Over the past 4 days we have seen the idiots that everyone had predicted would show up to “Protest??” the G20 summit meeting in Toronto. But these are not the fools of which I speak. No I am talking about the talking heads on TV and the men (or women) on the street who are being interviewed for their perspective of the entire affair. Was this event worth it? Were the police to abrasive? Were the police to soft? Were the police too late in taking action against the violent protesters? Sample some of the answers; - “No it wasn’t worth it we could have given the money to the Indians or the poor and homeless.” Funny they never say “we could have cut taxes or reduced the deficit”. How about the comment about the police being too abrasive because they arrested so many people or because they used tear gas? – “Yeh da cops were big bullies pushing everybody around and arresting innocent bystanders” Of course they were and what would you have done if Molotov cocktails and bricks were being thrown at you? Probably run like a deer. –“ Da police were too soft on these criminals I would have hammered them with my nightstick after I shot them” Funny this is a sentiment held by many albeit silently. “Yeh the coppers waited too long before they clamped down on these hoodlums”. Of course they did, they should have waded right in and locked everybody up and put them in the Rogers Center until the summit was over. Boy would the “Civil rights” dudes have had a field day. I can never figure out why they go through this process of analyzing an event like this with a bunch of people that have no idea of what the purpose of the summit was or what it is like to be on riot duty during one of these violent escapades. Why is their opinion even relevant? One of the stupidest comments is the one that states “they are trained to be spit on and duck when broken bottles are thrown at them”. Well you should have been trained to keep your mouth shut so as not to offend anyone’s sensibilities! And what about the reporters on the street who run around inside the mob and then get offended when they are arrested along with the bad guys? “ I had my press badge on”! Oh I see and a terrorist couldn’t make a fake press badge and carry a mike to slip by the cops?? This isn’t news. I would rather see and hear from the individual cops and learn about the challenges they faced and about the wonderful job they did in such difficult circumstances. About handling rioters who were out to maim them while being under the watchful eye of the media and those who are looking for any opportunity to criticize them. These people are heroes and should be lauded for their efforts. Most of them are family people that have been locked up away from their loved ones for days on end while this event was taking place. No we can’t do that because it would show some sort of favouritism towards the police and that is taboo in the world of political correctness. Instead we get to hear from those “experts” on the street that have such a wealth of knowledge to pass on or the TV news people that have so much experience in the trenches. Sorry I’ll pass and get my update from Peter Worthington a man I can trust.

Today I heard several people making jokes about the Premier of Ontario's latest tax grab (HST) since he has been in power and it reinforced the image of the ever subserviant Canadians who get in line and accept anything and everything the Liberal government does. No hue and cry from the special interest groups or the big unions, particularly the public service types who never fear tax increases because they know that they can still negotiate their wage and benefit increases with little or no resistance from the Liberal administrations of the day. Those that earn a decent wage in this Province have at least 50% taken from them in taxes and at least another 10% gobbled up in user fees (licences etc), obscene levies on (sin) products such as liquor and tobacco and the 40% paid at the pumps for fuel. Yet all we can do is moan and whine or make jokes about the tax and spend group now in charge. Where are the voices of common sense and reason who see the waste and mismanagement of our hard earned dollars? The so-called silent majority who still have values and believe we should be a free Country of individuals not a collection of special interest groups trying to get their slice of the pie without a thought to the rest of the citizenry. When these people kicked Bob Rae and his incompetent minions out of office in the 90's we all thought that Mike Harris would get the Province's finances in order again and he almost did before the Liberal media, the big Public Service Unions and other special interest groups finally bombarded the uninformed masses with lies and spin in order to get them back in line so they would elect the Liberal junket we now see at Queen's Park. Harris passed a law requiring the government tp balance the budget before politicians could vote themselves raises for example but McGuinty rescinded this law almost immediately. Harris tried to get the Health Care System reorganized in order to curb the ever rising cost and the ever diminishing services. The unions, associations (doctors etc) fought tooth and nail against any cuts his government tried to pass. Even though everyone agreed that something had to be done they just didn't want to be the ones who suffered the cuts. He transferred the education responsibility from the local municipalities onto the Provincial Government so he could try and curb the waste in this area and keep the taxes down but again he faced the large and powerful Teachers unions who vilified him daily in the media, and who by the way eagerly joined in the fun. Mike Harris was voted into office because of his "Common Sense" policies but once again common sense be damned if it ventures into my back yard. Maybe he tried to do too much who knows, but eventually the constant drumbeat of negativity made people crave peace so they sold their souls to get it. Since McGuinty has been in office this Province has seen the highest tax increases ever levied on its citizens and yet all we can do is quietly moan and joke about it. Our manufacturing base under the Liberals has eroded so much that Ontario is now a "have not" Province under the rules of Confederation. Once the engine that drove the Country, "can you believe it?" Mike Harris was a brave man who tried to do right by his Province but today he is painted as a troublemaker who made enemies of the bloodsuckers in our society. He tried to revamp welfare by eliminating fraud and introducing accountability to the taxpayers for the money they doled out to every Tom Dick and Harry that requested it. Well people, you got what you wanted "Peace". There are no big battles anymore because the Libs just cave into the big public sector unions and the special interests groups who will stimulate the news media to get their way. It now may cost you several thousands of dollars a year more but hey the teachers and other government employees are happy. The question is "How long before we can find another man of principle like Harris who is willing to withstand the visciousness and partisanship in order to save our Province?" If only I was younger.....................................

