CHAPTER 421 IN HARPOCRISY...

... The Chicken is trying to turn the page after he turned the other cheek and ran.
He laughingly tries to blame the per-vote subsidy in putting parliament on a regular election cycle.
That downplays the role of his own party, under Stephen Harper's own watch, that began with regular stunt bluster in calling everything a confidence motion, then launched into out-of-election advertising ad nauseum, which has resulted in the lead he holds today. Yep, no argument here, advertising when done slickly and abundantly, does work. At CON central tho, truth plays no factor.
He says parties are bankrolled for an election almost immediately following an election due to the Chretien implemented per-vote subsidy. As someone who's involved with local riding politics, I know for a fact that the rebates for the per-vote subsidy typically take two years to arrive. Another Harper lie.
That being said, I do agree that the per-vote subsidy should be tinkered with, even democratized.
If each ballot had another check box, this time at the bottom -- requesting the voter if they wished a $2 subsidy to go to the party of their choice -- it would enable those who don't like the subsidy to have their way. Also, there should be a proportional element that rewards parties that run more candidates; one-province parties should not receive the same amount of subsidy per-vote as a party that runs candidates (and meets the 5% threshhold) in 250+ ridings. Ring up the subsidy in 1/4s - 1/4 if you run candidates in 78 ridings or less; 1/2 of the amount if you run candidates in 156 ridings or under, etc.

JUST ANOTHER 'BUYING OPPORTUNITY'?

The whole Bruce Carson scandal says so much about Stephen Harper.
One of Harper's closest advisors -- a man who earned the nickname 'the mechanic' for being able to move into a department on Harper's sayso and 'fix' things -- had taken hold of a scheme to sell First Nations groups with serious water issues, while making his escort/fiancee a whole lot richer in the process.
Carson, who had been working for government on the environmental file not long ago, also was linked to Big Oil through an appointment to the University of Calgary's Canada School of Energy and the Environment. In northern Alberta, what is one of the biggest factors in undrinkable water? Oil.
Most importantly is the question why water is being continually treated as a saleable commodity over its use for citizens.
I hope all parties come out and make this one of their main campaign promises: Drinking water is a critical resource and will be established as an unassailable right for all Canadians.

READY, SET...

While they accuse the opposition of being too eager for an election, this arrived in my mailbox 11:12 a.m. pst...

Faux outrage is quaint. Good luck getting this candidate (or 303 other CON candidates, for that matter) to a debate or public meet and greet.

Go Read This...

... because it's a scintillating read.
Of course, in Stephen Harper's world, forged documents are not unlike faked tapes, plagarized speeches, doctored documents, non-compliant accountability and baldfaced lies.
Bloggers like Curiousity Cat, Impolitical and FarnWide continue to lead the way.

NO KIDDING, EINSTEIN...

Jim Flaherty to Peter Mansbridge after delivering his budget:
"This isn't Paul Martin."
After wiping the Canadian taxpayers for $40.5-Billion deficit in 2010, after a $55B one in 2009 (and spending the cupboard bare in 2008 BEFORE the economic downturn), Jimbo finally calls one right.
You sir are no Paul Martin.

But give the Stephen Harper CONservative government kudos on one thing -- they sure know how to create a pot of chicken soup. Too bad it isn't edible.

SCOUNDRELS AND BLACK HEARTS...

It's been obvious for a long time that the 'new' CONservative party knows no bounds when it comes to stooping.
They've changed the parameters of politics -- it's all about the win, and rules and honour are for whiners.
Their latest attack on Michael Ignatieff is again part of their modification of history, where they get to tell someone else's story. However, their latest launch is an incredibly new low -- attacking the dead relatives of the leader of the opposition.
For those who worry about the state of our country and the tenor of our nation's current leadership, every new gamesmanship strategy from Harper is a confirmation of what is wrong within our community. Non accountable, without ethics or moral compass, Stephen Harper's war machine will continue to salt the political landscape until people with backbone stand up, speak up and demand facts and reality as opposed to whispers, malicious lies and innuendo.
Do we really deserve that kind of governance?

WHERE THERE'S SMOKE...

... You don't suppose the fact that a TV station was doing an investigative piece on the scummy buddy of Stephen Harper had anything to do with said so-called leader tossing his buddy under the bus, or at least to the bushes where his other buddy, Mr. Grumpy Pants Elliott, could 'speed things up', do you?
Check into Bruce Carson's background and you'll see he didn't suddenly become an unethical sleazy bastard overnight. He was fine as a confidante/advisor until the heat and election drive got tangled up in blue.