Embracing the Democrats

In a piece featured in the Calgary Sun but not available online, Marcel Latouche, president and CEO of the Institute of Public Sector Accountability, has a look at the causes of Canada’s left shift (re-printed here with permission from the author):

In a recent survey by The Canadian Press/Harris Decima, it was reported that Canadians would root for Democrats in this years’ presidential election by a 4 to 1 margin, even among most conservatives.

This result is not surprising, but it begs the question: Why would this be the case, given that a Democrat president supported by a Democrat Senate and Congress could be detrimental to the Canadian economy? The problem is that most Canadians, including some politicians, cannot distinguish a true conservative from a liberal. The answer as to why Canadians have shifted so far to the left field that, regardless of their own self-interest, they are most comfortable with Democrats or Liberals, is threefold.

The erosion of conservatism

Conservatives in Canada have taken a beating because of the divisions that have crept in due to the focus in recent years on social liberalism rather than fiscal conservatism. “Progressives” have diluted the conservative ideology of less government, less taxes, entrepreneurship, property rights and law and order. So much so, that the minority federal Conservative government has a lot of trouble trying to get its crime bill agenda, for instance, through parliament.

In Alberta, the Progressive Conservatives under its new leadership has deemed it acceptable to increase royalties on oil and gas and also embraced a program of reactive spending on everything from rent subsidy to child care without offering any sense of a long-term plan. With an election underway, each day sees promises of even more expenditures as any sense of fiscal conservatism appears to have been abandoned. In this sense, it is impossible to distinguish the ruling PCs from the Opposition Liberals.

Ideas unchallenged

The left has an uncanny ability to push its ideas without much public interference or questioning and has successfully used populist ideas of social reform supported by tax-and-spend strategies to promote its agenda. Because throwing money at every issue is believed to be so popular with an increasing number of Canadians, we have become accustomed to a greater amount of government interference in the economy. In fact the left has been successful in promoting a virtual ‘nanny state’. The reliance on government expenditure under Liberal governments has been a boon to the left, and is unfortunately becoming increasingly acceptable among conservatives — notwithstanding that Canada has one of the developed world’s highest rates of taxes and expenditures with little if any evidence it has resulted in better service delivery.

Bias and concentration

The shape of Canada’s media undoubtedly plays a role in this. The concentration of media outlets restricts the dissemination of information and does not provide enough alternative information to allow Canadians to make fully informed decisions. Most if not all media sources in Canada, seem to have newsroom cultures with a predominantly liberal bias. With the exception of a few columnists and talk show hosts, news in general seems to be distributed with a left of centre undertone that appears oblivious to an understanding of diverse economic perspectives.

While one could not demand that media be sympathetic to conservative views, journalists should at least have the ability to empathize or understand the perspective. The media too often refuse to challenge the left’s portrayals of conservatives. Liberals are shown as being compassionate, passionate and accommodating, regardless of whether their policies cause harm. When conservatives put forward alternative ways of providing services, stronger laws and national security, they are easily demonized as “neo-cons”, while when left-leaning organizations propose increase spending and additional taxes they are left unlabelled as “neo-coms”, even when they propose jailing politicians who disagree with their ideology. There is no justification for this clear evidence of bias and the media’s refusal to address issues as clear cut as this one can only be interpreted as a confirmation of suspicions.

Conservatives should understand and communicate their agenda better. They need to vigorously challenge the ideas of their opponents and make it clear their policies create a more prosperous province and nation. The public deserves and must demand fair and unbiased reporting. Perhaps then better informed Canadians may no longer be predisposed to lean left and will truly achieve their vast potential.

Live-Blogging the Oscars

“I’m proud to be a part of this Academy. Proud to be part of this community, and proud to be out of touch.”
— George! Clooney

Indeed. Count the visible minorities in George!’s community:

Pre-Show

6:15 — Regis Philbin on the Red Carpet. A prescient reminder as to the importance of avoiding day-time television.

