Well, since I don’t anticipate this happening on too frequent a basis, I just thought I would crow a tiny bit that Kate was kind enough to link to one of my blog entries on this site on The Shotgun.
And I actually am a subscriber to the Western Standard to boot! 
Heh, my favourite quote today comes from the Winnipeg Free Press:
…Cretien did not apologize for the sponsorship program, saying it was good for the country.
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Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell was billed honorary chairman of the $200-a-plate business dinner where Cretien was to accept the forum’s International Role Model Award.
(Emphasis mine)
Does anyone else find it perverse he is getting a role model award after the sponsorship scandal hit?
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Andrew Coyne in a new blog entry; “ Mr. Dithers? We were too kind ”!
(via Small Dead Animals)
It seems where the government balks (at 2-tier health), capitalism will find a(n end-around) way…
A couple quotes from the editorial page of today’s Winnipeg Free Press:
Timely Medical Alternatives finds cash customers for hospitals in Washington state and collects a fee for every patient it delivers. Canadians fed up with waiting for surgical procedures covered by their public insurance plan assure a steady source of clients for the service.
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In Manitoba as in other provinces, the hospitals and the surgeons are not able to offer hip and knee replacements to all the patients who need them. As a result, some patients wait years and years in great pain, and more or less immobilized by arthritis. Once the pain gets bad enough, some are willing to pay the $20,000 or $25,000 US that the procedure may cost at a U.S. hospital. These people become clients of Timely Medical Alternatives and the other firms in the same line of work that have sprung up because of the innefficiency of Canada’s health services.
Heh, we have such putzes running this country. They would rather see millions of dollars flowing to U.S. hospitals across the border, than admit that we need a 2-tier system in this country. And it is only going to get worse people…
Prime Minister Paul Martin (et, al.) were in full “Conservatives will destroy Canada” mode yesterday when he dropped by Manitoba with a promise to give us $176-million for child-care over the next five years. $26-million per year for the first two years, and $42-million per year for the remaining three years. This is part of a greater $5-billion national child-care program from Febuary’s budget.
Of course, the only way to make sure this money actually gets to the province is to make sure you vote Liberal, since the big bad Conservatives would like to do nothing more than see children crying in the streets because they can’t get into daycare. The part that disturbs me about typing that last sentence is that I believe some Canadians would actually think that way. *sigh*
Stephen Harper, in Calgary, reiterated his position that any and all agreements that are in place between the Federal Government and the Provinces would be honoured should the Conservatives win the next election.
Now, I’m not the greatest at ranting about politics. I usually get so incensed that don’t even know what to say to convey how I am feeling. Today I was lucky enough to see an editorial written by Tom Oleson in the Winnipeg Free Press that gets pretty close to how I feel about the child-care situation.
Unless you are a single parent working for poverty wages, or a welfare mom with children who wants to get back into the work force to make a better life for your family, I don’t want to spend $176 million on day care for your kids.
Blackmailing the people who want child-care?
Mr. Martin came to town yesterday with nothing but pockets full of promises – no actual money… …with the promise of cash to come if only we keep the prime minister in power.
The Conservatives have a different approach. I like to think of it as actually assuming responsibility as an individual or family, instead of handing it to the government (nanny-state) to take care of for you.
They would give tax breaks to families so that people could use the money to pay for day care or to be a stay-at-home parent or whatever they choose. The money would target children rather than day-care spaces. That makes sense to me, but it does not make sense to the day-care industry or to a lot of working parents.
(Emphasis mine)
This makes sense to me. Put the money (via tax credits) back into the hands of the individual families. Let them decide how they want to approach little Johnny’s day-time. Perhaps the credits will be enough that mom or dad can be a stay-at-home parent, or perhaps they will use the credits to purchase a spot for little Johnny in a daycare. If there is enough demand, the market will adjust to it.
Day care is not like health care. It is not a universal need, it is just a widely held want. The only people who need day care are those whom I have already mentioned, the single parents and welfare moms who need help getting on with their lives. … Those people can take some of my money.
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Most people who use day care, however, come from families where both parents want to work or think they have to. This is a matter of choosing priorities. Two incomes offer a better lifestyle, but choices have consequences and everyone should pay themselves for the consequences of the choices they make.
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But that is not my problem, it’s yours. If the two of you want careers, go for it. Just don’t expect me to finance your family’s finances. If you have two incomes, pay for your own day care.
Well said Tom, well said.
“No one can make you feel inferior without your permission.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt
I am still suffering from my cold, and won’t be working out today as well. I am feeling a tiny bit better. I plan to resume working out tomorrow.
That Right Thinking Girl has a new survey (Weekend Survey 9) online. So here are my answers:
1. What movies would you like to live in? (Note: This question was directly lifted from The Sheila Variations. If you haven’t checked her out, you really need to.)
I really, really don’t know. I am such a fan of movies, I am not even sure I could choose a couple.
2. Name one thing you do better than anybody else.
I make an amazing roasted vegetable dish. Everyone always is asking me to make it.
3. What’s your background?
Born and raised in Winnipeg, Canada. My mother was born in Sweden and emmigrated to Canada with her family when she was 4. My dad’s side of the family is from England. I had a fairly typical childhood, and grew up to be the well-adjusted geek I am today
4. If your friends would be completely honest and tell you what they think about you, would you want to know?
Things I would want to know:
I think that’s enough… any more and I might go into a diabetic coma from how sugary my questions are!
5. What’s the last good book you read?
Memoirs of a Geisha
6. If you were a cartoon character, what would your name be, what would you look like, and what would you do?
Speedy Gonzales! Unda-lay!
7. Are you going to buy a copy of my new book?
Didn’t know you had one coming out. Send me the ISBN number and I will read the jacket and get back to you
8. Tell me one thing you are glad you finished.
I am very glad I have finished procrastinating about my lifestyle vis-a-vi my health and fitness. I am very proud of the weight I have lost since mid-Febuary, and I plan to continue to improve my health and fitness for the rest of my life.
9. Give me one piece of wisdom your mother told you.
“It doesn’t matter what you do for the rest of your life; be the Prime Minister of Canada, be a CEO of a corporation, be a janitor, work at a supermarket, or live in poverty volunteering your time until you die. None of those matter as long as you choose what makes you happy. Choose what makes you happy, and the rest of your life will follow.” – my mother.
I can’t say I specifically listened to her advice, but I am trying to live the gist of it
10. Name a few overrated blogs and a few underrated blogs.
I don’t think I know any I consider overrated. I just haven’t been in the blogging world long enough. I think Small Dead Animals is underrated. I certainly think RTG deserves more notice. Given the bashing nature of news reports about Iraq in the media, I think that Friends of Democracy is very underrated.
I stumbled onto Cole’s blog in a round about way, but it is an interesting blog none-the-less. For you see, Cole is only six years old. He dictates his entries to his parents, who make the posts for him.
So, come on and have A Lump of Cole!
(via The Sheila Variations)
An interesting idea… a weekly round-up of recipes posted in the blogging world.
Carnival of the Recipes XXXVII
(via Instapundit)
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