Its all happening now, isn't it?

I came out of class this afternoon to discover that there's a lot going on in the world today. I'll try to deal with the ones that stood out for me in an orderly fashion.

1. REASON NUMBER 6482 WHY DALTON MCGUINTY IS A WHINY LITTLE PISS ANT.

Ontario's slimeball Premier has lashed out at the federal government saying that they better not dare try to drag his province's auto industry kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Dalton, along with Buzzard Hargrove, has warned that the feds better not "unduly impose greenhouse-gas emission reductions on the province of Ontario at the expense of our auto sector".

So Dalton, who in the past has tried to play up an image of being Captain Canada, thinks that Ontario, hub of this country's antequated manufacturing sector, shouldn't have to play by the same rules that everyone else plays by.

Tough cheese, Dalton. If Alberta is going to go along with Minister Ambrose's plan, you had damn well be prepared to pull your weight and do the same. Its about time that Ontario did just that.


2. BROTHER OBERG

Much to the chagrin of some of my more ideologically conservative friends, I am not uniformly against organized labour. Our family owned a business that employed a number of members of both Ironworkers Local 720 and Operating Engineers Local 955. Our dealings with both these organizations were pleasant, professional, and mutually beneficial.

Additionally, I know that, while the NDP claims to speak for organized labour, individual union members in Alberta often have a variety of political viewpoints and do not necessarily support one political party en masse. Given their independence as citizens, I believe it is perfectly acceptable for them to excerise a democratic right to join a political party and have a say in its affairs.

I have an issue, though, with thousands of pre-paid memberships are being distributed to members of any organization (be it unions or otherwise) on the condition that they support a certain candidate.

This very allegation has been leveled against the campaign of Dr. Lyle Oberg in today's Edmonton Journal.

Organizations have the right to publically encourage their members to get involved in a party (as the ATA and Alberta Medical Association have done), but they cross the line when they offer free memberships to those who back their chosen candidate.

The Alberta Building Trades Council and the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades should cease the distribution of Oberg-friendly memberships and instead encourage its members to choose a candidate who best reflects their values.

The Oberg campaign also needs to do a better job of distancing themselves from these tactics. If they don't, one could wonder when we'll start to hear about the dead rising from the grave to buy memberships or Dr. Oberg being told that he isn't "Albertan" enough.

And that's a scene no one in this party wants to see.


3. OOPS

Whoever leaked this story should be fired, along with whomever came up with the stupid idea in the first place.

Thanksgiving break is coming none too soon for the Government caucus, methinks.