Thank You Stephen Harper

Stephen Harper and I

Stephen Harper has been the best Prime Minister of Canada in my memory.  These have have been the best 10 years of my life.  It wasn't Stephen Harper that made them great but I must acknowledge the man who created the conditions for that to happen.

The GST cuts alone have put thousands of dollars where they belong: in my pocket.  If you bought a house, car or some other big ticket item you can count your savings in the thousands as well.  I'm thankful for the TFSA and the UCCB.  These are things that affect my family directly and I will always respect and appreciate the consideration the Harper Government has shown us.

If Stephen Harper were a monarch I would have called him Harper The Trader.  I'm still amazed at the deals Harper's team was able to reel in.  A trade deal with Europe and another with the nations of the Pacific as well as many others are golden geese that the Harper Conservatives can be most proud of.

Canada's position in a world of turmoil and evil demonstrated courageous morals and emotional discipline.  We can be proud of our clear support for Israel and against Russian aggression.  I'm proud of our humanitarian efforts in the world despite opportunist claims to the contrary.

I used to think of Harper as the accidental Prime Minister.  It seemed so unlikely.  Here we are after almost 10 great years.  How unlikely that he turned out to be the best of them all.  I'm glad he didn't take a walk in the snow.  Stephen Harper ended his tenure as Prime Minister the same way he started it and practiced it; fighting all the way.

 The Economist PM was always a hard sell.  It was never about him honestly.  Conservative voters wanted policies based on values and economics.  Stephen Harper was the delivery man, never the package.  Yet. after all the Minority Years, the Coalition Crisis and even terrorist attacks, I've come to both love and admire this unlikely hero Stephen Harper.

That democratic pendulum has swung ferociously back to the natural governing party now.  There is an eerie symmetry in the accidental Prime Minister being replaced by someone who was born to be one.  These are silver linings of a very dark cloud, but I see hope in Trudeau's easy win.  If Trudeau was aiming at Harper he's managed to hit Mulcair between the eyes.  That's where strategic voting gets you.  Liberals with their shiny pony PM and their majority will have no excuses now.

Conservatives may have lost the mantle of power but Stephen Harper's record is one we can all be proud of.  The Conservative party never had a divine right to govern.  The privilege Canadians have assigned them is of the Loyal Opposition.  It's a job Conservatives, including lowly MP Stephen Harper, are ready and eager to do.

Rally Ho! Experience a Conservative Rally.

Last night Conservatives rallied in Calgary.  I highly recommend attending one of these rallies when Stephen Harper comes to your town.  It's one thing to watch it on CPAC, another thing entirely to be there.

I've captured the essence of being there in this video.  I didn't cut any of the thunderous cheers and applause.  That would take forever and besides what is the point of an event like this if you aren't going to hear things that make you want to shout and clap.  I even left a lot of Jason Kenny's introduction in as well.  It deserves to be heard.

You'll see the view swap to a wide angle and the sound is lower about halfway through.  I had battery issues and had to switch to my backup device.  It still works though.  Harper is that good.



There are a few things you should know before you go.  Don't expect the Prime Minister to be precisely on time.  He's the Prime Minister.  He runs a country and a party and a campaign.  He arrives just when he means to.  It's ok if you are late.  You might have to stand though.  If you are really late, you might be standing behind a hundred or so other people standing.  It's all good though.  You're in good company.  Strike up a conversation.

You are among friends at a rally.  I'd never met most of those good people but I felt I knew them anyway.  We are patriots and active participants in democracy.  It's not enough for us to observe or click 'like' here and there.  The outcome of this election is our personal responsibility.  It's our job to put a face and a friendly smile to our important message: that Canada is the greatest country in the world on purpose.  That is our purpose:  Keeping Canada great through sound fiscal and foreign policy. 

We've seen some of the greatest global upheavals during Stephen Harper's watch and come out on top.  That's how we know Conservative principles can weather any storm and capitalize on every windfall. 

Harper keeps his promises and reaches his goals.  It's an easy sell.  We just need to get the message to enough people.  For that we kindly need your help.

Tax Breaks for Families

I am so glad Stephen Harper is Prime Minister today.

Promises that were made in 2011 are coming true.  Sure they aren't exactly the same promises that were made but they have been adjusted and improved to reflect what critics have already said.

Of course the critics still don't like it.  Boo hoo.  Too flipping bad for you.  It's not an election promise anymore.  Its the government's tax policy.  It's going to be in my pocket, feeding, clothing, and caring for my little boy as I see fit.  These tax breaks are going to pave the way for little bothers and sisters for my little man.  The number of siblings he would have were always in doubt but I'm more confident we'll reach our goals now.

We want a large family.  Large by today's standards is 3 children total.  That's 1 to replace each of us and 0.5 added to the dwindling population.  Family is the fulfillment of our duty to our country and to mankind but most importantly it is the ultimate true expression of love and life.

The most important thing one can do in life is to raise children.  The daycare costs for 3 kids are prohibitively expensive.  We've been discussing at our kitchen table the idea of one of us becoming a full time Mom.  We would save in daycare costs but we could also take in a few kids from the neighborhood.  The income splitting program is suited to this idea exactly.  Who better to look after my kids than their Mom or Dad?    

