I remember watching a program on television a long time ago where someone spoke about ‘levelling’. In that case it was about people who, instead of trying to make themselves better, tried to drag the other people around them down to their level. I learned a lot from watching that show. What’s that old saying? Never wrestle with a pig: You both get all dirty, and the pig likes it. Good advice. As I became more aware of politics I started to see levelling there too. I learned that conservatives believed in the power of the individual and believed in personal responsibility. I liked that because I’ve always thought I was responsible for my successes and failures. The opposite view was to make the state more responsible. Liberals want to level the playing field by taking from the productive in society and giving it to the non-productive. In that case you end up with three things. A weaker economy, people who feel entitled and expect more and votes for the people who are redistributing wealth. The levelling has really been taken to a new level with the beginning of the ‘Occupy’ movement, pitting the 99% against the 1% and with the Obama administrations populist views of American society. Obama will run on this in a big way this fall. He knows making the productive in society the villain and making the non-productive victims will result in big votes. It also helps that 49% of Americans don’t pay any income tax and more and more people are on food stamps and social assistance. He’ll just promise to level the playing field by taking from the rich and giving to the poor. After all, that’s fair, isn’t it? That’s the state of American society and politics today. You also see this in Canadian politics as well. Unfortunately too many people don’t want to get to the next level, they’ll just hope someone will bring the others down to theirs.

- A follow up to my post yesterday about tuning out. I seems others were as disgusted as me.

Toews' critics sink lower – Ottawa Citizen
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* The decline of the American empire.

Got a nice set of knockers?

Rash Of Historic Door-Knocker Thefts Reported In Society Hill – CBS Philly

Remember when you used to play war and Cowboys and Indians? Not anymore.

Toy Guns Becoming A Criminal Offense? – CBS Detroit

When a phone is worth more than a life.

Man, 81, pushed to tracks in iPhone theft – New York Post

Luckily:

The victim was pulled from the roadbed and was in stable condition at Woodhull Hospital.

* Now here’s a novel idea.

Pay people for performance. Where does that happen? In the private sector. How about the public sector? Never happen. Too many people would go broke.

Randy Hillier: Tie government wages to economic performance – National Post

So I’ve got a 363rd recommendation to add to the Drummond Report. Let’s tie government wages to economic performance and fiscal prudence.

* It’s George Bush’s fault.

At least it was when he was in office. Now it’s the fault of Iran, Greece, the unemployment rate.

Florida Drivers Shelling Out Nearly $6 A Gallon At Some Gas Stations – CBS Tampa

According to GasBuddy.com, motorists are shelling out $5.89 for a gallon of regular gas at a Shell station in Lake Buena Vista, topping out at $5.99 a gallon for premium. It doesn’t get better at a Suncoast Energy station in Orlando, where drivers are paying $5.79 for a gallon of regular.

* Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.

Venezuela's Chavez says his cancer is likely back – Associated Press

Chavez told Venezuelans on Tuesday that doctors in Cuba had over the weekend found a two-centimeter (less than an inch) lesion in the same place where they removed a cancerous tumor last year.

Today on ‘Deep Cuts & Lost Classics’… I’m going in a completely different direction today with DC & LC.
Al Jarreau – We’re In This Love Together

More later.

JRB

- I tuned out for a couple of days over the weekend. The first thing I do when I get up in the morning is run to the computer and find out what’s going on. Not on Saturday and Sunday. For the first time in a long time I really didn’t care or want to know what the world was up too. Maybe it was because I have been so engaged in current events over the last week with my fill in time on Corus, but more likely it was political hyper-partisanship. After awhile the political spin just gets to me. Last weeks rant by Justin Trudeau and the ‘you’re with us or you’re with the pornographers’ nonsense by Vic Toews seemed to put me over the edge. Trudeau doesn’t like what the government does, doesn’t like Stephen Harper’s “vision” of Canada, so he suggest to pull up stakes in Quebec and leave Canada. Well Justin, don’t let the door hit you in the ass when you leave. Justin doesn’t understand that many Canadians think Canada is on the right track when it’s veering right. He also doesn’t understand how to count. More Canadians voted for the Conservatives than the Liberals in the last election. Yes, even with the first past the post system he loathes… until his party uses it to win elections. Then we come to Public Safety Minister Vic Toews. No partisanship here… what Toews said was insulting, disrespectful and stupid. People who don’t want the government snooping on them and constantly watching over them aren’t with the child pornographers… we’re Conservatives, Liberals and NDP. Most of all we’re Canadians who believe we have a say in government, and we say we don’t like the ‘Lawful Access’ legislation. What the hell is wrong with that? Then to add to the sour feeling I got over those two stories, Toews was under attack on Twitter. I then witnessed normally sensible people I know applaud as Toews personal information was spread far and wide with the click of a mouse. It’s said turnabout is fair play, but not a single person was harmed by introducing the legislation, but now Toews and his totally innocent ex wife are victims of a smear campaign. It makes me sick. So on the weekend I said “enough”… and to tell you the truth they were the most peaceful days I’ve had in a long time. Maybe I’ll tune out again next week.

