In search of a Legacy

As Obama approaches the last years of his Presidency, he is looking for every chance to establish a legacy. In the past week the Supreme Court handed him two wins – Obamacare and Same Sex Marriage, which he once opposed. Now he is trying to compare himself to Ronald Reagan. Let us look at this latest attempt to ingratiate himself to historians.

When he became President Obama promised to ‘transform America’ - Well he has succeeded in a certain sense but not necessarily for the better. His healthcare will be judged in future years, and as costs and premiums go up it is not certain that the 51% of Americans who oppose the program are going to allow it to continue.

On the economy, his failed socialist policies have created a debt of $19 trillion, and true unemployment is at its highest levels. For the past six years there has been no real economic recovery, and yet taxes have gone up and redistribution of wealth through wage policies may increase unemployment, especially among young uneducated Americans.

Within months of his election, Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, not for any great accomplishment but only for being African American. He used the race card at every opportunity to push his socialist agenda, and today racial tensions are at their worst in years. On foreign policy, he has been a disaster and an apologist who has created chaos around the world. He cannot be blamed for armed conflicts but for caving in to every terrorist organization and Vladimir Putin.

Today, many allies of America are concerned and no longer trust the U.S.  Iran has taken control in most of the Middle East. And yet the Obama the administration with the help of a feckless Secretary Kerry is about to grant Iran the possibility of acquiring nuclear weapons, within ten years or even sooner. Russia has not only invaded Ukraine, but is now providing missiles to Iran, in a bold move reminiscent of the Cold War. 

If Obama believes that he should be recognized as a transformational President like Reagan, maybe he should be reminded of some facts. Reagan rebuilt a faltering economy, he brought Russia to its knees and the Cold War was ended. Iran was put into its place after the Ayatollahs’ coup that got rid of the Shah and the hostage taking. By contrast Obama will leave the world in a chaos only seen after World War II. The Middle East crisis will linger and more lives will be lost. His approach to open diplomatic relations with communist Cuba does nothing to liberate the oppressed Cubans. While surrendering to the enemies of the Western world, Obama dissed his closest ally and neighbor. He will also leave many Eastern European nations open to the whims of a new Russian dictator.

Now with the 2016 Presidential elections fast approaching, Obama tries to create a legacy like Reagan by trying to continue his failed presidency by getting Hillary Clinton in the White House. But what we must remember is that his latest critic is Jimmy Carter, an expert on failed foreign policy, who hinted that Obama’s presidency maybe a failed one – he should know as his title of worse President is going to be passed to Obama.

Uninformed Canadians in a recent poll overwhelmingly supported Obama.  The liberal media wants to compare the ‘smart’ Obama presidency to Reagan’s, who they once referred to as the old and senile actor.

To even hint that Obama is to be compared to Reagan is to say that Stalin should be viewed in the same light as Churchill. -  Oh Bummer!

Chartered Territory

A recent IPSOS poll gives Mulcair and the NDP the lead in a tight elections race. Already the liberal media is talking about the possibility of an NDP federal win and Mulcair as Prime Minister. This is far from the truth.

Surveys and polls are not always correct as we have seen in recent past. The Wildrose in Alberta were once ahead of the PCs, the British Conservatives were not supposed to win such a large majority. Problem is that surveys and polls depend on sample size and questions asked. They can be manipulated and misread. Today many polls are done through landline phones and ignore cell phones. Worse still many surveys are skewed by activists storming the internet with their responses. Example Mayor Nenshi is the World’s Best Mayor.

The left was buoyed by the NDP’s second place showing in the last elections under Jack Layton. With an inexperience Trudeau the Liberals are not doing better, and Mulcair although showing well in the polls must be aware of Gilles Duceppe re-entry into politics. The Bloc will have a significant role to play in many of the current Quebec NDP ridings.

As for being in unchartered territory, as the media would have us believe, the past has shown quite clearly the effects of socialists’ electoral wins. Starting with Bob Rae in Ontario, Romanow in Saskatchewan and more recently Notley in Alberta, we can see that there is only one agenda – tax and spend. On the international stage Obama has been able to reduce the United States economy to the level of European countries, as he accumulated debts of $18 trillion. France under Hollande wanted a 90% tax on the rich, and Greece under a socialist/communist government is not only close to bankruptcy, but closer to joining the ranks of a third world economy.

As I wrote in Conservatives: Dead or Alive? (Amazon.com) the upcoming federal election should be a debate about free trade, the economy, and security. All the other social issues are already settled in Canada. The Conservatives would be well advised to stick to their platform of ‘a hand up’ instead of  'hand me down’ as proclaimed by both the Liberals and the NDP. The mantra of income inequality and social justice is a moot point if the economy is striving. Lower taxes and responsible spending must be at the core of the next election, not promises that can only be met by additional spending, increase taxes and mounting debt.