6:20 — George! graces us with his presence. Nice to see he brought along his bastard daughter.

6:24 — Regis glad-handling the A-listers in the front row. Again, count the visible minorities in the audience.

80th Academy Awards

6:30 — Freaky Hollywood montage. Plenty of wholesome American values featured.

6:31 — Jon Stewart. First off, writer’s stike over, “Welcome to the make-up sex!”, followed by the same.

6:32 — “Let’s focus on ourselves.” Funnier.

6:34 — The references to the nominated films might have hit it better had I (or anyone else) actually saw them.

6:36 — I miss Billy Crystal.

6:37 — 1st Iraq reference, and going into the presidential election. Will this get better?

6:38 — “Normally, when you have a black or woman president, an asteroid is about to hit the Statue of Liberty.” Meh, ’tis okay.

6:40 — Man, that was awkward.

And the nominees are …

6:40 — Jennifer Garner presenting costume design? Traditionally, the first award goes to Best Supporting Actress. Am I right? Talk about getting the show off on a rousing start.

6:41 — The Better Third says, “She’s a costume designer and she can’t design herself a better dress?”

6:44 — George! gives “80 years of memories”. Let the self-adoration begin!

6:48 — Is it me, or does Hollywood continually focus on the past because they have nothing to offer the future?

6:49 — The Better Third: “These are the only people who would use Celine Dion without it being a joke.” Ba-zing.

6:50 — Steve Carrell: “You never cease to amaze me with your constant need for attention.” Glad to see the Rat movie win for Best Animated feature, though the idea of rats in a kitchen is more than a little nauseating. Still, Brad Bird is one of the best film makers in the business.

6:54 — The Better Third on Katherine Heigl: “She should’ve had a drink.” No woman who looks that fantastic has anything to be nervous about.

6:56 — Glad to see the Bill Conti orchestra is on the ball with the early cut-off. Now, if they would only do the same for Jon Stewart.

6:58 — I love Amy Adams even more. It takes plenty of grace, poise and talent to pull off that song.

7:04 — Dewayne Johnson? The Rock? At the Oscars? Really? The Rock?

7:09 — Bo-o-oring!

7:10 — Okay. Art Direction, Special Effects, no one cares. Get off the stage.

7:12 — The Better Third: “Do they keep going back to montages of those throwback awards because they are all performances better than this year’s?” I wouldn’t know; I didn’t see anything nominated this year.

7:16 — Javier Bardem wins Best Supporting Actor. I do actually want to see “No Country for Old Men”. He speaks in Spanish, and the Better Third says, “I hope he just bad-mouthed the other nominees.”

7:21 — “A four-hour salute to binoculars and periscopes.” Funny.

7:24 — The nominated song from “August Rush” has a pretty melody, but I stopped counting the generic cliches after 25.

7:26 — Owen Wilson with subdued presentation for Live Action Short Film (i.e. films no one ever sees). Too soon, Owen?

7:29 — A Bee Movie montage without “My Girl”? Sacrilege!

7:35 — Best Supporting Actress, presented by Alan Arkin. And the Oscar goes to … Tilda Swindon. The Better Third: “She forgot to put her makeup on.” And her hair is straight out of “Parker Lewis Can’t Lose“.

7:42 — Who better to present the science and technical awards than the brainy Jessica Alba?

7:45 — I loved Josh Brolin in the Goonies, but that adoration is nothing compared to the awe which overcomes me as I contemplate at how he does not fall over due to the massive bulk of his cranium.

7:46 — The Better Third wonders if Jack Nicholson isn’t a closet fan of Corey Hart. I mean, really, what sort of phony douche bag actually wears sunglasses at night?

7:50 — This year’s colour is red.

7:52 — “Olive” from “Pushing Daisies” does a song from “Enchanted”. Damn, she’s cute, and she can sing. And dance! Too bad that rastafarian is destroying the number.

