Fighting Battles You Can Not Win

Five decades ago, I was enrolled at George Brown College in the Child Care Worker (now call Child and Youth Worker) program. One of the things that I learnt there was that when working with children, one should never start battles that you can not win. Equally as important - never start a battle in which the cost of winning is higher than the benefits of winning. It seems to me as if the US Democrats could have learnt a valuable lesson if they had attended those classes with me.

While it is tempting to believe that Trump's numerous misdeeds, missteps, outright lies and generally un-presidential behaviours are so obvious that anyone and everyone would vote to impeach him, that clearly is not the case. Moreover, to make that assumption that the US Senate, with its Republican majority would vote against Trump or even ensure that there could be a fair and unbiased hearing -clearly suggests that US Democrats live on a different planet than the rest of us.

It is not clear to me why the US Democrats bothered with the impeachment process. They must have known that the hell would have to freeze over before the Senate would vote to impeach their president. To an outside observer, the fact that the Republican-dominated Senate was allowed to decide on whether or to not allow any testimony is clearly absurd. To ignore the overwhelming amount of evidence that something happened (to decide whether or not it was right or wrong is why we have trials) is, at the very least, irresponsible. However, for the Democrats to pretend that there could have been a fair and impartial hearing of all of the facts was, from the very beginning, pure fantasy. At best, all the Democrats have done is to prove that they are as partisan and as tunnel-visioned as their Republican counterparts.

As an outside, occasional observer - it is good theatre. I suspect for many citizens of the US it is boring,  predictable and in fact not very entertaining. While many of the commentators, or at least those who pretend to be neutral,  liked to suggest that there was something to talk about, that some glorious truths would be revealed - everyone knew that that would not happen. The game was rigged before the judge sat down. By engaging in this farce - in fact, being, at the very least, co-creators of it, the Democrats have demonstrated that their capacity to run the country is as limited as the Republicans. They could have taken the high road and at least tried to make the country work, they could have tried to show that there were alternatives. Instead, they just showed that they were politicians and not very good ones.

I predict that Trump, next November will be elected for his second term. There is no one who, at present is running for the position who has any hope of generating a significant movement away from Trump. And that is a very sad prediction.

Flying on the State's Dime?

I can only imagine the horror and frustration of being a visitor stuck in a place where, whether it is true or not, it feels as if everyone around you is either sick with a sometimes deadly disease or are about to get that disease. If you do go out to buy food - you and everyone else are wearing masks. There are no planes, trains or buses leaving the area and at any rate, you do not want to be with other people in case they are contagious. All you want to do is to get back to Canada - except there are no flights. What is the first thing you and your relatives do? It appears that you demand that Canada do something to solve your problem.

I am never sure if it is the government's responsibility to get citizens out of trouble. I appreciate why one would want the state to do something - individuals must feel powerless. While we generally want the state to stay out of our lives, in times of crisis we expect them to quickly become directly involved. It reminds me of living with a teenager who communicates by slamming doors but then has the audacity to ask for a drive to the mall - then gets upset when you can't do it right away. If we expect that the government has the responsibility to intervene when we ask - then perhaps the government has the right to demand the same level of support from its citizens. It so frequently feels as if assisting citizens in trouble is a one-way street.

However, it is the accepted convention that countries do assist their citizens when they are in difficulty. Or at least they try to. It becomes more difficult when the county is far away and there are relatively few citizens who need rescuing. It seems to me that there are probably not a lot of aeroplanes large enough to fly from central China to North America just hanging around on some runway - waiting to be used. Secondly, I suspect that it is partially the cost - who pays for the flight on an aeroplane that might be half empty? As well, if I was an airline attendant - I am not sure if you could pay me enough to take the risk.

And there would be risks being on a plane full or at least half full of people escaping from the area that is the epicentre of a potential worldwide epidemic. Everyone could wear masks, although there is no scientific proof that an N95 mask does anything to stop the spread of the virus. For people such as myself with a beard, (admittedly my beard may be fuller than some) because a tight seal cannot be achieved, a mask would do little to protect myself or others.  Even if the Canadian citizens were rescued - would they agree to be placed in quarantine for the week or two?

My tax dollars will be used to assist people and I am glad that I live in a country where this is possible. I just wish that those being rescued were a bit more gracious as to how they ask for help or demonstrated some sort of gratitude from benefiting from the largesse of a government who accepts that they can never do enough, fast enough for some people.

Beauty Destroyed -One Sign at a Time

It is common for folks to say that they live in a beautiful part of the country. And they are always right. Every part of this country holds a unique beauty - whether it is the countless Prairie fields filled with incredible yellow canola, the soft blue of flax flowers or huge sunflower plants slowly twisting on their stocks as the sun moves across the sky; whether it is that first glimpse of the mountains an hour or so west of Calgary or the glory of the Canadian shield reflected in the majesty of Lake Superior; whether it is the Gatineau Hills, or those hills around Huntsville showing off their autumn colours - it is an extraordinary land. It doesn't matter whether one is on the ferry to Salt Spring Island or to Argentia, Newfoundland - there is never any doubt that one is being transported to a different world. Every square inch of this land is wonderful and it should be treasured.

The Cowichan Valley with its rivers, its ocean beaches, its sometimes dark forest and generally its benign climate is one of those spots whose beauty deserves to be mentioned. But it is less beautiful than it used to be.