- Today I wish I was back in Ontario. I’d tune in to the Ontario legislature channel to hear the yelling.

Ont. legislature resumes amid budget concerns – CTV
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

* Preserving native culture.

If that’s what reserves are for, what kind of culture is an Oxycontin high? Sounds like a rethinking of the whole native situation is necessary.

Bitter pill.

OxyContin numbers don't lie – Ottawa Sun

The numbers don’t lie. Were you not floored when Grand Chief Stan Beardy, head of 49 Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) communities in Northern Ontario, admitted upwards of 80% of residents on some of his reserves, including children as young as nine, are addicted to this Hillbilly Heroin?

And, at the lower end, that at least half of all reserve residents have an addiction to this drug?

If the “system” was working, this should not even be close to happening.

These people need serious help.

* The future of schooling is technology.

Not if the teachers unions can get it banned for health reasons. Do you really think the unions are concerned about wi-fi in classrooms? I don’t. They’re concerned that they’ll be replaced by technology.

A Catholic teachers association looks to ban WiFi. What’s next? Coffee? – Globe & Mail

By one estimate, a year’s worth of exposure to WiFi is the equivalent of talking 20 minutes on a cellphone.

So, we take what is at best a theoretical risk, reduce it considerably and we have … a potential “workplace hazard”? Hardly.

Not to mention that FM radio, television, microwave ovens, the ground (in the form of radon) and the sun that shines down from the sky produce low-level radiation as well.

Are Ontario’s 45,000 Catholic teachers equally concerned with these potentially carcinogenic threats lurking in schools and schoolyards?

I featured this video from the TED conference before. Teachers unions are scared and this is why.

* Drill baby drill.

Or maybe that should be, dig baby, dig.

Canada’s oil sands: Not so dirty after all – Globe & Mail

But the EU vote comes against a landscape newly shifted by research showing that on a global scale, oil-sands emissions are not the dark-shirted villain some have made them out to be. That research, published in the journal Nature and co-authored by one of Canada’s most respected climate scientists, throws a wrench into the debate over an energy source whose reputed “dirtiness” has sparked fiery debate around the world. In North America, climate concerns have been at the heart of the concerted environmental movement against Keystone XL and Northern Gateway, a pair of proposed oil-sands pipelines that have struggled against a tide of public opposition.

* Drummond fallout.

Rex Murphy: The Drummond report and Ontario’s sham election – National Post

The Drummond report is scathing, frightening, a grim portrait, an indictment of Ontario’s fiscal management during the last eight years of McGuinty government. It is everything columnists in this paper have said and more. The Drummond analysis offers what we may call a spectrograph of Ontario’s perilous financial situation. It is also a devastatingly chilly portrait of imminent decline, should the government of this once dynamic, productive and industrious province fail to follow the prescription —320 deep, demanding and painful recommendations that Mr. Drummond so vigorously recommends.

* Permanent vacation.

Are you lucky to take one vacation a year? You should have been the First Lady.

First Lady's Aspen trip marks 16th vacation in 3 years for Obama family – Fox News

Here is a full list of the 16 vacations, courtesy of The Washington Examiner:

-President’s Day 2012, Michelle and the first daughters in Aspen, Colorado to ski.

-Christmas 2011, the first family in Hawaii for an extended vacation.

-Summer 2011, in Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., for the annual beach break.

-June 2011, the first lady, her mother and daughters traveled to South Africa and Botswana.

-President’s Day 2011, the first lady and first daughters travel to Vail to ski.

-Christmas 2010, in Hawaii.

-August 2010, the first family traveled to Panama City Beach, Fla., for some sun and fun at the beach.

-August 2010, Obama spent the weekend alone in Chicago for his 49th birthday bash.

-August 2010, the first lady and daughter Sasha traveled to Spain for a mother-daughter vacation.

-August 2010, summer vacation again at Martha’s Vineyard.

-July 2010, the first family went to Mount Desert Island, Maine.

-May 2010, the first family had a four-day trip to Chicago.

-March 2010, first lady and daughter spend Spring Break in New York City.

-Christmas 2009, Hawaii again for the annual break.

-August 2009, at Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Canyon for a short vacation.

-August 2009, their first summer vacation as first family at Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.

I know the position has its privileges, but this is ridiculous.

Today on ‘Deep Cuts & Lost Classics’… From The Stones best album ‘Exile On Main Street’.
The Rolling Stones – Sweet Black Angel

More later.

JRB

Happy Family Day. Isn’t it nice to have a day off in February.

- I was sickened as I watched the details of Vic Toews personal life get released on Twitter this past week. There is something ugly inside anyone who would think Toews deserved that, even after his disrespectful comment in the House of Commons. Are we at a point where it’s all out war on people we disagree with? I marvel at the new social media, but I sometimes wish we could put the genie back in the bottle. Years ago there was something innocent about having to pull over in your car to make a call or have to wait until later to contact someone. I think we’ve lost something pretty special when airing someone’s dirty laundry in a public forum is considered fair play or funny.

