Apologies for the silence over the last few days. Between moving and, well, moving I haven't been near a computer much.
That's still the case, but I thought I would share something a friend sent to me that sums up my thoughts from the last few days perfectly:
http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Columnists/Bell_Rick/2008/02/16/4851176-sun.ph
Have a nice weekend everyone!
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Thursday, February 14, 2008
I guess they're all out buying flowers and chocolate
A fair heads-up: Today appears to be a pretty slow news day, so this post is going to be a pretty disjointed collection of ramblings.
-I know you all visit for provincial news, but it seems a federal election will soon be upon us and I just (literally as I was putting this post together) received some excellent news on that front from Central Alberta.
Many of you many know that Red Deer MP Bob Mills has chosen not to seek re-election. Given that Red Deer has a pretty solid history of conservatism, you know there will be some fine candidates stepping up to the plate.
With that in mind, meet Earl Dreeshen.
I first got to know the Dreeshen family during my time as President of the PC Youth of Alberta. Although I don't get to see them often (mainly conventions), I can tell you that this man is a solid example of everything we should be looking for in a Member of Parliament. He is a dedicated servant to his community and, together with his wonderful wife Judy, has raised two exceptional young Albertans.
If I lived in the Red Deer riding, I can tell you that I would be 100% devoted to seeing Earl succeed in his quest to secure the Conservative nomination. Since I don't, the best I can do is encourage any of you who may live in the federal riding of Red Deer to support Earl. Visit his website, become a supporter on Facebook, buy a Conservative membership and, most importantly, vote for Earl Dreeshen as your next MP. You won't regret it.
-Back on the provincial scene, the Premier came out and announced some important measures to tackle crime in our province. I think this is an underlying issue that may not be making headlines in this campaign, but is something that is definetly on people's minds. I expect reaction to be very positive.
-Don Braid has a piece in today's Herald about Kevin Taft's Big Cities Charter for Edmonton and Calgary falling on deaf ears. It seems that poor Kev can't get a break, doesn't it?
In Calgary, the one man that the Liberals thought they could count on is pretty firmly in the blue camp this election. Up in Edmonton, reaction has been relatively mute.
Perhaps its because their proposed charter doesn't really address the unique circumstances that Edmonton faces with its many surrounding municipalities. I think we'd all hate to see some of this important work made redundant by taking partners away from the table, rather than bringing them together.
-I like Todd Babiak. I find that I usually disagree with him on everything, but he comes across as less smug than his colleague Graham "this IS a smile" Thomson. Perhaps its because Todd DOES smile in his photo... who knows?
Poor Todd, though, isn't on much of a roll these days. He's on the CanWest Election Bus this week and the first stop was Fort McMurray. His piece from my hometown seemed a little disjointed and certainly raised the ire of at least one proud McMurrayite.
Today he blogs about his disbelief that, despite the concerns he's heard from Alberta voters, Albertans are still pretty solid behind the PC Party. This kind of simplistic view shows a lack of understanding of what compels Albertans to vote the way they do. It also shows the media's unwillingness to examine what it is about our opposition parties that is failing to attract the attention of voters.
The good news for journalists, though, is that there's still over half the campaign left. Time to check that disbelief at the door and start digging for some real answers.
-Speaking of people who don't seem to understand Albertans, I noticed a new video of Kevin Taft on the front page of the Liberal website.
Apparently the Liberal war room/phone booth have had their fill of Kool Aid and have bought wholeheartedly into the notion that the more Kevin talks, the more people will like him. I think that's ridiculous and look forward to being proven right on E-day, but I digress.
There's a line that Kevin says that I actually had to rewind and listen again to make sure I got it right.
He actually suggests that Alberta has been the "black sheep of confederation".
If he thinks that that kind of attitude, one that is clearly ashamed of our history and lectures us to smarten up, will win him any votes he'll be in for a mighty shock on March 3rd.
-I know you all visit for provincial news, but it seems a federal election will soon be upon us and I just (literally as I was putting this post together) received some excellent news on that front from Central Alberta.
Many of you many know that Red Deer MP Bob Mills has chosen not to seek re-election. Given that Red Deer has a pretty solid history of conservatism, you know there will be some fine candidates stepping up to the plate.
