Wanker Of The Day

Neil Reynolds has some nasty things to say about J.S. Woodsworth and the early CCF. Reynolds implies that Woodsworth was reported to have said some condescending things about ordinary people, during the 1930's:

"The untrained masses," he explained, "are incompetent to pass judgment upon the complicated problems of capitalism."

(perhaps Mr Woodsworth was talking about the grandparents of today's Canadians who believe we elect our Prime Minister directly -- ed.) . Imagine, a person from another era saying something that might seem strange to modern ears? I expect capitalists from the same era were all sunshine and roses? Given the context of the time, Woodsworth was a saint. Mr. Reynolds owes him an apology.

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Ian Capstick Describes The New Democratic Party

And it sounds an awful lot like the Liberal Party.

Democrats in Canada are centrist and leftist socialists, social democrats, unionists and workers, either fiscally conservative or liberal. Democrats believe fundamentally in democracy and the will of people, we believe government does not exist only to be made smaller or, worse, only to “earn” votes in the next election. Democrats can work with people in all political parties to forge compromise and build solutions. Democrats can lead governments.

If the Democratic Party of Canada thinks that class issues are now passé (even going so far as showing "critics on the left" the door), in the midst of a crisis rife with class issues, then the political spectrum of Canada is getting closer and closer to being a monochromatic "choice" between neo-liberalism and neo-liberalism lite. Is this what social democrats in Canada really want?

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When A Vulcan Chess Master Meets An Isotope Crisis

I know we should all be amazed by the lack of urgency and bloodlessness emanating from the Harperites about the shortage of medical isotopes, caused by the shut down of Chalk River. But, I for one have exhausted my supply of amazement. This is just how government works, or rather doesn't work, under 21st century conservatism. In Harper's mind, the government should never have been in the business of producing isotopes in the first place. The fact that it was producing them and there is a problem and he is in charge of the government, in no way contradicts Harper's first principle. So, the response from Harper is a metaphorical shrug of the shoulders. To Harper, the people suffering as a result of the shortage of isotopes, should be thought of as teachable moments. In Harper's mind, they are the result of government involvement in areas where it should not tread, and not something he should do much about. Too bad really, they got sick at a bad time and as a result of their own stupidity for voting Liberal all those years. Now, if only we had private health care and they had the right kind of insurance....

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Robert Reich On Obama's Secret Dealings WIth Big Pharma

I want universal health insurance. And having had a front-row seat in 1994 when Big Pharma and the rest of the health-industry complex went to battle against it, I can tell you firsthand how big and effective the onslaught can be. So I appreciate Big Pharma's support this time around, and I like it that the industry is doing the reverse of what it did last time, and airing ads to persuade the public of the rightness of the White House's effort.

But I also care about democracy, and the deal between Big Pharma and the White House frankly worries me. It's bad enough when industry lobbyists extract concessions from members of Congress, which happens all the time. But when an industry gets secret concessions out of the White House in return for a promise to lend the industry's support to a key piece of legislation, we're in big trouble. That's called extortion: An industry is using its capacity to threaten or prevent legislation as a means of altering that legislation for its own benefit. And it's doing so at the highest reaches of our government, in the office of the president.

Go read the rest. It is important.

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The Liberal Motto

Warren Kinsella, in an otherwise hilarious entry about the NDP, finished his well-meaning advisory with:

There are many other possibilities for a new name for the NDP. By way of conclusion, we would only echo that old adage: if you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything. (emphasis mine)

This is certainly true and Mr. Kinsella knows whereof he speaks. That has been the Liberal Motto for well over 100 years. I hope the NDP takes his advice to heart and avoids the same sorry fate as the Liberal Party of Canada.

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Thank God The Recession Is Over

Now we can blame these lazy good-for-nothings for their "condition". Really, if everybody had the sense to go work on Wall Street, we wouldn't be in this mess. These so-called unemployed need to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps, just like Wall Street did.

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The Magic Eight Ball Says

Is Barack Obama just another corporate whore, who is willing to sell out the American people, to the corporations that own the country? All signs point to yes. Liberals, they are always so predictable. One wonders why Jack Layton is so anxious to get into bed with the likes of Obama?

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