Freddie P's Blog

Yes, it's true. If you don't vote you lose the right to complain. But it's as complex as it is simple.

This election, more than any other in the history of Canada will be a social media election and while that's exciting, it's also frightening.

We all know who's more inclined to use social media and it's probably for this reason the NDP has received it's popularity surge over the past week.

It's great that more young people might actually come out and vote, but like any other age group; we can only hope they're informed.

As said it many times before on this blog, NDP at 20, Liberal at 30 and Conservative at 40.

To those who use social media the most, the idealistic NDP message of free stuff for everybody resonates well. Why wouldn't it?

Better health care, make the rich pay, cheap education, make the rich pay. eliminate poverty, make the rich pay, reduce funding to the military, make the rich pay, increased wages, make the rich pay, and comfortable pensions, make the rich pay - all sound pretty good to someone who hasn't live a lot.

Most people in this age group have never balanced a budget or haven't lived long enough to fully appreciate the consequences of spending way more than you bring in.

Attacking the banks and big business may sound cool, but at the end of the day, is it really the best way to go in a free market system?

And forget big business. A good friend of mine who owns a small business told me yesterday, he looks at the NDP platform and he has no idea where he's going to come up with the money to satisfy his employees under this Jack Layton fantasy. It would put him under.

To a businessman who's been through ropes, what Jack says is just plain silly.

I also spoke with an NDP candidate in Peterborough on Friday, and when I asked him what happens if big business threatens to leave Canada, he said "we'll nationalize it."

I'd love to sit here today and say this NDP threat will pass and cooler heads with prevail and come tomorrow night the country will still be safe, but just like we're dealing with a new world economy and new global economic realities that make us all more vulnerable, we're also dealing with a new communication system that could result in the largest voter turn out ever.

And it could sink us.

Jack Layton's hidden agenda

Category: Politics

Sun backs Stephen Harper

Category: Politics

First of all, I could give two shits whether Jack Layton was found in a rub and tug 15 years ago. If the poor bastard needed a yank that bad, I don't feel distain for him, I feel pity.

I will say this however; it flies in the face of all bleeding heart bullshit he spewed during his days as a city councilor. On one hand (job) he was defending the type of person who may or may not have cuffed his carrot as poor, unfortunate and abused - yet on the other hand (job) he may have taken advantage of their questionable expertise for his own pleasure.

Not only that, but he was a thorn in the side of the police back in those days, criticizing every move they made, so I guess there's a bit of irony to this story that it comes back to haunt him this way it has so many years later.

A retired cop went back to some old police reports.

But really, I don't care if Jack got jerked or not, although I find humour in his statement last night about a smear campaign. His TV commercials have been just as vicious as the other parties and I'm sure if it had been Harps or Iggy suspected of having their chicken choked, Layton would have been all over it.

But again, I really don't care about that stuff. What I care about two days before the election is my country. Or as Jack might say, cuntry.

This NDP surge is ridiculous short sighted and reckless and I we can only hope it doesn't transform into actual seats on Monday night.

Anybody who is actually thinking about voting NDP better do some quick home work.

I know a lot of NDP support is a lost cause. Those who think they're entitled to other people's money, those who are jealous of the rich and those who think the government should be responsible for raising their kids and making sure they're guaranteed a hefty wage even if they don't deserve it.

I know there are far too many people in this country who really think that an NDP government will somehow make their life easier by strengthening unions, increasing their pay and pensions and protecting them for the evil man who actually signs their pay cheques.

But we can't worry about them.

What I'm concerned about are those, who in the past week, have somehow become fans of Jack and his whacked-out promises and are considering voting for the guy. They obviously haven't looked at the history of the man, his party and their policies.

Maybe they think Jack will allow tugs to fall under OHIP.

I'm not about to list NDP fantasy now, because that's part of the problem. Lists and headlines are too often the extent of resources used by voters to make decisions. Voting is a big responsibility so you should take the time to dig in and make informed decisions.

Running a country is big business that comes with a lot of tough choices and sacrifice.

