The Canadian Dream

so·cial·ism /ˈsoʊʃəˌlɪzəm/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[soh-shuh-liz-uhm] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
1.
a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.
2.
procedure or practice in accordance with this theory.
3.
(in Marxist theory) the stage following capitalism in the transition of a society to communism, characterized by the imperfect implementation of collectivist principles.
Compare utopian socialism.

There's the definition, look at number three, and it fits Canada's current transition period perfectly. Instead of utopian socialism, I much prefer Trudeaupian Socialism, but I won't split hairs. It began with our much-cherished "free" healthcare system, but along the way we have been given the EI and welfare systems, the gun registry, and the coming state-run child care system the Liberals have proposed. With each step we surrender our choices to big brother or the nanny state. It's a slow and creeping process.

It is now mandatory to wear a helmet when you ride a bike. Last year Canadian politicians pushed for helmets on children who toboggan. Dalton Mc Guinty just banned trans fats in Ontario schools, and out east it is now illegal to smoke in the car if you have a child aboard. Smoking has been demonized, and alcohol too. The thought of having a drink at a friends house at Christmas is out of the question. This is creeping socialism, in small increments.

Some of these things may be good, but look at the choices you are not being allowed to make any more. You cannot be trusted; your judgment is suspect, and now "we" will make the right choices for you. Now give us half your income so we can regulate you, and provide for you. Do you see the trend? And why am I the only Canadian ticked off about half my income being gobbled up in taxes? It isn't just your income tax, it's sales tax and GST, property taxes and gasoline taxes, etc...

For every problem real or imagined, the Liberals are there to propose another costly social program sure to exceed cost projections, not fulfill its' mandate, and generally be ineffective.

Life is unfair. If my fellow citizen has not prepared himself for life after high school, has not educated himself, has not expressed any interest in becoming a productive member of society, why should my tax dollars make up the difference? Conversely if another dude has a better job and more skills than I have, then I don't believe I should share his success, nor live off of his taxes.

I feel strongly that Socialism has been an abysmal failure everywhere it has been tried in the world. Our Canadian natural resources are helping to pay the huge cost of this system, but I feel that a harsher reality is just around the corner. The rise of the loonie is more the fall of the US dollar, along with the recent mortgage and credit crunches in the US. These events should serve as a stern warning about a vulnerable financial sytem, teetering under the weight of massive credit. Something tells me if it really does go bad, we will lose a lot more choices than we can imagine.

Kyoto and "the Goracle"

Okay so it's the first of December, and I had to chase the penguins out of my driveway this morning. Keep in mind that -20C is a little bit cold for this time of year, even in northern Ontario. With all the hype surrounding Kyoto and the imminent heating of our planet to the point of extinction of all known life...Let's all pause and get a grip.

In Canada I have been led to believe that I must stop heating my home, stop using energy-guzzling incandescent bulbs, stop going to work, stop cooking my food, and instead curl up in my unheated, unlit home in a polar sleeping bag, freezing in the dark, in order to save the planet. Al Gore has brainwashed the Board of the Nobel Prize and most of mankind with his misleading and dishonest "Inconvenient Truth", which has been bought, lock stock and barrel by the political left in Canada.

Thankfully not much of the hype seems to sticking, given the news release from Environment Canada which predicts the coldest winter in fifteen years. Jack Layton, never afraid to shy away from feigned moral indignance or empty political grandstanding, declared that "the planet is dying" last week, and that means of course we should be bicycling to work, and taking turns warming our hands over the single, curly fluorescent bulb we will be allowed to share. Jack is against coal power and nuclear power, so I guess we'll all need to move to Mexico. The thought of me drowning a polar bear every time I fire up my massive four cylinder engine brings an imaginary tear to my eye.

Canada's contribution to greenhouse gases is less than 2% of the worldwide total. Until China and India get onboard with emissions caps, don't even ask me to start giving up my necessities. Our contribution to the "problem", if there really is one, is in the "drop in a bucket" range. But do feel free to buy your carbon offsets from Al Gore's company, if that makes you feel better.