At Home in Hespeler

Today in Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock a by-election is being held to keep John Tory as Progressive Conservative leader or finally dump him like the guy who makes Joe Clark look astute that he is.

If you are a conservative voter in that riding, consider voting for Freedom Party candidate Bill Denby. For that matter vote for the NDP candidate or the Liberal candidate: vote for anybody but John Tory.

If you are a Liberal Party supporter, I would recommend you vote for Tory. He’s your best shot at never losing another election. If, however, your leanings are small government freedom loving conservative, even if Tory wins, you lose.

In Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock today, vote for change. Vote for anybody but John Tory.

by-election fever, John 'Red Green' Tory, John Tory, Ontario Election Bill Denby, Brock, Dalton McGuinty, Freedom Party, Haliburton, John Tory, Kawartha Lakes, Liberal Party, Ontario, Progressive Conservative, Red Tory

Now that the Ontario election is over, we can ask it? Is there anybody, anywhere, who’s a worse campaigner than John Tory? He ran Kim Campbell’s 1992 disaster, got his ass kicked over a bridge that affects a few hundred voters in Toronto, and now the Ontario election where, instead of voters warming to John Tory as promised, his numbers went down as the campaign wore on. This against a dishonest Premier who is presiding over Ontario’s descent into have-not status within confederation, while anarchy reigns in small pockets of the province. If you couldn’t beat this guy, couldn’t even mount a reasonable challenge against him, you don’t belong in politics.

For me, I was planning on holding my nose and voting PC, until last week: In order to win over my vote, specifically my vote I believe, John Tory decided to announce test marketing corner store sale of beer and wine. It was the bone I needed throwing to get my vote. Then my local moron, Gerry Martiniuk, stated in debates last week he’s not in favour of that policy. One conservative policy in the whole damn platform, and my local Progressive Conservative candidate is not in favour of it.

One bone, that’s all I asked for. I frickin’ bone.

So after voting F*&% no to MMP, I voted for Gerry Nicholls favourite candidate, Montgomery Brewster. A cowards way out, I admit, but John Tory/Gerry Martiniuk had made themselves un-votable in my eyes, and they were heads and shoulders above the rest, at least in my riding.

What a mess this whole election was. Can we please get on with finding a conservative to run the Conservative party in Ontario, and start getting back to having some hope.

John Tory, Ontario Election, Silly Politicians

I’m puttering around work with a hangover, swearing up and down that I’m off booze for good – never again – this time I mean it – when I hear John Tory is talking about a trial of selling beer and wine in corner stores. Normally, that would cause me to sit and write a nice, John Tory friendly article with a title like…

But no, today I don’t care as I’m “off booze for good – never again – this time I mean it” and it occurs to me if John Tory is having as much trouble connecting with the rest of the electorate as he is me, then he’s in real trouble.

Hangovers and a bad case of the zactly’s aside, here’s how that article cited above might have went:

Finally a Policy Idea I Can Raise a Glass Too.

Back in mid-august we were entertaining our young nephew, who lives in Ottawa. His parents were on their way down to pick him up after a few day stay at our house, and I had no beer in the house. So we were puttering around Friday night, not expecting his parents until after 11:00, and I decided to pick up some beer, in case they were thirsty after their long drive. It was 9:15 on a Friday night, and I was out of luck. Both the Hespeler beer and liquor stores were closed. 9:15 on a Friday night in the middle of the summer.

Thus was born a beer and liquor store abolitionist.

So when John Tory announced yesterday that he would look at selling beer and wine in corner stores he made me sit up and take notice.

Now granted, nothing drastic from our man Tory. Just a few trial locations, study the question: as if Quebec, Alberta and B.C., the U.S.A. and Europe are not test location enough. Really, the data exists, the idea works. But from baby steps like this comes full fledged working policy, so I’ll take what I can get.

