Something on my Mind: Albexit

As we continue to stagger under the mismanagement of Alberta's greatest resource—its people—I am amazed at the similarity of what Great Britain did recently about their past bondage and future freedom..

Britain has chosen, by the slimmest of margins, to leave an alliance that was choking them to death economically. Alberta is in much the same situation, only it's an internal battle, not an external one.

Britain voted to get out of the European Union, a conglomeration of nations, of which Britain was only one. Here, common Albertans need to think of doing the same with its local, provincial government. Alberta's thinking people need a way to push back the bullies in Edmonton, short of an election in two years.

That, of course, is easier said than done, but it does make for good newspaper column fodder. A referendum comes to mind, but would it work?

I have in front of me a paper that delineates the thousands of jobs lost, the scores of plants and head offices closed or moved, all because of the over-bearing meddling of the European Union. In other words, the people of Britain were abused by outside forces, with little input on their part.

The Union has bled Britain dry (directly and indirectly), and by doing so, has now become a real life lesson (read: warning) for what is happening in Alberta. The chief connection between the two scenarios is simply this: How do we deal deal with abusive authorities that bully their people?

"Brexit," as you know, is a blending of the words Britain and exit, much like smog is a blending of smoke and fog, and motel is a blending of motor and hotel. Grammatically-speaking, , the technical word for this is "portmanteau." Hence, "Albexit" is a combination of Alberta and exit.

While many people individually are fleeing from Alberta (thus creating their own Albexit) for a host of reasons, Alberta itself isn't going anywhere.

"Alberta isn't going anywhere" can be taken a number of ways—take your pick.

And leaving Alberta isn't an option for a lot of us. This is our home. Why should we be be forced to flee like fiscal and moral refugees because we have a government that is hell-bent on destroying our fair province? And for some reason, if this destruction is not intentional, I'm not sure if suffering under this bumbling leadership is any more comforting.

So the land is here, the people are here, and the government is here. One of them has to give. Well, the earth and dirt that make up Alberta cannot be moved.. And many of us, Alberta-born or Alberta-adopted, have no intention of leaving—though a second mandate for the NDP in 2019 may change that.

So the government itself needs an exit plan--their own Albexit, if you will. Not government itself, of course. You need law and order, governance, and all that. It's the type of government that we have that needs to go. We need a conservative, free enterprise, and competent government.

Voting them out is the most civil, legal means to do it, but can we afford (literally) to wait that long?

We need to be very careful here, then, that we don't fall into the same trap that Britain has, namely take action long after the irreparable damage has been done. Hopefully it's not too late to stop the moral, economical, and environmental bleeding here, brought on by systemic incompetence.

Just wondering if some European country could use 54 politicians and their bureaucratic minions? Maybe somewhere in the European Union: I hear there's an opening for a new country.

Something on my Mind: Another Civil War?

I have been "enjoying" a DVD mini-series on the American Civil War. Even though it was just a documentary—you know, talking heads, still shots, dull music, and old news—I found it fascinating. It filled in some gaps in my American history, especially the Civil War era, 1861-1865.

God bless America, but like 91.5% of Canadians, I really need to bone up on my own Canadian history.

Apart from the entertainment, historical, and academic value of watching the who, what, when, and why of that not-so civil war, I have found an uncanny parallel to what is happening today, 150 years later. In case you're not there, it's the election of one Donald Trump that has brought this on.

In addition to that, there are a whole lot of lines being drawn in the States as I write. (Maurice, some are more "lyings" than lines.) Only a naive bimbo would think that Trump's election was the reason for the unsettledness. Not quite: I think there's a deeper reason.

The first Civil War was essentially about slavery, you know, white people owning and demeaning black people, a very evil practice. Between you and me, considering the possible coming clash, I think there was a lot more at stake, but that was certainly one of the root causes.

Roughly 150 years later, I sense trouble brewing south of the 49th—again, it's not very civil either. This time, though, I suggest that it will be over a different form of slavery: It will be over the vices that people (black and white) are enslaved to, be it worldview or lifestyle,

I cannot fathom the blatant opposition that the left has towards Donald Trump, along with its calculated disgust, public vitriol and venom, and uncontrolled hissy fits. This is coming from the academics, celebrities (more than entertainers, too), and youth.

You know, these are the same clowns that live in ivory towers of inexperience, entitlement, and selfies. My reaction to their outbursts lies somewhere between irritation and fear, if I took their threats seriously.

