Weekly Highlights from our Conservative Overlords

Weekly Highlights from our Conservative Overlords

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Bubbling Away - Week 34,35 - Dec 19-Jan 3

Okay.  I let Christmas get the best of me.  Not much here.  I don't think anybody else was up to much either.

Remember.  The Conservatives didn't cause the bubble by relaxing mortgage approval policies...it's the bubble that caused them to not meet their unrealistic financial plans.

The Conservative government is summed up in the first couple of paragraphs in this article - "Little notice and no negotiation".  Myself, I have a hard time understanding exactly what these funding decisions for our health care means.  But I can clearly see that this isn't the right way to do things.  And when 2 of the 3 people that agree with you are Christy Clark and whichever Conservative lackey who happens to be running Alberta...

As with most Christmases, Stephen Harper lurks out of his hole in the dead of night and starts handing out patronage appointments while nobody is looking.

It was a mistake.  Honest.  We had no idea that we were phoning Liberal voters and telling them that their polling station had changed.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Taking the Lead on the Environment - Week 33 - Dec 12-19

China and India are suggesting that we're acting irresponsibly towards the environment by bailing on Kyoto.  I realize that there are many reasons to ignore anything that either country has to say about environmental stewardship...but...Wow.  Imagine if Herman Cain described your behaviour as "scandalous and inappropriate" or if Rupert Murdoch suggested you had "overstepped the boundaries of reasonable behaviour".  I think it would suggest that you are on the wrong path in life.  This Tyee story (and Salon)outlines some of the lobbying that has lead to decisions like this.

More on the Environment.  We'll have to dig back a ways here.  The Conservatives refused to bring any members of the opposition along to the UN Climate Summit (which, I'm assuming is generally custom).  And then, today, the Minister of Environment chided the NDP for not attending the UN Climate Summit.  It's amazing that the story is Justin Trudeau swearing.  If he hadn't, this wouldn't even be a story.  Nobody seems to have a problem with...is that even hypocrisy?  I don't know what to call it.

Oh my.  Gizmodo highlights why the F-35 program is a disaster that should be run away from.  Perhaps Peter McKay is excited about the hovering version and what that could mean for future fishing trips?

So, SOPA is kind of a big deal right now.  I think the Get Your Censor On take is my favourite.  I'd like to not worry about this, but, unfortunately, I know that once they ruin the US the Copyright Gestapo is going to come try and ruin Canada.  I think I may go throw a stick in a field as well.  These guys will never be happy.  These guys will stop at nothing to get whatever they want.  They will ruin the Internet and then they will ruin the Inter-Internet that springs up to replace it.

Irwin is pretty mad.  It seems the speaker agrees that the Conservatives are acting like jackasses ("reprehensible" even) but doesn't want to do anything about it.  At least he still has a job.  And finally, some tough talk on holding somebody accountable.  Of course, nobody in the Conservative government is responsible, but perhaps the polling firm that they hired will be?  And, officially, no problems here for the Conservatives.

The Globe is convinced that seat redistribution is going to ensure the next Conservative majority.  I think Ontario is tougher to predict than this story suggests.

 If we start focussing on how much per night our defense minister is spending on hotels we're missing the big picture.  I think it's reasonable that a high ranked Canadian official does not crash at the super 8 while hosting meetings at the local cafe.  I hope he's not responsible for booking his own rooms, as well.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Lack of Recognition - Week 32 - Dec 5-12

I've been working on my year end "best of" list.  Reading through the past, this stupid blog has gotten out of hand.  What started out as 4-5 posts with a whole lot of snark has turned into an information dump.  Honestly, these jackasses are just overwhelming me with terrible deeds that need to be discussed.  I don't have the time to craft decent snark about any of them.  I don't really know what to do.

What the hell is wrong with these guys?  Now they want to replace Kyoto with some other form of binding climate treaty?  They're like the Brett Favre of climate treaties.  It's just a complete embarrassment and a disaster and I'm not buying real estate in Richmond any time soon.  They're actually bragging about avoiding the $14 Billion in penalty charges that we'd have to pay if we actually agreed to follow through on Kyoto.  I can see the next Conservative ad campaign - "We avoided hundreds of years in jail time by no longer recongnizing the Geneva Conventions."

I always love cheap political outrages.  Who wouldn't get angry about people "cheating the immigration system".  All 2,100 of them.  As well, the ass-hats announce that you can't wear any form of veil during the swearing in ceremony.  Because you "may not actually be reciting the oath" if you're wearing one.  Because it's like you're joining the Night's Watch and if you don't actually say the words, it never happens.  And this is a super important thing that Canada should be worrying about right now.  Not that it matters...as you're more likely to end up on a terrorist watch list than a Canadian citizen if you insist on wearing a burqa.

