Grey in Black and White

The Next Liberal Party Leader?

2009-11-28T07:42:00.000-05:00

Government by the Conservatives no longer feels like a temporary aberration from the natural order of the universe. And it's getting harder for the Liberals to play the "Harper is scary" card.

The Liberals may hang onto Iffy, but if they don't, I suspect they will be looking for a white knight; that fabled leader who through personal charisma alone can turn their fortunes. And maybe I'm mistaken, but I'll bet they stake all on Justin Trudeau. There are others who are a bigger threat to the Conservatives, but having failed twice I don't think the Liberals will look for a steady hand who can rebuild the party, but someone they can rally their hearts towards.

Wondering about the Rumour

2009-11-23T21:21:00.002-05:00

There is a rumour going around the Internet that the American ambassador is in negotiations to hand several provinces over to the Taliban, including Kandahar where Canadian soldiers are stationed. I hope this is completely unfounded, given how many Canadians have died to hold Kandahar away from the Taliban. It would be the height of arrogance for the U.S. ambassador to be holding such talks, and would make a mockery of the sacrifice of so many Canadians. I guess we'll know in a couple of days.

The missing ingredient

2009-11-09T17:40:00.002-05:00

I got an email today from someone who was quoting Anthony Robbins, saying that the only thing holding you back is your imagination and commitment. Of course Robbins didn't say anything about intellect, because most people don't have enough of that and would like to think that if they can just dream bigger dreams they'll be successful. Sorry folks, but chances are you aren't smart enough to be a brain surgeon.

Responsibility Exists in Alberta

2009-11-04T21:42:00.002-05:00

My hat is off to the government of Alberta. After news broke that the Calgary Flames hockey team jumped the priority line and got vaccinated in a private clinic, the most senior decision maker in this process was fired.

Harsh? Not if you believe in the broken window theory. The theory says that once a few windows are broken in a building, people will break the rest. And it applies not only to vandalism but also to any other sort of social breakdown. Applied to the present situation, people will wait until the highest priority people are vaccinated and will stand in lines for hours... provided they are assured that the system applies equally to all people. But once they believe there is favoritism, the social veneer comes off and it is every man for himself. And who can blame them. If anti-social behaviour is rewarded, who will continue to act in a civilized manner?

In any case, Alberta took strong and appropriate action.

More on the Flu

2009-11-03T20:47:00.002-05:00

I can handle the fact that I am not part of the priority targeted group. I don't mind waiting my turn. Well, I wouldn't mind waiting my turn if it were not for the line jumpers. The local hospital immunized their staff, plus whatever staff spouses and children showed up. The hospital said they struggled with an ethical question, but decided to vaccinate the relatives because the care givers would be unavailable to work if their family members were sick. Uh huh. Sounds more to me like they just didn't want to say no to their friends.

And then there are the Calgary Flames, who not only got a vaccination but didn't need to stand in line with the plebes. Yup, a private clinic. And no, they are not part of the priority group but they still got their vaccination. After all, hockey players are important, not like the rest of us.

Frankly, my opinion is that the people making these decisions should be fired. On the spot. Just maybe the rest would learn.

October 31, 1517

2009-10-31T20:04:00.000-04:00

Just wishing everyone a very happy Reformation Day.

H1N1 vaccination

2009-10-31T14:14:00.002-04:00

At the moment, it looks like the H1N1 vaccination program is a mess. Let's lay aside a discussion of the vaccine supply. After all, the Federal government has purchased enough doses for everyone and the delivery schedule is a factor of the manufacturing process.

So let's concentrate on the factors that we do have some control over. First, there is effective communication as to who gets priority. I've heard different messages from different levels of government, including the municipal, the medical officer of health and the province.

Part of the confusion is how people are treated when they show up for the vaccine. The local news is running stories that the target population is under 5 years of age, but that no child is being turned away. That sends a message that we have no target population, and that it's A-OK to just show up. Federal politician Hedy Fry didn't help when she suggested that Parliament Hill should have its own immunization clinic.

Then there is how the actual implementation is organized. Some people stand in lines for hours. Some are given a ticket with a number. Some pick up extra tickets for family members. Some are told to come back at a certain time.

And by the way, it seems to be a problem that cuts across political divisions. In Ottawa we have a left leaning municipal government, a Liberal provincial government and a Conservative federal government.

