On Such Things Do Governments Rise And Fall

The Globe and Mail on the shortage of vaccine for H1N1:

But the nationwide shortage has raised fears that more people might become sick before they get the vaccine, now that the country has seen a resurgence of the virus.

If these fears are realized, then Harper is royally screwed (until Iggy finds some way to save him, once again). If however, the government can step up and look competent, then Harper will get the glory. Either way, we will know in the next few weeks.

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Operation Point The Finger

Moves to a new level. Ottawa delivers less vaccine to the provinces than it promised and then stands back and lets the provinces take the blame for the shortage. Stay classy guys.

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Well Duh

Self-evident quote of the day:

“We would be extremely opposed to any kind of a carbon tax or some other kind of tax that would result in a significant wealth transfer from our province to any other province or area of the country,” said Saskatchewan Energy Minister Bill Boyd.

Tomorrow, on self-evident quote of the day, we will ask an Afghan drug lord to tell us what he thinks about western drug laws.

Of course, our government doesn't base its entire drug strategy on the opinions of Afghan drug lords, now does it?

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H1N1 Follies

I am sure the Conservatives will use this fiasco, to a) laud their communication strategy and/or b) helpfully point out that health delivery is a provincial matter. My guess is it will go something like this. "Yes, Mr. Speaker we have seen an inundation of H1N1 clinics over these last days. This proves that we on the government side have been effective in telling people to get their shots. Also, yes Mr. Speaker there have been a few isolated cases of problems at clinics. I am sure the provincial ministries of health involved will soon have these problems smoothed out."

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What The Hell, It's Not Their Money

Globe headline: Cost to keep Khadr out of Canada: $1.3-million so far . When it comes to spending on lawsuits, the Conservatives' have no limit. They are sure to be invited to the Ottawa bar's Christmas party.

Update: And why let Khadr's innocence stand in the way of a good legal tussle?

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A Modest Proposal

The House is a very uncivilized place these days. It has gotten to the point where Jack Layton had to make a statement about the lack of civility, yesterday. It made no difference, apparently.

MP's are able to get away with bad behaviour in the House because they are anonymous. The rules of the House forbid moving the single TV camera away from the member speaking at that moment. I propose that that rule be dropped. Instead there should be several cameras in the House and they should be able to switch shots at any time from speaker to any other part of the House. Let's see the yahoo's in action. I am willing to bet you a steak dinner that it would take about three days before the whips enforced a level of decorum we have not witnessed in the House in years. It is time our MP's stopped acting like pigs and grow the Hell up.

Update: Apparently, I am not the only one who thinks this should be changed.

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Have You Now Or Ever

Been a member of the NDP? It must be close to Halloween. The witch hunt is on. Does it really matter that a protester is also a member of a political party if there is no proof that the party organized the protest? No, but it does make for some salacious "news". Speculation is not proof, it's masturbation. The media is in danger of turning itself into the personification of Lionel Hutz: "Well your honor, I have plenty of hearsay, conjecture and innuendo. Those are TYPES of evidence."

Update: Of course the MSM is limp next to the self-love champs, Liberal bloggers.

Update: Perhaps Liberal bloggers should take a cue from Liberal MP, Paul Szabo, who said this in response to the government's question of privilege :

Mr. Paul Szabo (Mississauga South, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the references that the hon. House leader has made I am familiar with them but I simply want to point out to the House leader and to you, Mr. Speaker, that this is the party that brought forward a 200 page manual on how to obstruct the work of committees.

A former Deputy Speaker, Bill Blaikie, once said to the House that demonstration and filibustering are part of the democratic process. Section 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms gives Canadians the right to express their freedom of expression. That is what happened here.

Mr. Speaker, I would just indicate that freedom of speech is not just for parliamentarians. It is for all Canadians.

I realize Liberal bloggers like to tease the NDP (the psychology of that relationship could fill many textbooks), but they are in danger of looking like the Jay Hill's tool.

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The Liberals Have Lost The Plot...Again

Isn't it passing strange that Liberals are spending their time shopping around climate protest conspiracy theories, while at the same time helping the government block C-311?

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Green Shoots

Reading the financial press these days is like listening to a doctor who tells you "Yes, you mother is dead, but at least her condition is not getting worse. Maybe by this time next year, we will have a cure and then everything will be ok."

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Something's Happening Here

The warning signs are all around us, from the loyal servants of betters, counseling against greed and hubris, to protesters venting their frustration at a political system that sacrifices their concerns on the alter of the above mentioned human vices. The ruling class ignores these warnings at its peril. The clouds are gathering and a storm is coming.

