How Much is an Election Really Worth?

Last week Paul Martin stepped before the cameras and addressed the nation about the crisis the country was involved in. In actuality it is the crisis the Liberal party is involved in, but let’s not split hairs. That broadcast was the unofficial kick-off of the Liberal campaign for re-election. They know that they are on borrowed time. It might happen next week or it might happen six months from now, but either way, an election is on the way.

My question today relates to this last point, the one of timing. How much is an election worth? I know it doesn’t sound like timing and cost are directly connected, but bear with me for a minute or two.

I don’t mean cost from the perspective of normal election costs such as campaigning, T.V. time, etc., but from the perspective of buying our votes in an effort to retain power. You see the Liberals are used to the adage that anything has a price, just ask anyone involved in the ad-scam situation. So it is not outside their thinking to buy their place in office and it’s up to us, as good Canadians, to set a price.

NDP Leader Jack Layton sees this clearly. He is already attempting to align himself with the Liberals in an effort to delay an election. His price, removal of the corporate surtax cuts from the budget and more money for the environment. Good move Jack!! This is a chance for the NDP to further their agenda. You don’t get many chances to do that so it’s good to see you taking advantage of them when they come along. Keep it up!!

As for the rest of us, well we can stand to make some gains as well. The Liberals are so worried about losing seats in an election that hasn’t even been called yet, that they are already sending MPs around the country handing out money for projects and programs. Just this week John Efford was here in NL with a Cheque for 1.5 million for one thing or another. I'm sure he'll have more announcements within days. It's good news John. (We don't forget John, we don't forget). It’s not just happening here either, but right across the country. They are trying to buy their way back into office, which is nothing new, but this time they don’t even care who notices.

This opens up some opportunities for all of us. Now is the time to start pressing our own provincial agenda. Come on Danny boy, you got Paul Martin to agree to the offshore revenue deal under similar circumstances, now he’s really desperate. Get on him. Push him on a Canadian corridor for electricity, gas and the like. One that will end our issues over moving resources through Quebec. How about pushing him on more Federal offices and services in the province or about 5 Wing Goose.

Jack Layton will actually do us all a favor if he can manage to keep the Liberals in for a while longer. With these yahoos in place for six or seven months rather than being pushed out of office now, they have that much longer to think about the big black election cloud over their heads. Six or seven more months of hearing, “We can knock you off today Paul. Now we want X, Y or Z.”. I love it.

It also means we, as Canadians, can be the recipients of another six or seven more months of pre-election spending and pre-election promises. Federal spending is good if you can get your hands on it, and pre-election promises are even better. Just make sure you get them in writing.

Of course the best thing of all is that even after an election takes place and regardless of whether or not the color of government is Liberal red or Conservative blue, we will most likely have another minority government. We all know that this again shifts some power over to the opposition parties and means that the next government will have to satisfy the agendas of others or face yet another election. It’s a viscious cycle but it works for the general public. It is through minority governments that major changes to social policy take place. Medicare for example, would not exist today if we had not had a minority government at the time.

These are good times to be a province like NL which usually has no power at all. These are the sort of times when key issues can be addressed and accomplishments made. Lets not waste this opportunity. Instead, lets get out there and push for everything we can. Let’s not stop pushing until we get what we want and need from these guys because eventually the ride will end. Eventually a majority government will make it back into office and the opportunities will dry up, the giveaways will end and the status quo will smack us dead in the middle of our reality.

I know I may sound callous and cold and perhaps even money hungry on this topic, but lets face it, we all have to be. We don’t get much from Ottawa without a fight and then we are like a starving mouse fighting an elephant.

The difference here is that now the mouse has a gun and is pointing it directly at Dumbo’s head.

Osama Bin Vlasak

Well, well, well. In the latest move to work with the people of Newfoundland and Labrador to increase tourism and protect our shores the feds have come up with a scheme to really put our province on the map. The Canadian government is now allowing extremists and potential terrorists to visit our beautiful province. How open minded of them to allow us to play host to these exciting guests.

During the recent seal hunt off our coast, we had the privilege of the annual onslaught of animal rights activists, seal protestors and the like. This is nothing unusual for spring in the province, it’s been going on for years, we have grown somewhat accustomed to it, but this time it was different. This time we were exposed to threats of violence and to intimidation techniques not very different than those practiced in some of the more troubled areas of the world, such as the Middle East.

