Disproportional Representation vs Proportional Lackthereof

Every election, you get those people who come out against the first past the post system, arguing that proportional representation would be more fair. The National Post had an interesting piece on it, and I actually agree with what they said. However, they missed the biggest problem with PR.

In a PR system, there is no individual accountability for MPs. They have no particular jurisdiction they are responsible for that has the power to vote them out if they fail to represent them. People like our old friends Garth Turner and Belinda Stronach could switch parties without any repercussion.

In my Canada, MPs represent the public interest, not the political.

Cabinet Building: Potential Picks for Conservative Cabinet

As the dust from the election starts to settle, attention is turning more and more to the question of Harper’s cabinet. Who fills which position? Who lost his chance in the last term? Who’s getting a first chance this time around? A second chance?

Finance: Jim Flaherty
Industry: Maxime Bernier
International Trade: Lawrence Cannon
Foreign Affairs: Jim Prentice
Defence:Peter Mackay
Environment: John Baird

The only real changes there are Bernier to industry, and Cannon to International Trade. Both have held these portfolios before, either federally or provincially, and both deserve to hold them now. Bernier was given a huge mandate by his constituency, and it looks like all has been forgiven.

Ambrose, Van Loan, Strahl, Ritz, Ablonczy, Finley and Day will all be picking up more minor roles in the cabinet.

I’m Feeling Left Out

With all of the brouhaha regarding the Liberal leadership convention this May, I’ve began to wonder why the Conservatives can’t ponder some of the same questions. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not one of those people who expects Harper to resign in dismay at only winning a minority, in part because I never thought he planned on one.

Still, it could be fun, right?

The natural suggestion is Peter MacKay. He’s not from the West, he’s popular, he’s moderate, and seems pretty charismatic. I’d say he has a shot in any hypothetical leadership decision.

As sad as it is, Jason Kenney seems to be in a perpetual state of denial, which includes him thinking he can be Prime Minister someday. I’m afraid that’s not happening.

Due to Canada’s tradition of a strong federal Liberal party and a strong provincial Conservative party, I’d wager a guess that there is a great chance that a former Premier might take a run at the leadership. Not Klein, but someone.

Thoughts?

Liberals Claim To Have Grown a Pair, News At Eleven.

According to this article on Dion’s first caucus after seeing his party crash the Hindenburg into the Titanic and set the entire Atlantic on fire, the Liberals plan to stand up to Harper in the House. No more abstaining for these guys, no sir.

I call shenanigans. In this situation, they really only have two choices. Either a) Abstain in critical votes and preserve the minority, or b) vote against the government and plunge the nation into ANOTHER election.

Which would you choose, if you had just come out of your worst general election, ever?

Canadian Lenders Assurance Facility — more bank bailouts?

This Canadian Lenders Assurance Facility sounds like one more bailout in disguise. The government is backing loans that nobody else will insure. How is that possible? It is possible because the government can print money and extort taxes.

If what the minister says is true, why are we not seeing insurance companies from “around the world” taking on the risk of these insured mortgages which “provide a reliable backstop for Canadian mortgage-backed securities, which are well accepted around the world” instead of the government? The truth is that these securities are only accepted because the people around the world expect the government will bail them out — at any cost, I might add — when they fail. I say let them fail. The more bitter truth is that the insurance companies and the banks do not have any money to do so even if they wanted to — their money depends on constant inflation of the money supply.

This temporary program will be offered to lenders on commercial terms so there is no expected fiscal cost.

Why is he calling it temporary? It makes no sense to call this temporary when the mechanism and the reliability of these markets hinges on bailouts.
No expected fiscal cost? Yeah, the money will fall from the sky!

Many countries have recently announced new and comprehensive policy initiatives to restore or protect the stability of their financial systems. “I welcome the decisive and far-reaching actions that many countries are taking, which will provide critical support to financial stability,” said Minister Flaherty.

I beg your pardon, Mr. Minister? Countries around the world are just printing money, nationalizing their banks and now you are doing the same.

Ladies and gentleman, friends and neighbors, get ready to enjoy more socialism and price inflation in Canada.

Michael Schmidt, raw milk producer, is a hero

Michael Schmidt is my kind of hero:

For 14 years Schmidt, who grew up in Germany, has struggled for the right to sell unpasteurized milk, forbidden under the Milk Act.
Michael Schmidt was found guilty Monday of contempt-of-court charges for breaching a court order requiring him to stop his unpasteurized milk operations in and around Newmarket, Ont.
—
At present, he says 150 families each own a share in one of his 30 cattle, who graze on pasture in Grey County about 200 kilometres northwest of Toronto.

The shares allow each family to a share of a cow’s milk production.

Like other government dependent producers, these people are the villains:

If selling raw milk were legal, it would in short order become a big business. The Ontario government, knowing the statistical risks of raw-milk distribution, would be legally and morally responsible for ensuring that no one got sick as a result.

