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Vote! And Vote MMP!

Simple message for my fellow Ontarians: Tomorrow, vote for whomever you want on the candidate ballot; but on the referendum, vote Mixed Member Proportional. If you're not sure which one that is, it's the second of two choices on the wordy ballot. It's time to end tyranny once and for all.

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"Screw you lady, that's what STAIRS are for!"

I usually don't get too personal in this column, but I have a few things I need to say out loud.

At 35, I am now three years older than my father was when he sired me. And it just blows that so many of my friends are married with children, while I ... I'm still single, and forced to put my life on hold yet again, to take care of not one but two family members.

It totally sucks that just when I'm about to get control of my life again, someone -- God or someone else -- throws yet another curve ball at me, putting me back in the place where society thinks I belong. This blog is a great stress reliever, but it's no replacement for a relationship.

And it's gotten to the point where I'm just pissed off. Pissed off, like this ...




By the way, dudes need not apply ... I'm straight.

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What about agriculture and immigration, dudes?

Agriculture and immigration, under Article 95 of the British North America Act, are two of the only three heads of constitutional powers that are specifically shared by the federal and provincial governments. (The other is old age pensions.) It's no surprise why they are; yet they are the two issues that consistently crop up in the election campaigns of other provinces -- except for Ontario.

Maybe it's just because we presume there is no provincial immigration department. Or because the vast majority of Ontarians live in cities we are insulated from the realities that farmers face.

So first, immigration. Recently, the federal-provincial immigration agreement was updated; the previous one was written way back in 1958, a time when most Ontarians thought the police were more infallible than the Pope and most of the migrants came from Europe. We're certainly much more diverse nowadays of course, and immigrants are what drive our economy.

But unlike more well-publicized agreements, such as the one that Ottawa has with Québec City, we just don't know what the terms of the Ontario agreement are. It's like a state secret. Can we go over our province's quota in a given year like Québec can if our business needs require? What is our share of settlement money? And are the three leaders willing to get a better deal; and if so will they put it to a vote of the legislature so it can be debated and discussed in hearings or will it remain a state secret under Crown Prerogative?

Of course, silence on this one. The Three Amigos would rather focus on the fight for the suburban, white bread vote -- those voters who have moved into the suburbs precisely because they don't want to interact with people who don't "Speak White." This is very disturbing, from my perspective.

And what about farmers? I live well inside a major city yet close enough that I can walk to farmland if I wanted to. And Ontario's farmers, like their counterparts in the rest of Canada, are struggling. The tender fruit industry is constantly at risk from urban encroachment even with the Greenbelts. Mainland China is deliberately undermining our ice wine industry with counterfeit products -- most of which, I believe, is fully backed by the Butchers of Tienanmen. And the food distribution system favours wealthy corporations, not the family farmer.

What will be done to help the real farmers -- not the Cargills and ADMs of the world?

Again, Pointy Head, Funny Face and Rainy River say nothing.

And, those who say nothing plan to do nothing. Enjoy the country drives while you can folks; soon, it will be all city and no country from Toronto up to Sudbury and North Bay and beyond. And we'll be getting our food -- yup -- from the Butchers of Tienanmen.

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What about health care, dudes?

My most recent experience with the public health system was the same one as my father's; his near brush with death. He got quite lucky; when he went into a coma there was a bed in the emergency ward; later that day he was moved into ICU. The care was top-rate, and after two months he was able to go home.

I can only imagine how much the bill would have been if there wasn't single payer. Probably $150,000 or more. For so many families, the system works. It works because we see good health care as a right and not a privilege.

But the system is in trouble. The introduction of the hated health care premium has helped only slightly; and it would have been totally irrelevant in my father's case because his condition required he go to the front of the line.

The fact remains, though, many families -- both in big cities as well as in the country -- don't have access to GPs at all. Waiting times in hospital ERs can be several hours or more. We all know the stories about ambulances who go all over town looking for an open bed -- and patients dying in transit.

What have the three parties said about health care, other than John Tory's completely unbelievable promise to phase out the health tax? Nothing.

What has been said about preventative health care? Nothing.

And pollsters want to know why we're so cynical?

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Thankful for what?