With that in mind, meet Earl Dreeshen.
I first got to know the Dreeshen family during my time as President of the PC Youth of Alberta. Although I don't get to see them often (mainly conventions), I can tell you that this man is a solid example of everything we should be looking for in a Member of Parliament. He is a dedicated servant to his community and, together with his wonderful wife Judy, has raised two exceptional young Albertans.
If I lived in the Red Deer riding, I can tell you that I would be 100% devoted to seeing Earl succeed in his quest to secure the Conservative nomination. Since I don't, the best I can do is encourage any of you who may live in the federal riding of Red Deer to support Earl. Visit his website, become a supporter on Facebook, buy a Conservative membership and, most importantly, vote for Earl Dreeshen as your next MP. You won't regret it.
-Back on the provincial scene, the Premier came out and announced some important measures to tackle crime in our province. I think this is an underlying issue that may not be making headlines in this campaign, but is something that is definetly on people's minds. I expect reaction to be very positive.
-Don Braid has a piece in today's Herald about Kevin Taft's Big Cities Charter for Edmonton and Calgary falling on deaf ears. It seems that poor Kev can't get a break, doesn't it?
In Calgary, the one man that the Liberals thought they could count on is pretty firmly in the blue camp this election. Up in Edmonton, reaction has been relatively mute.
Perhaps its because their proposed charter doesn't really address the unique circumstances that Edmonton faces with its many surrounding municipalities. I think we'd all hate to see some of this important work made redundant by taking partners away from the table, rather than bringing them together.
-I like Todd Babiak. I find that I usually disagree with him on everything, but he comes across as less smug than his colleague Graham "this IS a smile" Thomson. Perhaps its because Todd DOES smile in his photo... who knows?
Poor Todd, though, isn't on much of a roll these days. He's on the CanWest Election Bus this week and the first stop was Fort McMurray. His piece from my hometown seemed a little disjointed and certainly raised the ire of at least one proud McMurrayite.
Today he blogs about his disbelief that, despite the concerns he's heard from Alberta voters, Albertans are still pretty solid behind the PC Party. This kind of simplistic view shows a lack of understanding of what compels Albertans to vote the way they do. It also shows the media's unwillingness to examine what it is about our opposition parties that is failing to attract the attention of voters.
The good news for journalists, though, is that there's still over half the campaign left. Time to check that disbelief at the door and start digging for some real answers.
-Speaking of people who don't seem to understand Albertans, I noticed a new video of Kevin Taft on the front page of the Liberal website.
Apparently the Liberal war room/phone booth have had their fill of Kool Aid and have bought wholeheartedly into the notion that the more Kevin talks, the more people will like him. I think that's ridiculous and look forward to being proven right on E-day, but I digress.
There's a line that Kevin says that I actually had to rewind and listen again to make sure I got it right.
He actually suggests that Alberta has been the "black sheep of confederation".
If he thinks that that kind of attitude, one that is clearly ashamed of our history and lectures us to smarten up, will win him any votes he'll be in for a mighty shock on March 3rd.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Warning: Rant Ahead
Three items I want to address today, two of which can be qualified as rants.
1. MEDIA ACCOUNTABILITY
I said in my first election post that bloggers have a duty to hold the mainstream media to account as well our opponents. Talk about foreshadowing.
The overblown controversy about Returning Officers who have done NOTHING wrong is a prime example of the sensationalist bloodhounds in the media choosing to sell a story rather than take either facts or common decency into account.
Two media outlets specifically draw my ire.
The Edmonton Sun's Jeremy Loome wrote an article that attributes negative comments about outgoing Liberal MLA Maurice Tougas and current Liberal candidate Debbie Cavaliere to the riding's returning officer, Allie Wojtaszek. The comments referenced in the article were in fact made by me on this very blog at the tail end of a post entitled "Taylor crosses the line". The post was written on November 22nd, one day before the comments were quoted on Allie's blog.
