To ____, With Love

Warlord politics

With text from the ALP website:

The fact that 10 Progressive Conservative constituency associations
are being investigated for soliciting or receiving illegal political
donations reveals how massive the government’s abuse of their power
has become, says Alberta Liberal Party President Todd Van Vliet.

Noting that Liberals will soon deliver to the CEO a binder with similar
evidence relating to even more PC constituency associations, Van
Vliet said it is clear that the corruption of what should be a clear
line between government and politics has become endemic to life in
Alberta.

“It’s everywhere,” he said. “Everywhere you go, people will tell you
that they feel compelled to donate to their local PC MLA, or to the
local constituency association, if they want to do business with the
province. They also feel that support of PC politicians is connected to
government grants and project spending in their communities.”

Van Vliet said he can understand the occasional constituency
association making an innocent mistake and soliciting an illegal
donation on a ‘one-off’ basis. “In fact, we’ve had our knuckles rapped
a couple of times for one-time goofs,” he said.

“But the Progressive Conservatives have made this a province-wide
industry, especially in the more rural ridings. Their politicians swagger
around their ridings like warlords, demanding fealty from their
subjects.

“They don’t act like theirs is the government party. They’re acting
instead like they’re the ruling party. And that is what’s so very wrong,”
said Van Vliet.

“This is a cancer. It’s deadly to democracy, and we have to excise it
from the body politic.

“The only way we can do that is for tens of thousands of people
to start talking about the problem instead of allowing it to be the
elephant in the room. They need to point fingers, call a spade a spade
and change their vote.

“Good conservatives can help too, by not remaining silent when they
see their local MLA swinging his/her weight around the constituency.
They can stand up to the MLA and tell them to stop. Just stop! They
can tell the MLA that their actions are turning people away from their
party in droves, and that someday it’s going to come back to haunt
them big-time,” said Van Vliet.

“Warlord politics hurts everyone, whether they’re involved in politics or
not.”

Van Vliet said a binder with evidence relating to alleged illegal
donations to/solicitations by nearly 20 PC riding associations will soon
be delivered to the Chief Electoral Officer.

“Many of these actions happened long prior to 2011, the year in which
PC Association President Bill Smith says all of the donations currently
being investigated by the CEO occurred”

then again, thinkers are usually appointed

People elected into power should not say “we look to the people for answers”. For some reason people enjoy that, I think its weak and a lame attempt to gain credibility. Does a CEO ask his stock holders how to make decisions on running the company? No, but they have a duty to run it for the betterment of the stockholders. Does Mark Carney read a Nanos poll and use that to decide where to set prime interest rates? Of course not. Why public institutions are seen in a different light I can’t understand. Perhaps this is also why public institutions of the epitome of inefficiency. Elect ideas, not pollsters. Demand ideas from those seeking office. 

did i insult you? i’ve just been listing facts so far

I think I enjoy people telling me I’m not smart enough to understand politics just as much as I enjoy when people tell me I’ve changed their views on something or encouraged them to learn more about an issue. Maybe more, there’s always more to learn. But keep in mind, I’m working from a position of weakness. I have to read books, look at other national governments, browse research and come up with my own views and policy ideals. Because I don’t just repeat the things my parents told me. Wait for me to catch up, bro. 

I know I say its easy to be conservative in Alberta, just like I think its easy to be Catholic in Rome. But not all young conservatives are spewing re-sold ideas. For example this one gave me this really unique policy alternative… cut taxes. Brilliant. 