When you were a teenager I bet you heard from your parents this famous phrase, "While you are living in my house and I am taking care of you my rules must be followed." And rightly so because you are not an adult, have little to no experience, no money and no job to earn a living. And yet when you become an adult, begin attaining experience, have a job and can support yourself why do you want to turn over your freedom to a "mother" state? Before you pooh pooh this statement let's think about how you have done this over the past 100 years. Old Age Pension was the first major program sponsored by the Government in which they required you and your employer to pay into a fund which would provide you with some funds when you hit 65. Next came the Canada Pension Plan that also required you to pay into a fund to reap some benefits when you hit retirement age. I would suggest to you that if you took this same money and put it into a private plan you would be reaping much better benefits than the few hundred dollars a month that the government sends people. It is impossible for anyone to live on this paltry amount but you had no choice and as any insurance or investing scheme would do the government itself invested this money. Now because its government I can't tell you that they made a lot of interest on it but the point is that they made the rule and you had to abide by it. Next is the Health Care Plan that everyone raves about until they need it, particularly at an older age and they find out you are bound by many rules and really have little or no choices (loss of freedom). If you want to choose a doctor forget it, there is a massive shortage of doctors (government created) and you are lucky to find one (Almost 3 million people are without doctors). Because of socialized medicine many laws have also been incorporated purporting that it is for your own good. While it may be the case, you have still lost the choice for instance, to smoke inside everywhere except in your own house. This is because you may get cancer and the Social Health Care system will be burdened with the cost of caring for you. The law regarding seatbelts and motorcycle helmets are in place for the same reason. At one point in time you were free to smoke, drive without seatbelts and go helmetless on a Harley because it didn't infringe on anyone else's freedoms. The smoking ban has gotten so ridiculous in Ontario that you can't even see the products on the store shelves because of government infringements on our rights. Remember I'm not arguing the merits of doing any of these things I am explaining that you have lost the freedom to do so even if you chose to. Because it is very costly to administer all of the many laws that are "for your own good" the government then needed money so they legalized theft. To do this they created taxes. Now look at this in a simple manner. If a man came into your house with a gun and took your money that would be theft. This is what the government does without the gun (they call it the tax code) but it is still theft. The freedom to keep the money you earned has been lost and if you try and retain any more than they say you will quickly be put in jail. The worst part of this "Nanny State" is that it creates more and more "adult kids" that need to be taken care of by the government. Sooner or later when a larger portion of the population become dependants rather than suppliers of tax revenue guess what will happen?