7:54 — The Better Third wonders how a multi-talented actress does such an incredible live performance in order to celebrate the best in film, while most of the actors nominated this evening couldn’t even dream of pulling of such a stunt. Isn’t it ironic? Don’t you think?

8:03 — Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, sounds boring. Two categories which should never be in the main Oscar show again.

8:08 — Best Actress, presented by Forest Whitaker. And the Oscar goes to … Marion Cottilard! Big upset. The Better Third: “Cate Blanchett is so good, she had the best reaction to being a loser of all the nominees.” Then again, it isn’t that much of a surprise. Hollywood loves those show biz bio-pic performances. See: Jamie Foxx, Reese Witherspoon.

8:16 — Speaking of douche bags, “Ladies, I give you Colin Farrell.” He presents a song from the brilliant little Irish film, “Once”. It really is a beautiful movie. Better yet, the two stars of the film are performing. Apparently, they are both musicians in their own right (check out the guy’s beat-up busking guitar) and they fell in love during the shooting, so it’s terrific to see them live tonight. In all honesty, this was the best film I saw last year.

My wife is crying right now. She loves that movie like you wouldn’t believe.

8:20 — It’s the douche bag king! Jack took his shades off, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s a dirty old man. He presents a montage of all 79 winners of Best Picture. Typical of Hollywood being in touch with America and beyond, the montage is presented in wide-screen format, which works well for all those who can afford a new plasma screen, though poor people like yours truly can stuff it. Unlike the more affluent members of society, I get to learn about cinematic classics as “Madeus”, “Andhi”, “Liver!”, “Chindler’s List”, “Raveheart”, and “Rash.”

8:32 — Let’s hear it for the old guy! Robert Boyle wins an honourary Oscar for his seven decades of production design. The Better Third: “I’m scared he’s going to die when he finishes his speech.” Couldn’t Hollywood have done this twenty years ago?

8:39 — The Better Third on Penelope Cruz: “She looks like one of those ducks caught in an oil spill.” I am not sure what she means by that, but it seems strangely apt.

8:43 — The star of “Can’t Buy Me Love” and “Lover boy”, Patrick Dempsey!!! He presents the third(!) song from the movie “Enchanted”. Which is confusing, considering they are all the same song. The Better Third: “I miss Randy Newman.” Me too. The guy they got singing that song is so bland, he should be George-Michael’s girlfriend in “Arrested Development.”

8:46 — The Better Third: “Who’s that fat chick? Is it John Travolta?”

8:48 — The “Once” song wins! The Better Third screams! Wow, truly deserving. A wonderful film, even better music. Bumf recommends.

8:50 — Jon Stewart: “Wow, that guy is so arrogant.” That was funny.

8:55 — Stewart brings the girl back on, because she was cut off in the acceptance speech earlier. Wow, wow, wow! She speaks out to all the struggling independent musicians. That is so awesome.

9:00 — Death Watch LXXX. Let’s get the sound meter on and rate those dead personalities to the applause they receive. Jack Valentti. No one. No one. No one. No one. Suzanne Plechette. Deborah Kerr. Ingmar Bergman. Getting louder. Ended with Heath Ledger, who wins the day.

9:10 — A nice tribute to the troops, where soliders in Iraq present the award for best short subject documentary. How graceless is that woman who won the award! God, she is freaking scary. Let’s never nominate her again.

9:13 — Three of the nominees for long doc Oscar involve “atrocities” in Iraq, and Michael Moore is also nominated. Wonder why the troops weren’t used to present this award. “Taxi to the Dark Side” wins. The producers seem like staunch conservative types, so I’m surprised they brought up Abu Graib and Gitmo. “Turn this country around, away from the dark side and back to the light.” Is that some backhanded comment on choosing between the dark-skinned Obama and the lighter Hillary?

9:21 — I missed it, but did Stewart make an automobile dealership joke when introducing Harrison Ford? Gee-zuz.