And don’t give me any of that “minors will have an easier time getting alcohol,” argument. When I was growing up the beer and liquor stores were the one place you could get alcohol, but try and get into a privately operated bar, and no dice. The same still holds true, and it holds true for a reason. There is no repercussions, either to the unionized employee or the store itself, if somebody sells to a minor in a government run store. But a private operation has much to lose, including their licence, their employees face dismissal for transgressions. There is no reason to believe the same will not hold true at convenience stores.

And please John, tell me you also mean grocery stores: for the environments sake if no other reason. I’m forever making an extra trip instead of grabbing a bottle/few cans of Guinness at the grocery store.

All that said, John Tory is looking for a trial location for his project, I have a little village in mind that needs a place were beer can be had after 9:00 on a Friday night.

Food, freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy, John 'Red Green' Tory, John Tory, Ontario Election, pimply minions of bureaucracy

Big, BIG ole h/t to Joanne, who really has this story covered, but I’ll add what I can.

This post will back track to June 06, when I ran a story about Caledonia, and the natives claim on ten KM from the Grand River. As I noted, “Brantford, Kitchener, much of Waterloo, Fergus and my beloved Hespeler is on their hit list.” Today they added Guelph, somewhat arbitrarily it seems, but who’s keeping count.

Joanne talks about the Haldeman tract, which is that 10KM strip from the grand, a picture of which is here.

Have a peek at the area covered by the track, and understand that Native Groups today declared it’s theirs.

Dalton McGuinty was last seen running away from the scene, and threatening CHCH news to not a run their story about it.

Update: It seems Caledonia Wake Up Call was right on the money

We are about to find out just how Biased the Toronto Media is. We all remember how the media spent endless hours covering how controlling Harper (Conservatives) was over the media.

Now we have a clear, direct threat to a Media Outlet by McGuinty’s Campaign Office, so let’s see whether the media will cover this story to the same degree.

I can find one reference to Premier McGuinty threatening a media outlet if they ran a story.

Dalton Dalton Dalton, Land Claims, Ontario Election, Silly Liberals

Is it going to be declared a new holiday, or will you just ban working on the third Monday in February?

And the reasons given by Jim Watson, Minister of Health Promotion (was Minister of Saying Please and Thank-you taken?), for creating Family Day: Statutory holidays are good for the tourism industry. Maybe in August, but in mid-February Jim, don’t call me Dr., Watson thinks I’m, what, heading to the beach in Goderich? Taking the family to Algonquin Park? Good for tourism in the tropics, where no doubt four day weekend packages to the cayman islands will start springing up, but will Orillia really see a boost? Tourism Carolina can boast about 60 degrees and sunny only 12 hours away, but the Minister of Diddley Squat thinks a February holiday will be good for Ontario tourism?

I think not Sherlock.

Dalton Dalton Dalton, Ontario Election

Well labour day is past, summer unofficially over and election season begins here in Ontario. This is not just an election for Premier, between two very left Liberal types, John “Red” Tory and Dalton McGuinty, but also a referendum on proportional representation (PR), or non-democratic democracy. I’m not a fan of PR, but will wait until later in the election to detail my objections.

It is, frankly, a hard election to get very excited over as John Tory is the very definition of a Red Tory (Red by ideology, Tory by name), and Dalton is a classic Liberal (lie like a b@@tard). For a conservative voter, this dog don’t hunt. Economists like to model a scenario they call the prisoner’s dilemma, this election is looking like the taxpayers dilemma.

Which leads to the question, where does a blogger go to get Hemlock? and how do you self-administer a dose?

I wish Monty Brewster was here.

Bad Movies, Ontario Election, PR.

Hmmm. Hidden camera’s at a Tory convention? Ads of John Tory being evasive? Cut and Pastes of Tory bloggers speaking poorly of John Tory? (without links, in case your looking for integrity). Looks like it’s going to be a dirty campaign, and looks like it’s started.

I just wish I liked anybody in this campaign so I could join the fun.

Dalton, John Tory, Ontario Election, Silly Liberals