Are the MPs Wearing their Tin Foil Hats?

I worry that our MPs and Cabinet Ministers are not wearing their tin foil hats. I was reading a back issue of Hansard's on the bus yesterday when I discovered that some of our opposition members are not wearing them.

As any longtime reader of this blog knows, tin foil hats are necessary to prevent mind control through electro-magnetic rays. (Please keep in mind that while we say "tin foil", aluminum foil is most commonly used, but any electricity conducting metal will do.)

While the copper roofs on the Parliament Buildings should go a long way to preventing a need for foil hats, it is still alarming to thing that our leaders may be vulnerable to mind control.

How do we know that some are not wearing their caps? They as much as say so:

For example, on 26 Sept 2006, Liberal MP Wayne Easter asked about a campaign to undermine the Canadian Wheat Board "using fake letters, manipulating the media, stacked government task forces and circumventing the laws of Canada."

Replying for the government, Chuck Strahl, Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board, revealed that Easter was not wearing a protective cap:

Mr. Speaker, I am surprised the member could say that without wearing his tinfoil hat on a grassy knoll.

On 22 Feb 2007, Minister Strahl reports that MP Easter is once again not wearing his cap after a question about ballots:

Mr. Speaker, I think that the hon. member has his tinfoil cap well removed today.

But was the Hon. Chuck Strahl wearing his tinfoil cap? David Anderson, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board, confirmed not only that he was, but that he had additional facial coverage:

If members take the time to read the motion, they will see that the minister the other day referred to him through his tinfoil hat.

Almost as bad as not wearing a tinfoil hat is wearing one that does not fit properly. This appeared to be the case on 26 Feb 2008 with some NDP members as pointed out by Peter MacKay after a question from NDP member Libby Davies about a secret agreement with the U.S. Armed Forces:

It sounds to me as if those tinfoil hats are getting a little tight down there.

This problem had spread to the Liberals by 11 March. After a question from Liberal Mark Holland about the possibility of Ministerial involvement in the decision by the OPP to not forward an investigation file on possible conversations between Mayor Larry and John Baird to the RCMP. The Hon. Jason Kenney, Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity, alerts the Speaker of the House to the danger:

Mr. Speaker, we see the tinfoil hats getting a little tight again over there.

Have you spotted the consistent pattern? Liberals and NDP members either not wearing their foil caps or wearing them improperly. Meanwhile, the Conservative members of the New Government (Can we call them the Old Government yet?) were wearing their tinfoil caps and doing their best to draw attention of the opposition members who were leaving themselves open to mind-control.

Perhaps you are wondering if the Conservatives continue to prudently wear their tinfoil caps during the campaign season. I believe they do, or that at least one local Tory does.

Last week, Avaaz.org released ads attacking the Conservative position on the environment. While Avaaz claimed they had raised funds for these ads in Canada from their 300,000 members, and that they had cleared the ads with Elections Canada, John Baird was not fooled.

He smelled something wrong. Or more specifically, he smelled billionaire mystery man George Soros behind it all and sent out a press release titled: “SHADOWY FOREIGN ORGANIZATION ATTEMPTING TO INFLUENCE CANADIAN ELECTION” This may alarm you, but I urge you to relax because:

1. Baird has made a formal complaint so we can be sure that any nefariosity will be dealt with;
   
2. We can't expect all the billionaires to support the Tories; and
   
3. Baird and the other Tory candidates must be wearing their foil caps or they would have been led astray by the mind control rays.
   

Attention Sorosophobes/philes: We’ve hit the big time, y’all by Kady O'Malley October 6th, 2008 at 11:48 am

Avaaz.ca vs. Baird: The Shadowy Foreign Organization strikes back! by Kady O'Malley October 6th, 2008 at 5:26 pm

How To:

• Tin Foil Hats - for the discriminating

• Aluminum Foil Deflector Beanie

• Instructables: Aluminum foil hat

• How to Make a Tin Foil Hat for Your Dog

Raining catechisms and dogmas

Sorree! It's been a rude week. All I've got is a grab bag of random electoral bits and pieces that heartily depress me. Naturally, being a friendly type, I feel compelled to share my joy with you:

