What next?

Faced with a choice between a prime minister who would use an economic crises as an excuse to break the opposition's knees, and a coalition who wants to overcome the crisis with spending on economic sectors whose economic relevance is in decline (the auto and forestry sectors), I have to say that I really don't like the options at all.

It would be nice if Harper would come back in January, form a coalition of his own, put a couple of the most competent NDP and Liberal representatives in cabinet, and work closely with them to make sure that any stimulus is designed to grow our future potential through investment in people (i.e. education) or targets industries with growth potential. It's sure not what I expect though.

Harper has shown that he is never to be trusted again, since he either a) puts party ahead of country, or b) really thinks that Canada would be better if there was no opposition. However, with pragmatic solutions on the table, I might be willing to pretend for a while.

There is simply no way that I can support an opposition whose claimed raison d'être is to support the auto and forestry sectors. Supporting auto and forestry WORKERS as they shift into industries with a future is one thing. Helping them make more of a product that plain and simply isn't selling isn't going to fix the mess. i.e. - it would be better to pay them to stay home than to make more cars. Making more cars is ultimately deflationary right now, which is undesirable in the present economic climate. Same goes for forestry.

All plans on the table seek to solve new problems in a new era using old-fashioned solutions that are not appropriate to the present need to stimulate economic development in Canada in a manner that targets sustainability while promoting improved productivity in the long run.

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Canada is a thriving multiparty democracy that needs to limit the suffering associated with job losses in the present economy with a strategic eye to creating the conditions that favour entrepreneurship in a sustainable economy.

If any portion of the preceding statement is considered debatable by a significant portion of Canadians, then my understatement of the week is that we could do much better.

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I can't f'in BELIEVE we now have a precedent that allows the PM to shut parliament when he doesn't have the support of the majority of elected representatives!!