Related: Tim Harper: A mean town just got a whole lot meaner – The Star

Related again: Anonymous targets Toews over ‘lawful access’ bill – Globe & Mail

- I hope you’ll excuse me, but I zoned out over the last few days. I hadn’t spent any time with Sheila over the last week so I took a few days off. It was actually a little refreshing not dealing with all of the politics and nonsense.

- Once they got smoking out of bars and restaurants I warned people about the state inching its way into our lives. They managed to get smoking out of workplaces, which sent people outside. Then they banned smoking near office doors. Then they got it banned on restaurant patios. Then they got it banned in schoolyards and playgrounds. Now the ban is more widespread. Then I warned it was getting close to being inside our own homes, but first they’ll get it banned apartments. Give the activists and pencil pushers an inch and they’ll take a mile.

- Interesting how the Supreme Court has ruled that Quebec students must take an ethics and religion course. Some parents said it infringed on their freedom of religion. I think this is an excellent ruling. I think a course explaining the different religions of the world is an excellent idea. Knowing more about a subject that moulds so much of our culture is a good thing. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wished I’d had a basic understanding of religion.

- While I’m on social media. I prefer Twitter over Facebook. Some people just reveal too much on FB about their personal lives for me to find it interesting.

- Do you know anyone who passes along photos in a similar theme to this?

Please make them stop. It was clever for about one minute.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

* Boom!

Screw Hockey Night in Canada. The best battle will be in the Ontario legislature.

A recipe for political dynamite – Toronto Sun

Take one Premier Dad.

Add a PC leader who was recently accorded a tepid vote of support from party faithful.

Add a New Democratic Party leader whose approval rating with voters is soaring.

Add a dash of Don Drummond. Season with a juicy ORNGE scandal.

Shake it all up with a minority government — and what do you get?

A recipe for political dynamite as MPPs return to Queen’s Park after the Christmas break.

* Trudeau’s kid.

Justin... dumber than the object above.

A glimpse into the brain of Justin Trudeau – London Free Press

Not that I, Justin Trudeau, am interested in becoming prime minister.

That’s why I, Justin Trudeau, decided to pursue a different career from my Dad before I entered politics.

If only I could remember what it was.

I, Justin Trudeau, have been having deep thoughts like this ever since I was a little boy, so it must be important because I, Justin Trudeau, am . .. um . . .

Justin Trudeau.

Related: Justin Trudeau’s brains an inch deep – Ottawa Sun

3rd person.

* High gas prices… Bush’s fault.

That was then:

This is now: Nothing to see here.

Gas prices are highest ever for this time of year – CNBC

At $3.53 a gallon, prices are already up 25 cents since Jan. 1. And experts say they could reach a record $4.25 a gallon by late April.

“You’re going to see a lot more staycations this year,” says Michael Lynch, president of Strategic Energy & Economic Research. “When the price gets anywhere near $4, you really see people react.”

* Watch out coal, they’re coming after you now.

First it was getting colder, then it was getting warmer, now it’s getting cooler again. It’s called climate change and it happens all the time. Still scientists get paid big bucks to explain changes in temperature and find a villain. First it was the oilsands, now it’s coal.

Coal, not oilsands, the true climate change bad guy says study – Winnipeg Free Press

One of the world’s top climate scientists has calculated that emissions from Alberta’s oilsands are unlikely to make a big difference to global warming and that the real threat to the planet comes from burning coal.

“I was surprised by the results of our analysis,” said Andrew Weaver, a University of Victoria climate modeller, who has been a lead author on two reports from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. “I thought it was larger than it was.”

If the Obama administration latches on to this study, like I think it will, it’s going to get a lot colder in the United States.

Click to enlarge.

Remember?

Related: Canada threatens trade war with EU over tar sands – The Guardian

Maybe the European Union shouldn’t be messing with Canada. Their economy is teetering on the brink. By the way, there’s no tar in the oilsands.

* Welcome to America…

In decline.

Bobbi Kristina Brown 'found getting high after Whitney Houston's funeral' – Daily Mail

Her mother’s funeral had just been hours before, but Whitney Houston’s daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown was allegedly found doing drugs yesterday.

The 18-year-old apparently slipped away from friends and family after the emotional four-hour home going service in New Jersey.

Today on ‘Deep Cuts & Lost Classics’… Soul Brother #1.
James Brown – Cold Sweat, Parts 1 & 2

More later.

JRB

- There’s a saying… you get the government you deserve. I have come to the conclusion that that saying is false. Does anyone deserve Dalton McGuinty.

- I’m wondering if Mike Harris is breathing a sigh of relief today. The former Ontario Premier has been the whipping boy of Ontario politics for years. Now Ontario voters and politicians will have someone else tied to the whipping post. Dalton McGuinty.

- Like I always say. It’s always up to conservatives to clean up the mess in Ontario. Harris had the unenviable task of following the mess of Bob Rae and now Tim Hudak will have to follow McGuinty’s disaster.

