I hate war.
I hate losing young men, who die in the service of this nation in order to do some degree of good in a part of the world that the vast majority of the Canadian population will never visit within 1000 miles of.
It turns my stomach a little bit when I watch those on the left make an attempt to make politicians who are right of center in their political leanings either war mongers or somehow guilty of war crimes.
The concept that anyone in power regardless of political stripe takes any sort of pleasure in sending soldiers into harms way is perhaps the greatest slander and most epic insult that can be volleyed onto a person.
It implies they are somehow subhuman, when in reality we know that regardless of who makes the discussion; it’s never easy.
As I sat watching the Sunday talk show circuit that pits a left of center and right of center rhetoric machine against each other in an attempt to see who can make the most fantastic and utterly ridiculous claim against the other side, and comment was made that stuck with me.
“You need to do the RIGHT thing”
I don’t recall which side it came from, nor could I pick the guy who said it out of a line-up but it caused me to dwell on the word “right”
What is the “right thing”?
As a Canadian the topic that is most discussed when the matter of war is raised is that of the ongoing Afghan War,
I have watched the typical partisan ballet;
The Liberals who entered this conflict in 2001 where in favor of the conflict till January 24th 2006 which interestingly enough is the first day that the Conservatives took power in Canada.
After that every attempt was made to paint this as “Harper’s War” and to make out anyone who was the Minister of Defense as some sort of trigger happy war monger.
If you took a poll today it would swing a few percent one way or another but both sides tend to hover around the high 40’s or low 50’s depending on the poll, which as far as I am concerned pretty well puts us at a tie.
In 2001 when Canadians were asked if we should go into Afghanistan after the September 11th attacks, the numbers were in the high 70’s to low 80’s in terms of percentage.
This is where the “right” thing comes into effect,
30% of Canadians have gone from pro to con over the course of the 8+ years this conflict has raged on.
What I have ask them is very simple:
What do we owe the Afghan people? Should we not finish the job?
We walked into their country with our NATO allies, we kicked the Taliban to the curb, we beat back insurgents in the streets, we have got them to a point where they have at least the most rudimentary democracy in place, and then we lost interest, because we started losing soldiers.
I can’t blame Canadians for wanting to take our troops out of harms way, but at the same time I have to wonder why we are so quick to be willing to trade lives.
How many Afghan lives are worth that of one Canadian?
It may sound like a harsh question, but its one that the Liberal Party of Canada and the New Democrats, as well as BQ have indirectly asked me as a Canadian to decide.
How many Afghan Civilians do I feel are worth the life of a single Canadian troop?
There are two ways to approach that simply morbid question;
You can be right; or you can be politically right.
The see the difference I can cite a very simple example.
In the early 1990’s the UN sent a Peacekeeping team into Somalia to attempt to stop a pending civil war, this mission ended after the Battle of Mogadishu when news footage of the dead U.S. soldier being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu found its way back to the people of the United States in 1993.
Public opinion of the conflict in Somalia plummeted, and President Bill Clinton did the politically right thing and pulled out the US soldiers from the Somali mission after 19 US soldiers were killed during the Battle of Mogadishu (31 for the entire mission), which resulted in the collapse of the mission, and Somalia falling into a continued state of Civil War.
The Somali Civil War still rages on, and has resulted in the death of about 400,000 people, with well over a million displaced from their home.
The question of how many Somali lives are worth a single American life was answered:
31 Americans died,
The American people wanted out.
They got out
400,000 Somali's are dead
400,000 / 31 = 12,903 Somali’s died in exchange for every US solider that did.
But;
Bill Clinton was re-elected in 1996 by one of the largest margins every won by a Democrat in a Presidential election.
He made the “right” call, politically speaking, he was “politically right”.
But that call resulted in the deaths of thousands upon thousands of Somali citizens,
The question then becomes, was it the “right” choice?
Was there any obligation to finish what they started?