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Priorities

I read this headline this morning: Swine Flu Is Widespread in 46 States as Vaccines Lag . The Americans have declared a national emergency. Meanwhile, Stephen Harper is busy unveiling statues to dead hockey bureaucrats; our local vaccination programme is more than a week away; and my own son is sick with the flu. Is it me, or do our Prime Minister's priorities seem a bit off? He has lots of time to visit Tim Horton's and talk hockey, but when he's not casting doubt about the idea of vaccinations, he is ignoring the problem altogether.

Harper has gotten away with this laissez-faire attitude so far, but if the death toll starts to climb, I suspect we will see lots of pretty pictures of Mr. Harper wearing a white coat, on his web site and we will hear more rumours about Mr. Ignatieff's leadership. Because as we all know, this government is about electing a majority, not actually running the country.

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MMP In New Zealand

No surprise here. The conservative National Party (and their big business buddies) wants to dump MMP and go back to FPTP. I doubt it will happen but this bears watching.

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How Big Is Stephen Harper's Ego?

Massive.

Here is his what he had to say about his news watching habits:

"I watched the last several elections in the United States very closely. I tend to watch mainly American news, because I don't like to watch Canadian news and hear what Allan (Gregg) and everybody else is saying about me. So my hobby is to watch politics elsewhere,"

Because, you know, Canadian news and Canadian politics is all about Him. This quote confirms my impression of the PM. The man has a paper-thin skin to go along with that world-consuming ego. Anyone who would stop watching Canadian news, in order to avoid hearing what Allan Gregg (of all people) has to say about him, is someone who needs some counseling.

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Dalton McGuinty Is A Fucking Genius

We have an economic meltdown in Ontario. The manufacturing sector is a mess, unemployment is better than 9% and the real economy is short on cash to spend. Dalton McGuinty's solution is simple. All we have to do is cut government spending to take even more money out of the economy. Brilliant. Dalton is a throwback to the days when doctors recommended a good bleeding for brain hemorrhages.

Update: I bet this new era of restraint will not preclude the use of consultants. Oh those Liberals. They believe in socialism for the connected and conservatism for the rest of us. I can't think of a better definition of a centrist.

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Did Harper Flunk Math?

Yesterday in the Commons, in response to a question from Jack Layton about the slush-fundy nature of stimulus spending, the PM said:

The fact is even this incomplete list indicates that the largest projects were in opposition ridings and almost half of the projects went into opposition ridings. That is what the list shows.

So, almost half of the projects went into opposition ridings, eh? That's great, but there is just one problem. Opposition seats make up about 54% of the ridings in Canada. In other words, they make up more than half the ridings in the country. Saying that they got "almost half of the projects"(which is only true btw if you consider 34% of the projects is "almost half" of the projects in the RinC fund) is a clear admission by the PM, that opposition ridings got less than their fair share of the projects. In a just world, such an admission would be accompanied by a resignation. Somehow, I doubt this will happen in Harper's Canada.

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This Is All Fine And Good

But what do the Liberals want in exchange for supporting the government? Anything? Anything at all?

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Where We Are

I don't have a lot of time to write these days. Life calls, don't you know. However, I can't let this moment pass without comment. It is a scary time out here in the hinterlands. People are hurting and they are in no mood to listen to more bad news. It is like the entire country has its fingers in its ears and is humming the tune to "Happy Days", in order to stop itself from having a nervous breakdown.

The government passed Afghan prisoners on to be tortured? "Sunday, Monday, Happy Days". The government is sabotaging the climate talks? "Tuesday, Wednesday, Happy Days". The government is on track to build more prisons, during a period of declining crime, in effect throwing our money at a non-existing problem to satisfy its base? "Thursday, Friday, Happy Days". The government is using the stimulus money as a political slush fund? "Saturday, What a day, Rockin' all week with you". Who cares? I don't mean that, I mean who has the time? Daily survival for my family is all there is. If you want to build an arena in my neighborhood, fine. I am not going to look to closely at the process by which the money was delivered. At least my brother in law will get a construction job for a while. Do what you want, as long as it means I can put food on the table. Don't talk to me about issues. Just go fuck yourselves.

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I See Nothing, Nothing!

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What Mercer Said

The only thing I would add is I believe the deficit was completely necessary. The government should not be ashamed that it spent the money during a recession (how it was spent is a different story). However, that money is not found money. We are going to have to pay it back. No one in Ottawa seems to have the guts to admit that.