- Does Don Drummond’s report finally put the rumours of McGuinty going to Ottawa to rest? After all what party would want a walking economic disaster like him? (Read the next point)

- Where are walking economic disasters welcome? The Liberal Party of Canada.

Related: Ontarians don't want spending cuts, LCBO sold: Poll – Ottawa Sun

“People are not in the cutback mode,” Bozinoff said Thursday.

Just over half, 52%, favoured spending on infrastructure to create jobs while 30% wanted to tighten government belts.

It just goes to show… a lot of Ontario voters are stupid.

Counselor Deanna Troi

- I’m hoping I have an interview today with Marina Sirtis of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The entire cast of STTNG is getting together at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo at the end of April. It will be the first time entire cast has been in one place since the show debuted in 1987. I find it hard to believe it has been off the air since 1994. I am a huge STTNG fan. There was a rule in my life when the show was on during its original run… no one was to call me between 6 and 7pm on Saturday night under penalty of death. I’m excited to think I can chat with someone from the show. If the interview is secured today it will be on the air tonight between 9 and 11pm on QR77 in Calgary and CHED in Edmonton.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

* Dirty politics.

Whatever you might think of Public safety Minister Vic Toews or the governments lawful access legislation, it doesn’t warrant the sickening display that has popped up on Twitter over the last few days. Toews personal troubles have been tweeted and others have been piling on. Now the Ottawa Citizen has done some detective work to try to find out who is responsible. Not surprisingly it might be an inside hit job.

Vikileaks30 linked to House of Commons IP address – Ottawa Citizen

An email was sent to the writer of the Vikileaks30 Twitter account, containing a link to a website. The website was monitored by The Citizen and only the author of Vikileaks30 had the address of the website.

About 15 minutes after the email was sent, Vikileaks30 opened the link and visited the page, leaving behind an IP address that belongs to the House of Commons.

There hasn’t been any tweets at the Vikileaks Twitter account in 11 hours. It will be interesting to see if they continue today.

Nice to see the future Prime Minister of Canada is remaining classy.

Related: Tell Vic Everything an Internet sensation – Winnipeg Free Press

* You need a license to drive a car…

But any idiot can be a politician.

Related: NDP MP should know country's basic facts – Ottawa Sun

* More nappy time and finger painting.

At great cost. I’ll bet the Liberals still want a nationalized day care program.

A little sugar won’t make daycare palatable – Toronto Sun

For the fourth time in the past two weeks, thousands of Quebec parents are being taken hostage Thursday by daycare workers who have eight paid weeks of holiday a year, earn more than $19 an hour and now want an 11% income increase.

When the $7-a-day daycare scheme was put in place 15 years ago, it was supposed to be an incentive to rouse Quebec’s low birthrate.

Today, we have ended up being hijacked by unions while leaving parents in an even worse position than they were before socialized daycare.

8 paid weeks of holidays a year. Sounds like Greece.

* Someone please make them stop!

Fat.

I chatted with Tom Blackwell of The National Post about this article last night on the air. It’s a continuing line of articles calling for a ban or control over food. Whether its trans fats, salt, sugar or fast food, government shouldn’t be messing with our food.

MDs want junk food in same category as E. coli – National Post

Dr. Campbell, a specialist in hypertension and the effects of sodium on it, denied that his idea amounts to nanny-state interference in the marketplace, arguing there is as much or more reason to regulate food as to control highway speed limits or air traffic, government interventions that Canadians tolerate. Some evidence suggests that salt in food alone contributes to 14,000 deaths and 40,000 hospitalizations yearly, he said.

“Why regulate crime? ‘Oh, it’s a murder, they shouldn’t be allowed a second chance.’ Well, the food industry kills many thousands more than that murderer ever had a hope of doing.”

First of all, whenever someone says they’re not talking about ‘nanny state interference’, that’s exactly what they’re doing. Second, the food industry isn’t killing anyone, people eating too much bad food are doing it to themselves.

* Simon Cowell sucks.

Oxygen-Factor: Cowell’s anti-ageing trick is inhaling cans of fresh air – Daily Mail

But Simon Cowell has a more unusual weapon up his sleeve in his notorious quest for eternal youth – cans of oxygen.

The 52-year-old, who has previously admitted to having Botox, carries a small bottle of the gas with him wherever he goes.

* I’ve been dying to know this.

How to get Adele's retro look – Globe & Mail

John's bad Photo-shopping #11

Today on ‘Deep Cuts & Lost Classics’… Good Lord I feel like I’m dyin’
Allman Brothers Band – Whipping Post(1)

More later.

JRB

- Thanks for all the birthday wishes yesterday on Facebook. Exactly how do you reply to 80 or 90 separate people all at once on that thing?

