With that in mind, and without placing too much unwarranted pressure on your fragile consciences, let me suggest a few that I, you, and maybe even the gang in Ottawa (Harper-version, of course) would do well to keep.
1. Keep your hands in your own pockets. At our level, we call that 'stealing'; in Ottawa, it's called 'excessive taxation.' We all work hard to earn what goods and chattel we can purchase, so don't take it from me once it's in my yard or, worse, in my house. In Mr. Harper's case, the stealing often comes before it even gets to the discretionary income level. Some is good, too much is, well, too much. (The good Lord helps us if those others rascals get back in.)
2. Treat everyone you meet with the respect they deserve. The Good Book speaks of 'doing unto others as you would have them do to you' – or at least that's the spirit of the text. If I want to be valued, protected, and honoured, then I should start with me first; that is, I need to start practicing that myself. I should treat those within my immediate jurisdiction (read: family) with value, protection, and honour. Then I need to move on to colleagues, classmates, neighbours, employees/ers, and so forth. We would all be shocked, even though you shouldn't be, how much better our world would become. In fact, we probably wouldn't even mind phoning the odd government agency if they talked to us with a little respect.
3. Mind your manners. You drop it, then pick it up. You open, then close it. You start it, then finish it. (This is not original, I know, but based on what I see and hear, most people haven't understood it.). The link between manners and duty is the word 'consideration.' No one appreciates a boor, no matter how dressed up it may be. Rudeness is still rudeness. That is one of the roles of parents, and it should never be the role of a teacher or an employer – to say nothing of the government.
4. Spend your money wisely. You only have so much to spend, so don't go crazy with money you don't have. We are facing an uncertain economic future big time on a global scale because consumers, bankers, and governments (all are culpable) never heeded this simple advice. Set money aside for major purchases that you anticipate buying. That actually is the good side of taxes, namely, the government pulls money from our taxable income, then in turn paves our highways, keeps our hospitals running, and provides a measure of education for our kids. Okay, okay, that's how it is supposed to work.
5. Expand your horizons. In other words, do something or some things different this year than you have every done before. (But one rule here: keep in mind the first four goals!). For example, you may want to travel somewhere different this year, somewhere other than Waterton or Writing-on-Stone. If you do, be a nice tourist and treat the nationals as humans, not as your personal slaves, and budget for it well in advance of the big day. Knowing that you are not re-mortgaging the marriage will make for a happier holiday.
Who knows what 2009 will bring? Methinks we all need to re-tool how we go about things for the next year or two. After that, there may have been so many positives in our new approach to our lifestyle that we may simply keep on doing things a little better than before. If enough people pursue this higher road, our great Canada would run better – and be run better.
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