of sense to be reminded of our obligations to those who came before us. If they gave up their lives, don't we owe it to them to do what we can to create a peaceful and safe world? It doesn't seem that much to ask.

NOWCA: I agree with you, Per. It's up to us to create the kind of peaceful and healthy world all those who died in wars would have yearned for.

GOOD TIME: It doesn't seem like that much effort if we all do a little bit. I want summers that aren't filled with smoke again. And war seems senseless.

NOWCA: It does, doesn't it? It seems like something that should have become obsolete long ago. But here we are, still steeped in the barbarism of war, and all its horrific humanitarian and environmental consequences.

MR. PIPELINE: Don't you read the papers, NOWCA? There are bad people in other countries who

image courtesy of Pixabay

deserve to be bombed.

NOWCA: Most of the people who are killed in war are civilians. They don't deserve to be killed.

And war destabilizes everything -- societies, economies, politics, and it has appalling environmental consequences.

No one wants their country to be bombed, and people on the ground are worse off afterwards. Don't you read anything besides the papers, Mr. Pipeline?

MR. PIPELINE: Like what?

NOWCA: Well, you could go online and read news from around the world. It would broaden your perspective, even if you didn't agree with it.

MR. PIPELINE: I don't have time for fake news.

NOWCA: What makes you think some of the news you get in the papers isn't fake or, at the very least, biased?

MR. PIPELINE: The fact that we have a free press in this country.

NOWCA: I guess it depends on what you consider 'free'. Here's an excerpt from Wikipedia about Canadian media ownership:

"The Canadian media industry is not governed exclusively by free-market economics but rather through a combination of public and private enterprise. Apart from a limited number of community broadcasters, media in Canada are primarily owned by a small number of companies: Bell, Corus, Rogers, Newcap, Quebecor and the government-owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Each of these companies holds a diverse mix of television, cable television, radio, newspaper, magazine, and/or internet operations. A few smaller media companies exist within the Canadian media landscape as well. In 2007, CTVglobemedia, Astral Media, Quebecor, Canwest Global, and Rogers all expanded significantly, through the acquisitions of CHUM Limited, Standard Broadcasting, Osprey Media, Alliance Atlantis, and City, respectively. In 2010, Canwest was sold off and split between Shaw (now Corus) and Postmedia Network due to financial troubles."

MR. PIPELINE: So what? It's often more efficient to concentrate these things.

NOWCA: You don't think these large companies have their own vested interests? You don't think they wouldn't give space and air time to stories that promote their interests and maybe suppress stories that don't?

image courtesy of Pixabay

MR. PIPELINE: And you call ME cynical.

NOWCA: I like to stay well informed, and that means getting my news from a variety of sources. I would have a very different point of view if the only news I took in was from mainstream media.

PER: Actually, that ties in with poppies for peace and our duty to dig deeper so that we understand what's really going on in the world.

GOOD TIME: I find all this confusing. Are there media sources you trust, NOWCA?

NOWCA: To hear what's happening locally, I listen to Kootenay Co-op Radio. And some other Canadian news sources I read sometimes are the Narwhal and the Tyee.

For perspectives from different parts of the world, I tune into Democracy Now for an American perspective and the Guardian for news from the United Kingdom.

PER: I find those news sources really informative, NOWCA. For environmental news, I also like the David Suzuki Foundation and Ecowatch.

MR. PIPELINE: They're just a bunch of fake news sites!

PER: The David Suzuki Foundation? You don't trust David Suzuki?

I read news from him and from lots of other sources. We have a duty to stay well informed so we can base our decisions on solid information.

MR. PIPELINE: Mr. Suzuki's biased! Maybe you should read news from the oil and gas industry and big business.

NOWCA: I'd argue that that's the perspective we mostly get through mainstream media.

Anyways, let's get the dishes cleaned up and go canvassing for proportional representation. I'll put some rice pudding in the oven so it'll be ready for dessert tonight.

And I've got a few extra white poppies for peace if any of you would like one.

Mr. Pipeline stomped out of the room, and Per and Good Time each helped themselves to a white poppy.

As NOWCA, Per and Good Time bundled up to go outside, their home slowly began to smell like cinnamon as the rice pudding warmed in the oven.

image courtesy of Pixabay

Why Didn't The Paper Print My Letter?

Dreary November had arrived, and the weather was getting seriously bleak.

