Monthly Archives: April 2019

Free Enterprise, Politics

Venezuela Right Now

  1. Hyperinflation rate so astronomical you won’t believe it
  2. Water shortage
  3. Food shortage
  4. Civil strife
  5. Rolling black outs
  6. Russia installs military presence taking sides with Nicolas Maduro
  7. U.S. contemplates aid and incidentally has sided with declared President Juan Guaido
  8. Journalists arrested
  9. Socialist policy since Chavez leaderships in 1999

If you eliminate incentives for business to produce goods and services, they will stop. If you pay people not to produce, they will not produce. If you do not sanction poor behavior, people will continue to behave badly. If you overregulate the ambitious, they will turn elsewhere for a market. If you condone corruption, you will get more of it. If you sense injustice and fail to acknowledge it, you will subscribe to the status quo. If you witness crime and fail to report it, you are complicit. If your leadership is ambivalent toward justice, your society is regressing.

Politics

Calling Out The Drivel

I don’t mind playing a role in calling out stuff for what it is before new norms negatively take hold thereby attributing to societal decay. No I’m not naive enough to think that my single voice can make a difference so I implore you my friends to also stand your ground when confronted with drivel and provide your version of push back. I realize it’s tempting to simply cede in lieu of behavior unbecoming of a country’s President (Trump), but call it out anyways.

The President of the United States has declared that the press is the “Enemy of The People”. On the contrary, the press has a major role in reporting to the people behavior elicited by their governments.  Journalists actually become formally versed in ethics as part of their curriculum. Unfortunately, the business of journalism is not immune from pressures of bias arising from mediums in which their messages are expressed.  Hence; particular news outlets will be better than others and thankfully a democracy provides people with the power to discern the credible from the incredulous. 

It could be the case that Donald Trump believes that if he states something ridiculous enough times over and over through his Twitter account that those on the margins of self esteem with an unrequited vote may just step over to the dark side with him. 

Trump may believe he can take his dysfunctional, demeaning, and narcissistic management style and impose it on a populous weakened largely by events which were largely outside of their control but within the control of past governments and regulators. If he somehow can derive a correlation between liberal misgivings and CNN, then in his heart perhaps he can sway those undisciplined from objective thinking.     

One unfortunate consequence of the election of Donald Trump to President has been the attribution some will make of his character to the conservative philosophy.  The track record of recent Republican Party leaders has been lacklustre further weakening the image of the conservative philosophy. Although not much of a talking point to date, the conflation of populism and conservatism because of Trump will have a dulling impact on communicating fundamental conservative doctrine over the next decade.              

Politics

How Will You Vote in Alberta Election?

Strong conservative leadership in Alberta has been lacking for a lot of years. Jason Kenney…..a rather bland fellow stained by a lacklustre record serving under Harper as an MP at the federal level where he talked up social issues instead of what really matters to Canadians – their pocket book is now your choice. We hold our nose and vote for him of course.  You wouldn’t think for a moment during this critical time of burgeoning socialism to spoil your vote via voting for a fringe party, I know. We hope that he actually gets it. We hope that he understands that Albertans have industrial resolve at their core believing that a merit based capital system is foundational for the actualization of career dreams.

We hope that he understands that Alberta and Canada cannot alone solve the world’s environmental concerns. We hope that he keeps his mind out of the bedrooms of taxpayers. We hope that he materially aims to cut public expenditures including pensions to civil servants so that taxes can be reduced. We hope that he invigorates the legal system so that law enforcement can feel empowered rather than stifled. We hope that he leaves the abortion debate alone. We hope that he repeals intrusive regulatory burdens such as the “carbon tax” for small business. We hope that he rightfully imposes penalties to corporations behaving environmentally irresponsibly. We hope that he applies common sense to decisions affecting us all. We hope that he communicates interests of Albertans effectively with federal law makers. We hope that he is honest and immune from lobbying efforts of special interest groups. We hope that he understands that Confederation requires the cooperation of provinces for the good of economic development. Finally, we hope that he understand the level of exasperation felt by taxpayers constrained financially  while witnessing their governments blow away money as if it were confetti.