Another Tory endorsement

This time, from the Toronto Star.When The Star turns orange, there could be no better sign that the Conservatives are the best party to govern. The formerly scarlet paper has twisted crowbars into pretzels to sell the idea that smiling Jack deserves your vote.This is not a shock, but the truth is, I'm kinda disappointed. I thought that despite the crash and burn of the Liberal party, its very own

Best Little Whorehouse In Texas Being Renamed Best Little Community Clinic In Texas


(H/T SDA For Picture) Absolutely mind boggling Layton would call that place a community clinic. Even worse is the fact the media let's him get away with it. For anyone not a fan of Jack Layton and wondering where he gets off, wellllllllll.

Rob Ford Was Convicted Of DUI, Jack Layton Got Off...

Socialists are up in arms over a Sun TV story about Jack Layton being found in a bawdy house 16 years ago. Layton was never charged but notes were taken by the attending officers. Dippers, led by Layton's wife, Olivia Chow, call this a pathetic smear.

And yet when the Toronto mayor's race continually involved smears against Rob Ford socialists applauded with glee. Hypocrisy?

Child Support Issues - Getting Out Of Hand??

I am hearing more and more over the years about the 'other side' of child support court cases - not the ones we usually hear about where a parent is trying desperately to get a few bucks in support on a regular basis from the other parent, but ones where it just seems freaking CRAZY how much they are going after. Most often you hear about women endlessly taking their exes to court to get more cash and I am starting to hear more often about how some dads are seriously considering walking away from the child sometimes because they just cannot afford to keep going to court, and keep getting hit up for more money. In some cases it's just one or the other blowing smoke, but I happen to know both parents very well in the story that will follow and I am increasingly at odds with the MOTHER.

First off, the child in question is 12. And that's about how many times the mother has taken the father to court. She lives in a very nice house in a very nice neighbourhood with her fairly well-off boyfriend, gets a widow's pension on top of her deceased husband's work pension - while the father of her 12 year old lives in an old cruddy house, drives an old cruddy car that is about to fall apart, and she is after yet again more money. I really don't understand it. She is now trying to get a chunk of his overtime pay because she feels she has a right to that along with a big chunk of his regular pay. Keep in mind that he has his son every other weekend and many weekdays each week, so the boy is spending about 40% of his time with his dad, who then feeds him, clothes him, etc. As well, he has to pay 75% of every extracurricular activity, school fee, etc on top of all that and started working more overtime whenever he could because half the time he is barely able to make his mortgage and utilities payments let alone anything else.... but now she wants some of that too. What does she do for a living? Nothing. All of her children are in school full days now (she had 2 with the deceased husband), and she still does not work. I see her all the time because her kids go to the same school as mine and I just want to reach out and rattle her brains when I pass her in the halls.

I have two exes and combined I get less child support than this man pays for one child, even though my exes make about the same. I don't ask them for more unless I really really need it because I figure the amount they pay is an equal share compared to what we put out for a bigger house, food, utilities, etc. I dont even ask for money for school fees (though I probably should), I just ask for half sports stuff now cos it's getting expensive. I just want enough to help raise the kids and also because I have the kids 99% of the time due to my exes living far away. If they had the kids more and were paying more directly, I would ask for even less in child support or at least not increase it very often. I have not gone to court even once for support or visitation issues. I realize some people have no choice and a personal agreement doesnt happen, but what about the ones who keep endlessly getting dragged into court over this stuff? Surely that cannot be good for the children either. Kids arent stupid, they can tell when there is tension even if they do not know directly what is goign on. It's aggravating to me.

But I also ask - why are courts allowing this to go on? I wouldnt survive long as a judge because I'd be ranting and raving at such plaintiffs and get kicked out of my robes lol. But seriously, why does this go on? It's such a waste of time and money all around, and  drain on the other parent's finances just to satisfy some insane 'need' inside the custodial parent to prove a point or something. Crazy if you ask me.

Metroland Media Group Endorses Conservative Majority

"Durham Region residents head to the federal election polls next Monday for the fourth time in seven years.

Like other Canadians, they are tired of being pulled back to the ballot box after seven years of political uncertainty. Starting with Paul Martin's minority Liberal government in 2004, Canadians have since elected two more successive minorities, this time with the Conservatives led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

It's time for Durham Region -- and voters across the nation -- to choose stability and provide Mr. Harper's Conservatives with the coveted majority they have been patiently building towards since 2006.

Under a Conservative government, Canadians can expect continued and competent fiscal management, sharp focus on the recession-induced deficit, a business climate that will lure investment and, perhaps most importantly, a period of political stability and freedom in which a majority government can develop and implement its agenda.

The jockeying and pure political partisanship that has been the hallmark of the last two minority governments has left Canada without traction on the economy, on new policies, on progress. The election of a majority government will also finally break the coalition culture in Ottawa that has overtaken the business of the day.

Stephen Harper has proven himself here at home and abroad as an able, knowledgeable and hard-working prime minister. He leads by example, keeps a keen focus on the Conservative agenda, and has consistently projected an assuring image as a quiet, competent prime minister even as his agenda is hobbled by his government's minority status. But, Canadians are confident that when he says his government will eliminate the deficit by 2014-2015, it will be done.

It is precisely this sort of assuredness, this clear sense of purpose and direction for the nation, that Durham residents must consider when they head to the ballot box on May 2.

Do they want another shortened term of government where politics drives the agenda, or one driven by ideas and achievement? Do they want a government limited by the ambitions of political insiders, or a government that can carry out the business of the day? Finally, do they want a government that could fall at any time -- once again -- so that they are forced to choose for the fifth time in eight years? Nine years?

It's time for majority rule in Ottawa. The party best suited with experience, a clear agenda and the ambition to see it through is the Conservatives.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- Metroland Durham Region Media Group

CAW Workers DO NOT Endorse The Liberals

H/T To Joanne at Blue Like You. Seems the CAW, sorry, make that the dictators at the CAW are running around endorsing the Liberal candidates in roughly 50 ridings. A story appeared in the record, drawing this rebuttal from a CAW member:

"CAW disappoints

Re:
I was very disappointed when I read the article in today’s record indicating that the CAW is supporting the Liberal Party in the election. I feel this is undemocratic.

I feel that as a member of the CAW union, I should be able to choose for myself which party my union dues support. We intend to support the Conservatives.

Linda Toenders

Waterloo"

Ken Lewenza, you don't speak for me, a 33-year member of the CAW. Nor do you speak for the majority of workers in Brampton Assembly Plant or Windsor van plant. You want to endorse Liberal candidates? Make it clear that it's you and a select few in the CAW National that do, not the rank and file. And spare me the BS about the Conservatives being anti-democratic. One needs only look at your election as CAW head as an example of dirty tricks and an undemocratic process. I wonder how many people are aware that the CAW National is where many former union reps get appointed to upon being turfed by in-plant elections for doing a poor job.

You know, it must be nice when someone like Peggy Nash, making a six-figure salary from the National, a salary paid for from the union dues of workers like myself, can lose an election after leaving the National for two years, and be welcomed back into that cushy job, again, no questions asked.

There's a reason Colin Carrie won the past election in the riding of Oshawa, the support of CAW workers, who will again give him their own endorsement by voting to re-elect him to Parliament. It's also laughable that the NDP is running CAW Local 222 chair Chris Buckley in the Oshawa riding, with Buckley crying that the Conservatives never did anything for Oshawa. I'm guessing Mr. Buckley, much like yourself, is so far distanced from reality that he doesn't realize not one of those GM assembly plants would be open if not for the federal Conservative government issuing billions in loans to save those same workers jobs Buckley professes to represent.

Perhaps it's time the CAW National started focusing on what it is supposed to be doing, focusing on the workers who pay 2 1/2 hours pay per month for supposed union representation.

This CAW member supports and endorses the Conservative Party of Stephen Harper, and openly endorses the Conservative candidate for Ajax-Pickering, Chris Alexander. I, like every CAW member, no, make that every Canadian, has the right to endorse and vote for the candidate and party of their own choice.

That's what makes Canada the greatest country on the planet, and something those in the CAW National want to ignore.

All things being equal -- booo

Did you hear Ignatieff today going on about equality?I just hate it when the privileged classes start waxing on about equality.Please, don't pretend that you're one of *us*. That's what makes people cynical. Ivy league, silver spoon, caviar eating elites.Run around all the campaign events you want. Do a country-wide tour. No matter where you are it's not real. You don't even know who we are,

Ignatieff Gets Booed By Hockey Fans!



H/T commenter Dirt on Joanne's blog. Funny only Sun TV ran this story.

Violations Of Elections Canada Laws In Ajax-Pickering?

There have been some (unproven) allegations of violations of EC laws in Ajax-Pickering. There have been allegations of partisan campaign advertising at polling stations, most notably the Nottingham polling station as well as the Ajax Community Center. In both cases the allegations, again unproven, concern partisan material, mainly campaign signs from Liberal incumbent Mark Holland being on polling property.

I checked out Nottingham school late last night and saw no partisan material, so either there was none or it had been already removed. An anonymous commenter on a previous thread had tipped me off and stated he/she had already complaimed to the EC DRO at the school. I just learned of the allegations at the ACC this morning.