The earliest proclamation of Thanksgiving in Canada was in 1799, when the Lower Canada legislature issued a resolution thanking God "In signal victory over our enemy and for the manifold andinestimable blessings which our Kingdoms and Provinces have received and daily continue to receive." From 1879 until 1957, Canada's Parliament issued an annual proclamation to thank God for a bountiful harvest and "the blessings with which the people of Canada have been favoured" -- and during the war years, gratitude also to the men and women in uniform who were putting themselves in harm's way. In 1957, however, Thanksgiving became a purely secular federal holiday. Notably, the date chosen was the second Monday in October; the same as the US Columbus Day.

Truly odd they'd pick the same day as the commeration of a guy without whom the process of the near genocide of Aboriginals in North America could not have begun -- to give thanks.

Of course, we have much to be thankful for; but on this the 50th anniversary of the secular holiday as we know it today we can't be thankful that natives are still wards of the state, that there are still food banks, that so many kids go to school hungry, that the state still forces mothers to choose between staying at home or working for a living. We can't be thankful grow houses operate in our neighbourhoods, Mounties get shot on a regular basis like a turkey shoot, and that corruption still pervades the corridors of Ottawa.

So today or tomorrow, as we cook that turkey or duck or whatever special food we have -- let us remember that the Canadian dream is not complete. Blessings should be for all -- not just the privileged.

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What about kids and seniors, dudes?

Two groups have gotten the shrift during the current Ontario campaign -- children and seniors.

While in the last few days we've finally seen some talk about tackling child poverty the fact it that it doesn't go nearly far enough. True, the new and tentative Ontario Child Benefit will help families with young kids a lot -- with up to $1100 per year per child under seven in what amounts to a negative income tax.

But it doesn't address the working poor without or with kids, many who live paycheque to paycheque just to make ends meet. They need a working income supplement -- none is being offered.

The minimum wage is too low. It's going up to $10.25 over three years. It should be that, now, and pegged to inflation thereafter.

And there's no child care strategy. None. Blame this party on PMS, but also blame it on three leaders who may have kids but live in a fantasy world when it comes to raising their kids -- going to private school or those publicly funded schools with the best test scores; plus their provincial tax exemption on virtually everything as government employees. When are working people going to get a break?

As for seniors -- Pointy Head had to be literally bullied by the home care industry to raise the food allowance from about $5.40 per diem to $7. Funny Face is promising dignity for seniors who are in home care right now but I haven't heard anything from his campaign about the waiting lists and easing the burden on those who, like me, have to take care of ill parents or grandparents. And as for Rainy River ... maybe the smog from the paper mills in Fort Frances have done something to him, because pollution up north is just as bad for seniors as it is for those in the south. Nothing from him, either.

Little wonder why some are expecting a low turnout. Which is what the opponents of MMP are hoping for.

We can't let that happen. If there were minority parties besides the Old Guard, kids and seniors would be a top priority, not the lowest. We need MMP.

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Marion Jones admits truth -- 7 years too late

A few days ago -- before Marion Jones' bombshell guilty plea -- a certain athlete in a high profile sport made a rather interesting observation. Noting the suspension of one of his fellow teammates, he said that if that teammate had been tried in a court in the United States he would have been vindicated.

Found not guilty, perhaps -- not guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. But vindicated? That first athlete is living in a glass menagerie. But his view isn't that off-base. After all, Americans have long believed it's only the "foreigners" that cheat at the Olympics and World Championships -- Americans are too good for that.

Well of course, most Americans do play by the rules. But some do cheat -- and they cheat because they believe they won't get caught. They time their regimen of "treatments" and go to places like BALCO to take masking drugs to ensure they have the upper edge.

On the one hand, it's good to see Jones take responsibility for her actions. The other, though ... she lied, and that's the point. When her former boyfriend Tim Montgomery was caught cheating suspicion naturally also turned to her; and while I support the principle there should not be guilt by association without evidential proof, one naturally had to wonder. The Sydney Games' track and field events were supposed to be the stage for Cathy Freeman, the Australian Aboriginal who broke a lot of barriers for her people and other natives. But Jones stole the show with three golds and two bronze -- not entirely unexpected to be fair but people hope the best will act the best.

Sorry, but the "I thought it was linseed oil" defence just doesn't cut it. And the sad part is that with a mandatory two year ban (which could be made even longer if the circumstances warrant) Jones has also been banned from other sports; including her first love, basketball. That means she can't even work as a sportscaster; and who'd want to hire her anyway, after lying over and over again?

