A little unsolicited advice to NFLD Liberals

Hey Judy and Andrew, hate to have to tell you this but you are federal MPs not provincial MPs.  The budget that you will vote against is a budget for all of Canada, not just Newfoundland and Labrador.

It may be true that N-L will lose some future money thanks to the Harper Cons but let's not take it out on Canadians.

Vote for the budget with very public reservations.  Tell Canadians that you are doing this for them.  That will give you the credibility to then fight for the rights of Newfoundlanders.

Reality bites.  Harper is a crook and Cons are Harper lemnings.  They will not change teir ways before the budget vote,  Why give them the satisfaction of having a budget for Canadians defeated by Liberals.  And kid yourselves.  If the vote fails it will be put on the back of Liberals.  Flakee and his Dipper and Dull-garcon's BQers are already on the record of being against Canadians.  Are you going to add your names to that list?

PP has been found!!!!

Our beloved MP, the inscrutable, huggable, moppet-of-the-hill, Pierre Poilievre- the Perfect PP to most - has been sighted in the riding.  It took the in depth journalistic instincts of the Barrhaven Something-or-other, to find that PP has been turning up at the opening of every envelope with his own photographer in tow.  He then sends the photos to the local rags.

Now I am not a conspiracy theorist but it is strange that PP is wearing the same clothes in every shot and is flashing the same goofy grin.  Is he alive or just embalmed?  I will be watching CPAC to see if he shows up in the Commons.

Layton's last breath

Jack Layton is dying - politically.  His overarching desire in life is to become Prime Minister.  He has failed.

Michael Ignatieff has done the right thing by Canadians by voting for the stimulus package, even with its obvious warts,  Jacko didn't even wait for the bill to be read- or written- before he said he would vote against it.

So who is the weaker?  Ignatieff who wants to work for Canadians?  Or Jacko who wants to work for himself?

Feds to get involved?

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed that the Con government is a reincarnation of the Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight"?

They bring in an economic update in November that outrages the country and have to shut down Parliament to save their skins.

Only last week, Labour Minister Rona Ambrose, her of the big hair, asserted that she would do nothing to legislate OC Transpo drivers back to work because she wanted them to work it out at the negotiation table.  One week later she is threatening back-to-work legislation because the parties can't work it out at the negotiating table.  It took her a week to figure that out while this strike has been going on for two months?  Or was it that a Liberal MP Belanger pushed for and got an emergency debate on the issue?

When you have no clue how to swim, you just lunge at anything that floats.

Rona can't swim.

And where, oh where, is PP?  Rumour is that he was seen at the Parliamentary food trough trying to bulk up for the next election in June.

Where, oh where, has our PP gone?

Parliament perogued last November.  In the meantime has anyone seen or even heard from our wonderful Member of Disfunction?  Where is he?  What has he been up to?

He must be real busy.  He hasn't even had the time to update his web site.  It still lists all-candidates meetings from the October 2008 election.

What is he thinking about the transit strike?  Wait a minute, maybe he is caught out in the cold walking from Barrhaven to Parliament Hill.  Can't be, he would have made it by now.

We know where his buddy Screamer Baird is on the issue of the transit strike.  He has been hiding under his bed emerging only to tell CFRA, "I know nothing.  I see nothing."  I wonder if PP is also hiding under Screamer's bed?

I hope that PP makes it to the Commons on Monday in time for the opening of the next session.  He might be needed to open the front doors that have rusted over during the Cons' strike.

Geez, I hope he is alright.  I am worried about him.

America is reborn

I was in California when Obama was inaugurated this week.  What a sight.  I was standing with almost 1000 other conference attendees listening to the new President speak.  There was a rumble in the crowd which I could only identify as pride bubbling over.  Say what you like about American but they sure know how to do up a celebration.  Two million people crowded onto the mall standing so far back from the inaugural stage that even a 1000x telescope could not make out the speck that was the President.

Compare that to the way we welcome our new Prime Ministers.  One hundred people crowd into the Governor Generals digs, swear a couple of words of reverence to the Queen, sign a few papers and then go out for a Big Mac and fries

Americans have a new President and new hope.  Canadians have a stuffed shirt for a PM and are quickly losing hope. 

On Tuesday Harper has a chance to make things better for Canadians.  Will he do it?  I hope so.

Debunking NIMBYism

Not In My Back Yard - NIMBY.  No doubt there are people who fit this category by why, oh why, do the press and politicians haul out this overworked moniker whenever any one questions a project.