George W. Bush is often called a War Monger because he oversaw the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, and Stephen Harper is often call the same for his support of the Mission in Afghanistan, but it should be noted that roughly 8,309 civilians have been killed in Afghanistan since October 2001, with estimates as high as 16,000, Iraq based on IBC’s numbers have experienced 104,119 civilian deaths (as the high estimate, roughly 96,000 as the low)
Even if I am being generous; the inaction in Somali led to roughly 4x more civilian deaths then the direct action of invading two nations.
But there seems to be this mentality that if its not on CNN then it didn't really happen. If a child is murdered in Africa, and various international news agencies don't bother to cover it, does it count? Clearly to those on the left, it does not.
As a fairness test;
If I stand by and watch a man drown or;
If I drown a man,
The man is just as dead at the end of the day.
I understand that politicians can draw a line between civilians who die when we are watching, and then those who die when we are not.
I however, do not.
Civilian death seems to be different depending on your party line; and while that may pass salt in Washington or Ottawa, it doesn’t work with me.
If we held the withdrawal from Somalia to the same loose international legal standard that is being used by pundits to damn all Conservatives, Republicans, and Labour Party Members over Iraq & Afghanistan; Would Bill Clinton not be subject to the Yamashita standard?
I don’t think so; but he was a Republican I can assure you that it would at least be a hot topic of debate on the Sunday talk circuit.
Why is the opposition in Canada in such a rush to potentially have our own withdrawal which could potentially lead to civil war weighing on our conscience?
Will it win them an election?
Perhaps.
Damning our troops and the government who supports them may be “politically right” but I have to wonder what the consequences of being “politically right” would be for the average Afghan?
We went in there, and we need to finish the job.
Scoring points off our troops who are in harms way every day from the confines of the Parliament buildings may score you political points;
But I still have a hard time as an average Canadian when I am asked to indirectly answer how many Afghan lives are worth that of a single Canadians?
Because that is what a withdrawal, and calls for withdrawal basically amounts to.
And that is when bring “right” vs. “politically right” becomes the choice of every Canadian.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Conservative Supporters are Paranoid & Crazy...
I often sit on the sidelines and enjoy watching my friends who cover the right and left spectrum of politics argue back and forth about the fairness of media.
The Conservative supporters have this conspiracy theory that the "left wing" media is out to get them, and the Liberal and New Democrat supporters simply laugh and say that they are crazy, and that reporting the truth does not constitute bias.
As I was thumbing through the Globe and Mail website the other day, I came across this interesting article that caught my eye.
The headline was:
With the little blurb online before the article saying:
Neat! I had to read more!
This revelation was made based on a Nanos poll which basically asked based on the following institutions do you feel they have too much power, the right amount of power, or not enough power, or unsure.
The results from the poll which is displayed within the very article shows the following when asked about the office of the Prime Minister:
Too Much Power: 41.6%
The Right Amount of Power: 40.4%
Not Enough Power: 9.3%
Unsure: 8.7%
Perhaps I fell asleep in grade school when they taught the class how to add, but based on the Nano's poll I see it as 49.7% of Canadians feeling that the PMO has either the right amount of power, or not enough...
That is a higher figure of Canadians believing that the headline of the article is incorrect, then correct.
But again, what do I know?
Have a look at the article yourself and make your own judgment.
I guess maybe there is something to the old saying:
"It's not paranoia if they are really after you"
The Conservative supporters have this conspiracy theory that the "left wing" media is out to get them, and the Liberal and New Democrat supporters simply laugh and say that they are crazy, and that reporting the truth does not constitute bias.
As I was thumbing through the Globe and Mail website the other day, I came across this interesting article that caught my eye.
The headline was:
PMO has too much power, poll finds
With the little blurb online before the article saying:
More than 40 per cent of Canadians put Prime Minister's Office ahead of Senate as institution most deserving to have its wings clipped
Neat! I had to read more!
This revelation was made based on a Nanos poll which basically asked based on the following institutions do you feel they have too much power, the right amount of power, or not enough power, or unsure.
