If anybody out there is still wondering whether or not Stephen Harper is the best man to guide the economy through the coming uncertainty, just watch this.
Yes, I know it’s the Ceeb, but it’s still good. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut some days, right?
Now, I’ll be the first one to admit that Harper (surprise, surprise) doesn’t come off as even remotely warm and fuzzy here. Mansbridge also hits him with a few curve balls as well but the PM handles them damned well. (more…)
I thought that these clowns were owned by the Toronto friggin’ Star, fer chrissakes!
Of all the things that I thought I’d see before this campaign was done (and my mind goes in some startling directions at times), this didn’t even come close to making the list. Not even remotely.
I guess this is the part where I tell you what the hell I’m so stunned about, huh?
Okay, here we go. Everybody and their dog knows that newspapers aren’t really neutral in their political leanings; that’s just the nature of the beast. No, I’m not bellyaching about it. Newspapers are private companies and their owners can run them as they wish. If the rest of us don’t like it, we don’t buy their papers and they go tits-up. It’s as easy as that.
Papers frequently come out on one side or another of an election, usually determined by the owners of the paper (see the note above), which is why you can usually make a safe bet on who they’re going to be endorsing. This is why I was shocked as shit to find out that The Record — yes, The Record; as in “The Waterloo Record” — has come out and endorsed STEPHEN HARPER FOR PM!!
No, I am NOT making this shit up…
In contrast to the Liberals, the Conservatives, for all their failings, offer a safer, more credible approach to the economy. Months ago, aware of the looming crisis in the American economy, the Conservatives took action. They cut taxes across the board, to corporations, yes, but to ordinary Canadians too. We believe those cuts have helped buoy the Canadian economy. And while Harper was late in releasing his platform, it appears to be a prudent plan, offering targeted support for specific sectors of the economy.
There is reassurance, too, in Harper’s record over 2 1/2 years in power. He reached a welcome compromise with the Liberals so that Canadian troops can help bring aid and security to Afghanistan until 2011. Separatist sentiment in Quebec slumbers, thanks partly to Harper’s efforts to reach out to that province.
Nor have we seen the so-called “hidden agenda” of socially conservative initiatives. We see no indication Harper intends to resurrect national debates on abortion, the death penalty or same-sex marriage. And this only makes sense. Whatever Harper’s personal views are on these subjects, he knows that pushing them onto the House of Commons agenda would be political suicide.
On balance, Harper has put Canada in a good, even enviable position to weather the coming economic storm. Proof of this came this week when the International Monetary Fund predicted that Canada will lead the Group of 7 industrial nations in growth next year, with our gross domestic product estimated to rise by 1.2 per cent.
And what of the other choices? Well, neither the New Democratic Party nor the Greens appears to us as a viable option for government in this election. NDP Leader Jack Layton has fought an energetic, passionate campaign for which he will likely be rewarded with more seats. However, his plan to pound corporations with higher taxes and interfere with our free trade agreements would be economically disastrous. As for Elizabeth May’s Greens, as much as they belong in the political landscape, their call for new corporate taxes and distrust of free trade are not what Canada needs. The Greens deserve a seat or seats, not a government.
This, at least, is how this newspaper’s editorial board sees things.
Okay, Lord, you can come and get me now. There’s nothing else to see down here… 😯
As you all know by now, unless you’ve been loitering in a cave someplace, the federal Conservatives have cracked out their official package of promises to the public this week. I’m still trying to make up my mind as to whether this kind of timing is brilliant or daft. On the one hand, it comes out too late for the HypoGrits and others to twist it around with the usual fearmongering spin and pretty much guarantees the Tories will eat up most of the news in the last week of the campaign. On the other, it doesn’t give Bob Q. Canuck a whole lot of time to digest just what it is that the Tories have to offer. Time will tell, I suppose.
The whole platform can be found in .pdf form here (I put it on my own server because the original link was moving like a turtle on heroin; I guess it’s a popular download…) and is damned well worth a careful read. Just make sure you grab a coffee first; the darned thing’s over 40 pages long… 😯 So much for the “no platform” meme, eh?
For those of you looking for a quick once-over, here’s my take on what jumped out at me (but don’t forget to take the time to look it over for yourself later):
Reducing Taxes on Diesel Fuel
A re-elected Conservative Government led by Stephen Harper will reduce the federal
excise tax on diesel and aviation fuel by half – from four cents per litre to two cents per
litre – reducing the price of transportation by truck, train, plane and ship, and helping to
bring downward pressure on consumer prices.
This one’s pretty much a no-brainer. The rising price of diesel has jacked up the price of everything. From farmers needing it to run tractors to the fact that nothing teleports itself to the store where you buy it, this is going to pull the government’s hand a little further out of everybody’s pocket.
Restricting Unfair Text Messaging Charges
A re-elected Conservative Government led by Stephen Harper will prevent
telecommunications companies from charging fees to customers for receiving
unsolicited commercial text messages. We will amend the Telecommunications Act to
strengthen the power of the Commissioner of Complaints for Telecommunications
Services, including the creation of a code of conduct for wireless services. We will also
create a compliance and deterrent power that allows the Canadian Radio-television and
Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to block these and similar unfair charges in
the future.
