steve harper, governing by sledgehammer

A brilliant analogy, Mr.Gardner!

snippet

The other day I picked up a sledgehammer and smashed my television.

The wife and kids were somewhat surprised.

“Honey,” my wife said gently. “Why did you do that?”

“Didn’t like the picture quality,” I replied.

“But we’ve had that TV for years and you never said a word about it before,” she said.

I shrugged.

My wife expressed further disgruntlement. So did the kids. I thought they’d shut up about it but they just kept going on and on. It was annoying.

“OK,” I said. “I’ll fix the situation.”

So I went to the store. “Fix the situation,” I told the clerk.

The clerk showed me new TVs.

“Do these have better picture quality than the TV I smashed?” I asked.

“No,” he said. “The TV you smashed is the best TV there is. No other TV is its equal. Would you like to buy a new one?”

Wow, I thought. This guy’s not very sharp. “I’d look pretty stupid if I bought the same TV I smashed,” I said. “I want a different TV. But it should be as good as the one I smashed.”

The clerk frowned. “But I just told you no other TV is as good as the TV you smashed.”

“I don’t care about your problems, buddy, “ I said. “Fix the situation.”

This is how Prime Minister Stephen Harper governs Canada.

Here is the rest of the anecdote.

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tim hudak: ' I can get you drunk for $1.60 less! '

meh, here's the link. While there is at least an admission on corporate influence over politicians in the article, why would Hudak make this an issue? Is he going after the rob ford voters? Is it because cheap alcohol got him laid?

Anyway, at the time, the Liberals excuse for raising the price on 'buck a beer' was~

“social responsibility” of discouraging underage drinking as a reason for the mandatory increase.

Which is bullshit if the "Liberal insider" is to be believed. It was all about the lobbying.

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susan auch, just visiting, pulling a palin

Does stephen harper know about this? Three~time Olympic speedskating medallist {pfft,never a gold} Susan Auch, has decided to run for the con nomination in Assiniboia, Manitoba, a seat held by New Democrat Jim Rondeau since 1999. The dilemma for harper seems obvious. Ms.Auch has been away from Manitoba for the past twenty years! And considering how important an issue this is for steve, I mean going so far as devoting resources to attack Michael Ignatieff for earning a living somewhere other than his birthplace, I expect harper to act as the principled man he pretends to be, and smear Auch with same vigour directed at Iggy.


pulling a palin

So why has Auch decided to run after a twenty year absence? Well, gosh darnit, even though she has been living in Calgary for most of that time, she "watched Manitoba from afar", mostly from Stampede Park, I think, and says Alaska Manitoba has so much to offer that it should be leading the rest of America Canada. Where to is anyone's guess. The fact Ms.Auch lacks any real political experience, well, like palin, she sees that as a strength.

"I think it's good to come in without direct political experience because I bring new thought and new ideas and new inspiration."

I'm sure she'll do fine as long as she dresses 'properly', that way she won't have to rely on her fresh ideas for inspiration.

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harper infiltrates CRTC

According to Heritage Minister James Moore's office, just because Tom Pentefountas fails to meet the criterion required for the position of vice-chair of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, and he is buddies with harper's spin doctor Dimitri Soudas, Tom was the best candidate available. Nothing to see here.

NDP heritage critic Charlie Angus, disagrees.

“We see their intense interest in Fox-style news. Mr. Harper has already asked for personal updates on the process at the CRTC,” the New Democrat charged. “His former communications director [Kory Teneycke] suddenly leaves and then announces that he is going to lead up the run for Sun TV. Then the CRTC announces well maybe we don’t need any broadcast standards.”

On the eve of that decision there will be someone with ties to the Conservative Party with no broadcast experience who is sitting as the vice-chair, Mr. Angus said.

“It’s a $60-billion industry,” he said. “You have to have credible people who have are seen as transparent and accountable. You can’t have the Prime Minister deciding he’s going to put political friends on there.”

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