If anyone in my riding of Ajax-Pickering sees any of this occuring, please send me pictures to paulsblues45@hotmail.com I'm interested in seeing violations by any party and how EC handles it.

I've changed my mind -- I don't like Jack

I have to admit, I don't like negative election ads. Long before the shenanigans that brought about this most recent election, I despised the Conservative *He didn't come back for you* ads. They just seemed so unnecessary, plus, I don't like the voice of the guy they have doing the voice-overs on their negative ads. Anyway, today I saw the new Conservative ad about Jack Layton and the NDP and I

So There Was Liberal Campaign Literature At U of Guelph































But wait, didn't the students deny there was any Liberal campaign literature? "Students also said a complaint that partisan materials were allowed near the voting station in violation of the rules was false." The problem is the two pictures here are taken from a website,and by saving the picture and then zooming in to the pamphlet, you can easily see it is from the Guelph Liberal candidate, Frank Valeriote. The second picture shows someone with a handfull of the pamphlets at the door handing them out.

So students who were quick to denounce the Conservative complaint regarding the special ballot might want to explain the seeming lack of credibility they have on the issue, seeing as how the pictures confirm what the Conservative candidate was occuring and against EC rules.

Will Elections Canada Investgate Liberals For "In and Out" This Election?

With just over a week to go until the May 2nd vote, it looks like desperation has really ramped up for Michael Ignatieff and the Liberal Party. Given Jack Layton's rise in polls, with some polls showing a Lib-Dipper statistical tie, one must wonder what the current mindset is in the Liberal war room.

Something announced this week really piqued my interest. Liberal leader will be doing a half hour stump speech on both Global TV as well as CTV. I'm guessing a half hour of tv time on either network doesn't come cheap. With the Liberals seeming to have more campaign ads than the other parties already airing, I wonder just how much room is left in Liberal campaign spending.

More direct to the point, I wonder how these half hour tv segments will be accounted for with Elections Canada. That's a lot of cash to spend on one day of advertising. I won't debate whether this is good use of campaign funds, but rather wonder if the full amount of the half hour infomercials will be fully charged to the National Liberal campaign.

Will EC allow any prtion of these amounts to be declared as expenses incurred by the local campaign? If so, I would think that flies in the face of the basis for in and out accounting practices.

Here's hoping the Conservative and NDP camps closely follow what occurs in this instance.

Wake up time

This morning on the news I heard Jack Layton utter the words:In the first hundred days of an NDP government . . . And knowing, that not only is Jack serious, that sensible people are taking the notion seriously . . . you have to hope that people everywhere will remember Bob Rae and the protest vote that gave us the NDP majority in Ontario in the 90s.Maybe Jack's sincere belief and reaction to the

Voting Libertarian


Given that the two main parties are merging into an undifferentiated mass of centrist goo, what are the options for the rational voter? The Expenditure Party is going to be in power in the next Parliament as in the last whatever oh-so-boring configuration of majority, minority or coalition is realized – which means more deficits, more debt and lots ’n lots ’n lots more spending.

For the principled few who do not condone this unstoppable cancerous bloat the choices are as follows: vote Conservative as the lesser evil (plus they’re claiming to cut corporate taxes and they support Israel); stay home; spoil the ballot; or vote fringe.

The first three of these are just too passive; they don’t communicate any specific dissent and their executors – disaffected fiscal conservatives, non-voters and spoilers – just end up being ignored.

Then there is this:
Our bottom line spending cuts average 10% annually, for each of the next four years. Last year $57-billion was transferred to other levels of government, an increase of $16-billion in just five years. We would reduce these transfers by 25% each year with the plan to eliminate most transfers in the second mandate. Taxes would decline proportionately after the deficit is eliminated in the first year. We would replace the current maze of complex tax breaks and special favours with a single flat tax. The people who support endless expansion of government may decry this reduction as too rapid, but it would only roll spending levels back to those of 2004, after four years.

Nobody else is talking about cutting government, just as nobody is talking about slashing our corrupt tax code (and certainly not the Conservatives, who continue to add loopholes and giveaways anywhere they think they can scrounge a vote). The Libertarian Party is putting these issues forward. Obviously, they aren’t a government in waiting - but they are a great vehicle for a protest vote.

And fringe voting is actually effective. 10,000 extra votes for a minor party puts them – and their concerns – on the map. The same number of votes for one of the blob parties is nothing.

Hereinbefore, therewith, moreover, heretofore and forthwith, with all good consideration and due diligence owed the first part of the party of the first part and all their encumbrances, and by the power invested in this website, My Conservative Dreamworld endorses voting for the Libertarian Party of Canada as the least futile strategy at this crucial moment in our great nation’s history.

Okay, I'll play

Always love Kate's sign generator (title link). This time I decided to play. Here are a few of my tries:canadianna

At the Advance Poll

Delays of over an hour at least at some polls in downtown Toronto. Apparently Elections Canada was not expecting much of a turnout. Well, maybe they are just out of practice, as elections are so infrequent.

If this happens to you, you can complain via the 1-800 number on the voting card - as long as you believe that there is anybody at Elections Canada who gives a sh*t about you wasting 90 minutes of your day.

It.s Not An NDP Surge, Or Just A Continuation Of A Liberal Trend

With political journalists and junkies all chattering about an NDP surge, it's worth pointing out that an 11 year trend might be a more reasonable explanation. Let's take a look at election results for the Liberals, starting with the 2000 election.

2000 election-liberal majority 172 seats
2004 election-Liberal minority 135 seats
2006 election-Conservative minority Liberals 103 seats
2008 election-enhanced Conservative minority Liberals 77 seats
2011 election-Conservative majority/minority? Liberal seats estimated to be 55-83 seats.

So looking at the Liberal trendline, between the 2000 and 2008 election, Liberals saw a net loss of 95 seats over 3 elections. With Layton and the NDP surging, and polls such as Nanos putting the Lib/Dippers in a dead heat, could this not just be a continuation of the Liberal vote over the last 11 years?

My opinion is it is a result of both Layton doing well in the campaign and more voters on the left becoming more disenfranchised with the Liberal Party of Canada.

Libs have the answer, refuse to use it

The Liberals have no official policy on abortion. The Conservatives do. Anyone who's paid attention these past few years knows that at the policy convention in 2005, the Conservative Party held that: 58. Abortion LegislationA Conservative Government will not support any legislation to regulate abortion.The Liberals have never made such a promise. Now, some would say that this declaration allows a

Is it over yet?

Here's what I think.Some Liberal strategist who secretly likes Bob Rae and wants him to be the next Liberal leader/Prime Minister, is working hard on the campaign of Michael Ignatieff.Everyone knows Bobby and Mike are long-time frenemies. Who do you suppose is gonna pick up the pieces after the Liberal's epic failure? I think I've heard Bob Rae's name once during this campaign. Hmmmmm . . .Sadly,

Told You So... Margins of Error

Hate to say I told you so, but I did. Today, in Nanos' 'Leadership Index' Harper is up a whopping 15%, more than making up for the amount he dropped. Since the attacks ads are still running, I guess those ads weren't as effective as some thought, eh?Sure some will say it was turned around because of the CPC's job in highlighting the Liberals attributing something to Harper that he didn't say.

Jack Layton Gets His Facts Wrong, Blames Conservatives For Things Liberals Did

Today's Globe and Mail headline-"Layton Blames Harper For Ontario Factory Shutdowns".(of course the Globe was to lazy to actually verify the facts before running that headline)

Pretty strong headline. The problem is Layton has his facts wrong.

"And the Bick’s Pickle in Dunnville, Ont., will shut down later this year, ending 240 jobs, because its owner, the J.M. Smucker Co. of Orrville, Ohio, decided to move the operation to the United States.

These factories are being “shut down because of a foreign takeover approved by the Harper government,” Mr. Layton said. “This is irresponsible economic policy.”



The problem is the purchase was done in 2004, under the Liberal government!

"In 1966, they sold the business to the Robin Hood Canada flour company (which in turn was later bought by International Multifoods of Wayzata, Minnesota), land and everything. The Bick family said the business had just got too big for them to handle.

In 2004, International Multifoods was purchased by the American company, J.M. Smucker. Smucker's sold off most of the other products, such as the flours, but kept Bick's.



Ok, so Layton got that wrong. No big deal, right? Wrong. Layton also blamed Harper for the closing of the Cangro canning plant in St. David's, near Welland-

"Nearly 150 employees lost their jobs when the CanGro canning plan in St. David’s, near Welland, closed its doors after more than a century of operation because Kraft Canada determined that it is cheaper to can fruit in China. A CanGro plant in Exeter near London was closed at the same time.

Uh oh! Layton got it wrong again. The sale of Cangro was actually done in December 2005, again under the Liberal government. And it was Layton's support of the Liberal budget that kept Paul Martin in office.

Wednesday, December 28, 2005 | 11:04 AM ET CBC News Kraft Foods' Canadian division is selling some of its Canadian brands and factories to two U.S. buyout firms for an undisclosed price.
Kraft announced Wednesday that Florida-based Sun Capital Partners and New York-based EG Capital Group will buy several product lines and five factories in Canada. EG Capital recently bought Laura Secord, the largest boxed chocolate retailer in Canada.

