SDA commentor Abe Froman put it best the other day, when he wrote that:
“Politicians are like Hobbits, you give them the ring and they turn into Gollum.”
The temptation to turn the spigot that feeds the trough is overwhelming … just a little turn open here, a little twist to the left there. Or, as we used to teach the kids when they wanted to operate the garden hose … righty tighty; lefty loosy … these days it seems that lefty loosy wins more often than not.
So it is with the Harper Tories … the ring beckons, corrupts, and teases. It gets hard to keep track of the twists of the spigot … is it three twists left, two twist right … or visa versa?
The government’s eagerness to participate is embarrassing in its transparency. Until Quebecor came along, the city was hoping to finance the $400 million arena entirely on taxpayer cash. Fifty million from the city, $175 million from the province, the rest (they hoped) from Ottawa. Because if you take $400 million and divide it up among three governments, it’s not like all the money is coming from the same taxpayers, you see. It’s different taxpayers being fleeced, federal taxpayers plus provincial taxpayers plus municipal taxpayers. They might not even know one another.
Don’t like stuff like this, but the Harper Conservatives are still far and away the least evil of the the federal options. Also, if they had a solid majority, then the could be mcuh more conservative.
Remember, the corruption of Canadians to the left of the political spectrum didn’t happen with the wave of a wand. It took years and a generation of dumbing down to get where we are now. It will take some time to turn the ship around.
Well, we HOPE they’ll be much more “conservative” if they ever get that majority! But don’t expect much to change in that eventuality.
As for the Quebec hockey arena, Harper should tell Peladeau and the rest of the Quebec blackmailers that he’ll consider giving taxpayer’s money to the pipe dream,AFTER Gary Bettman has given an iron clad guarantee that Quebec WILL get an NHL franchise,and not one second before.
The NHL will NOT consider a Quebec franchise,the market is simply too small,and a team from Quebec has no ticket sale value in most of America.
There was a good reason Lindros refused to sign in Quebec,and it wasn’t because he was anti-French Canadian,the market was too small,and he knew he could make way more in endorsements if he was in a big U.S. market.
I am wiling to cut Harper some slack . . he can’t do all the really necessary things in a minority parliament. If he tried, the Opposition ninnies would conjoin to defeat the government and their allies and minions at CBC, CTV, The Star et al would help defeat the CPC in an election.
Then the spigots would be ripped off and the socialist gravy train would just bleed us dry.
Look at it it this way Canada has a National debt just north of $500 billion. Using the 10:1 rule, the American’s debt should be in the range of $5 trillion.
The American debt is actually closing in on $15 trillion.
The forecast deficit for next year in Canada is justt under $30 Billion. Using the 10:1 rule, the American’s deficit should be in the range of $300 billion.
The American forecast deficit is actually about $1.4 trillion.
The Canadian unemployment rate is 7.25% . . . . the American unemployment is north of 9% and the structural rate, when you add in all those who have given up looking or working at below wage and/or part time work is closer to 17%
I think you have to conclude that PMSH has done a hell of a lot in five years of very difficult governing. We could be so much worse off.
Steve or Iggy . . . I’ll take Steve
Steve or Barry . . . Oh we should all fall to our knees and kiss some good Canuck terra firma and thank gawd Obama is an American and is inflicting his brand or economic stupidity on the Americans and not us.
Well said Fred
Are the Harper Conservatives not allowed to win elections in Quebec? Joey said it, the corruption didn’t happen in a day, and fixing it won’t either. First you win, THEN you call the shots.
And yeah, they -will- all turn into Gollum if we let them. That’s why you stay on them to reduce the size of government every day, a tiny nibble at a time, forever more. Tax cuts, budget cuts, repeal regulations, staffing cuts, its all good.
If it costs a hundred million stadium now to save two billion by shutting the CBC next year, I’m good with it.
Just to nit-pick…Gollum was NOT a corrupted Hobbit. Other than that, the analogy is okay.
the city was hoping to finance the $400 million arena entirely on taxpayer cash.
Bread and Circuses.
An arena is just a Colosseum.
So it is with the Harper Tories … the ring beckons, corrupts, and teases.
It’s called being “Ottawashed”.
I like Fred’s post and mostly agree.
I just don’t like seeing the CPC fund anything that they can get away with refusing the funding for, and I particularly don’t like them to pay lip service to Leftist causes(like the environment) when staying silent would be better.
Gollum was one quarter hobbit on his mother’s side.
Fred said it well. PM Harper says it better.
http://www.stephentaylor.ca/2011/01/stephen-harper-celebrates-5-years-in-power/#disqus_thread
Yeah; and the United States is looking more like Mordor these days!
If it costs a hundred million stadium now to save two billion by shutting the CBC next year, I’m good with it.
~The Phantom
While the $100 million would surely be gone, the $2 billion saved by shutting the CBC next year is purely an assumption, a mere wish.
I doubt that paying the $100 million for an arena will be generated into votes from Canada’s furthest left province.
It isn’t money well spent.
Trying to buy Quebec hasn’t worked well so far for any federal party.
I wonder how all those Quebecois who vote for the Bloc would compare cutting off the $1.95 per vote subsidy to the $100 million for an arena or if they would even make such a calculation.
Can I opt for a politician with a scintilla of scruples?
We cannot say that politician X is less corrupt than politician Y and that is good enough. Is there a point when we deserve better?
Just my quick thoughts.
We need a majority long enough to give BC and Alberta more MP seats, then he can tell Whinebec to fork off and eat poutine.
If not Harper, then who?
You can not undo forty years of injustices done fron Trudeau in five years of minority government. If you are male you cannot even belong to a male only club. It is against the law. That is part of the way, another is quota filling. Forty years of this stuff.