- The last few nights on the Corus Radio Network have been interesting for me. I had a chance to talk to experts about the Conservatives new lawful access legislation. Like many Canadians I’m concerned about my online privacy. While we’re given assurances the police won’t snoop where they’re not allowed to snoop, I get concerned with abuse of the system. Give them an inch and they’ll take a mile. On the air last night I got a call from a police officer who said the law was needed and would not be abused. The information they could acquire wouldn’t be much more than the information available in a phone book. That’s reassuring, but one of my guests last night was concerned about the cost of implementing the system. Omar El Akkad, Technology Reporter with the Globe and Mail said internet services providers would have to install expensive equipment to comply with the new legislation. While the federal government would probably pitch in to help with the cost, consumers would also be hit with higher fees to offset the expense. Of course the federal cash is also provided by taxpayers, so it’s a double whammy for consumers.

Imagine for a moment if Safety Minister Vic Toews had spent a few minutes explaining in more detail how this legislation would and would not affect us, instead of going all George W. and saying you’re either with us or with the child pornographers. There might not have been close to the backlash to the proposal and its implementation may have been easier. I for one and happy to have less intrusion and less opportunity for intrusion into my online life. I’m also pleased that people spoke up… it looks like the government has blinked and will amend the legislation. See, the system does work.

Some coverage from all angles.

Related: Facing a backlash, Ottawa moves to retool cybercrime bill – Globe & Mail

Related again: Snooping bill flawed, but left’s hysteria over Internet law is hypocrisy – Toronto Sun

Related again: On Internet privacy, I’m with the child pornographers – Globe & mail

Related again: 'Snoop and spy' bill could be costly overreach – Globe & Mail

- My comment on the state of the Ontario economy after hearing bits and pieces of Don Drummond’s report?

Related: Andrew Coyne: Drummond report signals start of Dalton McGuinty’s lean years – National Post

- Actually there is something you can do…

- I can hardly wait to hear the McGuinty spin machine kick into gear trying to explain the mess the Liberals have created in Ontario. A $10 Tim’s card will be in the mail for the first person who forwards an article with Mike Harris getting blamed for the sad state of the Ontario economy.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

* The future leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.

2 PET Lite is a dim bulb – Ottawa Sun

Justin Trudeau, the MP with his foot in his mouth – Canada.com

Justin Trudeau still not at the top of his game – Toronto Sun

No regrets over separatist blunder: Trudeau – CNews

* Calling Sarah Palin?

Remember the uproar with Palin’s comment that Obamacare would be responsible for ‘death panels’. Basically, a group of people would decide if your parents or grandparents would get care based on the cost and their age. Too old, take a pill and die peacefully was what Sarah Palin implied. Are death panels coming to Ontario? Yesterday's report from Don Drummond included the words ‘interventions at end of life’. What exactly does that mean? I’m not trying to be an alarmist, but imagine the savings if you could just encourage people to die a little bit faster. Especially during the time when health care is the most expensive… when you’re old.

Imagine the uproar if those words popped up in the Obamacare plan.

* Ahead of the marijuana curve.

Check out my long and extremely astute post on January 16th where I examine the problems associated with the legalization of marijuana. Among other things I wrote…

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.

Gary Mason from The Globe & Mail has some concerns as well.

Legalize weed, yes, but the demon's in the details – Globe & Mail

Related: I'm finally giving up cannabis for my little girl says Macca as Beatrice forces the 69-year-old to grow up – Mail Online

* Please secure your tinfoil hat.

President Eisenhower had three secret meetings with aliens, former Pentagon consultant claims – Daily Mail

Asked why the aliens don’t go to somebody ‘important’ like Barack Obama, he said: ‘Well, certainly I can tell you that in 1954, President Eisenhower had three encounters, set up meetings with aliens, which took place at certain Air Force bases including Holloman Air Force base in New Mexico.’

He added that there were ‘many witnesses’.

President Eisenhower welcomes foreign dignitaries to the White House.

Today on ‘Deep Cuts & Lost Classics’… “And then she pulled out my Jim Beam and to her surprise it was every bit as hard as my Canadian Club”.
The Blues Brothers – I Don’t Know

More later.

JRB

- Happy Flag Day. The Maple Leaf was officially named our flag on this date in 1965. It’s 47 today. Just like me.

Happy birthday.

- I’m really pissed at the government for trying to implement their ‘Lawful Access’ legislation. This bill, which will likely pass, will allow law enforcement to get your internet browsing records, e-mail and track your cell phone with no warrant. It will also push up costs for you, because of new technology that will have to be installed by internet service providers. The federal government will have to pitch in some cash (that’s you) and your internet provider will have to spend money too. Those costs will be passed along to you on your monthly bill. Toews was disrespectful to all Canadians when he said this to Liberal public safety critic Francis Scarpaleggia

“He can either stand with us or with the child pornographers.” – Vic Toews

Get in touch with your MP, the Prime Minister and Vic Toews our Public Safety Minister.

Related: Say hello to Big Brother Government – Toronto Sun

Related again: With or Against – National Post

Related again: Vic Toews accuses bill’s opponents of siding with child pornographers – Toronto Star

Related again:Online surveillance critics accused of supporting child porn – CBC

Related again: As Tories storm the firewalls, opposition reaches for water cannon – Globe & Mail

- The Vic Toews comment only shows how the Conservative government is finally bringing Canadians of all political stripes together. To my NDP and Liberal friends… we need to let the feds know we don’t like them snooping in our computers.

