Getting Around to the Issues

With a mere week left before the election, Steven Harper has taken time out from the name calling, vandalism, and general havoc to unveil his platform today, at a speech at the Canadian Club. It was a hum dinger of a speech too. He accused his adversaries of living in an economic fantasy land where "money grows on trees, debts never have to be paid, and taxes are good for the economy". It's much better than his usual efforts, and we can only hope that this is original!

Speaking of starry eyed spendthrift idealists in fantasy land, Jack Layton was out and about in Vancouver. The nation's No 1 socialist was out pressing the flesh, and exercising the common touch for all it was worth. There wasn't a single incident of brake line cutting or rock throwing either. Layton may have learned his french on the dockyards, but dockyard campaign tactics just won't do!

Canada's former No 1 socialist Bob Rae, is currently debating in Toronto, as a member of the Liberal Party. Bob says that his floor crossing is all part of his political evolution. What form of evolution might that be?? From bleeding heart taxoholic to hard headed political opportunist I suppose. Back when he was Ontario's first, and only, socialist premier, he managed to drive Canada's richest province into a massive deficit. The electorate voted him and the NDP's out and how. Now Bob admits that what he really learned is that you have to have power to do anything, and power comes from the center. Staying firmly in the center means that you can't actually change anything. You're just minding the shop. So political evolution means that ideals won't actually get you anywhere. It seems that the 60's ended several decades late for that poor man! Let's hope that he hasn't started brushing up on his Machiavelli!

That debate is firmly underway right now. NDP Olivia Chow is busy trying to rally the faithful over such important causes as the National Ballet of Canada. It seems that without 250 mill per year, they just can't scrap by. Since the Toronto Stock Exchange has lost 20% of it's value in the past week, that could be a tough sell. Canada might be looking for more bang for it's buck; or at the very least more artsy and less fartsy!

Gun control is also a hot topic. The left desperately wants to get a blanket ban on offensive weapons. They also seem to be trying to reassure legitimate gun owners. The gun owners, who are still smarting from the gun registry, seem to feel unfairly targeted (no pun intended). Why should they suffer because some gang member blows innocent victims away on down town city streets? However when pressed on the issue, with the objection that gun use is illegal activities is already illegal, so what will gun laws add; the gun banners answer that it would prevent obtaining guns via theft from legitimate owners. So the legitimate owners are once again on the chopping block.

With the economy bottoming out, as the world markets enter a financial free fall, arts funding, carbon taxes, and gun bans may be a tough cell. Voters may be more interested in hearing how hard headed leaders are going to get this situation under control, with no nonsense fiscal planning. Besides, maybe the left better get a handle on all this break cutting and rock throwing, before they move on to the greater challenge of gun control. At least they're getting around to the issues.