reasons not to vote conservative

okay, the title seems a bit odd, but hear me out.

first off, i fully support stephen harper and the conservatives. i think they have the right vision for the country and are the only ones properly equipped (and willing, for that matter) to clean up the silliness in ottawa.

but i wish to play devil's advocate here for a while, and try to understand why people continue to vote liberal. so, to that end, i'll make up a list of reasons not to vote conservative.

• they will turn the country into a theocracy
  
• they are anti-rights
  
• they .... ummmmmmm .....
  

okay, i can't think of any actual reasons other than the obviously flawed first one and the ridiculous second one. i mean, the cpc has jewish, christian, and muslim members. can the same be said for the other parties? actually, if they were religious, they wouldn't admit it. the liberals and the dippers don't tolerate religion. how tolerant. how progressive. and the cpc supports individual freedom, rather than the groupthink big brother regime the liberals are encroaching upon us.

how about i go into a list of reasons to vote conservative.

• they believe that a strong unity with our neighbours to the south can only benefit us--that dumping on americans ("i hate those bastards" - carolyn parrish) is counterproductive and leads to long waits to get things done (e.g. border open to cattle)
  
• they believe that alternative health care delivery methods are not the devil--that privately-delivered publicly-funded health care is one of many good ways of being flexible within a national health care system
  
• they believe that government should be accountable to the people it serves--ordinary everyday canadians
  
• they believe in free votes on issues of conscience
  
• they believe that the appointment of judges to the supreme court should be subject to a free vote in the house
  
• they believe in elected senators
  
• they believe in looking at electoral changes, specifically single transferrable vote, proportional representation, fixed election dates, and referendums
  
• they believe in reversing the fiscal imbalance amongst the federal and provincial levels, which has made the federal coffers overflow
  
• they believe in implementing balanced budget legislation
  
• they believe that putting more dollars in the hands of canadians, in the form of tax relief, is a better way to stimulate the economy
  
• they believe that tax money belongs to the people of canada and as such should not be passed around in envelopes
  
• they believe that use of offshore tax havens should be outlawed so that everyone pays fairly (are you listening, oh owner of canada steamship lines?)
  
• they believe that stay-at-home parents have tremendous value and should be rewarded through tax benefits; that parents, not the state, are best equipped to decide how to raise children
  
• they believe in allowing competition in business in order to allow the best service, pricing, and benefits for all
  
• they believe that the kyoto accord needs serious looking at, as it has been refuted by tens of thousands of respected scientists
  
• they believe in removing parental income and assets from student loan applications (this one hurt me badly when i applied)
  
• they believe that, when there is a surplus in employment insurance, that premiums be lowered
  
• they believe in not coddling hardcore criminals--if you commit violent crime, you will get a minumum sentence and will not get statutory (automatic) release
  
• they believe that the gun registry is an affront to canadians and a waste of their money; to that end, they will eliminate it and use much more effective means (mandatory minimum sentences, strict monitoring, safe storage provisions, safety training, and using the gun registry money to place more law enforcement on the streets) to reduce gun crime
  
• they believe that any defence used to justify the possession of child pornography is invalid and all possible defences will be eliminated, not tolerated
  
• they believe that canada's immigration policy should be transparent
  
• they believe in supporting canada's military
  

i can't say i agree with all of their policies, like no abortion policy and leaving the cbc (canada's pravda) alone, but that's part of the beauty of the cpc--you can disagree with this or that, and still be accepted. in the liberal party of canada, if you disagree with anything they say, you're intolerant.

now, i ask you, who are the intolerant bigots?