- I’ve been hoping the federal government would make Flag Day a national holiday. February is such a nasty month with it coming so late in winter I think we could use another day off. Should it replace Family Day? No. I love the 3 day weekend. I know it would be challenging for businesses, but doesn’t celebrating an important part of our history make more sense than some made up day? Don’t laugh… a politician is already on this idea and has introduced it in the House of Commons.

A Canada Day National Holiday – Peter Julian (NDP)

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

* Trigger.

Hey Ontario… are you ready for an election? Today might be the thing to push you there. Maybe not right away, but the ammunition will be slipped into the gun at 2:15 this afternoon.

Ontario gears up for a different life post-Drummond – Globe & Mail

A manufacturing-reliant province that’s become an honorary member of the U.S. rust belt, Ontario has seen its economic recovery go off the rails amid global turmoil. It’s been placed on negative watch by one of the world’s leading credit agencies. It’s been told by a census that it’s losing its pull to newcomers. It’s had insult added to injury, with oil-rich Alberta promising a $5.2-billion surplus by 2014-15, a far cry from not being on pace to wipe out a $16-billion deficit before 2021.

[...]

The shock won’t be in individual recommendations, so much as their totality. Mr. Drummond won’t just recommend an overhaul of the health system. He won’t just call for the Liberals to scrap education policies that helped get them elected, including smaller classes and full-day kindergarten. He won’t just ask them to renege on another campaign commitment to continue easing the financial burden on cash-strapped municipalities (a recommendation learned by The Globe and Mail on Tuesday).

Going down any one of those roads would force Ontarians to significantly change their expectations for what services they can expect. Mr. Drummond will ask the province to go down all of them at once, and other treacherous paths as well.

It makes the problems in Alberta seem small.

* Full day nappy time and finger painting.

The Ontario situation makes me wonder why Premier Alison Redford would want to implement full day kindergarten in Alberta. Alberta is in deficit territory too. Oh, I know… votes and labour peace with the unions. Sound familiar?

I always wondered why taxpayers who disagreed with a national child care program were silent when their province implemented it by stealth under the guise of education.

* If liberals told you the truth…

You’d never vote for them.

That was then: Obama: US recession worst since 30s – Press TV

“There is no doubt that we have gone through an extraordinary period in world history. We had the worst recession since the 1930s here in the United States,” Obama said in an interview with the Russian news agency ITAR-TASS on Tuesday.

This is now:

Obama On Failed Promise To Cut Deficit In Half: "Recession Turned Out To Be A Lot Deeper" – Real Clear Politics

“So, the die had been cast and a lot of us didn’t understand how bad it was going to get. That increases the deficit because less tax revenues come in and it means more people are getting unemployment insurance, we’re helping states more so they don’t teachers, etc. The key though is that we’re setting ourselves on a path so that we can get our debt under control.”

When he says the US is going to get debt under control he’s lying. More than $10 trillion will be added to the US debt over the next 10 years.

* Unions. Dumbing down the world.

Someone please make them stop.

Budweiser Super Bowl ad exploited ‘unsuspecting hockey players,’ union charges – National Post

“The ideal way to shoot this commercial would have been to fairly compensate the people whose voices are being branded and attached to this particular beer,” she told the Post on Tuesday.

The teams’ players are owed at least $3,215.15 each, with an extra $537.85 given to players who appeared in short follow-up interviews, according to the union. ACTRA also noted that had the union been notified, the players would “have had the protection of a qualified professional stunt co-ordinator.”

In a release, Labatt claimed that striking a union agreement ahead of time would have eliminated the surprise. “As anyone who has seen Budweiser’s ‘Flash Fans’ commercial will know, it is much more the filming of a spontaneous event rather than a traditional, scripted television advertisement,” said the brewer.

* The anti-capitalist.

Michael Moore

Today on ‘Deep Cuts & Lost Classics’… ZZ.
ZZ TOP – Loaded

More later.

JRB

– I’m going to keep it short today. I had one hell of a day yesterday. 3 trips back and forth into Calgary. The second was all the way into the downtown area after Sheila’s transit broke down. It’s not wise to drive in any downtown area during rush hour. It really threw a monkey wrench into my day because after getting back home I had to turn right back around and go back to the radio station to do a shift. All of this while Calgary got hit by snow. It was the perfect example of Murphy’s Law.
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* Exposing the radical left.

The Daily Caller is doing an amazing job exposing the dirty tricks of Media Matters. Today’s expose shows how the scum at MM planned on doing hit jobs on Fox News and its employees. They did a good job… Many people I know bought the propaganda… hook, line and sinker.

