What’s Mine is Mine (aka On Fiefdoms…)

My kids are getting to the age where they are prone to fits of jealousy. I am now faced with a perplexing dilemma. When the family goes to McDonald’s, do I get them all the EXACT same toy to avert a turf war or do I buy different ones and explain that if they rise above the petty squabbles, they will be marginally ahead by having different toys they all can play with and enjoy?

Come to think of it, some ADULTS never come to learn this lesson. I guess this goes a long way in explaining bureaucratic overlap….

Time is Not On Our Side

As I eagerly await Andy Fletcher’s newest analysis of the NDP and their economic track record, I thought I would give everyone some food for thought. While I have gone on at length in Andy’s comments section about the perils of the public sector growing faster than the private sector, I also would like to crunch the numbers on the NDP’s inaction on the ever increasing spending of the school boards.

For starters, let’s assume that our fictitious taxpayer makes $70,000 per year, leaving annual net take home pay at $48,420.25 to cover everything but income taxes, CPP and EI. We shall also assume that the educational levy on the property tax bill is $1,400.00.

Now comes the growth rate – let’s assume an average annual inflation rate of 2.1% over the last three years covers our taxpayer’s growth in wages for the future. For the growth rate in school taxes, I have used the three year average of 3.274% based on my own property tax bill.

In the first year, the school tax burden growth is no big deal. However, in years 10, 50 and 100 the numbers grow as follows:
Year Net Income School Tax School Tax as % of Net Income
1 $49,437.08 $1,445.78 2.924
10 $59,605.24 $1,931.39 3.240
50 $136,871.80 $6,995.79 5.111
100 $386,902.20 $34,957.93 9.035

So Mr. Doer, I can understand your politically astute reluctance to reign in the school boards as no one will notice in the short term. Unfortunately, some of us like to think about what kind of legacy we are bestowing upon our grandchildren - surely we can leave them something better than a school tax burden that TRIPLES. And now, about those ever-increasing health care costs…


On a lighter note, motivational tunes:
Skee Lo – I Wish
David Bowie – Cracked Actor
1000 Homo DJs – Supernaut
Delerium - Aria

A Right Hook and Left Jab

My dialogue with Manimal Farm vis-à-vis my last posting got me pondering what parts of my personal convictions would raise the hackles of those on the left and on the right of the political spectrum. An unfortunate consequence of trying to stake out middle ground is that you invoke the ire of TWO factions. So without further ado, I bring you:

Beliefs to Annoy the Right

I am an agnostic. There - I said it. I believe in a higher power but I don’t profess to know what shape this higher power takes. I respect and encourage the beliefs of others as long as they come from a good place. I don’t think God, Allah, Ganesha or any other deity would want followers to kill in His/Her name. More people in the world don’t believe in your religion than do - does this mean that the non-believers are going to hell? I think that as long as they live honest and productive lives, they’ll get into whatever pearly gates are open in the afterlife. I am proof positive that not all Harper supporters are religious zealots.

I believe in helping the less fortunate. Charity is the noblest of human undertakings. Without it, we are as opportunistic as vultures. One day I hope humanity eradicates poverty. Not all people are downtrodden out of sheer laziness – it can happen out of circumstance or bad luck.

Prostitution should be legalized. They don’t call this the world’s oldest profession for nothing. Making prostitution illegal drives it underground. This only benefits the criminals and the spread of disease. As long as any sexual undertakings are consensual and between adults, I don’t believe it’s government’s place to get involved.

I am ok with abortion. If you are not willing to ensure that you will provide the proper emotional and financial care of a child you will be bringing into this world, that child might be better off not being born. I refer any reader to Freakonomics Chapter 4. They make a much more compelling case than I ever could.

Beliefs to Annoy the Left

I am a fiscal conservative. I firmly believe that all resources are finite. As such, we must make tough choices to optimize and leverage these finite resources. This means that education, poverty, homelessness, animal shelters, etc. will never get all the money they may need or ask for.

