March 2009

I Have A Plan

Seeing has stimulus plans seem to be in short supply in Canada, I thought I'd offer my plan for a one billion dollar stimulus package for the auto industry.

Let's have the Canadian Government promise to buy one billion dollars of hybrid or electric vehicles in 2009. Offer to replace any vehicle that was registered in January 2009 that is older than 1980 with one of the new cars. Or whatever year gives you the same number of cars as one billion dollars can buy. Stimulus to the auto industry. Stimulus to the local market. Elimination of a huge chunk of our annual pollution.

Any takers?

Fiscal Responsibility

The Harper Gang is at it again. Remember the top scientist we left at home because we were being fiscally responsible? In a new display of the same sort of attention to detail, the Conservative Party decided to save money by getting their advertising printed at taxpayer expense. See here for the story.

Without a doubt, my favourite quote of the story was:

"We are correcting the situation with the statements that were mistakenly issued under (departmental) letterhead. This was an oversight on our part," said Ann Matejicka.

Oversight being the problem. Like the upcoming stimulus package spending spree they want to go on. Without any oversight to their spending. The one they are willing to plunge the country into another election over. And that's why they need the free advertising. Because this is as much about Stephen Harper daring Michael Ignatieff as it is about making sure it's his buddies who get the cheques. Stephen Harper knows that every obscene thing the Government passes weakens Michael Ignatieff in the eyes of Liberal voters. And that's something Stephen Harper doesn't have to worry about. He's already lost all but his most hard core conservative supporters, so his only road to power lies in forcing the Liberals into enough concessions that the Liberal voter base becomes annoyed. The Harper Gang will never rule through a majority of votes. Their only hope is in fracturing their opposition and alienating the electorate from the political system so that their 20% of the electorate is enough to stay in power.

And Yet They're Still In Power

Fiscal responsibility. It's something the Harper Gang continually tell us that only they can do. I'd like to call bs. Again. First the Minister of Finance suggests there will be screw ups in releasing Canada's stimulus package. Then the Harper Gang insists there be no over sight to their spending the stimulus package. We're going to screw up and you can't watch.

Cooperation. Another thing the Harper Gang consistently say only they are doing. More bs. Harper is going to make the legislation removing oversight from their spending a confidence motion. He has said he's willing to have an election for the right to have no one watching as he doles out the stimulus money. And screws up.

Seriously, if you are a conservative, why would you ever vote for these clowns? They are not practicing conservative ideals.

Not that I'm overly impressed by any of them at the moment. The Liberals after all are the ones who are allowing this farce to continue, but they at least know how to play well with others. Having reduced our parliament to a kindergarten glass it is perhaps the best we can hope for.