The results from the poll which is displayed within the very article shows the following when asked about the office of the Prime Minister:
Too Much Power: 41.6%
The Right Amount of Power: 40.4%
Not Enough Power: 9.3%
Unsure: 8.7%
Perhaps I fell asleep in grade school when they taught the class how to add, but based on the Nano's poll I see it as 49.7% of Canadians feeling that the PMO has either the right amount of power, or not enough...
That is a higher figure of Canadians believing that the headline of the article is incorrect, then correct.
But again, what do I know?
Have a look at the article yourself and make your own judgment.
I guess maybe there is something to the old saying:
"It's not paranoia if they are really after you"
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Damn You, and Your “Responsible” Budget!
Let me be clear, I don’t have anything against the Liberal Party of Canada.
Historically they have done some pretty interesting things, and had some very interesting leaders, who have benefited this country for electing them.
However, this incarnation of the Liberal Party of Canada just gives me the creeps.
I hate appointed leaders, nothing makes me more angry then party brass around a board room table anointing the leader of a political party that is suppose to represent Canadians especially when that leader shouldn’t buy the support of other leadership hopefuls in 2006.
I wasn’t thrilled when Harper ran in 2003, as a merged party shouldn’t have either of the former parties’ leaders running the show,
I wasn’t thrilled at the 11 month delay in 2006 which basically gave the Conservatives an unelected majority government while the Liberals samples eight potential leaders
And I wasn’t thrilled that Ignatieff was anointed rather then elected.
But in the first two cases, at least the unwashed masses got to have some input into selecting their leader, and the problem with men in smoke filled rooms selecting a leader is that those men rarely if ever understand the plight of the working class stiffs like me.
Last year was like watching a tennis match at the US open when it came to where the Liberals stood on issues.
March 2009 – We will support this reckless spending the government is putting forth, but we want them to submit reports as to where the money is going…
You know, do what a government is legally required to do anyway when it comes to spending tax payer money…
They even went as far as to create a cute “onprobation.ca” website to show us how they were like vigilant hawks who would strike down at anyone who abused us minions as we toiled in the fields.
But of course they lost interest in actually doing the job of the opposition party of Canada, and went back to whining that being in opposition is beneath Canada’s natural Governing Party, as the website now simply re-directs to the Liberal Party home page and has down so for several months…
So much for that….
September 2009 – They voted against legislation that would have made the Home Renovation Credit Law,
Yeah, you know that credit they supported in March that most of us spent when it was warm in summer so we could do the work on our “honey do” lists like replace tiles, have the roof fixes, finish the basement…basically all the stuff that most sane Canadians don’t wait till Fall to get started on when the credit is set to expire in February.
Because now, they are against reckless spending…
Yet they are not interested in keeping the Conservative accountable for this reckless spending they are now against, which they were for in March when they were in favor of the reckless spending in the first place…
Get all that?
As I sat there within thousands of dollars of renovation materials receipts in my hands for the first time in a long time I actually cheer the NDP as they did the right thing and supported passing the legislation the Liberals should have passed in the first place.
I wrote my MP, and I tend to never do that because writing my MP is like going into Best Buy and complaining to the guy who sells TV’s that I am unhappy with the quality of company XYZ’s TV’s, he may smile and nod, he may even show some apathy for my situation, but at the end of the day he/she has no real power to make any real choices because they have to pull the party line anyway.
My Liberal MP replied to my frantic “Ummmm dude? I spent a few grand doing work around the house under the promise I would write some of it off, and you supported that in March, and now you are punking me?? Really? REALLY???”
His response was basically;
The legislation has passed, and the reno credit is law.
When in reality,
The legislation had passed despite his party not supporting it, and had the legislation been voted down we would have hit the polls, and I may have never seen my credit ever again.
I may vote Liberal in the future, but never ever ever again will I vote for him.