All people are not equal. While it would be nice if the former were false, the statistical bell curve proves otherwise. Some people are taller, smarter or faster and some develop quicker than others. Any politically correct attempts to “mercy pass” students who are not ready for the next grade may make them feel good about themselves in the short run but is setting them up for dismal failure when they eventually hit the real world.

Not all people are worthy of charity. A small contingent of people that rely on welfare, etc. cheat the system. This steals resources from families that actually merit these payments. If there was a system that weeded these cheats out, I would be all for it. I also believe that if you are on some form of government support, you should not be entitled to own a pet. There is something wrong about a ward of the state having wards of their own, be they children or pets.

Bringing children into the world that you cannot provide for financially OR emotionally is child cruelty. Poverty activists love to break out the number of adults and children living in poverty. Why do these activists always forgive the adults for bringing a child into the world that they cannot care for? I would have loved to have children earlier in my life but I elected to wait until I was emotionally and financially ready. Why are others immune from doing this too? There is a plethora of free birth control at medical clinics so the costs of same cannot be an excuse. If you cannot afford children (or pets) with your own means, don’t have them.

So Let Me Get This Straight

I normally attempt to avoid the tabloid style fascination with the goings-on in Hollywood. It is my personal conviction that if everyone focused more on their stock portfolio or their children and less on the endless litany of self-indulgent celebrity freaks, society would be much better off. It would seem that a majority of people pay these idiots to live a lavish lifestyle on their behalf.

The L.A. Times editorial Shun Mel Gibson managed, however, to catch my attention. They are calling for Hollywood to relegate Margarita Mel to celebrity z-list status:
“The stages of Gibson's well-scripted redemption — rehab, repentance, a newfound appreciation for the horrors of the Holocaust — are painfully predictable. We only wish its supporting cast would refuse to do their part, and allow Gibson to continue ranting, or make his peace with the world, off camera.”

I’m not here to defend Mel Gibson’s actions. What he did was stupid and reprehensible. My problem lies with the Champagne Socialists that make up the L.A. Times. You can never predict what is going to get them so worked up that their half-cap double milk lattes wind up getting spilled all over their beloved 7 series Bimmers. These folks are willing to send Mel Gibson, a reported alcoholic, to the woodchipper without any calls for redemption. However, Tookie Williams, one of the top guns of L.A.’s notorious Crips gets doted on by the Times with all of the accolades befitting Mother Theresa.

Notable verse from the Times on Mr. Williams include:
“Stanley Tookie Williams, whose self-described evolution from gang thug to antiviolence crusader won him an international following and nominations for a Nobel Peace Prize, was executed by lethal injection early today, hours after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger refused to spare his life.”

A fawning opening paragraph with no mention of the four people he murdered or his vehement refusal right up to his execution to help the police make inroads against the Crips. Headings around the time of Tookie’s execution also include such gems as:
Austria Feels Sense of Betrayal by Native Son

When the L.A. Times takes a harder line on you than on a convicted murderer who is also one of gangland’s founding fathers, you know you are up chocolate creek without a popsicle stick.

Sometimes It’s the Little Things

The AIDS conference in Toronto has now come and gone. Stephen Harper took a lot of heat for not participating.

I wonder what percentage of participants in the conference currently have the FIGHT AIDS @ HOME screen saver running on their computers at work and/or at home. My guess is the number is somewhere far from 100%.

Those that were berating Harper and who can’t even make this effortless contribution should hang their heads in shame. Instead of scoring cheap political points, perhaps the activists should have focused their efforts in showing the public how they can do their part to eradicate this scourge.

Helping Hand or Enablers?

There is a reason the Black Rod is the undisputed heavyweight champ of the Manitoba blogopshere. Once again, he/she/they come up with a post that makes one ponder life’s big issues. I’m not going to get into the pros or cons of safe injection sites, but BR’s posting makes me wonder about how everyone lays claim to being right or wrong on any given matter.

The BR mentions that the Toronto AIDS conference participants lauded the B.C. safe injection sites. He/she/they then go on to provide articles that cast a pall over any reason for joyous celebration.

