Letter to the President-elect

Just when you have gone to all the effort to put your "X" in the little box, here comes another election. Fortunately, we don't have to vote this time, as it is the American presidential election. Unfortunately, however, even though we don't get to vote, whatever the outcome is by late tonight will definitely affect us for the next few years, depending on various White House decisions at an international level.

I can't vote there but I can write here, so I want to take a slightly different approach in this week's column, namely, an open letter to today's "winner." I put winner in those levitated double commas (ah yes, quotation marks) because I really wonder who would want to be the president of the USA during these chaotic times. And I trust you remain the USA and don't become the DSA (Divided States of America). So, here goes nothing. Or something.

Dear Mr. President-elect:

Congratulations on your victory. I trust the volume of money, hours, and energy that you poured into this campaign was worth the blood, sweat, and tears. If my math is correct, I understand that you raised and spent more money personally than the annual operating budget of many Third World countries.

Please be a nice boy now and don't insult everyone and everything that gets in your way, like you did for the past two years. If my kids talked that way to anyone, at any time, they would be sent to the doghouse, not to the White House.

By the way, I have a few suggestions how to run your country. I don't know much about running a country of 330 million people (not counting the illegals), but there are some principles that I have learned from running a home of eleven.

1. Stop spending money that you don't have. We are facing serious, serious financial issues because of wanton, careless spending habits. As a family man, if I did that, I would have been bankrupt years ago. In fact, look over at the thousands of citizens in your country who are facing just that. They are microcosms of the government, so be careful.

2. Speaking of money, when you throw money at (or is it throw money away?) those banana republics, those dictatorships, and other fledgling democracies, make sure there is some accountability - especially in the areas of law, education, and health. If I were to throw my money away to any one of my kids, I would like to know what it is being spent on, how useful the purchase will be, and so on. Anything less would be irresponsible on my part.

3. Deal with the problem of people entering your country, be they so-called illegals (coming in to work) or visitors (coming in to shop). I am tired of the grilling I get when I cross the border, with the patrol treating me like I am a neo-terrorist. Mr. President-elect, I can't even even spell al-Quieda. Al Kydah? Elk Hide-a? I come into your country to visit or to spend money. That helps your economy. Don't make it a burden for me to enter.

4. Please leave our natural resources alone. And I am speaking specifically about crude oil and fresh water. I know you have lots and lots of oil reserves both in the land and in the sea. I'm sure you have as many dead dinosaurs as we do. And as for water, go jump in your own lakes.

5. One final note: Could we have some of our hockey teams back? I am thinking of the hockey "hotbeds" of Phoenix, Tampa Bay, and Anaheim. (not). I can see it now: Saskatoon Coyotes, Hamilton Lightning, Halifax Ducks.

That's it for now. I hope my advice helps you get off to a good start. Call me anytime. You'll likely find me trying to make sure my own home is in order. Not a bad thing to be doing in these tough times.

Elections

I'm not sure if I want to ever be an elected official in either Edmonton or Ottawa. So if you have any urge to vote for me, please don't. On the other hand, if you have an urge to buy me a doughnut (note proper spelling) at the R______ P__, please do.

Just a casual reflection of the most-recent election here and the soon-to-be election there makes me shudder. It seems you are only as popular as your most recent poll, and that only counts if you are actually leading.

Let's see: Harper comes back, perhaps not as powerfully as he wanted, but he certainly did increase his government's seats. Dion, on the other hand, lost ground big time, and he is on his way out the proverbial door. In fact, too many of his inner circle supporters(?) are already helping him pack for the one-way trip to Oblivion. (How do you say "Et tu, Brute" in French?)

And to the south of us, there are additional leadership issues. I don't mask my deep admiration for America, and Americans in particular. Nor do I mask my contempt for the left media that eviscerates its right leaders. Truth, I can handle; lies, I can't. The trash talking about Sarah Palin makes me question freedom of speech. If I sat down and wrote certain personal things about Mr. Obama - his race, his religion, his stand on such touchy subjects as abortion, gay rights, illegals (just for starters) – I would be muzzled so quickly, so savagely, that I wouldn't know if I was Marvin or Martha.

