Introduction

Welcome

I am currently a recent graduate from Simon Fraser University and currently am working on a three month project at Western Financial Group. My hobbies include travel, hiking, and skiing and snowboarding in the past. I am passionate about politics. I am currently an active member of the BC Liberals while a former member of the Progressive Conservatives. I consider myself as being centre-right. I am for lower taxes, less government regulation, and smaller government. At the same time I am a social liberal who believes in individual freedom as well as I am strong supporter of minority rights. I support gay marriage, legalization of marijuana, legalizing prostitution, euthanasia, increasing the number of immigrants Canada receives as well as I favour of progressive and independent foreign policy that believes in avoiding the use of military action unless absolutely necessary. Unlike many on the right, I believe the Iraq war was a mistake in light of what I know now, even though I initially supported it. I was also hoping for John Kerry to win the US election and I am for dumping Stephen Harper as Conservative leader. On the economic front, I am for scrapping regional development programs and business subsidies in favour of lower taxes in economically depressed regions as well as funding to things that government legitimately belongs in such as funding R&D and infrastructure. I support a parallel private system for Health Care similar to what exists in most European countries, but not a private system like in the United States. I favour privatizing most Crown Corporations including Canada Post and CBC at the federal level, while ICBC and BC Hydro at the provincial level. I oppose the current childcare program being proposed, which only supports institutionalized day care, but instead support giving subsidies (as opposed to tax credits) to families to use as they see fit for child care, otherwise a voucher program. I am generally a libertarian, but also a pragmatists, who believes government does have a legitimate role in protecting people's rights as well as providing help to those who cannot help themselves. I supported Scott Brison for the Progressive Conservative leadership race in 2003 since I liked his bold new innovative ideas, while I was an active supporter of merging the two conservative parties since I believed it was essential to have a competitive alternative to the liberals. I supported Tony Clement for the Conservative leadership race even though I didn't think he was the greatest choice, but the least worse of the three. He wasn't as rigid an ideologue as Stephen Harper, but neither did he lack political experience like Belinda Stronach did, although she was my second choice. I helped campaign for Gary Mitchell in the riding of Vancouver Centre, since despite my uneasiness with Stephen Harper, I felt if we were going to have a conservative government, we needed to have moderate MPs elected to help modify Harper. I quit the Conservative Party last year as I have become increasingly uncomfortable with more right wing stances, especially on social issues, issues of national unity, and foreign policy. I have also found Stephen Harper to be incredibly arrogant and self centered, whereas for all my disagreements with the liberals, I generally think Paul Martin is a decent person who has done an adequate job of running the country and would do a better job, if he didn't have to rely on Jack Layton to prop him up. I helped Richard Lee in the last provincial election in the riding of Burnaby North, which he won despite the fact the riding had gone NDP for 40 years prior to 2001. In my blogs you will hear more about my take on the day to day issues.