Canadians should make themselves very aware of the differing platforms before going to the polls. An NDP government is not unchartered territory. Well documented performance by socialist governments should be at the heart of the voting decision. It is no use crying over spilt milk after the results are known.  Albertans and Americans are living proof of trusting promises made by socialist leaning politicians. Do not rely on polls, rely on facts. Elections do have consequences,

Climate Change is now a real Religion

The environmental discussion has been going on for years, unfortunately it has been one sided. The so-called majority who believes that global warming, now climate change, is caused by only one factor –humans, has closed the debate. Those who have different views have been ostracised, discarded and dismissed as deniers.
The rancour with which this debate has taken place, has too often taken the form of religious zealots imposing their views on all of us. In a latest move to get their autocratic wealth redistribution agenda thrust upon humanity, the Environmentalists have co-opted Pope Francis as their latest spokesman. It seems that Pope Francis has embraced the New Testament according to the IPCC .The problem is that most people do not understand what an Encyclical means.
A Papal Encyclical is a letter issued by the Pope to all Bishops in the Catholic Church. In this case a 192 page letter argues that we need to have a new partnership between science and religion to halt the human-driven climate change. His position is –" fighting inequality and global poverty". On the face of it this theme is generally what is expected from a religious leader, however it is the tone and content of the document that unfortunately provides environmental activists more fodder to promote debate closure. The five main points are:

·         Climate change is real and is getting worse

·         Human beings are the main contributor to climate change

·         The poor are the  most affected by climate change

·         Politicians must lead the charge towards change

·         We can and must make things better.

While lauded by environmentalist there are some serious problems with the issuance of this Encyclical. First it gives credence to those who have been pushing for wealth redistribution through policies masquerading as environmental policies. It ignores the fact that policies which have shifted energy production not only affect industrialised countries but also developing countries. For example the use of corn in the production of ethanol has reduced the availability of this staple commodity in many countries. .The establishment of a trading market for  carbon credits has not reduced the effects of climate change but has made the proponents of this market very rich – Maurice Strong and All Gore to name two of the most vocal environmentalists. Giving more powers to politicians is the last thing that the world needs to alleviate the problems of poverty, whether caused by climate change or any other factors. Furthermore, the Pope denies that there is a clear division among scientists and the general public about the cause of climate change. He also seems to believe that the ' climate science is settled’, which cannot be further from the truth – science is never settled; it can and should always be challenged to further our growth and progress.

I believe that the climate is constantly changing, but I do not agree with the methods, and dictates used to promote meaningful change and improvements. As a born and raised Roman Catholic this encyclical may cause me to doubt the role of the church. I wonder what effect this encyclical will have on many Catholics, no matter which side of the argument they may choose.

The Pope’s infallibility is defined as a teaching given ex cathedra (from the chair) meaning: "when, in the exercise of his office as shepherd and teacher of all Christians, in virtue of his supreme apostolic authority, (the Bishop of Rome) defines a doctrine concerning faith or morals to be held by the whole Church”

To be recognized as infallible, the teaching must be:

• A decision of the supreme teaching authority of the Church Concern a doctrine of faith or morals
• Bind the universal Church
• Be proposed as something to hold firmly and immutably

By jumping into the fray of such a divisive political issue, has the Pope further damaged any possibility of finding the best solutions to a difficult problem? Will Catholics recognize this pronouncement as being accepted as being infallible and thus create a real problem for those Catholics who do not agree with the Pope?  Does the Pope expect all Catholics to follow his teachings on this matter? Or has he further created a gulf in the church by taking sides in such an authoritarian approach, because this encyclical may not bind the universal Church as he may have proposed.

The worst part is that for a long time environmental activists have been longing to transform the movement into a religion. They already had their Pope Suzuki and Cardinal Al Gore and Arch Bishops like Maurice Strong for example. With this Encyclical, Pope Francis has clearly given credence to the environmental movement – the Pope’s imprimatur guarantees them the status of a true religion..

To Serve Unprotected

Mayerthorpe, Moncton, St. Alberta and Edmonton: all places where law enforcement officers have been shot and killed by criminals. Let us not forget the 2014 shooting of Corporal Nathan Cirillo by jihadist Zehaf Bibeau in Ottawa.

First responders are the first line of defence for citizens and yet they are also left unprotected either by the law, the media or a shortage of proper equipment. In Moncton where three officers were shot by a deranged man on a rampage, it appears that some officers were not wearing any protective jackets. The reason is that the protective jacket is too heavy. The subsequent report on the shooting also reminded us that the officers may not have had the proper firearms to deal with the situation.

