Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Ontario Reformers Economically Right to Ontario Greens Ecologically Left

Spoke to a core group of Ontario Reformers at the Sifton Berkshire Club in London on the 21st, for its annual policy workshop as part of its ongoing policy development process for the future, with its party leader Brad Harness and party director of strategic planning Phil Miller leading the session.

Though a very principled, pragmatic and politically centred individual, I believe the Reform Party of Ontario needs to compliment the grassroots movement of the Green Party of Ontario by matching its recent ecologically left ideologic bend with its own economically right ideologic turn, the walk of the economy behind its kind of current downturned economy countermeasuring any talk of the ecology behind its kind of added carbon tax upon the overall burden. A Purple Book from Reform will have to agree with the grassroots change towards Green and its environmental common sense, which is shared by all citizens, but adding more taxation upon the already burdened working backs of the average taxpayer will not solve it, as the Green Taxation Shift would do, instead looking at who or what is polluting the most and nipping it right in the bud would make much more reasonable policy for political development in Ontario and Canada. The province's mainstream parties need the grassroot parties to get them out from under their status quo muscular heavy bureaucracy it has created, without the grassroots smaller is beautiful thinking, the Province of Ontario and Dominion of Canada will not escape the existing problems of greater jurisdictions and countries internationally.

Without a strong platform with workable policy in the area of energy, electricity and the environment, no provincial political party can give the Ontarian people a safe choice to vote for, let alone the reason for them finally to find one that can become their common sense home politically in the years to come.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Harper and Martin like prizefighters to streetfighters Mulroney and Chrétien

Do you remember when Liberal Prime Minister Paul Edgar Philippe Martin Jr. and his administration were the juggernaut progressives who was going to change the way business was done and start cleaning up the same kind of internal program kickback scandal within the cabinet of Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien, perhaps you remember when Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Joseph Harper and his administration were the efficient reformers who was going to create a new government and begin allowing choice over the same kind of external bloated porkbarrel bureaucracy within the cabinet of Martin Brian Mulroney, can anyone remember either of these Canadian political scenarios of the past, or are they just figments of the imagination here in Canada?

No matter what the colour, red or blue, spectrum, left or right, ideology, liberal or conservative, Canadians seemed to a dolphin for every shark in office, until the dolphin is replaced by a shark, or becomes one. For some Canucks, Paul Martin and Stephen Harper represented positive change politically, open, democratic and brave, for others however, they were naive, uncontrolled and stupid, not representing change, but rather the negative status quo politically, quite like their precedessors Brian Mulroney and Jean Chrétien. Some the believe the Prime Minister's Office runs the Prime Minister, quite like how the Privy Council Office runs the Governmental Cabinet of Canada, so the agenda never permits for change, as the status quo remains the rule. Whatever, the point being, did Martin finally get to fix the quality of government under Chrétien, did Harper really get to rollback the size of bureaucracy under Mulroney, did either democratize, progress or reform the system as they promised they would upon being elected Prime Minister of Canada, or did they promise one thing and deliver another or nothing in the end, while those whom they replaced actually implemented their own agenda, albeit not so positive for the Dominion?

Maybe then Harper and Martin are like soft prizefighters to the tough streetfighters Mulroney and Chrétien, but punching glove can not match a barenuckled fist, neither in athletics or politics. Being democratic, progressive or reformed is positive when used properly, when not however, these political tools can be turned on you, the populous and eventually on the actual political change itself, for the benefit of the political status quo. Whatever the colour, spectrum or ideology of the politician, be sure to use the political agenda of change properly, or else the political agenda of the status quo will be the constant winner in this almost eternal fight!

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Age Eligibility Debate in CIS Football is Over and Out for Ageism Civil Liberties

Friday, June 13, 2008

Football out at ReDee the Notre Dame of the North

Football, Canadian or American, not Soccer, is out at Redeemer University College, as an official sport in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association and Canadian Colleges Athletic Association. The format of the sport was flag, but that did not really matter, the OCCA and CCCA really did not kill the sport. The member institution schools did.

I read a note today from a ReDee student to remain incognito, I nicknamed her Golden Arm, after she nearly decapitated a receiving Dutchmen flying to catch her quick pass. Dutch, blonde haired and blue eyed, she would likely fit the stereotypical model for those just new to Redeemer, but actually the RUC is stereotypically her, as like her, it excels in the arts, that being theatre, music and of course art. The online note, spoke of never kissing a football player, as they did not even know of any football players, yet unbeknownst to her, there were at least half a dozen that could have been named as such. This is reality, whether intentional or not, ReDee has lost the square inch within that game then, therefore can not go the whole nine yards for it at present and has lost the battle now. Redeemer, I have argued in the past, must maintain its elite standards in academics to continue being the Ontario English Protestant replica of the Québec French Catholic Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf. However, we must remember that its growing reputation of being the Notre Dame of the North, must allow for expansion into athletics, even if like the University of Notre Dame starting out in 1887, its game must remain independent, diverse and with a tradition of excellence that wins more than just games but hearts, minds and souls.

Redeemer, as a highly regarded academic institution, almost actually discarded its men's basketball program this last year, a situation that brings any talk of expansion into the area of athletics or a role as trailblazers in the sport of football as only chatter. But if the RUC does not look towards even the basics like track and field, with an all weather track to boot around the beloved soccer field, then it will be relegated in this area behind even the status quo of the day. A matter that will keep stereotypes in place for years to come, unless we look to that which is unconventional, that can bring us positive change once and for all.

Saturday, June 07, 2008

Clinton Concedes Change and Democrats to Obama

New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton today conceded the national voice of change to Illinois Senator Barack Hussein Obama II, as the healing begins from the Democratic side towards a shot at the White House, but the wound still bleeds and may not suture well during the campaign. Internally, party faithful and independent organizers, both sympathetic to Clinton and Obama tried hard to bring together both camps in time, in order to avoid the current impasse, even a united mixed ticket was thought of. But now tired from the fight, Obama must place his sights on Mccain, not Clinton's team, if he and his party is to have any shot at ending this dynastic Republican White House.