The Right Opinion – January 16th, 2012

* The Right Opinion.

- The Liberals want to legalize marijuana. Yep, they went all the way and want to legalize the stuff. They must have misprinted the resolution. It should have said… decriminalize. That way people who have this substance on them won’t have criminal records if they are caught with it, but there will be a small fine. Similar to what would happen to you if you were caught walking down the street with an open bottle of booze. I would actually agree with that and I think other conservatives would too.

I have a few questions for my Liberal friends with some commentary mixed in.

1. Liberals love sin taxes (See below: Is that a cucumber in your pocket?). They claim high taxes on cigarettes deter people from smoking, thus protecting them from inhaling dangerous smoke. So tell me Liberals, why do you now want to make it easier and legal for people to smoke another cancerous substance? One would assume legalizing pot would make it more available, thus more people would smoke it. It’s kind of counter intuitive isn’t it? Will new legal doobies have filters? Are you going to have ‘Please don’t inhale deeply’ warning stickers on the packages? Hey, Bill Clinton can be a marijuana spokesperson.

2. Maybe there’s another reason you want to legalize it. Hmmmmm? Oh, I know, you want to tax it. That brings me to my second question. This one is for the potheads. I know you’ve been begging for the government to legalize pot for years and now you might get it. Be careful what you wish for, because if the government gets control over your pot, what do you want to bet they screw it up royally? What do you want to bet it’s poor quality? What do you want to bet prices skyrocket for your usual little dime bag of Acapulco Gold? I’ve been asking these questions of pot smokers for years and they still don’t get it. They must be smoking something.

3. What was another result of higher cigarette taxes? Hmmmmm? Oh, I know, organized crime. That’s right, native groups and the Hell’s Angels and all manner of other groups decided they could make a fortune selling cheaper smokes. So now the feds get their greasy paws on the pot, drive up prices on marijuana and the true capitalists of the world see an opening. Let’s flood the market with our cheaper (and probably superior) marijuana. Now the feds are out their tax money and they have to create an anti-marijuana smuggling task force at great cost to the taxpayer. Meanwhile, law enforcement is putting their lives on the line and in more danger now, because drug dealers are far more experienced at protecting their business interests than Joe Blow down the street who ran a few Mohawk brand smokes across the river on occasion to make a few bucks. Did you think of these things before you voted?

4. To all the Liberals out there. Your party is a shambles, you have no leader, no direction and from the looks of it, no new ideas… so let me ask you this. Is marijuana legalization really all that important?

5. Did they serve brownies just before you voted on this resolution on the weekend?

6. Final question. Are the Liberals out of their minds? It’s a rhetorical question.

So, to all the Libs out there, grab your favourite sh!t and enjoy. Click and listen.

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From Phil in the comments:

With the federal Liberals voting to legalize pot, I guess they will next vote to merge with the Marijuana Party. Not the merger on the left everyone thought the Liberals would make.

Related: John Ivison: Bob Rae puts chill on Liberals’ break from old politics – National Post

- Further to my comments above. Is there a roadside breathalyzer for pot?

- Stock tip: If the Liberals get a majority… invest in Doritos.

-Yesterday I suggested conservatives implement ‘Operation Chaos‘ in Canada now that the Liberal Party is going to allow non-party members to help them elect their new leader. Basically conservatives vote for the worst possible candidate that comes forward for the Liberals. I received an e-mail from a friend who just recently signed on as a card carrying member of the Liberal Party and he is concerned about tampering. No kidding. I know the Liberals just passed this resolution at their soiree in Ottawa on the weekend, but for some reason I think they might have a change of heart and change the rules. Meanwhile Phil sent me this comment…

There already is a site for Operation Chaos in Canada. Operation Chaos.

Currently they are a focused group intent on disrupting the NDP nominations, but the Liberal’s plan sounds easier to implement.

In order to mess with the NDP you will have to buy a membership card, so Phil is right. Messing with the Libs will be much easier and we won’t have to soil ourselves and have an NDP membership card on our person.
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* Who cares about Sarnia?

Now before my family and friends in my old hometown go ballistic, let me explain.

