A is for Action

The Harper government has finally fallen, ostensibly over the budget but as the campaign will undoubtedly reveal, we will go all over the map on this. The Liberals have already started using the “contempt of parliament” as part of the lead in to this election. Anyone paying the slightest bit of attention will have noticed that Stephen Harper’s version of democracy is quite different from the average Joe’s. Within his own party the word “dictator” has been bandied about more than once.

The trouble here is that the editors believe the government should have fallen some 18 months ago when the failed filibuster was attempted. The wrong kind of spending has been occurring for these months and cuts have been severe to the social structure of our country.

Audience Action today should be to take a look at the Policy of the various parties. It’s quite significant to read the Conservatives’ belief that the individual is entirely responsible for his own life. One wonders why, if that is the case, there are so few opportunities for the individual to express their individualism without being taxed, fined or confined in every possible way. And that is not even mentioning the road blocks caused by the ever growing mega corporations’ strangle hold on enterprise. The independent shop owner cannot possibly compete with giants such as Walmart, Costco or Superstores. If you happen to be employed by a Walmart or Safeway, both with 24/7 store hours, the Labour Standards in the various provinces have allowed them to slate you to work for less than 20 hours per week. Consequently you are not entitled to benefits. Just how does that assist the average Joe to get ahead and be responsible for his own education, pension, health and other welfare concerns?

Here’s the Conservatives belief and I quote:

• A belief that the best guarantors of the prosperity and well-being of the people of Canada are:
• The freedom of individual Canadians to pursue their enlightened and legitimate self-interest within a competitive economy;
• The freedom of individual Canadians to enjoy the fruits of their labour to the greatest possible extent; and
• The right to own property;
• A belief that a responsible government must be fiscally prudent and should be limited to those responsibilities which cannot be discharged reasonably by the individual or others;
• A belief that it is the responsibility of individuals to provide for themselves, their families and their dependents, while recognizing that government must respond to those who require assistance and compassion;
• A belief that the purpose of Canada as a nation state and its government, guided by reflective and prudent leadership, is to create a climate wherein individual initiative is rewarded, excellence is pursued, security and privacy of the individual is provided and prosperity is guaranteed by a free competitive market economy;

They might believe all of that in but how does that jive with their pay cheques, pension plan (which can be double and triple dipped), expense accounts and other forms of gravytrain activity on the taxpayers’ backs?