• About six millenia ago, when I was a mere pup of a semimythical totemic coyote, I used to think those who held elected office were smarter than me. Or any ordinary mortal. I got older, and just hoped they were. Now, I'm ancient, crotchety, eccentric, and beyond certain that they are not smarter than me. It depresses the hell out of me that dumber critters 'n me run this country. Because I know I don't have the wit or the hubris. And that all the really intelligent ones are - apparently - too smart to go into politics...
• The local Tory candidate has called my den a couple of times now. Inquiring minds want to know: Why is it that he uses call display blocking when he does? Because I really want somebody that sneaky and underhanded representing me in parliament...
• Newspapers this week reported a study that suggests when a group lacks a leader, the person most likely to step in and start running things is a narcissist.
• The Glib & Male lately has been making much of our PM's 'pragmatic ability to learn'. So let me get this straight. He entered politics because he thought he knew what the country needed. Now he's trying to get re-elected by 'pragmatically' shedding the ideological dogma he's held dear for all of these years, but that Canadians dislike. So, ummm, obviously a real idealist. Not in it for the power at all. Or...
• He is also an economist. Given economists' recent track records at understanding the way things work, and running them properly, ummm...
• Meanwhile, south of here, Sarah Palin's ability to chortle and wink out twisted venom, then shrug, moue, and mime ingenue cluelessness when the crowds she's working start sounding like lynch mobs, probably means she has a long career in US federal politics ahead of her. Yucko.

Bleah. Elections have been raining overscripted catechisms and repugnant dogmas on my head all week. I'm soaked and tired. It's nap time. Wake me up when it's over...

Debatacle 2008

Two national election debates? Us and that ailing geopolitical gorilla next door? Simultaneously? The situation called for a savagely massive cable hookup, a big bowl of salty snax at one paw, and the TV remote at the other, giving me the power to cover the (in)continent's political circuses at the flick of a claw. Maybe Prozac and beta blockers to cushion my delicate psyche against the inevitable crash...

...two bags of grass, seventy five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half-full of cocaine and a whole galaxy of multicoloured uppers, downers, screamers, laughers... also a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of Budweiser, a bowl of Cheezitz, and two dozen amyls. The only thing that worried me were the Cheezitz. There is nothing in the world more helpless and irresponsible than a coyote in the depths of a Cheezitz binge....*

Early on in the verbal thrust and parry, I began to realize the aptness of a rustic expression from back in Alberta, where we coyotes come from: "Slicker 'n liquid pig shit!" A reference as literal as it sounds. Warm and soft and brown as Sarah Palin's eyes, with the heady aroma of Stephen Harper's belated attempts to look like some ordinary nice guy. Suitably aged, it makes adequate fertilizer. Fresh, it renders the hair in your nose unconscious, then dissolves it.

Relief came when I found I could drown out both debates by cramming my mouth full of Cheezitz, crunching loudly, and frenetically flipping in the approved ESI fashion: channelling OCD and ADD in parallel. It was worth the unfortunate fluorescent orange fangs, just to be able to block it all out.

Problem was, after a couple of hours of high speed flipping and chewing, I began to feel a little woozy and dizzy. Maybe I dozed a little. Could've. Images streaming in from the ether north and south of the border fumed, spun and merged into a coyote's worst nightmare. Sarah still had her perky cheerleader chuckle, but her smile had become Steve's twisted grimace. Her eyes had mutated to a cold, calculating ice blue.

I may have hallucinated the lizard tongue. Or not. Whatever. Fear and loathing is alive and well in North America.

* ... with orange-fanged apologies to HST...

Breaking News: ESIs Headed For Majority

Fringe Festival

The latest polls seem to be pointing to the return of the Conservatives to government, the only debate being whether they get a majority or a minority. So unless you are in a swing riding, your vote is pretty much useless at this point.

But all is not lost. The fringe candidates could use your support. Getting 10% of the vote helps them in getting a refund on their expenses. And remember: there was a time when the Green Party was considered fringe in this land. Here is the field of local fringe candidates:

Ottawa Centre

John Andrew Akpata (Marijuana Party)

This isn’t John’s first run for the job of Ottawa-Centre MP. He got 387 votes in the last election. In 2004, he got 495 votes when he ran in Ottawa South. It’s clear that John needs to move his campaign further south (not north) to where the grow-ops constituency can give him a bigger mandate. Dave’s not here, man.