At least NASCAR at least takes it seriously, finally -- one driver, Aaron Fike in the truck contest as well as his teammate and fiancée Cassandra Davidson, both got an indefinite suspension back in July for using heroin (which can also be performance enhancing). But the governing body's drug policy is still ad hoc, and not compliant with the WADA code; which calls for a minimum two year suspension on a first offence. Until leadership comes at the top and NASCAR and the Big Four team sports adopts the world code, athletes of a lesser stature will continue to risk they won't be humiliated like Jones was.

And in the process, set a bad role model for kids; and endanger their own lives.

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What about the roads and the power lines, dudes?

With a few days to go before the election, I've noticed the one issue that seemed to dominate the discussion was education. Of course that's important; but in the Canadian federation provinces are much more than the "glorified municipalities" that was once spoken of dismissively by John A. Macdonald. So tonight I wanted to talk about two issues that seem to have gotten little notice; and what I hope to see no matter who comes out on top this Wednesday: Transportation and power.

On roads, I think there has been way too little discussion, and that's a big problem. Our roads here in Southern Ontario are way too clogged with commutes taking longer and longer (no surprise there); while up North they are appalling substandards and with no easy backups. Just witness the collapse of the Langford Bridge on Highway 11 a few years back and the chaos that caused -- with no alternate route between Timmins and North Bay, people and in particular truckers had to take a huge detour via 69 or 17 and 144 via Sudbury. Sure, the population is sparse; but surely people up North have the right to at least four lane divided highways if not a fully access-controlled road. 69 is slowly being twinned and will eventually become the 400 all the way from Parry Sound to Sudbury; while the 11 is on track to being doubled as well. Both -- by 2017.

But that leaves the 17 and the rest of 11, which for most of their lengths are a very dangerous two lane roads -- and our portions of the Trans-Canada; which has been twinned pretty much across the Prairies and half of BC, as well through Québec and the Maritimes. Why should Ontario be any different? And why should the North be made to suffer at the expense of us Southerners? I'd like to see the projects fast-tracked; on a design-build basis rather than tendering bits and pieces at a time.

As for us in the South -- pretty simple: Fast track HOV lanes and public transit projects. And get it done fast. Commuting downtown is bad enough; imagine those who have to drive for a living.

On power ... the old Ontario Hydro model seems so much better in hindsight. Publicly owned, from production through tranmission and delivery. The problem started in the 1990s when power rates were frozen. They really shouldn't have been. Someone was subsizing the system and we all know what happened. Deregulation hasn't been the disaster as it was in California; but it wasn't pleasant either. And we're still paying rates well below market.

Certainly, lower income people need help but I'm going to say two very unpopular things here: We need the monopoly back and we need to start paying the true cost of electricity. Not one basis point more or less.

We also need to be a net exporter of power again. That's exporter, not importer. We shouldn't have to beg Manitoba, Québec or the neighbouring US states for their electricity unless it's absolutely necessary; and even then only to cover gaps of a couple of hours at most. Too, we need to take a look at the full basket of options available; and while I reckon clean coal and nuclear will be part of the final package they should be what comes at the end, not at the front.

I haven't heard too much from the main parties on this. Why?

More in the coming days and what I wished had been the issues but weren't.

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Saved, but ...

Some great news, as all 3200 miners in the South Africa mining accident were rescued -- alive.

Of course, we should give thanks to God for that. But there's something about the business of mining that bothers me. We need the resources ... but it says a lot when 12 miners in West Virginia get killed in one explosion yet 60 or so are rescued when there's another explosion in Saskatchewan; 1000 miners die in Mainland China (where reporting on such accidents without government permission is punishable by death), yet thousands more are saved in a country with an even worse safety record?

Am I missing something here?

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Kenneth Copeland: The Cartoon

Here's a not-so humourous look at Kenneth Copeland's ministry -- in cartoon form, courtesy of the gang at Christian satire magazine Wittenburg Door. This you have to read. (HTML, PDF).

Remember who Copeland votes for. Not that a lot of mainstream churches are any better -- heck, I switched congregations (though not religions) after my parish priest drove around town in a Jaguar. I don't begrudge one car -- Copeland has 21, plus seven motorcycles; and he could just walk less than a mile to his studio but he doesn't. But does a preacher need a megachurch in the middle of nowhere, let alone a corporate jet we know for a fact has been used for more than just ministry business?

And even if his television ministry went bankrupt, he won't -- he's sitting on one of the richest oilfields in Texas.

Here's a challenge, the same one I and many other have issued to the prosperity gospel movement: If you truly believe in the hundred fold blessing, give all your possession -- minus the shirt on your back -- to the poor. Then see what happens.