The key difference between Canada, Europe and the United States are the principles their respective nations follow in order to manage their society. Canada and Europe, while starting with “Individualism” in the 1800’s have evolved into a form of “Collectivism” over the past 200 years. The USA has remained steadfast in its belief in “Individualism” but with the latest left wing regime now in power it appears they are joining the rest of the world in the belief that the “group” is more important than the individual. Let’s look at the differences. If society embraces the individual, a person can enjoy the widest range of freedoms and decision making power over their own lives with very little interference from their government or anyone else for that matter. The government’s purpose is 1) to establish and maintain common sense laws that allow a society to function and 2) to protect its citizens from foreign invaders. In this type of environment every citizen has the right and freedom to pursue their goals in life and to capture every opportunity they choose. However, with this freedom comes responsibility and accountability for one’s own actions. It also leaves the onus on each citizen to provide for themselves and not to be dependent on their neighbour. A sense of morality borne in this type of society also creates the will for charity to help those not as fortunate.
Collectivism on the other hand chooses to see the group as the most important part of society and therefore restricts the decision making venue of the individual to minor issues of less importance while the government or head of the Collective makes the important decisions for everyone. The most relevant examples in today’s environment are the Unions and the recent Communist regime in Russia. In the Union philosophy the brotherhood (or Sisterhood if applicable) determines what wages and benefits everyone gets and no member can expect any more for their efforts whether they work harder or do less than their peers. The rules they live by are those directed by the union “bosses” who under the guise of democracy rule their minions with an iron fist. Anyone who has belonged to a union knows what I mean. The Collective thinking governments are worse because the elites actually make decisions that affect not only your working day but every aspect of life itself. They dictate what you can see, what you can eat, what you can read, what you can say and how you can protect and provide for your family. In Ontario for instance I will provide a small list of some of the things that either the Federal or Provincial government controls:
1) Soon you will not be able to purchase cola, soda pop or bottled water in public places.
2) You are not allowed to see tobacco products on the shelves of any store
3) You cannot purchase liquor or beer from anywhere but a government sanctioned outlet
4) You cannot hunt, fish or drive without paying a fee
5) You cannot get a second opinion on health matters unless you go out of the Country because the government makes it impractical to do so.
6) You cannot in Canada choose when or where you get critical medical treatment and yet if you go outside the Country the government will not cover the entire cost.
7) Because the government pushes political correctness all people in airports must be searched and detained regardless of age or nationality
8) Government censors screen movies, TV programs and books to remove any objectionable (to whom?) material.
9) The Human Rights collective doesn’t allow you to say certain things if they are deemed (by whom? to be hateful or discriminatory.
10) You are not allowed easy access to a weapon to protect yourself or your family even if your life could be in danger
I could go on but you get the point. All of these things are argued to be necessary for the greater good of the group so we must of course relinquish some personal freedoms. And of course there needs to be a bureaucracy set up to administer each and everyone one of these control mechanisms.Obviously then the government needs money so we are taxed on everything we earn,do or buy until we die. At this point you are still not clear because you must pay inheritance tax. I hate collectivism but it appears, in Canada at least, there are more people that want to be taken care of from cradle to grave and who are ready to give up their rights and freedoms to be wards of the State. Achtung!!!