The CBC's story in Alberta Votes 2008, though, is even more disturbing. To their credit, the text of their story is factually accurate. What bothers me, though, is that they don't hesitate to post a link to Allie's webpage. This is an invitation from the CBC to any and all to find all about this woman's family, where they live, what her children look like, etc. The photos relevant to the Liberals' character smear are already embedded in the story. A link to her personal website is entirely irrelevant and is an extremely irresponsible use of journalistic freedoms (not to mention our tax dollars).
Journalists aren't like bloggers. They are PAID to report facts and exercise their duties with great caution and responsibility. Sadly, some of them are failing on that front. What's worse is that apathetic viewers and readers may not even realize it.
2. AUTO INSURANCE
Specifically, public auto insurance.
I HATE public auto insurance.
To be fair and honest, I disagree with what the government did with insurance a few years back. I think that tinkering with the system was an overly reactionary measure that prevented what would have been a natural correction in the market.
That being said, I can tell you first hand that public auto insurance is much, MUCH worse than what we have now.
I've been living in BC and had the misfortune of being an ICBC customer for almost 2 years. Let me tell you, Kevin Taft, that people in BC do NOT love their auto insurance system.
Yes, ICBC is cheaper for those who choose to accept only minimum coverage and for young drivers. That is a result of the socialist principles that drive public auto insurance. (And, before I get jumped on for being a blind ideologue, allow me to point out that public auto insurance has been introduced by socialist governments in each province that has the system.)
ICBC, however, is of no benefit for those who have had a lifetime of good driving. ICBC's good driver discount pales in comparison to what private insurers offer to their low-risk customers. My father, whose insurance DOUBLED when he and my mother moved to British Columbia, is a prime example. His grossly inflated premiums are paying to subsidize inexperienced and high-risk drivers who do not have the higher premiums that, in the private system, act as a natural deterrent for bad driving habits.
ICBC is also of no benefit to those of us who understand the value of proper insurance coverage and choose to put more than just the bare minimum on our vehicles. I can again use my father as an example... there is a vehicle in his garage that ICBC refuses to cover for its full value. I cannot fathom the rationale for refusing to cover the full value for someone with a spotless driving record over 40 years. Perhaps the system can't afford too many payouts like that.
I can actually believe that public auto insurers refuse full coverage for expensive vehicles because of the cost of payouts. ICBC is notorious for the excessive bureaucracy and denial or reduction of claims. I have yet to meet anyone here who has had a positive experience with a claim at ICBC.
And yet, Kevin Taft and Brian Mason continue to pimp public auto insurance as the solution to all our insurance woes. They even get Ralph Nader-esque interest groups to back up their assertions. We expect this kind of talk from Brian Mason... after all, public everything is a staple of the NDP. But why is Kevin Taft a proponent of public auto insurance?
My bet is that this is the issue that finally exposes him and his party for the NDP-lite that they are. Although they've managed to convince themselves that they're a reasonable alternative to the PCs, policies like this prove otherwise.
The right thing to do is to follow the Judge's orders and remove the cap on soft-tissue injuries, then re-examine the private insurance system to bring it back in line with other jurisdictions that use the private system. I'm hoping that my party can be convinced to do this.
I also know from experience, though, that the ABSOLUTELY WRONG thing to do is to listen to Kevin Taft and Brian Mason and bring in public auto insurance. It would be a reactionary and, more importantly, an irreversible mistake.
3. CONSTITUENCY PROFILES
Now that the rants are out of the way, I thought I would give kudos to Daveberta and the Enlightened Savage for their ongoing series of constituency profiles.
Of particular interest to me have been Dave's profile on Edmonton Calder and E.S.'s profile on Calgary Currie... Calder because I ran GOTV for the PCs there in 2004 and Currie because I used to work for its former MLA.
The constituency with which I am most familiar, obviously, is Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo. I consider myself to be a friend of both the incumbent PC MLA and his Liberal opponent and will be watching this race with great interest. Given the importance of Fort McMurray and the Wood Buffalo region to the provincial economy, i've decided to do a similar style of profile on Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo a little further along in the campaign. Stay tuned.
1. MEDIA ACCOUNTABILITY
I said in my first election post that bloggers have a duty to hold the mainstream media to account as well our opponents. Talk about foreshadowing.