What do you propose? Pick on the only viable alternative? The Libs have had three leaders in that time, are you waiting for Trudeau Jr.?
They aren’t perfect, those are the Liberals.
I am with Rose and Fred. All the way.
Love their comments and agree.
We will make headway only when the Conservatives do get a majority.
Getting rid of the CBC would be very worthwhile, but I do not see it happening even with a Tory majority. Once SunTV gets up and running the CRTC will be crying in their beer about ‘Canadian Content and the equality the CBC provides in that area, some bunk on that order.
I would love to see the CBC hang it out on their on on subscriber and ad money alone. They would go the way of CNN and MSNBC very quickly.
And, yes, The US is looking JUST like Mordor these days.
What Snowbunnie said.
Now I have to go blow some snow or I might get cold shoulder for supper.
Ken and Snow: Whilst playing with the dog I caught Harper’s ad, the one with him working in his office and I must say that’s one fine ad. The guy orating has an awesome voice and he pulls you in and makes you want to listen to what he has to say. No wonder CBC’s blogger of anonymous sources is so angry about said ad.
It’s a balmy minus -30 here today, it’s so coldddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd.
I have voted in every Municipal; Provincial; and Federal election since the late 1960’s. The votes through the lean years and the promising years was for who ever purported to be the latest “version of a conservative” (excluding PMJD, the real stuff).
The one exception was when PMPT ran for reelection the first time and almost lost. This was the one time I can recall a Liberal poltician coming close to the truth, he was a closet socialist at the time and I was young and idealistic,. PMPT never came close to the truth ever again.
The wishy, washy “who else is there” being presented in this blog string tells me no one has the contacts or the get up and go to call their riding association and tell the association the supporting of a Municipal Arena is crossing the line.
I will still appear at the polling station; it is my right and obligation. However I will return the ballot to the Deputy Returning Officer as a “none of the above”. You may understand this does not become a destroyed ballot. The returned ballot must be recorded as such and a separate report made. It is a failure to provide a suitable candidate.
This action will become part of the general conversation in our on voting day; as well as the conversation prior to voting day. There will not be a Conservative sign at my home, a sure notice of unacceptability. The most recent election the Conservative Candidate was within 500 votes of the winner. I am thinking my action and the action of similar minded people to myself in this riding will change the losing number of votes to 1,000.
How long does one put up with incremental change? There is no courage and faith in the people of Canada. Just polls and (expertise); it will not be long before oracles and talking to spirits will become the method of governing in Canada. Whoops! this has been done before. Cheers;
My heart is all a flutter here!!!! How much did PM Harper commit toward the new arena????? The article doesn’t say and last I heard the amount of Federal money was ZERO. Besides which, if Quebec gets an NHL team then Toronto will want one too.
Oh how I hope Brad Wall and his finance minister are reading this….
“Because if you take $400 million and divide it up among three governments, it’s not like all the money is coming from the same taxpayers, you see. It’s different taxpayers being fleeced, federal taxpayers plus provincial taxpayers plus municipal taxpayers. They might not even know one another.”
Joe @ 7:07, that was cutting deep. 😉
“My heart is all a flutter here!!!! How much did PM Harper commit toward the new arena????? The article doesn’t say and last I heard the amount of Federal money was ZERO. Besides which, if Quebec gets an NHL team then Toronto will want one too.
Posted by: Joe at January 24, 2011 7:07 PM ”
Reader cooment of the day, and probably the week as well (and it’s only Monday)
All of the Harpologists here have done far far greater damage than Trudeau ever could have. Bat yourself on the back; you destroyed the Canadian right.
Froman got it wrong. Tolkien’s point is that if you give *anyone* the ring, they turn into Gollum.
Politicians, to start with, are much more like the average Joe than we like to think.
I’m with Fred, Rose, Snowbunny and Ken. I will state as I have before that IMO, Stephen Harper is the best Prime Minister Canada had ever had. I admire and respect the PM. He has been able and competent in spite fact that he no friends in the media, has been given no quarter by many Conservatives and has been forced to listen to the Troika coalition because so many Canadians voted for Ducpippe for PM in the last election (a vote for the Liberanos, Dippers or Blocheads was a vote for Ducippe as de facto PM).
Thank-you for the link to the excellent speech blueteck – we can compare that to what the American President has to say tomorrow – and be proud of our elected Top Man.
Jema 54
Yeah Harper hasn’t done badly in a minority where the troika holds a de facto veto….with a snivel service full of undismissable, political appointments from the previous regime….constantly undermining any policy other than that of the former regime….and a taxpayer funded CBC which is a LIBRANO/left echo chamber constantly attacking the elected government.
I have noticed several other things…
When a poster(north or south of the 49th) begins a post (as a conservative) they usualy are slightly to the left of Leon Trotsky.
The same elements bleet…”They are all the same…”
MikeSr:
WE have followed a lot of the same path. Many on here qualify PMSH the best PM we have ever had. I might agree but when supporters give a politican of any stripe a ‘open ticket’ we are asking for trouble. It wasn’t that long ago the Mulroney won back to back majorities and then proceeded to stab the West in the back. Having met Harper I have a residual faith that he will do the right thing.
My biggest beef with this CPC government is the total lack of philosphical education they do, trying to explain the risks our society faces. To call political discourse in this country as rudimentary is more than generous. If we comdemn the MSM for the poor job they do then what is the right doing to provide alternatives? I will support Fox News North in hopes that real issues will be discussed by intelligent citizens.
“All of the Harpologists here have done far far greater damage than Trudeau ever could have.”
Come on, even for a troll that’s a stretch. More damage than -medicare-? More than the NEP? More than removing the right of ownership? More than crushing the military down to 10,000 field soldiers and 50,000 desk pilots?
Its funny, I haven’t seen any burning cities lately.