The weeks news from BC’s wonderful wild and wacky world of politics

Things are continuing to heat up, and get interesting, in BC’s wonderful wild and wacky world of politics.  Without any further ado, let’s get to some of the stories that have made the news … in a big way … and some that perhaps should have …

That’s Christine Clark — no, not Christy — running for B.C. Conservatives in Port Moody by-election

… a devoted conservative, who believes strongly in smaller government and lower taxes as the path to a healthy economy … running because she believes British Columbians deserve a representative in Victoria who will fight to keep taxes low, work to find creative solutions to issues in health care and take back education from union bosses, placing it instead in the hands of parents and school boards … has a wide range of experience, both as a manger and as an entrepreneur …  specializes in the business side of technology and education … proven an effective negotiator, and an analytical, impartial and proactive decision maker and problem solver …

Success of B.C. NDP Leader Dix has Liberals firing blanks

… the just-concluded legislative session showed a different Mr. Dix than many expected. He was measured, pointed in his criticism, supportive of Liberal legislation that made sense, and effective … performance frustrated those on the government benches, who had hoped to contrast a personable Premier against a dour Mr. Dix. It didn’t happen … the Liberals were left railing against a long-ago misdating of a key memo … a serious mistake he has acknowledged many times  …

Michael Smyth: Critics question Trasolini’s motives

 … He was particularly pally with another local Lib by the name of Christy Clark … co-chaired Clark’s 1996 election campaign in Port Moody. She returned the favour by backing him for mayor … If Joe was going to make the jump to provincial politics, everybody assumed it would be as a Liberal …  now that Trasolini has burned his Liberal bridges, the Libs want to burn him but good….

Cummins: Increased deficit demonstrates Liberal government unable to set funding priorities

“… priorities should be maintaining and improving services such as CLBC, sheriffs and education – not these pet projects of the Premier.”  The increase to the deficit undermines the Liberal commitment to balance the budget by 2013/14. While Minister Falcon has stated that it is still possible for the government to meet its target, he has failed to provide a substantive plan for doing so and is backing away from the Liberal’s promise to achieve it.

Clark could roll the dice on spring election

… Christy Clark, gave Penner a hug, and then told reporters his resignation actually might be a good thing for the Liberals. "People want to see us renew.  They want to see some new people come to the table with new ideas, It's an opportunity for us, frankly." … why would you want to "renew" one of your best MLAs, in one of your party's safest seats? … other Liberal MLAs wondering just what the premier was getting at, and there are rumours some of them might be encouraged to retire, so Clark can move those new people and new ideas into position in by-elections...

Given where party membership is now, and where they are polling, it looks like I am not alone

It’s Friday and the end of the week is approaching.  Later this afternoon I’ll have a wrap-up of news stories, but for now here’s a couple of things I’d like to mention and look at.  First, here’s the start to a story (Full hospital postpones surgeries; worse than it has been in a year) that I saw today in the Kamloops Daily News:

Royal Inland Hospital is so full of patients, administrator Marg Brown had to postpone a total of 16 surgeries Wednesday, Thursday and today.  “The staff are working flat out right now,” she said Thursday.

The 16 patients who will be rescheduled were all getting elective procedures and required admission to the hospital. None involved cancer, pediatrics or hip/knee operations, and additional day operations were slotted into cancelled surgery times.  Emergency surgeries continue to get done. Still, Brown said she regretted having to take the step of postponing surgeries — she hasn’t had to do it for a year.

You know what --- I don’t care if they were elective surgeries or not.  These were things that people had planned for --- perhaps made special arrangements for --- some may have traveled for --- and others may have booked time of at work for.

We should NEVER hear, “There’s no room at the Inn” when it comes to hospitals.  Perhaps if they weren't paying thousands of dollars, for fictitious carbon credits, they would have the money they need for beds at the hospitals.   

I guess Christy Clark’s BC Liberal government is just giving us one more example of how this is a government that puts families first!

Meantime, in the Province newspaper today, Michael Smyth had a story entitled, “Clark could roll the dice on spring election”.  He asked some interesting questions of where Christy is going and what she is trying to do … here is part of what he asked and had to say:

… why would you want to "renew" one of your best MLAs, in one of your party's safest seats?  The comment must have other Liberal MLAs wondering just what the premier was getting at … rumours some of them might be encouraged to retire, so Clark can move those new people and new ideas into position in by-elections.  It's a risky strategy … the governing Social Credit Party lost six by-elections in a row … same thing happened to the governing NDP in the 1990s … losing streaks reinforced public perceptions that those doomed governments had to go…

The question has been asked, "Cigarettes are legal so why isn't pot?"

Well it didn’t take long to get some response, and further thoughts, from yesterday’s blog story … The prohibition of cannabis … “is it worth it – or can we do better by trying something else?”  Again these are just a sample of what came in, but it is a fair representation of all comments that have been made …

Cigarettes are legal so why isn't pot?

"You can't legislate morality. Look at drugs. To stop the drug issue … stop buying drugs. Keep it simple. The only person I can change is me."

A response was quick to arrive to that:
The notion that "you can't legislate morality" is philosophically untenable.   All legislation is a reflection of a certain moral code.  