The overblown controversy about Returning Officers who have done NOTHING wrong is a prime example of the sensationalist bloodhounds in the media choosing to sell a story rather than take either facts or common decency into account.
Two media outlets specifically draw my ire.
The Edmonton Sun's Jeremy Loome wrote an article that attributes negative comments about outgoing Liberal MLA Maurice Tougas and current Liberal candidate Debbie Cavaliere to the riding's returning officer, Allie Wojtaszek. The comments referenced in the article were in fact made by me on this very blog at the tail end of a post entitled "Taylor crosses the line". The post was written on November 22nd, one day before the comments were quoted on Allie's blog.
The CBC's story in Alberta Votes 2008, though, is even more disturbing. To their credit, the text of their story is factually accurate. What bothers me, though, is that they don't hesitate to post a link to Allie's webpage. This is an invitation from the CBC to any and all to find all about this woman's family, where they live, what her children look like, etc. The photos relevant to the Liberals' character smear are already embedded in the story. A link to her personal website is entirely irrelevant and is an extremely irresponsible use of journalistic freedoms (not to mention our tax dollars).
Journalists aren't like bloggers. They are PAID to report facts and exercise their duties with great caution and responsibility. Sadly, some of them are failing on that front. What's worse is that apathetic viewers and readers may not even realize it.
2. AUTO INSURANCE
Specifically, public auto insurance.
I HATE public auto insurance.
To be fair and honest, I disagree with what the government did with insurance a few years back. I think that tinkering with the system was an overly reactionary measure that prevented what would have been a natural correction in the market.
That being said, I can tell you first hand that public auto insurance is much, MUCH worse than what we have now.
I've been living in BC and had the misfortune of being an ICBC customer for almost 2 years. Let me tell you, Kevin Taft, that people in BC do NOT love their auto insurance system.
Yes, ICBC is cheaper for those who choose to accept only minimum coverage and for young drivers. That is a result of the socialist principles that drive public auto insurance. (And, before I get jumped on for being a blind ideologue, allow me to point out that public auto insurance has been introduced by socialist governments in each province that has the system.)
ICBC, however, is of no benefit for those who have had a lifetime of good driving. ICBC's good driver discount pales in comparison to what private insurers offer to their low-risk customers. My father, whose insurance DOUBLED when he and my mother moved to British Columbia, is a prime example. His grossly inflated premiums are paying to subsidize inexperienced and high-risk drivers who do not have the higher premiums that, in the private system, act as a natural deterrent for bad driving habits.
ICBC is also of no benefit to those of us who understand the value of proper insurance coverage and choose to put more than just the bare minimum on our vehicles. I can again use my father as an example... there is a vehicle in his garage that ICBC refuses to cover for its full value. I cannot fathom the rationale for refusing to cover the full value for someone with a spotless driving record over 40 years. Perhaps the system can't afford too many payouts like that.
I can actually believe that public auto insurers refuse full coverage for expensive vehicles because of the cost of payouts. ICBC is notorious for the excessive bureaucracy and denial or reduction of claims. I have yet to meet anyone here who has had a positive experience with a claim at ICBC.
And yet, Kevin Taft and Brian Mason continue to pimp public auto insurance as the solution to all our insurance woes. They even get Ralph Nader-esque interest groups to back up their assertions. We expect this kind of talk from Brian Mason... after all, public everything is a staple of the NDP. But why is Kevin Taft a proponent of public auto insurance?
My bet is that this is the issue that finally exposes him and his party for the NDP-lite that they are. Although they've managed to convince themselves that they're a reasonable alternative to the PCs, policies like this prove otherwise.
The right thing to do is to follow the Judge's orders and remove the cap on soft-tissue injuries, then re-examine the private insurance system to bring it back in line with other jurisdictions that use the private system. I'm hoping that my party can be convinced to do this.
I also know from experience, though, that the ABSOLUTELY WRONG thing to do is to listen to Kevin Taft and Brian Mason and bring in public auto insurance. It would be a reactionary and, more importantly, an irreversible mistake.
3. CONSTITUENCY PROFILES
Now that the rants are out of the way, I thought I would give kudos to Daveberta and the Enlightened Savage for their ongoing series of constituency profiles.