The product lines being acquired from Kraft include Aylmer, Primo pasta and soups, Ideal vegetables, Roma pasta, and the Canadian licensing rights for a number of Del Monte products, including canned fruits and vegetables.

The two buyout firms have formed a new company, CanGro Foods, to operate the grocery assets. About 800 Kraft Canada employees in Ontario and Quebec will transfer to CanGro
.

So Layton is open to forming a coalition with the Liberals. One would think he might get his facts straight on who it is he wants to jump into bed with. Blaming Harper for something the Liberals did shows he might need to do some more studying before letting Ignatieff have his way with him.

Media Refuses To Report On Non-Compete Agreement Between Opposition Parties

One would think this would be a major story. Talk of a coalition has been one of the major talking points since Day 1 of the campaign. All across the country we see the Conservative candidate campaigning hard every day. Lawn signs, door knocking, rallies, Conservative candidates are all out in public.

But what of the candidates for the opposition parties? Depending on the riding, you will most likely only see two candidates campaigning hard, the conservative and whichever opposition candidate has the best chance of winning the riding. Here in Ajax-Pickering, the NDP candidate did no campaigning, choosing to tan on a beach in the Caribbean instead. Sightings of NDP signs, or Green Party signs for that matter, number less than Bigfoot sightings.

Over in Oshawa, Liberals never even named a candidate till weeks after the campaign began. Again, while Conservative incumbent Colin Carrie is out campaigning hard, the only rival candidate seen is Dipper Chris Buckley. This riding is between the Conservatives and NDP.

There are reports of Quebec riding's where the same thing is going on. In some of these Quebec riding's, it appears that the non-compete agreement includes the Bloc. So why isn't this newsworthy? Why does the media not even make passing mention? Could it be the media themselves are complicit?

One could never prove it, but it looks painfully obvious that the coalition is alive and well, and that only a Conservative majority will put an end to it.

(if it appears there is a non-compete agreement in your riding, or you know of other riding's using a similar strategy, please leave info in comments, as I would like to do a future post on this with more riding's listed)

Metals

So it was exactly 2.5 years ago, mid-October 2008, when my spouse and his uncle were having a little chat about the price of gold.It was around $700 at the time, perhaps close to $800?? Anyway my spouse told his uncle that he wished he had money to buy gold because he figured it would hit $2000 in a five years or so. His uncle burst out laughing and said 'no way'. He actually argued, making my spouse feel like he was crazy. Okay, he is my 'boyfriend' but I'm almost 40 and I hate that word lol. So I'm using 'spouse' today ;) At any rate, the argument reached almost-heated status.....

Well here we are, mid-April 2011 and gold was $1493/ounce today. Seven bucks shy of $1500 only 2.5 years after the little chat with Uncle. Will it reach 2 grand in another year and a half? Who knows. We shall see.

But then I was looking at other metals and realized that our purchase of 3 American Eagle silver dollars about two years ago has more than doubled in value now. We only bought 3, because that's all the dealer had (the rest is probably buried in his cellar if he is smart lol)... but that $60 is now worth almost $130. Not bad, not bad. Wish we could have bought more tho because silver was about $18 when we bought them and today it was $43-ish. Oh well. Live and learn.

Then I was looking at copper. It was at just over $4/pound today. Pennies made between 1942 and 1996 in Canada were 98% copper, and before that was around 95% copper (from what I have found on various online searches). Well why the hell have I been giving our pennies away to school Penny Drives for the past 7 years straight? Yikes! I should have been paying more attention. I looked up penny weight and it appears that 4 rolls of pennies (so $2 worth) is about a pound. Today with copper being $4/pound, well gee whiz, that has doubled in price too. Should I put a bucket in my closet and start throwing in all my pre-1996 pennies just in case? I am going to do it because I don't want to sit around years down the line and kick myself like I have with silver (gold was too expensive for me to purchase even when it was a quarter the price it is now lol, but silver was very manageable). I think it would be worth it - especially since the rumor keeps going around that pennies are going to be exterminated in Canada.... the rumor is that pennies cost more to make and maintain in the market than they are worth in monetary value - but perhaps it's really because someone noticed that copper was rising and if they can get rid of pennies, trick people into tossing them away when they find one under the couch cushions, there will be less chance of people cashing in on the little devils one day.

I had read somewhere today that pennies have been made with zinc since 1982, but when I looked at some charts, it showed that zinc has been in them for many many decades, but only at 1% and it didnt change to using steel instead of copper until after 1996 (in Canada at any rate). I literally just gave every penny I could find in the house to my daughter 2 weeks ago for her school Penny Drive. Me cry. But I will start again. I will become a penny hoarder.

I don't feel as looney (pun intended) now because I decided to check out some coin geek websites and ebay, and people are selling copper pennies at twice face value all over the place. I might as well jump on the bandwagon and set myself up a penny bucket :) Yee haw. I missed out on gold by a long shot, have trouble kissing $40 goodbye for silver... so pennies it is!

I wonder if Dear Uncle will give us all his pennies eh? He certainly will not discuss the price of gold right now, but surely he would part with those annoying little pennies! After all, we just crazy folk.

Very Important Election Issues

Some very important issues for the current campaign:







. . . . . . . zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Globe And Mail Rewriting History For Ignatieff

Another example of quality journalism from the Globe and Mail. Seems Ignatieff wants no part of talking about Quebec separation, on the heels of Gilles Duceppe stating they needed to stop a Conservative majority to make it easier for Quebec to separate. As pointed out by someone posting under the name Local_Voter, it seems the Globe is again guilty of having it's facts skewed. In it's haste to show Liberals were champions of the federalist cause the Globe included this gem about Jean Chretien:

"Jean Chrétien carried on the mantle, working with his unity minister Stéphane Dion to lead the federalist side during the 1995 Quebec referendum on sovereignty."

As noted by the poster, there is something that doesn't make any sense whatsoever about that statement. You see, at the time of the 1995 referendum, Dion wasn't unity minister. The referendum took place in Quebec on October 30, 1995. To make it even worse, Dion was neither an elected MP or cabinet minister. Dion was appointed to cabinet on January 25th, 1996, in anticipation of a by-election that would be called later in the year.

So will the Globe and Mail see fit to update the column? I highly doubt it. With Conservative numbers steady in polling, and Jack Layton making a surprising surge, the G&M, CBC, Toronto Star, etc., will continue to do whatever they can to help the visiting professor.

The hell with facts!

Margins of Error

Margins of error are additive. If you were going on a trip, and were asked to measure the length, width and height of your bag to determine its length + width + height to ensure its appropriately sized. If you planned ahead you might have a tape measure with you, if not you can borrow one from someone else. Suppose your measurements are:Length (L) = 65cmWidth (W) = 30cmHeight (H) = 120cmTo

About that Hansard quote highlighted in the latest Liberal ad ...Will Kady O'Malley Set The Record Straight?

Remember the media, led by CBC's Kady O'Malley, running to Michael Ignatieff's defence with multiple editorials that the Conservatives Attack ad took Ignatieff out of context? Let's see if Kady, or any journalist for that matter, holds their position with enough integrity to actually show the PM's words the new Liberal attack ad takes wildly out of context.

This post is a direct quote from comment left by Gabby in QC in a previous thread..

About that Hansard quote highlighted in the latest Liberal ad ...

Actual Stephen Harper quotes from speech in Hansard:
http://bit.ly/f9KNVF
“... The key is that necessary health care must be available to every Canadian regardless of ability to pay. ...

... the federal government must work with the provinces ...

... the Liberals opposed provincial efforts to broaden health care delivery within publicly paid health systems by not just fighting plans for private facilities in various provinces but by demonizing the provinces pursuing these reforms. This was wrong. ...

A government monopoly is not the only way to deliver health care to Canadians. Monopolies in the public sector are just as objectionable as monopolies in the private sector. It should not matter who delivers health care, whether it is private, for profit, not for profit or public institutions, as long as Canadians have access to it regardless of their financial means.

We must become innovative in how we deliver care while holding fast to the principle of universal care regardless of ability to pay. ...”


To thus whittle down Stephen Harper's lengthy speech to "private, for profit" in that Liberal ad is an outright lie.

You won't recognize Canada . . .

I think we've heard this song before. Click the title link and read, as Warren Kinsella pulls out the same worn and tired Liberal red herrings as in 2006. What a shock. I thought hope, not fear, won elections. Who knew?When the Liberals grasped at straws in 2006, suggesting that a Conservative win would make the sky crash, I wrote this (links to the post -- Activist Judges? Never). Funny how the

Canadians Should Rise Up and Elect A Conservative Majority

Ignatieff looks more and more desperate every passing day. He's tried to emulate the Obama campaign ad with his own, talking about the passing of his mother. He's tried copying Obama's mannerism's when speaking. He's tried mimicking Obama rallies. All with little success.

So now he wants Canadians to rise up, another take-off of Obama. Here's a tip Mikey. Nobody likes a copycat. Makes you look weak and desperate. Try acting like yourself. Oh, wait. That dog didn't hunt either. Never mind.

