Watching Trump on TV reminds me of past debates with Wildrose, and now with the United Conservative Party candidates and proponents. Like Trump, they manufacture their own facts, insist on eliminating regulations without ever identifying which ones and commit to reducing taxes, while neglecting to indicate which government services they would diminish. They champion smaller government, but hesitate to tell us which departments they would reduce or privatize and what impact that would have on citizens. But most importantly, they would make Alberta great again, yet we all wonder when was it that we were so great; and if we were, wasn't it under previous administrations that they struggled to rip apart? We now live in an era where populist, angry, uninformed and polarizing politics competes with the less glitzy art of diplomacy, evidence based governance and thorough understanding of domestic and global issues. We live in an era where citizens are being reduced to and referred to as taxpayers; and here elections are fought not on ideas and competing visions for the future, but rather on slogans and manufactured conflicts. We live in an era where candidates who are vying to lead us, pride themselves in not having policies and who refuse to take stands on fundamental moral issues. Yet, we have no one to blame for this other than ourselves. These candidates have only one goal, and that goal is to win. They found a winning formula. It should be our goal to forego our emotions, reflect, and examine their campaign slogans. It is up to us to review their voting track records and remind ourselves of who are the individuals who now passionately endorse them, and why. It is our duty to demand that they take definitive positions on issues that will shape our future and that matter to us. This is no time for being impulsive buyers. Sometimes the one person not cheering in a crowd of enthusiastic supporters may be the only one actually listening to the message. Are you listening to the message and not just cheering along? Thomas A. Lukaszuk, St. Albert