Of particular interest to me have been Dave's profile on Edmonton Calder and E.S.'s profile on Calgary Currie... Calder because I ran GOTV for the PCs there in 2004 and Currie because I used to work for its former MLA.
The constituency with which I am most familiar, obviously, is Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo. I consider myself to be a friend of both the incumbent PC MLA and his Liberal opponent and will be watching this race with great interest. Given the importance of Fort McMurray and the Wood Buffalo region to the provincial economy, i've decided to do a similar style of profile on Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo a little further along in the campaign. Stay tuned.
Monday, February 11, 2008
McCarthyism, Liberal-style
Well the witchhunt is apparently on and Kevin Taft is leading the charge.
His latest bone of contention is that 4 of Alberta's 83 Returning Officers have PC activity in their past or are married to a PC volunteer. Freedom of association apparently doesn't apply to tories in Kevin's world.
The job of a Returning Officer is an important one. They require exceptional organizational, problem-solving, and decision-making skills. Moreover, they must remain calm in the face of the hectic campaigns going on around them.
Even though Kevin Taft admits he has absolutely no evidence to suggest that any of his accusees have performed their duties in anything but a highly competent manner, he is still calling for their resignations in his typically petulant, professorial fashion.
Returning Officers must do their duties in an entirely impartial manner, of that we can all be in complete agreement. But to suggest that those who may have a partisan past are unqualified for these positions is short sighted.
Look at Judges, for example. Their positions require total impartiality given the exceptional responsibilities entrusted to them. Yet if you look into a Judge's pre-judicial past, you'll likely find some kind of partisan activity. I think specifically of a good friend of my family, Mr. Justice Adam Germain.
Mr. Germain serves on the Court of Queen's Bench and has a plethora of important and impartial decisions to make every day. I know him to be an exceptional man who holds his responsibilities in the highest moral regard.
As fate would have it, he was also my Liberal MLA from 1993 to 1997. Given this, there is an entire 4 years of Hansard recording his interventions and opinions expressed on a variety of topics in the Alberta Legislature. He was also a candidate for the provincial Liberal leadership and, subsequently, a federal Liberal candidate in 1997. A partisan past indeed.
Surely Mr. Taft would hold Judges to the same standard as mere Returning Officers. Based on Kevin Taft's standards, Mr. Germain would not be fit to hold such a high position requiring impartiality (that is unless Liberals are exempt, but I doubt that).
And yet we see Mr. Justice Germain and countless other members of the bench with similar backgrounds serving our justice system every day. They're there because we recognize that, above their respective histories, they possess exceptional ability to make sound, rational, and impartial decisions in service to the people of Alberta.
It is this high standard upon which I believe our Returning Officers are chosen, rather than Kevin Taft's McCarthy-esque PC witchhunt.
The Premier is right to ignore the Liberal rambling and mud-slinging. It is beneath him and, moreover, a waste of Albertans' time.
His latest bone of contention is that 4 of Alberta's 83 Returning Officers have PC activity in their past or are married to a PC volunteer. Freedom of association apparently doesn't apply to tories in Kevin's world.
The job of a Returning Officer is an important one. They require exceptional organizational, problem-solving, and decision-making skills. Moreover, they must remain calm in the face of the hectic campaigns going on around them.
Even though Kevin Taft admits he has absolutely no evidence to suggest that any of his accusees have performed their duties in anything but a highly competent manner, he is still calling for their resignations in his typically petulant, professorial fashion.
Returning Officers must do their duties in an entirely impartial manner, of that we can all be in complete agreement. But to suggest that those who may have a partisan past are unqualified for these positions is short sighted.
Look at Judges, for example. Their positions require total impartiality given the exceptional responsibilities entrusted to them. Yet if you look into a Judge's pre-judicial past, you'll likely find some kind of partisan activity. I think specifically of a good friend of my family, Mr. Justice Adam Germain.
Mr. Germain serves on the Court of Queen's Bench and has a plethora of important and impartial decisions to make every day. I know him to be an exceptional man who holds his responsibilities in the highest moral regard.
