Worth the price

Dear sir:
I feel compelled to reply to the letter of April 20 from Doug Anderson, complaining about the cost of this election and pleading for a vote for the Conservatives so Mr. Harper can form a majority government.
With a majority government, Mr. Harper can brush aside the opposition parties and behave like the dictator I believe he truly wants to be.
I have good news for Mr. Anderson. This election, and all other elections in Canada, already have been paid for.
It was paid for on Queenston Heights.
It was paid for at Chateauguay.
It was paid for at Vimy Ridge.
It was paid for on Juno Beach.
It was paid for at Kap’yong.
It was paid for in Kandahar.
What is democracy worth? Let’s take a trip to Libya, to the basement morgue of the Misrata hospital, where a grieving father has come to collect the body of his son—shot to pieces by Gadhafi’s forces.
Ask him what democracy is worth. Ask him if having a dictator is better than the burden of having elections.
All over this world, billions of people are ground down under the heels of petty tyrants. What would they give for democracy; what would they give for the chance to vote in an election? When is the democratic process too expensive?
An election costs many millions of dollars. The opportunity to get rid of Stephen Harper: priceless.
Yours truly,
Rudolf K.F. Zeitlhofer
Fort Frances, Ont.