Of course, it won't happen. And remember how nearly all of them vote. For a guy who decided yesterday to pick on someone smaller than him and take away their health insurance -- little children -- by vetoing an increase in the tobacco tax. Yes, suffer little children indeed.

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Mine accident in South Africa

3000 employees of a gold mine in South Africa have been trapped -- this happened when a pipe burst and cut power to an elevator cable. The mine operators insist everyone's okay and that they're going to lift their people out though an adjacent elevator -- just as soon as they get around to it -- and there's plenty of ventilation. The union says otherwise, that air is sparse and that this is going to be a colossal disaster.

One can only cross their fingers that it won't be. South Africa has an appalling safety record when it comes to mines, with the United States and Mainland China faring not that much better.

My father tells me that he was once offered a job in a mine but he refused saying he didn't want to "work under two skies" -- whatever that means. Although I'm beginning to get it.

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Montréal says "non" to ultra skinny

The catwalks in Montréal have announced they're joining a growing group of cities that are saying that they will ban models who don't fall within an acceptable Body Mass Index range; an attempt to discourage female teens and youths from becoming anorexic on purpose just so they "look good."

Of course this move must be applauded. What I'd rather see, however, are two things:

1) Celebrities tell the tabloids to go screw themselves, and start adopting healthier lifestyles for themselves. For better or worse, they are role models. It just sickens me that there's a race to see which current A-lister can be the next to join the Size Zero club; and there's even talk about negative sizes. Negative? I thought those sizes were reserved for people emaciated at death camps; a part of history that should have been declared "never again." Guess not.

2) The fashion industry as a whole attempt to cater to women -- and men -- of all shapes and sizes and promote clothes that make someone look good regardless of body mass. There will always be people who want to dress like it's a funeral every day, of course, but most want to look like they're "with it." But I guess overall, if people just felt like themselves rather than having to pretend they have to be someone else, we could start setting things the way they should be again.

Just my piece of mind this morning. I shall attempt to return to matters of greater importance tonight.

To paraphrase Edward Murrow: Good day, and good luck.

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Stupid commerical of the week (Oct 1-7)

Have you seen the latest advertisement for a certain mutual fund company who will not be named? In this one, we are actually expected to believe they invested in a mattress company because one of the investment board members remembered that the company had gotten patents worldwide for their latest invention -- unlike the others who thought the firm's market was just one country, Denmark.

How stupid do they think we are? For one thing, any idiot knows that a patent issued by one EU state is normally valid in the whole bloc -- and a market of 27 countries with about 450 million people is not something that's going to be easily missed. For another, the accent of the guy playing the guy running the company wasn't entirely convincing either -- it's hard to fake a Danish accent, or Finnish (remember the tire commercial from earlier this year, same investment firm).

Folks, read the prospectus, even if its reads like the manual for the space shuttle (sorry, it's a great rim shot line from Dave Chilton, the "Wealthy Barber".) Look into the companies they invest in even if you have to do some online research. Find out if they are the kinds of companies you like -- or even understand. Personally, I'd rather park my money in an index fund -- at least it's common knowledge what types of businesses are in the S&P 500, for instance; and the fees are way less which means more money in investor's pockets.

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Tory flip flops

Realizing just how radioactive the education funding issue has become for the people on his own ticket, John Tory is now saying if he's elected Premier of Ontario next year he'll allow a free vote on the question of if non-Catholic "faith-based" schools should get funds on an equal level to the public and Catholic systems. He'll also have a commission to look into the issue, hosted by none other than former Premier Bill Davis (oddly enough, the guy who refused to have equal funding for Catholic schools during the 1960s, yet as Premier went ahead with it in his final year).

He may think he's taken the issue off the table -- after all, if enough Conservatives express their opposition to the measure, he may just take the bill off the table and never have a vote at all.

But this flip-flop (just last Wednesday, he said there would be no free vote) is going to anger the social conservative base; who may decide to either stay at home or throw their vote to even more right-wing fringe parties.

Almost makes me wish we had the system they have in the NWT. Their election is today, and there are no parties and a consensus style of government.

It also raises more questions about his ability to govern. If he goes against his own platform in the final ten days of the hustings, what does that say about what he'll do if he comes from behind and wins? I'm still unhappy with McGuinty breaking some promises after he was elected, but this may be the first time I remember in Ontario that someone broke his or her word during the campaign. Running the CFL and running Ontario are two completely different things.

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