Taking bread out of my mouth is one thing,
Offering me bread, putting butter on it, handing it to me, and trying to slap it out of my hand as I put it in my mouth is another.
Now here we are in February 2010;
The Conservatives have leaked parts of their budget.
No Tax Cuts
No New Spending
While I am disappointed that the Reagan approach to cut taxes to stimulate spending which historically increases government revenue anyway (also used successfully in Ontario by Mike Harris)
I am pleased that spending is under control,
But of course, that is terrible.
It’s being called a do nothing budget…
This is the problem with the opposition parties,
There is no right answer.
And in a minority government that creates a real legislative quagmire.
We have been in election mode since the day after the 2004 election, every political party wasting time in Parliament hoping for a soundbyte they can use in a election which could happen any day…
This of course at the expense of governing.
The Liberals are now against restraint,
The same fiscal restraint they were for when they opted to stop supporting the budget they supported in March in September.
They want to spend billions on daycare, they feel that not spending money that we don’t have is “doing nothing”,
As a normal Canadian who actually has to work for a living at a honest to goodness job, I call not spending money that I don’t have something very different,
I call it “reality”.
But what do I know?
Historically they have done some pretty interesting things, and had some very interesting leaders, who have benefited this country for electing them.
However, this incarnation of the Liberal Party of Canada just gives me the creeps.
I hate appointed leaders, nothing makes me more angry then party brass around a board room table anointing the leader of a political party that is suppose to represent Canadians especially when that leader shouldn’t buy the support of other leadership hopefuls in 2006.
I wasn’t thrilled when Harper ran in 2003, as a merged party shouldn’t have either of the former parties’ leaders running the show,
I wasn’t thrilled at the 11 month delay in 2006 which basically gave the Conservatives an unelected majority government while the Liberals samples eight potential leaders
And I wasn’t thrilled that Ignatieff was anointed rather then elected.
But in the first two cases, at least the unwashed masses got to have some input into selecting their leader, and the problem with men in smoke filled rooms selecting a leader is that those men rarely if ever understand the plight of the working class stiffs like me.
Last year was like watching a tennis match at the US open when it came to where the Liberals stood on issues.
March 2009 – We will support this reckless spending the government is putting forth, but we want them to submit reports as to where the money is going…
You know, do what a government is legally required to do anyway when it comes to spending tax payer money…
They even went as far as to create a cute “onprobation.ca” website to show us how they were like vigilant hawks who would strike down at anyone who abused us minions as we toiled in the fields.
But of course they lost interest in actually doing the job of the opposition party of Canada, and went back to whining that being in opposition is beneath Canada’s natural Governing Party, as the website now simply re-directs to the Liberal Party home page and has down so for several months…
So much for that….
September 2009 – They voted against legislation that would have made the Home Renovation Credit Law,
Yeah, you know that credit they supported in March that most of us spent when it was warm in summer so we could do the work on our “honey do” lists like replace tiles, have the roof fixes, finish the basement…basically all the stuff that most sane Canadians don’t wait till Fall to get started on when the credit is set to expire in February.
Because now, they are against reckless spending…
Yet they are not interested in keeping the Conservative accountable for this reckless spending they are now against, which they were for in March when they were in favor of the reckless spending in the first place…
Get all that?
As I sat there within thousands of dollars of renovation materials receipts in my hands for the first time in a long time I actually cheer the NDP as they did the right thing and supported passing the legislation the Liberals should have passed in the first place.
I wrote my MP, and I tend to never do that because writing my MP is like going into Best Buy and complaining to the guy who sells TV’s that I am unhappy with the quality of company XYZ’s TV’s, he may smile and nod, he may even show some apathy for my situation, but at the end of the day he/she has no real power to make any real choices because they have to pull the party line anyway.
My Liberal MP replied to my frantic “Ummmm dude? I spent a few grand doing work around the house under the promise I would write some of it off, and you supported that in March, and now you are punking me?? Really? REALLY???”
His response was basically;
The legislation has passed, and the reno credit is law.
