Something on my Mind: The Role and Rule of Government

I would say that in my lifetime the role of government has never been as intrusive yet exclusive as it is now. Intrusive, in the true socialist spirit of interferring with the common citizen's lifestyle, well beyond any government mandate; and exclusive, in the true elitist spirit of a cabal of elected officials doing it for themselves, without consultation or concern for those same common citizens.

One wonders where the balance is in government these days.

Whether it's the mess here in Alberta, or the twin tragedies over in Ontario and Ottawa (provincially and federally, respectively), things have never looked bleaker—in terms of robust, just, and sensible leadership—in decades.

I shudder for what I have to put up with here in Alberta--in particular, over the next three years (until a good government can get elected). And if things don't change by then, I dread what's ahead for my kids and grandkids. And no matter what your political bent is, that includes you and yours.

When I think of the essential values that have marked our nation for the past century or so—warts and all--and how those values and rights have been taken from us (through socialist rules and elitists rights), I wonder about the health of our province and nation, respectively.

Any nation that cannibalizes it's own people, through the butchering of its babies and the dispensing of its disabled, is doomed. Any government that spends more than it takes in cannot surivive. If families had that economic approach, they would go bankrupt in no time; when the government takes that approach, they simply go deeper in unmanageable debt.

So as the government kills the smallest and sickest in its families, and out-spends its intake, year after year, families cannot survive. As we are a nation of families, we are struggling to survive.

Any nation that steals the rights of parents to raise their children the way they are supposed to has, in fact, stolen its present and its future. Any government that isolates its revenue and employment-generating (big) businesses, then discards them as useles entities, is on the wrong path.

Re-stated: first they befriend, then they betray.

Any nation that then turns around and nails small businesses with an untenable minimum wage will not empower its workers—it will lose them. Small businesses cannot pay more wages for less output, so they need to let staff go. That's bad economics, humans-- even a dumb writer like me knows that.

Any government that gives lip service (only) to uphold the human rights of all its citizens, then capriciously undermines any form of freedom of religion, has shot itsef in the foot. Any nation that is apparently liberal (small "L") in its application of the law, unless the citizen in question is of European ancestry, evangelical or Catholic, is guilty of a double standard of the worse degree.

We are being lied to about the environment, climate change, carbon emissions, population growth, finances, choices, and the sanctity of life. The public media are the dupes of the government and we're being fed political, moral, social, and spiritual tripe through every media form and outlet.

Good government rules on behalf of the people, not against the people. A true democracy (rough translation: demo, people; cracy, rule) is where all people have the same rights and privileges, and live within the context of a free and just nation. I do not see that here in Alberta, nor in Ottawa.

The people's government should be there to reward the good and punish the bad. Such sound leadership qualities are taught in the Bible repeatedly. All leadership should be robust, just, and sensible in order to be effective—remember that line?

Bad leadership intrudes on farms, in schools, over mines—even with bathrooms. Bad leadership excludes the voice of the people. We ordinary, common citizens really need to be more vocal, determined, and balanced in our response to these government inequities.

Ironic, isn't it: Those would be marks of good leadership, wouldn't they?

 

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Something on my Mind: Racism in Richmond?

I don't know if you missed me or not, but I recently spent a few days in Richmond, BC. That was my home for my toddler years, my grades 1--12, and most of my post-secondary education. Once I got smart enough, I left Richmond the year I got married—1981, I believe.

I have made the occasional visit back to Richmond over the decades; having a mother there will do that every time.

The Richmond I was raised in was full of open spaces (vegetable fields and cow pastures), single family dwellings (just the odd apartment and high rise), ditches (though they were more like small canals), and a few clusters of ethnics here and there.

Ethnics? The Japanese, for example, were the heart of the then-sleepy fishing village of Steveston, until the beginning of World War II--and you know what happened to them. Few ever came back.

Other than that, there was the usual mix of immigrants and (grand)children of immigrants. That would make me a grandson of immigrants who chummed with other grandsons of other immigrants. I didn't know any better than to enjoy their company.

I am grateful to say that I still do, no matter what their colour or culture is, and no matter how I come across in this column.

The Richmond I visited recently could have easily been mistaken for Taipei, Hong Kong, or Bejing. Between the heavy influx of Chinese from Hong Kong twenty years or so ago, plus the shuffle from mainland China in recent years, there has been a disproportionate amount of Chinese nationals move into Richmond.

I hope I can still say that without sounding racist. I'm just stating a fact, not an opinion.

I also wanted to make a crack about making a phone call, but was afraid I might "Wing" the "Wong" number. (I think I better hold off, just in case the Politically-Correct Police might nab me.)

I have heard that Richmond is now about 75% Chinese. Is that a bad thing? I don't think so. Is that a bad thing to even point out? I don't think so. They need to live somewhere, too, and Richmond is as good a place to live as any. I know they are shrewd buyers, good students, and hard workers, so that can't help but help.

And they pay well for their houses: One reason that Vancouver's real estate market is so out of control is because of these foreign investors. Richmond, being a Vancouver suburb that it is, has many of the same dynamics.

I agree that we need to envelope cultural diversity, maybe just not lose our heads over it. I think it's great, and the Filipino and Korean service clerks here in the South are are a case in point.

Can I even say that without sounding racist? I surely hope so.

If I slip in a negative adjective (such as "stupid," or "ugly," or some other racial slur), then I would be guilty of racism.--but I don't. Again, I think we should celebrate our cultural differences.

One of the blunders we call "multiculturalism" is this walking-on-eggshells mentality we have developed. I have fallen into that trap myself by asking about "racism" twice already in this column.

For example, to my many Mennonite friends, I am considered "English." I don't see that as a slur. That's just a creative way to show we're different from each other. I take no offence in that.

Somehow we have developed a complex whereby we can't talk openly about our differences.

If we ackowledge them—say, skin colour, culture, food preferences, religion, and language—we are seen as racist. How ironic: What could rid us of racism apparently labels us with racism.

Where I draw the line in Richmond is when I cannot read the signs, because an ethnic segment has taken over a locale. That's already happening in parts of Germany, Britain, and Sweden.

Oops: Can I say that without sounding racist?

 

 

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