As fate would have it, he was also my Liberal MLA from 1993 to 1997. Given this, there is an entire 4 years of Hansard recording his interventions and opinions expressed on a variety of topics in the Alberta Legislature. He was also a candidate for the provincial Liberal leadership and, subsequently, a federal Liberal candidate in 1997. A partisan past indeed.
Surely Mr. Taft would hold Judges to the same standard as mere Returning Officers. Based on Kevin Taft's standards, Mr. Germain would not be fit to hold such a high position requiring impartiality (that is unless Liberals are exempt, but I doubt that).
And yet we see Mr. Justice Germain and countless other members of the bench with similar backgrounds serving our justice system every day. They're there because we recognize that, above their respective histories, they possess exceptional ability to make sound, rational, and impartial decisions in service to the people of Alberta.
It is this high standard upon which I believe our Returning Officers are chosen, rather than Kevin Taft's McCarthy-esque PC witchhunt.
The Premier is right to ignore the Liberal rambling and mud-slinging. It is beneath him and, moreover, a waste of Albertans' time.
If its Monday, i'm still stuck on the Island
You'll have to forgive the title of this post. Some context for those new readers who may not know: i'm in the process of moving from Victoria back to Alberta. I'm packed up with all of my worldly possessions loaded onto the moving truck. I was supposed to leave on Wednesday of last week, but I remain on Vancouver Island because of the closure of the Coquihalla Highway. Its getting a little annoying to say the least.
Anyway, back to the issues at hand...
Many of us believe that, if they really wanted to be competitive in this election, the Liberals would totally ignore their fellow lefties in the NDP. And, while they claim to be doing so, it appears as though they're more worried about NDP competition than they let on. Kevin Taft is seen to be taking aim at Brian Mason in the media, and the Liberals #1 blogger dedicates an entire post to slamming their supposedly "irrelevant" opposition.
(As an aside while we're on the topic of irrelevant politicians, is anyone out there surprised by this?)
I can understand that the Liberals are worried about the effect the NDP may have on their voters, particularily in their red fortress of Edmonton. The way things are going, though, it may end up being a moot point given that there are serious cracks appearing in Liberal support in the Capital.
Meanwhile today, the Premier showed that he's not about to back down in the face of criticism as he was launching a common-sense green plan to help consumers reduce their energy consumption.
If the protester thought he was going to knock the Premier off message, he was sorely mistaken. Its a taste of Ed Stelmach's ability to stand up for what he believes in, and something I look forward to seeing showcased during the Leader's Debate in a few weeks time.
Anyway, back to the issues at hand...
Many of us believe that, if they really wanted to be competitive in this election, the Liberals would totally ignore their fellow lefties in the NDP. And, while they claim to be doing so, it appears as though they're more worried about NDP competition than they let on. Kevin Taft is seen to be taking aim at Brian Mason in the media, and the Liberals #1 blogger dedicates an entire post to slamming their supposedly "irrelevant" opposition.
(As an aside while we're on the topic of irrelevant politicians, is anyone out there surprised by this?)
I can understand that the Liberals are worried about the effect the NDP may have on their voters, particularily in their red fortress of Edmonton. The way things are going, though, it may end up being a moot point given that there are serious cracks appearing in Liberal support in the Capital.
Meanwhile today, the Premier showed that he's not about to back down in the face of criticism as he was launching a common-sense green plan to help consumers reduce their energy consumption.
If the protester thought he was going to knock the Premier off message, he was sorely mistaken. Its a taste of Ed Stelmach's ability to stand up for what he believes in, and something I look forward to seeing showcased during the Leader's Debate in a few weeks time.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
How much?
If you paid attention to only the mainstream media, you might think that the PCs were the only campaign with a rough start this week. Thankfully, it seems that the newsroom sensationalists are beginning to realize that we're taking this campaign seriously and, thus, maybe they should be covering it as such.
Given this, I expect we'll be hearing a lot more about Kevin Taft's ongoing campaign of error.
The CBC's Scott Dippel has an excellent piece in Reporters Notebook (arguably my favourite MSM campaign feature) about the ongoing practice of recalling news releases by the Liberals. These recalls aren't just to deal with typos. In the latest one, they eliminated the immediacy of funding for a new hospital in Medicine Hat and completely removed mention of the police college in Fort McLeod.
