I can't believe he actually accepted my goodwill gesture and offering of the Jets toque. He wouldn't guarantee that he'd wear it as he knocks on doors this afternoon in Brandon East, but he actually took it when I offered it to him on the Keystone concourse a few moments ago. Good stuff. If someone actually photographs him wearing the thing (or, for that matter, symbolically burning it during this afternoon's constitutional discussion), you know where to send it.
Now, on to more serious matters. And I mean really serious.
This morning, Hugh and the Tories broadened their attacks to include not just Gary Doer and Greg Selinger, but also long-dead political economists with a savage take on the world.
In this morning's address, Hugh educated the gathered Tory masses about Thomas Malthus. Malthus predicted in the 19th century that humans would soon run out of food and that government should impose population controls in order to create a more sustainable society. In short, Malthus -- whose work continues to inspire the radical fringe of the green movement -- was a gloomy gus. "If you think Greg Selinger is grumpy, you should have met Thomas Malthus," McFadyen told delegates, not elaborating as to whether 23 Kennedy now has a time machine and the Tory leader has, in fact, met the English demographer in the flesh.
Anyway, McFadyen has an anti-Malthusian way to make Manitoba a have province, and that's by setting the goal of making the population hit the 2 million mark within 20 years. He didn't say exactly how he intends to do this, though in the post-speech scrum I suggested getting people to turn the lights out more often, like some did during the recent Earth Hour, might boost conception rates. He dismissed it, saying he was speaking more about growing the economy. Though he did concede that annexing northwestern Ontario -- while being quick to add, "I'm kidding" -- would help Manitoba reach this goal sooner.
The juxtaposition between Gary Doer and Hugh McFadyen couldn't be more apparent than it was during this speech. McFadyen quoted John Adams, spoke about the Lockean notion of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" and traced the historical evolution of Toryism as the movement that ended the British slave trade, freed slaves in the U.S. and first introduced the notion of human rights to Canada.
I tried to picture Gary Doer speaking about all of these things, but all I could conjure up were recollections of stump speeches where Doer talks about drinking beer and does his Jean Chretien impression. Needless to say, that stuff resonates, whereas I'm not sure reviving the long-dead Malthusian bogeyman really hits home with the folks on the front step.
Maybe it might click if you talk about Thomas Malthus while wearing a Jets toque. Try it, Hugh.
Awesome, simple fun
16 minutes ago
7 comments:
Hmmmmmm , perhaps Baby Hughie is thinking about starting his own Obama - style revolution ? 2 Million in twenty years , I can't see the current population producing 200,000 kids a year for twenty years ( you thought hospitals were overburdened now ! ) , so his answer must be immigration. 200,000 more people a year, would require more hospitals, transit, and police. Where is the money for this ? It's worse than bringing back the Jets. Population growth is fine, but to double the population in 20 years is a little out there.
Someone can't do math. 1 million people over 20 years is 50,000 a year. I just love how the NDP twist things.
What a difference a few decades makes. Remember PET as the Philosopher King of Canadian politics? He may have been a financial disaster but there was no denying his intelligence.
Now we vote for people not because of their intellectual capacity for governmental stewardship but because we like the beer they swill?
I for one hope Hugh keeps up with the intellectual pursuits - if you run $9 billion in spending you should know a thing or two other than how to emulate Jean Chretien or swill a beer.
Oh and Anonymous 12:34 - 2 million people in 20 years is a reasonable demographic growth rate of 3.53% per year. Not to mention 1,000,000 new people divided by 20 years is 50,000 people per year, not 200,000.
Now imagine what continued NDP spending growth of 6% per annum over the next 20 years will do to healthcare and education. As you asked, where is the money for this?
If we are to assume that healthcare costs $4.5 billion now, that puts it at $14.4 billion in 20 years.
It would be nice if the Tories and Hugh had a plan for the fastest growing segment of the Manitoba population...our urban and reserve aborginal population, not only a fast growing demographic, but a demographic with a variety of social, economic and politcal problems that need soultions.
But the PC Party in this province has never really cared about that population and judging from the offhand comments overheard today around the convention, a lot of grass roots Tories are still stuck in the past in their views on this issue, or are just red necks.
The easy solution to this proposal is to allow polygamy. Discuss.
Curtis wrote:
"Anyway, McFadyen has an anti-Malthusian way to make Manitoba a have province, and that's by setting the goal of making the population hit the 2 million mark within 20 years."
I know I know.
A McFadyen government will make every hog in the province a citizen of Manitoba.
This will usher in a new era of pork-barrel politics.
Malthus, eh? Probably another commie from the Pawley days.
Wow, another politician trying to sound intelligent...too bad he doesn't (or his speech writer I suppose) understand Malthus' concept of population and limiting factors. If they did, they would know that doubling a population in 20 years would be a disaster, especially if it occurs in an unnatural way, ie a government herding people in without any real supports for a higher population ie infrastructure, jobs etc. Again, long on grand vision, short on substance (maybe people will just live forever or we can just prop them up to make the numbers, Karen? lol The death rate and birth rate aren't equal so its not as simple as you make it seem), and of course short on votes because the people aren't stupid. If the Tories want to become relevant, find a leader instead of goofs like Stu and Hugh.
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