Harper and Mulroney

I'm not sure what point this video is making; is it anti-Harper or anti-Mulroney?

But I am posting it because it mentions my old group the National Citizens Coalition.

Ignatieff on the leadership scale

Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff is a relatively better leader than Stephane Dion.

But that's not saying much; my mouse pad is a relatively better leader than Dion.

The real question is, how does Ignatieff rate in absolute terms on the leadership scale?

Well, the answer is not that great.

I mean, the one time he actually ran for the leadership, as opposed to having the crown handed to him on a silver platter, Dion beat him.

That should tell you something.

And now it seems, he has committed one of the worse of all political sins: he is talking about raising taxes.

Political observers refer to this act as "Going Walter Mondale."

No doubt the writers in the Tory war room's "negative ad department" are high fiving each other with glee right about now.

Maybe the Liberals should have had a leadership race after all.

Lack of harmony on taxes

For the most part, free market think tanks and conservative advocacy groups are allies in the war against big government.

But typically, they part ways when it comes to one issue: consumption taxes.

Think tanks, and for that matter most economists, tend to support consumption taxes as more efficient and more business friendly.

Advocacy groups, on the other hand, see them as nothing but a tax grab.

We see this difference of opinion playing out right now in Ontario, where the Liberal government is in the process of "harmonizing" the PST and the GST.

The think tanky C.D. Howe Institute thinks it's a great idea, whereas the advocacy-oriented Canadian Taxpayers Federation says it's a disaster.

I remember a similar split happening back in 1989 when the Mulroney government was implementing the Goods and Services Tax.

At the time I was working for the National Citizens Coalition and one day we held a meeting to determine our stance.

Somebody at the meeting noted that the Fraser Institute had come out in favour of the GST for all sorts of valid reasons, so perhaps the NCC should too.

At which point, our political consultant snorted: "The NCC can never, ever come out in favour of a tax. Your supporters would revolt!"

So we bashed the GST like crazy -- which upset some economists but made our supporters very happy.

The Bird RIP

Really saddened to learn that former Detroit Tiger pitcher, Mark 'The Bird' Fidrych has died at 54.

Fidrych emerged from obscurity in 1976 to become not only the pitching ace for the Tigers but also one of the league's greatest attractions.

His oddball antics -- talking to the baseball, preparing the mound with his hands between innings-- made him a fan favorite across the baseball world.

Alas 1976, when he won 19 games, turned out to be his one great year. After that a series of injuries hampered his pitching effectiveness and he soon dropped out of the game.

But it was quite a ride while it lasted.

H/T Paul Tuns

Obama reaches out to moderate pirates

Here's what one witty blogger expects from President Obama when it comes to dealing with those pirates.

Baseball Computer-style

One of my great joys in life is baseball.

When I'm not watching baseball on TV, I am playing baseball on a computer simulated league.

Mind you, I used to think my simulated games, while fun, were a waste of time.

But then I read this article in the NY Times, which suggest my leisure activity actually has some mathematical merit.

So batter up!

Rand had it right

A friend of mine sent me this quote from Ayn Rand, which explains what's wrong with politics in this country:

"The uncontested absurdities of today are the accepted slogans of tomorrow. They come to be accepted by degrees, by precedent, by implication, by erosion, by default, by dint of constant pressure on one side and constant retreat on the other—until the day when they are suddenly declared to be the country's official ideology."

Mulroney and the Tories

The good folks over at the Women's Post have asked me to become a regular blogger over at their website.

So check out my first entry, in which I consider the raging controversy as to whether or not Brian Mulroney is actually a Conservative.

Maybe the PMO should read this

Matthew Johnston, the owner of the Western Standard online magazine, has some very nice things to say about me and my book Loyal to the Core.

Loyal to the Core Review

Connie Fournier over at Free Dominion has a review of my book Loyal to the Core.

Check it out.

Arresting 185,925 Canadians?

Pierre Lemieux has written a chilling piece on how Canadian gun control laws turn peaceful, law-abiding citizens into criminals.

He also notes how the Conservative government's proposed Long-Gun Registry Repeal Act will do nothing to change the situation.

Opening Day Joy

OK, forget about politics and wars and recession.

It's opening day!

Major League Baseball is back.

All is right with the world.

(I know baseball is riddled with steroid scandals, so need to rain on my parade.)

Getting in the news

I was recently interviewed on BusinessCast, which is a great weekly podcast, aimed at providing "practical tools and advice to entrepreneurs."

The advice I offered on the show was how entrepreneurs can get the media's attention.

For the archive of past BusinessCast shows go here.

When empires fall

Why did the Roman Empire fall?

I remember a grade 11 history teacher answered that question by listing about a dozen or so reasons on the blackboard -- his items included everything from lead poisoning to moral decay to poor grand military strategy.

Given all those problems it made me think the real question wasn't why did Rome fall, but why did it last as long as it did?

Anyway, flash forward to present. I am now reading an interesting book called The Ruin of the Roman Empire, by James J. O'Donnell, which basically argues Rome's ruin was not brought about my outside invaders but by its own short-sighted emperors.

Or more precisely by the short-sightedness of one particular Byzantine emperor -- Justinian.

O'Donnell's argument is that Justinian religious intolerance (his move to stomp out "heretic" Christian beliefs) combined with his imperial over-reach (his ill-conceived wars in Italy and Africa and against Persia) fatally weakened Roman civilization, leading to the Dark Ages in the West and to Islamic conquests in the East.

Overall O'Donnell makes a strong case and also provides an interesting glimpse into an era that is much neglected - the time between Rome's fall and the onset of the Middle Ages.

My only complaint is that his desire to make his history relevant to today's reader is sometimes a little heavy-handed.

For instance, he describes Justinian's advisers as the ancient equivalent of "neo-conservatives."

But that aside, it's an easy-to-read history of a fascinating time.

Daring and provocative

The Western Standard online reviews my book, Loyal to the Core.

Here's a sneak preview: The reviewer says "Loyal to the Core is a daring and provocative work. It deserves to be read by conservative activists and politicos".

Harper in the loo?

According to the British Broadcasting Corporation, Prime Minister Stephen Harper missed the G20 "Team Photo" because he was "in the loo."

Canadian government officials, on the other hand, insist the PM was simply getting briefed on the draft G20 communique.

Who has the right story?

Well as Rondi Adamson says "Perhaps both statements are true!"

Understanding libertarians

My friend Janet Neilson had a great status line on her Facebook page, which I thought I'd share:

"Janet Neilson thinks people who say libertarians are missing an opportunity to 'get what they want' from the government if they're not in a major party don't really understand libertarians or the government. "

Me on TV

Here's me making an important point on the Michael Coren Show.

The point I was trying to make, of course, was "Buy my book!".

Media Alert

I will be a guest on the Gary Doyle Show (570 News Kitchener) at approximately 2:00 PM to discuss my book Loyal to the Core.

Defending Tory Unity

I must have hit a nerve with my suggestion last week concerning the Conservative Party's unity.

Today's National Post contains not one but two rebuttals to my thesis.

Here's one, here's the other.

The writers put forward interesting arguments, but I remain unconvinced.