But although it was cold and wet outside, NOWCA, Per and Good Time had learned more about proportional representation, and were enthusiastic about the deepening of democracy the system offered.

So as it rained, they wrote letters to the editor, and did some phone canvassing to see if supporters of pro rep had received their ballots and voted already.

image courtesy of Pixabay

Mr. Pipeline, however, didn't share their fervor, and did a lot of stomping around the house these days.

But today Mr. Pipeline was in a better mood. And the excitement of the other puppets was dampened. Let's find out why.

*******

PER: Hey NOWCA, you sent off your letter to the editor about proportional representation last week. Have you seen it in the newspaper yet?

NOWCA: No, and my friends' letters haven't been published either.

GOOD TIME: But I noticed that there have been letters from people who don't like proportional representation in the paper. What do you think's up with that?

NOWCA: I don't know...

PER (opening the paper): It doesn't seem fair that only one side is having their letters to the editor printed. I've been sending friends this link to make it easier for them to get their letters in. Let's see what's in the paper today ... Oh! There's a letter from Mr. Pipeline!

image courtesy of Pixabay

GOOD TIME: Read it to us, Per!

PER: OK. It says, "Regarding the upcoming referendum on proportional representation, people need to be aware that the crazy fringe elements who are out to destroy society will get into power if this goes through. Beware! Scared yet? You should be! Mr. Pipeline"

MR. PIPELINE (strolling into the room): Ah, yes. My letter to the editor was published. Not bad, eh?

NOWCA: But, Mr. Pipeline, you know what you said in your letter isn't true.

MR. PIPELINE: We don't need proportional representation. Things are fine the way they are!

GOOD TIME: But pro rep's better for democracy and it'll make it easier for us to mitigate climate change.

MR. PIPELINE: That may be so, but there are other interests that could suffer under this new system.

PER: Do you mean the interests of those who are able to lobby more effectively under the First Past the Post system, like these people?

MR. PIPELINE: What's more important? The economy or democracy? I'd say the economy, and if the people running the economy don't like proportional representation, we shouldn't have it.

image courtesy of Pixabay

NOWCA: It depends on what kind of an economy and society you want, Mr. Pipeline.

My preference is for a democracy where everyone's voice is heard and an economy geared towards serving the needs of a fair and caring society.

From what I can tell, the people you're referring to are just looking out for themselves, and not for anyone else or the environment.

MR. PIPELINE: So what? Anyone who works hard can become rich. Why waste time and energy on the losers who can't make it?

GOOD TIME: Mr. Pipeline, my friends aren't losers, but some of them are having a really tough time through no fault of their own. That attitude is mean.

MR. PIPELINE: Face reality, Good Time. It's all about dollars and cents, and anything else doesn't matter.

PER: Not even the state of the planet? Not even the future? People created the economy and we can change it, but we only have one planet, and it's in grave danger.

MR. PIPELINE: I pay attention to important things like dollars and cents. I'll leave the state of the planet to the tree huggers and granola crunchers.

NOWCA: You're writing off enormous segment of the population, Mr. Pipeline. I'm sad that people like you are getting media coverage, yet people like us are getting very little.

image courtesy of Pixabay

PER: But we have our networks and friends, and we're working hard to win this one. I think people are smart enough to know fear tactics when they see them.

MR. PIPELINE: Smart? They don't look smart to me. They look like peasants. Why should their voices be heard? They're not contributing.

GOOD TIME: Sure they are! They do all kinds of amazing things!

NOWCA: And in a democracy, everyone's voice matters. Most of the people I know are going to great lengths to keep us from destroying life on our planet, often at considerable personal sacrifice. I want our voices to have more influence in politics, not just the voices of the wealthy.

MR. PIPELINE (getting up and leaving the room): Well, I'll leave you to your networks and I'll stay with the moneyed. We'll see whose system gets to govern this province.

The three remaining puppets looked at each other.

PER: Lets get moving! Phoning, canvassing, talking to friends.

NOWCA: You're right, Per. We've got to use our people power to win this one. We're up against a lot of moneyed interests.

What's the link to that poll that matches your preferred voting system based on your values again? I like to keep it handy when I'm phoning so I can pass it on to others. So many find it helpful.

GOOD TIME: It's referendumguide.ca.

NOWCA: Thanks, Good Time. Let's hit the phones!

image courtesy of Pixabay