Having fought forest fires as a young man in our Canadian military, we well understood the serious concerns for life and property recently in northern Alberta. The rapidly shifting winds that suddenly endangered the 80,000 citizens of Fort McMurray and gave them so little time to get out of town were well understood. But the […]
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Babel-on-the-Bay: We can also vote for stagnation.
Sometimes humans argue just for the sake of a good argument. It keeps us alive and alert. A friend in Barrie, for example, loves to argue in favour of proportional voting. He knows that we consider the idea backward and a poor solution for Canadians. His answer to our objections is to refuse to read […]
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Trapped in terminal technology.
We have seen it many times over the years. It is government funded attempts at trying to take quantum leaps in technology with computer equipment. It is usually just a disaster in the making. Technology moves too fast. Computer equipment will often be out-of-date when delivered. And it can also be used as an excuse […]
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The Tory’s terribly trying times.
It is hardly the best of times for Canada’s Conservatives. Their former leader has gone on to his reward: oblivion. Oh sure, the Hair is still around but he is now a nonentity. His temporary replacement, Rona Ambrose rode her horse out of the west to try to humanize her party but it seems like […]
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Dignity is needed in Death Bill.
Our parliamentarians need help with Bill C-14, the doctor assisted death bill. They should read On Death and Dying a book published in 1969. It was written by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and remains today as the principal textbook on the human reaction to death. As the times dictated, she did not dwell on doctor-assisted death. If […]
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Carbon Tax or Cap-and-Trade?
It looks like the carbon tax concept has been getting a bad rap. At a time when most people are unaware of the difference between cap-and-trade programs and carbon taxes, these two approaches to trying to control carbon emissions need to be better understood. The most important thing to remember is that the consumer pays […]
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Will Trump tramp on NAFTA if he HAS-TA?
Coming from a large family where half the siblings are in the U.S.A. and the other half in Canada, there is no lack of discussions between us of current affairs in both countries. No subject is sacred. With lots of religions represented as well as the LGBT community, family re-unions can be lively, learning events. […]
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Polls and other time wasters.
A friend in Barrie called and left a message the other day about public opinion polls that said Conservative Leader Patrick Brown was more acceptable as premier than Liberal Kathleen Wynne. He was aghast that a nebbish such as Brown would even be considered as a serious candidate for the job of premier. What he […]
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: With only a little hypocrisy.
There are sunny days and there are also easy days. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had one of those easy days recently. All our PM had to do was go to a sledge hockey game with Prince Harry. The Queen’s favourite grandson was here to promote the Canadian Invictus Games next year before going to the […]
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Donald Trump’s bandwagon.
In the U.S, primaries, we are watching what is known in politics as the bandwagon effect. We have been watching it build for American billionaire Donald Trump. In a lacklustre mob of Republican primary candidates, it was no surprise that Trump started with a lead of around 30 per cent of the Republican votes. Against […]
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Au revoir Pierre Karl.
We finally found out the difference between millionaire Pierre Karl Pèladeau and billionaire Donald Trump. As leader of the separatist Parti Quèbècois, Pierre Karl realized he was a square peg in a round hole. There was nowhere he could take the Quebec separatist party but downhill skiing. Conversely Donald Trump still thinks he is God’s […]
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Waiting for the Left to shine.
If you are old enough to remember hearing the 1960s Les Paul and Mary Ford recording of the World is Waiting for the Sunrise, you might also be wondering when the New Democrats are going to be old enough to know when they are going to shine. And with the success of the federal Liberals […]
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: When controlling media, look like you’re not.
The other day Lisa LaFlamme of CTV News was actually gushing when she said she was reporting from Northern Iraq. She was flattered and delighted to be reporting from just down the road from where the dreaded Daesh, or ISIL or ISIS, or pretenders at being an Islamic State are holed up in the Iraq […]
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Not by half Premier Wynne.
Once again Ontario Premier Kathleen has taken small steps when big steps were needed. She has failed us. She promises much and delivers little. She said she would release the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) report on the Andrew Loku death. What her government has released is just going to cause more distrust of our police […]
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Donald Trump is still a long-shot.
When Babel-on-the-Bay put out a morning line on Donald Trump’s run for the Roses of the American Presidency, 25 to 1 odds was the best we could predict. Nothing has changed to improve his position. Donald Trump is still an out-of-control egoist. As any farmer can tell you, you can paint a pig any color […]
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Donald Trump’s evolution.
The Donald is supposed to be evolving as he emerges from the sewers of the Republican Party primary race. He has invested some money in an old-time political spin doctor who now explains that Trump is in the process of evolving into a persona more suitable to America’s highest office. And if you buy into […]
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Meeting ordinary Canadians at Kananaskis.
You have to hand it to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He really knows how to get out there and meet with ordinary Canadians. And when your cabinet needs to discuss further fixes in Employment Insurance, what better place than another luxury resort. Nestled in a cradle of the Canadian Rockies, Kananaskis is the jewel of […]
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Doors still open to municipal corruption.
If virtue is its own reward, what is the reward for hypocrisy? And what does it mean when municipal politicians tell you that there will be no more corruption when they ban corporate and union donations? What problems does that solve? What is the point when the most important contributions to campaigns are not recognized […]
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: All the Honourable Persons.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau must be looking at the Senate of Canada and wishing he had taken a different approach. There is no guarantee that the honourable persons that he appoints to the Senate will have any more restraint than the returning Senator Mike Duffy. A judge has declared that Duffy’s sense of entitlement was […]
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The Left’s lost moment in time.
Why do so many political writers believe that groupthink is achieved by constantly rewriting history? Never a fan of Ed Broadbent or the Broadbent Institute, it was still dismaying the other day to read a puff-piece in the Toronto Star about the so-called institute. It was promoting itself for activities planned for the next year. […]
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