This time we were confronted with one Dr. Jerry Vlasak, thanks to the support of Paul Watson’s Sea Shephard Society, of which Dr. Vlasak is a board member. Thanks also to the fine folks in The Department of Immigration, a government agency that is designed to prevent this sort of character from entering the country in the first place. Not only did this man come into our waters to protest the hunt, he even confronted one of our sealers, a confrontation which has resulted in violence, and is now before the courts.

Of course the good Dr. claims he was only trying to have a rational conversation with this sealer. I wonder though, based on his history, if Dr. Vlasak even knows what a rational conversation is. At an animal rights conference in 2003, when talking about scientists who dissect animals for research, he said, “I don't think you'd have to kill, assassinate, too many vivisectors before you would see a marked decrease in the amount of vivisection going on”. According to news reports, when asked about this comment and whether or not he feels the same about sealers this man basically said there is no difference.

This man who the Immigration Department allowed into our country has been barred from entering the UK. In the US he is under investigation by the FBI as a possible extremist threat. Great security we have here folks. Add to this the fact that the great Paul Watson is backing this man to the hilt, even up to the point that another member of the Sea Shephard board is resigning over the issue. In my opinion this speaks to the organization itself being a threat to society. When a group harbors a potential terrorist threat, promotes him as a board member and backs him up in these kinds of statements, what else can they be considered?

I wonder how fast the department of Immigration would have acted if this man was wandering around Bay Street protesting banking institutions? What if he was protesting the oil industry or cattle ranching in Alberta? I’d be willing to bet that if he had made it into the country at all, he wouldn’t have been around long enough to nail a protest sign together or buy a pint of paint to write his venomous comments on it.

Once again, thanks for the support Ottawa. If mistakes were made in letting this character slip across our border that is one thing, but I wonder if you will let him or even his group back next year. If you decide that these yahoos can come back to our shores again who will you send over next? Perhaps you might like to invite Osama Bin Laden to stop by for a cup of tea since he’s not up to much at the moment. I wouldn’t wonder that the US is planning to have us show passports and bio Identification to get across the border into their country. You don’t know who could be roaming around in Canada these days.

Dead Man Walking

Hi folks. Well I guess we all saw the great Paul Martin clawing at the edge of the lifeboat and desperately trying to stay afloat last night. That display had to be one of the most pathetic things I have ever seen. Stand back folks, Dead Man Walking.

I can just imagine how this is going to play in media around the world. Can you say Banana Republic?

It’s little wonder we are in the state we are in, not just here in NL, but throughout the country. With the collapse of the PC party, after the Mulroney era, the Liberals have had free reign and have turned the country into their own private dictatorship. I mean really, where has the competition been?

With the PC’s out of the running, who could provide a challenge? Not the NDP, they don’t have enough support throughout the country, but most especially in the center of power, central Canada. The Bloc are a Quebec only party and thank the lord for that. No, the Liberals have had a free ride for quite a while and that my friends, is the crux of the problem.

The saying goes that “Absolute power corrupts absolutely”. We are seeing the proof of that in the past few weeks. These guys have been in power so long, with no end in sight, that they have found all the loop holes, setup the scams and become a party of con men and thieves. Little wonder that nothing gets done for the people who need it.

Has it gotten to the point where we have to bribe our Federal officials when we want something done? Maybe we need to slip the Fisheries Minister 50K to get some support in protecting our fish from foreign vessels. Perhaps we should offer Paul Martin’s wife a trip to the Bahamas in exchange for him pulling the offshore accord deal out of the budget bill. Better yet, why don’t we take a 100 million out of the offshore deal money and feed it directly back to the Liberal party so they can see their way clear to helping us get a power corridor through Quebec. (that is, if it ever gets passed and if the Liberals can hang on to power a while longer) What the hell, the people of Quebec are never going to vote Liberal again any way.

I have always had a sore spot when it comes to politicians. I’ve never trusted them and never respected them, with a few exceptions, and this just proves the point. When the chips are down and the money is rolling in, anything and anyone is for sale. The only difference now is that we know the price.