When in reality,
The legislation had passed despite his party not supporting it, and had the legislation been voted down we would have hit the polls, and I may have never seen my credit ever again.
I may vote Liberal in the future, but never ever ever again will I vote for him.
Taking bread out of my mouth is one thing,
Offering me bread, putting butter on it, handing it to me, and trying to slap it out of my hand as I put it in my mouth is another.
Now here we are in February 2010;
The Conservatives have leaked parts of their budget.
No Tax Cuts
No New Spending
While I am disappointed that the Reagan approach to cut taxes to stimulate spending which historically increases government revenue anyway (also used successfully in Ontario by Mike Harris)
I am pleased that spending is under control,
But of course, that is terrible.
It’s being called a do nothing budget…
This is the problem with the opposition parties,
There is no right answer.
And in a minority government that creates a real legislative quagmire.
We have been in election mode since the day after the 2004 election, every political party wasting time in Parliament hoping for a soundbyte they can use in a election which could happen any day…
This of course at the expense of governing.
The Liberals are now against restraint,
The same fiscal restraint they were for when they opted to stop supporting the budget they supported in March in September.
They want to spend billions on daycare, they feel that not spending money that we don’t have is “doing nothing”,
As a normal Canadian who actually has to work for a living at a honest to goodness job, I call not spending money that I don’t have something very different,
I call it “reality”.
But what do I know?
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Beer and Popcorn Version 2.0
I am a simple man.
I believe that that I shouldn’t buy what I can’t afford (but at times I do)
I believe that if the economy is bad, it may not be the best time to make that huge purchase
I believe that being careful with taxpayer dollars is not just a courtesy, it’s a responsibility.
Most of all, I believe that no one is better suited to raise your own kids then you are.
In 1993 when a national daycare program was being touted, I will admit to feeling a knot tighten in my stomach. I have resided myself to the fact that I will spend my entire working life paying off a debt and interest on a debt that I had influence on as I was either not born, or was unable to vote.
While it doesn’t sit right with me it’s a reality.
My parents and grandparents screw me, all of our parents and grandparents did because they opted for instant gratification rather then responsibility.
When another money pit like national daycare was discussed in the early 1990’s I wondered how much of a hole would be left for my children and my grandchildren?
The problem with a multibillion dollar nationalized program is that it needs to be funded year after year after year.
If the economy is good, if the economy is bad, it doesn’t matter its billions of dollars that gets thrown into this hole so that a select few can benefit.
And I can assure you I will not be one of those select few, but I will certainly pay the price for those select few.
Its not that I dislike or look down upon low income Canadians, it’s more a matter of enough being enough.
I am not some evil billionaire twisting my moustache in my castle complaining that the tax hike be it via my income taxes or an increase in the GST will cost me an Ivory backscratcher,
I am an upper middle class Canadian who is going to have to funnel more money that I have worked for away from my RRSP’s, from my kids sports, from my rainy day fund, or from something else that I have worked hard to be able to have so that we can have a national day care program when we should be paying off the debt.
In Quebec there is a two to three year waiting list for their Provincially Subsidized Daycare.
Yet there seems to be this mindset that the program is some sort of Shangri-La?
Paul Martin already spent over a billion dollars in national daycare in 2005.
How many spots did it create in the nine Provinces without a program?
Zero.
Jack Layton, Gilles Duceppe, and Stephen Harper spent nothing and created the exact same amount.
I am so tired of the opposition playing to the squeaky wheel, and yeah that may make me a bad Canadian but I am so damn tired of being the forgotten majority.
It’s my damn tax dollars you are using to buy votes in the 416, 514, and 604 area codes,
And I have had enough.
While I don’t approve of all of the spending that the Conservatives have moved forward with,
At least they trust me enough to know what’s best for my children.
The Liberals called that “Beer and Popcorn” money,
The Average Canadian Family called that money “Winter Boots”, “Spring Coats”, “Running Shoes”, and “A Hockey Net”.