How is it that we allow talking heads to make claims without any semblance of numerical data to back them up? How has the site been a resounding success? Has it lowered crime statistics? Are fewer people using hard drugs? Has this centre set up a target of getting 5% of “guests” off of junk and managed to achieve this target? If you have no tangible way to make an assertion then a case could be made that you are actually making things worse by facilitating suboptimal societal conduct.

Some social activists paint us business folk as callous wretches preoccupied solely with acquiring wealth. Perhaps they would best be served by adopting some of the principles we abide by. We identify needs that have yet to be fulfilled and allocate our budgets accordingly. The vitriolic left may call this heartless but I like to call this leveraging finite resources.

How can you begin to solve a problem when you can’t even articulate measurable ways to decree the problem eradicated or at the very least on the path to progress? Poverty, homelessness and addiction are serious societal issues. One day I hope my kids or grandkids can grow up in a world without them. Unsubstantiated flowery and self-congratulatory rhetoric won’t help make this a reality…

Motivational Tunes:

Porno for Pyros – Tahitian Moon

The Alan Parsons Project – Standing on Higher Ground

W.A.S.P. – The Heretic (The Lost Child) – blame Andy Fletcher’s Manimal reference for that one…

On Free Association

Since I am nothing more than one of the Hack’s incarnations, I thought I would keep this brief (Hack – if you write a clever posting like that, you have to expect the rest of us to flog it to death). I have spent the last night doing nothing but voting for Ryan, Toby, Dilana and Lukas. Patrice should have done Message in a Bottle less a la Up With People and more akin to Marilyn Manson’s cover of Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This). Perhaps not so much in an industrial vein, but definitely with darker overtones. It’s rock music, not a gospel revival.

I have added the Freakonomics blog to my blogroll. The book itself is one of the most amazing pieces of literature I have ever read. It forces you to rethink the whole notion of right vs. left rhetoric and the holes in each of their belief systems that negate their ability to solve the world’s pressing issues. Thanks to the Manitoba Liberal for letting me know the blog existed. Like some Pavlovian canine, I keep going back to ML’s blog waiting for an entry – ML’s contributions to other bloggers’ comments sections are pretty interesting.

Speaking of Liberals, I have been accused of being an angry Tory who rails against those with more pressing social engagements than my nightly stints watching CPAC from the confines of my parents’ basement. CC – I just want the public to know you were wrong. I am an angry fiscal Conservative and social Liberal who rails against those with more pressing social engagements than my nightly stints watching CPAC from the confines of my parents’ basement. I must admit your cheeky jab gave me a few laughs and made me reconsider changing my name. Kudos on an entertainingly executed retort. While I still may not agree with your conduct, you are at least taking the ensuing heat in stride.


Motivational Tunes:
My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult – Sex on Wheels
Abba – The Visitors (thanks to anonymous blogging, I can reveal this to the world and still keep my public dignity intact)
Seal – My Vision
Megadeth - Breadline

Another Day, Another Dagger (Et Tu, Gordon? – Part 2)

Can anyone please tell me why Gordon Sinclair Jr. is so vociferously opposed to Sam Katz? His column today berates the Mayor for publicly condemning the stabbing of a 16 year old at the Forks. Apparently, Sinclair and a “newsroom colleague” view this as crass political opportunism. Sinclair states:

“If he wants to show he really cares, he should be as concerned at least as much about the places Winnipeggers live as the sites tourists visit.
But he's not.
If he was, he could have issued a statement about Sunday's other victim of a random act of violence. The 25-year-old woman was driving down Route 90 when someone standing on the Portage Avenue overpass dropped a rock through her windshield. “

If by your own admission the overpass rock thrower was just as important a story, how do you explain the fact that on page B1 (aka front page of the City & Business section) of today’s paper ALL of the articles pertain to the Forks stabbing, your column included? I had to get the follow-up on the overpass story from your competitor.


To those that would label me a rabid Sinclair detractor, I submit the following (sent June 15, 2006) in my defense:

“Hello Gordon.