My first thought was that maybe they're recalling these releases so that Taft can read them first. Apparently this isn't the case because, in Hinton today, he was completely blindsided at a news conference by a question about a policy on urban aboriginal health centres. This might not be so astounding if the blindside didn't come at a news conference DEDICATED TO ABORIGINAL ISSUES.
What's worse is that, when the Liberals do finally get their story straight, its pretty bad news for Albertans. Liberal Environment Critic and Kyoto champion David Swann has finally costed their proposal for a hard cap on emissions at 1 billion dollars a year. That's billion... with a "b". Naturally, some of us are wondering exactly what the Liberals propose to do for the hundreds of thousands of Albertans whose jobs are in jeopardy under the Liberal plan?
Its becoming painfully clear that, while the Premier and the PC Party are ready and able to campaign on the Stelmach government's record, the Liberals are running on nothing more than a campaign of "the big bad tories have been in power too long and you should all smarten up and vote for us". Even worse, they've clearly taken no consideration on the economic consequences of their shoddy platform.
It seems that, after a rough start by everybody, the media is now on notice that we're ready and willing to fight this election. I think that over the next few weeks this campaign will become a lot more focused on the policies of all the parties. If and when that happens, Kevin Taft and the Liberals should be mighty worried.
Given this, I expect we'll be hearing a lot more about Kevin Taft's ongoing campaign of error.
The CBC's Scott Dippel has an excellent piece in Reporters Notebook (arguably my favourite MSM campaign feature) about the ongoing practice of recalling news releases by the Liberals. These recalls aren't just to deal with typos. In the latest one, they eliminated the immediacy of funding for a new hospital in Medicine Hat and completely removed mention of the police college in Fort McLeod.
My first thought was that maybe they're recalling these releases so that Taft can read them first. Apparently this isn't the case because, in Hinton today, he was completely blindsided at a news conference by a question about a policy on urban aboriginal health centres. This might not be so astounding if the blindside didn't come at a news conference DEDICATED TO ABORIGINAL ISSUES.
What's worse is that, when the Liberals do finally get their story straight, its pretty bad news for Albertans. Liberal Environment Critic and Kyoto champion David Swann has finally costed their proposal for a hard cap on emissions at 1 billion dollars a year. That's billion... with a "b". Naturally, some of us are wondering exactly what the Liberals propose to do for the hundreds of thousands of Albertans whose jobs are in jeopardy under the Liberal plan?
Its becoming painfully clear that, while the Premier and the PC Party are ready and able to campaign on the Stelmach government's record, the Liberals are running on nothing more than a campaign of "the big bad tories have been in power too long and you should all smarten up and vote for us". Even worse, they've clearly taken no consideration on the economic consequences of their shoddy platform.
It seems that, after a rough start by everybody, the media is now on notice that we're ready and willing to fight this election. I think that over the next few weeks this campaign will become a lot more focused on the policies of all the parties. If and when that happens, Kevin Taft and the Liberals should be mighty worried.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Next time, I'll use an asterisk
It seems as though my declaration that "A Liberal is a Liberal" was a bit too broad a stroke for some.
It has been correctly pointed out that, in my previous blog life, I listed the BC Liberals under "Teams I like". The BC Liberals, as with the Parti Liberal du Quebec, are slightly different characters. I probably should have made this caveat, but will plead that the omission of clarity was the result of the late hour and my rather stranded nature as highways all over the BC Interior remain closed.
Going into the details about the BC and Quebec Liberal Parties would hardly be of interest to most of you who are here to read my perspective on the Alberta election. Suffice to say, they are both unique coalitions fused out of a common purpose (in BC, to stop the socialists... in Quebec, to stop the separatists). I will point out, though, that these coalitions are beginning to break apart and are again starting to separate Liberals from Conservatives.
Either way, its a moot point because the Liberals in Alberta are hardly a coalition to stop the socialists... some of us argue that they ARE the socialists (or at least pretty close, anyway). This brings me to something else I wanted to address.