There needs to be a single source of information, and a single plan. The plan needs to be clear on how the clinics will be run and who will and will not get the first doses of vaccine (with no exceptions).

By the way, H1N1 is a trial case and we've clearly blown it. The fatality rate of H1N1 is low (I saw 0.5%). If the fatality rate was 5%, we'd be seeing massive social disorder. People can live with a message that they must wait, but they can't live with a message that sometimes line jumpers will be accommodated.

Conservative Dinner

2009-10-30T14:50:00.002-04:00

Last night I was out at the annual Fall supper for my Conservative EDA. There was an excellent meal at the local Holiday Inn, but the highlight was a speech my Senator Mike Duffy. Duffy was for many years a journalist with CTV. He was known as one of the smartest men in journalism, and indeed it turns out that he is a very funny speaker. He didn't say anything last night that the Liberal Party could latch onto in a vague attempt at scandal, but he certainly was a conservative's conservative. One of the highlights was his list of firsts for the Conservative Party (such as the first to elect a Muslim MP, first to elect a Hindu MP, introduced simultaneous translation into the House of Commons, etc). I wish I could remember the whole list.

Also present was Laureen Harper. She was as warm and friendly as ever, and in addition to being a tremendous political asset for the Prime Minister, is a really nice person.

More Attempts at Justice

2009-10-24T06:49:00.003-04:00

Sucker punch a drunk from behind who is walking away from you, kill him, get a stern warning about how serious the crime is plus an apology that the sentence actually includes jail time. Two years less a day. Would you believe that justice was served if it was your son who had been killed?

Statistics on Paying Taxes

2009-10-16T17:39:00.003-04:00

Here are some interesting statistics. In 2006, 0.7% of Canadian taxpayers paid 20.9% of the taxes. 23% of taxpayers paid 78% of the taxes. And 32% of taxpayers paid no income tax at all.

From a practical viewpoint, it means that politicians who call upon the wealthy to "pay their fair share" are populists of the ignorant or lying variety.

It also means that a political party can't win by calling for income tax cuts, because 32% of the electorate will see nothing in it for them, and 77% of the electorate will see little in it for them.

Economically it means the poor don't need tax cuts; they need an economy that generates better paying jobs. Someone who is making $10/hr and paying no taxes doesn't need a tax cut. He needs a job that pays $15/hr, of which $1/hr goes into taxes.

Finally, it means that we had better not lose too many of those 0.7% people to places that have lower tax rates.

Last Night of the Proms

2009-09-22T20:22:00.003-04:00

I had it in my calendar, planned to watch it via the BBC, and forgot!

So I'm watching some clips. The highlight of course is "Rule Britannia". And as is traditional, there were many flags waving. The Union Jack of course, but also St. Georges flag. And I can understand why the Australian flag was waving. The Royal Air Force Ensign has a proud history, and certainly belonged. The German flag was there (no doubt in tribute to the House of Hanover, though that line "The nations, not so blest as thee, Must, in their turns, to tyrants fall" has got to sting). But why was the guy in Hyde Park flying the Jolly Roger? Maybe the only flag we had? Maybe a political statement? Maybe drunk? But alas, we'll never know.

You got to wonder...

2009-09-22T17:47:00.002-04:00

You got to wonder how some people stay in business. There is a local pizza place that we haven't ordered from in a long time. We're a little under the weather, so I thought we would order some pizza from them. Since the kids like cheese pizza, I asked if they could take their "2 pizzas with 3 toppings each" and put all the toppings on one of the pizzas. The answer was no. They could make sure that one of the pizzas had cheese and the other had 3 toppings. They told me they could pile all the toppings on one side of the pizza. But as for 0 toppings on one and 6 on the other, that wasn't possible. So I politely thanked them and told them I would order from somewhere else. So I phoned mega-chain-pizza-company and they said it was no problem. I threw out the flyer from the other place. Thanks guys, you had your chance.

Will We Ever Learn

2009-09-13T22:40:00.002-04:00

Starting under Clinton, the U.S. Government pursued policies that encouraged banks to offer loans to people who really couldn't afford houses. Government was happy, because it could point to a great success. Individuals were happy, because they thought they could afford homes. Banks became happy, and adjusted to the new reality. Unfortunately it wasn't reality. It was a socialist inspired dream, that government policy could flaunt the laws of economics and make life better for the poorest in society.