To all Canadians,on May 2nd, rise up and elect a majority Conservative government.

New Liberal Attack Ad Will Back Ignatieff Into Corner

Nice to see Kinsella thinks the new Liberal attack ad is great. I guess the high ground got washed away under Ignatieff, but I digress. I actually really like the ad, but for a completely different reason. Liberals are looking at getting walloped in Quebec, according to Chantel Hebert in her column in the Star. So when one looks at the ad, it claims quotes from Stephen Harper show him as one who would undermine Canadian health care. The one quote that stands out is this:

"Private, for profit health care (Hansard 10/01/2002)

The problem Ignatieff now faces goes by the name of Gilles Duceppe, who's main claim to fame is having the federal government keep it's nose out of what Quebecer's feel is provincial jurisdiction. So one would surmise from the quote in the Liberal ad that Ignatieff is against private, for profit health care, right? Well, coming on the same day the Liberal Party announced Paul Martin would be joining the campaign, it looks as though Donolo might have just set up some land mines for Ignatieff. Why? Read this:

"Many provinces are following Alberta’s lead. Ontario announced in June 2005 a $30 billion public-private-partnership fund for new schools and hospitals. All this money will go to for-profit corporations. The Cambie Surgery Centre in Vancouver boasts that it is Canada’s “most advanced private surgical centre in Canada” with “more operating capacity than most BC hospitals.” It is proud of its record servicing “famous athletes and celebrities” and known for the outspoken private-sector advocacy of its founder, Dr. Brian Day – or “Dr. Profit,” as he is often referred to. British Columbia has 14 private clinics, which looked after 50,000 paying customers in 2004.

Montreal was labelled the “private health care capital of Canada” by the Montreal Gazette, which conducted an investigation in February 2005. There is a “parallel system for the wealthy” in that city, said the newspaper, which reported that 90 doctors in Quebec have opted out of medicare, more than in all other provinces combined. One of them, Dr. Sheldon Elmer, is Prime Minister Paul Martin’s doctor. There are at least a dozen private medical imaging clinics and a number of knee and hip replacement clinics. The going rate for hip replacement is between $14,000 and $18,000. Montreal also has the first private emergency clinic and was, not surprisingly, the launching pad for the Supreme Court challenge.


So will Michael Ignatieff denounce the private. for profit health care in Quebec? Will he close private providers in Quebec? Will he tell Dalton McGuinty that Ontario cannot go ahead with the $30 billion private public-partnership? What about BC? Alberta?

More importantly, will any journalist question the contradiction of the Liberal attack ad and their 13 years in office? And will Ignatieff stand up for full public health care, risking backlash from Quebec voters?

I sure would like to know.

Laying Waste To The New Liberal Attack Ad In Record Time

So Ignatieff's desperation, or should that be Donolo/Chretien's desperation revealed itself today? Apparently yes. The Liberals have released a new attack ad, falsely claiming the Conservative government would gut health care if given a majority. As already pointed out by many Blogging Tories, it appears Liberals have already resigned themselves to an election loss, and hope to keep the Conservatives from getting a majority, as they believe a Conservative minority government is inevitable.

So what about that new Liberal attack ad? The one that claims Stephen Harper will cut $11 billion in spending, most of it being health care. The ad appears to have been hastily created, with no thought given to blow back or facts of the matter. So let's take a look at some of the easiest talking points Conservatives can use regarding the ad.

1. The current health accord, a contract signed by all provincial and federal government, doesn't expire until the end of fiscal year 2013-2014. If the Conservative government wins a majority, the longest they would remain in power is 2015, leaving only one year to make those supposed health care cuts.


2. Liberals are back to that hidden agenda thing again. Pathetic. So Mr. Ignatieff, your party never campaigned in 1993 on a platform that included health care cuts in the billions. That was a real hidden agenda. So what guarantee do we have Liberals won't slash health care and transfer payments again? Your word Mr. Ignatieff? Sorry. Got burned by Chretien/Martin before. Won't happen again.



3. Canada is predicted to lead the G7 in growth for the foreseeable future, according to the OCED and IMF. A growing economy means rising government revenues, lessening the need for budgetary cuts.

4. The Conservatives have already pledged to keep the 6% yearly increase past the year 2014, as have the Liberals and Dippers. In fact, over the past five years Conservatives have maintained that increase, as well as injecting health care money into various causes, such as health care amongst aboriginals. So we have seen the track record of the Conservatives, and the record of the Liberals. Liberals lose this comparison badly. Sorry Mr. Donolo, but you can't rewrite history.

5. As pointed out by the PM, there are 80,000 public sector employees who will be retiring in the next few years. Using attrition and cutting a bloated bureaucracy is solid financial and economic policy. Money saved that can be used for things like health care. Hmmm. That seems to fit in nicely with the Conservative platform of focusing on the economy.

6. As was pointed out to Ignatieff during the debates, the first expenditure of fighter jets doesn't occur for another five years. That blows the coalitions whole argument about jets we supposedly can't afford. Even the PBO predicts balanced budgets within five years. So no health care cuts to finance jets. There goes a pretty big plank of Ignatieff's platform.

7. To this day, the Liberals make no apologies for slashing billions from health care for Canadians. They blame Mike Harris for health care cuts in Ontario. The problem is the Liberals have a new leader ready for a coronation when Ignatieff falls on his own sword. A guy named Bob Rae. Scary. The fact is Harris increased health care spending, despite the fact the federal government of Chretien?Martin cut the federal share. And anyone who survived the "Rae years" already knows the challenges faced due to Rae's absolute incompetence as Ontario Premier. ( think of this point as a two-fer. Ignatieff and Rae)

I'm sure many others also have excellent points. Please post in the comments section.

Polling Trends - The Rise of Layton?

Once I again I am delinquent in posting an update, mostly because nothing has changed. The Tories are stuck around 39%, the Liberals around 27% and NDP around 19%. The debates had no significant effect, the mini-scandals have had no effect, nothing has had any effect. Or have they?I like how some polling groups try to look at underlying perceptions of politicians (ie Nanos' leadership

Conservative Candidate Trails by 700 Votes In Guelph Riding.....Election Three Weeks Away

So I did the obligatory post on Elections Canada U of G decision featuring sarcasm, and now it's time to give this situation a serious look. With Elections Canada already deeming the cast ballots to be counted, a decision in record time I might add, the decision made, is to be blunt, complete bullshit.

1. EC admits it wasn't an authorized advanced ballot.
2. Rules were not followed, EC rules at that, in regards to scrutineers.
3. Partisan material was within the ballot box, another EC no-no.
4. Two seals were affixed to one ballot box, the top seal bearing #1030701 and the bottom seal bearing #1030702?

So what exactly is the reason to even have Elections Canada rules? When something occurs outside the bounds of said rules, Elections Canada say it's OK anyway? And we don't even know if those who cast votes at the University of Guelph even met EC's rules for being eligible to vote at that riding's unauthorized poll.

Oops, never mind. Elections Canada. The new Adscam. Where every rule in the book is broken, with Marc Mayrand and his underlings held unaccountable.

Only in Canada. Pity.

Advance Poll At My House This Weekend...

Just wanted to give everyone a heads up I'm holding an advance poll at my house Saturday and Sunday. While it's not actually a poll approved by Elections Canada, I'm sure they will follow the precedent set at the University of Guelph, who held an advance poll earlier this week. While not approved, Elections Canada say hey, what the hell, the votes count anyways.

I want to let Elections Canada know they can be 100% rest assured that there will be no NDP partisan campaign literature near the polling station, as I live in Ajax and apparently the NDP candidate is looking to debate and door knock in the Caribbean at the present time.

Luckily I kept the shoebox my Air Jordan's came in. This will be used as the "special ballot box", as it already bears the number of my shoes on it. I've also decided to simplify voting. All ballots will be pre-filled with an "x" beside the Conservative candidates name. I'm not sure if the EC officer is available on the weekend so my trusty dog Sparky will be keeping a close eye on the proceedings.

Over to you Mr. Mayrand.

Disability

I joined a forum to learn more about Trigeminal Neuralgia after my recent diagnosis and I have been reading a lot of stories from Americans with this disorder... and wow, the stories about how long it takes to get social security disability are mind boggling. The general consensus is that you have to be out of work for at least 6 months before you can even apply, and then that process has taken up to 2 years before they are approved.

Now, I know a lot of people do not like these entitlement programs in the first place, but they are in place and people are paying through the nostrils in various taxes to fund them. And then they cannot get them without fighting tooth and nail sometimes. TN hits older people for the most part, I would be considered a rarer case because I am under 50/60 - so basically that means most of the people with TN have already worked and paid into the tax system by force for 20-30 years and then suddenly they need it - and they have to jump through hoops, pay lawyers, be out of work for 6-30 months, etc before receiving a dime of it back.

What is wrong with this picture,eh?

People in the forums who are newly diagnosed or are really starting to hit the bad stages of constant intense pain are now sitting around hoping that they can work their butts off to save up enough money to carry them through the long waiting period for receiving SS disability benefits. That just seems wrong. If we are all forced to pay for such programs, and taxes are increased more and more over time to keep up, then why is it so hard for the very people who have been paying into their forced retirement programs unable to get the money if they are forced to retire early due to medical reasons? The whole system is busted from top to bottom and it becomes more apparent all the time.