Steve-O seems to be about doing whatever he wants because he happened to mention it once on the campaign trail.  I think the Canada-US security perimeter is him moving up to just doing what he wants regardless of never mentioning it at all on the campaign trail and negotiating in secret.  There's not much substance to what they are saying, but I can't help but fear what this means.  I don't think that fast-tracking food shipments is the end goal of what they're trying to accomplish her.  Even the RCMP seems a little concerned.

I think the Conservatives have lost Quebec.  Perhaps they've learned that it doesn't matter.  But, the fact that they're being shut out of commeration for L'Ecole Polytechnique massacre doesn't sound very positive.  Any other rational person would probably feel some sort of shame.

The Irwin Cotler affair gets worse.  Irwin says the Conservatives are basically paying their defeated candidate, with taxpayer money, to work as a shadow Parliamentarian.  Poor Irwin.  This whole thing reminds me of car salesmen.  You know the technique.  Talk to the person like they've already bought the car and you're just going through the motions.

Tough on Crime passes, and still no real indication of the costs.  I'm just waiting for their justification to be "well, we don't know how much the fighter jets are going to cost either, and we're moving ahead with that."

The Conservatives dig up a story about Bob Rae flying on a helicopter in 1992 to try to bail Peter McKay out of the doghouse.  It's pretty funny, actually.  I can just see them sitting around their computer (Mac or PC?), high-fiving and yelling "gotcha".  And he continues to get piled on.  Apparently, he took a similar flight a year before to "familiarize himself with search and rescue operations".  Like...almost the exact same area.  And just like this Seinfeld episode, he's going to put a stop to things by threatening to sue.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Liars - Week 31 - Nov 28 - Dec 5

This should be a bigger deal.  The Harper Government.  Steve-O says he never told anybody they had to use "The Harper Government" in official communication.  Well...actually...it sounds like he may have lied about that.  I just can't imagine that somebody in the PCO would have arbitrarily decided to move forward with something like this without approval from relatively high up.

Speaking of liars, Peter McKay!  Ya, a long planned operation to view search and rescue equipment in action?  Not so much.  A really expensive way to make his flight on time?  Yes.  Yes indeed.

Tough on Crime gets closer to completion and even some of the Conservatives seem to be rethinking portions of it.  As well, Statscan suggests that most Canadians aren't actually locking themselves in their homes through fear of crime.  93% of us feel safe from crime.  And, awesome quote located in this article - "We don't govern on the basis of statistics."  Or science.  Or public desires.  Or maybe even logic?

Guess who thinks torture is awesome?  CSIS!  Way to go, guys!

It doesn't sound like Canada is planning on becoming a world leader in environmental reform.  Indeed, "Kyoto is in the past".  And I agree that we need to get China involved, but we shouldn't use them as an excuse to not support anything.  But then... even China thinks we're making a hash of things.  And even China seems more willing to do something that we are.

Even though we elected a bunch of economic superstars (that's what they said, right?  That they would be good for the economy?), the jobless rate continues to move higher.

Speaking of Superstars, Steve-O announces his FIRST EVER meeting with native chiefs.  How is that possible?

A Canadian man improperly placed on the terror watch list takes the Canadian Government to task.  "You abandoned me for seven years – and you caused me all this suffering."  It's all a bit Kafkaesque, when you think about it.

The Americans discovered that we may have covered up news of a salmon virus a decade ago.  But don't worry.  The government assures us there are no problems with salmon stocks and fish farms are completely safe.

A nice summary of the F-35 situation from the Tyee.  Indeed, one of the comments asks the question "what are we planning on using these planes for anyhow?" and I am wondering the same thing myself.  We don't actually do much with our air force.  We might be able to over-run Mexico if it comes down to it.  But a few dozen high-tech planes isn't going to do much for us.  And the Americans continue to discover that the whole thing might be a bad idea.  Can't America make anything properly any more?

A former Chinese spy confirms that there is probably more rather than less in the Bob Dechert saga of the Chinese journalist.  What a bunch of jackasses.

This story makes me a bit sad.  It makes me think of Irwin Cotler as a bit of an "old Gill" from the Simpsons, as people plot to steal his job.  I guess we need to recognize that politics is nothing more than a game of demographics and marketing.  I love that forwarding a rumour is okay because "it's an honest answer to the question.  There have been rumours..".  I'm going to aks my neighbour to start a rumour that Stephen Harper eats a baby seal pup for breakfast every morning.  Then it will be true when I start telling people that there are rumours that Stephen Harper eats a baby seal pup for breakfast every morning.  More here.

An Edmonton Conservative MP has resigned from the Conservative caucus (yet still remains an MP) while he faces drunk driving charges.  Can't he just get out of the way and make way for a new robot?