August, 2012 | Political Insider

Quebec Debates Kickoff Fall Election Season-Time for Renewal !

What would BC look like if Gordon Campbell had been limited to two terms?

Elections are always a time of renewal.

The electorate whether its National, International,Provincial,Municipal or just at the riding or board level get a chance to review and evaluate the people carrying out the jobs they were elected to do.

This fall there are by-elections in Ontario ( which could lead to a provincial election depending upon the results) a provincial election in Quebec, several Annual General meetings and of course the U.S. Presidential election.

When I hear parties that get hammered at the ballot box say it’s time to take a deep look at ourselves and commit to a renewal program I just shake my head.

If there were term limits right down to the volunteer level, renewal would be a constant process.

As a rule there isn’t and as a consequence the same people tend to get elected to the positions over an over again.

Not only does this lead to what I call empire building and other assorted sleazy BS, but it stifles growth because people who would like to get involved don’t because they think their chances of getting elected are slim.

This is one of the things I like about U.S. politics who have term limits right up to the President.

From a voters point of view if you don’t get what you were promised short of recall, it provides at least a window of relief.

I have been an EDA president Federally with the Conservative Party of Canada and I left after two years because I think, although they have 3 year terms, two years was plenty.

Provincially same thing,although there are no term limits, I announced to the board in June I was not standing for a directors position and that I would serve out my term and get involved in other areas.

People going to an Annual General Meeting have the best chance to start the renewal process. instead of simply voting for the same people over and over listen to what the new folks have to say. Ask those that run year after year what exactly they have done to make the process better. This is your chance to hold those you voted for previously accountable. It is you chance to renew and revitalize your party from the ground up!

Think about Municipal elections, the same people run over and over again. How many new ideas get stifled because there aren’t enough new faces to inject something different into the discussion.How many good people don’t bother to run? How many newspapers tell you at election time that one spot opened up.( it’s an election; all spots should be open)

As far as MLA’s and MP’s go, two terms is sufficient for the reasons mentioned above plus the associated saving with the so-called gold-plated pensions. ( remember too some of these people have been MLA s a lot longer than 3 years because they started in opposition)

Imagine if you will that Gordon Campbell had been limited to two terms. How different might the last election have been under a new BC Liberal leader.Imagine again in 2009, new people in both the NDP and the BC Liberals running to be MLAs instead of the same old.

What would the political landscape in BC look-like today if that had taken place?

What do you think, would term limits be worth looking at in Canada?

Quebec Leaders Debate could go along way to deciding election!

Which one of these folks has the most to gain?

The French language leadership debate happens tonight in Quebec and for Jean Charest there really is no tomorrow. If he is to make up ground and surpass the other three parties he must come out swinging and put the boots to Marios and her separatist platform.

The Coaltion Avenir Quebec leader, Francois Legault has to prove to the electorate that his party is a viable alternative to Charest’s Liberals.

He also has to send a message to those people considering parking their votes with knucklehead Marois and the PQ that there is a reasonable more sane place to vote that will include what Quebec wants and no threat of a referendum.

For the Quebec Solidaire and spokesman Francoise David they have to prove to separatists that they actually exist and that they are abetter alternative than the PQ. I believe they are a non-entity in this election.

Marois has to show the people that her party is not made up of Xenophobic racist separatists. For her this is no small order given that’s what her platform reeks of.

Who has the most to lose?

Charest and Marois.

The Coalition Avenir stands to gain the most if Charest and Marois flounder.

They win if Charest looks like he is trying to cover something up and they win if Marois looks like the racist old hag she is.

A good performance by Legault and the election is his to lose.

What do you think?

Pauline Marois: Election Campaigns are no place for platforms!

Tommy Mulcair: I will save the day; next time.

Sounding a bit like Kim Campbell, Pauline Marois refuses to divulge anything about her party’s platform until at least the leaders debate.

She is taking her lead in the polls and the voters for granted and not saying anything that might trip her up except: She is telling anybody who will listen that she has had a transition team in place for a few weeks.

And

She and her party have gone on record today saying they don’t care what the courts say, their religion plan is a go!

Add to that:

The threat of an expensive referendum and it begs the question:

Why would anybody in their right mind vote for them?

We will let Tommy Mulcair have the last word:” We think there is a place for us on the Quebec Chessboard”

What do you think about all this?

Christy Clark and Adrian Dix: The Tag Team Driving Young People out of BC!

Dix and Clark: Who is scaring the people away?

A combination of the inept corrupt BC Liberal government plus a looming massive NDP sweep are more than likely combining to drive young people out of the province like never before.

Clark has done nothing to create jobs nor has she helped with the cost of housing.

The specter of an NDP government with its alarming tax and spend policies ( You will hear more after the election.Don’t expect Dix to say or do anything with such a large lead in the polls), is also contributing to the exodus as young people head to conservative Alberta and Saskatchewan in search of better paying jobs and housing they can afford to live in.

What would you expect them to do? With No job prospects today and even less after next years election most young folks are leaving now to beat the rush next May and June.

Don’t forget about those pesky Liberal gas, carbon taxes,smart meters, higher insurance and hydro.People can escape that by bolting for the confines of neighboring welcoming provinces.

Who would be happy about this?

The moving companies that’s who. I can imagine they are planning for steady growth over the next 11 or 12 months.

Maybe that was Clark’s idea of creating jobs?

Better hurry folks, Dix will find away to tax you on the way out of town.

What do you think?

Romney Adds Ryan: Now the U.S. Election Gets Interesting!

A fiscal Conservative: Now things will get interesting!

Mitt Romney adds running mate Paul Ryan and now the US Presidential race gets interesting.