Pierre Soublière (Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada)

Ottawa-Centre is one of the few ridings that consistently fields a Communist candidate in an election. Their official name is the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) and it should not be confused with the Communist Party of Canada which has also fielded candidates in Ottawa-Centre in the past. For me, this has led to considerable choice confusion as to which brand of communism I should support. Sadly, such confusion has invariably led to splitting the Commie vote in the riding. According to wiki, the party membership seems to be active with postal workers which probably explains the Kim Jong-il commemorative stamp coming out next month.

Ottawa-Vanier

Christian Legeais (Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada)

According to Christian Legeais, the MLPC stands for sovereignty, the affirmation of rights and democratic renewal. It opposes the restructuring of the state to facilitate annexation to the U.S., monopoly right, fascism and war. Christian is recognized for his work in the defence of the rights of all and his opposition to the U.S. "war on terror" and the occupation of Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and Haiti. I once dated a woman with the same profile. She was also a bit of a pill.

Michel St-Onge (Canadian Action Party)

Where were you when the planes hit the twin-towers? The Canadian Action Party wants to know. And they want the Government to investigate why you were so conspicuously absent from lower Manhattan that day. Where were you? Tell us. Who called you? Michel claims to have grown up with an older sister and had what some would call a “normal” childhood (his quotes). I thought I grew up with a “normal” childhood. My close friends tell me otherwise.

Robert Taylor-Larter (Independent)

I’ll leave it to our colleague here to explain Mr. Taylor-Larter’s background. All I can add is that there is very little on the web about this guy, which has me worried. I’m hoping that at one of the all-candidates meetings, Michel can cross-examine Robert on his whereabouts on September 11, 2001, and he better have a good alibi.

Ottawa West – Nepean

Alex McDonald (Communist Party of Canada)

Alex works as a taxi driver in a small community near Ottawa. He’s the only candidate for the Communist Party of Canada in the Ottawa region. The leader of the party is Miguel Figueroa. Too bad the Communists don’t have a prayer’s chance of winning. Prime Minister Miguel Figueroa has a nice resonance to it. Canadians need to shed that white bread, Fred MacMurray image. You know a guy named Miguel wouldn't be caught dead in a cardigan.

David Page (Independent)

The Ottawa Sun’s Ron Corbett met up with Page recently.

Page certainly has credentials: MA, M.Ed. MBA, and a recently acquired law degree. He has three promises that can be found on his MySpace page:

To faithfully represent the interests of my constituents and to help them with their dealings with the federal government

To represent the interests of the citizens of Ottawa to the federal government and to cooperate with other members of Parliament from the Ottawa area, and;

To do everything in my power to help address the clear and present dangers posed by global warming.

It all sounds too earnest for a politician. Cooperation with other members of Parliament? That isn’t going to get you any sound bites from Question Period.

Ottawa-South

Jean-Serge Brisson (Libertarian Party of Canada)

Jean-Serge “the Rad Man” Brisson is running for the Libertarian Party of Canada in Ottawa South. He claims to have been inspired to join the Libertarians after the introduction of compulsory metrification in Canada in the early 1980s. The Libertarians have a fairly straightforward platform: get rid of Government except for basic civil protection issues. Brisson claims to have never collected the federal Goods and Services Tax (GST) for his radiator repair business as he refuses to recognize the Government’s imposition of it.That’s rad, man!

Al Gullon (Progressive Canadian Party)

The PC Party still exists - sort of. Elections Canada forced the rebels that refused to merge with the Reformers to find a new party name. Its leader is Sinclair Stevens. They think Harper is in cahoots with the Bloc to bust up Canada. They’re probably right. But I mean, really, Sinclair Stevens? It’s so 1980s. I really can’t go back. Rugger pants. Leather ties. Men Without Hats. I can’t.

Stormont-Dundas

Dwight Dugas (Canadian Action Party)

In his own words:

Shortly after being tear gassed and shot at with "non-lethal" weapons, I contacted CAP to register as a candidate in the next federal election. Not long after I received a phone call from Connie Fogal and was accepted as the candidate for S.D & SG.

I’m all for democratic processes, but I think the initiation rights for the Canadian Action Party are a little extreme.

Howard Galganov (Independent)

According to his website, we live in a topsy-turvy world and Howard is going to help us cut through the fog. Some of that fog has to do with Canada’s bilingualism policies. Howard also doesn’t believe in reasonable accommodation. Come to my country and become like us. Don’t expect us to become like you.