Take a close look at what's happening in Europe and then tell me I'm wrong about Public Service Unions and the need to modify labour laws to limit their power or outlaw them altogether. Every European Country espoused the same type of "Social Welfare" state as Greece and each of them are in the same position although some are not yet bankrupt like Greece albeit not too far away. In each of these Countries the employees in the public sector earned better wages than those in the private sector as well as receiving benefits far and away above anything seen in the latter. So now the "all giving and all benevolent governments" of Europe are realizing they have to stop this foolishness and of course what happens?? There are riots in the streets with acts of violence that rival any other public outburst seen in the 20th century and why do you ask? Because these folks don't care if their Country is bankrupt they want their full retirement benefits at age 51 and their cradle to grave health and welfare benefits. They want their wages to remain in the top quartile of all citizens and every perk in their lucrative contracts to be honoured regardless of cost. Some say that its the bankers fault because of the sub prime rate fiasco but they fail to recognize that this didn't happen just over the past two years. Oh no, Greece has been in trouble for over two decades but decided to turn a blind eye to their ever increasing deficit. They continued to give the store away to the unions without the least concern about the burdensome debt that was crushing their economy. They just borrowed and borrowed until the numbers overwhelmed them and left them no choice. Now they want to sue the US over the bad securities that cost them a bundle but this is just another socialist tactic ie "blame someone else" and relinquish responsibility. Now take a look at Canada and the USA and see if you can spot any similarities. Both of the public sector workers in each country earn more per year on average than do those in the private sector. The strongest and richest pension plans are those in the public sector which of course are funded by the taxpayers who themselves do not have access to any of these golden plans. The deficits in each Country have increased but the USA's has skyrocketed into the stratoshpere as have most of their individual states. One of the anchors around each of their necks are the expensive costs of the public sector in each government. Canada is not as bad as the USA because of Paul Martin's attention to the deficit when he was Finance Minister (even as the economy was good) throughout the last half of the nineties and the 1st half of this current decade. Unfortunately I can see some of the individual states (California 1st) going the route of Greece and I suspect you will see the same reaction from the left wing as they march through the streets with a vengeance. If the US Federal government fails financially or gets someone on board that will legitimately cut costs rather than raise taxes then hold on to your hats as the Liberal fanatics will come out from under the rocks to raise chaos. Canada of course cannot sustain a reasonable economy without US trade and will more than likely follow suit. My point here is that once the going gets tough the folks that don't realize what fiscal responsibility means will be the ones on the street crying about their undeserved rich programs that have been footed by the taxpayer for far too long.

Mother’s day is approaching and to say that everyone is pretty clear on “mothers”, and the role they play in their children’s lives would be an understatement of generous proportions. Fatherhood, however, is another story and many fathers themselves struggle to truly understand what responsibilities they have in rearing kids these days. The conventional wisdom is so broad that it covers a huge spectrum from disciplinarian to best friend and 100 different things in between. The truth however can be summed up in two words, “ Leadership and Love”. These things became very clear to me as I transitioned from a father figure to a grandfather “wish-granter extraordinaire.” As a father I always wanted my kids to like me but many times this desire had to be put on the back shelf to make sure I was leading my sons in the right direction in respect to morals and social responsibilities amongst other things. As I look back I realize what I was doing now but not necessarily then because I was following some gut instincts, some learnings and mostly my own vision of what was right and what was wrong. I know I obviously made mistakes but that is where the “love” comes in because as your children grow older and have kids of their own they suddenly realize what you were trying to do back then. Hopefully some of it was right and has rubbed off on them so they have a gauge from which to operate so they can provide their kids with direction and life skills. God knows there are many pitfalls and traps to fall in such as the “Buddy Dad” syndrome. Many fathers want to be friends or pals with their kids rather than lead them, direct them and teach them. They want to share in their kids lives from a perspective of a buddy rather than a father and when the kids arrive in their teens they find out , much too late of course, that that is all their children see them as a ” good friend” but not a parent. Dads out there don’t get caught up in the “Please like me” obsession because this will make you feel better momentarily but will not help your child in any way. I always liked that saying that goes, Rule 1 “Dad is always right and Rule 2 “If you think Dad is wrong please refer to Rule 1”. Of course there is nothing wrong in admitting mistakes afterwards but the Rules must be the starting point to maintain discipline and provide leadership for young minds. They will survive your mistakes, believe me. I can attest to this by citing my own sons who have grown up to be excellent young men ( I may be a little biased). And one of the best benefits is that you can have your friendship with them they are adults and this relationship is 100 times better when their brains are mature and not full of mush at 10 years old. Moms have it so easy …oops sorry.