Somehow, in our topsy-turvy world, when someone stands up, then stands out, for embracing a more traditional, moral, and thoughtful lifestyle, they are crucified. The only thing missing are the nails. The crowd seems to be still crying, "Away with him (or her)," and a Pilate-like leader is standing nearby, washing his hands of any culpability.

Am I comparing Harper or Palin to Christ? No; that would be sacrilege. I am simply calling to your attention that taking the high road in one's philosophy of leadership is a very unpopular route, one that leads to public attacks, personal vendettas, and general harassment. Teachers or parents that are lax, that maintain low standards, always -- and I repeat 'always' -- produce rotten results. The words chaos, disorder, laziness, and grief come to mind.

There are a lot of things that I could likely disagree with when it comes to Harper and Palin. Throw in a Bush, if you choose. I appreciate a rational Harper, a courageous Palin, and even a bumbling Bush. In the latter's case, I would be thrilled to have a leader, who loves his wife and his country, representing me, rather than some philanderer like Bill Clinton. If you know your American history, you will know that Clinton's conquests were not as rare as once thought.

We need stable leadership in these unstable days. At this point, I don't care what party they represent. I do care, however, whether their personal life is in order, their marriage is in order, and their track record is in order. We must hold our leaders – be they parents, teachers, employers, pastors, peace officers, or politicians -- to a higher-than-normal standard.

For the record: I noticed that a few NDP candidates had to resign before they ever got to October 14. The party should have checked them out before they were nominated, but at least they had the courage to do something once they found out. Kudos to the NDP!

To attack Harper because of his religious beliefs, Palin because of her traditional view of women, or Bush because he isn't the most articulate speaker, is the product of a gutter mentality.

When politicians are mocked on Air Farce (here) or Saturday Night Live (there), each respective show has crossed the line. I would love to see these two shows take on Dion or Biden. Not a chance.

On the leaders' part, they must be marked by integrity, respect, and honour; on the followers' part (that would be us), interestingly enough, they too should be marked by integrity, respect, and honour. Mud-slinging and arrogance have no part at the leadership level, and cheap shots and false accusations have no part at the followership.

So if I ever run for mayor or MLA or MP (or even mayor, for that matter), please don't make fun of me. Stay away from attacking me. That's what they do in the backwaters of India (hello, Orissa) or Iraq (good-bye, Shiite or Sunni). Disagree with my conservative views, if you will, but do it in a civilized manner. And I reserve the right to do the same to any opponents.

So if that offer for a doughnut still stands, I'll take it. Make that a cream puff. Kind of reminds me of me.

Recession?

Last week's election (Canada) and next month's election (United States) have been keeping many of us pre-occupied and distracted from the dreadful economic woes that are facing our respective countries. Somewhere between the Liberals rocking and the Democrats rolling, we have been officially informed about the dreaded "r-word."

I can see the headlines now: "Recession - Coming to a Town near You."

To stave off the said "r-word" ("recession," in case you haven't been watching CBC), the United States government has come up with a very, very big band-aid - a $700 billion dollar one, in fact. That would buy a lot of Big Macs. My response, at a light-hearted level only, is: Please, Uncle George, may I have a couple of Happy Meals?

Seriously, these are desperate financial times for our neighbours to the south, and it's only a matter of time before it hits us here in Canada. Just what shape it takes, who knows for sure? No matter what our politicians assure us (and I do believe they have a sound plan), we need to be prepared for some economic adjustments.

Having been told that a recession is coming, we are more likely to hold back on buying. If we hold back on buying, then the manufacturers and the retailers of our nation suffer a slowdown. If the makers and sellers of Canada slow down, then there is limited growth in the economy. We can't build or buy, so then the economy...oh, well, you get it.

I do know that if you are told something long enough -- whether it is true or not is irrelevent -- you will believe it. The landscape of world history is scattered with various lies, untruths that have led to wars, genocides, and human misery. Thus, if we are told enough times that there is a recession, or that one is coming, we will believe it. We will alter our spending habits, we will conserve our major purchases, we will do with less.