Now once again I have the Liberal Party of Canada (Along with the NDP, but that is to be expected) telling me that Canadian Families are not as well suited to care for their children as government workers are.
Great Plan!
Raise the taxes of the middle class,
Force both parents to work,
Require them to put their kids in the care of a stranger (If they can find a spot)
And call that job creation.
The solution is simple.
Allow Canadians to Income Split.
Why are you forcing Canadian Parents to work when at least one within most households would love the opportunity to actually RAISE their own children?
Give me the means to keep more of my salary so that rather then lining up to drop my kids off with a government employee, myself or my wife can be there with our own children.
Realize that I am the most qualified to care for my children, realize that I know what is best for my own children, and allow me to do so.
I believe that that I shouldn’t buy what I can’t afford (but at times I do)
I believe that if the economy is bad, it may not be the best time to make that huge purchase
I believe that being careful with taxpayer dollars is not just a courtesy, it’s a responsibility.
Most of all, I believe that no one is better suited to raise your own kids then you are.
In 1993 when a national daycare program was being touted, I will admit to feeling a knot tighten in my stomach. I have resided myself to the fact that I will spend my entire working life paying off a debt and interest on a debt that I had influence on as I was either not born, or was unable to vote.
While it doesn’t sit right with me it’s a reality.
My parents and grandparents screw me, all of our parents and grandparents did because they opted for instant gratification rather then responsibility.
When another money pit like national daycare was discussed in the early 1990’s I wondered how much of a hole would be left for my children and my grandchildren?
The problem with a multibillion dollar nationalized program is that it needs to be funded year after year after year.
If the economy is good, if the economy is bad, it doesn’t matter its billions of dollars that gets thrown into this hole so that a select few can benefit.
And I can assure you I will not be one of those select few, but I will certainly pay the price for those select few.
Its not that I dislike or look down upon low income Canadians, it’s more a matter of enough being enough.
I am not some evil billionaire twisting my moustache in my castle complaining that the tax hike be it via my income taxes or an increase in the GST will cost me an Ivory backscratcher,
I am an upper middle class Canadian who is going to have to funnel more money that I have worked for away from my RRSP’s, from my kids sports, from my rainy day fund, or from something else that I have worked hard to be able to have so that we can have a national day care program when we should be paying off the debt.
In Quebec there is a two to three year waiting list for their Provincially Subsidized Daycare.
Yet there seems to be this mindset that the program is some sort of Shangri-La?
Paul Martin already spent over a billion dollars in national daycare in 2005.
How many spots did it create in the nine Provinces without a program?
Zero.
Jack Layton, Gilles Duceppe, and Stephen Harper spent nothing and created the exact same amount.
I am so tired of the opposition playing to the squeaky wheel, and yeah that may make me a bad Canadian but I am so damn tired of being the forgotten majority.
It’s my damn tax dollars you are using to buy votes in the 416, 514, and 604 area codes,
And I have had enough.
While I don’t approve of all of the spending that the Conservatives have moved forward with,
At least they trust me enough to know what’s best for my children.
The Liberals called that “Beer and Popcorn” money,
The Average Canadian Family called that money “Winter Boots”, “Spring Coats”, “Running Shoes”, and “A Hockey Net”.
Now once again I have the Liberal Party of Canada (Along with the NDP, but that is to be expected) telling me that Canadian Families are not as well suited to care for their children as government workers are.
Great Plan!
Raise the taxes of the middle class,
Force both parents to work,
Require them to put their kids in the care of a stranger (If they can find a spot)
And call that job creation.
The solution is simple.
Allow Canadians to Income Split.
Why are you forcing Canadian Parents to work when at least one within most households would love the opportunity to actually RAISE their own children?
Give me the means to keep more of my salary so that rather then lining up to drop my kids off with a government employee, myself or my wife can be there with our own children.
Realize that I am the most qualified to care for my children, realize that I know what is best for my own children, and allow me to do so.
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