Take for example the Kettle Island Bridge planned for eastern Ottawa.  There are people concerned about the effects of traffic, especially trucks, on the local environment.  After all not only is there a large municipal population within earshot but the approach to the bridge goes right past a major hospital.  Can people not raise these serious consequences of the decision to built a major truck route in the area?  That is not to say that the project should be canceled or relocated (although I am sure that the spineless city council will do just that), it just means that the city engineering folks need to mitigate these issues in their planning.

Take the plan to twin Prince of Wales Rd from Woodroffe to Fisher.  Although they have been informed of the consequences of this plan on local residents and schoolkids, and that the resultant improvements in traffic flow expected by planners will be totally negated by the bottle neck formed at Hunt Club Road; what does the city do?  They ignore the issues and accuse the author of a report on it as suffering NIMBYism.  I know the author and the issue is not in his/her back yard, it is across a park from his front yard.  Regardless of the domiciled location of the author, why are his/her concerns not being given any attention?

The last example of unfair accusation of NIMBYism is in the community of North Gower where a company wants to build 10 windmills, each being 130 meters high.  Local residents want answers to their concerns over noise and environmental effects on their community.  They are not against the project - they have concerns.  Rather than berating the residents, why not just listen to them and address their concerns?  To dismiss them as just NIMBY-ites is no solution at all.

Eat them words, Powers

On August 16, 2007, Con spindoc, Tim Powers, penned these words for the Hill Times:

"While the country's economy is going gangbusters, while separatism is a distant memory, and while we enjoy comparative social harmony, this PMO gets little credit for any of it. It has to be pretty frustrating."

Eighteen months later the economy is in the toilet, separatism is on the rise due to Harper's tirade against the BQ and the country has never be more polarize since... I don't remember when.

So what does Tim say now?  "-------"  He's got nothing to say.   Can't you even find a way to blame this on Ignatieff?

On the Eve... or the Cusp?

Over the past few weeks certain members of the Harper clutch have made statements that should cause Canadians to stand up and take notice.

Just before Harper prorogued parliament (OK, the GG signed the deal, but it was all a Harper deal.), Screamer Baird told CBC that the government would "go over the heads of the House and the Crown" to get what they wanted.  He meant that since he had his mandate through an election that his only duty was to the people.  That is charming and politically correct, but is NOT democratic in our current system.

Not to be outdone, Harper reminded us time and time again that socialists and separatists were the scourge of our system and had no place anywhere near his Purer-than-Ivory Soap government.  He would invite the Liberals to offer ideas on a revamped budget but only if the Liberals denounced the socialists and separatists along with him.  Dion told him to bug off, and rightly so.

Now I am not one to promote conspiracy theories but you cannot overlook the direection that Harper and his band of Angry Men are taking Canada.  The abyss looms wide and very, very deep.

Feeling sorry for Jimmy

You have to feel sorry for Jim Flaherty, our wonderful Federal FinMin.

He got into Ontario politics in 1995, back in the days of NDP Premier Bob Rae.  Rae was fighting a recession in Ontario and started to spend the budget into the red, resulting in a deficit of about $12 billion.  Driven to the point of madness by the free spending Rae and convinced that he could do better, Jimmy joined Mike Harris in becoming FinMin in the Ontario Commonsense Revolution that led the government to downloading programs and costs to municipalities and a claim to have balanced their budget only to have it revealed that they left a $5.8 billion deficit after they lost power.

That's the guy you want during a crisis!

So here we are, 14 years later and the Feds are facing the same set of circumstances that faced Rae.  What does Flaherty do that was better than Rae to address the situation?  Nothing!

He does the same as did Rae - but he does it, according to him - under duress.  "I didn't want to go into deficit," spouts Jimmy.  It's not his fault that he is a poor minister of finance.  It is the Peter Principle in action.

There are a lot of smart asses out there that are convinced that the sun rises and sets up their butts.  Take for example David "As God is my Witness" Warren.  His Sunday column in the Ottawa Citizen tells the story of three "punks" who tried to jump onto the back door of a Toronto trolley without paying.  The driver confronted the punks by yelling "I am not a liberal."  The punks rapidly departed.  Warren declares that this statement told the punks that the driver was not going to be intimidated by them.  Fair enough.  But it is also possible that the punks interpreted this declaration as a statement that the driver was carrying a gun and was ready to shoot.  Of course Warren, a staunch Conservative and friend to all those who can further his career (like Conrad Black),  would never think of that.

Canadians are dilusional: PM

The PM has news for those 34,400 Canadians who lost their jobs in December.  "Suck it up, Bucko.  The US is in worse shape!"

What to hell does that mean?  Should unemployed Canadians shuffle off to the bread lines and soup kitchens singing the praises of Harper because he is not Bush?