Meanwhile, there are multitudes of govt workers being paid to sort through, approve (or deny), claims, multitudes at the top who sit around making other decisions, those who are paid to keep an eye on the program, those paid to collect our taxes and pass the money along, etc etc who are PAID WITH that same tax money, and then get to retire with a pension also paid for with that same tax money - while others are waiting years to get a tiny piece of it. Waiting in pain and torture, getting fired because they have taken way too many sick days and the boss just cannot carry that load anymore either, or working despite being in dire pain most of every single day - and then finally, maybe, one day getting their disability checks.

This goes for all sorts of ailments of course, not just TN. What a crappy horrible system so many people seem to be supporting and wanting to remain. It needs a serious overhaul if it's going to actually do anyone any good. How much of that tax payer money (taxes, SS deductions from paychecks, etc) gets wasted in that 6 month to 2.5 year waiting period that could instead be going to the person who needs it? In this economy, how can normal regular average people go for that long with NO income?

Many would say you need a nest egg. Start saving right from age 16 when you start working so that one day if you need it, it's there. Yes, that is true. But then you come to those who are a lot younger when diagnosed with TN - like the 18 yr old I met online today. Or the 30 year old. Trusting that their stories are true, they are already struck so hard by TN, they can barely function to get out of bed in the morning without dropping to the floor in pain, let alone going to work to make some money to support their family. Those people have not had enough time to save up but they HAVE been paying into the insurance programs for every day, week, month, year that they have worked - and yet, they have to wait what seems to be extortionate amounts of time to get anything.

Just think if you bought a car, paid your insurance faithfully every month, and then an uninsured person crashed into you and you called your own insurance company and they said you had to go without your car for 6 months before you could apply to get some money, and then after 6 months you had to wait another 2 years before you could actually GET the money to fix your car or buy a replacement for a write-off. That would have everyone up in arms freaking out in 5 seconds flat. So now think about being FORCED to pay SS contributions and taxes, rather like an insurance program based on your ability to work, and then you cannot get it for eons. If you would be angry about car insurance taking 2.5 years to kick in, something that is taken out on a possession, something that you do not actually NEED to survive, then why not be ticked right off angry about those who cannot get disability after being forced to pay into the program for X number of years? You should be MORE angry for those people, or for yourself if you are in such a position.

It's just not working. Plain and simple. What could possibly take 2 years to work through? A specialist signs a note stating that your pain levels have exceeded any medication amount that is deemed a safe level by the federal drug agency, that your pain is crippling to the point that you are unable to work, maybe even a second specialist and your GP sign one as well. Your employer signs one stating how many days you have had off sick or for surgeries and recovery time. And tada - you send it in. Someone checks that it is official, maybe faxes the specialist to find out if they are a real person or whatever they need to do. And then out comes the red APPROVED (or denied) stamp. tip tap on some computer keys and tada - your check will be printed off and sent in the mail. All done.

Does that take 2 years? I mean, seriously, come on. Yes there are people out there who scam the system and they cause a big pain in the arse - but funnily enough, those are the ones who seem to get their money lickety split. Why is that? The system is broken. It's broken in Canada too but my gosh I was completely shocked to read how long it can take in the US, and how long you have to be out of work before even applying in the first place. With all the bickering going on down there over cuts here and no-cuts there, all I can think about is their terribly draining busted systems like Medicare/Medicaid/SS Disability and so on, and how much money would be saved by sorting that crap out. But my only conclusion is that they (govt) DO NOT WANT to fix it. What other reason could there possibly be to let things go on like that? They must not want to fix it, they must want people to rely on them more and more. Do those waiting for disability get to apply for welfare? I have no idea, I haven't seen that yet, but if they did then that's more people for the govt to say 'see, we have XX number of people living below the poverty level so we need to increase taxes on The Rich to pay for it'. Well how about fricken get your thumbs out of your hineys and do something about the current state of affairs that does not involve forcing people to rely on more aide? How about fixing the severely broken aspects and realizing you suddenly freed up billions of wasted dollars, and get it back to the people who have faithfully paid their dues all these years, so they can hold their head up high again and get on with life instead of hating themselves while they become yet another pariah, another statistic for govt fat cat officials to wave around during speeches. That sounds like a better plan to me.

Mark Holland Looking To Replace Michael Ignatieff After Election?

The following is a letter to the editor of the News Advertiser Ajax, concerning Liberal candidate Mark Holland:

"To the editor:

I've never met Mark Holland but by all accounts he appears to be a decent, hard-working politician.

That said, when his canvassers came to my door a couple of days ago I told them that although I liked Mr. Holland, I just could not bring myself to vote Liberal so long as Mr. Ignattief was their leader.

A fellow canvasser overheard my comments while at a neighbour's door and came over to tell me that Mark was thinking of running for leader should things go wrong for them in this election, and that we should vote for him to 'keep him around' should that be the case.

This person introduced himself to me and I have to believe the comment is true. It might be something that Mr. Holland would like to clarify in order that people know just exactly who they are voting for this time and why. Is he an ambitious politician who just wants to hang around for when the leadership is up for grabs, or is he someone who has the best interests of Ajax and Pickering at heart?

Derek XXXXXXX

Ajax

New Liberal Campaign Ad Leaked! After Five Years Of Stephen Harper...

Flooding

So while people are flapping about trying to get canadians interested in going to the polls in a few weeks, many in alberta, saskatchewan and manitoba have other things on their minds. Much more pressing immediate matters - several states of emergency have been announced in various towns and cities including mine. A berm around a local lake started to crumble so water was being released this evening, prompting the immediate evacuation of a couple dozen homes, and voluntary evacuations of about 650 more so far.. But it was just announced a few mins ago that a resovior feeding into the same waterway has had to open it's gates to free flow the water... not sure what that will mean for all the people along that valley and here in the city. So while others were watching the debate and joining discussions afterward, people in places like Medicine Hat, Brooks, Swift Current and all around the Red River in Manitoba were busy sandbagging, packing up their possessions, watching the news for updates, and readying themselves for possibly having an extra wet start to spring.

It has made me focus on our local govt and the length of time it takes to let people know what is going on. I have seen multiple updates on the radio station FB pages, but very spaced out and sporadic on the City FB page. It says to look there for updates but there have been very few when compared to the tv and radio sites. What's up with that? Can't find a city worker willing to pull an all-nighter to update people in a fast manner? Type a sentence or two? They tell us to watch their page for the most up to date info, but leave it up to the radio stations instead. Um... okay. So really, things progress as normal - people look after each other much faster than the govt can/does. Is it a surprise? No.

They set up a hotline to call for information and to volunteer, but I kept seeing people posting that they couldnt get through, no operators were available, so they had to keep hanging up and dialing again. How many people did we have manning the phones? Did they have to get permission from a bunch of other govt peeps before starting up the line? Could they not afford a system where you get to be on hold until an operator is available? If this kind of control is put in the public's hands, they would have people lining up willing to man the phones all night just to help out and wouldnt have to ask everyone's permission to do so. They might need the phone number and line set up, but after that it would be no hold's barred. If a member of the public was in charge of updating the FB page, it would most likely be on there licketysplit... just like the radio and tv station sites. But no. It's boring and slow and I found much more info via other means.

So let's call for the govt to help us cos they are so fast and efficient.

Ignatieff Has Now Attended 50% Of The Debates, Surpassing His Record of Voting Attendance In Parliament...

Atta boy Jack. Show Canadians your the second best choice for PM behind Stephen Harper. So I guess Ignatieff was a master at giving lectures at Harvard. Cause he sure didn't look like a master debater.

Ignatieff Scores Knockout On Harper In Debate

There you have it. The english debate has yet to begin at the time of writing, but I'm guessing this will be the headline in the media tommorrow. Do I think Ignatieff will score a knockout? No. I don't think he will even be declared the winner of the debate by most Canadians.

So why my prediction of that headline? Looking over the first two weeks of the campaign, more importantly, media reporting of the campaign, even if Ignatieff wet himself and rolled up in the fetal position in the corner the regular Liberal lackies will still somehow spin it into a win for Ignatieff.

Polling Trends - April 12th

I didn't bother posting an update for the last number of days because there really was nothing interesting going on, although rest assured I was faithfully updating the spreadsheet with the latest polls. With the leadership debate tonight and the recent leak of a draft of the Auditor Generals report on G8 spending, there might be a change in the polls in the next few days. Or there might

A Quite Funny Look Into The Mind Of A Liberal Supporter...