Last forward to 2009. To get the economy moving again, the U.S. Government has offered incentives for people to buy new cars. And the program has been insanely popular. The only problem is that 1/4 of buyers are having second thoughts on whether they can afford the shiny new cars they just bought. The lesson of course is that governments, by intervening in the market, usually do it in a way that is both popular with the people, and in a way that will ultimately make life more difficult for the poor.

Please understand that I am not saying we should abandon all social programs! But the more a government tries the flaunt the laws of economics, the more it ends up hurting the poor. Socialism ultimately leeches away the vitality of a system that generates increasing wealth for all, and replaces it with a system that simply redistributes ever decreasing wealth.

Loblaws Supply Chain

2009-09-10T19:41:00.002-04:00

Loblaws is up to old tricks with their supply chain. Which is to say they haven't fixed it, in the half-decade its been giving them troubles. Case in point, our local "Real Canadian Super Store". They have about 30 boxes of patio furniture piled up. Sorry, but the summer is over. It would take a massive sale to move them. Maybe they'll leave them piled up beside the building until Spring.

Don't get me wrong. In many ways I like the Loblaws chain. I think they are doing a whole bunch of things wrong with the RCSS brand, but the big thing is their supply chain. Trying to sell patio furniture and barbecues after Labour Day? Running out of meat on a regular basis? Looks like something needs a shaking up. Good luck to them. I wish them the very best.

Harper must reach out

2009-09-03T21:11:00.001-04:00

Jack Layton is saying that if Harper wants to avoid an election, he must "reach out". I think this Layton speak for "spend lots of tax payers money on socialist projects."

Natural Law and the Ignorance Defence

2009-08-12T21:51:00.001-04:00

We say that ignorance of the law is no defense. For example, if a man is charged with murder he can't claim that he didn't know it was wrong. This is based on the idea of Natural Law, that the dictates of God are written on the conscience. But our society is moving away from this, towards arbitrary law based on a Constitution. So... if we no longer believe the requirements of justice are written on our hearts, does that mean that ignorance is now a defense?

It's not TV

2009-07-17T22:59:00.003-04:00

Sometimes you wonder if our opinion of the criminal "justice" system is coloured by television. On TV, people are always getting off on technicalities. But that couldn't be real life, could it?

Today the Supreme Court of Canada threw out a drug conviction against a man. The police pulled over his SUV, he was driving with a suspended license, and when the cop searched his SUV the cop found 35 kg of cocaine.

Now I don't believe random searches are justified in a free society, but this guy was already committing a crime by driving with a suspended sentence.

Apparently I am not Supreme Court material. I'm just surprised that our judges didn't order the police to return his "private property" (a.k.a. the cocaine).

It's not just TV folks. The people in our top court truly are on the loony left, making crazy decisions for what they think are higher motives.

Homeschooling

2009-07-11T13:37:00.002-04:00

And people really worry about whether home schoolers will develop enough social skills. Actually, in the sphere of education, this is not one of the biggest worries.

Obama

2009-07-04T07:08:00.002-04:00

I'm not a big fan of the policies of President Obama. However I just read something that said Obama tries very hard to pronounce the names of people and places correctly, even including phonetic spellings in his notes and briefings. I'd like to complement Obama for this. Pronouncing names and places incorrectly is an insult, while taking the time to pronounce correctly is praiseworthy.

Salaries

2009-07-02T19:03:00.002-04:00

The list of salaries of White House staff has been released. No surprise at the top of the list; the Chief of Staff makes the mandated maximum of $172K. But surprisingly the Senior Presidential Speechwriter makes $65K and two others make $45K. There are a couple of other speechwriters who make a bit more, and have "Director" in their title, but frankly this is a pittance considering the kinds of hours these guys work and the overall responsibility.

Whining

2009-06-29T23:13:00.002-04:00

I guess it was inevitable. Bernie Madoff, whose $50 billion ponzie scheme collapsed and took out the life savings of thousands of individuals and the endowments of hundreds of major charities, was sentenced to 150 years in prison. That was not inevitable. I'm surprised that he got a real sentence. What was inevitable is that some have already started whining that 150 years is too harsh a sentence. After all, they argue, it's not as if he did anything violent. Personally I think "Life Imprisonment" should mean just that, for a whole range of violent crimes. But Bernie got what he deserved. If you steal billions and destroy the confidence of millions of people in our economic system, why should you ever get out of prison?

