Let’s face it: Harper did not get a majority due to the following facts:

1. The boneheads in Newfoundland who voted for equalization handouts even though they are a “have province” now. They would rather risk a carbon tax on their precious oil than to finally take their place in confederation and pay towards this country.
2. The idiots in Quebec who vote for the Bloc and thus for separation. In particular the idiots in Gatineau who mostly work for the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT and would surely lose their jobs should their party of choice succeed in its goal and separate.
3. The idiots in downtown Toronto; How ANYBODY in Ontario can vote for Bob Rae, I will never understand. Another vote for hand-outs. Lovely.
4. 59% turnout. It’s a shame.

And there you have it. Last night’s election results.

A Hidden Agenda, A Pie in the Sky, and Other Fluff

I know this is only week two, but geez, this election must be one of the most  b o r i n g  ones in recent history. I mean, all we have talked about so far are pooping puffins and whether or not certain people are in the debate. I was going to write a blog on day 10, well, there’s nothing to write about!

It’s just more of the same… the Liberals have rolled out the Hidden Agenda again. If they are so afraid of this hidden agenda, why did they go along with it and help implement it for the last 43 votes in the house? He also jumped on the Newfoundland ABC campaign – Anything But Conservative. So, even Dion thinks his party is not a good alternative. Layton, as usual, has a pretty decent idea for health care, but then follows it with a completely out-of-touch way of implementing it. I think, in general, New Democrats think that money just falls from the sky to be deposited on your kitchen table.

Harper announced modest, but welcome, help for small businesses, and a voluntary EI participation for self employed individuals. Sounds good, but most self employed individuals work on their own, and how do you take a year off with maternity leave and still expect your company to be there when you return? These are some half-baked ideas to try to cater to women. Where is the real stuff? Where are the cuts to income tax, elimination of the GST, lower taxes on gasoline, a good anti-pollution plan (which doesn’t involve CO2, but REAL pollution). People can’t affourd $6000/yr oil heating bills. What is the plan to fix heath care? Can’t you explain to the Canadian people that privatization is the only way to go forward? That the public system is so broken, no amount of federal money is going to fix it? Is it so hard to explain that waiting for 11 months for an MRI is intolerable? Is it so hard to explain to them that even though they go to a private clinic, they will still pay with their usual health card? Is it so hard to explain that it wouldn’t create a two-tier health system since there will be no money to pay? Rich or poor will still ‘pay’ with their health card and nothing else? It seems to me, instead of pooping puffins, you should roll out a string of ads on TV and radio explaining these things. People jump to conclusions, helped by the opposition parties, and think that a private health care system will create an American style system where poor people cannot afford to go to a hospital. They need to be told this is not the case. If you’re not doing it, who will? You can’t let the Canadian people find these things out for themselves. It’s not going to work.

I know it is early in the campaign, and I know they are saving their juicy bits for later on. But income tax cuts, private health care and a balanced environmental policy are complex issues that need more than the final 4 days of a campaign to sink in and be understood.

Canadians value Harper’s leadership all polls show that. Well, be a leader, and come out with some bold plans that will fix these things. They need to be fixed, dammit. It is unacceptable that we’re living in “the best country in the world” but we have some of the highest taxes in the world, we have to wait years to get to a machine in a hospital, millions of people don’t even have a family doctor, we’re not doing ANYTHING about pollution. Ontario, once the engine of the economy, is on the verge of becoming a have-not province. Meanwhile our seniors are living in buildings with drug dealers and cockroaches, criminals are let out of prisons 2/3 of their very lenient sentences. Young offenders only get suspended sentences or community service. Our war veterans are still fighting to get a decent pension. There are still numerous victims of the tainted blood scandal still waiting on compensation.

And we’re talking about pooping puffins?

Still No Sun Spots: The Ice Age Cometh.

Jackie today was big on platitudes, small on substance. That seems to be the NDP’s matra. He’s going to “take on” big oil, and “watch your backs”. He’s also going to “oversee” gas prices. As usual, no talk on exactly HOW he’s going to bring down gas prices, HOW he’s going to stop big oil. Oh, but he’s going to MONITOR them. Thanks. That’ll save us. You know, Jackie, just wishing something doesn’t make it so. You gotta have a plan.

Dion, in the mean time, wants to reverse the new immigration rules he so readily abstained from defeating just this spring. It seems he now disagrees with the fact we’re fast tracking more skilled immigrants that can actually do some good work in this country. I guess he would rather see doctors drive taxi cabs than perform operations. He also said he would apologize in the House of Commons for some other thing our government did over a century ago. Don’t you think we’ve apologized enough already? We weren’t even alive when those things happened. We’re not responsible for them, so why must we apologize? Let’s just say this: we appologize for anything and everything we did up until now. Now, let’s go on with running the country.

As usual, Danny Williams of Newfoundland has to tell his constituents how to vote, as if they they don’t have a mind of their own. For some reason, he doesn’t like the Conservatives, even though the Conservatives plan is clearly the best for his province. How does he think a Liberal Carbon tax would work in his oil rich economy? The Green carbon tax is even worse, and Layton’s Cap and Trade scheme can’t be good news for oil money either. The Conservatives are the only national party that wouldn’t tax his oil income. Sure, you miss out on some equalization payments, but you get to keep all that big fat oil money! Maybe it’s time Newfoundland starts to give something back to this country.

Gilles was, once again, in Quebec, so who cares.

Where is Elizabeth May? Has anyone seen her? Elizabeth May has not been seen or heard from for two days. This is her big thank you to the people who voiced their opinions so loudly that two party leaders and a consortium of old men changed their minds. “Thanks for getting me in, folks! Now I’m going to disappear. See ya later!”

You know, I went to the CBC.ca website to pick up on some election news bits. I couldn’t find any. I wondered why that mouthpiece of the Liberal party has NOTHING on the election on its front page. Then it dawned on me: there is nothing good to report about the Liberal campaign. They’re way down in the polls. They are not coming out with new policies, although the Green Shaft plan is changing so much every day, you may call it a new plan every time it is mentioned. In order to get to the ‘election subsite’ you have to click on “Federal Election” in the “Recent Searches” box! I thought the election is the biggest story in this country, but the CBC website lists “Blue Jay Baseball” as its main headliner, followed closely by “Saturday Afternoon at the Opera”. Nice to see our tax dollars at work over there.