Blue Like You

This post will be another hodgepodge of links and articles that caught my interest this morning. Too many to devote an individual post to each one, but I thought you might like to weigh in on a few. We’ll start with local and move outwards:

* * * *

(1) She’s ba-a-a-a-c-k in the news. Brenda Martin is planning to move to Waterloo Region. My first reaction was less than enthusiastic, but let’s put all that behind us and give her a fair shake as she attempts to get a new start on her life.

(2) Ontario Health Tax called a sham - Dalton McGuinty is covering his ears to the outrage from the review. Taxpayers are paying for their own health care tax as well as that of some civic workers that gets downloaded to property taxes.

The Liberal Government arrogantly asserts that "…voters would not have elected the government to a second majority government last fall if the health premium was as unpopular as critics charge."

That’s right. Ontario Lemmings cannot get their fill of taxes. And by now, we all know that the health tax goes to General Revenues, right? And that goes towards giving "fat-cat banks and other businesses a tax break.” (see link). And look how well that’s going - Governments losing tax-cut gains: study.

Jeff Allen discusses this topic today on 570 News. (BTW, he also announced that he will be interviewing Brenda Martin and Deb Tieleman tomorrow.)

(3) Abortion and Morgentaler are still hot topics in Letters to the Editor - Abortion is a Right and A Fetus has Rights.

Only 15 hours left to vote! - Does Canada Need Some Kind of Abortion Law?

(4) Ezra Levant points out how hollow his ‘victory’ is.

(5) As Matt notes, Dion seems to be looking to Obama for the keys to 24 Sussex.

Update: Here’s #6 - ‘Hated’ church group to protest Tim McLean funeral. Talk about adding insult to injury! The poor family.

Evening update: The National Post reports that the protesters are being stopped at the border.

H/T to Tori for this one…

Is this guy for real?

In a 75-minute session with Sun Media’s editorial board in Toronto, Dion predicted his proposed carbon tax will trigger substantial reductions by 2012, building momentum that he hopes will reach a 20% decrease by 2020. However, he can’t forecast how fast emissions will decrease in the short term.

"I’m confident we will have significant reductions. I’m not telling you specific numbers because you would not trust me," he said.

Okay… and we’re still supposed to take this plan seriously?

And is that another example of the same values that the Liberal party shares with Jennifer Wright’s Green Shift?

Stephane Dion basically wants us to blindly trust him on this one.

We’re to follow him like good little lemmings - right over the cliff.

* * * *

More from the Sun Editorial Board:

With numbers, he’s a greenhorn - Lorrie Goldstein.

Dion Green Shift a Green Shaft - Linda Leatherdale.

Dion gets his shift together - Toronto Sun. (And if you look really hard, you’ll see him concede that his "carbon tax might indirectly lead to higher prices at the pumps. "

* * * *

Jennifer Wright update - From the authentic Green Shift website:

To all who are visiting this site in interest of what is happening to Green Shift, and/or are questioning whether we have a tie to the Liberal Party of Canada, we want to be very clear – our mission is to help the environment, not to get dragged down by political baggage that we cannot control.

The fact that the Liberal Party of Canada has used our name for their environmental plan is, to say the least, extremely upsetting, and damaging to the reputation that we uphold. We sincerely apologize to all of the businesses, institutions and individuals who are a part of the real Green Shift and sincerely hope that you will not suffer from anyone accidently thinking that you have ties to a political agenda…

More at the Green Shift website.

Also, Dr. Roy has a related post - Grit Arrogance.

Oh, and Jennifer Wright, did you know that you were actually o.k. with the Liberals stealing the name of your company?

SDA weighs in here.

As Don Martin so eloquently notes , Stephane Dion assisted the Conservatives in passing many substantive bills, and was also instrumental in helping this minority government attain the distinction of "having just beaten the record to become the longest minority reign since the election of 1921."

Dion’s amazing ability to decide when Canadians would not want an election has generated the following Harper accomplishments:

…Having backed away from repeated government invitations to trigger an election –the Throne Speech, budget, Afghan mission extension, crime bills, immigration amendments and even footdragging by the Senate– the Liberals have opted to spend the summer campaigning for a carbon tax instead of their own mandate.

In doing so, they’ve surrendered the best scenario for gaining ground to hopes that an economic downturn in the fall will backlash against the government, a rather morbid plan…

And if you want more highlights, check out Sandy’s list.

However, now that the pressure of having to decide whether or not to bring down the government is safely over for at least the summer, the Wizard of Ozttawa seems to have finally granted Stephane a pair. (Sorry, Garth. Was that offensive?)

Cocky Dion is now challenging Stephen Harper to a televised debate.