9:23 — The former stripper wins for Best Original Screenplay for “Juno”. The Better Third points out that she’s wearing Wilma Flintstone’s garb. Good for her, I guess. “Juno” was one of the few nominated films I’ve actually seen. It wasn’t especially bad, but I found most of the dialogue to consist of sarcasm and smart-assed characters overly pleased with themselves. It was like a reunion with my mom’s side of the family, but without the love. What’s even more shocking is that “Once” was known by at least a few members of the academy. I didn’t expect that. If there was a bit more hype, then the big shots would be feting an Irish busker instead of a pregnant teenager.

9:28 — Annoying. Pretentious. Cliched. Overdramatic. Blase. Amateurish. Imbecilic. Helen Mirren presents Best Actor. Don’t you just love it when presenters forgo sentences and merely intone individual words?

9:32 — And the Oscar goes to … Daniel Day-Lewis. The guy is heads and tails above any other talent in Tinseltown. Why he didn’t win for “Gangs of New York” is beyond me, but I’m glad to see him win tonight.

9:39 — Martin Scorsese presents Best Director. And the Oscar goes to … Joel and Ethan Coen. It’s about freaking time. The Better Third: “They’re total AV nerds, eh?”

9:43 — Denzel Washington does Best Picture, none of which thankfully feature him. “No Country for Old Men” wins again, and the Brothers Coen come out from the sidelines. Awesome.

The End

One word to sum up Jon Stewart’s performance? Forgettable. He had a few funny quips, but until the Oscars go back to an MC with some stage presence, someone who can sing, dance and act, we will be stuck with a bland stand-up act who is completely stripped of any edginess or originality whatsoever.

But at least “Once” came away with a well-deserved victory. So I’m happy.

And so’s the Better Third.

The relationship between faith and the use of human reason

Pursuant to our previous discussion, regular Bumf reader His Holiness, Pope Gregory XVI, weighs in:

In the Western world it is widely held that only positivistic reason and the forms of philosophy based on it are universally valid. Yet the world’s profoundly religious cultures see this exclusion of the divine from the universality of reason as an attack on their most profound convictions. A reason which is deaf to the divine and which relegates religion into the realm of subcultures is incapable of entering into the dialogue of cultures.

[...]

For philosophy and, albeit in a different way, for theology, listening to the great experiences and insights of the religious traditions of humanity, and those of the Christian faith in particular, is a source of knowledge, and to ignore it would be an unacceptable restriction of our listening and responding.

[...]

The West has long been endangered by this aversion to the questions which underlie its rationality, and can only suffer great harm thereby. The courage to engage the whole breadth of reason, and not the denial of its grandeur – this is the programme with which a theology grounded in Biblical faith enters into the debates of our time.

Er, what he said.

(via Deborah Gyapong via fff)

Dave Bronconnier — serving the mandate of the city of Calgary since 2001

And let’s not forget the Calgary Herald, serving the mandate of the mayor for the same duration:

[Enmax Corp. Senior VP of Generation and Business Development Dave] Rehn, with 30 years of experience in the U.S. power industry, has been hired to build a generation company, bringing hands-on expertise in gas-fired, coal-fired, hydro and even nuclear-powered generation to the fore as Enmax embarks on an ambitious program of construction that will effectively remake the company.

“It’s a major change for sure, and it’s definitely gutsy,” says Larry Charach, a consultant with Edmonton-based Strategics Results Consulting Inc. who helped shape Alberta’s electricity sector restructuring in the mid-’90s. “It’s a risky business, with huge investments and a lot of uncertainty, including uncertainty around climate change,” he stresses.

Answer me this: Why is a city-owned utility involved in developing risky business ventures at direct competition with the private sector in order to serve customers well beyond the city limits? In the past seven years, Enmax has been under fire for undercutting its competition through price rebates which are subsidized by the Calgary taxpayer by means of a reduced dividend to city council. And now, this business venture is aimed at creating a de facto monopoly in Calgary and southern Alberta from the generation through the supply market to the consumer, a process which will discourage further investment from private energy suppliers. Does this fall under the mandate of our municipal government?

