Nation, politics is a dirty game. It’s a blood sport. There’s no prize for second place – the winner is the winner, and the loser is exactly that. There are no moral victories, because while you’re patting yourself on the back for “doing your best”, the victor is putting their
Continue readingAuthor: Enlightened Savage
The Enlightened Savage: Poll Dancing
Nation, the first poll of the Alberta 2019 General Election has been released, showing the United Conservative Party of Jason Kenney holding a significant lead over Rachel Notley’s NDP overall, at 49% to 38%. The numbers broken down regionally are somewhat more positive for Notley, as her party holds a
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: Meet Byel
Nation, allow me to introduce you to Byel Doromal. Byel is a family friend – a Philippine national, married, with three daughters. Byel first arrived in Canada on New Year’s Day 2009, sponsored by Tim Horton’s through the Temporary Foreign Worker program. He worked hard, learning the ropes as he
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: Taxing Credulity
Nation, I’m kicking off 2017 on this blog with a simple plea: Don’t be dumb. I’ve watched the hysteria around the NDP’s shiny, new “Carbon Levy” (aka “Carbon Tax” or, if you’re reading from the Jason Kenney talking points, “Job-Killing Carbon Tax”) for a while now, and now that the
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: Taxing Credulity
Nation, I’m kicking off 2017 on this blog with a simple plea: Don’t be dumb. I’ve watched the hysteria around the NDP’s shiny, new “Carbon Levy” (aka “Carbon Tax” or, if you’re reading from the Jason Kenney talking points, “Job-Killing Carbon Tax”) for a while now, and now that the
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: Why Parties Matter More Than I Wish They Did (pt. 1)
Nation, it’s important to me that you understand how much I hate writing this. I have long believed and argued that political parties will be the death of democracy. I haven’t moderated that opinion in the slightest. Parties make it easier for candidates to hoodwink voters into supporting them without
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: Why Parties Matter More Than I Wish They Did (pt. 1)
Nation, it’s important to me that you understand how much I hate writing this. I have long believed and argued that political parties will be the death of democracy. I haven’t moderated that opinion in the slightest. Parties make it easier for candidates to hoodwink voters into supporting them without
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: Half-Cocked
Nation, we woke up this morning to hear that, for the second time in a week, a resident of Calgary was shot and killed by police. We don’t know what happened in this case. It’s being investigated, as are all police-involved shootings, by the provincial ASIRT (Alberta Serious Incident Response
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: Half-Cocked
Nation, we woke up this morning to hear that, for the second time in a week, a resident of Calgary was shot and killed by police. We don’t know what happened in this case. It’s being investigated, as are all police-involved shootings, by the provincial ASIRT (Alberta Serious Incident Response
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: A Matter of Principles
“Two Minute Tory”. These are the words I still hear in my nightmares, several years removed from the last time I had to arbitrate a nomination or leadership vote for the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta. At the time, I was fielding complaints from my fellow PC’s about people who
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: A Matter of Principles
“Two Minute Tory”. These are the words I still hear in my nightmares, several years removed from the last time I had to arbitrate a nomination or leadership vote for the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta. At the time, I was fielding complaints from my fellow PC’s about people who
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: Ten Years
Nation, when I first put virtual pen to paper 10 years ago today, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. My utter lack of recognition about the level of commitment this blog would require of me was fairly evident by the end of the first paragraph, when
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: Ten Years
Nation, when I first put virtual pen to paper 10 years ago today, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. My utter lack of recognition about the level of commitment this blog would require of me was fairly evident by the end of the first paragraph, when
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: Jim Prentice (1956-2016)
Jim Prentice, the 16th Premier of Alberta, has died at age 60 according to multiple reports. While details will be coming fast and furious in the coming days and weeks, and memorials will pour in for the man and the public figure, I will offer relatively little by comparison. I
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: Jim Prentice (1956-2016)
Jim Prentice, the 16th Premier of Alberta, has died at age 60 according to multiple reports. While details will be coming fast and furious in the coming days and weeks, and memorials will pour in for the man and the public figure, I will offer relatively little by comparison. I
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: Show Me The Money
“Alberta doesn’t have a spending problem, it has a revenue problem!” – Economist A “Alberta doesn’t have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem!” – Economist B “Stop oversimplifying a complicated issue in order to sell your book. Alberta has both a revenue AND a spending problem.” – Enlightened Savage Nation, if
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: Show Me The Money
“Alberta doesn’t have a spending problem, it has a revenue problem!” – Economist A “Alberta doesn’t have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem!” – Economist B “Stop oversimplifying a complicated issue in order to sell your book. Alberta has both a revenue AND a spending problem.” – Enlightened Savage Nation, if
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: Show Me The Money
“Alberta doesn’t have a spending problem, it has a revenue problem!” – Economist A “Alberta doesn’t have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem!” – Economist B “Stop oversimplifying a complicated issue in order to sell your book. Alberta has both a revenue AND a spending problem.” – Enlightened Savage Nation, if
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: Voter, Inform Thyself
Nation, one of the great truisms of politics is that “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing”.Voters who know something to be true – or even worse, FEEL it to be true – will latch on to that thing, disregard all other opinions or contrary facts, and w…
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: Voter, Inform Thyself
Nation, one of the great truisms of politics is that “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing”. Voters who know something to be true – or even worse, FEEL it to be true – will latch on to that thing, disregard all other opinions or contrary facts, and will ride
Continue reading