I'm Wondering About Priorities

2009-06-27T06:48:00.003-04:00

For the last 3 days, all the news headlines have been about Michael Jackson's death. I agree that his death is worth a news mention. He was very talented, albeit disturbed. But 3 days of headlines? Surely we could realize that other stories are more newsworthy! The United States is tracking a North Korean ship which may carry fissile materials. North Korea has threatened war if it is stopped. Protests in Iran continue, and the death count could go into the hundreds as a brutal regime cracks down. I've even heard rumours that the Patriarch of the Ethiopian Church is planning on revealing the Ark of the Covenant, which if true would be the story of the century. So what does the news devote itself to? King Michael is dead.

Just Everyday

2009-06-26T20:59:00.003-04:00

My oldest asked me how long it's been since I posted on my blog, and the answer is "almost a month". Seems like there is little time for detailed postings. I spend what little time I have doing short Facebook updates.

However there is always lots happening. We just got back from a short vacation in Niagara Falls and Toronto. The Great Wolf Lodge is a really great place to stay when you have children. The indoor water park is the big draw, but the food is actually very good too.

We bought a Tassimo coffee maker. I just enjoyed a decent home made cappuccino, for about 50 cents. It also makes tea and hot chocolate. I might be up all night, but at least I'll have a smile on my face.

I'm trying to spend more time reading in the evenings, rather than surfing the web. I have a bunch of half-read books on my bookshelf, and I am trying to finish them off one by one. Likewise I am studying the Gospel of Luke, in preparation for some upcoming sermons. I've done expository preaching through Hebrews and Romans, but never one of the Gospels. I'm looking forward to it.

Since coming back from vacation last Monday, I've been sick. I have a cold with a dry cough, and each day I'm a bit worse. I came home early today (though realistically I put in enough extra hours each week that I shouldn't feel guilty). I canceled a sermon out of town for this coming Sunday, because I suspect my voice would not hold out. No fever so it's not the flu.

Work continues to be very heavy. I am the Technical Project Manager and Test Manager for a relatively new product. The good news, career wise, is that I am working at a higher level than ever before (making higher level decisions) and feel like I've had a graduate degree in how to manage software projects over the last couple of years. Also good is the fact that my product is on the verge of widespread acceptance. The bad news is that there is just too much to do, though now I'm able to start sharing the load.

Finally, I need to do more around the yard. The lawn needs work, the fence needs painting, the driveway should be sealed, etc. Just normal everyday life...

Canadian Conservativism

2009-05-30T07:32:00.001-04:00

A friend from High School took an online quiz, and was surprised to find the political leader she most identified with was Ronald Reagan. She is not someone who would vote for a conservative political candidate and yet, if the quiz is accurate, is more conservative than she realizes. I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and would like to put this in the context of Canadian politics.

Conservatives come in many genres. There are philosophical conservatives, theological conservatives, social conservatives and fiscal conservatives. But my friend doesn’t necessarily fall into any of these categories. So where does that place her? I would like to argue that there is a fifth type of conservativism which is often ignored, which I will term the “hearth and home conservative”.

A philosophical conservative is one who has immersed himself in conservative political theory. He has read the major authors on conservative theory, and is comfortable debating the ideas of major philosophers throughout the last couple millennia. Unlike fiscal conservatives (and to a lesser degree, social conservatives) he sees political ideas more in terms of right and wrong than in terms of effective or ineffective. For example, it doesn’t matter to him whether the country can afford to spend $60+ billion in economic stimulus; for the philosophical conservative it’s still wrong due to the long term affect on people’s attitudes.

Philosophical conservatives will tend to vote for the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) for want of a better option. Better options would include various “fringe parties”. Philosophical conservatives are relatively rare and so deliver a smaller number of votes and manpower to assist in elections. The amount of money that they would deliver to a campaign would be smaller still due to the wide range of conservative causes to support, and due to an attitude of “I’ll give my vote for a lack of a better option, but I’m not happy and I won’t give my money.” Pragmatically speaking, there is little point in the CPC courting philosophical conservatives; they are too few in number and adopting their program would alienate huge numbers of voters in the center. Still, every party should have a philosophical foundation.

