In 1994, having just turned 21, I decided to quit my bullshit job selling cars for 60 hours a week in the worst economy in history. "No problem, this is Canada," thought I. "I'll just sit back and collect my birthright, Unemployment Insurance." Boy was I in for a surprise. Our newly minted finance minister Paul Martin had decided he was gonna cut the deficit and he was gonna do it on the backs of the unemployed and those unfortunate enough to get sick. Medical transfers to the province were completely gutted. And "UI" became impossible to get. It has run something like 60 billion in surplus since then in spite of some changes made later to try and win back the lost Maritime vote. This was the first time Paul Martin had an effect on my life. Right around the same time Martin and the rest of the right wing of the Liberal party were embracing globalization and talked Chretien into not cancelling free trade. He had been elected on a promise to do just that. Anyone who is not an economist or a "Blue Liberal" (growth is all that matters, the market will save all) can easily see what a nightmare free trade has been for us ( 100 Gazillion lost manufacturing jobs, massive exploitation of the poor in all three countries, the loss of labour power world wide and a widening of the gap between rich and poor to the size of the Grand Canyon.) By 1997, the year my Grandmother died, Martin's medical transfer cuts and a provincial Conservative gov't had degraded medicare to the point where I honestly believe that financial considerations may have been considered by hospital staff when deciding whether or not it was worth trying to save her. I don't know this for a fact but I have my suspicions. This was damage done when he was not even leader, the worst was yet to come. When Chretien and other actual Liberals finally were unable to hold back Martin and his cronies any longer he finally got his wish and became Prime Minister. During his short reign at the top Martin did more damage to Canada than Brian Mulroney did in eight years. The worst of his moves was committing Canadian troops to Afghanistan. This one comes back to haunt us every time a Conservative is able to comment, "It was the Liberals who got us into this war." This bullshit war should be hanging around the Conservatives' neck like a great big badge of massive failure. Instead, we, the good guys, get to wear it with them. Mr. Martin was also responsible for signing us up to Security and Prosperity Partnership with the evil Americans. To anyone who pays attention and doesn't make their living selling things to Americans this is the biggest threat to Canadian Sovereignty ever. He also passed the first Canadian law ever to include mandatory minimums. If Harper had tried it it wouldn't have made it past the Supreme Court. But because it was a liberal law the court looked at it in a different light and allowed it. This precedent allows Harper to go crazy with the mandatory minimums and the court won't be able to stop him. What a slippery slope. Speaking of the Supreme Court, Martin's appointments seem to have pulled the court to the right. (Allowing fascist security certificates to stand is just one example.) What a fox in the hen house. Mr. Martin also planned to go along with the United States in their missile defence fantasy but huge public opposition changed his mind. Dodged a bullet on that one. Sheila Copps revealed recently that Mr. Martin tried to get her to spearhead the privatization of the CBC. To her credit she refused. Wow an even bigger bullet. This brings me finally to Martin's last gift that keeps on giving. Some actual Liberals tried to push through a bill decriminalizing marijuana. Mr Martin dithered and watered down the bill for his American buddies. Then he never passed it at all. The Conservatives let the bill die after taking office, (of course they did) and as a result the police have started ruining lives again by arresting users. Possession charges are up 50% in some provinces. What a waste of time and money and people's futures. Just today a bullshit study tying marijuana to psychosis was released giving Conservatives more ammo to use the next time the debate comes up. This is defeat snatched from the jaw's of victory. Thanks Paul Martin, thanks for nothing. It is my hope that Chretien's move to stop corporate donations will mean the right-wing will have less of an influence on the direction of the party. If not I guess there is always the NDP.
Showing posts with label Martin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Martin. Show all posts
Friday, July 27, 2007
Paul Martin strikes again.
