Working in Ottawa today --The road to another election

Good morning folks,

I will be working in Ottawa today, and part of tomorrow as well, although I will be heading home in-between.

So we are heading into another federal election.  So we are heading into another federal election.  If it seems that you are hearing a repeating mantra, or that you are hearing or seeing double, don't be alarmed.  You are.

Stephen (Hair club for Men president) Harper, Michael (Just tryin' to be one of the guys) Ignatief, Gilles (why shouldn't Quebec have its own army?) Duceppe or Jack (negotiate, compromise, never give up) Layton, these are the current party leader choices.

And while an interesting question may be, "which of the office seeking Canadians has eaten at Schwartz's in Montréal?", for me it may come down to a strategy vote on how I can help to create another minority gov't.

The Schwartz question is related to the somewhat interesting theory that since the 1970's a federal candidate could ensure a successful majority victory by eating at least one of the famous restaurant's smoked meat sandwiches.  (for maximum eating pleasure, make sure you have extra mustard handy and a few extra pickles).

Pierre (The Playboy) Trudeau, Brian (Smiling Irish Eyes) Mulroney, and Jean (Tough Guy) Chrétien all partook and went on to form majority governments.   Whereas Joe (who?) Clark, Kim (They love me, they really love me) Campbell, and John (Who's fanny can I pat) Turner all declined.  The only anomaly was Paul Martin, who ate, but didn't win a majority.

More on the somewhat interesting front is that there is a new Musical opening on April 1 at Montréal's Centaur Theatre, Schwartz's - The Musical.  Yep, about the very same place.  I hear that at intermission instead of some ice cream you can have a pickle.

Smoked meat aside, why seek a minority gov't?  It is simply that majority governments scare the hell out of me.  I am of the mind that the logical progression of an established country is one that leads it to right wing fascism.

Fascism: a totalitarian philosophy of gov't that glorifies the state and assigns to the state, control over every aspect of national life.

Why Fascism?  Well it's actually its younger brother, Totalitarianism, that occurs, but it's hard to maintain totalitarianism without the distraction of Fascism.

For more fear and loathing, 

See: Totalitarianism

See: Neo Liberalism

I figure as long as two or three political parties are constantly jockeying for position, they have less time to come up with new and interesting ways of screwing with my life and liberty.

Hey, out of time, the plane has landed.  Tune in tomorrow for a brief history of the NDP or presented only in Haiku, that or perhaps a further discussion on the perils and risks of modern man under a technologically sophisticated autocratic gov't --either one sounds like fun ;)

Have a good day, keep looking over your shoulder.