Well, that's that then.

Why do we buy into pundit commentary that looks at an event that happened in some minute this morning, from which that pundit determines the future is destined and written in stone?

Hope that political pundit has not been writing investment advice.

So, RIM (sorry to pick on RIM) or Fiat, or Ford, or GM had an interesting day Mach 31, 2009.  That's it then.  RIM will fly to the moon, buy shares NOW!  Ford is going down with its Detroit associates.  Run from Ford, fast!  Well RIM looks lie it will rebound at least somewhat from its recent lows.  Ford did not follow its Detroit brethren into bankruptcy.

You get the idea.

"The Liberals are toast in Alberta!  Look at the last election!"

No matter it was mostly Liberals that helped with the defeat of Nanny Dani's WR in defense of their province and helped with the election of the Redford PC's.  That sounds a lot like fresh bread and far from toast.  That is in fact a lot of influence and clout.

"Liberals can't move from the May 2, 2011 popular vote federally!"

Well, on the other hand even the punditry acknowledged that the Liberals have time to rebuild carefully, not frenetically pursue the Next Messiah.  And what are the Liberals doing?  Why carefully rebuilding!  Who'd a thunk!

We have to remember that the punditry has to say something catchy to generate eyes on ink. And the punditry has to do so everyday.  How much calm consideration and allowance for time to enable things to happen can that imperative tolerate?

As the saying goes: "Stay Calm.  Be Brave.  Read the signs."  (Stolen from Tom King.)

Democratic Institutions and Calgary SW

Calgary SW Liberals and Democratic Institutions

I apologize ahead of time for this rather long epistle. However, please bear with me and read this through to the end. This is the most important message I have attempted to send, perhaps ever.

Democratic Institutions

We are about to have a federal election over protection of our democratic institutions.

“Democratic institutions! What are you talking about? Who cares! Sounds like some abstract thing eggheads in Ottawa like to blab on about! What's that got to do with me? I didn't ask for this! Let me keep my job so I have some money for friends and stuff I enjoy. That's what's important to me.”, are some of the comments I have heard.

Well, as I see it, our democratic institutions set the rules in the labour market, in the consumer market, how we organize community activities, enable every sort of transaction to take place including simple social exchanges via internet connection. Democratic institutions balance power against the right to expect fairness and equality in society. Democratic institutions are the means by which we make the concept of one-person-one-vote a daily reality.

So in government, we elect people to represent us in setting the rules and framework for how we deal with each other in society. They are responsible representatives in that they don't simply parrot what the majority tell them to do. They are expected to use their knowledge and judgement to examine all sides of the issue, remember the principles on which we base our society, then determine a course of action. We hold them responsible for their decisions and actions by choosing to re-elect them to another term in office or not.

The issue at stake here is one of openness to parliament. That means openness to each and every one of us. We all elect people to office to participate in the affairs of government on our behalf. No one elects someone to sit out in the hall until the next election comes along to see if our representative will be part of the governing group. We expect every member of parliament to exercise our power we have entrusted to them.

However, some members of parliament have been chosen to form the government and take the lead on deciding the direction of society through its government. The rest of the members have a responsibility to introduce alternate ideas to government and to question the government's actions and challenge its judgement. In order for all the members to do their job, they, each one of them, must have access to the information the government has that it used to arrive at its decision. In medical practice, this is called “Informed Consent”, whereby a patient cannot be expected to make a decision about her or his own life without full disclosure from the practitioner as to what the implications of that decision are. Juries and judges, likewise, need to know all the relevant and material facts when they render a decision. That means that no member of parliament can be expected to vote for or against, or propose amendments to, a government proposal without knowing all the facts.

We have long accepted that as a necessity to the exercise of good government. Pretty sound reasoning, it seems to me.

This government has been found guilty of not providing all members of parliament with the facts necessary to enable a knowledgeable decision. That's what is meant by this instance of Contempt of Parliament. That means that this government has contempt for every Canadian because it will not allow every Canadian's elected representative to carry out the obligation we have entrusted her or him to do.

This is the first time in the history of the British Commonwealth that any government has been found guilty of having Contempt for the Parliament it was elected to lead!