One of the websites I like to check each day is http://www.electionprediction.org/2009_fed/index.php

I like the fact you can look at each individual riding, including current candidates and margins of victory for past elections. What I really like is people can post comments on each riding, including their prediction of who will win that riding in the 2011 federal election. Living in the riding of Ajax-Pickering, I am hoping for Conservative candidate Chris Alexander to unseat Liberal incumbent Mark Holland. And I came across this gem of a comment posted by someone named Diane, a Liberal supporter. Diane seems to think Alexander is unfit to be an MP in Parliament. Fair enough. But read the comment yourself and tell me what person could be inserted in place of Alexander, and still have her comment make some sense. I'm not sure if this person is partisanly blind or ignorant of the facts concerning the person whose name I bet you guess:

" To be now parachuted into Ajax-Pickering with no Canadian political history and no roots or history to the area, he will not be successful. His knowledge of Afghanistan may be extensive, but Canada is NOT the Country of Afghanistan or Russia for that matter. He may have ideas how Afghanistan may improve as he continues on a Canada wide panel to build support for a ‘new mission’ in Afghanistan Post 2011, which I would suggest he continue on that path as he did declare himself a 'Career Diplomat' upon his graduation from university. His recent comment about 'no poverty in Canada', further confirms his living and being employed outside of Canada from 1993 to 2009 is he's clearly out of touch of Canadian reality. Thanks, But No Thanks

This Is Why They Screen People At The PM's Rallies

So a family member of mine was one of the people handling the registration and sign-in for the PM's appearance in Ajax last week, which by the way was a huge success. A man came up to the registration table wanting to get in. He was asked if he had pre-registered and he stated no. It was pointed out that all the advertising for the event stated you had to be pre-registered to attend. The man became agitated, stating he had just driven from Etobicoke (no, it wasn't Michael Ignatieff), and wanted to get in. The person tried to accomodate him, telling him that the room was already at capacity, but she would get him in, asking for photo id. Said person stated he had no photo-id. Person was asked for a piece of id without a photo, again stating he had none. He was then asked why he would drive all the way from Etobicoke with no drivers license, which he couldn't answer.

He was told he would not be able to attend, and walked away cursing. The security near the registration alerted Durham Regional Police, who stopped the man in the parking lot. Surprisingly, the man was able to provide id to the police when asked. He was then escorted off the property.

So what was this person's motive for wanting to attend? Denying he had id on him when in fact he did? Was he there as a voter or a plant from another party sent to disrupt a high profile event featuring the PM? Guess we will never know.

Mark Holland Accidently Disses Ignatieff On Question Period..

Interesting exchange between Mark Holland and Chris Alexander on Question Period today. Holland went out of his way to point out that he lived in the Ajax-Pickering riding his entire life, although as Alexander pointed out there is some debate about that (future post to come when info is verified). Conservative candidate Chris Alexander pointed out both he and Holland moved into the riding around the same time in 2004. Again Holland reiterated that he lived his entire life in the riding, implying he was a better candidate for MP because of it.

So what to make of Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff then? As has been pointed out recently, Ignatieff doesn't even live in the riding he was elected to represent in Parliament. How does Mark Holland feel about this? Or will he argue about electoral riding boundaries (which will be the subject of above mentioned future post) as a way around Ignatieff's failure to live in his own riding?

It's also worth mentioning Holland has contradicted the Liberal leader the past week on such things as crime bills. The fact is Holland supported Gerard Kennedy for Liberal leader, then switched his support to Stephane Dion when Kennedy dropped out of the race for Liberal leader. Is Holland now loyal to Ignatieff, or some fella named Bob?

Why Is The Media Lying About The Conservative Campaign Events



Since the start of the election, we have seen one thing consistent. The medias reporting of Conservative rally's attended by PM Stephen Harper. Led by the duo of CBC's Terry Milewski and CTV's Roger Smith, we keep hearing how the PM looks angry, they are running a poor campaign, PM lacks energy, understating attendance numbers, blah, blah, blah.

The problem is this is factually untrue, and both Milewski and Smith know it. I attended the Ajax rally on Thursday. Over 1000 people attended, with the official number being closer to 1300. Packed room, lots of energy, PM was fantastic, lauding the Tory platform, as well as tossing some humour into his speech.

Joanne at Blue Like You attended the Kitchener rally, and reported the same thing. PM full of energy, crowd loved the event, etc. Jean Lapierre mentioned a Quebec rally with record numbers, comparing it to the crowds Mulroney drew in 1988. Other posters on various blogs that have attended Conservative rallies have a similar story.

Yet the ongoing narrative in the media, led by CTV and CBC is how bad the Conservative campaign has been. If one looks at any of the polls, Nanos, Ipsos, Ekos, the Conservatives enjoy a comfortable lead of anywhere between 9-15 points. In my previous post I pointed out Global TV taking the latest Ipsos poll showing a 15 point Conservative lead, and painting it as a sign things were going great for the Liberals and bad for the Conservatives.

So why is the msm being so dishonest? Is it because they want a closer race to get more viewers? Is it the fact their left-wing bias is really starting to show? Or is it a sign of the growing desperation of the three coalition parties, the ones all wearing an engagement ring but denying their plans to wed?
I'm guessing if we did a poll it would be all of the above.

a bit about me part 2

Well, today I was diagnosed, officially, with Trigeminal Neuralgia. I hope that it won't be an unpleasant road ahead, but at least I can be at least slightly mentally prepared. Basically, something has happened to a major nerve in my face - the Trigeminal nerve (I believe named thus because it has three [tri] branches looking after various regions of the face). This has been causing pins and needles or shock-like pains in my face for about 5 years but it was sporadic and mild at first so I didn't really know that something was wrong. It has advanced a lot in the past 2 years, especially within the past few months so I talked to my doc about it more and had a CT ordered to rule out tumors, cysts, etc that could have been causing problems... and now I start Gabapentin medication. Fun stuff.

So in this 'part 2' of my life, I will cover a few medical issues I have had. Everything seemed to start after having my first child in 1997 lol. When he was 3 months old, I found a HUGE bald spot on my scalp. This grew to larger than the palm of my hand and I was diagnosed with Alopecia. I still have it almost 14 years later and probably always will, but it's patchy, not 'total' or 'universal'. I learned over the years that the group Locks of Love was actually started for children with Alopecia, whereas most people assume it is for cancer patients. Some do go to kids with cancer or other ailments requiring a wig/hairpiece. But the majority go to those who have severe forms of alopecia because they will never grow their hair back. As I said, mine is patchy and it's never been as bad as when it first started, but sometimes it causes me stress because my hair literally drops out all over the place and clogs up the drains, covers the floor couch and bed, my clothing, etc and it's rather embarrassing. But it's nothing fatal so I just get on with it.

When my son was about 2 years old, I was diagnosed with Hidradenitis Suppurativa. This can cause very very painful lumps in the inverse areas of the body like the armpits. I have had attacks where I could barely put my arm down at my side because lymph nodes in the armpit area would swell to the size of an EGG. Like a large egg. I havent had as many bad attacks the last few years but they can literally last 6 months, and therefore even if they are tiny, it's a pain in the neck. I was on medication for it for 18 months but that stuff was just plain nasty (monocycline) and made me sick, and couldn't be taken at all if you were trying to get pregnant (causes severe birth defects) and I decided to go off that crap.

I've had high blood pressure issues since the birth of my first child as well. He was born a bit early by induction because I got pre-eclampsia and my BP was 190/115 the day he was born. I felt like a ticking time bomb, waiting for convulsions or seizures to start. I spent 17 days in hospital before and after his birth and my BP was never the same again. I got it while pregnant with my second child so she was induced 10 days early and I was on the highest possible dose of medication but still had BP of 180/100..... and then I got it really bad with my third and final child, leading to his emergency birth at only 33 weeks and 1 day gestation. He weighed a whopping 3lbs 3oz. Three must be his lucky number tho.... 33 weeks, 3lbs, 3oz, 833pm birth time.... haha! He just turned 3 last month and has been doing great. Still on the small side but he makes up for it with speed ;)

So then we worked hard on my BP issues which would just not settle down until we found a combination of 2 medications that brought me down to 116/78 BP! WOOT! I havent seen those numbers since I was a teenager lol. At 37 years old, and after 13.5 years of struggling, it's finally at a normal level.

However, now I have to deal with this crazy trigeminal nerve damage. It may have been caused by shingles in my ear that I managed to get back in 2005. It's a very rare condition called Ramsay Hunt Syndrome. My doc had never even actually seen a case in person before so that tells you it's not very common. RHS can lead to permanent facial nerve damage but I thought at first that I had gotten away scot-free. I didn't connect the face tingling that started about a year later for some reason. I just thought it was something weird that was happening sometimes.

But about 18 months or so ago, when the tingles started reaching down to my cheek, my jaw started to spontaneously lock up. HARD. My teeth would ache from the pressure and then it would release in about 30 seconds. Sometimes less. Sometimes more. This started happening on a daily basis and I mentioned it to my doc, but we thought it might be related to blood pressure because I finally noticed that it happened whenever I had been sitting down for awhile, and then would stand up. He did mention trigeminal neuralgia to me last year and said I should look it up and see if that's what I think it is - but when I googled, i was not happy with what I found so I decided it couldnt possibly be TN. It was too scary to read about people being in such dire pain, they even had to quit work. Many could literally not even talk without triggering an episode, and things like chewing food or cold wind blowing on their cheek would set off extremely painful spasms. I refused to believe what I had could advance that far so I closed the webpages and never went back.