If Aboriginal/First-Nations people had the same attitude a few hundred years ago, I guess I’d be living in a tee-pee and speaking Cree. But what form of Cree would be the official languages? Central? Plains? Eastern Algonquian? You see, Howard, no matter what, we’re going to have a language debate in this country.

NSFW*: ESI Corset Friday

Okay, the election does not engage us. Or, apparently, anybody except campaigning politicians. So far it manifests all the charisma of the Tory blue lint on the PM's "for advertising purposes only" sweater vest - which manifests rather more charisma than the PM. What to post, what to post?

A number of us this week have been riffin' on the redoubtable, antipodal NurseMyra's gig. Her weekly Corset Friday postings are kind of a big deal in certain circles. It's a bit complicated to explain, but they seem to cheer up the inmates patients at Gimcrack Hospital, where she works.

Apparently somebody has been riffing much longer. Harmony commented yesterday that some unnamed vandal had used their Mad Photo Editing Skillz to add an item of intimate apparel to my sidebar icon. So I braced the Short Guy. He said, nonchalantly, that he'd put it there weeks ago.

Weeks? Weeks?! I draw two ummm, three lessons from this:

• First, Dear Reader, keep your eyes on all parts of this blog at all times: ya can't keep up to it without a program. Even, apparently, when you're an Irregular.
• Second, if you Photoshop a coyote's photo, you will be repaid in kind...
• Third, and just in: it seems that tagging an image with "crossdressing dwarf" is a recipe for instant search engine megahits. Who knew?

* Not Safe For Work. But you knew that already...

RNDP: Campaigns

A few years back, I did a little door-to-door canvassing for a politician I thought would represent me better than the fellow who'd been holding the job. On election night, all the campaign workers gathered in a basement bar downtown.

The bad news came at 11 pm. The incumbent had won, our candidate was about to give the concession speech. Nothing to do but drink to dull the grief we felt. Half an hour later, startling news! It had been a mistake! With some late reporting polls and a some digits switched the way they were supposed to be, our candidate was the winner! The incumbent had to give his concession speech.

My friend Sue sidled up to me. "Dwarfie, if you were looking to get laid, this would be a good time to approach someone." Of course, a man of the world like myself doesn't need to rely on cheap emotional manipulation to make a love connection, but a man of the world also opens the door when opportunity knocks.

What does this have to do with the RNDP? The RNDP is about getting lucky. According to the ancient Roman philosopher, Seneca, luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. And according to Thomas Edison, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls, and looks like work." To get this opportunity, you will have to prepare with some campaign work.

Choosing a Party - should you cross-volunteer?

Choosing the party to support may be tricky if you are a female NDPer or a male Tory. It is a well known fact that there are more women volunteers with the NDP and more men with the Conservatives. The ratio for the Greens and the Liberals depends a lot on the specific candidate.

If you are male and Conservative, unless you are some sort of alpha male (obviously you believe you are or you wouldn't be a Tory, but try to be objective for once), check out the ratios in the other parties. You may want to cross-volunteer. It's not morally wrong because you know that your actions aren't going to make a difference to your candidate anyway. The Greens have social policies you believe in and if they save the environment, you'll have somewhere to go hunting. If the Liberals get in, they'll wind up doing pretty much the same thing your party was going to do anyway, and if you're connected with them, you've got better long-term prospects for a patronage appointment. The NDP haven't got much you can support with a straight face, but if you hook up with an NDP woman, you may find that your passionate arguments about pretty much everything can lead to the fun kind of passion when it's just the two of you.

If you are female and NDP, especially if your candidate has no chance of winning, either help the Greens send a message about the environment, or help the Liberals keep Harper out. I won't suggest faking conservatism because the constant taste of vomit at the back of your mouth would ruin any chance of a dating initiative. Of course, if you are female and NDP, there is little chance that you could actually support another political party solely in order to find someone to date. So, volunteer for the NDP. With any luck, you'll score a cute cross-volunteering Tory. Maybe you can convert him.

Volunteer effectively:

1. One volunteer shift will be enough to get you on the invite list for the election night party.
2. Door-to-Door canvassing is generally done in teams. Involves lots of walking. It can be challenging to get yourself partnered with someone you'd want to be partnered with. Mixed teams are preferred by campaign managers to show the diversity of support for the candidate. This is not good for you if you are looking for a same sex relationship with someone your age, but if you're a middle-aged woman who likes young Latinos, you might be in luck.
   
