What Do You Think of This?

Apparently Alberta Liberals wants to give you a $50 credit if you vote.  They think it would encourage people to get out and vote. Our voter turn out last election in Alberta in 2008 was at an all time  low of 41%.

The Alberta Liberals are floating the idea of a $50 refundable tax credit for all Albertans who vote in the next provincial election.
The idea is part of a plan pitched by leader David Swann Wednesday to clean up government and make it more accountable and responsive.

Uh, Mr. Swann, maybe there has been nothing to vote for? I don't like the idea.  It's bribery and I don't feel it's right. Basically the main reason voter turn out was so low last election was that  a lot of people stayed home, they're weren't too impressed with anyone. Wildrose Alliance had just started up weeks before the writ was dropped so they had no platform, few candidates, no money, and no one knew what they were all about.  The Libs and the ND's were out of the question. What Ed Stelmach and the PC's had to offer was less than impressive. So really there wasn't much to vote for.

 If David Swann wants to see  higher voter turn out, the parties need to offer real solutions to the real problems that our province faces. Such as healthcare, it's unsustainable the way it is. Costs keep rising, wait times keep increasing, and we have shortage of doctors and nurses at the same time our population is aging. We also need to tackle our deficit.  The last few years of Ralph Klein and now Ed Stelmach, spending has gotten out of control. There are many more problems, too many to mention that needs to be dealt with.

So no I don't think you need to bribe voters to go out to vote, Mr. Swann. We just need the parties to get to work and offer credible common sense solutions that the public can get their heads around and embrace.