I always see this time of year as a clean slate, a new beginning.
We all think about the possibilities going forward into a brand new year.
And there are so many possibilities that 2018 can bring.
STC Bus service
When the 2017 provincial budget fell, a lot of things got the axe.
The provincial government tried to cut library funding before reversing the decision.
Cuts to education and municipal grants-in-lieu were widely felt across the province.
And STC lost its funding.
I am still hoping STC service will be brought back into Saskatchewan.
While I have my own vehicle now, I know how important the bus is. As a student without a vehicle, I used the service quite frequently, whether it was to Prince Albert to visit friends, Weyburn to visit my boyfriend, or even using it partially for a trip to Vancouver.
We lost a part of Saskatchewan when the STC was cut. It didn’t help that few preparations were made to replace the service.
Would that more had been done to reduce costs long before the whole program was cancelled.
When STC died, 253 communities lost that connectivity. Vulnerable people were especially affected, losing the ability to easily move around the province.
Most profoundly affected were members of northern communities, especially women and young people who have no way to travel, and seniors and medical patients who need to travel for care in larger centres.
The Saskatchewan Party and the Saskatchewan NDP are both electing new leaders this year. I hope this is an issue that can be reexamined.
Donald Trump and Twitter
Tweets can be the window into someone’s soul, and no one tweets like US President Donald Trump.
As noted in an article by Salon.com, “the president’s feed is as telling of the state of American politics as any memo or executive order coming from his administration.”
He has abused and called out other world and regional leaders on Twitter, especially people who he should have at least a working relationship with. This include San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, who asked for more federal aid after Hurricane Maria, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, whom Trump called “mad dog” and “rocket man” in response to missile tests in that country.
Trump has even made “executive orders” on Twitter – he announced a ban on transgender people serving in the US military before it was ever discussed with other branches of government, impacting more than 10,000 transgender soldiers.
The Supreme Court blocked the ban while it considers several legal issues, which has caused months of confusion throughout the US government. I cannot even image what that has meant for service people who live in fear of losing their jobs and income.
What happens in the United States has a large impact on Canada so we need to pay attention to what is happening down south.
I hope 2018 brings something better from the Oval Office, including less tweets from the president.
Being more informed
Being informed does not mean having the 24-hour news networks on constantly or knowing about every bill or legislation coming from every level of government.
If someone is informed, a little information can go a long way.
Everyone deserves a voice, and everyone needs to use their voice.
While it is easier to complain about important political issues than to do something about them, it is also easy to be informed on issues, email an MP or MLA, or make a call to an expert about an important issue.
With municipal budgets currently in the works, NAFTA still being discussed, and more questions being asked about net neutrality, we need to be more involved in the decisions being made by all levels of government.
And we need to know what is going on.