3. In the movies, they make it look like they need lots of envelopes stuffed in campaign offices. Sadly, they don't. It's sad because envelope stuffing is a perfect occupation for scouting and chatting with prospects.
4. What they actually need at the campaign office is telephone volunteers. This is an activity that lets you chat with people you can't see about whether you can count on their support, put a sign on their lawn or in their window, and get a donation. Low dating opportunity, but it gets you in to the election night party and it's not quite as bad as telemarketing because you're mostly calling your candidate's supporters.

Here's hoping the best for you on October 14th!

Centretowners can volunteer for:

• Liberal: Penny Collenette
• NDP: Paul Dewar
• ReformConservative: Brian McGarry
• Green: Jen Hunter
  

[Sorry fringe candidates, your volunteers are scarier than you are.]

Unnatural (S)election '08: I got nuthin'

Yeah, yeah, I know. You've come to rely on me for the kind of incisive and perspicacious insider political analysis that you can't find anywhere else. And this is my day to post. But dizzy and reeling from all of the hurricane-force spin doctoring happening north and south of the border this week, I am in exactly the same boat as everybody else. I began this election feeling disengaged and pissed about having to go through with it. Now, I just wanna hide in my burrow, clamp my eyes shut, and wrap my paws over my ears until it's over...

Yet I persist. I don't know why. We coyotes are not generally known for our masochism. But be warned. I have no incisive and perspicacious insider political analysis this week - only dumbass questions.

To whit: "When did the strain of watching two elections at the same time finally sink my finely honed, impartially cynical loathing of all politicians into abysmally deep new submarine trenches a la The Vendetta?"

And: "Why does Sarah Palin remind me so much of Tracy Flick, and why doesn't anybody else seem to have noticed?"

And this one, after rereading posts in which my pierced, pottymouthed, and also perspicacious counterpart from the BC interior, Other Coyote, called the current government The Cons: "Does this make Stephen Harper a Con Troll Freak...?"

There is no fifth thing. And no fourth, for that matter. I'm not interested enough.

Photo: Wikipedia Commons

The Politics of Elgin Street

Sure, we all know Ottawa Centre was won by the NDP in the last two elections, and that before that Mac Harb represented the Liberals for a few rounds of Parliament. And you probably even know by how many votes each won by, so that even in this first-past-the-post system, you could get a sense of how strong of a mandate the winner had. For Ottawa Centre, Paul Dewer got 37% of the vote in the last election, beating out his next best rival, Richard Mahoney (two-time loser? Ouch) by almost 8 percentage points. You might have also known that the Greens did not do too shabbily in the last election. David Chernushenko got over 10% of the popular vote in Ottawa Centre, making it among the best performances for a Green Party candidate in any riding.

But here at the ESI, we really could care less about the 90,000 odd electorate of Ottawa Centre. We are far more parochial about our political interests. Even Dwarfie thinks you might as well live in Kanata if you move west of Preston St. That being said, I would like to present, with thanks to folks at Elections Canada, some analysis of the results of Elgin Street from the last election:

Zoom and click on the google map below to get the results for each highlighted poll.

View Larger Map

Poll 116 – Lower Elgin Street, east side

Analysis: The NDP had few problems capturing almost half the votes here. The remaining votes were almost evenly split between the Liberals and the Conservatives.

Strategy: It’s clear that being so close to the police station, these voters have become complacent. They feel safe and secure. The “tough on crime” agenda that usually follows the Conservatives is not working. For the Conservatives, I would suggest things need to be stirred up in this part of town. Home invasions are usually good to scare the odd voter. Maybe those guys you send around to put signs on our lawns could do some double-duty, if you get my drift.

Poll 115 – Lower Elgin, west side

Analysis: The Green’s had their best performance on this part of Elgin Street, getting about 13% of the vote. This is clearly because most of the voters were the homeless people that live on the green space around the Museum of Nature. They have a vested interest in making sure there is grass to sleep on and shrubs close by for other activities.

Strategy: For the Conservatives it’s easy: Pave paradise and put up a parking lot.

Poll 113 – Middle Elgin, west side

Analysis: The NDP got about the same number of votes as the combined Liberals and Conservatives.

