Riding profile

The local paper published profiles on the 3 ridings in our area for
the federal election.  Here's mine:

Election ridings: Kitchener-Waterloo
http://www.therecord.com/news/local/article/511190--election-ridings-kitchener-waterloo

The richest, best-educated local riding takes in the City of Waterloo
and part of the north end of Kitchener. It is home to 126,740 people
and includes Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of
Waterloo. Voter turnout in 2008 was 62 per cent.

Half the population is younger than 36, which is younger than the
Ontario median. The riding has more married-couple families than the
provincial average. One in three households includes couples with
children, slightly exceeding the Ontario average.

The median family income was $12,501 above the Ontario median in 2005.
About 29 per cent of residents older than 15 have achieved a
bachelor’s degree or better, well above the Ontario average of 20 per
cent.

In 2006, business services and manufacturing each employed 17 per cent
of the population, followed by educational services. About 24 per cent
of residents are immigrants and one in six is a visible minority.
Chinese are the largest visible minorities, followed by South Asians.

In 2005 the riding counted one in nine residents as having a low income.

-----

A stat they didn't mention is that the Conservatives beat the Liberals
by 17 votes, so it is one of the ridings to watch in this election.
Everyone assumed that Teledgi (L) was going to take it since he'd been
in office since 1993 (originally for Waterloo, then the riding changed
in 1997 to Kitchener-Waterloo), so I think that lowered voter turnout,
and it definitely made people more likely to vote for Green or NDP,
thinking they were safe to vote for who they wanted since the Liberals
would win anyway.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitchener%E2%80%94Waterloo

I know a few who voted Green last election who regret it and will vote
Liberal this election.  I'm undecided as to where my vote will go,
since I don't really like any of the parties. Plus, as a single,
middle-class, working male, none of the parties are pandering for my
vote -- not that that really matters, I don't want to be bribed.

Well, one bribe I'd appreciate is if they raised the income tax
deduction for charitable giving... it's ridiculous that they give you
more money back for donating to a political party (75% up to $300, 50%
on next $800, 33% after that) than to a charity (29% on anything over
$200).  Though I guess it's less ridiculous than self-serving on the
part of politicians.

Jeremy

-- 
dadl-ot mailing list
http://mail.thehood.us/mailman/listinfo/dadl-ot_thehood.us
http://news.gmane.org/gmane.music.dadl.ot