Media Matters memo called for hiring private investigators ‘to look into the personal lives’ of Fox employees -The Daily Caller

“Simply put,” Frisch wrote, “the progressive movement is in need of an enemy. George W. Bush is gone. We really don’t have John McCain to kick around any more. Filling the lack of leadership on the right, Fox News has emerged as the central enemy and antagonist of the Obama administration, our Congressional majorities and the progressive movement as a whole.”

“We must take Fox News head-on in a well funded, presidential-style campaign to discredit and embarrass the network, making it illegitimate in the eyes of news consumers.”

What Frisch proceeded to suggest, however, went well beyond what legitimate presidential campaigns attempt. “We should hire private investigators to look into the personal lives of Fox News anchors, hosts, reporters, prominent contributors, senior network and corporate staff,” he wrote.

Today on ‘Deep Cuts & Lost Classics’… For Valentine’s Day.
Billy Joel – Just the Way You Are

More later.

JRB

- Don’t forget I’m sitting in for Rob Breakenridge tonight on The Corus Radio Network over the next 2 weeks (QR77 in Calgary, CHED in Edmonton). 9 to 11pm Mountain Time. I’ll have the program line-up for tonight’s show later today.

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* I hoped the Greeks saved some money for infrastructure.

Because they’re burning it all down.

Greek lawmakers approve austerity bill as Athens burns – Reuters

The chaos outside parliament showed how tough it will be to implement the measures. A Reuters photographer saw buildings in Athens engulfed in flames and huge plumes of smoke rose in the night sky.

“We are facing destruction. Our country, our home, has become ripe for burning, the centre of Athens is in flames. We cannot allow populism to burn our country down,” conservative lawmaker Costis Hatzidakis told parliament.

The air in Syntagma Square outside parliament was thick with tear gas as riot police fought running battles with youths who smashed marble balustrades and hurled stones and petrol bombs.

* The future of America.

Last night The Grammy Awards were on. I watched The Walking Dead on AMC, but I also was following Twitter. One of the top trends last night was #womanbeater. It got hot when Chris Brown took the stage last night. Brown has anger problems with women. I checked out the trend and saw a lot of this. Keep in mind I saw the Tweet earlier and there was a woman’s photo… when I went back later it had been changed to a child’s picture. I blocked out the kids face.

America’s future is looking pretty dim.

* On the Grammy’s.

I admit I do not keep up with today’s music, but I did tune back to the show to watch on occasion last night. I caught Springsteen opening the show. He was fantastic. I saw a man and a woman singing and I think they are called The Civil War. Outstanding… they should have let them sing longer. I also caught Adele, she took home 6 Grammy's… that girl can sing. Really terrific.

The Civil Wars. These guys are great.

I was also impressed by the opening of the show by LL Cool J. Wasn’t it interesting to see him give a prayer for Whitney Houston in front of all of the Godless people in the audience. All respect to him for a very classy moment.

Today on ‘Deep Cuts & Lost Classics’… Hard to believe this was controversial when it came out.
Randy Newman – Short People

More later.

JRB

- I am blogging on the road this morning in Banff, so I might need to be a little brief and am slightly limited to what I can do on my iPad. Even though I am using The WordPress App. It’s absolutely beautiful here. Here’s a photo from our hotel room balcony.

- Whitney Houston is dead. Are you surprised? Not me. I’m only surprised it wasn’t sooner. I’ll bet the producers of the Grammy’s are soiling themselves trying to come up with some tribute for tonight’s show. I might tune in to see what current pop stars they put on the stage to butcher her music.

The thing that’s really striking about this story? Just last weekend another 80′s act walked out on the stage at the Superbowl and wowed the audience. How much of a contrast is uber healthy Madonna to uber druggy Whitney? Now Madonna and Prince are the only big 80’s acts still kicking.

One more thing. Social media really brings out the over the top sentimentality in people. Yesterday hardly a soul would have cared about Houston. Now they’re all in tribute mode. The same thing happened with Steve Jobs. It really is pitiful.

- The more I learn about Alberta and Albertans the more I think Ontario and many Ontarians are uptight, too PC and a little paranoid. Something really surprised me when we were walking through a store in Banff yesterday. I saw the following item on sale.

It’s an elastic gun. In fact you can find them all over the place in handgun and rifle form. When was the last time you saw any toy guns in stores in Ontario? I’m assuming it was years ago. Don’t you think some over sensitive parent or parent group would be in an uproar if a store started selling toy guns in Ontario? I do. In fact, back in the 90′s didn’t someone in Cornwall have a campaign to get toy guns out of stores in Cornwall? Some guy was concerned it would warp minds. Funny how I’m not warped and pretty level headed and sane even though I played war and Cowboys and Indians when I was a kid.

PS: People who want to comment on my level of sanity can click on ‘Contact John’ above.

Wouldn’t the anti toy gun people have a fit over this?

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* What about Viagra and Cialis?

I get those e-mail all the time.

Ill. man gets three years in penis pump case – Associated Press

Winner purchased penis enlargers for an average of $26 each from online sex shops and then repackaged and shipped them to patients with information claiming the so-called “erectile pumps” helped “bladder control, urinary flow and prostate comfort,” according to court papers outlining the charges against him.

