It seems the H1N1 mass vaccination effort has been marked by shortages, long line ups and incompetence.
In other words, it's your typical government program.
Friday, October 30, 2009
In the grip of madness
Lawrence Reed, president of the Foundation for Economic Education, recently wrote a brilliant column which exposes the fallacies behind the "big government can solve our economic woes" argument.
He was kind enough to give me permission to put it up on the Libertas Post.
You can read it here.
He was kind enough to give me permission to put it up on the Libertas Post.
You can read it here.
Speaking to Libertarians
On November 7th, I will be speaking at the Ontario Libertarian Party's Annual General Meeting.
Also speaking at the event will be Fred McMahon of the Fraser Institute.
Should be an interesting gathering.
To get more details about the meeting go here.
Also speaking at the event will be Fred McMahon of the Fraser Institute.
Should be an interesting gathering.
To get more details about the meeting go here.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Scary stories
It's nearly Halloween, a time for scary, spooky stories.
So be sure and check out my Top Five Stories Guaranteed to Scare Conservatives.
Be warned these tales are not for the faint of heart.
So be sure and check out my Top Five Stories Guaranteed to Scare Conservatives.
Be warned these tales are not for the faint of heart.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Ontario politics gets interesting
Something strange is going on in the world of Ontario politics.
Ontarians are suddenly getting passionate.
And this is a big change; for years political passion of any kind was lacking in Ontario.
Simply put, nobody seemed to care what was happening at the provincial government level.
This in turn translated into a political dynamic where there was no desire to keep the governing Liberals in power and no desire to drive them out. The Liberals were just there, unloved but also unhated.
This state of affairs, by the way, suited Premier Dalton McGuinty just fine.
In fact, his mind-numbing governing style seemed designed to keep Ontario voters in a catatonic state.
He stayed away from controversial or sweeping changes and settled down to mainly banning things – he banned using cell phones while driving, he banned pit bulls, he banned smoking in cars, and in the process tried to ban any sense of personality responsibility.
And it worked.
McGuinty and his boring, banning Liberals won a landslide majority in the last election and since then had maintained a huge lead in public opinion polls --- until now.
Things are changing. All of a sudden, Ontarians are turning on the Liberals.
According to a recent Environics Poll Liberal support now stands at 32 percent of decided voters which is down a whopping 12 points since June. Meanwhile the usually sad-sack Opposition Progressive Conservatives have surged ahead of the Liberals and stand at 37 per cent support.
What happened?
Well the McGuinty Liberals have taken some real hits lately: the ehealth scandal, ministerial resignations, the mushrooming provincial deficit, embarrassing Auditor-General reports, an unpopular HST and then there’s the millstone of his unpopular federal Liberal cousins.
All of this, of course, helps to explain McGuinty’s poor poll numbers.
But maybe something else is at work. Maybe Ontarians are just waking up and recognizing their leader for what he truly is: a lacklustre politician, who wants to make government bigger and more costly, who wants to make taxes higher and who consistently meddles in people's lives.
If this keeps up and if the polls continue to show a drop in Liberal support, Premier McGuinty will have only one choice, he will have to ban opinion polls.
Crossposted at the Libertas Post.
Ontarians are suddenly getting passionate.
And this is a big change; for years political passion of any kind was lacking in Ontario.
Simply put, nobody seemed to care what was happening at the provincial government level.
This in turn translated into a political dynamic where there was no desire to keep the governing Liberals in power and no desire to drive them out. The Liberals were just there, unloved but also unhated.
This state of affairs, by the way, suited Premier Dalton McGuinty just fine.
In fact, his mind-numbing governing style seemed designed to keep Ontario voters in a catatonic state.
He stayed away from controversial or sweeping changes and settled down to mainly banning things – he banned using cell phones while driving, he banned pit bulls, he banned smoking in cars, and in the process tried to ban any sense of personality responsibility.
And it worked.
McGuinty and his boring, banning Liberals won a landslide majority in the last election and since then had maintained a huge lead in public opinion polls --- until now.
Things are changing. All of a sudden, Ontarians are turning on the Liberals.
According to a recent Environics Poll Liberal support now stands at 32 percent of decided voters which is down a whopping 12 points since June. Meanwhile the usually sad-sack Opposition Progressive Conservatives have surged ahead of the Liberals and stand at 37 per cent support.
What happened?
Well the McGuinty Liberals have taken some real hits lately: the ehealth scandal, ministerial resignations, the mushrooming provincial deficit, embarrassing Auditor-General reports, an unpopular HST and then there’s the millstone of his unpopular federal Liberal cousins.
All of this, of course, helps to explain McGuinty’s poor poll numbers.
But maybe something else is at work. Maybe Ontarians are just waking up and recognizing their leader for what he truly is: a lacklustre politician, who wants to make government bigger and more costly, who wants to make taxes higher and who consistently meddles in people's lives.
If this keeps up and if the polls continue to show a drop in Liberal support, Premier McGuinty will have only one choice, he will have to ban opinion polls.