Now here I am a year or so later with it happening on a daily basis and getting more painful. It feels like someone is sticking dozens of little tiny pins into my face over and over,clustered together, only on the right hand side. My jaw locks up at least once a day, and it has progressed down my neck which makes me panic slightly because it feels like my breathing is being restricted. I've learned to talk myself through it but it's not fun. I had the CT scan on Saturday (yay they are starting to do them on evenings and weekends to clear the lineups!!! finally!!!), and it came back clear of anything else that could have been causing trouble... but that just leaves TN.

I have to admit it scares me. People have called TN 'the most excruciating pain known to mankind'!!!! Who the hell wants to deal with something like that in their future? UGH! I started taking the anti-convulsant medication today and have to slowly work up to a higher dose to see if that helps the nerves settle down a bit. I hope it works, but reading about others having such a struggle finding the right medication makes me freak out a little. I don't want to be a hypochondriac lol but so far in my life, every single time I've felt that something was wrong, I was right. I had a list of stupid ailments that are rare but not fatal, so it's hard to make other people understand that when everything is acting up at once, it can be quite debilitating. Now I understand the ads where people talk about 'invisible diseases' and how hard it can be to let people know you are struggling. If I were to have a week with a really bad hidradenitis attack, and then have a TN attack at the same time, I would just want to lock myself up in the corner and not come out til it's over. But life is not like that. You have to move on, keep on truckin, and try your best to get through each day.

Luckily, the TN is not 'excruciating' to me now, but it had progressed so quickly these past months, it is now at the stage where I feel the prickles and needles at any time, with no warning. Everyone has a different level of pain tolerance as well though, so what I feel is not too painful, someone else might find very distracting. What is the most annoying to me is the jaw thing. I can be talking to someone and them WHAM, my jaw is locked up tight and hard and I cannot speak at all. Just sorta mumble through incredibly clenched teeth that I can't talk. It's happened while I was on the phone a couple of times now, during important conversations, and trying to work my jaw loose brought tears to my eyes because of the frustration and the discomfort.

There is no cure, no tried and true set treatment, just a bunch of guesswork and possibly surgeries. Sometimes if they can zero in on the exact affected spot on the nerve with an MRI, they can go in and cut out that part of the nerve, or try to unwrap a blood vessel if it's squeezing it, etc but I'm sorry - that option does not sound like fun either. The nerve could be damaged even more, or you can lose total feeling in that region. Ugh no thanks. Not unless the pain does hit me so hard I cannot function... then I would have to weigh all the options. Until then, I will be trying out various anti-seizure medicines that have been found effective for treating nerve issues.

Global TV Masters The Art Of Making a 15 Point Conservative Lead Look Good For The Liberals....

Compare For Yourself.

Ipsos Press Release: http://www.ipsos-na.com/news-polls/pressrelease.aspx?id=5192

Global Article: http://www.globalnews.ca/Liberals+gaining+Tories+stay/4584984/story.html

A few examples:

1) Ipsos-"The results represent only a marginal change from the poll released by Ipsos Reid at the outset of the campaign."

Global-"The Liberals have gained ground in the election campaign while the Tories have slipped, but the Tories are still on top by a wide margin, according to a new survey

2) Ipsos-"What continues to drive the high-flying Tories in the overall national support are their numbers in Ontario"

Global-"The Tories remain strong nationally because of their numbers in Ontario"

3)Ipsos-"Two in ten (21%) say their impression of Michael Ignatieff has worsened, roughly equalling the proportion of Canadians who say their impressions have improved (20%), representing a net drop of 1 point. A majority’s (54%) impressions remain unchanged, and 5% don’t know."

Global- Ignatieff turns corner with voters-"The news is better for Ignatieff on that front. It seems he might be turning the corner with Canadians, as the proportion of those whose impressions have worsened (21 per cent) roughly equals the proportion of Canadians who say their impression has improved (20 per cent). A majority’s (54 per cent) impressions remain unchanged, and five per cent don’t know"

4) Ipsos-"But the national vote numbers could yield a ‘ballot box bonus’ for the Conservatives and deliver them their coveted majority if vote certainty turnout holds: currently, 56% of Canadians say that they are ‘absolutely certain’ to go out and vote on Election Day and if this represented the actual vote turnout the adjusted polling numbers suggest Conservative support would rise to 44%(+3),

Global-"If all the Canadians now promising to vote (56 per cent) did, in fact, cast their ballots on election day, Tory support would rise to 44 per cent, while support for the Liberals would be 26 per cent, the NDP vote would yield 18 per cent and the Green Party would receive four per cent"

So lets recap.

1) Marginal change means Liberal gain, Conservative drop (I won't even mention the margin of error is 3.1 percentage points).

2. High flying Tories national numbers means numbers seem strong because of Ontario polling. Forget the fact they lead in almost every region except Quebec, where they are in 2nd or 3rd depending on the pollster.

3. Apparently having Canadians impression of Ignatieff drop one percent is turning the corner.

4) No mention of majority, no mention of the 56% absolutely cetain of voting.

Nuff said.

Just Insert Michael Ignatieff Instead Of Stephane Dion, And It Still Makes Sense.

So Ignatieff today complaining the Harper government hasn't increased health care spending by one cent above the six-percent agreement signed in 2004. A couple of problems with that argument. Number one is the fact the Conservatives have announced spending for various health-care initiatives over the course of the last five years. Number two federal transfers to the provinces have increased under the federal government, with some of that money being used by the provinces and territories for health care.

But what makes Ignatieff's comments all the more ridiculous is the fact he never learned anything from his predecessor, Stephane Dion. Dion also complained about health care spending, ignoring the fact his party under Paul Martin, and every premier and health minister of each province and territory signed the deal. It was funny to watch the Conservatives pointing this out to Dion, and more importantly, Canadians. So without further ado, here is a 2007 Conservative press release. It's great to see that it still makes sense today, with the only editing necessary is changing Stephane Dion to Michael Ignatieff.

"OTTAWA – Liberal leader Stephane Dion told a town hall meeting in Edmonton last night that Canada's health care system faces a crisis in the next few years (Broadcast News, January 12, 2007). But wait, didn’t Paul Martin and the Liberals claim that they had ‘fixed health care for a generation’ only two years ago?:

"We're finished with the year-to-year scramble for short-term solutions," he said. "We will provide a fix for a generation." – Paul Martin (Ottawa Citizen, April 17, 2004)


"Health care is this government's No. 1 priority. We will come to an agreement with the provinces, because we must. We will implement a long-term plan, because we must. And because we must, we will provide a fix for a generation.'' – Paul Martin (Winnipeg Free Press, April 18, 2004)


“I'm very proud of this reform, and I am going to fight for this reform, and I believe that this is the reform that is going to give us the fix for a generation” – Paul Martin (CBC, The National, May 25, 2004)


"I believe that this reform is going to give us the fix for a generation," – Paul Martin (Ottawa Sun, May 26, 2004)


Is Stephane Dion saying that Paul Martin wasn’t telling Canadians the truth when he claimed that he had fixed health care “for a generation?

Why Do We Base So Much on Opinion Polls?

I'm not just talking about pre-election polls, I mean any sort of poll or survey. They fully rely on the person giving the answers to be honest. But how can anyone be sure?

My 13 year old son, a Grade 8 student, was just telling me about a survey they all had to do yesterday that had questions that sound like it was mainly a 'mental and physical health' questionaire. He doesn't know a single solitary kid who filled their's out honestly, aside from himself. There were questions like 'Do you smoke?' and many of his friends checked off the answer showing the most amount of cigarettes smoked each day. There were mental health questions surrounding sleep - some of which were answered that the kids do not sleep very well and cry every night. Things like that.

So what is the school to glean from these surveys exactly? The kids were apparently all laughing and joking about them later, giggling together about the stupid answers they gave. Does the school look for ones where every possible silly answer was given, and then toss them out? How then do they get a good idea of what students in the school are doing, how they are feeling, etc if half the surveys have to be tossed aside. The whole thing seems pointless.

It also made me think of when Alberta Health and Wellness was calling around last year asking people if they wished to take part in a survey. I refused to do it when they called me, but my 23 yr old coworker agreed. Some of the questions made her very uncomfortable, and it made me think about how many people really answer those surveys honestly as well. It's not exactly an anonymous survey if they called you at home lol. They know your name, phone number, address, health care number, at the very least. Would you want to answer truthfully about suicidal thoughts, your lifestyle, etc when the surveyor knows all this information about you?? But the content of some of the questions also surprised me. She was asked things like 'When you go to bed at night, do you go to bed alone?". This came after being asked who she lives with already (brother). She started to get really annoyed with the questions and could not believe it was a govt agency doing the asking. How many others felt the same way and gave sarcastic untrue answers in 'protest' of the questioning? How can anyone rely on the results of such a survey? Why do we even bother?

Play The Ignatieff Lottery- Be One Of 200,000 Canadians To Lose Your Job...

"“By raising the (corporate tax) rate we’ll lose $50 billion in capital spending over the long run and we will also lose 200,000 jobs,” Mintz is quoted as saying from a broadcast of the Rutherford Show on April 1, 2011. “It’s just such a bad policy to advocate."

All because Ignatieff and the Liberals can't win the election, so have abandoned their long-standing support of corporate tax cuts as a way of growing the economy, including jobs and tax revenue. All in the name of making Jack and Gilles very happy.

