Editorials are NOT news … they are the comments, and opinions, of an individual

By now some of you have seen, or heard, about two editorials that ran in Kamloops area newspapers yesterday (09/11/12)

One was written by Mel Rothenberger in the Kamloops Daily News; "Rothenburger: Where are the Kamloops Tories?" … 

... the second by Christopher Foulds in Kamloops This Week; "FOULDS: B.C. Conservative discord gives B.C. Liberals jolt of hope".  

I have posted responses to both editorials in the online editions of the newspapers, as well as submitting Letters to the Editors.

My comments to Mel, at the Kamloops Daily News, were as follows:

I'm puzzled by your comments Mel.

As I stated to you yesterday when you called, the BC Conservative Party has been clear for quite some time now, that candidates across the province would be nominated by Constituency Associations, in the later part of the year. Just because you are NOT privy to information you wish to have (before you retire) on who will be running, is unfortunate.

That said, we are moving forward on our timetable, not yours.

To Christopher at Kamloops This Week, the comments I posted online, and sent as a Letter to the Editor were as follows:

You have said that I have, "unquestionable allegiance to the party" -- fair enough. I would say that your comments in this editorial have basically been fair, and to the point.

Some may question whether John Cummins is the right person to ...lead the party -- fair enough, and that will be decided, and put to rest, on September 22nd.

No one person, or group of persons, IS the BC Conservative Party. It's strength is in the entire membership who are the grassroots foundation and core of the party... and who have the important task of ensuring we focus on a message of accountability, fiscal responsibility, and integrity in government.

Oh ... but wait a minute … it does actually make sense after all.

How can anyone think that a having new Municipal Auditor General (MAG), imposed on municipalities by the provincial government, will be anything more than a way to deflect from the BC Liberal governments own poor management of taxpayer resources???

Kamloops city councilor John DeCicco was quoted in a Kamloops Daily News story saying, "It's going to be given to us whether we like it or not. The resolution is to disagree, but for the UBCM executive to work with the province on it ... concerns we had ... costs for small municipalities ... shouldn't be a burden."

He also indicated another big sticking point with the whole concept and idea; the related costs for this new position, and the costs to do the audits.

"Who's going to pay for it? It starts from the province, but it goes down to you and I”

Common sense is not a political philosophy of the left or the right

John Cummins speaking
in Kamloops (May 26)

In the past few days, soon to be leader of the BC Conservative Party, John Cummins, has been meeting and talking to people in the Thompson Okanagan region.

In Vernon just the other day he stated, “People are tired with the choices they have and the last election is proof of that when 48 per cent of British Columbians stayed home, they didn’t like either choice”

This morning I spoke with Jim Harrison from CHNL Radio who asked about some of the things the party is looking at with regards to policy – one of the things I mentioned is that policy is going to be common sense, and that people will be able to support it because of that very reason.