Mail Strike Over, for now

Canada Post has said that mail delivery will resume on Tuesday, now that both Parliament and the Senate have passed back to work legislation.  Binding arbitration is forced on both parties, in this bill, but the Government didn’t allow one single amendment to be added, or passed.

Course, the real issue for me, was that why did we even have to have this strike? Okay, the union started it by going out on their rotating strikes, that frankly, were nothing but a minor inconvenience. It was Canada Post ( Harper’s in other words ) that sent the strike national, and stopped mail delivery everywhere.

Note to all those Whiners : The entire debacle of no mail, was by design, by Herr Harper, as a political stunt to make his majority government look competent. He needed something to shore up all the questioning that has begun.  So before you whining self centered people start blaming the Union & the NDP opposition for dragging this on, keep in mind, it was Harper & Canada Post that stopped national mail deliver, not the Union.

And while we are at it, let’s look at this stupid debate as well. The Government has had, for a long time, the ability to limit debate, and not allow things like this to drag on for long.  Funny thing is, the Harper Conservatives didn’t avail themselves of it, and more than that, a large number of Conservative MPs took their turn in dragging this debate on, to a record 58 hours.

So the question is, how come?

IF the Government truly was interested in ending the strike, why did they force it nationally, to begin with? Secondly, why did they then not act quicker to bring in back to work legislation? Thirdly, why did they add to the lengthy debate, by stuffing it with their own members commenting?

Let’s get real Canada, the truth is Stephen Harper doesn’t give a rat’s ass for us. Canada Post makes a profit, which makes it damn hard for him to sell it off to one of his campaign supporters, so he had to do something, to make it look less profitable.

What better way than have a national strike, get the workers upset and stupid, and then try to pin the blame for not settling the dispute quicker on the NDP Opposition. 

Give the Devil ( Stephen Harper ) his due, he is good at strategy, but the problem with that, is it hurts Canada.

Two Days to Go and

I think I’ll keep the radio and television off.   I am sick to death of the Political Party Attack Ads, most notably the Conservative LIES.  I hate how we have become inundated by the fear, the absolute lies, of Political Ads.

I mean, I know that when the Ad Council considers talking about how many ads are truthful, they IGNORE political ads, for one reason…   THEY ARE MOSTLY UNTRUTHS.

You would think, that the one area of advertising that would be held to a HIGHER STANDARD would be the ads by our Political Leaders.  INSTEAD they are held to the LEAST STANDARD OF TRUTH & ETHICS.

Just what does that say about our political system these days?

And who do I blame, the Harper Nut Jobs, who think it is better to win by lying, that win by having policies people can support.

ANYONE BUT LYING CONSERVATIVES

The Battle for Your Fear

I guess I am just too old.

Whatever happened to the old type of Politics, that used to be a cornerstone of Canadian Life?  I am old enough, I suppose, to remember a time when we discussed issues, not how bad the other guy was.

Honestly, the political ads were more like this:

Unlike ( Insert Party Name ) & ( Insert Party Name ) we have a different plan, to achieve those goals.  Our VISION is to do ( insert issue ) by doing ( insert details ) unlike our Opponents.

Now it is more like :

We ( insert Party Name ) are the only Party for you.  The Other Parties ( Insert opposing party names here ) are liars, they don’t tell the truth, they are foreigners, and will hurt you. They don’t support ( insert wedge issue here ) like we do.  Vote for Us ( insert party name ).

We are about 8 days from the Election, and I still can’t tell you what ANY of the Political Parties are for.  In any details.  And that is rather a sad state of affairs, given how the Advance Polls opened on Friday.

Instead of being told the differences, we are told how bad the other guy is. I am not supportive of the F-35 jet deal, but only because I DO NOT KNOW THE FIGURES.  I mean:

1. What is the actual cost per plane?
2. Why do we need 65
3. When do they begin to be delivered?
4. How long will they last?
5. Is this the Air Force’s first choice?
6. Does the Plane do what it is promoted as doing, considering, it isn’t even in the air yet?
7. What is our Escape Clause if we find this plane doesn’t do as it is billed to do?

It pisses me off as well, that only the NDP are giving us some alternatives. I mean come on here, just what is it that makes these planes so good? What is the perceived role of our Military that will require these planes, but you know what is as important as whether or not our Military needs them, is:

WHAT BENEFIT DOES IT GIVE CANADIAN BUSINESSES?

Damn, I didn’t want to get into specifics, but then again, it is the specifics that we should have gotten into, long before now. I mean how am I to choose a party to vote for, if I know absolutely nothing about their plans?

Neither Harper, Ignatieff, Layton, or May have told me diddly about the actual plans.

Harper tells me to be afraid of Ignatieff, that he is some foreignor who is here to grab a cushy job. He tells me he’s the only one to keep our economy moving forward, yet prices are going up while high paying jobs are dissappearing.

Ignatieff tells me to be afriad of Harper because the man lies, hides the truth. He says the NDP isn’t good for the economy, because they will spend too much.

Layton tells me to be afraid of Harper because he can’t be trusted, and to be afraid of Ignatieff because Ignatieff is truant.

Elizabeth May tells me to vote for her, because then she can be in all the debates, to stand up for democracy.

So I guess it comes down to, whether I want a Liar, a Truant, a Spendthrift, or a Talker.

Somehow, that just doesn’t seem right, for how to choose the next Prime Minister, now does it?

WooHoo It’s An Election

At last the spineless Opposition Parties have gotten some gumbsion and actually defeated the Conservative Regime of Stephen Harper.   On May 2 2011, we, the people are expected to render our decision on whether or not, Harper gets another term or we find someone new.

Personally I’d be happy with Anyone But Harper.

I hold no party affiliation, have voted for Liberals, NDP, Green, and yes, even Conservatives. But that was eons ago when I was young, foolish, and when Politics actually was honorable. Not like it is today, filled with hate, fear mongering, and self agrandizement.

So time to vent my spleen, because I am NOT politically correct, nor do I give a rat’s ass for being polite or rational. I speak my mind, and let the chips fall where they will.   This is life, not some phoney pile of bullshit, engineered by some advertising executive.

Are the Liberals Losing the PR Battle?

The tough talking, the decision to no longer prop up the Harper Regime seemed like a good idea, but we all know how perception is key, in the race for control over Parliament. I wonder, if the unveiling of new ads, of a slogan, was done at the right time? Was it perhaps premature, or is it simply a plan to lay the groundwork, for an election?

Was Michael Ignatieff really pushing for a fall election?

Maybe I am giving the Liberals too much credit, for planning, for strategy. I mean, the slogan is good, the ads were rather wishy washy, but not attack ads, and yet the issue to topple the Harper Regime, seemed, well weak.

Today’s vote, with both the Bloc & NDP supporting the Harper Government, insured that for this week, we won’t be facing an election call this fall, though there are more issues coming down the pike, for which the Tories could fall. I guess my question is, was this really an attempt to force an election, or to perhaps gain some political talking points, come the real election?

EI Benefits just doesn’t seem like an issue that is going to fire up much attention. I mean are there not more pressing issues before us, than extending benefits? How about the fact that minority citizens can expect zero help from their government, if they get into trouble in a foreign land?

How about whether or not we will remain in Afghanistan past the deadline, and what have we accomplished there, since Stephen Harper CHANGED the mission?

What about health care and the forcing of Provinces to take on more of the expense? Or how about CIFA and it’s inability to properly protect our food chain?

Seems to me, there is lot more issues that need addressing, than just extending EI benefits.