Crossposted at the Libertas Post.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Media Alert
I am scheduled to be on the Charles Adler Show this afternoon at 4:35 PM to discuss my (unpublished) letter to the Toronto Star on taxes.
What's wrong with the Liberals?
Over at Sobering Thoughts, Paul Tuns ponders the dark times now facing the Liberal Party.
He writes:
It seems that Canadians have come to accept/tolerate Stephen Harper and his Conservatives or have turned their back on the Liberals. Or a bit of both. Furthermore, this is not necessarily a new phenomenon. It is time to recast the narrative of Liberal defeat in 2008. It wasn't all about Stephane Dion and his incompetence. To some degree, it was about Canadians turning their back on the Liberal Party, not just the party leader.
This leads to an interesting question: What's wrong with the Liberals?
If you have an answer check out the latest Libertas Post survey which asks that very question.
He writes:
It seems that Canadians have come to accept/tolerate Stephen Harper and his Conservatives or have turned their back on the Liberals. Or a bit of both. Furthermore, this is not necessarily a new phenomenon. It is time to recast the narrative of Liberal defeat in 2008. It wasn't all about Stephane Dion and his incompetence. To some degree, it was about Canadians turning their back on the Liberal Party, not just the party leader.
This leads to an interesting question: What's wrong with the Liberals?
If you have an answer check out the latest Libertas Post survey which asks that very question.
Four-year-olds and government
Hugh Mackenzie of the left-wing leaning Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives wrote a column in the Toronto Star citing the need for high taxes.
I responded with this letter to the editor:
Dear Sir/Madam:
Hugh Mackenzie likes to look at economic policy through the eyes of a 4-year-old. “Can we have an adult conversation about taxes?” October 26.
And he seems to think a 4-year-old would see the need for high taxes.
Maybe that’s so.
But an adult would understand that lower taxes would allow Canadians to keep more of the money they earn. This in turn would promote risk-taking and innovation and encourage entrepreneurs to do what they do best: create jobs.
An adult would also understand that if government was more careful with its spending, it could make do with less.
In fact, when it comes to spending, government is less sensible than even a 4-year-old.
As Ronald Reagan once put it “Government is like a baby. An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.”
Crossposted at the Libertas Post.
I responded with this letter to the editor:
Dear Sir/Madam:
Hugh Mackenzie likes to look at economic policy through the eyes of a 4-year-old. “Can we have an adult conversation about taxes?” October 26.
And he seems to think a 4-year-old would see the need for high taxes.
Maybe that’s so.
But an adult would understand that lower taxes would allow Canadians to keep more of the money they earn. This in turn would promote risk-taking and innovation and encourage entrepreneurs to do what they do best: create jobs.
An adult would also understand that if government was more careful with its spending, it could make do with less.
In fact, when it comes to spending, government is less sensible than even a 4-year-old.
As Ronald Reagan once put it “Government is like a baby. An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.”
Crossposted at the Libertas Post.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Speaking to Landowners
I had a marvelous time on Saturday meeting the people behind the Ontario Landowners Assocation.
This is an organization dedicated to promoting and protecting one of our most basic freedoms: the right to own private property.
Anyway, they asked me to give a little talk at their annual general meeting held near Shelburne Ontario -- a charming little town.
Here's the text of my talk.
This is an organization dedicated to promoting and protecting one of our most basic freedoms: the right to own private property.
Anyway, they asked me to give a little talk at their annual general meeting held near Shelburne Ontario -- a charming little town.
Here's the text of my talk.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Historic Canadian blunders
The blogger who writes Gods of the Copybook Headings, who knows Canadian history a lot better than I do, decided my Top Five Worst Political Blunders lacked proper historic context.
So he came up with his own "pre-Joe Clark" Canadian political blunders.
So he came up with his own "pre-Joe Clark" Canadian political blunders.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Harper's Inner self
Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently declared:
"I actually do think we are in a rare period, one that as an economist I didn't think we would see again in my lifetime, where deficits are not only necessary but actually advised".
And somewhere buried deep inside him, a little Hayekian Harper was screaming "Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!"
"I actually do think we are in a rare period, one that as an economist I didn't think we would see again in my lifetime, where deficits are not only necessary but actually advised".
And somewhere buried deep inside him, a little Hayekian Harper was screaming "Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!"
Victory for freedom in Quebec
The Supreme Court of Canada got it right today when it ruled unconstitutional a Quebec law which barred certain students from attending English-language schools.
This ruling is a victory for freedom.
The Court unanimously ruled that Section 104, which closed a loophole in its French-language charter that had enabled some students who weren't eligible to attend English schools to gain that right, was “excessive.”
Essentially prior to the passage of 104, students who gained access to unsubsidized private English-language schools, could become eligible to attend English-public schools.
By striking down this law the court is restoring freedom to Quebec parents who may wish to have their children educated in English.
Special congratulations must also go to Brent Tyler, the crusading lawyer who led the legal challenge to 104.
Tyler has been a tireless opponent to Quebec’s oppressive anti-English language laws.
It’s good to see him score a victory.
Crossposted at Libertas Post
This ruling is a victory for freedom.