When we set special speed limits in school zones, we do so based on some kind of moral presupposition about the intrinsic value of children - a moral judgement.  When we pass regulations to protect the environment, there is an inherent sense that this is the "right" thing to do ... and that sense of "right" is, at root, a "moral judgement."

When we prohibit murder, it's a reflection of a moral presupposition about the value of human life.

I could go on, but laws are based in collective sociological "morality". The real question is ... "WHOSE morals are we going to legislate?"

Now maybe we have what could be the real reason why it is taking so long to end the HST

It looks like perhaps now we have what could be the reason --- the real reason why it is taking Christy Clark so long to end the HST --- and go back to the previous tax. 

Christy Clark is trying to get a break on paying back the $1.6 billion dollars the BC Liberals took, from the federal government, to implement the HST. 

Here in part is what a Globe and Mail news story had to say today:

.... central to her argument is the notion that by the time it’s repealed, the HST will have been in place in B.C. for two-thirds of the period that was required in the federal-provincial deal which doled out the $1.6-billion....

Read the full story ... BC Premier presses Ottawa for break on HST repayment
... Christy Clark asks Harper government for a discount and a delay on repaying federal funding for soon-to-be-scrapped HST ............

The prohibition of cannabis … “is it worth it – or can we do better by trying something else?”

BC's #1 cash crop -- BC Bud

“There's nothing conservative about banning pot” … so says Doctor Evan Wood in a November 29^th story in the Province newspaper.  I am going to pull several of his comments from the story … however I would recommend that you do read the full story.  Please note, Dr. Wood is a professor of medicine at the University of BC, and a member of Stop the Violence BC.

Imagine an extremely expensive government policy proven to be completely ineffective at achieving its stated objectives. Consider also that whenever this policy is subjected to any kind of impact assessment, the government's own data clearly show that the policy has been ineffective, expensive and fuelled the growth of organized crime. Finally, imagine this remark-able set of circumstances persisting for decades - at great cost to taxpayers and community safety - and yet elected officials say and do nothing to address the status quo.

Does this sound like something most conservative-minded voters would support? Sadly, you don't have to imagine. This policy is marijuana prohibition and it is an unfortunate legacy for conservatives that we have consistently elected right-ward leaning politicians who have been among the strongest defenders of our failed anti-marijuana laws.

The laws of supply and demand, which free-market conservatives hold dear, explain the ongoing warfare between drug cartels, including those operating in the Lower Mainland.  Marijuana prohibition is their biggest cash cow and they have repeatedly shown their willingness to resort to extreme violence to gain or maintain market share.

While a commitment to stronger families is a conservative value often cited to support marijuana prohibition, the policy clearly can-not be credited with helping young families.

Ironically, based on traditional conservative values of family, government accountability and fiscal restraint, B.C. Conservative Party Leader John Cummins should be the first to join the Fraser Institute in supporting a taxation and regulation strategy. The conservative think tank's 2004 report concluded that if we treat marijuana "like any other commodity we can tax it, regulate it, and use the resources the industry generates rather than continue a war against consumption and production that has long since been lost."

That's conservative thinking that British Columbians from across the political spectrum should support.

Click HERE to read the full story:

There is no doubt that Dr. Wood has put together compelling information that says we are fighting a battle that can’t be won … and that we are far better to control production and distribution of marijuana – and tax it for the benefit of all British Columbians (as we do with alcohol and tobacco.

But what do others have to say?

The report does bring up things that cannot be ignored --- basically dismissing the party they came from as irrelevant however, is a BIG mistake

Today in the Victoria Times Colonist, reporter Jack Knox had an article entitled … B.C. Tories tap into worries about costs, gaffes of RCMP.  Early on in the story he makes the following comment:

An hour after word leaked out that Ottawa and the province were - finally! - close to a deal on a new RCMP contract Monday, the B.C. Conservatives issued a report calling the Mounties "inept and outdated."

Not that what the Conservatives say carries much weight, as they haven't elected an MLA since the 1970s. But in calling for B.C. to look at forming its own police force, they did drag up criticisms that, fair or not, neither the politicians nor the RCMP can afford to ignore.

There are many things to consider in this report, prepared for the BC Conservative Party by former Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Brian Peckford, and they do bear consideration. 

That aside … my attention was caught by the very beginning of the story. 

82 year old Betty Krawczyk is a repeat offender … Jack Froese and Randall Hopley went free

On Sunday, CTV News ran a story, regarding a government study, which indicated tougher sentences don't deter crime.  While initially about drunk drivers, the story did use information gathered, to comment about deterrence with stronger jail terms.



Study says tougher sentences don't deter crime.



I am going the ask the question however, should the purpose of jail terms ONLY be to deter crime --- or perhaps should we be considering the safety of others --- in other words the protection of Canadians??  Before we consider that however, let's look at a few facts in the story.

• first they said that 57% re-offended within five years

• the severity of the first sentence seemed to have no impact on the behaviour of the offender

• they said there appeared to be no evidence showing the consequences of breaking the law had any affect at all on it re-occurring.

"Reconviction rates for all individuals were similar regardless of the sentence received for the initial impaired driving conviction."

In recent weeks many have said that if the affects of increased consequences have no result, then why bother?  Perhaps a better question would be, if the consequences have no results, why are we turning career criminals loose to re-offend again?