Further to that, why does the Herald dedicate over 1700 words toward what is essentially a fluff piece promoting this radical foray into new business venture? Is there no accountability in our local press?

Something stinks here.

UPDATE: After years of failure, I have gotten the Herald to wise up.

Still waiting for the royalty cheque, though.

Deliver us from Dalton

Because humility, gratitude, and forgiveness have no place in the world today:

TORONTO – The Lord’s Prayer, recited by the Speaker at the beginning of each Ontario legislative session, doesn’t reflect Ontario’s diversity, Premier Dalton McGuinty said Wednesday as he called for a new approach to begin daily proceedings.

McGuinty said it was time to “move beyond” the Lord’s Prayer to a more inclusive custom that better reflects Ontario’s multiculturalism.

(via DMB)

The Lord’s Prayer, as spelled out in the New Testament, far from being an exclusive representative of Roman Catholic or Protestant faith, can be aligned with almost any theist philosophy, whether it be Islam, Judaism, Eastern Orthodox or even agnosticism. Take the first few verses:

Our Father, which art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done,
in earth as it is in heaven.

For orthodox Christians, this is a statement of faith in a higher power. If that’s not your bag, then this can also be an acknowledgment that there are things outside of human control, things which we do not understand yet abide. Because there are mysteries in life beyond which involve any human faith, the Lord’s Prayer tells us of the virtue of humility in the face of these mysteries, that we can accept our deficiencies and still get by.

Give us this day our daily bread.

This single line teaches us to be thankful of those simple necessities which we need to survive, including security, nourishment, health and social companionship. In other words, we don’t ask for riches or fame or power; we simply ask for the essentials, and be glad when we get them.

And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive them that trespass against us.

Straightforward, right? Perhaps to a post-Christian society. However, one must recognize how revolutionary an idea like this was. It diverges from the “eye for an eye” ethic still prevalent around the world, and does one better than “do unto others.” In explicitly requesting forgiveness as one forgives others, the prayer emphasizes the importance of forgiveness over vengeance.

And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.

Again, seems simple but this has always been a forgotten request. It is human to be tempted, and it is a reality that we sometimes find ourselves in trouble due to the actions of others. To ask not to be tempted is a recognition of this fact, and to ask that others not inflict pain and punishment on us is probably the most basic of all human requests since the dawn of civilization.

One does not have to be devout in one’s faith in order to gain wisdom from reflection on this prayer. To be sure, this is one of the most beautiful yet transcendental of all meditations from any culture. It touches the foundation of what it means to be human, and it would be a shame that such a essential collection of verse be abandoned simply because a political leader would react to a potential political conflict rather than reflect on its universal value.

If nothing else, this prayer teaches us the commonality of humanity, and its existence would be far more inclusive of a diverse society than its continued disappearance from public dialog.

What media bias?

From Reuters:

BATON ROUGE, La. – A nursing student shot two women to death and killed herself in front of horrified classmates at a college in Louisiana Friday, police said.

Investigators still did not have a motive for the early morning killings at the Louisiana Technical College in the state capital, Baton Rouge, police spokesman L’Jean McKneely told Reuters.

Obviously, this should be taken into evidence for an epidemic of violence against women.

Wait, you mean there were no men involved? Change of plans:

Mass shootings are not particularly rare in the United States, where the gun ownership lobby is politically influential and gun control is far less strict than in many countries.

Not that Reuters would ever editorialize the story or anything.

Accountability — Calgary style

Why the editorial staff at the Calgary Herald simply do not collect paycheques from City Hall is beyond me, considering their continued support for pretty much anything and everything done by His Worshipedness in all his glory. Case in point: their inexplicable defense of the mayor’s travel budget increasing by 176%, from $39,368 to $62,489:

So Mayor Dave Bronconnier spent $62,000 on 17 trips?

Although we often find ourselves nodding appreciatively at the insights provided by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, and are sometimes dismayed by city council’s apparent delight in taxing and spending, we’re with Bronco on this.