It's not some little game that allows you follow whims with no consequences, and believe me, if Jack finishes second to a Harper minority on Monday night, there will be consequences.

This country will be thrown into turmoil like we've never seen before and I'm not exaggerating. If Jack somehow gains control through a coalition Canada is in big trouble and it could take decades to recover.

The NDP is not prepared to govern. Their promises don't add up and they don't make sense. In a new world economy, whether we like it or not, we all have to work harder and take more responsibility for our own welfare. It's a tough pill to swallow, but that's the way it is.

How tragic that just when Canada is considered to have the most rock solid economy in the free-world, a strong banking system and a 21st century attitude, we're about to throw the car keys to a ten year old.

Think about it Canada.

Category: Politics

Conservatives a clear choice in uncertain times

Category: Politics

Toronto Star endorses NDP

While they're at it, they might as well endorse drunk driving as well.

Category: Politics

Many voters lacking basic tools experts say.

And probably explains why the Conservatives don't have a majority.

Category: Politics

This Monday, you have a choice to vote for national unity. You can vote with our brothers in Quebec. With the Cons, the working man will be making a minimum wage in this race to the bottom. That's the fate already for many new immigrants with few opportunities. There's only one party who has his back, who's sick of the factories closing in his city and their owners getting big tax cuts.

Johnny Canuck

Category: Politics

The "small potential" of an NDP-led minority is already weighing on markets, Camilla Sutton, chief currency strategist at Bank of Nova Scotia, told Bloomberg News. The Canadian dollar has already fallen against all but two of 17 major currencies since April 20. All those complaints about a high Canadian dollar will be moot if polls start showing the NDP ahead.

Category: Politics

Facing up to our challenges

Category: Politics

"It would be like handing the car keys to a ten year old. He thinks he can drive, it looks easy, but he's hopelessly unqualified - and the country definately couldn't afford the repair bills."

I think I've made it abundantly clear on the pages of CanadianThinker.com that I'd like to see a Conservative majority on Monday night. I think it would be good for the country for lots of reasons, but that's just one man's opinion.

If the remarkable NDP surge in the polls (or is it a Liberal collapse?) holds through Monday, this can go one of two ways. Either the left of centre vote will be split and Stephen Harper will get his majority, or the votes will fall in such a way that Harper ends up with another minority and Jack Layton represents the official opposition. And if that happens, you know Layton won't waste any time in forming a coalition with the Liberals.

People think Harper is power hungry. He's an amateur compared to Jack.

I'm not going to rail against the concerns and dangers of any government headed up by Jack Layton, because it would be useless. Sometime you have to learn the hard way, and that may be what's on the horizon for Canada.

In 1991 Ontario wanted to try something new and it elected Bob Rae's NDP. The results were not only devastating for the province, but downright shocking to those who threw their support behind Rae expecting to get one thing, and then ending up with something entirely different.

That's the nature of the NDP and everyone should go into this with their eyes wide open. The promises they make and the realities attached to them can only lead to one thing, the same thing that happened under a Rae government, deception.

The causes that the NDP were supposed to champion were the first ones betrayed.

Unions and social programs and the core of the party who have this deep sense of entitlement to other people's money were the first ones to feel the effects of wild promises gone poof.

Of course there were other victims. Business, commerce, free enterprise and those who don't expect handouts, were ferociously affected by the resulting sag in provincial fortunes and it wasn't until Mike Harris steered us back to reality that they recovered.

You might argue the Rae debacle happened two decades ago, but it's not a question of eras, its a question of philosophies and Jack's ain't a whole lot different than 1991.

I've said it a few times over the past couple of weeks, I don't expect a Harper majority on Monday night because for whatever reason the country doesn't seem to want it, and that's cool.

We can only hope that most Canadians have taken the time to look at the issues, make mature assessments and then make an intelligent choice. If that results in a government led by Jack and supported by the Liberals, so be it.

A weird sadistic part of me actually wants it to happen. It may take years to recover, but at least it will expose Jack and the NDP for what they are, but more importantly, it will make people realize what they had.

Yes, sometimes you learn the hard way.

Category: Politics