 In the United States there has been a rash of law enforcement execution by either would be terrorists or black criminals emboldened by racism rhetoric in the main stream media. There is no doubt that the situation in the U.S is far worse than in Canada, however it seems that in today’s world it is fair game to shoot at first responders no matter what the grievances or circumstances are, What may be disturbing to some is the way that events in the U.S is reported in the Canadian media. Too often the reports focus entirely on the violence exhibited by police officers when they address explosive situations. There is no doubt that there are always bad apples in every profession. However  the media tend to focus on ‘blue on black’ rather than ‘black on black’ incidents. Canadian media rarely report that 98% of blacks’ deaths are perpetrated by other blacks, either in the commission of a crime or innocents in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The recent events in Baltimore demonstrated the wide gap between law enforcement and wanton destruction of a community. The problem is that the media tend to jump to conclusion without all the facts being revealed. Sure there are problems but to give credence that in Canada we may have the same racial problems are far from the truth. We have our problems but the situation can rapidly be acerbated by giving credence to statements like the one made  by  Toronto journalist and public intellectual Septembre Anderson who said that:” I see value in that violence’ when asked about events in Baltimore.
Furthermore the constant reports about the militarization of the police force maybe overplayed. Times have changed and police forces are faced with more dangerous confrontations every day. Terrorists and criminals, some of them equipped with their own armoured vehicle, think of nothing but to shoot at first responders, as  riots, racial and civic protests  get more violent. There is no need for excessive show of force in every situation, but the reality demands that any violent attack is responded in kind by the police.

In the debate about racial incidents we always bring forth the idea that we do not have enough diversity in our forces. However when a black Commissioner of Police supports  “carding” — the stopping and questioning of people by police and the recording and filing of details of those who aren’t under arrest or being detained — the Toronto Mayor promises to get rid of the procedure. Carding when done properly does not profile race but crime. However the courts must make the police accountable to ensure its proper usage. The Police is there to serve and protect but they should also be given the tools to do so, otherwise it will be the general public who will suffer.

Orange Crush or Bitter Lemon?

After 44 years of conservative governments, the province is now under the rule of a socialist party – the NDP.

The historical demise of the Progressive Conservatives must not be ignored..

The choice of Jim Prentice as a replacement for Allison Redford, was the first mistake, because the party never change its progressive approach. Moreover, the arrogance of the Prentice Clan who presented a budget with no real cuts but instead instituted the wrong new taxes and fees, provided enough fuel for Albertans’ discontent. Then came the worse strategic mistake of recent years - an early election call when one was never needed for at least a year.

Alberta will quickly understand the consequences of the May 5^th 2015 Provincial elections. Make no mistake, with several former union activists and a former communist elected; we shall see many socialist policies being implemented, and the loss of the Alberta Advantage.

With thoughts of higher taxes, and new environmental regulations, Alberta will join the other Canadian provinces under leftist rule. Alberta can expect higher unemployment in an already maligned oil industry coupled with fewer jobs due to a higher minimum wage of $15. Municipalities who have long wished for more taxation powers may get their wishes with new charters, and property and other taxes will go up.

Albertans will have to endure the results of their ballot decision for at least four years. Despite negative polls, it would be wise for conservatives to start thinking about a merger of the Wildrose and PC. However any attempt to merge will have to wait a while due to the antagonism between the two parties. It will need a Harper/Mackay coalition rather than the stupid  party establishment/Prentice/Manning/Smith debacle which resulted in the demise of the Prentice Clan and the Progressive Conservative party.

Any merger should focus on conservative principles rather than social issues that have divided Alberta’s conservatives. Despite the constant media rhetoric, homophobia is not the sole domain of conservatives, as demonstrated by Deborah Drever, the NDP’s latest elected member, who now will have to sit as an independent.

As I wrote in my book Conservatives: Dead or Alive? (Amazon.com),”conservative values are about freedoms - the freedom to choose, the freedom of speech, the freedom of association and most of all economic freedom. True social values are about education, healthcare, respect for seniors and the rule of law. Conservatives should leave their egos at the door and avoid being trapped by social wedge issues set up by politically correct liberal zealots of convenience. I am optimistic about the future of conservatism, but cautious about candidates who will compromise conservative principles to gain and stay in power.” Remember ‘unity is strength’.

The elections results were a protest vote against a tired party, arrogant leader, and unprincipled progressive caucus. . Just as we cannot make lemonade without lemons, there will not be an orange crush in Alberta for too long, because there are no oranges, but bitter lemon in this scenario.