What a joke.  This is the same PM who told Canadians that Canada had strong financial fundamentals and the the bellyflop that was the TSE was not a problem... it was an opportunity to buy more stock.  With what money would we buy this stock, Steve?  Our saving were gone, banks were not offering credit and, indeed, credit is what got us into the problems in the first place.  And, if you were able to buy stock when Steve-the-Economist recommended it, you would have lost even more because the bellyflop turned into a dive into a dry pool.  You would have been better off listening to Joe-the-Plumber.

Gotta go.  The food bank opens in one hour and I have to hitchhike across the city because the Transit dopes are still on strike.

Can you say Sponsored Branch Plant?

An organization that 99.9% of Canadian have never heard about is proposing to sell off the remainders of Canadian business to anyone who wants it.

The Competition Policy Review Panel, that the Harper government appointed, is mandated to identify the changes Canada needs to make to prepare for full-scale North American economic integration. Of course that is not its official mandate but that is what they are planning to do.

On June 26, 2008 the Panel, headed by Red Wilson, former CEO of BCE - a company looking for a buyer - released its report to Harper entitled Compete to Win. The report puts forward a series of policy recommendations aimed at making Canada a more attractive destination for talent, investment and innovation, as well as a sweeping national Competitiveness Agenda based on the proposition that Canada’s standard of living and economic performance will be raised through more competition in Canada and from abroad. Greater competitive intensity in Canada will yield better products at lower prices, more jobs and higher earnings, stronger companies, and a stronger economy.

How will they accomplish these goals?

The report listed policy recommendations to the federal government which include:

• Amending the Investment Canada Act to reduce barriers to foreign investment by increasing review thresholds; reversing the onus to require the government to demonstrate that an investment would be contrary to the national interest before disallowing a transaction; increasing transparency and predictability; and preserving a distinct approach for the cultural sector while also initiating a broad review of Canada’s cultural policies;

Which means that any merger or acquisition by an foreign company of a Canadian company no longer has to benefit Canada or Canadians.  We fund and build the companies, provide generous tax breaks and write-offs and anyone can just come in a sweep it away.

• Liberalizing investment restrictions in the Canadian air transport, uranium mining, and telecommunications and broadcasting sectors, and removing the defacto ban on mergers in the financial services sector;

Which means that our much-touted fiscally conservative, well run, adequately liquid, banks and other institutions can just be bought up by the likes of Bear Stearns, CitiGroup and Leahman, those stalwarts of fiscal responsibility.  No doubt that they could use part of their $1 trillion US government bailouts to finance the purchase. And it still doesn't have to be a net benefit to Canada.

• Updating and modernizing the Competition Act in line with best practices internationally;

Given the current state of the world economy you may have to look to India or Burundi to find some best practices!

• Creating a Canadian Competitiveness Council to give voice to and advocate for competition in Canada, and ensure sustained attention by governments on national competitiveness.

As long as the Council is made up of the CEOs of Bell, Ford, Scotiabank and TekCominco?

The report includes the following statement: “One of our key findings is that Canada needs to get its act together as a nation.”

 I agree.  And the first thing we should agree on is that the Harper initiative to sell off Canada should cease to exist.

Sid the Putz

Sid Ryan, the sage of the ultra left and head of CUPE Ontario, has pulled the greatest boner ever to be known in all of Canadian history.  That might be a bit of an overstatement, but you get the point.  Ryan is full of sh*t.

After a year of saying absolutely nothing about Palestinians firing thousands of rockets into Israel, Ryan decided that Israel's defense of their people, by going on the offensive into Gaza, is sufficient to brand Israelis as aggressors and he wants all Israeli lecturers banned from Canadian universities unless and until the lecturers decry their "war-mongering" fellow countrymen.  He is doing this altuistic thing at the demand of a Palestinian teacher's union.

Where was Sid when the rockets were flying?  Why did he not demand that the Palestinian teachers union be barred from Ontario campuses? 

To cap of his brilliantly thought out plan to live out his own high opinion of himself, Sid went so far as to compare the people of Israel to Nazis.  Then he withdrew that "misunderstanding" in one hell of a hurry.

Just out of interest, Sid, how will you identify the Israeli lecturers and academics?  Will they need to wear a yellow star?  What do you plan to do about those non-Israelis who may support Israel.  Will they have their hair shorn off?

Welcome to 2009 - a year like all the rest.

How surreal is it to watch the Pope make his address to his following from a chair in front of enough golden idols to choke a monkey and then to listen to him demand that western civilization work harder to end poverty.

Is it just me or is the Church just being hypocritical?

Sell of some of the trinket, Pope, to some of those transient-rich sheiks in the middle east and use the proceeds to feed the starving in Africa and Etobicoke. Once you have done that, then you can chastise the rest of us.

Welcome to 2009 - a year like all the rest.