— Musings —12.13.2012 02:05 PM
Pupatello’s economic vision
Just got back from her speech to a packed house at the Economic Club of Canada. It was really, really good. Tory friends came up to me and said they now plan to vote for her, no less.
You can read it here. And you should.
Notice: Undefined offset: 180 in /home/q84jy4qfdyhq/public_html/wp-content/themes/warroom/functions.php on line 314
Now that Kennedy has come out against Bill 115, what direction is the Pupatello camp going to take on this?
(Keeping in mind that there are many teachers that are still members of local riding associations and will have an influence on delegate selection)
Notice: Undefined offset: 180 in /home/q84jy4qfdyhq/public_html/wp-content/themes/warroom/functions.php on line 314
The teachers I know that are part of my riding association are voting for Pupatello. All of em’, a whole whack of em’. But I suppose that’s rural Ontario for you!
Notice: Undefined offset: 180 in /home/q84jy4qfdyhq/public_html/wp-content/themes/warroom/functions.php on line 314
No mention of anything to address the economic challenges in northeastern and northwestern Ontario. but the rest reads well.
Notice: Undefined offset: 180 in /home/q84jy4qfdyhq/public_html/wp-content/themes/warroom/functions.php on line 314
I don’t think Pupatello would be easily bullied by the teacher on local riding assns. That Kennedy is the outlier on Bill115 so far should tell you something though.
Notice: Undefined offset: 180 in /home/q84jy4qfdyhq/public_html/wp-content/themes/warroom/functions.php on line 314
Sex sells … cars and politics.
Notice: Undefined offset: 180 in /home/q84jy4qfdyhq/public_html/wp-content/themes/warroom/functions.php on line 314
Pupatello has some very good economic policies, but as a Trudeau Liberal, I will
most likely be backing Kennedy. I am also against Bill 115.
I believe that the OLP needs to move back to its historic social-liberal position
under David Peterson. As Warren has correctly pointed out here before, the main
electoral threat facing the OLP is the Horwath ONDP. I know many lifelong OLP
supporters who have defected en mass to the ONDP as the McGuinity OLP has
moved further to the right-wing of the political spectrum and has embraced
neo-liberalism.
Pupatello would make an excellent OLP leader and Ontario Premier, and job creation
is very important, BUT, where are her policies on the environment, the poor, the
homeless, the mentally ill, those with drug and alcohol addictions, single mothers
living in poverty, urban dwellers, students, users of public transit, recent immigrants,
ect?.
Pupatello should shore up her left flank by proposing the introduction of a
new landlord-tenant act which better protects tenants from evictions when
so many have lost their jobs during the current recession through no fault of
their own. Pupatello should also seriously consider extending OHIP to give
every Ontarian very basic dental coverage, which would be a huge vote
winner for sure. Raising the minimum wage, protecting home owners from
evictions when they are unable to make the mortgage payments due to job
losses, boosting Ontario Works (welfare) and Ontario Disability Support
Payments (disability) by at least the annual cost of inflation (a whole sale
reversal of Mike Harris’ 1995 22% cut for welfare and disability would be
even better) as well as investing more money into public transit would be
good ways to keep the Horwath ONDP at bay.
In the never ending race for the coveted “middle class vote”, both Ontario
Liberals and Conservatives alike would do well to remember that the wealthy
and poor are also both voters and taxpayers. The Province of Ontario also has
an ever growing number of visible minorities, recent immigrants (150,000 each
and every year come to Ontario from other countries), renters, uses of public
transit, urban dwellers, and homeless people. All of these groups are growing
demographics. So in sum, its not only what middle class, suburban, propertied,
car owning, tax hating, and usually WHITE PEOPLE want anymore. Obama won
the recent election in part due to the fact that the African-American, Hispanic-
American, Asian-American, student, renter, urban, immigrant, and public
transit voters backed him. Romney and the GOP lost in part due to the fact
that their voting base was by and large made up of middle class, suburban,
propertied, car owning, tax hating WHITE PEOPLE…
An OLP which moves to the left of the political spectrum during the next
election with populist vote winning socio-economic proposals which help
women, visible minorities, recent immigrants, the working poor, renters,
city dwellers, and uses of public transit will surely win. An OLP that
primarily focuses on competing with the Ontario PC Party for the rural
redneck and Bay Street boardroom vote, quite frankly deserves to lose
hands down to the ONDP.
Notice: Undefined offset: 180 in /home/q84jy4qfdyhq/public_html/wp-content/themes/warroom/functions.php on line 314
Interesting ideas she has, and at least she has ideas, unlike the Ontario Conservatives. (I refuse to use the term Progressive Conservative when referring to them.)
Would Ms Pupatello introduce right-to-work legislation in an effort to make Ontario competitive with Michigan?
I personally don’t see it but I didn’t see Bill 115 coming, either.
Notice: Undefined offset: 180 in /home/q84jy4qfdyhq/public_html/wp-content/themes/warroom/functions.php on line 314
The speech was full of cliches and with a $15 billion deficit, the next premier of whatever party will have no choice but to shrink gov’t.