Saltah'na
Chinese Canadian, or 75% Commie Bastard.
Member # 33
posted
An acquaintaince recently labelled me as "right wing extremist".
The catalyst for all of this is the state of labour talks between the City of Toronto, and its public outside workers union, basically those who take care of parks, manage our water systems, garbagemen, etc. I took the stance that wages for certain positions were getting too high compared to the private sector. Specifically, I was targetting jobs that did not require a higher education beyond high schools. The garbagemen in particular get my scorn, as an IT professional, I was dismayed to find out they make as much as I do. With higher absenteeism rates. With bad attitudes. And they got the best benefits. And so on.
This was never the case, of course. Years ago, I always believed that if you wanted a better life in yourself, you always needed to invest in time (and possibly money) in order to better yourself and make more money. Recent years of collective bargaining that favoured the Outside City workers (the Garbagemen in particular) have shifted away from this. My personal viewpoint has become that it is disconcerting to see my hard work for a better education and training has seemed to be all for naught, why didn't I forgo my investment to be a Garbageman and make the same money?
Then there was the Occupy protest that hit Toronto. Almost immediately, I did not identify with the protesters. While I understand (and agree with) the message, the method to distribute this message (by flouting the law and causing distress to people in their immediate surroundings) strikes me more as whining instead of trying to actually come with a solution and not making a big mess in a city park in the process. It bothers me that us Taxpayers now have to pay to rehabilitate this screwed up park, not to mention paying overtime for the cops who provided security during this time. (The police don't escape my scorn either, how do you ticket a poor guy in a broken down car who is simply waiting for a boost?)
When I come to think of it, my political viewpoints have changed the more I get older. My wife agrees with me, years ago, she would have supported the NDP (socialist), now she is more Liberal (centre) while I have transitioned from Liberal to more Conservative viewpoints.
Everybody changes their views the older we get. So where's yours? Here is my updated political compass as http://www.politicalcompass.org. I seem to be ever creeping towards that political bullseye!!!
Economic Left/Right: -0.50 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -1.59
-------------------- "And slowly, you come to realize, it's all as it should be, you can only do so much. If you're game enough, you could place your trust in me. For the love of life, there's a tradeoff, we could lose it all but we'll go down fighting...." - David Sylvian FreeSpace 2, the greatest space sim of all time, now remastered!
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
Sanitation is always in demand, and probably not many people like to do it. Not that you mightn't have any point at all, but couldn't that be part of why they're well paid and have good benefits? Because they provide a service that's perpetually needed but which nobody really enjoys doing?
-------------------- The flaws we find most objectionable in others are often those we recognize in ourselves.
Registered: Jun 2001
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Cartman
just made by the Presbyterian Church
Member # 256
posted
I seem to be bucking your trend. It's not what you'd call a huge data set, but I've done the grand Flare political compass test in 2007, 2009 and just now.
Year:......................2007;....2009;....2011 Age:........................23;......25;.......27 Economic Left/Right:...-3.00;...-4.00;...-4.88 Social Lib/Auth:.........-2.50;...-1.54;...-3.74
So, I'm getting steadily more leftie with age and moving away from the centre. Now, I have no interest in bringing down capitolism, singing the peoples flag or even joining the union. But I do think that living in a country with an NHS does make me a bit pinko, and I am doing a PhD, so I suppose I do have a tendency to question the recieved wisdom, so that's fair.
Looking back I do seem to be surprised each time.
My girlfriend got: Economic Left/Right: -5.25 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -3.54
but she did question the logic and talked through almost every question. She has been at a party though.
-------------------- I have plenty of experience in biology. I bought a Tamagotchi in 1998... And... it's still alive.
Registered: Apr 2005
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