If I go to the pains of berating you when I disagree with you it is only fair that I commend your column when I wholeheartedly agree with you.
In two succinct sentences you managed to encapsulate what many of us "nose to the grindstone" Manitobans feel about the whole Stuart Smalley-esque daily affirmation campaign code-named Spirited Energy -
"As I was saying, we got branded yesterday. What I forgot to mention is how much it hurt."

Our businesses and undertakings are on par or superior to anything coming out of Montreal, Toronto or Vancouver. Many of us simply lack the garish audacity to flaunt our achievements unlike the self-congratulatory folks in our bigger urban centres. We go about our business knowing that our effort feeds our families and gives us a sense of self-actualization. Even in the face of a punitive provincial tax structure or questionable provincial fiscal management, we frenetically toil away.

I would much rather have seen the $2 million broken into 20 pieces of $100,000.00 and then used to buy 20 deserving impoverished Manitoba families homes. Imagine the ripple effect created when 20 families break a cycle of dependence on housing agencies and become home owners. Instead, as you rightfully pointed out, millions of dollars went out the back door to suited individuals in other urban centres.

To the non-believers, this campaign only serves to reaffirm their convictions - a province so desperate that we need, a la Stuart Smalley, to engage the services of outside "professionals" to tell ourselves we are good enough and that people like us. To the rest of us (who frankly find the doubters misinformed and/or authors of their own misfortune by not taking charge and making the changes they want to see in Manitoba) this is money and effort that could have been put to a multitude of better uses.

Bravo on an insightful and astute article!


Sincerely,
Proud to be a Winnipegger & Unapologetic for Being One”

Way to Go Dave!

Thus far, the few businesses that have opted to embrace the Spirited Energy campaign have done so rather reticently unless they had a hand in its creation. My eyes naturally started rolling when I first saw Dave Angus’ latest editorial in today’s Winnipeg Sun.

The first few paragraphs start predictably enough with the “it’s here like it or not so let’s just accept it” rhetoric. As the piece progresses, it becomes more compelling. Angus proceeds to put a reverse onus back on the provincial government to make us believers in the campaign:

‘"Spirited Energy" is more about our future than our past, and the province must take aggressive action to ensure they are creating an environment consistent with the brand.’

Instead of mindlessly asking us to buy into Spirited Energy, he asks the NDP to show us the money. If we are to buy into the branding strategy, the provincial government must reciprocate by fostering the requisite economic conditions. Dave Angus is to be commended for treating Winnipeggers and Manitobans with more respect than others before him. Now, if we could only get other special interest groups to follow his lead…

On Anonymity, Part 2

Ordinarily, I like to think I am above the personal attack. Once in a while people come along and make such an indelibly negative impression on you that you are forced to reconsider your principled stance on civility and decorum.

In college, it was that fellow who would come to a kegger without having chipped in for the beer. After drinking himself into a stupor on everyone else’s dime, said person would then proceed to either vomit all over the host’s house or engage in a destructive rampage.

At a wedding, it is the gentleman who thinks that all of the bridesmaids are there solely for his personal gratification. Everyone is reluctant to set him straight because he is a close relative, if not a sibling, of the bride or groom. As such, he proceeds with reckless abandon to make the ladies in the dyed satin pumps as uncomfortable as humanly possible.

In sports, it is the guy who insists on tackling everyone during a game of flag football. Smaller people than our brave friend make exceptionally likely targets.

In the Manitoba blogosphere, it is the person who takes it upon himself to out a fellow anonymous blogger. To be sure, Manitoba’s blogging “enfant terrible’s” latest posting was a bit strong. There are, however, more dignified ways to refute his/her/their musings.