For the record. I get the e-mail, but there’s no problem here.

Today on ‘Deep Cuts & Lost Classics’… No song today.

More later.

JRB

- Sheila and I are off for a weekend trip to Banff today. My birthday is on Wednesday and I’ll be working at QR77 in the evening over the next two weeks so we’re getting in a celebration a little early.

- I see there’s a lot of action at TheCornwallDaily.com talking about the hospital requiring nurses to speak French and South Stormont’s decision to pull funding if the rule isn’t lifted. Hey Anglos, time to speak up on behalf of your language and your majority. You may not be affected by this rule right now, but just wait until you are and you’ll feel differently. I can tell you, it sure is nice to be in a place where language isn’t a barrier. Unilingual (that means English) people can actually work for the government here.
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* My how things have changed.

Two stories about Facebook. One funny and the other extremely serious.

1. Parenting ain’t what it used to be.

Good one. Another reason the 2nd amendment needs to be preserved.

2. This is frightening.

Facebook 'defriend' murders rattle tiny US town – Breitbart

Potter, who is about 30 years old, has a physical disability and spends most of her day on Facebook, where she’s been involved in several disputes that have spilled over into the real world, Reece said.

She gets very angry when people block or ‘defriend’ her and responds by calling to harass people who try to cut her off.

Your thoughts needed. Although the technology is marvellous and a wonderful tool… is it progress?

* Read this article.

George Jonas: Canada is a country we no longer recognize – National Post

There is global warming, as the world is warming to tyranny. A judicial climate change has turned Canada’s courts from frequent champions of individual liberty to near-permanent defenders of social policy.

* Obama to the rescue.

BS. There’s something more insidious going on and Americans need to clue in to the big issue. More after the gag inducing video.

Related: Obama’s compromise on birth control rule hailed by Catholics, women’s group – Toronto Star

Related again: The 'Compromise' – National Review Online

First up, there’s no such thing as free when government is involved. Obama talks about free check-ups and health care…. wrong! It’s very expensive. I even hear Canadians make this mistake. More importantly look at what Obama is doing to the US Constitution. He has shown he’s willing to toss out the 1st amendment that gives people freedom to exercise their religion. Now, by doing a 180 (which everyone predicted) he’s compelling private companies (insurance companies) to provide “free” contraception. Since when is the President of The United States given authority to do that? Can he hand out gym memberships, fruit and vegetables because it’s good for your health? Think about it. Finally… and this is the biggie… Obamacare will require American citizens to purchase health care. Something that constitutional scholars say is forbidden, but Obama will fight to the Supreme Court. What’s next, the 2nd amendment?

NRA official: Obama wants to outlaw guns in 2nd term – Washington Post

Imagine what this guy would do in a second term knowing he doesn’t have to be re-elected? Also imagine that three Supreme Court justices are close to retirement and may need to be replaced over the next four and a half years.

* Global warming… is there nothing it can’t do?

Want to know why fewer people believe in man made global warming? Read.

Access To Birth Control Is A Fundamental Component Of Climate Survival – Think Progress

Researchers have found that empowering women to reduce unplanned pregnancies is one of the most cost-effective ways to combat greenhouse pollution, as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson discussed at the Durban climate conference last December:

In addressing climate resilience, Robinson stressed the importance of focusing on health and burden impacts of climate change. One of the keys is access to reproductive health for women.

As Nick Kristoff said in 2011, family planning is a solution to “climate change to poverty to civil wars,” but it has become a “victim of America’s religious wars.”

They’re used to be a name for these people… snake oil salesmen. These people are stunningly stupid.

* They’re singing the same tune.

The words inequity, income gap, social justice and 99% all mean the same thing to the leftist. Taking the money you worked hard for and giving it to someone who didn’t.

Here we have two unrelated stories that have the same conclusion… rob from the rich and give to the poor. Although the story about the United Nations conference wasn’t written by Marx, much of what they want was inspired by him.

Story 1. UN chief, aides plot 'green economy' agenda at upcoming summit – Fox News

Among other things, the clearly left-leaning report underlined that “inequity” was the “single greatest challenge and threat” to the world, and that “any new approach needed to address the root causes of the imbalances,” which the report associated with the “liberalization of trade and finance.”

Among the “opportunities” that the current global crisis had provided, Harris said, was “a renewed recognition of the role of the State,” and “an appreciation of the value of collective and coordinated action at the global level.”

Story 2: Obama anchors budget on tax cuts for the rich – Yahoo

US President Barack Obama will Monday roll out a populist election-year budget challenging Republicans to support his job creation drive and to finally agree to hike taxes on the richest Americans.

Obama will use his annual spending plan to flesh out his pledge to build a new economy in which every American gets a “fair shot” and the rich pay what the president calls a “fair share,” senior officials said.

Today on ‘Deep Cuts & Lost Classics’… The Cars. You just don’t hear this one very much.
The Cars – Moving in Stereo

More later.

JRB