Believe it or not, I am not even a huge fan of Trump, for a host of reasons. A lot of his principles are suspect, no doubt. As stated here in an earlier column, I was a big supporter of Ted Cruz and Mike Huckabee. But Donald Trump is definitely (and infinitely) better choice than Hillary Clinton.

The left with all their gross inconsistencies and failures are acting like a horde of pouting teenagers. There are threats of disrupting the inauguration, of protesting for 100 days after Trump's election (thanks, Michael Moore). We have retailers banning Trump voters, university profs denouncing Trump-supporting students, and the left mugging "Trumpites" for the same reason.

We even have Hollywood bellowing whenever and wherever they are within yelling distance of a mike. They are a brave bunch, aren't they, mouthing off to their own people?

All I know is Trump is surrounding himself in office the same way he surrounded himself in business—with competent, conservative men and women who will get the job done. That surely doesn't sound like a dictator to me.

I have lost count of the thousands of jobs that are now in the works because Trump will be in office shortly. He is not creating these jobs; he is simply creating the atmosphere for big corporations to create jobs. That speaks volumes for the need to have a free market government in power.

The left speaks of their outrage over his bigotry, fascism, and obnoxiousness, with his lack of diversity and tolerance—all the while being bigoted, fascistic, and obnoxious, disallowing diversity and tolerance themselves. Go figure.

I cannot fathom how simplistic, stupid, and shallow they can be.

I hate to see a re-enactment of another Civil War. You would think America would have learned what true freedom is. After all, anything is freer than the bondage of the past eight years.

Something on my Mind --Part Two

Hope you kept toque (and your head) on over the weekend. For me, it was just the usual 6:00 am start everyday, and with a further adjustment to write "2017" on all my cheques. Okay, so I'm not Mr. Excitement anymore (actually, I never was), but at least I have my mind and body intact.

Here are two more wishes for the New Year for you.

3. a greater accountability in Edmonton. Private education and, by extension, home education, has gone through the wringer these last few years, in general, and these last few months, in particular. Thee government has given the appearance of making sure those schools in question are using the government money appropriately. So far, so good.

But in doing so, the NDP may have revealed their true motive: Is it really about the money, or is it about something bigger? I don't know. But I do know that between all private schools (and most are not religious, by the way), and home schools, they have saved the Alberta government millions upon millions of dollars.

Over the years? No, just last year alone!

I just read where private and home education in the past five years alone have saved the government $750 million. Over the years, then, the answer would be billions of dollars saved. And in order to "save" the government money, by making sure it's spent correctly, it seems the government has hired a bevy of auditors. Let me re-state that: In order to make sure money is not being wasted on "wrong" things, the government appears to have added more staff--or pulled them in from other ministries.

To be honest with you, I don't know how many, for how long, and how much money is being spent. I just know that that there is something terribly wrong with this whole scenario. There needs to be more accountability here (on the government's part)—and I'm only addressing the education fiasco.

Earth to NDP: I have a fairly simple, practical solution: Let the private and home education programmes continue to save the government money and continue to produce great students.

And what about accountability in the area of shortsighted bills (but with far-reaching ramifications) that deal with farm safety, carbon tax, and climate change, just for starters? There have been rallies, protests, newspaper articles, and letters to the editor.

Earth to NDP—are you listening?

In its roots, the NDP was a populist party. They are neio longer populists nor popular these days. One way to improve things would be if they were more accountabie to Albertans.

4 a clear definition of terms. This wish is a real problem here in leftist Alberta, but it applies to any other left-leaning regime, media, and agency—and there are plenty of them everywhere. My simple point is let's all say what we mean and mean what we say.

These are issues I have discussed before, so I don't want to take up your time again. Simply put if we speak of "activists" when we really mean "anarchists," let's just say it. Those who defy conventional processes and institutions, all in the name of their rights (but never their responsibilities), are anarchists.

I am all for peaceful, law-abiding protests. I've done my share in my day. Let's have more of them. Protests are a mark of a free society. But blatant disregard for the law, is wrong.

And when we speak of "traditional marriage," the foundation of every civil and enduring society, let's not re-label it "homophobia." I am not a homophobe because I believe in traditional marriage. I'm not even a homophobe. Why can't I believe in what I believe, without being labelled something that I'm not? That's a pretty irrational and creative language twist.

My wish for you and yours for the New Year (or is it "new year"?) is to think through everything I have written about. It's not just an out-of-touch and out-of-control government these concerns apply to. We all as individuals need to start afresh, to hold to conservative principles, to be more accountable, and to express ourselves accurately.

That would make for a very good New Year.