The stunt CC pulled on his blog today has to be the pettiest, classless and most self-aggrandizing posting I have ever seen. I hope CC’s pathetic attempt to defend Hugh McFadyen from the Black Rod is more a reflection of the blogger than of the person he was trying to defend. Otherwise my tepid support of McFadyen has just been flushed down CC’s sewer…

With Teeth? (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly)

The Downtown Biz along with the City of Winnipeg et al announced the Community Outreach Patrol Program yesterday. This is a step in the right direction in addressing the reasons people are loathe to head downtown. I was initially unreservedly enthusiastic about the program until I heard Vic Grant’s Excuse Me CJOB op-ed mention the price tag yesterday.

In order to hire eight Outreach Patrols, the program is expected to require $478,000.00 per annum in funding, or $59,750 PER PATROL. How much of this is going to the front line employees and how much will be going to “ethnic training” and other such politically correct initiatives to ready them for their expanded role?

As could be expected, the usual talking heads also gave their all too predictable lines. Loren Schinkel of the Winnipeg Police Association laments the fact that the gap won’t be filled with additional union-dues-paying officers. Poverty advocates raise the spectre of “heavy-handed tactics.” Anyone who has seen the Downtown Watch patrols in action knows they are the farthest thing from Brazilian death squads. I would just once like to see opinion leaders address an issue without shamelessly promoting their own personal agendas. Barring that, toning down their rhetoric would be a constructive first step.

The Good – Assertive measures taken to deal with downtown problems.

The Bad – Minor issues regarding politically correct implementation of said measures.

The Ugly – Special groups given more time than they deserve to advance their own interests.

So now we know what we get when we combine a spaghetti western with NIN…

On Anonymity

The Manitoba blogosphere has been atwitter lately with everyone’s attempts to out their fellow anonymous bloggers. Speculation has run rampant over who the Black Rod, Blackberry Addicts, Comments Closed or Andy Fletcher may or may not be. I have a feeling they are all incarnations of the Hack.

Personally, I don’t really care if the Black Rod is Marty, Mary or a Minke whale. Since its inception, their blog has managed to stir up controversy and generate debate. For that, we should be grateful. I would imagine that his/her/their name is whispered in the hallowed halls of the Winnipeg Free Press with the same hushed tones as Lord Voldemort’s at the Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

One blogger (couldn’t find the reference when writing – my apologies to whoever I owe a hyperlink to) cleverly uses the analogy that anonymous posting allows us to bring our out-for-beers venting to the rest of the world. In an era of political correctness run rampant, this is a good thing. Most every night, we put on our game sweaters and hit the ice against others who don’t necessarily share our views.

Dan Lett contends that anonymous blogging allows special interests such as political parties to parade around as mere shlubs. He worries that readers may be caught unaware and be susceptible to cognitive manipulation by these malignant entities. I agree with the Hack when they say that most people find political banter a banal exercise. Those of us that partake in this activity know what side of the political spectrum various players come from. For those people that lack the critical reasoning to filter the information they are presented, please use the link in this sentence. You’ll be safer there – trust me.

So this blogger (who wishes to remain anonymous) asks others to stop the facemasking and get back to the business of making everyone privy to the thoughts most only share over suds. Otherwise the only big ideas we are ever going to get are groupthink initiatives like Spirited Energy…

Motivational tunes for the past few days:

Ministry – N.W.O.

The Smiths – The Queen is Dead

Charlatans UK – The Only One I Know

L.A. Guns – Rip and Tear

Loudness – The Lines Are Down

Ok Andy, Here Goes Nothing…

The writer behind The Andy Fletcher Show blog challenged his fellow Manitoba bloggers to write about how we would improve Manitoba. So without further ado:

Eliminate taxes that have nothing to do with income, profits or consumption.

Taxes that are based on assets and not profit/income are an economic disincentive to capital investment in our province. Examples include the Provincial Education Support Levy on the City of Winnipeg property tax bill, the Capital Tax and Payroll Tax. It would be naïve to assume that these taxes could be eliminated without a corresponding increase in some other tax. I propose taking a geometric average (to smooth out abnormally high or low amounts) of the past three years of each of these taxes and then increasing the PST by an amount commensurate with the revenues associated with the former. This could be phased in over a 5 to 10 year period so that consumers would not experience sticker shock in Year 1 (i.e. one tax reduced at a time).

