Paul, a very interesting post, what did you have for lunch?

Things seem to be churning in Ottawaville with Harper hitting the opposition in the old pocketbook and the Liberals and NDP maybe getting in bed with the traitorists. Holy Cow!

In the rest of the country, maybe we’re glad there has been some Ottawa liquidity pumped into the financial system although interest rates don’t really reflect that. But the serious problems of the oil companies thinking twice about currently further investing in the oil sands and the big (in small letters) Three auto companies teetering or the declining consumer confidence affecting retail et al will need some attention. However, a made in Canada solution is impossible without knowing what our pals down south may do come January or February. Obviously there is going to be some cash injected into the economy hopefully in the way of infrastucture to pick up some of the unemployment slack.

On the other hand, there may not be a lot of support for propping up an industry that pays a forklift driver a hundred grand a year when many are trying to put food on the table for 10 bucks an hour.

So in short, our elected politicians need to get their priorties not their entitlements straight.

undermine Canadian democracy?

what does it say about our democracy when:

a) political parties cannot fund their activities through support from citizens?
b) political parties consider it critical to democracies that entrenched parties win government support where emerging parties could not?

The “sock it to me” is the best part of that song. Even in the original version.

I agree entirely with your take on this, and believe me, it’s not a partisan thing. If Chretien was playing these ridiculous little games while our economy faces an imminent melt-down, I’d be as royally pissed as I am now.

Harper’s just into governing. He’s into sticking to the Liberals. He’s not a policy wonky. He’s a guy who’s been harbouring a grudge the size of the oilpatch over what he imagined the Liberals did since the NEP, and damned if he ain’t just going to keep sticking it to them every chance he gets, and if the fall of western capitalism’s going on at the same time, WELL THE STUPID WORLD WILL JUST HAVE TO WAIT TILL HE’S DONE.

Man, I’m weary of this. Bring on the Liberal-NDP-Bloc coalition.

Well, I like Paul Wells alot, but I wouldn’t urge him to “sock it to me” not even “just a little bit”.

Chuckercanuck,

I think you’re smart enough to know that argument that the Conservatives (as distinct from the government, I’ll note) lose the most only holds water if you ignore reality.

I am reminded of Aesop’s fable about the scorpion and the frog. That’s the one in which the scorpion persuades the frog to carry him across the river to the other side, promising not to sting the frog. As it turns out, the scorpion stings the frog halfway across the river, fatally injuring it. As the frog sinks, it asks the scorpion why it stung him, given that they will now both drown. The scorpion replies that he cannot help himself – it’s in his nature.

The Prime Minister could not resist using the opportunity presented by the economic slowdown to stick it to the opposition by moving to eliminate their public funding. In doing so, he has unleashed a fire storm that could well bring down his government. But it would seem to be in his nature to always be looking for ways to stick it to the opposition (especially the Liberals, at a time when they are in a particularly weak position), regardless of the potential cost to his government (let alone the country). Notwithstanding the sweet words contained in the Throne Speech, he just doesn’t. understand that, in order to make minority government work, he needs to compromise. As Alan Fotheringham wrote about Joe Clark, the guy can’t. seem to count (i.e., seats in the Commons).

Paul said “But he is acting like an idiot and I am ashamed of his behaviour.”

As one of your readers, its fair to point out that you are also acting like an idiot and I am ashamed of your behaviour — particularly since instead of responding to Peter’s post that raised a number of good counterpoints to your article — you chose the go after “the rat”. These actions are indicative of the very pettiness that you deplore.

So below is Peter’s post again. I hope you’ll take the time to respond but if not, feel free to come after me with a firestorm of yo-mama jokes.

Wells, Rome may be burning, Ottawa is not. Canadian banks are reporting reduced, but still large profits. Canadian employment is at all time highs. Bank lending is up, housing prices have declined moderately. Exactly three companies are in dire straits because circumstances have conspired to let their spectacularly bad management come home to roost. I keep hearing the Auto industry is in trouble, yet why are not Toyota and Honda in Ottawa with their hand out? Three companies are in the trouble they have earned.

Paul, what would you have the government do? Bail out a few banks? How do you bail out a profitable bank? What fire should they try to put out Wells? I for one don’t enjoy the spectacle of Politicians running around shouting so they appear to be doing something. We have to wait and see what shakes out in the states before any course of action becomes clear for Canada. Doing something which may turn out to be the wrong thing just to appease the chattering classes just isn’t Harper’s style.

David Fine,

Your attempt at finding analogy in Aesop’s fable about the scorpion and the frog is very confusing as it seems to me that in this particular case Conservatives are the frog that knows how to swim (raise money) and the Liberals are the scorpion that does not know how to swim (raise money). This scorpion hitched a ride across the river on frog’s back. Since scorpion keeps on stinging the frog as it swims across the river, the frog proposed that it will do some diving and now the scorpion cries bloody murder.

“I’m not sure how you can argue that withdrawing funding … anything less than an attack on democratic choice”

Only an attack on the right to vote and to exercise that right during an election is an attack on democratic choice. What everyone is wailing about with respect to funding is at most an attack on political advertising and propaganda and influence. Each of us can refer to it as all flavours of those things, but all the people bleating “attack on democracy” need to pull together some intellectual objectivity and integrity.

I too am interested to read what, other than vague exhortations to spend, should be the focus of “stimuli” – as distinct from pure bailouts and bridge financing.

To all those who say we have to wait for the American counterparts to act, I have to say I’m shocked to hear that given that you actually claim you know your economics!

1) Why the GST cut and now the sale of government assets??? (mind you if that hadn’t happen we’d still not be going into a deficit, which by the way if we do go into, will go up to 23billion by 2011).
The plan is to minimize government role. Period. Read about “Calgary school of thought”.

2) The longer we wait, the more people will be laid off the more mortgage defaults… and you know the rest of the story. There have been no positive move by the government, no assurances. Of course why would there be? Harper et al will get their 6-digit salaries and will never know what it’s like to go to work every day fearing it’d be the least day.

Harper unfortunately has got his priorities mixed. He needs to realize that he is a “prime minister” and working for “ALL” the people. NOT a “party president” only working for 36% of the population.

Thank you for the article.