Stop demanding that the government is responsible for everybody’s welfare!

I do not trust that these cronies actually give a damn about preventing people from getting sick. I think they only care about protecting their own market from competition. They want to eliminate competitive suppliers by making it more expensive to operate. If it becomes a big business — an absurdly debatable assertion — that would mean that a lot of customers would want it and they would prefer it over the other choices.

Check out Where Can I Find Real Milk? if you want to get your own.

Man acquitted of luring because deceiving teen girl pretended to be older

An under-age girl publishes that she is 16 years old to engage older men into sex and then a man is charged with luring. What is wrong with this picture?? I think many things are wrong. One of them is the prospect of the man being convicted. Luckily for one Calgary man, he was acquitted in such a sordid story. Oddly, the girl’s mother seems to be having trouble facing reality:

The girl’s mother was upset by Wednesday’s ruling, saying she believes the onus was on Armstrong to determine the girl’s age.

“My daughter’s life has been changed because of this,” she said. “We don’t have our little girl any more. She has problems with her peers and she has problems making friends.”

Lady, where have you been? Clearly, you do not know your daughter. [It would make more sense to blame rock and roll like they used to do!] Whatever “changed” your little girl happened long before this trial and likely long before she sent naked pictures of herself to older men on the internet.

Call me a knuckle-dragger if you want but I have to ask: What does her father have to say about all of this??? Can we get a quote from him too? I think this girl is a victim of bad parenting. Compared to her peers, the main difference in this kid’s environment is her home.

Gordon Campbell plans his own “Green Shift” in British Columbia

Tax cuts accompanying taxes on fuel sound like Gordon Campbell is going to successfully implement a small scale “Green Shift” in British Columbia.

Stephane Dion blames everyone except himself

I wanted to give Stephane Dion the benefit of the doubt — I like my Green Shift idea — but now I am grateful he was shot down. A couple of things bothered me about his press conference yesterday where he announced his future resignation:

1. he does not understand the relationship between image and politics
2. he no longer sounds sincere about his Green Shift platform

He kept going on and on about how nobody got to see the real image of himself. Like, the Liberals would have gotten elected if only Canadians saw the real Stephane Dion. Now a Liberal leader knows what it is like to have false images portrayed by their opponents. For years, the left wing portrayed Stephen Harper, Stockwell Day and Preston Manning as knuckle-dragging, bible-thumping neanderthals who will bring back capital punishment or outlaw abortion. Well, now the tables have turned.

Somebody ought to clue Stephane Dion in to reality: unless you have charisma or if you are young and good-looking or you can actually carry on an interesting conversation, do not count on your image to win you votes.

Anyway, what bothers me the most is that he insists that he never got a fair chance to explain his Green Shift plan. That bothers me because his Green Shift plan is not that difficult to explain. All he had to say is: “We are going to cut income taxes and replace them with carbon taxes.” [Granted, there is a whole lot more minutia in how these tax changes would be devised but the gist of it is still the same.] Why is that so difficult to explain?

The only reason why I can think that would be difficult to say is if the Liberals were lying about their plan. This is why I am thankful the Liberals lost the election. I do not think they should be trusted to follow through with their own plan. I think they were using this Green Shift as a phoney PR stunt, to make a nerdy old guy look hip but then use it as a cover for more Liberal cronyism.

Dion: We Didn’t Win… It’s all the Conservative’s Fault

Stephane Dion recently sent an email to the Liberal’s national email list, here is what he said:

You may already know that earlier today I announced that I will step down as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. Over the next several months, the party will conduct a leadership race to determine my successor.

Moving forward, I have one overarching goal: the next leader must not be subjected to the same Conservative Party character assassination that I faced. To be successful, I need your help.

Harper’s Conservatives have enjoyed an enormous financial lead since the fundraising rules were changed, and from the moment I was elected leader, they poured millions of dollars into unprecedented attack ad campaigns. The Liberal Party lacked the resources to respond, and by the time the election was called, a false image of me was cemented in the minds of too many voters.

That can never be permitted to happen again. Between now and when the next leader is elected, you and I must ensure the Liberal Party has the financial resources to counter Conservative attacks. Every single time.

So I’m asking you to be generous now, not for me, but for the man or woman who will succeed me and lead our Liberal Party into the next election – an election we simply must win. And while a one-time donation today will help, for long-term strength and stability, I would like you to consider making a monthly contribution of $10, $15, $25 or more.

We did not win this election, but our vision of a richer, fairer, greener country lives on. Please help now to ensure that the next leader of the Liberal Party can turn that vision into Canada’s reality.

It’s always sad when people fail to take personal responsibity for their actions - whether it is a leader of a political party or a political party as a whole.  As Adam has recently pointed out, the Liberal party has bigger problems than anything Dion has done to the party - let alone anything the Conservatives have done.

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