Eliminate/reduce government overlap.

While all levels of government have relatively clear delineations of their jurisdictional domains, they also insist on infringing on each others’ turf. For example, the housing issue is addressed by the Manitoba Housing Authority, the Winnipeg Housing and Homelessness Initiative, Winnipeg Housing Rehabilitation Corporation, the federal National Homelessness Initiative, not to mention charities such as Habitat for Humanity and Raising the Roof. If the goal is to shelter the less fortunate, the plethora of agencies that take it upon themselves to do just that detracts from optimizing the finite amount of resources leveraged to combat this problem. Each entity incurs administrative costs that would be better off going straight to the people these initiatives are all trying to help.

Same-old “Same-old Sam” Editorial

The editorial folks at the Winnipeg Free Press are not content with Mayor Katz’s platform. Choice cuts from one of today’s opinion pieces include:

“There is no shortage of small ideas at City Hall.”

“It is not a healthy sign when the mayor can declare his candidacy with a ho-hum platform and a pledge to keep the cogs turning at City Hall. It is a symptom of a prevailing apathy and the ennui afflicting Winnipeg civic politics, which has become good at producing career politicians and safe seats.”

As someone who was initially cynical of Sam, I beg to differ. His tenure in office has turned me into a believer and, as my posts continue, somewhat of a Sammy apologist. Contrary to what the Freep pointy heads would have us believe, voter apathy is caused by “big idea” politicians who become so enamoured with strategic visions that they have lost sight of what is truly important to the average person. Most people couldn’t care less about Richard Florida’s “creative class” musings but they do notice when we have washboard roads and highways that are bested by donkey trails in Third World countries.

Government, by its nature, is an “unsexy” job. Our elected officials are at their best when we don’t even sense their presence - roads are paved, the garbage is collected, the Peter Whitmores of the world are off the street, etc. Invariably, government decides to “sex” up their role in our lives, aided and abetted by cheerleaders posing as editorialists. We are accordingly endowed with “Spirited Energy”, “creative classes” and “Canadian values.” In the wake of all of these “eyes-off-the-ball” initiatives invariably comes other great blessings such as “infrastructure deficits” and “brain drain.” To paraphrase Maslow, you can’t focus on the big things until the little ones are properly dealt with.

Rest assured that as long as we are getting the “Same-old Sam”, I will be casting my ballot the “Same-old Way...”

Our New Bison

Just when my faith in our current NDP government almost completely evaporated, the new bison logo was revealed in today’s papers. I am pleased to announce that irrespective of Hydra House, raids on Manitoba Hydro’s kitty, floodway cost overruns, Crocus, Seven Oaks land deals and stealth taxation via an “expanded” PST, at least our fearless leaders on Broadway can still COLOUR! Shade in the old logo, et voila! To be fair, anyone with a protractor can see that some of the angles are different on the back and the legs. But does this new “improved” version merit such fanfare? The redneck in me yearns to use the word ain’t, so here it goes: If it ain’t broke…

Et Tu, Gordon?

Why does Gordon Sinclair Jr. always insist on trying to play Brutus to Sam Katz’s Caesar? The fact that he has never managed to successfully land a blow doesn’t keep him from pulling out the daggers at every opportunity.

His latest article berates Katz for claiming credit for the Sherbrook Bridge refurbishing:

“As far as I recall, Sam Katz wasn't even in office when the decision to repair the crumbling bridge was made, he had nothing to do with the near-perfect construction weather, and he certainly hasn't been seen wearing a hard hat and carrying a lunch pail.”

So by your own reasoning Gordon, what is the NDP’s excuse for the floodway cost overruns? They WERE in office when the decision to undertake the project was made. They also had the same perfect construction weather. And while Doer wasn’t wearing a hard hat or carrying a lunch pail, he managed to put his cronies at the helm as his proxy.