We will, in fact, produce the recession ourselves, if we are not careful.

I am a writer and a teacher and an actor; I am not an economist, by any stretch. But I struggle with those who apparently know what is going on. Are we being given all the facts about the economic woes? Are things really that bad? Is there a hidden agenda? I don't know, but I am not sure that I should rein in my financial plans because of hearsay.

I wonder if money mismanagement, both on the part of the borrowers and the lenders (why do words like "greed," "pride," "deceit" come to mind?), is at the root of this alleged recession. Who says there is one, or that one is coming? We hear the "experts" tell us that, so we immediately slow down and adjust our money matters. In other words, we fulfill their prophecy.

But must we kowtow to the naysayers? We stop because of what we don't know, not because of what we do know. My take on this is that we keep on shopping, buying, selling, and trading. I heard that the best way out of a recession is to spend one's way. You have to have money to spend money, of course. The irony is not lost on me here: More money is being thrown at the banks, so they can borrow to pay back what they ...borrowed..

Part of being a careful money manager is that we pay off our credit cards on time, we arrange mortgages that we can afford, and we do everything we can to shop responsibly. The one thing we don't do is borrow our way out of debt. That's like eating more to lose weight, talking louder to be quiet.

One of the oddest characters in the fables of my childhood was a weird chicken called Chicken Little. You will recall that something bonked him on the head. Without thoroughly investigating the facts, he made some serious assumptions, then went around and around, clucking here and clucking there, convincing others less in the know that the sky was falling. There was no doubt about it; after all, Chicken Little was there when it happened and he repeated it many times.

I think we need to watch out for the Chicken Littles around us, be it in the economic or political world. I am not sure if the (financial) sky is falling. I need to do due diligence myself and check out all the facts before I conclude that the sky is indeed falling.

But what do I know, I'm just a writer.

Majority or Minority?

By the time you read this, unless you are a very slow reader, we will have our federal election behind us. How it is configured (big word "what shape it takes") is something none of us will know until late tonight.

Another Conservative minority government? Let's hope not. A Liberal or NDP majority government? Shoot me now, please. Now. Beyond these three parties, are there any other legitimate political parties in the race? No, I didn't think so, either.

I think being a politician is a thankless job, despite some of the perks during and after one's time in office. What little I know, I think travelling back and forth to Ottawa frequently, the mindless debates on Parliament Hill, plus the handshakes, stumping, and baby-kissing would drive me crazy.

I didn't watch the leaders' debate (English version) the other night, but I did listen to part of it on the radio. I don't know about you, but I was embarrassed with the way the four also-ran parties ganged up on Stephen Harper. By the same token, I was very pleased with how he handled such crass attacks. I don't think perfection is the issue here, but certainly poise is a factor.

Political leaders (read: party leaders, members of parliament, bureaucrats) have a definite responsibility to behave themselves as mature adults when in public, especially when interacting with each other. Is it little wonder that young people have so little respect for the leaders of our land, especially when they carry on as they did in that recently-televised debate?

A majority-led government in Ottawa would serve Canada well. Whereas, a minority-led government (of any stripe) is a weak-kneed, powerless government, constantly beholden to the next largest party, always looking over its shoulder for that dreaded non-confidence vote. And to add insult to injury, when the Conservatives are dependant on the Liberals, you know our whole country's leadership is in trouble.

So, a best-case scenario would be a majority government (as opposed to a minority one), with the NDP as the official opposition. God forbid the province that has the NDP in power (hello, BC and Ontario). Nearly ten years of NDP rule turned that have-province into a have-not-province within a year. Fortunately, Gordon Campbell's Liberals (made up mostly of former Socreds and Conservatives) have restored BC back to a normal and well-deserved have-province. (I will concede that both Manitoba and Saskatchewan had better success with an NDP-led legislative assembly, but they were never robust economies by any stretch.)

But the NDP as the official watchdog would be healthy for Canada. If you ever watch Jack Layton closely, you will see that he would make an excellent Leader of the Opposition. He reminds me of Nelson Riis, the MP for Kamloops-Thompson, during my days of living in Kamloops. Though they are dissimilar, they both were clear-thinking, clear-talking, but also very clearly in the wrong party.