I joined CARP (Canadian Association of Retired Persons) two years ago for several reasons. First I could get discounts for many items being a member and second I could get information on items of interest for retired people. However, as with many things that start out heading in one direction they have now taken an abrupt turn in another. Mr. Znaimner the "CEO" announced that CARP was to become "ZIP" a new political party which was founded to further the fortunes of the "over 50 years" of age crowd. So instead of working to support the retired from the sidelines he now wants to jump right into the middle of the political arena and be a major player. Of course the motivation is not to work towards a better Country for all of us it is to further the interest of the CARP members only. Voila' a new "Special Interest Group"! Unfortunately this is not a good idea for CARP members. It is only a good idea for the likes of Moses and Susan Eng who thrive in the spotlight and orgasm in the pursuit of power. Consider Susan Eng's credentials, as described by Moses, "an agitator extrodinaire (or something like that"). Not a thinker, not an educator, not an expert on retired peoples issues or anything else for that matter,but no, an agitator. Great, that's all this country needs is another splinter political party to split votes and send us towards the multi party coalitions caused by minority governments that never get anything done due to the constant trade-offs and diluted policies forced onto them byspecial interest groups like the NDP, the Green Party etc. Sure maybe I should jump on board because anything the new party can get will no doubt be in my self interest but somehow I feel like I'd be joining the "me" generation and going against my basic principles of individualism. I believe that we all have enough benefits paid out of the public purse as it is so why should we as seniors feel like we should have the same or more than anyone else. Shouldn't we be leading the way in educating our children on the benefits of self sufficiency, not the inside mechanics of the political machinery with the objective of getting all that we can for US and the hell with everyone else. This type of thinking segragates our citizens into groups and blocs fighting over someone elses money. That's right lets not forget that the Government has no money until it takes it from someone else (ie the taxpayer). Susan Eng and Moses Znaimner are high profile political activists with a well established record on the left side of the political spectrum which, amongst other things, always wants to see a "big" government that is in control of its citizenry and keeps this control through entitlements. They believe the debate in government should be primarily to determine which groups get the most money.Their strategy is based on the theory that the squeaky wheel gets the oil. Maybe this is how the game must be played these days but I hope somehow, sometime we, the people, will regain control of these power hungry politicians and left wing zealots that goose step their way through life.

One of my very good friends has a son in the Canadian Armed Forces who will be deployed to Afghanistan in the very near future. He and his wife have mixed feelings of course because while they are extremely proud of him they are as equally concerned about seeing him travel into “Harm’s Way”. He is a young man who chose to serve his Country while becoming prepared for adulthood and he views this next year as his job and the fulfilment of his commitment to the Armed Services. But this is not the subject I want to write about today. After talking to my friend over lunch I discovered some things that make me both angry and ashamed of my Government and its politicians for their lack of respect for our Military. Apparently my friend’s son and many others in the Canadian Military purchase much of their own equipment (with the military’s approval) to the tune of thousands of dollars in some cases. You see when these young men and women travel to the USA to receive some of their training they have to walk alongside US troops such as the US Marine core and in his words it’s like comparing a Lexus to a Cobalt. The US makes sure their fighting men and women are provided with the best equipment as they fight to protect their Country. The Canadians on the other hand have just reasonable equipment (prior to Harper it was atrocious). For instance, the boots that are issued to the infantry are middle of the road and do not provide enough protection and comfort so the soldiers purchase their own boots which cost in the neighbourhood of $250 a pair vs. the Govt issue which are estimated to cost around $50 a pair. "Like walking on pucks" was the phrase used to describe the standard issue. He talked about other pieces of equipment that were more in the line of battlefield gear to hold ammunition for quicker access that he had purchased privately after seeing what was available while with the US service people. I truly cannot understand why the left wing politicians can find it so important to implement every entitlement program that comes through the House of Commons while continuously cutting back the funding for our brave young men and women that are in combat. Also as a Country can ship millions and millions of dollars to places like Haiti and other third world nations for every reason under the sun while simultaneously cutting the military budget to get the funding to do so. Add that to the bail out of auto makers and their union minions while at the same time letting our troops go into battle without the best available in weaponry and clothing. As you know by now I deplore Liberalism for what is has done to our nation but this is the best example I can relate to explain why I feel the way I do. Every Liberal Government since the end of the” second World War” has cut Military spending through direct reductions in equipment and/or its quality as well as organizationally with things like the amalgamation of the Forces. Out troops are some of the best fighting soldiers in the world and should be outfitted as well as any Armed Forces including that of the USA. All I can say to the politicians is “Shame on all of you from the PM to the backbenchers for allowing this situation to continue. What I can say to my friend’s son is “Thank you and God bless you and protect you from peril”.