The Court unanimously ruled that Section 104, which closed a loophole in its French-language charter that had enabled some students who weren't eligible to attend English schools to gain that right, was “excessive.”
Essentially prior to the passage of 104, students who gained access to unsubsidized private English-language schools, could become eligible to attend English-public schools.
By striking down this law the court is restoring freedom to Quebec parents who may wish to have their children educated in English.
Special congratulations must also go to Brent Tyler, the crusading lawyer who led the legal challenge to 104.
Tyler has been a tireless opponent to Quebec’s oppressive anti-English language laws.
It’s good to see him score a victory.
Crossposted at Libertas Post
Speaking to Landowners
This weekend I will be giving a speech to the Ontario Landowners Association's Annual General Meeting.
Topic: Fighting for freedom.
Topic: Fighting for freedom.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Loyal Review
Paul Tuns has a review for my book Loyal to the Core.
Check it out.
Also Loyal to the Core is now out in paperback so what are you waiting for?
Order your copy today.
Check it out.
Also Loyal to the Core is now out in paperback so what are you waiting for?
Order your copy today.
Media Alert
I am doing a radio interview this morning at 11:30 AM EST on the Tom Young Show to talk about the top five dumbest political mistakes in Canadian political history.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Canada's Top Five Political Blunders
Ever wondered what were the worst political blunders in Canadian history.
Well wonder no more -- here's the official list.
Well wonder no more -- here's the official list.
Writing right
I have some advice for my friends over at the National Citizens Coalition: hire a writer.
Simply put, whoever writes the NCC's blog postings must have skipped all his or her grade school grammar classes.
Here's an actual, cringe-inducing sentence from the latest NCC posting: "First of all, the so-called ‘logo-gate’ scandal has received far too much outcry from the Liberals as Prime Minister Jean Chretien and his party was masters at it when they were in power and made no apologies for it."
Huh?
I am not saying the NCC blog posts should read like Hemingway or anything, just that they should contain coherent sentences.
Simply put, whoever writes the NCC's blog postings must have skipped all his or her grade school grammar classes.
Here's an actual, cringe-inducing sentence from the latest NCC posting: "First of all, the so-called ‘logo-gate’ scandal has received far too much outcry from the Liberals as Prime Minister Jean Chretien and his party was masters at it when they were in power and made no apologies for it."
Huh?
I am not saying the NCC blog posts should read like Hemingway or anything, just that they should contain coherent sentences.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Our best buddy Mao
Former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien reportedly is bemoaning about how Canada is no longer communist China’s best friend.
And it’s true.
Once upon a time Canada and China were the best of friends.
We would hang around at the malls together, go out on double-dates and every once in a while we would pull the odd prank at the United Nations.
But then Stephen Harper became Prime Minister and things started turning sour. For one thing, Harper -- spoiled sport that he is --- started talking about “serious” stuff, such as human rights abuses.
So naturally this put off our formerly best buddies, the Chinese who can be very sensitive when it comes to how they torture, murder and imprison people.
They were used to Liberal leaders like the late Pierre Trudeau who realized that while Chinese dictators such as Mao Tse Tung might have slaughtered several million people, it was all really done with the best of intentions.
Hey, you can’t make a communist utopia without breaking a few eggs.
Hopefully current Liberal Michael Ignatieff can help restore our “special” relationship with China.
A good start would be for Ignatieff to film his next political ad in Tiananmen Square.
(After, of course, he got permission from the Chinese political censors)
Crossposted at the Libertas Post.
And it’s true.
Once upon a time Canada and China were the best of friends.
We would hang around at the malls together, go out on double-dates and every once in a while we would pull the odd prank at the United Nations.
But then Stephen Harper became Prime Minister and things started turning sour. For one thing, Harper -- spoiled sport that he is --- started talking about “serious” stuff, such as human rights abuses.
So naturally this put off our formerly best buddies, the Chinese who can be very sensitive when it comes to how they torture, murder and imprison people.
They were used to Liberal leaders like the late Pierre Trudeau who realized that while Chinese dictators such as Mao Tse Tung might have slaughtered several million people, it was all really done with the best of intentions.
Hey, you can’t make a communist utopia without breaking a few eggs.
Hopefully current Liberal Michael Ignatieff can help restore our “special” relationship with China.
A good start would be for Ignatieff to film his next political ad in Tiananmen Square.
(After, of course, he got permission from the Chinese political censors)
Crossposted at the Libertas Post.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Libertas Post Update
Some interesting stuff recently added to the Libertas Post.
* Radio host Rob Breakenridge says it's time for the Nanny State to butt out.
* Martin Masse, of Le Quebecois Libre, wonders if all the hysteria about H1N1 is just another example of somebody crying wolf.
* Wendy Stewart worries about voter apathy.
* Radio host Rob Breakenridge says it's time for the Nanny State to butt out.
* Martin Masse, of Le Quebecois Libre, wonders if all the hysteria about H1N1 is just another example of somebody crying wolf.
* Wendy Stewart worries about voter apathy.
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