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A Difference Of Degree, Rather Than Kind

The Liberals were tossed from government because they treated taxpayer's money like it was their own personal slush fund, in the province of Quebec. It seems to me the Conservatives are treating taxpayer's money like it is their own slush fund, across the entire country.

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No Cynicism At Queen's Park

Dalton McGuinty is running a scandal-plagued government and is short on cash. He thinks he can solve both problems by selling off the LCBO. That way, people will be so vexed by the sale of a crown corporation that actually makes money for the governmen,t that they will forget e-health and for one year, the books might balance. What happens the year after that? I suspect McGuinty is standing in front of a mirror right now, practicing his best "I feel your pain" face.

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On Magic Thinking

So, we have had the Liberals and Conservatives both swear off tax increases to pay down the deficit. So, you say, "Well I guess that means, spending cuts all around then". Hold on, not so fast. The Liberals say they have a way to balance the books without raising taxes or cutting spending, but they aren't going to tell us how. Hint: it's kinda like "The Secret".

The Conservatives on the other hand, say that they can balance the books by not raising taxes and not cutting spending. Apparently, this can be done, just by the force of Stephen Harper's will.

I have a couple of thoughts about these positions. First, the two big parties are treating our nation's finances like a giant ponzi scheme. Second, with giant brains like this running the country, the socialist option doesn't look so bad, does it?

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I've Seen This Movie Before

Liberals are shocked, shocked, that the government is suggesting we stay in Afghanistan past 2011. The fact that this was completely obvious at the time their party backed Harper on extending the mission, seems to be conveniently absent from their expressions of horror. This is just more attempted ass-covering from a party that can't find said gluteus maximus, with two hands and a body atlas.

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Dalton McGuinty Reacts To The Auditor General's Report

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Simple Answers To Simple Questions

Women and Ignatieff: Where did it go wrong? Women have eyes to see, ears to hear and brains to put it all together.

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Sunday Morning Thoughts

If you read this exchange between Bob Rae and Thomas Mulcair, you will see two different perceptions of the Liberal Party. Rae sees the Liberals as a misunderstood force for good, put upon by all sides. The Mulcair sees the Liberals as a bunch of do nothings, who talk left and govern right. If you look out in the blogosphere, these perceptions are common in Liberal and NDP blogs. To me this would indicate a couple of things. First, it is virtually useless for Liberals to try to poach NDP support at this point. People who are voting NDP these days tend to share Mulcair's view of the Liberal Party. NDP voters just do not like, nor do they trust, the Liberals (largely, I would submit, due to the behavior of past Liberal majority governments).

Second, the Liberals are going to have a tough time growing their party beyond the limited range in which they find themselves. If you look at the polls, this is not because of the NDP. The NDP is stuck in its own historical range and has been for years. What has changed is the rise of specific issue parties, the Bloc and the Greens. To me, it is no coincidence that the rise of the Greens especially, has happened at the same time Liberal support has fallen. If you add the two parties' support together you get the traditional Liberal numbers. The NDP, for all the bluster on the Liberal side, has not eaten into their voter base. Liberals need to get this through their heads. The NDP threat is more illusion than real. The Liberal Party is losing support elsewhere.

So, what is the way forward? I would suggest electoral reform. I know this sends Liberals to the exits, muttering to themselves about "only needing another 10% of the vote to get a majority", but hear me out. These trends are not going away. The days of Liberal majorities are past. In fact, what I am seeing is Conservative minorities as far as the eye can see. However, if Liberals join forces with the NDP and Greens to push for electoral reform that reflects the electoral wishes of the voters, they may yet again get to sit on the government side of the House of Commons. Liberals may not like sharing the stage with smaller parties (and believe me the feeling is more than mutual), but Liberal supporters (and of NDP and Greens) have to ask themselves whether the alternative of perpetual Conservative governments is better? The voters and supporters of each party do not have to like each other, but perhaps they can find common ground to work together. Poaching supporters from the other parties is not working and is only helping the Conservatives. It's time to try something else.

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Liberal Obsession: Tim Hortons

Perhaps the reason Liberals are obsessed with the visits of other leaders to Tim Horton's, is the sneaking suspicion that their leader would never be caught dead in one.

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Shorter Lorne Gunter

For me, it will be always be 1968, until I die.

Added Bonus Shorter: Deserters from the U.S. military and abortion doctor murderers are exactly the same...except for...you know, the murdering.

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