Two days before the election

            The election is two days away. During my week in the hot, sunny climate of undemocratic Cuba things changed in Canada. It seems the NDP surge in Quebec happened as I thought it would but it seems other parts of the country are going NDP. The Liberals are going down and the poles show the Orange (NDP) to be second. Will this translate into a significant number of seats? The BIG pole on Monday will tell the story. 

             Many people paint scenarios of what might happen. I'll stick with my original predication and go out on a limb further and suggest the Conservatives win the most seats but not a majority. The Liberals might swallow their pride and form a coalition with the NDP with Jack Layton as PM. Now that's a frightening prospect for Canada because we saw a similar coalition in Ontario in the 1990's. What a mess that was.

           The political careers of Mr. Ignatieff and Mr. Harper will be over shortly thereafter. Hopefully the Bloque Head party from Quebec will be finished but not likely. They'll find ways to milk the maudit Anglais of more bribe money like they have done for years.

           I can't go out further on the limb until the votes are counted. Pray that whatever the result the next government will be fiscally responsible.
           I'll talk about Cuba in another posting.

My Prediction

            The last week or so has given us wet, cloudy and cold weather. Lil and I are lucky because we made plans to go to Cuba way back in February not knowing that the spring would be late and the country inflicted with another federal election.

           We leave tomorrow morning very early and I'll be back in a week in time to vote. I've always been what is called a Progressive Conservative and as such have never supported the "natural governing party" as they used to call it, that is the Liberal Party. Hence, my views have had no impact on government policy or action. 

           Since I'll miss the next week of politicking I'll make my predictions based on gut feelings and the experience of a lifetime.

           I expect the election will result in a disappointment for Mr. Harper. The large block (excuse the pun) of seats in Quebec will split between the NDP and the Bloque. I've seen vast shifts of voting in Quebec over the years but seldom in support of the Tories.

           Ontario may yield more blue seats but people here, like me, are uncomfortable with Mr. Harper's style of one man rule. He may have the best interests of Canada in mind but I feel he is influenced by thinking common in born again right wing mid west Americans. It's possible many voters in Western Canada share that view but I doubt it except in Alberta.

           British Columbia is more liberal (small l) than most of the country and not likely to vote as a block. The same will apply in the Atlantic Region. That means each of the parties will win a share of seats.

          The chances of the Liberals winning the most seats but not a majority is better than 50 percent and that in coalition with the NDP will form the government. I hope the Bloque will be wiped out.

          On the other hand the Conservatives may win a small majority of seats and form the government. I'd say chances are 40 per cent. Mr. Harper will be disappointed at best.

          Now I'm on the record. We'll see if I have to eat these words.

Environment Protection

The ongoing election does not include a discussion on the Environment. The last election was lost on the basis of a proposed Carbon Tax. The Conservative Government that followed took a position that it would follow the dictates of its Washington confreres and do nothing. The Americans had been trying to maintain or improve their natural areas and of course Canadian governments have done some of the same.

       The Green Belt around the Greater Toronto Area is an example of progressive environmental legislation that is hated by landowners and developers. There are similar tracks of protected land in many American States BUT they are now under attack by Republican Governors and the Tea Party. Here is an excerpt from a piece in the Huffington Post;

"David Guest, the managing attorney for the Florida office of Earthjustice, a national environmental law firm, said Governor Scott’s budget was “the most radical anti-environmental budget” he had seen in two decades of environmental work. Comparing Mr. Scott’s proposed changes with those of Florida’s previous Republican governors, including Jeb Bush, he called them “a whole new world.”
The strategies have been similar across the affected states: cut budgets and personnel at regulatory agencies, prevent the issuing of new regulations, roll back land conservation and, if possible, eliminate planning boards that monitor, restrict or permit building development."

The chances are national and provincial Conservative Canadian governments will follow the leadership of their friends in the GOP and the Tea Party. Developers will be thrilled when the Green Belt is reduced in size and eventually eliminated. Our grandchildren will not know the beauty of nature unless the travel far away and as the price of gasoline is skyrocketing it may not be possible to travel. I suppose the developers will build museums to show what we once took for granted.

The Big Debate

I'm watching the televised debate. What a waste of prime time TV. Four ass holes carrying on as if they are in question period in the Commons. Why do we have to listen to M. Doucette? He has nothing to say to Canada outside and likely inside Quebec.

Mr. Ignatieff has not made a good point. He continues the bickering and yacks about respect and so on. He's almost like Ducette in making noise but with no light.