Title is optional, so are credentials

Anti-intellectualism has been a growing phenomenon over the past few years/elections. It has always had its place in fringe right-wing politics, with the opposite, a sense of white-pillar elitism housed far on the left. I’ve found that this was always more present in American politics than in Canada but recently we’ve been surfing the same wave. That said, there has never been a leader of Canada elected that didn’t have an advanced degree, our least educated PM is the current and he holds a MA in Economics. One of the attacks against Iggnatief is that he is out of touch with the real world, he doesn’t have that dirt-under-his-nails life experience that turns one into a man of the people. It is my humble view that if one is in charge of running the nation, he should be an expert in International Affairs, economics, history, the constitution, any or all of the above. Why then was this highly skilled professional destroyed because of it? People are beginning to believe that rhetoric is a suitable substitute for ideas. And that a life of experience, though I would agree is invaluable, is suitable to become a politician. The Conservative Party of Canada would have you believe that all the statistics on crime are, in fact (pun intended), wrong. The theory they are pitching is that there is some dark corner of the world that is to mysterious to be scaled or measured by statistics. This is why we must start a new war on crime and drugs in this country. It is just a first step and Canadians are being slowly desensitized to the taste of baseless and irrational ideas. I go back to my favorite example of what not to become, American politics. I have a question that isn’t meant to be dripping with malice, but the fact that it seems that way is part of the problem. For reasonable (read: rational) people that support the Republican party, is it disheartening that they appear to be trying to make “dumb as shit” synonymous with “true American”. Look closely at the Candidates. They just don’t know enough to actually run the most powerful country in the world. Michelle and Sarah put together probably couldn’t write a solid piece of economic policy. Cain doesn’t know what Libya is. And people just think that type of thing is okay because these candidates are real Americans. As of yet, there is no strong definition of Canadian values, however, Harper is trying to change that with his Queening of the lands and bolstering of military. I just hope that the Canada he tries to define isn’t one that values down-home cooking and arena parents more than those that have made it their lives work to study policy and build a country based on fact and evidence.

Defining moment

Hipster Politics: There are varying degrees of hipster politics, the most basic of which is defined as a person, or group of people, that become involved in the issue of the day. By involved I mean will sign an online petition or attend a rally with a heavily partisan basis. The typical political hipster is a University student and has not read a single page of party policy and has few alternatives to provide.

Socially/Culturally ‘aware’ Hipster: A person, or group of people, that do not fully understand social issues and use them as a badge of honour. The average person of this category loves The Beatles, Eric Clapton and quotes songs, has traveled to Thailand or Western Europe and may or may not have found themselves while on location. A socially aware hipster may constantly talk about having gay friends. They find real-world solutions and actual hard but necessary decisions repulsive. Talk Occupy and they blush, talk deficit-reduction and they cringe. Economics are lame man, what the world needs now is love… sweet love. 

I like any effort for people to become involved in the process, though. 

U-th offenders

After reading the globe this morning I was stuck by something profound. To put it as poetically as possible, if you support harsh imprisonment for youth offenders (in the new crime bill) you are a shithead buffoon. (read: a book) This will, for real, make Canada a worse place to live. Rehabilitation reduces reoffenders and youth crime rates. But it just doesn’t “feel right” to spend tax dollars to give a criminal a makeover. That’s why the public should be disconnected from decisions that require expertise. Then the government doesnt have to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Uninformed voters

Occupiers not all that they are cracked(-out hippies) to be

Recently I’ve seen photo’s online of ‘occupiers’ homes, and some of them have beautiful houses. I don’t really support hipster politics but to me, this just makes their ambitions look pure. They have all the comforts of (upper) middle-class living but they don’t just sit on it and accept adequacy as a fulfilling ends. They don’t need more money or a job. It isn’t about wealth equity, at least not for these people. I can accept that flying anti-capitalism flags looks ridiculous but thats only a small percentage of the ‘99%’ which media chooses to focus on.  These middle class occupiers, they need the government to stop being run via the dolla dolla bills of ‘the 1%’. Which it is, and if you dont agree I would argue you need to occupy reality. 

What I Would Like to see in a Reinvigorated Liberal Party

thecanadianconsequentialist:

I’ve supported the Liberal Party of Canada almost my entire political life and I’m a political junkie of the worst order to boot. Yet I can’t say the party excites me. I could talk politics for hours, yet in that time most of what you’ll hear me say is what is wrong with the NDP and what is wrong with the Cons. I’ll barely mention the Grits. I like the Liberals don’t get me wrong. I don’t support them because they are a “lesser evil” but it wouldn’t take much for an electable political party to steal my vote. In this blog I’m not going to get in to what brought about the parties near death experience. I don’t have the time to write a book. And I’m not going to talk about what they need to do to get elected next election. I’m not a God. What I will be doing is saying what kind of Liberal party would get me excited to vote for the party, the kind of Liberal Party would get me talking about its virtues over its enemies faults. 

 

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Internet spying is for real.

parlament is back in session. And ‘lawful access’ is coming your way. That means the government can see everything you do online without a warrant (don’t download copyrighted media anymore, there’s a bill about that too!). When we give away our rights out of fear, the people who fear western freedom are in control. Thats why they do they things they do. Good work Stephen, You’ll be the most informed PM ever.

The conservatives have a majority in parlament so the only way to have a voice in this is massive public upheaval, as it has been called in the media lately. So do something about this.

http://stopspying.ca