Now this is the kind of thing one usually does during an election campaign. However, since Stephane doesn’t seem to want Canadians apparently don’t want an election during any season, this seems rather strange. Who would watch? Who would care?

If Canadians don’t want an election, why would they waste their time indoors watching a debate?

Maybe the Wizard should have concentrated on refining Stephane’s brain instead. He seems to lack a certain je ne sais quoi. Of course in the original story, the Lion and the Straw Man learned that they already had what they were seeking all along.

What’s that old expression? (Sorry, Garth.)

* * * *

Somewhat Related Update: Star - Fixing the world by the numbers.

Greg Weston : Dion goes for whiz and shift - Sun. (Honestly, I didn’t steal your idea, Mr. Weston!)

Lorrie Goldstein: It’s about votes, not Mother Earth - Sun.

Randall Denley - Carbon caps vs. intensity targets: discuss. (Ottawa Citizen)

* * * *

Monday Update: Matt from ASTTR has a shifty new widget for you.

And from comments - The Librano$ are BAAaack!

Nik Nanos - Dions’ risky move:

Polling shows that Canadians are concerned about the environment but that when a price tag is attached, voters become more skittish.

ChuckerCanuk: The Dion Debating Society.

Stelmach slams Dion’s green plan - Canoe.

Sandy and Matt have uncovered a copyright issue with the Green Shift! Heading National Newswatch at the moment!! Also at Jack’s Newswatch. Well done!

Garth Turner announces that the big Carbon tax program is to be rolled out tomorrow, possibly under the auspicious title of "Shift happens’.

The whole scheme seems more like a joke than a serious policy suggestion. Maybe that’s the real plan.

They’ll all have a good laugh and then go home for the summer.

We can only hope.

* * * *

Update: The Grumpy Voter has more good shift here! (This from a Liberal free thinker, which proves that they’re not all mindless lemmings.)

CTV - Tories use shifty words to deride carbon-tax plan. (Well, we knew that was coming…)

Details are starting to trickle out. Up to 10% off! Wow. Sounds like a department store sale.

Lorrie Goldstein - First guns, now climate registry?

Via Dr. Fullerton we have this message from Conservative MPP Health Critic Elizabeth Witmer - Smitherman Admits Liberals Have No Plan for Health Care.

And lo and behold, the Health Minister actually does admit that his attention was elsewhere:

…“The McGuinty government has broken its own promise to produce a plan to address the gaps in Ontario’s health system,” said Witmer. “Whether it’s improving access to care, modernizing health infrastructure, shortening wait times or promoting good health, Ontario requires a long term vision. A vision the McGuinty Liberals have failed to produce.”

When confronted by PC Health Critic, Elizabeth Witmer, Smitherman said “It’s true to say, and I have to take responsibility that we haven’t hit our marks on this.” The Minister went on to suggest that the report would be published sometime in 2008, however Ministry officials refused to specify a specific date this would happen. As well, during the committee proceedings Smitherman suggested the report was held back due to the 2007 election . “I think that the difficulty that we were into, to be direct with you, was that the window last year got too close to the election, ” said Smitherman…

And with Dalton already pondering the next election, Ontario’s health care situation may soon be D.O.A.

Meanwhile, Blue Blogging Soapbox has found an article suggesting that Dalton’s luck may be running out - Clouds for McGuinty (and Company) :

…The Liberal government could face huge public wrath also over its shortcomings in tackling the infection C. difficile, which is believed to have killed at least 260 patients , and possibly many more, in Ontario hospitals since mid-2006.

This compares to 44 killed by the SARS epidemic of 2002-3 , which produced alarms and investigations. The Conservatives have asked for a public enquiry, but the Liberals, who have been slow even collecting information, have refused. ..

So, are you still happy to pay out that Health Tax, my dear Ontario Lemmings?

Still getting value for your money?

For purely partisan reasons, I feel that Stéphane Dion should stick to his guns regarding carbon taxes - and in different times, it could possibly have worked .

However, as Warren Kinsella and others have pointed out, we already have de facto carbon taxes right now with fuel prices escalating across the board. This not only affects the average citizen in terms of heating costs and extra expenses associated with driving a vehicle, but also indirectly affects all the other layers of taxes with rising costs for anything the federal, provincial and municipal governments require in terms of their own needs, which of course are inevitably passed on to the taxpayer. So we are getting the shaft in spades already.

Add to that some ‘tax-shifting’ and the poor average citizen will be mired in extra costs, with dubious returns in terms of income tax reductions. And how could the latter occur anyway, if the costs of everything the burgeoning government bureaucracies require would increase? Private companies that supply the governments would have to pass on their costs directly to the consumer, which again is the person staring at you in the mirror. And of course the rings of government and public service workers wouldn’t be lowering their salaries to accommodate the rising costs, would they?

