Ed Stelmach Slaps the Face of Democracy

How's this for democracy?  Everyone assumed Premier Ed Stelmach would announce that Senate Elections would be held along with the municipal elections this fall. Our current senators-in-waiting term is coming due at the end of the year. Parties were gearing up to nominate their candidates. Well he's put the kibosh on that!  He's putting the senate elections off in Alberta and has chosen instead to extend our current senators-in-waiting's terms for another 3yrs.

So how did Alberta welcome this affirmation of its 25 years of work on the file? By refusing to hold new Senate elections and using a cabinet decree to extend the terms of its existing senators-in-waiting by three years.

In announcing that he would keep Alberta's three current senators-in-waiting in "office" until 2013, after their terms run out this coming December, Premier Ed Stelmach insisted his move "reaffirms the democratic will of Albertans who voted for them."
Yet is has been six years since Alberta voters identified the three current senators-to-be: Tories Betty Unger and Cliff Breitkreuz and Independent Link Byfield.
The only sure way to gauge voter's democratic will would be to ask them to express it again. But not only will Alberta's ruling Tories not go back to voters in a new Senate election, they didn't even have the courage to ask the provincial legislature -- in which they have an unassailable majority -- to back the term extensions.
"Our province has shown leadership in holding Senate elections and continually advocated that the will of the people must be reflected in the Senate," Premier Stelmach added, then without reference to those same people or even to their elected representatives, he merely declared Ms. Unger and Messrs. Breitkreuz and Byfield reaffirmed for an additional half term. Lorne Gunter

Senator-in-waiting, Link Byfield is none too happy about it. Thinks Ed has done this because he's afraid that Eddie's candidates would lose. 

“I think it’s a very bad idea,” said Byfield, calling it undemocratic for the premier to make such a move, especially since previous terms have always been six years.
“If you start playing too many games with that, you discredit the whole process and of course the process is challenged enough as to its credibility without them further straining it,” Byfield said.
Byfield is a founding member of the Wildrose Alliance, which has surged in public opinion polls in the last year, but he insists his criticism has no political angle.
“I’m speaking as a senator-elect on this. Even if I thought the Wildrose Alliance would actually lose these elections … I would say it anyway. Six years are up, let’s go to the polls,” he said.
Byfield thinks the government is afraid that Progressive Conservative candidates would lose if an election was held along with municipal elections in October

Just when the federal goverment  is urging provinces to elect their senators, this happens.  Not very encouraging to the other provinces that's for sure. We were the leaders in senate elections now Ed Stelmach has set Senate reform back.   I happen to agree with Link Byfield in that Ed is probably afraid his candidates would lose, so what! And yes, I agree "let's go to the polls."

Gee, thanks a lot Premier!   I'm sure the Prime Minister is just thrilled too!  Not! (sarc)
Premier where are your principals, hold those elections, I want to choose!

March for Life Events

For all you pro-lifers out there if you have the time to please attend a March for Life event near you.  The main one will be held in Ottawa  starting Wednesday, May 12, 2010 
 
For regional Marches for Life, Lifesite news has more information.   
Or contact the closest pro-life organization near you.  
I hope as many as possible turn out to speak out for those little ones who don't have voice.  We can be their voice.  

Mr. Z Can't Just Can't Get It Right

 Mr. Z keeps making blooper after blooper. It makes you wonder who's advising him 'cause it sure ain't workin' for him.  He's been leader for a year now and he's made enough bloopers, the Liberal party could make a Mr. Z's Bloopers DVD and sell them  as fundraising project for the party.  Fundraising hasn't been too good for them lately btw.

His latest gaffe was about the GG. and how he is trying to make it a partisan issue.    Don Martin and Robert Howard The Hamilton Spectator hits the nail on the head.

For one who is an academic and who is supposed to be intelligent, he sure is not very smart when it comes to politics.  If Miracle Worker, Peter Donolo or Ekos pollster Frank Graves is the one advising him on this, it's not working.

As Monte Solberg put it yesterday, "Sorry, Iggy. You're not PM material" 

MPs Expenses Need To Be Looked At

You have to wonder why after a whole year of Auditor General Sheila Fraser wanting to look at the MPs expense accounts, they won't budge. Why is that? Could they have something to hide?  Sure doesn't look even if everything is on the up and up. 

You would also think in the aftermath of the scandal that broke across the pond last year involving UK MPs expenses, our MPs would want to be open and transparent and ease the  taxpayers that our money is being spent appropriately.   It's the taxpayers money after all not the MP's. 