Over 4000 people are protesting an oil pipeline to transport Alberta bitumen to BC for shipping overseas. They claim it’s to protect the environment. If that’s the case, why aren’t you protesting oil shipping near Sarnia? Is Sarnia so insignificant you don’t care? In fact why aren’t you protesting all along the St. Clair River and the Great Lakes? Why not the entire length of the St. Lawrence Seaway? We regularly ship oil to ports across Canada and the United States. Why no outrage over that? Is it because it’s not about the shipping, it’s about the oil sands and you hate oil? Disingenuous boobs.

Related?: Tanker stuck in St. Clair River – CBC

A Norwegian oil tanker is stuck in the St. Clair River near Sarnia, Ont., and it’s unlikely the vessel will break free any time soon.

The 163-metre-long Sidsel Knutsen, which is carrying fuel oil, ran aground Tuesday morning on the American side of the river across from Courtright, Ont.

* Is that a cucumber in your pocket?…

Or is it just Dalton McGuinty? Unfortunately it’s the latter not the former. It’s because you can’t control yourself… so the government will.

Tough news to swallow — booze prices to rise – Toronto Sun

“Minimum prices are maintained to discourage immoderate consumption, especially among the most vulnerable, such as younger drinkers,” a Ministry of Finance statement sent out Friday says.

As of March 1, the cheapest spirits will rise by 50 cents on a 750mL bottle – to $23.90 from the current $23.40.

That two-four pack of beer will set an Ontarian back a minimum of $29.35, instead of the current basement price of $28.80.

Prices at the beer store will also be adjusted upwards to reflect inflation, the government says.

Wine will not be sold for less than $5.90 a 750 mL bottle, up 5 cents, but the LCBO doesn’t offer any at that low price anyway.

Related: Dalton McGuinty wants your money – Lilley's Pad

Related again: Increasing tax rates is not always a revenue generator – Globe & Mail

Common Sense: Alberta Liquor Privatization

* Canada will be bilingual when Quebec is.

One of the reasons we left Ontario was because of bilingualism. My wife couldn’t find a good job in Ontario because a lot of positions required her to speak French? That’s the human cost of official bilingualism. Here’s the monetary cost.

Bilingualism costs Ontario big bucks: Study – Toronto Sun

Ontario spends more than any other province — including Quebec — on minority language services, a Fraser Institute study has found.

The province spends $621 million a year providing French language services, including education, to 489,000 Franco-Ontarians, which amounts to about $52 per Ontarian.

That’s a far cry from the mere $7 per person Quebec spends on its 575,000-strong English-language minority, the right-wing think tank found.

In Alberta people call it poo-teen. That’s about as French as it gets.

* Another one bites the dust.

Jon Huntsman is out of the Republican race for president. I was wondering is he was ever in it? It’s expected Huntsman will endorse Mitt Romney. An endorsement that pulls about as much weight for true conservatives as John McCain’s.

Huntsman to end presidential campaign, endorse Romney – The Daily Caller

The latest RealClearPolitics polling average had Huntsman tied with Texas Gov. Rick Perry for fifth place with 5.7 percent of the vote in South Carolina.

ABC News reports that Huntsman will make his endorsement of Romney official in Myrtle Beach during an 11:00 a.m. press conference Monday.

Is Perry next?

* I might even watch.

Conservative writer/broadcaster/multi-media commentator Mark Steyn has a new Facebook page you should like. I do. It might actually get me watching another new program.

Get Mark Steyn on Dancing with the Stars

* iPod people?

Here’s an fun read about the death of the LP.

Imagine not knowing what an album is – American Spectator

Unlike physical sales, digital downloads witness singles trumping albums. Amid the benefits of having the ability to cherry-pick songs to download is the downside of the increased irrelevance of the deep cuts that really made the LP. What would “Sticky Fingers” be without “Sway,” “Houses of the Holy” without “No Quarter,” and “Achtung Baby” without “Ultraviolet”?

Today on ‘Deep Cuts & Lost Classics’… Gilmour live from Gdansk.

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More later.

JRB