And what about the seniors? There is a rising wave of Grey Power out there that is not going to take this assault on their meager pensions lightly. Some can barely hold onto their homes as it is. And this is the demographic that is more likely to get out and vote.

So as I said, Stéphane , don’t listen to the nay-sayers! Stick to your plan. Principle is always better than political acuity, n’est-ce pas?

And if you have any trouble selling your vision, just call Dr. Kyoto .

* * * *

Update: Just caught a newscast from Collingwood, Ontario. Shop owners are crying the blues due to cold, rainy weather and high gas prices keeping tourists away. So how would your gas tax help that again, Stéphane?

And BTW, send us a bit of that global warming here in Ontario!!!

Steve Janke - Does David Suzuki advocate exempting industry from the Liberal carbon tax? This is a must-read, folks!

Stephane Dion declares that a Liberal government would consider rescinding Tory GST cut - Ottawa Sun. (H/T National Newswatch).

Definitely one to sway the average voter, Stephane. Well done.

Keep going with your instincts while you sit there on your hands.

And in case anyone missed that, it’s the LIBERALS wanting to raise your taxes federally, just as they likely will provincially here in Ontario.

(Breaking news below)

Linda Leatherdale is back at it again today - ranting at all levels of government, and starting with His Blondness (Pols tighten our belts, but never their own):

…Barely a moment passed after the piggies at the tax trough gave a thunderous ovation to Mayor David Miller winning his new municipal land transfer tax and vehicle registration tax — then we learned firefighters are getting a sweet pay raise…

..But it’s blatantly obvious a powerful union lobby, who abandoned Bob Rae’s NDP after he ushered in Rae Days, is now backing the tax-happy Dalton McGuinty Liberals at Queen’s Park and the tax-happy Miller at City Hall…

…Miller cries City Hall is flat broke, our infrastructure is crumbling and if over-taxed taxpayers don’t cough up more money, it’ll go bankrupt.

So, this powerful lobby helped Miller win the vote for his tax grab, which will line the city’s coffers by up to $300 million a year over a full year. And still Miller says it’s not enough money.

Why then, if the city’s so broke, are we giving firefighters a 9.66% raise over the next three years – which is above the rate of inflation? Now, Toronto’s police are at the table. For the record, also Toronto’s finest…

Did you catch that??? A 9.66% raise over the next three years!!! Do you know of anyone else other than politicians that get that kind of increase?

This is only the beginning folks.

You know, it’s strange how many times I saw signs from the firefighters union supporting Dalton during the election. Now there are rumours that the province might take over the TTC.

Miller and Dalton must have had some kind of sweet deal cooked up between them.

Yes, and then there’s dear Dalton:

Hypocrisy also lives at Queen’s Park. McGuinty lied about “no new taxes,” then blamed a Tory deficit for one of the biggest tax grabs ever, the $10-billion health levy. Now, rumours swirl he’s planning to hike the PST by 2%, with 1% going to hard-pressed municipalities and 1% to cash-strapped transit, then harmonize the PST with the hated GST. If true, we’ll now be paying a provincial sales tax on services, like home buying closing costs, legal fees, court costs, etc.

And McGuinty will tell us he didn’t raise taxes. That’s because Ottawa is cutting the GST by 2%.

Yup. Watch for it. The GST will go down and Dalton will raise the PST. No tax hike right? It’s a wash.

It’s enough to drive a person to drink - if you could afford the taxes and mark-up. Better not anyway, because you don’t want to be needing a doctor - if you could find one.

BREAKING NEWS: Sorbara Quits Cabinet!!!

More at CTV, and Freedom is my Nationality.

CBC speculates on possible replacements.

Halls of Macadamia - Sorbara Surprise.

Just caught Linda Leatherdale on CHML’s Bill Kelly show.

Linda wonders if the email she discussed in yesterday’s Sun was a leak, unsubstantiated rumour or a trial balloon?

CHML has a call in to Finance Minister Greg Sorbara.

Now I’m wondering if this was code for PST tax increase? - “Finance Minister Greg Sorbara said dealing with the financial difficulties of municipalities will be a priority”.

In keeping with his promise of getting rid of the hated health tax, John Tory explains the first stage of its elimination:

“One of my immediate priorities as Premier will be to eliminate Dalton McGuinty’s regressive tax for every single Ontarian earning between $20,000 and $30,000 a year,” Tory said. “On January 1, 2008, one million hard-working Ontarians will see their tax burden reduced – the very people who were hardest hit by Dalton McGuinty’s massive tax hike.”

Well, John, I don’t like to be negative, but I’ve had a lot of Liberal supporters tell me they really like that health tax.

So, maybe you could phase it out for everyone but them.

Just so they don’t miss old Dalton too much.