This is one issue they seem to be all united on.  Both Minister Nicholson and Mr. Z thinks there's no need to  make expenses public. Why not?  I am really puzzled.  If there's nothing to hide, let Sheila Fraser take a look.  I don't care how they slice it.  How they can justify not releasing the way they spend that money.  It looks bad, really bad.  We taxpayers have the right to know. 

MPs. open those books.  Allow the AG to take a look. CPC MPs, you can be leaders here, what's hindering thee? Opposition MPs, you want all the documents released about the detainee issue, well release your expense documents.  Don't be hypocrites. What's so secret you won't release them? Media, do your job here and hound those MPs like you're hounding for the government to release sensitive information on the Afghan documents and the Rahim/Guergis affair.  This is about taxpayer funds!

This is not like the Afghan detainee issue. There is no national security at risk here.  The only security at risk here is MPs jobs, that's all.   The longer you MPs hold out, the more suspicious and cynical the public will be.  If those expenses are not revealed and  looked at, there will always be questions.

Then they wonder why the public is turned off politics and voter turn out is low.  This is the kind of thing that turns people off along with all the faux scandal outrage that the opposition and the media try and stir up. Go figure!

Nannystate, Trying to Nanny the Children

Can the state not trust parents anymore to choose what they want for their kids? Seems like they creeping in to tell you what you can and cannot feed your children now.  Take the case in the county of Santa Clara in California for instance. They are aiming to ban toys in the Happy Meals. They claim the toys attract children to eat unhealthy food that causes obesity.

 Santa Clara County will soon ban Happy Meal toys and other promotional items that are used to promote sales of high calorie children's meals unless the restaurants meet nutritional guidelines approved by the County Board of Supervisors.
The Board passed the ordinance by a 3 to 2 vote. Ken Yeager, the sponsor of the measure, was cited as saying that the ordinance prevents restaurants from "preying on children's love of toys" to sell unhealthful food.
Opponents like Donald Gage said parents should be responsible for their children who actually don't have the purchasing power.
Dr. Dan Delgado, director of a county program aiming to fight childhood obesity, was cited as saying that toys encourage children to eat unhealthy food which helps cause obesity.
A spokesman for the McDonald's said foods served at the chain restaurant offer many nutrients that children need.
A health observer told foodconsumer.org that one unhealthy meal without an ideal nutrition profile would not do much of any harm.  What may be really detrimental is that you eat junk food
as a habit.

 Then you have in Britain, a two year old gets a cheese sandwich taken from him from nursery school staff because it broke their health eating rules. 

Healthy eating is a priority for any parent – and there are some things we know we’d never feed our children.
But is a cheese sandwich so bad?
Staff at a nursery thought so and they confiscated one from Jack Ormisher – saying it broke their healthy eating rules – and offered their own fruit and veg.
The two-year-old burst into tears and when his father picked him up from the Westfield Children’s Centre, in south Wigan, staff told him Jack’s sandwiches in future should include lettuce or tomato – so they could be classed as a ‘snack’ rather than ‘lunch’. Jack’s mother, Dorothy Gallear, said: ‘It is absolutely pathetic. I don’t understand how putting a piece of lettuce on that sandwich would have turned it into a snack.’
The 32-year-old mother of two has now moved Jack to a different nursery.
‘When I told people at his new nursery what had happened some laughed with shock – but others were horrified,’ she added.
‘A place is still available at Westfield should the parents re-consider,’ said nursery manager Aukje Clegg.

You have in Ontario the McGuinty government wanting to impose  explicit sex education in Ontario schools to students even in the elementary grades.  Thankfully they backed down because of pressure from
parents. It goes to show parents still have power if only exercised.

Then the Federal Ignatieff Liberals want to impose a National Daycare Program that would cost the taxpayer and enormous amount of  money we can't afford plus it doesn't give  parents choice in daycare. They assume parents don't know what is best for how their children are cared for.  When the Harper government brought in the $100 a month child care benefit for children under the age of six to give parents choice, Liberal strategist Scott Reid said that parents would spend that money on "beer and popcorn."     It's clear they don't trust parents to know what's best.

The state seems like it doesn't know where it's boundaries are.  The nanny state is going a little to far in my opinion. The state needs to stay far away from parents and their children. Only the parents know what's best for their children not the state. It 's the parents responsibility to raise their kids the way they see fit.

Parents don't let the state raise your children  Protect your children.  Take charge, stand up and don't allow the state to encroach into your territory.  Tell them no means no.

No need to be afraid. The state should fear the people  not the people  fearing the state.  If the people don't stand up, the state will eventually control every fascist of our lives. How does that sound?

Enough is enough! Time to get the state out of our children's lives and our lives.