Category Archives: Politics

Thoughts on New Leader Kenney

Frankly I think Alberta would have been better served by someone different.  He’s a crony of the by-gone elitist Harper era on the federal scene and is polarizing on the controversial matters of same sex marriage and abortion.  While being taxed exorbitantly (47 per cent highest marginal rate with the new tax bracket), Albertans have little patience for their leader to be preaching social policy from a righteous pulpit.  Albertans want absolute action on fiscal responsibility so that tax rates can be lowered measurably.  While a minister in the federal government of Canada, I heard little from Mr. Kenney on the topic of measurably reducing core tax rates for Canadians.  It may have been a belief of his at the time but Mr. Harper liked to keep the media in the dark and his round table muted.  The old Harper administration tinkered with tax credits for families but did little to incite the capitalist spirit in our country for free enterprise.  I do admire Mr. Kenney’s passion and sincerity for his work but at a time when the current administration has lost control of our finances, the last thing Alberta needs is an ultra idealist being long winded on how he thinks we should run our lives. I hope I’m wrong and this man will find a way to shelve his dogma surrounding your bedroom and your doctor’s office and appeal to centrist thinking Albertans along with Wildrose supporters in a way that propels him to success in uniting the right.  As a reminder to you staunch Wildrose supporters, Danielle Smith sold out on you.  She crossed the floor – remember.  The movement is dead.  Get on board.  The alternative is socialism forever.

Islamophobia Government Motion

I premise my remarks by exclaiming that religion does not belong in the halls where governments administer legislation nor should legislation in any way be impacted by the interests of a religion.  Secondly, I harbour absolutely no bias toward one religion versus another.  Every individual should have their absolute freedom to express their religion so long as their expression does not impinge upon another’s ability to do so or for the activities of a group to function.  Symbols of a religion should not be permitted in the premises of a secular legislative assembly.  Law enforcement must dutifully execute hate laws to the letter of the criminal code and in fact if hate legislation needs to be strengthened in the context of a modernizing world, then so be it.  In fact, if it wasn’t for indifference by administrative officials in our education system, adolescent lives could have been saved from bullying.

In lieu of my premise, the more I see these headlines of special interest groups attempting to garner comfort from my government, the more I see red.  What is becoming of my governments?  Have they become counselling chambers for the dispossessed?  Have they become social engineering committees for those ill equipped to compete in a capitalist market?  Have they become meeting places for lobbyists to sojourn?  Have they become trading pits for swapping wealth?   Could there be a swath of Canada growing impatient with government overreach emerging similar to the U.S. rust belt which thrust Donald Trump into power?  Here is a message for Justin Trudeau and Rachel Notley from this tax accountant who has now witnessed a 47 per cent top marginal Alberta tax rate pinned upon the most successful.  Our forefathers did not serve dutifully in war for their descendants to become extorted from financially by you! (extortion – oppressive or illegal exaction, as of excessive price or interest).  Start delivering an agenda that serves folks who fuel the salaries of those sitting on the public purse!  Get our $160 million dollar per day debt paid down by doing the responsible thing.  Rein in spending and get our country’s financial health in order so that Canadians can become unencumbered by an irrational tax rate!

Your Tax Money At Risk For Bombardier

While your CRA is charging you arrears interest, instalment interest and an egregious personal income tax rate at the same time that you may be managing debt associated with growing your small private business undertaken by earnest capitalist passion, your government is charging zero interest to Bombardier for a $372.5 million dollar loan repayable over 15 years of which no payment is due during the first two years.  This is capitalism in Canada folks.  Lobbying corporate directors of Bombardier with operations in a politically sensitive part of Canada (Quebec) are so proud of their product that they can’t seem to find investment capital outside of their government and hence you as the taxpayer now will bear the risk with an apparent zero rate of return on the prospect a success.  There’s something not right here.  Does our government not believe in capital markets in a capitalist system?  Does it not believe that investment wealth follows good news stories from companies’ aspirant to match their innovative products with financiers?  Does our government think that our first world country lacks pools of available capital?  Or, perhaps, it’s about politics and our government believes you are naive or too self involved to take issue.

O’Leary’s Quest for Conservative Leadership

This man meandered his way into the consciousness of Canadians through his activities in entrepreneurial game shows and CBC spots as political and business pundit.  Apparently, he has achieved a business win through the sale of a company and it’s evident that he possesses oratory and leadership like skills.  Additionally, he seems sincere in reaching out to deliver positive change.  However; I’m struck by his boorishness.  He seems to lack the empathy for listening to the flip side of an argument which in my estimation is a key ingredient for holding power in public office.  Canadians are looking for a leader who possesses the conviction to deliver with strength in order to convert an ideal into policy and for this it seems like this man may be ideally suited should he begin to show signs of personal humility.  He is thankfully a capitalist at a time when the socialist sentiment is beginning to erode the power of our great nation.  In contrast to the projected opinion of the journalistic elite, I believe there to be no particular political liability in a unilingual Canadian seeking the highest office in the land given that he is endowed with a motivation to learn our other official language.  When one reviews the educational and ancestral roots of our country one concludes that unilingual English Canadians should be as deserving of their quest for high office as is any other Canadian who had bilingual access as a norm to their native Canadian homeland.  Mr. O’leary’s entrance into the Conservative Party’s leadership contest should add spice to our political debate.

Joe Scarborough and Media Critics

Joe Scarborough has responded on the record to criticism that he’s cozying up to Trump while apparently representing the journalism industry. You see – he used to be a lawyer before running for Congress and to my knowledge he has no formal education in journalism. MSNBC has engineered programming around his Washington experience and unlucky but charming Mika Brzezinki co-hosts without the privilege of a co-hosting platform. Joe loves the spotlight and the sound of his own voice.  Consequently, Mika is tested to get her chances at the early morning week day time slot.  Joe’s incessant interrupting of whoever makes this the most annoying of Washington diatribes. Fortunately for the program, stalwart intellects appear as tidy side shows defusing bombastic irrational jibberish from its host.

Now, Joe feels compelled to defend his appearance with Trump on the evening of December 31st just when the big party was getting started. Trump in his wisdom wanted to meet Mika and Joe at the party to talk shop and now in a state of indignation having likely never taken formal curricula in journalistic independence, Joe is seething at his critics. Ironically the criticism is being fueled from the most professional of journalistic tools.  You guessed it – twitter.  There is no list long enough Joe of guilt ridden Washington yesteryear journalists whom you can cite in your exculpatory defense.