Now, does this matter to the objectors I noted at the start of this? Well, perhaps it's important to keep one's job and to have an opportunity to find another one and expect to not lose one's job arbitrarily. Perhaps it's important to continue to afford the social connectivity the Internet provides. Perhaps it's important to have recreational opportunities in parks and facilities. Perhaps it's important to have emergency services to protect us in time of crisis. Perhaps it's important to have developmental opportunities through education, the arts, sports, social interaction, all enabled by society working through its government.

Just just in case none of these is important and it's still hard to see in the grand scheme of things why democratic institutions are important, perhaps we should ask some who have not always had these. Ask Bosnians. Ask Croatians. Ask Czechs. Ask Slovaks. Ask Indians. Ask Tunisians. Ask Lybians. Ask Egyptians. Ask Lebanese. Ask Syrians. Ask Pakistanis. Ask Serbs. Ask Jordanians. Ask Tibetans. Ask Chinese. Ask Mayanmarans. Ask Algerians. Ask Nepalese. Ask Albanians. Ask Morroccans. Ask Cypriots. Ask Greeks. Ask Bengalis. Ask the French. Ask Italians. Ask Germans. Ask Koreans. Ask any Canadian family who had a soldier defending democratic institutions in two world wars and nearly innumerable peace-keeping missions around the world.

Amazingly, the current series of crises in the Middle East and North Africa were triggered by one man who was not allowed to pursue his only means of income, selling his fruit and vegetables from his cart on the street in Tunisia. One police officer abused her authority by slapping his face, banning him from the street and tipping his cart with no cause. That seemingly simple and minor injustice by a bully triggered people all through those regions to realize the extreme importance of democratic institutions in their own daily lives. More than two months of revolution has been the result!

This is a just election. There has seldom been a more important reason to go to the polls.

So what are we in Calgary SW to do?

I propose that our duly nominated Candidate, Marlene LaMontagne, her lead Campaign Manager, the Board of Directors of the Calgary Southwest Liberal Association, the Executive Committee of that Board, all the Members and Supporters meet to decide how and what we in Calgary Southwest will do in defence of our Democratic Institutions.

I further propose we jointly form a campaign team of managers of various campaign functions. Out of that we form self-directing teams to carry out the various tasks required. We organized our campaign volunteers like this in 1993 with what I think was amazing success. Many friendships were created by that effort in common cause that are with us today.

One thing we did not do in 1993 was go out of our way to include the experience, judgement and personal strength of our Association Executive. That was a terrible oversight for which I as campaign leader must take responsibility. I know the members, supporters and their association suffered for that decision for a long time.

This time around, especially with this compelling need to protect democracy, we will stand united. We need a strong, capable, experienced leadership to carry us through this campaign and support our candidate in the best way we know how. I can tell you, we will never regret making this commitment and carrying it out. We will have a much stronger, more viable and vibrant association because of it.

To begin this process, I have just written to the director of the Braeside Community Association of which I am a member and which is centrally located in the constituency to see what room is available when and for how much.

Imagine, we live in the constituency represented by the first ever Grand Contempter of Parliament in the British Commonwealth!

I, for one, will not sit idly by while I am about to be identified as an enabler of the disabling of thousands of years of human social evolution right here in my own neighbourhood!

Thanks for reading this, thinking about it, talking to your friends and neighbours about it and responding with interest in participating in the meeting and any other effort in way you feel you can.

Liberally Yours,

Mike Klein

Oops! Left standing in the middle of the dance floor?

House Votes to Cancel F-35 Jet Engine Program

The United States House of Representatives, including newly elected conservative Tea Partiers, voted to NOT support the F-35 the Harper Government is married to.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/17/us/politics/17-f-35-engine.html?_r=1&nl=us&emc=politicsemailema1
What are the implications of this? The main proponents of this addition to the military arsenal have been getting cold feet about it for a long time now.

Does that mean Canada's dance partner on this initiative has left the building?

Tory Action Plan Logo

Hi
Is it significant that the Tory Action Plan logo has a high-rising middle finger?

