05.09.2010 07:45 AM

Mother’s Day bits and pieces


My dog, Satan, experiences the early Summer up at the cabin.

Happy day, Mom. We love you. (There was snow greeting me and the boys and the dog at the cabin this morning – that should make your day.)

International, national, provincial and municipal bits:

• It ain’t over until it’s over, etc. The second-place position of Rob Ford in a couple of recent polls is more than an illusion – it‘s on crack. The more city voters get to know Ford and the full-on-crazy stuff he’s said over the years, the more they’ll gravitate to Rocco. Believe it.

• All roads lead to JC. If, as The Economist opines, Canada is in pretty good shape, it’s because (a) we didn’t allow the banks to do what they wanted and (b) we paid down the deficit when we had to. Who, um, did both those things? Jean Chrétien, that’s who.

• Minority-rule Britannia. We were at the British Consulate Thursday night – where I had a nice chat with John Turner, among others – and watched events unfold, or not. Friday, I spoke to labour leaders, and one of them – a Brit expat – asked about the result the night before. “Politicians, for obvious reasons, don’t like minority governments,” I said. “Voters, increasingly, do. A pox on all of your houses has become the practice, and not just the theory.”

• Big drugs, bigger profits. I’m a tad biased, but I’d say that Dalton McGuinty is kicking the proverbial stuffing out of the big pharmacy lobby’s slick, self-interested campaign of disinformation. And is that Timmy Hudak’s Regressive Convertibles I see supporting said lobby? Hmmmm. Could one of their campaign managers have a connection to the big drug stores, too? Stay tuned.

5 Comments

  1. Paul R. Martin says:

    There is a very positive review of Rocco Rossi’s campaign in the Toronto Sun. If I knew how to post links, I would post it. He seems to be gathering the support of influential people who care about Toronto.

  2. James Smith says:

    Always love the bits & pieces

    It ain’t over – While I agree about Mr Ford, & I like Mr Rossi, I think Mr R has it wrong on the Subway issue. Scrapping Transit City is a bad idea due to Toronto’s geology. Unlike Montreal & New York, Toronto’s geology means the cost per km of subways in Toronto makes their construction generally unsustainable. Don’t believe me? Ask your pals at the Ledge about the cost overruns for the Big Becky Hydro tunnel – all due to geology. Toronto has not built significant Transit infrastructure in a generation (Mel’s subway to nowhere does not count!) Scrapping Transit City means another lost generation & further reliance on cars, & cars alone. Cities all over the world are using modern street cars with great success – heck I use one when I go back to Car Crazy Calgary!

    JC – Only wish the Economist gave more specific credit to Mr C – what the heck PM PM as well!

    Little Britain – I think there is a lesson here for all who want to succeed in Politics; ELECTION DAY WINS ELECTIONS. Labour had an E-Day that prevented either a Tory Majority (most especially in Scotland), or a LD breakthrough. The Liberal Dems did not have the E-Day to translate their showing in the polls into seats.

    Big Drugs- I used to design drug stores, I have a client who still builds ’em, I’ve know a number of these fine folks over the years, and despite the impression many folks hold they make tons of money “just counting pills” they are an important part of the health care system. But frankly they have been given really bad advice. Pharmacists knew this was day was coming – for several years now. Rather than looking for a model that works for everybody, they’ve decided to fight and now find themselves fighting against the wrong folks, with an unsellable POV (ie. kick-backs are good!) and even if another party comes to power in 2011, nobody (Mr Hud’s screeds notwithstanding) will bring the existing model back or increase prices to give Pharmacists.

  3. dj says:

    Hey Kinsella, The taxpayers, you and I paid down the debt, not JC, not PM, you and I, the Liberals over taxed the people to the tune of 10 to 15 BILLION dollars per year. You Liberals are a funny lot, make outrageous claims like this so you look good, stick to your music.

  4. Bruce M says:

    Dump the deficit on the provinces by cutting transfers and claim you balanced the budget. The resource economy grew and you taxed it like mad. Every year I was furious at the “surplus” that resulted from bad budgeting and over-taxing us, permitting Liberal pet-project spending outside the Parliamentary-approved budget. What is to be proud of?

  5. Elizabeth says:

    The Liberals came up with the strategy to use the money properly, dj.

    I like it that Chretien’s initials are “JC”.

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