Category: Government

Rights, privileges… what’s the difference? Far too many of us don’t know.

This presentation (by a Libertarian named Michael Badnarik) discusses the topic in the context of the American Constitution but it’s still some damned good food for thought for us north of the border.

Be warned: this thing is damned loooooooonnngg, so grab yourself a coffee/beer/whatever first. Here’s part one of seven:

And here’s part two:

You know something’s coming when they start softening you up with reassurances.

“Don’t worry, you won’t lose your jobs. Really.”

The federal Conservatives aren’t backing down from their pledge to scrap the controversial long-gun registry, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper told a Miramichi, N.B., audience Friday there will be “no loss of federal employment” in the area when it happens.

The prime minister told a packed arena that his government remains committed to abolishing the registry. In Miramichi, however, the promise takes on an added dimension from the typical debate over gun control.

Dr. Stephen Harper, Chief Psychiatrist at Personality Disorders Clinic of the House of Commons Psychiatric Hospital in Ottawa, at request of hospital management and local community, agreed recently to reorganize his medical practice.

As a part of that reorganisation effort, last Friday, Dr. Harper saw one of his many narcissistic and “very prominent” outpatients Mr. Dalton McGuinty, in his private office at 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/…

During object relation therapy session that took place on that day patient McGuinty’s complained that his brother David McGuinty, one of Dr. Harper’s current patients at HoC Hospital, feels depressed by the fact that great many of his friends in Ontario are denied psychiatric treatment at HoC Hospital in Ottawa due to severe rationing of hospital beds.

Patient McGuinty accused Dr. Harper of outright hostility and wilful discrimination against his brother and all other Ontario Narcissists. Dr. Harper skilfully diagnosed that his patient McGuinty’s transference and recurring projections are caused complete lack of an ongoing treatment due to complete absence of therapists trained in treating personality disorders at the Queen’s Park Psychiatric Hospital in Toronto.

Dr. Harper recommended that his outpatient Dalton McGuinty contacts Dr. John Bradford Associate Chief, Forensic Psychiatry, at Royal Ottawa Hospital and seek recommendations for therapists living in Toronto area who might be willing to offer ongoing treatment for patient McGuinty’s severe psychopathology and if possible offer treatment for other patients frequenting Queen’s Park Psychiatric Hospital in Toronto. (more…)

Somehow I get the sneaking suspicion that this has more to do with the mayor making the rest of the bums look bad. I’m not usually one to get very interested in what’s going on south of the border, unless it actually has something directly to do with my own country, but I’m about to make a bit of an exception here.

Working her tail off until the wee hours of the morning? I dunno about you, but that’s what I look for in a civic leader. But hey, we can’t have that sort of thing going on now, can we? After all, it might send the wrong message.

A message like, “Hey, if the mayor’s working her arse off at all hours, why can’t the rest of those bums on council do it too?” And God knows we can’t have the unwashed masses going around expecting those elected clowns to actually work… it’d be the end of bureaucracy as we know it. 😯

SOUTH EL MONTE, Calif. (AP) — Fed up with the nocturnal work habits of its mayor, a California city council has approved a curfew limiting how late she can work at City Hall.

South El Monte council members say they have safety and liability concerns for Mayor Blanca Figueroa, who frequently works until the wee hours of the morning. She must now leave the building by 11 p.m.

The mayor — a self-described night owl — calls the restriction petty. She says she needs to stay late because her daytime schedule is filled with meetings and her inbox is overflowing with letters from residents affected by the worsening economy.

The L. A. Times has some more on it:

Politicians are criticized for many things. Putting in too many hours at the office is not usually one of them.

But in South El Monte, a city of about 20,000 residents east of Los Angeles, the City Council has lodged just such a complaint against its most powerful elected official. Council members say Mayor Blanca Figueroa spends too much time at her City Hall office. So on Tuesday, they gave her a curfew.

The City Council, on which the mayor sits, voted 4 to 1 to prohibit its members and city staff from working in City Hall after 11 p.m. City officials, including City Manager Anthony Ybarra, admit that the ruling was primarily directed against Figueroa, who often works late into the night. “It’s a matter of security, safety and liability,” he said.

Figueroa, who has been mayor since 1997, is incensed. [MSM-ese for “totally pissed” -D]

“In my opinion, it is an unfair policy,” she said. “My job is 24/7.” The mayor said she needs the evening office hours to do her job properly. She said she spends most of her days in meetings, so it is at night that she catches up on e-mails and paperwork. She does not have a fax machine or a copier at home, she said.