Several issues raised over the past year show how we have allowed special interest groups and the Liberal mentality to take very simple things and spin them into politically correct causes.If you want to retain your sanity then follow this simple rule. Discard all of their rhetoric and ask yourself, "what makes sense". Here are some examples to illustrate how the left spins things:

1. Quebec bans face coverings
a) Spin...A human rights issue because it does not allow the practice of one's religion.
b) Common Sense...How do you identify someone with their face covered..licences, passports etc.
2. Ottawa university bans Ann Coulter
a) Spin...Coulter is a hate monger spewing rascist propaganda
b) Common Sense...Ann Coulter is an outspoken Conservative who has an opinion of Liberalism that differs with the mainstream. Free speech should apply to all.
3. BC tries to ban the book "America Stands Alone" by Mark Steyn
a( Spin.....The book is about Muslims and the growth of their population around the world and therefore must be considered biased against their Religion and thus is hate speech.
b) Common Sense....The book documents facts and figures that are indisputable and generates probabilites for the future. Once again Freedom of Speech under attack from the left and special interest groups.
4. Cartoonist under attack from Muslim Fanatics
a) Spin....Because this person drew cartoons about Mohammed he has been deemed to have defamed the Prophet and must be killed.
b) Common Sense.... Cartoons are pictures and words. Since when does a person have to die because of them?
5. UN slams Isreal for killing Hamas leaders
a) Spin... Isreal is an occupying nation unnecessarliy killing poor innocent Palestinians.
b) Common Sense....Isreal retaliates after months of rockets sent over their borders by Hamas which killed many innocent citizens.
6. Government pays Clifford Olsen, a convicted Serial Killer, a pension
a) Spin...Everybody is human and therefore we shouldn't discriminate.
b) Common Sense....Why does a serial killer who will never get out of prison need a pension?

I could go on but this is a sample of the stupidity surrounding Liberalism and our society of victims. Don't get fooled by their nonsense.

Ann Coulter is one of the most intelligent people I have ever ran across and so much so I would put her in a class with Rush Limbaugh who is the smartest of them all. What makes me laugh is all of the left wing pundits and elitists that demean her constantly without ever understanding that she plays them like a fine violin. Most if not all of her passionate critics never really listen to all that she has to say. They only hear snippets and sound bites that the media chooses to publish or air because they too, are critics and therefore only report on the things they feel will show her in the worst light. She has a superior wit and an incredible sense of humour but it is lost on those that have none of the same. She speaks the truth without the cover of politically correct spin and this just makes the liberal minds boil. How can this woman break all of the rules we have formed over many years of PC spin? Has she no compassion? Generally she turns the tables on them like she did with the threat to go to the "Human Rights" Commission with a complaint about a hate crime committed by the University of Ottawa. She throws their beloved Liberal beliefs back in their faces and makes them look silly when they get angry and start calling her names etc. How appropriate that these people fawn over the likes of Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Che Guevara and others that have killed thousands of people including women and children and yet they lose their cool over the words of Ann Coulter. Of course she loves the publicity because it helps sell her books and increases her popularity on TV. This is how she makes her living but it doesn't change her principles and beliefs as it does with so many of her rivals. Liberalism and its proponents provide her and Rush with a never ending supply of ammunition to point out the idiocy of this political persuasion. And when faced with having to look at their illogical policies and subsequent failures they revert to personal attacks which in turn makes them look even more incompetent. I don't consider myself a "right wing lunatic,gun totin' redneck that the left purports are the only people that listens to her and I don't believe anyone else who enjoys her is either. It does help to be a conservative however because it means you will have an open mind and will take the time to listen and understand what she says first, before forming an opinion based on what you have heard or seen in the media. Think about it. I believe you will be surprised.