[…and…]
Protecting Against Internet Spam
A re-elected Conservative Government led by Stephen Harper will introduce legislation
to prohibit the use of spam (unsolicited commercial email) to collect personal
information under false pretences and to engage in criminal conduct. The new law will
reduce dangerous, destructive and deceptive email and web site practices, and will
establish new fines for those who break the law.
Both of these sound good on the surface (who the hell likes the idea of having to pay for SPAM???) but, as anyone who knows anything about IT will tell you, it’s itchy stuff whenever a government tries to legislate technology. I’ll wait until I see the actual legislation on this one…
Increasing Trade with Emerging Markets
A re-elected Conservative Government led by Stephen Harper will continue to pursue
trade agreements, such as those successfully reached with the European Free Trade
Association, Colombia, Peru and Jordan. We are committed to seeing these deals passed
by Parliament. In light of the recent setback at the World Trade Organization
negotiations, a re-elected Conservative Government will move aggressively to improve
Canada’s network of bilateral and regional free trade and economic agreements.
To improve Canada’s position as a global trader, a re-elected Conservative Government
will proceed with plans to open new trade offices in China, Mongolia, Mexico, Brazil
and India (in Hyderabad, Kolkata and Ahmedabad).
This will be a good idea, IF it means that we also get access to these markets ourselves. Contrary to the Liereral mythology, trade with China has long been a one-way street… 🙄
Reforming or Abolishing the Senate
The Conservatives and Stephen Harper believe that the current Senate must be either
reformed or abolished. An unelected Senate should not be able to block the will of the
elected House in the 21st century.
As a minimum, a re-elected Conservative Government will reintroduce legislation to
allow for nominees to the Senate to be selected by voters, to provide for Senators to serve
fixed terms of not longer than eight years, and for the Senate to be covered by the same
ethics rules as the House of Commons.
HALLELUJA!! It’s about God damned time! This alone should get the Tories a majority. The unelected, unaccountable Senate has, for too long, been a hung stumbling block to the will of the Canadian people. Hell, I’ve been ranting about this for years now and, let’s face it, everybody knows that this has been coming for some time now…
Limiting the Federal Spending Power
A re-elected Conservative Government led by Stephen Harper will ensure that any new
shared-cost program in an area of provincial or territorial responsibility has the consent
of the majority of provinces to proceed, and that provinces should be given the right to
opt out of the federal program with compensation, so long as the province offers a similar
program with similar accountability structures.
Now sit back and watch da Librano$ absolutely shriek about anything that might get in the way of them being able to bribe you with your own money. Seriously, just watch. I give it until the end of the week… maybe.
Ensuring Responsibility and Rehabilitation for Young Offenders
A re-elected Conservative Government led by Stephen Harper will replace Canada’s young
offenders’ law with new, balanced legislation that focuses on deterrence and responsibility.
The new law will make the primary goal of the legislation to protect society and the
primary goal of sentencing to discourage others from committing crimes. The law will
ensure that young offenders who are convicted of very serious and violent crimes will face
appropriate sentences and that upon conviction they will be named. As under the old law,
the age at which the sentencing provision applies (14, 15 or 16) will be determined in each
province.
[…and…]
Replacing Automatic Release with Earned Parole
A re-elected Conservative Government led by Stephen Harper will replace the automatic
release of prisoners after serving two-thirds of their sentence with earned parole for
behaviour and rehabilitation in prison.
More no-brainers here. Don’t look for the Leftbots to see it that way, though. After all, thugs just need hugs, right? There’s a whole bunch of good stuff along this line starting on page 36; make sure to check it out.
Ending the Ineffective Long-Gun Registry and Reduce Guns in our Streets
A re-elected Conservative Government led by Stephen Harper will ensure that all
firearms belong to licensed gun owners, and that all restricted firearms, including
handguns, are registered. But we will end the wasteful, ineffective long-gun
registry.
Instead, the Conservative Government will direct resources to measures that will
actually reduce the number of guns on Canadian streets, including investment in
better enforcement at our borders.
As a first step, a re-elected Conservative Government will launch a Joint Force
Land and Marine Border Patrol Pilot Project with the Customs and Border
Services Agency and the RCMP to patrol unguarded U.S. road and marine
crossings to Canada in Quebec.
Where’s a bigass happy-dance graphic when you need one? That asshat white elephant should have been taken out behind the barn and shot years ago.
Well, that’s all I have time for right now. Like I said, make sure you read the whole thing here and pick out what you like about it. Unlike the other parties, this one really does have something for everyone, and without any pie-in-the-sky bullshit.
We’re in the middle of an election and I haven’t been posting anywhere near enough. I’m a Very Bad Bloggerâ„¢.
It’s not that I haven’t wanted to, it’s just that I’ve been running hither and yon like some decapitated barnyard poultry and well… things just haven’t been making room for anything. So, in the hopes of at least somewhat making things up to you a little bit, here’s a recap of what’s been going on.
For those of you who might have missed the leaders’ debate last night, here’s the summary for you:
And, just in case you’ve somehow managed to miss the whole damned campaign so far, here’s what it boils down to so far:
If anybody out there is still wondering whether or not Stephen Harper is the best man to guide the economy through the coming uncertainty, just watch this.
I thought that these clowns were owned by the Toronto friggin’ Star, fer chrissakes!
Um, look again, dude.
Reforming or Abolishing the Senate
Ending the Ineffective Long-Gun Registry and Reduce Guns in our Streets