Figueroa said her workload has increased in the last six to eight months. She blames the worsening economy. “I have more work to do now than ever,” she said. “If I let it go by, it piles up.”

If her round-the-clock schedule makes her a workaholic, she says, so be it.

“Do I have a private life? No. Even on Thanksgiving I was here,” she said proudly. “I’m mentally exhausted, but it is my service to serve the city.”

Now, I normally have some serious moral reservations about the whole idea of human cloning, but in this case…

If you see this lady, buy her a drink!  Just make it a coffee, or something like that — she’s gotta work late…

Doctor Harper is in, please take a number and take a seat, he will see you soon.

Dr. Stephen Harper, Chief Psychiatrist at Personality Disorders Clinic of the House of Commons Psychiatric Hospital in Ottawa, at request of hospital management and local community, agreed recently to reorganize his medical practice.

From now on, patients suffering from Narcissistic Personality Disorders will get preferential treatment and due to the fact that they tend to be more stable emotionally they will be put in charge of patients suffering from Borderline Personality Disorders.

In an effort to seek ways to prevent recurrence of recent incidents of patients at the clinic going off their medication, and attempting to start a rebellion at the HoC Hospital Dr. Harper agreed to interview one of his severely narcissistic patients Mr. Michael Ignatieff .

Last Friday, Dr. Harper saw his “prominent” patient Ignatieff in his private office at 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa.

www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/…

During object relation therapy session that took place on that day Dr. Harper skilfully diagnosed that his patient Ignatieff’s disphoria and recurring depressive states are caused by the severe shortage of Narcissistic Supply that causes shrinking of patient Ignatieff’s False Ego.

Dr. Harper recommended that other psychiatric patients, that patient Ignatieff comes in contact with, double their efforts to provide Narcissistic Supply and boost patient Ignatieff’s sagging False Ego at every opportunity they get.

This suggestion was immediately put into action and two outpatients Warren Kinsella and Scott Reid were delegated to that task immediately.

Here is the evidence of their heroic efforts.

www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/…

Scott Reid (former communications director for Paul Martin): Michael Ignatieff began his tenure as Liberal Leader with a display of quiet, composed and steely purpose. After only 36 minutes behind the podium, he had fixed responsibility for saving Stephen Harper’s government solely on the shoulders of Stephen Harper, commanded the stage with unquestioned authority and made clear he would play his cards as they should be – one at a time and with wise measure.

Stephen Harper, consider yourself told. This man is not screwing around. If you want to remain as Prime Minister, you must provide two things in short order: a corrected economic program and a public expression of contrition. (It’s telling that Mr. Harper will likely find the latter to be more of a challenge.)

Other psychiatric patients all across Canada also offered to pitch in some Narcissistic Supply for patient Ignatieff see: here

OTTAWA NOTEBOOK

Liberals’ new captain tidies up the ship

JANE TABER

jtaber@globeandmail.com

December 13, 2008

New Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff told his troops there will be no freelancing; the Liberal Party will now speak with one voice and it will be his, according to an insider.

In line with other recommendations of Dr. Harper Carolyn Bennett MP as classic BPD case will be moved to back benches as soon as HoC Paychiatric Hospital reopens at the end of January 2009.

www.extra.ca/blog/ottawa/post/2008/12/12/Were-off-to-stack-the-Senate!

Hill Queeries: Ottawa’s federal politics blog on Xtra.ca

Friday, December 12, 2008

We’re off to stack the Senate!

Friday, December 12, 2008

The talk of the town today was that Harper plans to stack the Senate before New Year arrives. Of course, “stack” is to be taken pretty loosely, since the Liberals in the Senate outnumber the Conservatives by 58 to 20, and there are currently 18 vacancies. But that aside, it’s possibly the biggest single round of Senate appointments in Canadian history.

Few people are happy about it. …..
“Liberal MP Carolyn Bennett, however, was apoplectic with outrage yesterday, as she decried the fact that Harper had no moral authority to appoint them when he had prorogued Parliament to avoid a confidence vote.”

On October 16, 2008, two days after Federal Elections I wrote and posted following comment on Trusty Tory Blogspot.

http://returnofthetory.wordpress.com/2008/10/15/a-stacked-senate/

on October 16, 2008 at 12:08 am “karol’

Harper the bridge player is already executing his next move. Unlike previous glorious leaders stacking the Senate before the election as a hedge and a poison pill for successors Harper not only refrained from such move but had one senator Michael Fortier (see: here) resign his Senate seat and run for elected office.