In these days of economic and moral instability, of national and international shifting, we really need a restraining influence and direction at the top. These are not days for reckless decisions, a devil-may-care approach to the turbulence that we are facing the the 21^st century.

I do not carry a card for any federal political party. I have never served on any committee or board for any federal political party. I leave that for others who have the stomach for such things. I speak simply as a concerned citizen that cares about Canada's future.

In the meantime, I am thinking that Stephen Harper would continue to make a great prime minister, a prime minister of a majority government. Here's hoping...

Grateful for...

Thanksgiving Day is just a few days away. For our American cousins, it's a few weeks away. I think I like where our holiday lies, a nice break between Labour Day and Remembrance Day, with Christmas lurking just around the corner.

Among the many things with which we need to train our kid, besides the usual "Excuse me," and "Please, Mom," are a couple of standard phrases, namely, "Thank you," and "Sorry." I personally and sincerely believe that if our kids would get these two expressions ingrained into their soul, there would be less trouble in the classroom, the dinner table, and the workplace.

However, it's the adults (like you and me), I am concerned about today, adults that need a better attitude about gratitude.

As you cruise slowly up to this great holiday, are you actually really thankful for anything or just grateful for nothing? In this land of plenty-plus, we have so much to be appreciative for, but as sure as I am sitting here in my brave seat, we're probably whining about something. Or nothing.

Let me tell you a few things that I am grateful for (and you can register your "amen" or whatever word you choose to show affirmation or dissent):

I am thankful that in a week from today I have a free vote. It may or may not mean a lot, but at least I have the freedom to register a personal choice. Regardless of my political leanings here in Canada, I know I wouldn't have this same liberty in, say, Zimbabwe, Haiti, or North Korea.

I am thankful for a measure of religious tolerance that allows me to worship in a way I strongly believe in, without fear of harm or danger. I see those liberties eroding, but at least I don't live in the state of Orissa, India, where a group of zealots has repeatedly attacked defenceless citizens recently. There have been reports of burning, looting, raping, and killing, though you may not have heard of it. For the record, there is more grief going on in this world than lies in Afghanistan or Iraq. And maybe just not as much oil.

I am thankful that I can eat any food that I want, for one or two reasons. One, I live in a plentiful country with all sorts of choices, and two, I don't think I have any dietary issues that preclude me from enjoying a good pizza or a good doughnut. There will be other, health-related reasons why I shouldn't indulge in such food fare, of course, but that's another discussion.

I am thankful for living in a civilized part of the planet that provides for the hungry, the homeless, and the hurting. Maybe not always the way we think they should, but then, who says the government should be doing it in the first place? There are food banks, street organizations, free and nearly-free accommodations for the homeless. Again, I wonder how many other countries provide this service.

I am thankful, on that note, that I am not one of the homeless. Despite losing a job here or there, as well my house to a fire, I have never been without either a house or a home for the past fifty-four years. Personal space and place is, in my opinion, an important factor in one's well-being.

I am thankful for options when it comes to education, healthcare, and employment. We live in quite a province. To be sure, there are different issues that irritate us, and we somehow have this Big Brother mentality, one that expects the government to do this and that. For myself, I think less government and more people is the way to go. Let's be grateful for what they do and let's get on with the rest.

I am thankful for health and strength. I have a number of friends, and friends of friends, who have already passed away from cancer and heart issues. My little scare of fifteen months ago was a very healthy (pun intended) wake-up call. I can still play Monopoly with the best of them.

And, finally, I am very thankful for my family. By no means do I have a perfect or nearly-perfect family, starting with me. It is no easy task to raise kids in this culture anymore, especially eight of them. It's also no easy task to live with a father like me! And marriage! In a day when it is becoming more and more popular to drop out rather than hang in, I am grateful for mutual commitment to keep going.

Now I don't know how many times you grunted a reluctant "amen," or perhaps something quite the opposite, but guess what: I am grateful that you read this column once again, and if was a encouragement to you, make that a double thanks.