There hasn't been mention of another factor in the defeat of the registry here. Media was all over the cost of the registry as it grew like topsy from projected hundred million or so to billions. It's a stretch to say it became household conversation but no one had difficulty grasping the issue in a hunting country: it was a colossal waste. For all the shooting sports' lobbying and protests, I'd venture that making the registry part of daily conversations with neighbours and friends had as much to do with the outcome as anything.
Money isn't everything. Citizens of our county opposed the provincial government and opposition parties bowing to the business community on where a Trans-Canada Highway bypass would go. All the money, ALL the politicians against them, they won. They filled halls, published cartoons in community newspapers, paid for 10 30-second spots a day on radio stations. No politician can stand up to that because they're not tied to money---they're tied to votes.
Unblushingly, I ran that campaign. Your great poet Whitman said there can't be great poets without great audiences. There can't be leaders without great followers who understand issues. In the example above, citizens put public safety ahead of party loyalties, before selfish business interests. That applies to the United States as it does to Canada. Biden's borrowing and printing can't thwart the will of a determined populace. Hope this helps.
Last edited by King Brown; 01/08/13 10:52 AM.