The socialist parties don't see it that way.  They want me to wait in line and pay fixed rates that they decide that can change any time they decide.  They want me filling out forms and justifying my need for a space.  They want me to be exactly on time at a schedule they will prescribe.  They will fine me if I'm late.  They will give my child's space to someone who will bow and scrape harder than I would.  They will create shortages.   They will create unions of government nannies.  They will create strikes and tax hikes and fees while they use my own children as hostages.

FNU local #999

To hell with that.

My government has clearly shown that families are the number 1 priority.  They will be giving money directly to the next generation and the future of Canada.  These kids are the ones who will shoulder the burden for everyone's retirement.  Even if you chose to die childless, alone, unloved, and forgotten, you will still benefit from helping other families in the long run.

Why should people who choose a certain classic lifestyle be rewarded and not everyone else?  The answer is that producing new citizens is extremely hard and getting harder everywhere.  This is why the birth rate in the west is falling.  All the extra money for making babies is being appropriated by empty headed politicians for their own projects.

I empathize with people who aren't that enthused about this because it doesn't apply to them.  They want a tax break too!  Who doesn't want to keep more of their own money?  -besides limousine liberals.  Everyone wants a tax cut.  So Mr. Harper, give the people more of what they want.

By-election Results Confirm Conservative Fortunes

A bias can include many things but one of those things is a model of reality kept in your mind.  These models are commonly called paradigms or a worldview.  Nothing is more satisfying than having one's worldview born out by events.  You could argue this is an example of confirmation bias.  If it is then I would say that I prefer to have my worldview confirmed rather than shattered.

Monday, our views were confirmed. 

Here are results from ThreeHundredEight.com:

You don't have to be a glass half full person to appreciate what actually happened.  Conservatives won their two seats no matter how you cut it.  It's a burn on the media party.  Their frantic spinning now only proves it.

Yesterday's by-election results have confirmed a few things for Conservatives.

1. The so-called Senate Scandal, pushed hard by media and other malicious actors, is not as important as advertised.  Its a parking ticket.  A parking ticket venomously written up by nasty little pin heads with petty chips on their shoulders.
2. The Liberals and Justin Trudeau are the primary threat to the Conservatives.  People who brush off the third party (or the "turd party" as Chretien liked to say) are deluding themselves.  Romney should be President.  Smith and Hudak should be Premiers.  Don't think any election is in the bag.  The next election is as serious as the coalition crisis of 2008 itself.
3. Layton's NDP was a flash in the pan.  Of all the analysis, the most stark is the NDP in marked decline from 2011.  Largely ignored by the Media Party, this is the most powerful conclusion to be drawn from any of the by-election contests.  Mulcair dramatically played Matlock for the parking ticket Senate affair in parliament and where did it get him?  Down.  Thanks for wasting everyone's time angry Tom. 

Of course I couldn't be happier if Conservatives had swept every riding, but realistically I'm glad to see my expectations for the by-elections fulfilled. 

Our political maps are good.  The shallows and hazards are well marked.  Our course to victory is sound so long as we stay on it.

The Dog That Caught The Car

Well Done CPC!  Well Done PM Harper.  Well done everyone.

1. EU Free Trade Deal
2. End of Long Gun Registry
3. Getting Canada out of Recession
4. Stopping the Coalition
5. Strengthened Military
6. Strengthened Laws

Great!

So what now?  Its a question I've been wondering for a long time now.  Years have gone by since the minority times.  I always trusted that the big brains in the high halls had some kind of plan.  

Its not that they weren't busy.  The EU Trade Deal took years of work to put together and it will take a few more years yet.  It's also a little boring not to mention practically in the bag.  People overwhelmingly support the deal.  There is so much support that even the usual liars are lying about supporting it.

Yawn.  The Base is bored.  We are the Dog that caught the car.  We want the thrill of the heroic challenges we faced down in the past.  We want to do the impossible again.  

In the absence of monumental goals what has filled the vacuum?  Senators and their chronic attendant scandals.  (if there was a 'spit in disgust' punctuation mark I would put it here.)  Like a creeping deadly mold the Senate corrupts all it touches.  That institution has resisted change for over a century.

Let's take down the Senate.  Lets do the impossible again and change the Senate forever.

In fact here is a list of desirable and impossible things the Party can get to work on:

1. Reform the Senate
2. Sell the CBC
3. End all supply management
4. Make a Taxpayer Bill of Rights 
• No combination of governments may require a summation of taxes over 50% of any person's income,
• May not tax naturally occurring molecules essential to life (a life tax)
5. A National Energy Corridor Act 
• to join all 3 coasts in specifically zoned energy corridors to facilitate the unimpeded transport of all forms of energy
6. Legalize Private Health Care
7. 
   

I'm leaving 7 blank.  What would you like to see?

The key thing is that the government needs to get on with it.  Make some waves and take some risks.  We don't need to wait for the election.  We won the election already.  Do it now.

Its ironic that being paralyzed in fear of the next election increases the chance of losing it.  Elections are unpredictable things.  No one should harbor any illusions of the real possibility of losing the next one.

Carpe Diem.