Saturday 27 March 2021

Cuomo: Enough Already. Resign.

IMHO, this is a test case of what happens when ego runs amok. Allegations are snowballing but so far, nothing has been proven -- or disproven in court. Let the case be made and then justice will render a verdict. That's the legal argument and so it should be.

But now, we'll get down to brass tacks -- to raw politics in and off the streets -- and hey, Cuomo's situation is at best incredibly difficult politically and at worst, simply untenable. Again, I'm only talking politically. When this first started, I was in the camp of unpaid leave but as this snowballed and culminated into Mount Everest, I came to see this as practically hopeless.

Cuomo needs to put his state first and his own legal predicament second. Quite simply, a governor cannot discharge his powers of office and function in the best interests of New York state under these conditions. So Andrew, bite the bullet and get the hell out of there and let the chips fall where they may going forward. And if you need help, then ask yourself quite simply what Mario would have done.


Saturday 20 March 2021

How O'Toole Saves The Day On Climate Change.

Erin's convention speech was a good start but it was in fact only a beginning -- in reality, baby steps. This convention made history what with it being packed at the association level with special-interest delegates. You know special interests, those people who have a higher agenda that they fight for and who quite frankly, mostly couldn't care less if the CPC wins power. All they're really about is controlling the party and pushing their agenda forward come hell or high water. 

And who's fault is that? First and foremost, it's the responsibility of regional and provincial caucus lieutenants who are supposed to have a droit de regard on what members are up to in their province or territory. Next comes the paid regional party organizers whose job it is to make damned sure that the party reflects in each riding the aspirations and will of the leader on the vital issues affecting Canadians and their country. In short, this is an epic fail, period.

Those of us who happen to be members but are largely on the outside of the party and caucus could see this doozy coming from a mile away. The convention was hijacked before it even began and now, heads must roll for that.

That means that the leader has to lay down the law and repeatedly so on the issue of climate change and any other absolute nonsense resolutions that were adopted by the membership. Everyone who happens to be sentient with even a modicum of brains knows that climate change is, at the very least, an existential issue for Canada and this planet as a whole.

I know it. O'Toole knows it. Caucus largely knows it. And the party bloody well better know it, otherwise we can forget winning the next election. So Erin, now you get the unpleasant task of coming down on the membership and leaving no daylight between your position and that of a future O'Toole led government. These type of resolutions must be immediately denounced and repudiated.

It's high time and long overdue for our party to get real and thoroughly rid itself of climate change deniers and other dinosaurs who push special agendas even ahead of this planet and country's best interest and incredibly so, those of their own party, that is the only realistic alterative to a Trudeau-led Liberal government. 

Like I said Erin, leadership isn't always nice and comfortable. Sometimes a leader has to be absolutely ruthless and show no mercy. And that time is now with O'Toole knowing that he's got to get an effective handle on this and fast. Otherwise, we'll play right into Justin Trudeau's hands and his fawning supplicants in the media. That would mean game over, even before we get to the polls. So, my message is simple: Erin, lower that hammer down hard and be quick about it.

Saturday 6 March 2021

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 Clears The Senate 50-49!

Thank God. You see, there are two problems in Washington D.C. that immediately come to mind: the first is that part of the ARPA is basically crap when taken from a helicopter money point of view -- you know, where money goes directly from government into the hands of those who badly need it to survive. Manchin killed the fifteen dollar an hour national minimum wage which is long overdue so minimum wage earners can have some kind of quality of life, instead of living from pay check to pay check, and for some, from hand to mouth. I agree with Manchin that federal relief should be targeted -- in fact, it should have been targeted from Day One but you know government, details and a fair distribution of relief money will never be their strong point, but I digress. So, the fifteen dollar minimum wage is the right thing to do, but out. Trouble is, that no matter how noble your goals are, it simply can't pass in a flat-lined economy. Impossible to get there for quite a while going forward. If you take anything from this post, let it be this: the government and The Fed are cooking the books -- you simply can't believe numbers like less than three percent inflation, the official unemployment rate, the level of people newly on unemployment and most importantly, the alleged recovery and growth rate of the American economy. To put it politely, it's all bullshit. Was it Shadow Stats that said that inflation in the United States was now somewhere between seven and ten percent? Only a K-A drinker still thinks we are in deflation given the sticker shock every time you go out and buy the necessities of life: that's called inflation, or more particularly, increasing inflation and it's spreading across the globe.

Problem number two is the mix in the Act: infrastructure spending, money for the states and of course, money for those who are either unemployed or need financial help. I'll keep it generic pretty much because yours truly, like most lawmakers, has not read the bill. In truth, most times they never do. They let the lobbyists write it and then they simply pass it. But again, I digress.

Remember all those balanced budget amendments that were adopted by the states? They went the way of the Dodo and that's why states are desperate for federal help. In other words, it ain't just Democratic or Republican state lawmakers that made this mess, it's both and now they expect Washington to bail them out. That's crappy and not fair to all Americans but it's necessary which Mitch & Company don't get. If you don't bail out the states to the extent that the federal government can, you kill people. Why? Quite simply, because state taxes are already heading to the moon, in so many jurisdictions, and if the feds did nothing, guess how much more state and local taxes would go up? Mitch, hello. Not good for Republican mid-term prospects when you oppose the ARPA when polling apparently shows considerable support across party lines because so many people are at best, desperate and already financially ruined at worst. As far as infrastructure is concerned, well, it's by and large old and often barely maintained because that would be too expensive so the time is now to get going with that part of the Act. 

Meanwhile, the Republican leadership in the Senate and House are still working with their Merrick Garland strategy, incroyable, mais vrai. Their mindset is to give Biden absolutely no victories with Republican help. But the joke is on them because the country seemingly is largely with Biden and the Democrats on a very, very, very, narrow point: helping out individuals and families who are financially challenged in these trying times. THAT'S what wins mid-terms, especially if 2022 is anything like 2020 and this year. But Mitch and Kevin aren't bright enough to get that. That's too bad for them and the Republican caucus in both chambers. Meanwhile, Obama and Garland will get the last laugh when the latter will almost sail into the AG position. Ironically enough, McConnell is going to vote in favour of his nomination, once Cotton ends his holding up of Garland's confirmation. Let the Republicans have more time by all means but don't expect a different result in light of extended testimony. Garland is in. 

Finally, as an aside, I've got to take a few shots at both Mitch and Nancy: I'm pretty Trumanesque about where the buck stops. Seems to me when you blow 13 seats in the House and 4 in the Senate, you should rightfully relinquish your leadership post -- it's called taking personal responsibility but apparently neither McConnell nor Pelosi are in to that at this time...says a lot about the leadership in D.C., doesn't it.

Anyways, may God continue to Bless America and her people. They will ultimately thrive, in spite of politicians like that. We're all at least somewhat biased when it comes to politics but most of us would probably agree that politicians will always act like politicians. That's the only perpetual constant in the Washington Universe.