Seeing as how the construction did come in on budget under his watch, let’s give the Mayor some credit. Especially when, by direct comparison, the NDP is adept only at externalizing blame on THEIR construction projects…

Oh Those Cheeky BBA Monkeys

I read about the NDP view on business and economic matters with a level of bemusement usually reserved for when I watch my kids attempt to mow the lawn with their bubble blowing Teletubbies lawn mower. While both attempts are heartfelt and noble, one can’t help but wonder how much of the grass or economy is going to be damaged in the process.

On the NDP secrecy regarding the sale of Gull Harbour, the folks at Blackberry Addicts ask:
“What would be the prospect of future public/private deals if businesspeople thought their internal info, that is required for government's due diligence in any arrangement, would become public for all -- including competitors -- to see?”

Let’s back up a minute, shall we? Nobody is asking to see Paletta’s financials, Personal Net Worth statements, credit references or any other due diligence items alluded to in the BBA post. Some form of Purchase and Sale agreement stipulating what conditions must be met to close the deal surely exists. We are looking for the FRAMEWORK of the deal, not EVERY last detail. Other than the fact the resort was sold, that is – thanks for giving us THAT much, Gary.

When a publicly traded company engages in a transaction with a private company, there are footnotes in the financial statements of the public company that give shareholders a rough outline of the salient terms of the deal. And yes, competitors can pick up the annual report and find out said information. These deals manage to transpire without business bearing “witness (to) the end of deals with the private sector.”

The residents of Manitoba are shareholders in that sprawling company known as the Manitoba Government. As such, we are entitled to get AT LEAST a “footnote” understanding of the sale of Gull Harbour. If private business interests don’t like the heightened scrutiny afforded them by dealings with public companies or governments, there are plenty of private deals out there.

The BBA writers go on to wag their fingers in the direction of “Baby Huey.” Some of us are not Tory apologists - we would accordingly hold Hugh McFadyen to the same standard. To us, the fact that the “Tories did it too” doesn’t hold water.

Now, about that info we wanted to see…

“I’d rather be 1-5…”

“…Than from Winnipeg”? This little witticism is courtesy of the Hamilton Spectator – that paper nobody wants to keep (it was sold three times in the late ‘90’s). Sadly this can only be expected from that half-wit cousin to the Liberal Rag aka The Toronto Star.

If this is how the Spectator must create a buzz for the Ti-cats, it goes a long way in helping us to finally understand the mindset of the fine folks who kept foisting Sheila Copps on the Canadian electorate. You remember her – that intellectual heavyweight MP who could barely be trusted with the Heritage portfolio – flag flaps and all. You KNOW you’re in trouble when Chretien views YOU as damaged goods. Up to this point, I simply thought the mullet-haired Hamilton East constituents, seeing “Copps” on the ballot, were voting for their favourite TV show.

The biggest irony is that Hamilton is the loneliest stretch of road on the QEW when you are heading from Toronto to Niagara Falls. Hamilton does have it’s nice areas such as Ancaster and the escarpment, but a glance at Hamilton’s harbour when you are barreling down the Burlington Skyway is sickly reminiscent of the brutal shape the bathroom was in when you were still at that frat party at 3:00 a.m. during your college years.

Give me Winnipeg over Hamilton any day. And our football team doesn’t suck either…

The Life of Ryan

Let me start by saying I CAN’T STAND the song “Losing My Religion” by R.E.M. Having spent the early 90’s listening to the FM dial and watching MuchMusic, I liked the song the first 300,000 times I heard it but now I’d rather listen to Celine Dion and Luther Vandross do Sharon, Lois and Bram cover tunes with the support of a Tupperware bashing toddler backup band.

Ryan didn’t just bat this one out of the park, he smashed it into a neighbouring city’s ball diamond. His Rock Star Supernova performance was simply spectacular and gave me newfound appreciation for a song previously rendered unlistenable thanks to the likes of CHUM, Corus and the folks at 92…

Motivational tunes for today:

Modern Angel by Front 242 and Sunless Saturday by Fishbone – if these tunes don’t push you those extra few km’s on your run, blade or biking trip, then nothing will!