On the Trans-Canada just south of the town of Duncan, on the east side of the highway, there has sprouted up a plethora of large billboards. To be specific - there are large 13 signs jammed into less than 500 metres. The signs are ugly, tacky and a blight on the environment. I suspect as well, that they are highly distracting. I am not sure if anyone actually is swayed to buy whatever is advertised on this large, brightly coloured signs, but to me - there are so many in such a short space that I am overwhelmed, my eyes and brain cannot possibly take in all or any of the information. But the temptation is to try and catch all of the messages as I zip by them - as opposed to watching the cars around me.

From the logo on the signs, it would appear that there are two different companies that have constructed the structures to hold the signs. I assume those two companies pay rent to whoever owns the land and in turn charge a fee to those who which to advertise their products or services. If I could see who was advertising - I would be tempted to write to each of the companies and tell them that I will never buy from them.

There are many ways to let me people know what is available to buy or use - we do not need the roadside littered with ugly commercials.

To Tire or Not To Tire

At the end of last week, there was a little news item that I suspect slip by most people's notice. Apparently, after a week of snow and cold weather, some bright person within BC's transportation ministry wondered whether or not it was time to make snow tires mandatory on all cars during the  "winter' months. The very brief article wondered if the thought was encouraged by ICBC - British Columbia's publically owned insurance company - which has been flooded with numerous accident claims from the Vancouver area. ICBC, for what it is worth, appears to be the only insurance company in North America that continues to lose money year after year. It is woefully badly managed and generally costs more and offers less service than private companies.

It is true that the southern coast of the mainland got a bit of snow last week as did southern Vancouver Island. The rest of BC got more snow but snow is expected and in fact, hoped for in areas of higher elevation and slightly more north. It is also true that the snow, because it was cold enough, did not melt quickly and therefore there were probably a lot more accidents. But I am not sure if I should have to spend $400.00 buying snow tires and then have to spend money every fall and spring getting them changed. There is an alternative - don't drive when it is too slippery.

BC already has laws in place to ensure that where there is a possibility of snow, that people must have snow tires or chains. For example to drive from Duncan to Victoria during the winter months, because the Malahat Highway, because of the elevation, is notorious for snow and ice, one must have snow tires. Similarly, highways north of Duncan or certainly on the mainland are clearly marked as to the legal requirements. My solution is that I do not drive to Victoria during the winter months. In fact, last week when we got nearly 12 inches of snow - I did not drive for a couple of days until the roads were clear.

I appreciate that many people who work in Vancouver need to commute a significant distance to get to work. For most people, missing a day's work is not an option. For those individuals, given the lack of efficient public transit, buying snow tires may be a logical choice.  But it is a choice. I resent the fact that some silly person in some government office, on a slow news day even thinks about taking that choice away for me or anyone else.

There are some solutions - we could fine people who chose to drive on snowy roads without snow tires, we could improve the public transportation system to the point where it is a valid alternative to single-passenger cars plugging up our artery roads or perhaps someone could suggest that Vancouver drivers need some skill development about driving in poor weather conditions.

But do not make me buy snow tires - it is a heavy-handed solution to a local problem.

Buying Political Leadership

In only moments of extreme boredom and near delusion have I ever consider running for a legislative or parliamentary seat. I lack the intelligence for double-speak, the patience to listen to endless to self-serving speeches or the willingness to compromise my values for the greater good (as defined by someone else). I have never in my darkest moments even thought about being a party leader. I cannot imagine, other than a boundless quest for power, why anyone would want to lead a political party in Canada or anywhere else. However, clearly people do aspire to such positions and in the case of those who have or are about to declare their candidacy for head of the Conservative Party of Canada, it can be an expensive process.

The press has reported that within two months, all individuals who have decided to run must submit a   registration fee of $200,000 (non- refundable), plus another $100,000 (refundable). They must also have had 3000 signatures of endorsement from party members. It might be worthwhile to note that according to Statistics Canada the median income for Canadian families in 2017 was  $84,950 (https://www.statista.com/statistics/465739/median-annual-family-income-in-canada-since-1990/). In other words - to run for the leadership of the Conservative Party, the candidates must raise three and half times the median income for a year of a Canadian family just to "toss their hat into the ring". To be fair, the candidates are not allowed to use their own money - this registration must come from donations. It suggests that all of the candidates must have a lot of friends and contacts who have pretty deep pockets. Clearly, a condition of being a candidate is that the individual has the capacity to be an effective fundraiser.

I find it deeply disturbing that any political party can raise the entrance bar so high, that no matter how committed, bright, caring and competent an individual may be, no matter how extraordinary their life experiences may be, there would be no way for that individual to ever become the leader of that political party. Given the requirements for candidacy, it is almost inconceivable that an outsider will enter the race. All who run will be well known, at least to the party elite, and all will have significant and deep connections to specific communities. The Conservative Party may argue that it speaks for the common man/woman, but clearly, the leadership is drawn from a very limited group of people who have nothing in common with most Canadians. On the plus side, by limiting who can run, the Conservative Party has clearly indicated who and what they stand for. I suppose it is sometimes useful to have a party that believes in enhancing some people's lives while ignoring others, that believes that we should trust big business to know what is good for all of us. It is useful because it is so much easier to fight against the enemy when you know who they are.

I believe that being a member in either a provincial legislature or the federal parliament is an honourable profession, one that if it is done with conscience and complete dedication to the community and the country can do much to ensure everyone's life is enhanced and improved.  I suspect that many, if not most people who run do so with the best of intentions. It is unfortunate that so many seem to get waylaid by the constant demands to respond to the politically influential or rich or at least to those with the loudest voices and the deepest pockets.