Strategy: The western side of the Elgin Strip can definitely be a ‘swing’ poll what with all the clubs and bars located there. I think in this instance, the Liberals and the Conservatives have to combine forces to put pressure on the NDP. That is probably best done at pep rallies with the assistance of some of the (ahem) capable serving staff from any of these fine establishments. Also, they may try keeping those Dippers that drink at the Manx from getting out to vote.

Poll 103 and 104 – Maclaren & Elgin, east side / St. Moritz Apts.

Analysis: The Liberals make huge inroads on this part of Elgin Street getting about 36% of the popular vote.

Strategy: Paul Dewer is going to have his work cut out for him trying to win back these polls. Pool sharks (Maclaren’s Pub) and retired old ladies (St. Moritz Apts) who probably once escorted Mackenzie King to his séances are not easily swayed by NDP-style social justice. However, if the Conservatives can get John Baird and Laureen Harper to knock on a few doors, those old ladies may wax romantically about days of yor.

Poll 102 – Maclaren & Elgin, west side

Analysis: The NDP get strong results here at 40% of the popular vote.

Strategy: This side of the street clashes with its east-side counterpart and probably represents well-entrenched political positions. It looks too Northern Ireland / Palestine for my liking. Best we put up a wall down the middle of Elgin Street from Somerset to Gilmour. It can be are own little Berlin. Years from now, when things settle down, we can tare it down and sell it to tourists to help pay down our city’s debt from the Siemens lawsuits and unfinished transit tunnels.

Poll 94 – Elgin Street, upper east side

Analysis: Liberals edged out the NDP by only 1% point.

Strategy: Maybe it’s the similarity between Belgian waffles at the Mayflower to Liberal policy that gives them the edge on this part of Elgin Street. Maybe it’s the closer proximity to Parliament Hill for Canada’s natural governing party. Either way, the NDP could get the jump here with a few key moves. The former Goldsteins grocery store is vacant and must have some possibilities for buying votes from the electorate. How about a platform of returning it to its former glory, but this time employ the panhandlers from the neighbourhood as check-out cashiers. For once, they would be giving us some change.

Warm Fuzzy Blues

Shortly before the latest federal election call, Canada's PM suddenly popped up in ads trying to show him up in his (ahem) best light.

Apparently I'm not the only one disturbed by the strained warm fuzzies of the infamous blue sweater vest, bringing out the warmth of his zombie-blue eyes and fetchingly setting off his Fiberglas® hair. I guess the idea was to tell us Steve is badly misunderstood, and the private man is really a charming, pinano-plunkin' family-dad type, not a robotic freak who can't smile for a TV camera without grinding his teeth to powder.

Apparently it has escaped spin doctors that Canadians are not voting for a private dad. They're voting for a public Prime Minister. This one's public performance has been that of a vindictive, over-ideological control freak who is not above the, ummm, occasional fib to gain elected office, or the occasional cheap partisan potshot once he gets there.

I'm disturbed by the contempt with which this warm fuzzy ploy holds voters. Apparently, a few weeks of stilted advertising should be enough to blot out all memories of the man's smirking yet paranoid performance in front of a minority Parliament he called 'dysfunctional' because: a) his own partisan maneuvering made it that way; and, b) it wouldn't do exactly what he wanted.

Coyotes may be fuzzy-headed - and largely missing from Elections Canada voter lists - but I don't believe democracies usually work that way for minority governments. Maybe, as cowboys from my old stomping grounds used to yell as they took potshots at me, I have shit-fer-brains. Or maybe the PM blatantly maneuvered into place for a quick potshot at a majority government before a global economic malaise, largely caused by a Neo-Con to the south that he seems to admire, starts to really mess up his electoral chances.

What baffles my fuzzy head about the PM's claims to strong leadership, is that his own tax cuts and benefits have been cosmetic pandering that - according to many economists, even conservative ones - are not good governance. What concerns me even more is the fact that top ministers in a pretty thin cabinet - Messrs Baird, Clement and Flaherty - all sat on the inner circle of Mike Harris' provincial government. You know, the one that not too long ago, about burnt Ontario to the ground on the basis of ideology. Warm fuzzies, indeed.

Yup. Photoshopped. Absolutely...

...but I dare you to prove it ain't, truthfully, an improvement on the original...