Mushroom Farming

Canadians can be heard chanting, "We're number one! We're number one!".

An academic study clearly shows our government is the worst of five studied in providing access to information.

In the January 9, 2011 Globe and Mail, Dean Beeby of the Canadian Press reports on a University College in London study into the effectiveness of freedom of information laws in Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia. Indeed, we are the least effective.

(see http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/canada-ranks-last-in-freedom-of-information-study/article1863083/ )

Canada's Information commissioner, M. Legault, reports a steady decline in responsiveness with an accelerated pace in the last 5 years.

Because of this PMO's determination to release only well spun yarns to the public, thereby keeping us in the dark, I truly am beginning to understand the life of the mushroom from my own experience.

Parts of the King - correction on November 14

On November, this blogger wrote something I really don't think makes sense.

87 MLA's are not 87 parts of the king because they govern in a democracy. 308 MP's are not 308 parts of the king because they govern in a democracy.

What I actually think makes sense is that each Canadian, each Albertan, in a democracy is an equal part of the government.

For practical reasons we elect people to use their wisdom and judgment to act on behalf of each of us in the act of governing. We, the government (the King), entrust our equally shared role of government to those elected representatives to use responsibly.

We change trustees from time to time through the election process.

It is then by our respective proxies that these elected officials become parts of the "king".

This is our country Canada. This is our province Alberta. We own it equally.

Think about that! We are equal partners in the ownership of the country!

Catalyst for Liberal Action

Ms. Terri Jackson eloquently and forcefully kicks the door open to healthcare reform.

I advise Liberals everywhere to use Ms. Jackson's letter as a call to health delivery reform arms.

More importantly, I strongly urge Liberals across Canada, including in Alberta, to recruit Mr. Duckett and Ms. Jackson to the cause of orienting health care delivery to be a patient driven service, enabling demand to lead where health care should go. Please don't insist they take a blood oath to become Liberals. Instead, respect their knowledge and ability by offering to engage them in the never ending effort to make health care more relevant, effective and efficient for the user/payers.

Stephen Duckett came to Alberta with interesting credentials. His strong public health background might have been the perfect camouflage for a cynical move back to the future where low income people could pay for health care by bringing chickens to the clinic, were they allowed to raise them in the backyard.

Mr. Duckett's wife is upset with his firing as any wife might be under any circumstances. However, she doesn't waste her breath simply leveling a blast at the powers that fired him. She delivers a considered essay describing the dysfunctionality at work and points to better ways of delivering a responsive, responsible patient driven health care system.

Ms. Jackson nails it! Well written, thoughtful letter with many clues to finding a meaningful roadmap to the future of healthcare everywhere, including Alberta.

Alberta made a mistake firing health boss, says Stephen Duckett's wife
Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/Alberta+made+mistake+firing+health+boss+says+Stephen+Duckett+wife/3916229/story.html#ixzz170rZJYVv
LETTER: Firing my husband was a big mistake, Alberta
Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/LETTER+Firing+husband+mistake+Alberta/3916269/story.html#ixzz170rkrCTY

Thank you Ms. Jackson.

Liberals Need Space in the Blab-o-sphere

Michael Luo reports on the development of a Democrat's initiative to counter the Republican-leaning voices commanding much of web-based and talk radio space - the blab-o-sphere- in the United States.

I wonder how Canadians can do the same sort of thing. Why can't liberal think tanks be brought to the fore to develop and support meaningful policies across the spectrum of needs by Canadians, even Canadians resident in only one province?

(see the New York Times article here)
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/23/us/politics/23money.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=a23

Far too much of the Canadian think-tank-o-sphere is far too narrowly focussed on simplistic partisanship supporting the power grasping of the neo-cons.

I think liberals can use our democratic perspective to develop facilities in the think-tank-o-sphere that are more heavily weighted on the think part and less so on the tank part.

Not elected to UNgovern!

The New York Times editorial of Saturday November 13 makes the point of electing people rather forcefully.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/14/opinion/14sun1.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=a211

I think we should take that message seriously. Opposition members are traditionally referred to as "members of the loyal opposition" for very good and sound reason.