Theological conservatives are largely represented by self-identified Christians (including evangelical Christians and observant Roman Catholics), though devout Muslims, Jews and Hindus could someday be considered part of this category. Theological conservatives have a philosophical basis for their conservativism, which would be referred to as “special revelation”. Special revelation refers to a divinely given revelation, typically codified in a book. Theological conservatives have several significant differences from philosophical conservatives. First, their conservativism is based on the acceptance of their book, rather than on a philosophical consideration of major schools of thought. Theological conservatives also make up one of the larger voting blocks in the country. For example, a Macleans poll on religion suggested that 7% of Canadians are “born again Christians”. While this represents about half the percentage of born again Christians as the United States, it is still a large potential block of support.

One can argue that the CPC has been effective in mobilizing theological conservatives. Within evangelical churches, a surprising number of members have become CPC members. They may not talk about politics, but they have become more politically active in recent years and are providing their votes, their money and their time to the CPC. The challenge for the CPC will be to make sure that these supporters do not walk away. Theological conservatives in Canada are surprising politically mature. They do not expect an unimpeded march towards theocracy, and indeed the vast majority of them do not want theocracy. They believe in a division between church and state, but as Richard John Neuhaus once said, they “do not believe in mutual ignorance.” Theological conservatives believe they have ideas which will benefit their society as a whole. I would argue that if the theological conservatives go away, the CPC will not be able to win elections. The bad news is theological conservatives feel the CPC has not delivered much on their agenda. The good news is that this situation could be easily turned around. And even better news is that devout Jews (who have historically voted Liberal), Muslims, and Hindus could be added to the ranks of CPC supporters.

Social conservatives fall into a different category than theological conservatives. Though many of their ideas overlap, they must be considered separately. Social conservatives have conservative ideas about how society should be structured, but have less of a philosophical basis than others. They are more concerned with what works effectively, rather than philosophical right and wrong. While they may pronounce on matters of moral right and wrong, there is no overall foundational basis for their beliefs. One result is that each issue must be decided on a case by case basis, though in practice social conservatives can adopt a block of issues that they and their friends support.

Because social conservatives decide issues on a case by case basis, the CPC runs less chance to losing all of them (or gaining all of them) dramatically. For theological conservatives, it is much easier to make an all or nothing decision to back the CPC or ignore politics altogether. For social conservatives there is a wider range of opinion.

Fiscal conservatives form the backbone of most conservative movements. This is because it is easier to subscribe to fiscal conservativism rather than the others I have mentioned. Likewise, fiscal conservativism is an easier sell than the others. In practice this means that a pragmatic political party will often act in a fiscally conservative and socially liberal manner, so as to obtain more votes from the center. The other types of conservatives are left consoling themselves that things will get better, but feeling like they are ignored and used.

Fiscal conservatives can also be a shifting base of support for the CPC, because it is well known that the Liberal Party of Canada tends to campaign from the left and rule to the right. Essentially this means that the fiscal conservatives and social liberals tend to get along well in Liberal circles. It also means that fiscal conservatives who are left learning on social issues (a.k.a. Red Tories) can feel comfortable swinging their vote to the Liberals.

So that is an analysis of the traditional types of conservatives. But now we come to a type of conservative which has been historically ignored. This is the “hearth and home conservative”. The H&H conservative does not self-identify with any of the previous categories, and indeed may vote for any of the major political parties. But in their personal decisions, the H&H conservative aligns their life with the traditional types of conservativism. While distaining any attempt to suggest a course of action for others, the H&H conservative chooses to make very conservative decisions on a personal basis.

How is this lived out in a practical way? The H&H conservative may not respond well to a traditional “law and order” platform, but personally be very supportive of having additional police patrolling the neighbourhood. Likewise, H&H conservatives may reject doctrinaire defenses of “traditional families” but will respond well to specific policies which they can see as being family friendly. So the key to reaching this audience in a campaign is to avoid making doctrinaire statements, but to propose a series of practical policies that ring true in their gut. The good news is that there are a lot of H&H conservatives out there. Even better, most of them are swing voters, whose support the CPC could pick up. And many are women, in a demographic that the CPC has had a hard time winning over in a sustainable way. It should be noted however that the H&H conservatives will provide votes, but will be unlikely to provide money or manpower to help in a campaign.

Isaiah 53

2009-05-23T09:35:00.001-04:00

I've been thinking about Isaiah 53 this week, and what it meant for Christ, what it meant for the Father and what it means for us. I'm finding it helpful to go through it with one audience in mind and pick out the individual words that are applicable to each audience.