I always find it interesting that people are more likely to vote Conservative the older they grow. That the more life you have lived experiencing this planet, the more you understand the right way to vote. All population demographic studies bear this out, I'm sure with various anomalies scattered throughout. Also the older someone is, the more likely they are to show up to vote. It is comforting that the people with the most life experience are the ones who vote in greatest number, and that they are most likely to vote Tory.
You can start to see the unveiling of some key Coalition strategies for the upcoming session of Parliament. One of them would appear to be attempting to scare seniors into believing that their pension is in jeopardy. It started with a statement by Stockwell Day saying that the government intended to reduce spending to reduce the deficit. The CBC then ran with the story that the Minister "failed to address" concerns of public sector unions that their pensions may not be honoured. First, it is unlikely that the government can legally renege on pre-existing contracts; meaning the CBC was pissed off at the Minister for not saying that he would not do something illegal!
But then enters Jack Layton, the hopeful future Minister of Finance extrapolating the CBC non story on the CBC network to expand to all Canadian seniors. Jack suggested that all pensions in the entire country were in jeopardy because Stockwell Day did not state that he would not do something likely illegal. So where do you expect Coalition forces to focus their attention when parliament resumes. The NDP and the CBC fired off the first tracer fire based on a non statement (as with the foreign abortion assertion), to try and incite fear among women and old people that they are under attack.
We now have Team Iggy back pedaling on the funding of foreign abortions issue, and now we need to make the point to seniors that their pensions are not under attack despite what Jack Layton is saying. Trust me, the NDP's legislative agenda is not conducive to job creation.
Well as a senior, on a pension, I am a target for the nyuck, nyuck, nyuck coalition. I used to vote N.D.P. back when I was in my early 20's. After witnessing the havoc created in the union I was a trustee in by the end justifies the means crowd, I grew up. I would sooner eat a bug than vote for that lame, unfocused, gotcha politics crowd. They have nothing to offer us but more taxes, and believe me "daycare" is no vote getter in my crowd. I am looking at PM Harper as the best P M in my lifetime. Canada is back! We do need any more irresponsible government. I don't want a touchey feely leader I want a tough guy that isn't scared of making a move. That is just what we have in HM PM Harper. Yes I have met him and was pleased to shake his hand.
ReplyDeleteCheers Bubba
Jack Layton is no more interested in the canadian public how many budgets have contents( items) for the things he wanted but went against.
ReplyDeleteI remember when the PM wanted to make serious cuts, but the opposition parties instead of understanding the situation; raised hell instead.
The Coalition and their coalition media will cause major problems ahead; the markets will fall, businesses will simply leave and the unions will flourish.
And yesterday we had the Parliamentary Budget Officer saying the boomers are going to be very expensive to support when they all retire. This on the heels of a number of polls purportedly showing strong support for euthanasia.
ReplyDeleteDo you think seniors should feel threatened ?
Trying to figure out what the coalition of losers might be up to, is the greatest challenge I've faced, in all my years as a political junkie.
ReplyDeleteI've given up, as it would be kind of like trying to solve Rubik's cube, while blindfolded.
My best guess is that, in the few days after the budget, the Libs and Dippers (but not the Bloc) will hold caucus meetings late into the night. There will be vague announcements on how their MPs will vote, but nothing definitive until the actual votes are taken in the House.
The two top Keystone Kops will prove that they can't be trusted to run the country, seeing as they can't even run their own caucuses.
It's been a Lib/Con tradition to try to bribe seniors with minor increases in the OAP. I remember once Diefenbaker, during an election campaign, promised a raise of six dollars a month,which was pretty big compared to the usual one or two dollars they raised it.
ReplyDeleteThe Liberals of the day quickly and derisively nicknamed the Conservatives,"The Six Buck Boys", and they had everyone laughing at the Conservatives.
Seniors today are a lot more sophisticated than they were in Dief's time, many I know are active on the Internet and are fully aware of the machinations of the major political Parties,making it very difficult to "scare" them with BS.
The Lib/NDP's only hope in the seniors group are those who are profoundly old or no longer lucid, but I'm sure if asked, they'll go into the seniors homes and show them how to mark their ballots on election day.
Since 2006 we've watched the Lib-Dips try desperately to find a scandal that will outrage enough voters to oust the Conservatives.It's been a sort of "Opposition By National Inquirer", and most of us are sick and tired of scandal-mongering that isn't accompanied by a platform that clearly indicates WHY we should support someone other than the current government.
Most people realize that crisis management only works during a crisis, the rest of the time it's the worst kind of management,especially when rules,traditions, and laws are swept aside for expediency.
Ignatieff will never get the majority of Canadians to trust him and I think he knows that, and thus they keep on the "chicken little" strategies.
DMorris
It starts early first paycheck and seeing the deductions.
ReplyDeleteThe next is a family or a serious investment mortgage or a car cost $ 40k, taxes! OMFG.
Paying bills and watching every level of government putting their hand out demanding they need to raise taxes to deliver "x".
After 30 years of paying taxes to the system many of us realize the ROT is the system.
Only problem is if you are part of the system living off the ROT.
Team Iffy back pedaling..... it's been like that since January 2009.
ReplyDeleteIffy can't make a decision he sticks to because he just isn't a leader.
He has only even thought about politics and Canada for 4 years.
His first crack at developing legislation, EVER, was a media driven 'reduce Harper's powers'.
Up until that point, it was 'not his problem'.
Good gawd.
Layton et al are living in the past when there were lots of "poor seniors".
ReplyDeleteHowever, in today's world Seniors control the most wealth as a demographic group than any other. Seniors are the prime target for everything in the luxury market from travel to boats, Harleys, vacation homes, high end electronics, etc.
There are, of course, "poor" people in every single demographic - sometimes they are "poor" because of their own poor life choices - sometimes by circumstance but as a group people over 65 are the wealthiest in the country.
The only other "wealthy group as in having the most assets per capita are First Nations and aboriginals. Once again - poor by poor choices or circumstance. We can't do anything about the poor choices except provide some social safety nets to save these people from themselves. As for the poor by circumstance there are also safety nets.
But, as a retired senior myself we are living in amazing times - not extravagent but we worked and saved and planned and made good choices all of our lives so the taxpayer is not somehow "on the hook" just because we got older.
Don't forget Kevin Page saying that pensions were in jeporady.....drip, drip, drip....slowly and incidiously, the various factions of the left play mind games with the Scary Conservative, Hidden agenda meme.
ReplyDeleteI'm a government employee and I can tell you that the useless entity that I have to shell out union dues to every month, the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) didn't waste a minute jumping on the "let's make an issue out of a non-issue" bandwagon. Now we have the "Hands off our pensions" campaign complete with stickers and petitions. For what? PSAC: a union popluated with leftards, femin-nazis and useless tools.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, Jack changed his mind. Yesterday he was on TV talking about how the increased business taxes should go to seniors. Now he's changed his mind to poor people? I guess seniors are out of luck, unless he means poor seniors. Therefore middle class seniors may want to shave their pensions to qualify for Jack's proposed handout.
ReplyDelete