I was completely bewildered when I read that a former aide to Preston Manning is supporting his local Liberal candidate in this election. Ron Wood's justification is that the Stelmach crew are spending too much money. While i'll agree that the latest round of funding announcements are not a way for the PCs to endear themselves to hard fiscal hawks, I will challenge anybody who argues against the necessity of these investments.
He goes further, though, and suggests that he believes the Liberals share his fiscally conservative views. Two words:
GET. REAL.
I could buy that argument if it was coming from him in 1993 and he was speaking of the Decore edition of the Alberta Liberal Party. This, however, is definetly not the same party and Kevin Taft damn sure isn't Laurence Decore.
Taft has been making even wilder promises than the PCs have. What's worse is that he's been making them without any price tags attached. Perhaps Mr. Wood wasn't aware of this since the MSM has essentially chosen to give Taft a free ride when it comes to explaining how he'll pay for his fairy tales (an interesting topic that i'll probably get into later in the campaign, but that is being discussed over at the Enlightened Savage).
At any rate, I think the debate over the fiscal promises of the PCs is fair game. But to suggest that the Liberals are better on this file is absurd.
IN OTHER NEWS
A few quick things I want to mention:
It has been correctly pointed out that, in my previous blog life, I listed the BC Liberals under "Teams I like". The BC Liberals, as with the Parti Liberal du Quebec, are slightly different characters. I probably should have made this caveat, but will plead that the omission of clarity was the result of the late hour and my rather stranded nature as highways all over the BC Interior remain closed.
Going into the details about the BC and Quebec Liberal Parties would hardly be of interest to most of you who are here to read my perspective on the Alberta election. Suffice to say, they are both unique coalitions fused out of a common purpose (in BC, to stop the socialists... in Quebec, to stop the separatists). I will point out, though, that these coalitions are beginning to break apart and are again starting to separate Liberals from Conservatives.
Either way, its a moot point because the Liberals in Alberta are hardly a coalition to stop the socialists... some of us argue that they ARE the socialists (or at least pretty close, anyway). This brings me to something else I wanted to address.
I was completely bewildered when I read that a former aide to Preston Manning is supporting his local Liberal candidate in this election. Ron Wood's justification is that the Stelmach crew are spending too much money. While i'll agree that the latest round of funding announcements are not a way for the PCs to endear themselves to hard fiscal hawks, I will challenge anybody who argues against the necessity of these investments.
He goes further, though, and suggests that he believes the Liberals share his fiscally conservative views. Two words:
GET. REAL.
I could buy that argument if it was coming from him in 1993 and he was speaking of the Decore edition of the Alberta Liberal Party. This, however, is definetly not the same party and Kevin Taft damn sure isn't Laurence Decore.
Taft has been making even wilder promises than the PCs have. What's worse is that he's been making them without any price tags attached. Perhaps Mr. Wood wasn't aware of this since the MSM has essentially chosen to give Taft a free ride when it comes to explaining how he'll pay for his fairy tales (an interesting topic that i'll probably get into later in the campaign, but that is being discussed over at the Enlightened Savage).
At any rate, I think the debate over the fiscal promises of the PCs is fair game. But to suggest that the Liberals are better on this file is absurd.
IN OTHER NEWS
A few quick things I want to mention:
-Congratulations to Daveberta on his impressive trio from the 2007 Canadian Blog Awards. I voted for Dave, particularily in the Best Blogosphere Citizen because of his foresight in buying edstelmach.ca. While I think that the matter should now be put to rest, he certainly raised everyone's awareness about the importance of being on top of the web game politically.
-I was pleased to see that, at today's good news announcement, Premier Stelmach was given some specific program benefits and costs to mention along with the general details. This will be an important practice to continue, especially as the Liberals continue to avoid attaching a price tag to their promises.
-His chest-thumping rhetoric aside, I think Brian Mason has proposed an interesting idea. I'm not adverse to the argument that, since organizations (corporations, unions, whatever) can't vote, they shouldn't be able to influence through political donations. It seems to work reasonably well at the federal level. An important part of the debate, though, would be whether or not public funds would be directed on a per-vote basis to parties as they are federally. Still, kudos to Brian (or is it Bill?) for raising a relevant issue.
-Anyone else wonder how this has gone largely unreported?
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