It gets interesting because not only do we finally have a real Conservative to choose from ( Romney and Obama are both Liberals) but also because Romney and Ryan are polar opposites.

Moments ago Romney after hearing Ryan”s plan to cut medicare, he said that would never happen as long as it was his campaign.

Romney of course is campaigning on restoring cuts that Obama made to seniors Medicare.

Ryan’s plan would not restore them.

Ryan has been blunt and to the point on what cuts and what direction the country would have to go to clean up its fiscal house.

The discussions over the next few months will make the run up to the US election very interesting.

Our neighbors to the south are going to have a discussion they have been putting off for some time.

What path do you think they should take: Stimulus or Cut? Romney or Ryan?

Will the two of them last through the election or will there be a dust-up?

Pat Bell says the loss of 15,000 jobs is OK!

Pat Bell: So what everybody is doing it!

Amazing!

Coming on the heels of this mornings reports about job losses, Cabinet Minister Pat Bell says it’s okay.

His reason: It’s Okay because it’s a Canada wide thing.

Gimme a break Pat,since when is it okay to walk down the road to have not status.

It’s like the old saying if you jumped off a bridge would I? Not likely.

For a government whose premier campaigned on a jobs and family first platform,this response is atrocious.

Just another reason why the arrogant,complacent BC Liberal party has to be replaced.

What do you think?

Marois: Why Can’t Provinces have Jurisdiction over Employment Insurance?

If you get the urge to jump Pauline, don’t let me get in your way!

Pauline Marois, while she confused the heck out of her constituents with her position on the student conflict about tuition ( you remember she looked hammered in the picture playing the symbols in the recent demonstration), asked the question ; Why can’t the provinces have responsibility over Employment Insurance?

The answer to that is both easy and obvious.

Firstly one can only imagine the level of extortion that would exist between the provinces and the federal government regarding funding for this file given all the recent Christy Clark caused hullabaloo at the first ministers conference.

Secondly and more important the provinces would not have a clue what to do when a person moved from one province to the next, got laid off and wanted to collect the insurance.

I imagine the conversation would go something like this” But sir you worked to majority of your time in Saskatchewan so I don’t see how you would expect us here in ( Insert the province of your choice) to finance your unemployment. Might we suggest you write those folks back home?”

The response from the folks back home would be ” We regret to inform you that you no longer reside in the province of ( Insert once again the province of your choice) might we suggest you appeal to those bureaucrats in the province where you now live?

Of course if your new province just happens to be Quebec you might get an answer like this” While we appreciate your claim for employment insurance is important to you, you must realize that we are in the middle of a referendum on which country you actually live, so until that is cleared up no claims will be processed. You should also realize that if we lose and Quebec remains in Canada there will be a further referendum delaying the processing of your claim even longer. Might we suggest for your sake and for ours, you pack your stuff up and move to the province of your choice?”

I think it’s pretty obvious why Employment Insurance would be a federal responsibility.

What do you think?

Christy Clark’s Antic’s Spread East!

Marois: In the extortion Olympics,Clark will seem like a rank amateur compared to me!

Today it was revealed, in a page out of the Christy Clark text-book on stupidity, Opposition Leader and Chief Knucklehead for the Parti Quebecois , Pauline Marois, will challenge the recent agreement with the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Under cover of the environment the Parti Quebecois will no doubt demand its Fair Share” otherwise it will threaten to block any further talk about oil.

Between the cement head in Quebec and her twin in BC ,Prime Minister Harper and is team are close to being stuck between “une roche et un endroit dur”

Speaking of rock’s and hard places, word has it The beaver had a rough day after the Quebec solidaire gave it the boot from Quebec in their recent election ad portraying what else, separation.

Maybe a local politician or two will watch the ad, draw a picture of BC and give Clark the boot for starting this latest round of extortion.

What do you think?

Full Disclosure Needed in Victoria!

This past week in BC we have seen two examples where politicians expenses should be fully disclosed.

The first happened with the news of the mess of the BC legislature’s finances.

The second occurred today with the release of the Premier’s office credit card expenses.

This Premier’s office expenses nearly doubled. One reason given was that Clark hosted a couple of Council of Federation meetings. ( Those reading should remember that during the period Campbell’s expenses were audited he hosted a small event known as the Olympics!)

By full disclosure I mean an online view of the actual receipt not just a PDF of the statement.

There should also be an explanation of what the expense was and why it occurred.

As a taxpayer I want to know where these people are spending my money.

The auditor should have power over legislature including the ability to enforce tough penalties when the system is abused.

One penalty that should exist in the case of abuse of expenses ( Taxpayers money) is automatic recall in serious incidents.

The way the system works now,with the politicians overseeing each other, the fox is guarding the hen-house and nothing is happening.

It gives credence to what the average person on the street thinks about our politicians and that would be that they don’t care.

With the reaction this week of Bill Barisoff and the House committee, I would be inclined to agree.

What do you think?

New Poll Shows Christy Clark will lead the Liberals to 4 Seats!

I am such a ditz I would lose my own seat!

After all the BS on the National Stage a new poll says if an election were held today the Christy Clark Liberals ( That what they are, the by-election signs said so) would get 4 whole seats and be whipped off the map by the NDP.

Clark’s seat in Vancouver-Point Grey certainly wouldn’t be one of them.

All the folks you love to hate on the Liberals side , gone.

Clark is dead premier walking and will surely be replaced by the fall convention.

What astounds me, is given all the mayhem with the accounting in the legislature this week,why anybody would want to vote for any of them including the incumbent NDP.

The whole house needs to be cleansed, new rules and procedures put in place.

The BS with lining your own pockets at the tax payers expenses has to stop.

I have had enough, how about you?