It is too bad that Ignatieff can't pick up the tempo of what the Liberals would do to deal with important issues. 

Ducette only speaks about Quebec, Why the fuck is he there on a national platform. Mr Layton is an intelligent man but he is caught up in the bickering too.

What a waste of time.

Pity Canada.

Just thinking out loud

It's April 2011. Spring should be here any day now but today was a spring like day. It's funny in a way what has happened on the web since I created my first web page. Web pages were new then but now they're just commercial vehicles to advertise and sell stuff. I ordered $200 worth of stuff from Tiger Direct today on the web. Good old Pay Pal makes it easy to pay for the stuff.
          Getting back to where I was the web has changed so much  since Facebook, Twitter and Blog sites like this one have appeard. I have a web site that I updated to describe the Condo Building I live in. It doesn't attract much traffice so I made a Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/village terraces condos hoping to encourage feedback with other residents.  There hasn't been much luck yet although some people fear negative things might be posted. Hey, that might be great since it would be a sign people look in from time to time.
             I'm watching a very good friend write a blog about her personal life. It is a way to vent her frustrations and to express herself in private. Maybe it is private, I hope so since what goes on the web stays on the web in some form or another. The redeeming feature is she is not publicizing it and it won't be easy to stumble across in a web world of millions of blogs. I won't disclose the web address. I don't think I could post my personal thoughts on this blog even though no one will likely see them.
            I've published books on the web and some people have even seen them and my old web site still has many of the things I posted over there years. Try www.isoman.com and go to the bottom of page one for some links.
              My dear wife has suffered with severe back pains dues to sciatica and disk problems for quite some time. She came to the conclusion that an electric adjustable bed might help her sleep so we got one. Tonight is the first night. Tomorrow morning we'll see how it worked. It better be good cause those beds are expensive.
             We were on a cruise in the Caribbean in February on a beautiful ship called the MSC Poesia. It was our first time on one of the large cruise ships and it was a delightful experience. However, we'll be going back to Cuba later this month for our biannual visit. We were there in October last year. I'll go scuba diving again and visit the coral reefs and my fishy friends.
             I suppose, if your stayed with it this far, you are ready to quit so I'll stop now to show mercy.
Ciao

Election in Canada

The election campaign is in its second week. The fur is flying and the flaws in each party are showing. The Conservatives only speak to Conservatives at party rallies. They don't let the public in because someone might say something wrong. Other parties don't have much to say although the Liberals are trotting out old chestnuts from previous elections. Who cares what the NDP and Greens have to say!! The Blockhead party has nothing for Canadians so the only issues are between the platforms of the Liberals and Conservatives. Did I say platforms? No, platforms mean nothing after the election. They are outbidding each other with promises using tax payer money. Same old thing, just a different year.

It's a shame no candidate has a vision to make Canada a better country, a  world leader and free from the eagle claws of our southern neighbour.

It is interesting to note that the Americans now have Predator robot aircraft flying along the Canadian border spying into Canadian territory. You can bet your last loonie they are not watching Americans but are looking at pinko Canadians driving to Tim Hortons for a double double. Did you know that Americans are still told the 9/11 terrorists entered the US from Canada. At one time both nations were proud of our undefended border but it is likely most Americans had no knowledge about it or that Canada even existed.

Election in Canada

April 2, 2011 Spring may finally be coming to our small part of the world. The sun is gleaming off the surface of Lake Ontario outside my window and streaming into the room warming my bare arm. What could be better! We have an election happening in Canada at the moment. The voting will be in a month and I’m going to go out on a limb. First, I have become disenchanted with the Conservative Party led by Stephen Harper. The party is run by hacks trying to create a myth that Mr. Harper is Mr. Canada and the rest of his candidates are irrelevant. They seem to have become Tea Par-tiers a la USA. The main opposition is the Liberal party led by Mr. Ignatieff who has not distinguished himself yet. Other parties squawk and squeak uselessly except the Quebec separatist Bloc head party which has no interest in Canada in total and focus only on one segment of the country to the detriment of the rest. They will likely hold the balance of power and deprive either major party of a majority. It is most likely the result of the election will be another minority, largely thanks to the Blok heads and could be a Liberal minority. The chances are the NDP will join with the Liberals to form a coalition even though that is a dirty word at this point in the process. I don’t think the Conservatives could form a coalition with the NDP or the Bloc but Stephen Harper will try if he has too. He’s the ultimate pragmatist with very little self respect while grasping for power. We’ll see in another month.