Voting

I was a bit annoyed this morning while listening to a woman who works at a parent/child playgroup in town, while she was asking people who they were voting for. Remember, this woman WORKS there - her job is 100% paid for by taxpayer funds through the Province of Alberta. She is also a single parent I have known for years and she receives some subsidies thanks to the tax coffers as well. Through her job, she also gets courses paid for and some travel expenses as well. But today she was asking people who they were voting for, somewhat in idle conversation but none of us were discussing politics before she came into the room, and then she proceeded to say that if anyone was going to vote Conservative, not to even bother going to the polls. Then she gave a little laugh. She went on to say that she thinks our Lib MP candidate, our mayor, would be a good choice. That's fair enough - but she was on the clock, on the job, and discussing politics with CUSTOMERS, and then telling them they should not bother voting unless they are going to go for the Liberal candidate. I found that very wrong. I am sitting in there knowing full well that MY tax dollars help support her job, her home, her food, her son, under a PC provincial govt and currently a Cons federal govt - and she is telling us to vote Liberal. Sorry, but I found that to be totally obnoxious.

What more can she possibly want???????? She gets rent subsidy, school subsidy, food subsidy, and her job is paid for by the current govts in power. All of her coworkers wages are paid in the same manner. It is a govt job through a govt sponsored program. But she is going to stand there and crap all over said-govt is she? Right in front of the patrons? That's just lovely.

Face it lady, you live in a region that heavily votes Cons and PC and so far it seems to be doing just fine for you, is it not? Everything you do in your life right now is paid for by fellow taxpayers under programs set up by these govts that you like to trash on your FB (yes I can see you on there, you forgot to make your page private), and are now trashing right out in public. You get paid even if no one wants this service, even if no one shows up. For most people, life doesnt work that way. You get paid to coordinate a preschool program even if no one signs up for it. What better job could you get, yet you seem quick to diss those who provide that job for you and your son.

Funny that you don't seem to recall trashing that very same man who is now our mayor and Lib candidate for MP..... I do. I remember when you were asking people who they were voting for in the city elections last fall and you raged and complained about the man who eventually won top spot - and here you are now touting him and telling us conservative voters not to bother showing up at the polls. Gee that's lovely! Thanks! Mentally noted.

Oh and if anyone asks if I said any of this to her face, no I did not. I have been battling laryngitis for over 3 weeks and pick and choose what I am going to shred my vocal cords apart for. But I did manage to croak out that whenever a Liberal tries to get me not to vote, it makes me even more determined to put my mark on the paper. Then I smiled a pretty smile and got ready to head to my own job.

Polling Trends - April 5th

Just a quick update, only three new polls to report on, the EKOS-iPolitics poll and two Nanos polls. No significant net change to the overall standings in my poll tracker... *yawn*My poll compilation shows the Tories at 37.9%, the Liberals at 27.5%, the NDP at 17.2%, the Bloc at 8.7% and the Green trailing at 6.8%. Remember that this is not a straight average of the recent polls but rather is a

Ignatieff Plagiarized Obama Campaign Ad? You Tell Me...

So the Liberals are trying to spin the newest Conservative ad, which is not an attack ad, as being plagiarized from a Tea Party Ad. Seems both ads feature the respective National Flags. Who would think a campaign ad would have a shot of the countries flag. Both feature various shots of scenery from each country, as well as film clips of the countries history. Sure, I guess this is the first time any party in the history of politics thought to use those items in a campaign ad. And of course the media laps it all up.

So following that same storyline, let's compare an Ignatieff ad from 2011 with a Obama ad from the last U.S. election. Wanna bet any of the Canadian media report on it? I doubt it.



Liberal feigned outrage at the "Harper government"

Remember back in March when Michael Ignatieff was howling with indignation that the Conservatives were using the term "Harper government" in federal publications and on Government of Canada websites?
Federal Liberals are moving swiftly to capitalize on public outrage over Conservative attempts to rebrand the government of Canada as "the Harper government."
They've produced a radio ad that will begin running Saturday in Quebec, expressing shock at the Tories' effrontery in equating the government with Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
"Like you, I am profoundly shocked," Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff says in the ad.
"It's totally unacceptable. The government of Canada is not the government of Mr. Harper, it's the government of citizens, the government of all the citizens of Canada."
Imagine my surprise then, that while reading through the Liberal Party of Canada's platform, I found the current federal government consistently referred to as "the Harper government". Out of curiosity, I counted the number of times the supposedly contentious phrase appears in the document: thirty two.

Like you, I am profoundly shocked. It's totally unacceptable. The government of Canada is not the government of Mr. Harper, it's the government of citizens, the government of all the citizens of Canada.

The Liberals are masters of feigned outrage. As George Burns once said; "Sincerity - if you can fake that, you've got it made."

Dear Stephen,

There's no doubt in my mind that you can run a government . . . an election campaign . . . not so much. Don't mind me saying, a man who doesn't learn from his mistakes is making another mistake. Three times you've tried it your way and maybe you think fourth time's a charm. I'm thinking not.The news link up top caught my attention. I don't believe for a minute that you've ordered your campaign

Poll Tracker - April 3rd

Four polls to include in our poll tracker; two from Nanos, one from Leger and one from Harris Decima. All have very different results and trends; Leger and Decima show a narrowing race with the Tories looking at another minority government, Nanos shows the Tories pulling away with a majority easily within reach. The net effect is no real change day over day for the Tories in our poll tracker,

Elect Chris Alexander MP For Ajax-Pickering Send Mark Holland Packing...


One week into the campaign and Conservative candidate Chris Alexander has had an incredible response to his campaign. Almost all the signs are gone. If you can provide either a small donation or volunteer some of your time for the campaign, please contact Mr. Alexander's office at:

Ajax-Pickering Conservative Association
520 Westney Road South
Ajax Ontario

905-231-1579

The easiest way to get to the campaign office is 401 south on Westney Road. Roughly 4 blocks south.

Donations can also be sent to:

Ajax-Pickering Conservative Association
PO Box 31060
Westney Heights Post Office
Ajax On L1T 3V2

Expecting 'govt' help...

I was quite shocked last week to read our local paper and see how many people have contacted the county to remove debris from their creek beds, in hopes of getting it cleared before we get more rain and snow and have major flooding issues again. Why was I shocked? Because the debris shown in photos and talked about within the article was from LAST JUNE's flood. They left it there all this time!!!

One couple in particular was shown with a shed or garage plopped in the middle of their creek bed. The county had put out a message a week or two ago asking residents to check their creeks for debris and to call in if they needed help, but the county was equally shocked to start getting calls about BUILDINGS and FARM EQUIPMENT in the creeks. The residents were standing around in the photos, talking about needing someone to help move the buildings, talking about how heavy farm equipment had been washed into the creeks as well... well I'm sorry but what the hell are they thinking?? The flood was in the middle of June last year. Why are the displaced buildings and equipment still sitting there? Whatever happened to Little House On The Prairie times when everyone on the farms helped each other out, or they helped themselves as much as they possibly could? Now they sit and look at debris in their creeks for 9 MONTHS and don't do anything about it. I'm sure that many did, but the ones featured in the story obviously did not. There was no mention in the article about any medical conditions or other reasons why the families didn't get the stuff moved by now. It purely centered on asking the govt for help. Apparently the county has been swamped with phone calls of large debris.... PEOPLE - the snow is melting, the ground is soaking wet, the rains are going to come, and more snow, and you are going to have serious problems if you don't get your act together and sort out your own properties!!!

I grew up in smaller areas, and I imagined getting out my fricken axe if I had to and spending as much time in summer and fall as possible chopping up any large wooden debris, or getting together with neighbours who had any tractors or big trucks that survived the flood and hauling out heavy debris from each other's acreages. SOMETHING at least. But no, let's just sit around and watch the snow pile up, in some places 3 times our normal snow amount, and then watch it melt and leave horrible muck so it's impossible now to try to pull anything out with a tractor. What's the county supposed to do about that? It's ridiculous. When will people learn that not only can they not rely on the govt, they SHOULDNT rely on the govt!!! So I guess some tax dollars get to go to the people who chose to wait for help rather than take some initiative themselves. I realize many were busy trying to plant what little fields they had left, but what about after they were planted and spent months growing? Why not get down to your creeks and clear that crap out of there? They had until the end of November when the first big snows hit, to clear that crap outta there. but .... no.

Loan Guarantees and Subsidies

In my opinion, Stephen Harper has done the right thing proposing to grant a loan guarantee to Newfoundland so that it can develop the Lower Churchill hydroelectric project and an undersea transmission line to sell that electricity to the USA. From a political point of view though, he's walking into a minefield that pits Newfoundland (7 seats) against Quebec (75 seats). Rex Murphy in the article

Poll Tracker - April 1st, 2011

There have been three new polls since I last updated the poll tracker. Two Nanos daily tracking polls and an Ekos poll. The biggest difference between the two polls is the level of support for the Green party, which tracks higher in the Ekos polls than it does in the Nanos polls. I suspect that this has something to do with the methodology used; Nanos polls do not prompt the poll takers for