In 1994, having just turned 21, I decided to quit my bullshit job selling cars for 60 hours a week in the worst economy in history. "No problem, this is Canada," thought I. "I'll just sit back and collect my birthright, Unemployment Insurance." Boy was I in for a surprise. Our newly minted finance minister Paul Martin had decided he was gonna cut the deficit and he was gonna do it on the backs of the unemployed and those unfortunate enough to get sick. Medical transfers to the province were completely gutted. And "UI" became impossible to get. It has run something like 60 billion in surplus since then in spite of some changes made later to try and win back the lost Maritime vote. This was the first time Paul Martin had an effect on my life. Right around the same time Martin and the rest of the right wing of the Liberal party were embracing globalization and talked Chretien into not cancelling free trade. He had been elected on a promise to do just that. Anyone who is not an economist or a "Blue Liberal" (growth is all that matters, the market will save all) can easily see what a nightmare free trade has been for us ( 100 Gazillion lost manufacturing jobs, massive exploitation of the poor in all three countries, the loss of labour power world wide and a widening of the gap between rich and poor to the size of the Grand Canyon.) By 1997, the year my Grandmother died, Martin's medical transfer cuts and a provincial Conservative gov't had degraded medicare to the point where I honestly believe that financial considerations may have been considered by hospital staff when deciding whether or not it was worth trying to save her. I don't know this for a fact but I have my suspicions. This was damage done when he was not even leader, the worst was yet to come. When Chretien and other actual Liberals finally were unable to hold back Martin and his cronies any longer he finally got his wish and became Prime Minister. During his short reign at the top Martin did more damage to Canada than Brian Mulroney did in eight years. The worst of his moves was committing Canadian troops to Afghanistan. This one comes back to haunt us every time a Conservative is able to comment, "It was the Liberals who got us into this war." This bullshit war should be hanging around the Conservatives' neck like a great big badge of massive failure. Instead, we, the good guys, get to wear it with them. Mr. Martin was also responsible for signing us up to Security and Prosperity Partnership with the evil Americans. To anyone who pays attention and doesn't make their living selling things to Americans this is the biggest threat to Canadian Sovereignty ever. He also passed the first Canadian law ever to include mandatory minimums. If Harper had tried it it wouldn't have made it past the Supreme Court. But because it was a liberal law the court looked at it in a different light and allowed it. This precedent allows Harper to go crazy with the mandatory minimums and the court won't be able to stop him. What a slippery slope. Speaking of the Supreme Court, Martin's appointments seem to have pulled the court to the right. (Allowing fascist security certificates to stand is just one example.) What a fox in the hen house. Mr. Martin also planned to go along with the United States in their missile defence fantasy but huge public opposition changed his mind. Dodged a bullet on that one. Sheila Copps revealed recently that Mr. Martin tried to get her to spearhead the privatization of the CBC. To her credit she refused. Wow an even bigger bullet. This brings me finally to Martin's last gift that keeps on giving. Some actual Liberals tried to push through a bill decriminalizing marijuana. Mr Martin dithered and watered down the bill for his American buddies. Then he never passed it at all. The Conservatives let the bill die after taking office, (of course they did) and as a result the police have started ruining lives again by arresting users. Possession charges are up 50% in some provinces. What a waste of time and money and people's futures. Just today a bullshit study tying marijuana to psychosis was released giving Conservatives more ammo to use the next time the debate comes up. This is defeat snatched from the jaw's of victory. Thanks Paul Martin, thanks for nothing. It is my hope that Chretien's move to stop corporate donations will mean the right-wing will have less of an influence on the direction of the party. If not I guess there is always the NDP.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
O'Connor wears clownshoes.
Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor showed he's right on top of the situation in Afghanistan again yesterday. Mr O'Connor said he would make a point of meeting with one Abdoul Noorzai, an Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission official. Mr Noorzai signed an agreement last month to monitor the condition of detainees who have been turned over to Afghan authorities. "I want to look the man in the eyes and I want to confirm that they are going to do what they say they're going to do, I just want assurance from him that he will monitor and he will inform us of any abuses." said O'Connor on Sunday. Sounds great, only one problem, Mr Noorzai didn't bother to show up. I guess he was afraid to look O'Connor in the eyes. I thought Canada was punching above its weight now and demanding respect. This total dis is only the latest in a string of embarrassing incidents for O'Connor. His meeting with Mr. Noorzai was an attempt at damage control already because it came out this week that the Red Cross was not monitoring Afghan detainees on behalf of Canada like he has been saying in the House Of Commons for months. Oops. It has also been reported this week that the family of a soldier accidentally killed in Afghanistan was kept in the dark about what happened for over 8 months. I'm not ready to put the blame for that on O'Connor yet but it did happen on his watch. Why are we handing over combatants to people we don't trust not to torture them? Oh yeah we couldn't hand them over to the US because we knew they would torture them. Why can't we hold them ourselves? Oh yeah because holding these dudes at all just might be a war crime. What a sad day it was when Paul Martin let himself get talked into this silliness by one Rick , "Decade of Darkness", Hillier. What an even sadder day it was when Micheal Ignatiaff stood up and voted with the government to extend the mission. Twenty-four other weasels did too. The saddest day of all of course would be a Harper majority. Then we could look forward to perpetual war with incompetent men like Hillier and O'Connor who obviously know nothing about the history or politics of the region leading boys off to die so they can sit at Uncle Sam's knee and play war games.
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