With Liberals still reeling from electoral defeat Harper was quick to play finesse on his political opponents and publicly raised the issue of Senate reform. He stated that if opposition leaders (Stephanie Dion and defeated Liberals) would not endorse his demand for Senate reform he will stack the Senate (with recently retired Conservative MPs).

Michael Fortier’s electoral defeat that seem to have been planed well in advance (see: here) as it creates a situation where Liberals are bound to accuse Harper of preferring option of appointing Senators of his own choosing rather than having them face unpredictable electorate.

This well choreographed situation will further alienate Liberals from NDP and the Block as it will pit governing Conservatives and defeated Liberals against NDP and the Block that have no representation in Upper Chamber.

No matter how Liberals are going to spin Senate debacle they are bound to loose on this issue. If they support Harper’s position now and call for Senate reforms they will alienate current Liberal Senators and open the door for Harper to push his legislative agenda thru both Houses with Senate reform issue pitting Liberals in both Houses against each other.

It seems like a very cynical setup by Conservatives as Liberals will have to wear the blame for whatever decision Harper makes. If and when Harper (tired of bickering) stacks the Senate with twenty five (17 vacancies +extra Conservative Senators he will be able to claim that he is merely restoring political balance based on fresh mandate from Canadian electorate.

This bold Harper’s move will spell doom for the Liberals who will be blamed by the left (NDP, Greens, and Block) for blocking Senate reform when Conservatives tried to push it thru HoC and the Senate and preventing formation of a effective left wing coalition with majority in both Chambers (with 8 extra senators, Conservatives and PC will have majority in Senate by end of June 2009 due to retirements).

It seems quite possible that in the end Harper will have it both ways Senate stacked with Conservatives in short term and Senate reform in a long run.

Almost two months went by and we have seen opposition parties forming coalition (Three Stooges Rebellion) and threatening to overthrow Conservative government.

This attempt to stage the coup d’etat, was delayed by PM Harper proroguing Parliament until end of January. Just recently Liberal leader Dion stepped down and new leader Michael Ignatieff was installed in his place.

Today’s newspapers are full of articles mentioning Harper’s intent to fill vacancies in the Senate. Please, read excerpts from today’s Star article I am posting below.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/552604

Even if Harper does not succeed in securing an outright majority in the Senate, he could get what an official called a “functioning majority,” because “not all members of the Senate are terribly active.”

The Liberals currently have 58 senators to the Tories’ 20, with the remainder sitting as independents or claiming other party affiliations, such as Progressive Conservative. Another 11 vacancies in the 105-seat chamber are expected to open up next year.

“As in dire need of reform as the Senate is,” said the official, “it still fulfills a function within this place and it’s important that we have the bodies there to do it.”

The government official said the new senators would be appointed under the current rules and would sit until the mandatory retirement age of 75.

As for whether Harper would use an extraordinary power in the Constitution (called the deadlock clause) to name extra senators to secure a majority, the official declined a direct answer.

“We’ve not made any indication of that. That’s a power that does rest with the Prime Minister as a way of overcoming the impasse. But what we’re talking about right now is the 18 vacancies.”

The power was once used by former Progressive Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney to move his GST legislation through a gridlocked Senate.

Harper does not intend to name any of the senators to his cabinet, nor to consult provinces on the upcoming appointments, the official said, adding regional representation is “already built into” the institution as seats are assigned on a provincial basis.

The official disputed any suggestion the public might question the optics or the legitimacy of the move. He suggested most Canadians don’t support the unelected chamber because it is unaccountable.

“We are the elected government. There is nothing as a part of prorogation that limits the government to make appointments.”

When I wrote my analysis almost two months ago that indicated that Conservatives could have absolute majority in the Senate by end of June of next year if Harper appoints 8 extra senators in addition to 18 vacancies I did not take into account issue of absenteeism that seems to be plaguing Canadian Upper Chamber. It is quite possible that that Conservatives could have functioning majority in the Senate much sooner than I have initially anticipated.

That possibility puts Harper’s gamble in totally different perspective as it shows that Senate majority might as well have been his end goal from the very beginning of current political crisis.

As of today, political optics for such move as favourable as they were right after federal elections become even more favourable, thanks in large part to complete ineptitude and actions of Harper’s political opponents.