Surprise, surprise.

Much of the travel was to Edmonton and to Ottawa. The appeal of either can be tested with a simple question: If one was given a ticket for anywhere WestJet flies, would one use it to go to Edmonton or to Ottawa?

We are prepared to accept that only pressing city business could possibly induce the mayor to visit either.

Nor should the glamour of foreign adventure be exaggerated, when the routine is one of diplomatic discussion through interpreters, over canapes of uncertain provenance. While jet-lagged.

Big-city mayors travel. It’s part of the job description and nothing to get exercised about.

A lot of things are part of the mayor’s job description but that does not mean that there should be no public scrutiny either, if that is what the editorial means by getting “exercised”.

But that’s not the point; the original Herald article had the CFIB make no concern regarding trips to Ottawa or Edmonton; their primary concern was with the extensive foreign junkets by the mayor. I’m sure that the mayor would be more than happy if we took his word that his $5,000 trip to New York City will result in unique solutions for homelessness, especially considering the media capital of the world probably has no telephones or internet access to provide information. Likewise, his $9,000 sojourn to the World Leadership Awards in London, UK, can probably be justified by Bronco as there are likely no leaders in municipalities closer to England than our own White Hatter of the New West. And why even show any concern over the $18,000 world-wide junket to Beijing, Dubai, and Saudi Arabia because Broconnier has assured us that this trip was necessary to attract business to the red-hot Calgary marketplace.

The fact is, the 2-fold increase in travel accommodation budget for the mayor is well within fair game for any group concerned with accountability in municipal politics, and this would include the Herald. Considering the mayor’s own begging for tax dollars from all levels of government, one might be excused for thinking that he would mind the frivolities within his own house first.

Alas, hypocrisy is awash in city hall, and it is a shame that our own newspaper of record would rather use its editorial space to criticize the only group willing to hold the mayor to account.

Lessons from history

Seems Richard Warman and his ilk have taken after another worthy prosecutor — Nero, Emperor of Rome:

Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired.

Nero offered his gardens for the spectacle, and was exhibiting a show in the circus, while he mingled with the people in the dress of a charioteer or stood aloft on a car. Hence, even for criminals who deserved extreme and exemplary punishment, there arose a feeling of compassion; for it was not, as it seemed, for the public good, but to glut one man’s cruelty, that they were being destroyed.

Hermetism 101

Some light Gnostic philosophy for your viewing pleasure:

For the human is a godlike living thing, not comparable to the other living things of the earth but to those in heaven above, who are called gods. Or better—if one dare tell the truth—the one who is really human is above these gods as well, or at least they are wholly equal in power to one another.

For none of the heavenly gods will go down to earth, leaving behind the bounds of heaven, yet the human rises up to heaven and takes its measure and knows what is in its heights and its depths, and he understands all else exactly and—greater than all this—he comes to be on high without leaving earth behind, so enormous is his range. Therefore, we must dare to say that the human on earth is a mortal god but that god in heaven is an immortal human. Through these two, then, cosmos and human, all things exist, but they all exist by action of the one.

—translated by Brian P. Copenhaver from the Greek Hermetica

I need to get out more.

Super Bowl Commentary

As provided by The Onion:

When my favored team or athlete defeats an opposing team in a sporting contest of some sort—be it the Super Bowl, or the playoff games leading up to the Super Bowl—I am full of thoughts, and eager to share these new thoughts with others who enjoy thoughts about sports.What could be more nourishing to the intellect than spending as much time as possible discussing scores and statistics with people?

You know when an athlete is interviewed before a game, and he proclaims his desire to beat his opponents? That is extremely interesting. Will they do it by scoring more points? Or by some other, more technical means? Only time will tell. And when a defeated athlete is interviewed following a loss, and explains the reasons for the disappointing outcome, that, too, is extremely interesting. Will he blame poor defense? Or poor offense? Either way, a topic to consider for weeks or even years.