The New York Times editorial of Saturday November 13 makes the point of electing people rather forcefully.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/14/opinion/14sun1.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=a211
I think we should take that message seriously. Opposition members are traditionally referred to as "members of the loyal opposition" for very good and sound reason.
If we think of a democratic government as the replacement for the king, we then have - in the case of Canada - 308 equal parts of the king, in the case of Alberta - 87 equal parts of the king.
Just like the various parts of a king, we would not expect some parts to disable the other parts. Rather, we would expect all the parts to figure out how to work together. The majority, or at least leading, party's political philosophy and the principles of that philosophy will be the head and heart of the kingly body, realizing the governance of the whole body in accordance with that philosophy and those principles. So the whole body may get into fights or not, may get slack or fit etc.
However, every part is necessary to the adequate functioning of that body.
In the same way, when people are elected, none are elected to disable the body from functioning or to kill it off with suicide. Yet, the out-of-control extreme partisanship we see all too often is evidence of that exact dysfunction.
Once the election is over, it's over. Time to get on with governing!
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