If we think of a democratic government as the replacement for the king, we then have - in the case of Canada - 308 equal parts of the king, in the case of Alberta - 87 equal parts of the king.

Just like the various parts of a king, we would not expect some parts to disable the other parts. Rather, we would expect all the parts to figure out how to work together. The majority, or at least leading, party's political philosophy and the principles of that philosophy will be the head and heart of the kingly body, realizing the governance of the whole body in accordance with that philosophy and those principles. So the whole body may get into fights or not, may get slack or fit etc.

However, every part is necessary to the adequate functioning of that body.

In the same way, when people are elected, none are elected to disable the body from functioning or to kill it off with suicide. Yet, the out-of-control extreme partisanship we see all too often is evidence of that exact dysfunction.

Once the election is over, it's over. Time to get on with governing!

Open Mike

Heard an interesting suggestion last evening.

Leader Ignatieff is touring Canada with Town Hall meetings called "Open Mike" meetings.

There could be two huge posters of Mike Pearson, one on each side of the podium to honour a time of civil political discourse in this country epitomized by Liberal Mike Pearson.

Great idea that reminds us that outside of the writ period, even political foes are in this country together.

Today seems a good day to begin such a practice, given armed forces and civilian personnel worked together without consideration of political allegiance to defend this country in times of peril.

Let's Remember.

Coderre/ Kennedy Town Hall

Great event last evening.

Hon. Mssrs. Coderre and Kennedy had many important points to make about their role as Natural Resource critics vis a vis oil sands, renewable energy and their role as opposition.

That latter topic was particularly interesting to me. I'm sure they are working as elected members representing their constituents in government. They are learning what their opposition role is as part of liberal democratic government and are being effective in that role.

They are arming themselves with facts and aspirations of all parties to an issue, oil sand petroleum extraction for example, and working to address government's role in that important and strategic economic sector.

Most importantly, they are determined to help the actors in the sector develop policies to help assure the sector's sustainability, including managing its environmental, economic, social and political impacts.

I think we can be proud of the job our federal Liberals are doing on behalf of all Canadians.

C-428 - What Happened?

Whatever happened to Bill C-428 supporting immigrant families' access to Old Age Security?

Hon. Ruby Dhalla and Hon. Bob Rae moved to protect immigrant seniors with some income support that would have a minor impact on the federal budget. It would, however, have a major impact on attracting the immigrants we need to sustain Canada's economy and help us all thrive.

Seems a pretty small investment in egalitarianism for a pretty large return in business creation, job generation and and resulting tax revenue.

ALP and Swann Certain Also Rans?

So, people spent up to $97 per received vote in US elections and lost! Wow!
(see: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/09/AR2010110900153.html?wpisrc=nl_cuzhead ) (also : http://articles.latimes.com/2010/nov/07/opinion/la-ed-money-20101107 )

Very interesting little event at Broken City last evening where a bright guy confidently pronounced David Swann and the Alberta Liberals as certain also rans in the next Alberta general election.

Given the Nenshi case for winning elections (see http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Nenshi+race/3717226/story.html & http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Election+outcome+tale+energy/3715121/story.html ) and the Angle/ McMahon/ Whitman case for losing elections along with the tone, mood and engagement found in the event yesterday, placing your bets just now might be a tad premature.

There is real opportunity and it relates to the engagement or disengagement of a great many highly motivated and critical wannabe voters.

The change of the campaign process has thrown most of conventional wisdom about campaigning out the window.

Brace for change!

See Nenshi win on Mikes Matters

http://mikesmatters.blogspot.com/2010/10/kelly-crydermans-report-on-nenshi-win.html

I'm always looking for responses!

Thank you Mark

In Sunday's Calgary Herald http://www.calgaryherald.com/columnists/Mikle+Nenshi+liberal+propensity+self+flattery/3718468/story.html , Mr. Milke promptly reminds us that Calgary has been made a great city by more than Mr. Nenshi.

Wow! How quickly we seem to forget those that came before us! ... and those with us still! Thank you for saving us from our ignorant selves!

What would we do without the brain trust apologists for oligarchy to keep us in our place?

We might act democratically!