FROLITICKS

Satirical commentary on Canadian and American current political issues

Nov 9

A New Younger Generation of National Leaders is Emerging

by bcurry

Guess what, as Baby Boomers our time has gone when it comes to political leadership. Take a current look at the recent arrival of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.  He was born on December 25, 1971, and at 43 years old is one of the youngest Canadian Prime Ministers ever. Indeed, looking at the ages of newly elected Members of Parliament, it becomes apparent that fewer and fewer were born before 1965.  A new generation is emerging, representing more of those who make up what has become known as Generation X — those between that ages of 30 and 44.

Indeed, this transition is a good thing. Governments today have to deal with very complicated national and international issues.  These include the impact of globalization on our economic and social lives, work-live balance issues, climate change, rapid technological advances, renewable energy initiatives, etc., etc.  While Baby Boomers may have got the ball rolling, now a new generation of political, social and business leaders must carry the ball forward.  Experience may have been a key factor in the past, but energetic vitality and commitment will be more important attributes for current and future visionary leaders.

An older generation tends to be too preoccupied with the past and maintaining the status quo. What we need today are leaders who are willing to question the status quo and introduce new and more innovative ideas and policies.  They will need to question the existing establishment and the old ways of doing things.  They will have to reflect the views of younger generations raised in a totally new economic and social environment.  Instead of slow and mostly incremental policy development, more drastic and major policies will have to be quickly developed and implemented to tackle today’s most important issues.  Leaders will have to surround themselves with younger, savvy and more proactive advisors; thoroughly knowledgeable about such issues and interested in finding real long-term solutions.

Perhaps the emergence of Justin Trudeau is the first such significant case exemplifying a genuine changing of the guard. I sure hope so for all our sakes and for that of our children and grandchildren.  After all, it’s younger Canadians and Americans – Generation X and Millennials – who are in urgent need of advocacy.

Canada Federal Election Justin Trudeau

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Oct 5

It’s Not More Legislation That’s Necessarily the Solution, It’s Also Enforcement of Existing Laws

by bcurry

President Obama has again referred to the need for more gun control legislation in response to the recent tragic mass shootings at Umpqua Community College in Oregon. As complex societies, we have legislation regulating activities throughout our two nations, including those dealing with public and worker health and safety, the environment, financial institutions, transportation, etc., etc. It would seem that we are well regulated already in most of our daily activities. Yet, terrible things keep happening in communities across North America — be it the mass shootings in Oregon and elsewhere or the train derailment in Lac-Megantic, Quebec that killed dozens of people in 2013.

Years ago in order to reduce so-called ‘government bureaucracy’ and reduce operational expenditures, governments began to introduce the concept of ‘self-regulation’ in a number of areas. This meant that industry had to ensure that businesses were in compliance with the standards found under various forms of existing legislation. It also meant that the regulators would reduce the number of proactive inspections and restrict their interventions to investigating accidents and incidents affecting health and safety, particularly where there were fatalities and injuries. In other words, in a much more reactive mode, enforcement primarily became targeted at violations committed by bad actors. Where violations are found, penalties are imposed in the form of fines and in fewer cases criminal charges.

However, all of this enforcement activity is performed ‘after the fact’. People become sick from unsafe food, water sources are polluted by hazardous materials releases, air quality suffers from high pollutant emissions from diesel vehicles, workers die in coal mine explosions, etc., etc. Fewer inspectors and administrators means less preventive and proactive regulatory activity. Having a registry of persons with mental illness or criminal records is meaningless if states and local authorities don’t provide much needed information to the responsible regulator in a timely and efficient manner. Without the effective enforcement of existing government requirements, more people are going to die at the hands of some mass killer.

Enforcement of standards and regulated activities has to improve in many areas involving societal oversight. Otherwise, more tragedies will occur affecting all of us in one way or another. After all, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Hopefully, politicians will finally recognize this.

Canada Federal Government Gun Control

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Sep 21

Should Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Ever Fly in Canada?

by bcurry

The answer is clearly a resounding “NO”. As a result of the current Canadian federal election underway, the governing Conservative Party is still defending its involvement in a plan to purchase F-35s to replace the current aging fleet of CF-18s. The problem is, Canada can’t afford it and there are several practical reasons why the F-35s don’t make any sense in the Canadian context. Both the New Democratic and Liberal parties have indicated that they would scrap F-35 purchases should they form the next government, and will look at cheaper and more suitable alternative aircraft.

The following are detailed concerns expressed by insiders and recorded by several media outlets in Canada, the U.S. and other countries:*

  • Right from the start, Pentagon officials were warned of the dangers of beginning to produce an aircraft before it was fully tested. (New York Times, 2012)
  • In 2010, Pentagon officials estimated that the planes could cost as much as $5 billion more than previously estimated. That comes on top of a $2.8 billion increase, which brought the total for development alone to $50 billion. (New York Times, 2010)
  • In 2011, S. defence specialist Winslow Wheeler estimated the planes would cost around $148 million apiece or more. (Ottawa Citizen, 2011)
  • The Canadian military does not have the ability to conduct aerial refuelling of the F-35, a must for longer flights in our North. The Defence Department had listed air-to-air refuelling as a mandatory capability for any new fighter aircraft Canada (Ottawa Citizen, 2011)
  • F-35 would not be able to safely land on runways in Canada’s North as those are too short for the fighter. (Ottawa Citizen, 2011)
  • The Pentagon official in charge of the F-35 project said major cracks and “hot spots” had been discovered in the stealth fighter’s airframe, causing further delays and testing. (Postmedia News, 2011)
  • F-35s don’t have the satellite capabilities necessary for communicating in the Arctic. (Postmedia News, 2011)
  • The Pentagon grounded all of its F-35s after a routine inspection found a crack in one of the stealth fighter’s engines. (Postmedia News, 2013)
  • Lockheed needs more foreign orders to realize volume savings. In 2012, Italy cut its planned order 30 percent. Britain and Australia delayed decisions on how many F-35s to buy. Lawmakers in Canada and the Netherlands were questioning the costs. (New York Times, 2012)
  • Several countries, including Britain and Japan, have stated that they may have to cancel their F-35 order in view of the cost overruns, technical problems and delays. (Postmedia News, 2012)
  • Retired Canadian colonel Paul Maillet, an aerospace engineer and former CF-18 fleet manager, said the F-35 does not meet the needs of the government’s Canada First Defence Strategy, a key pillar of which is Arctic sovereignty. “How do you get a single-engine, low-range, low-payload, low-manoeuvrability aircraft that is being optimized for close air support . . . to operate effectively in the North?” he asked. (Postmedia News, 2012)
  • In 2012, Auditor General Michael Ferguson delivered a report highly critical of the Defence Department’s handling of the F-35 project. The auditor general’s report indicated Defence Department officials twisted government rules, withheld information from ministers and Parliament, and whitewashed cost overruns and delays afflicting the F-35 program. (Postmedia News, 2012)
  • The first F-35s were supposed to be delivered to Canada in 2015. The federal government quietly decided in the fall of 2015 to spend $400 million to extend the life of Canada’s CF-18 fighter jets past 2020. (Ottawa Citizen, 2015)
  • With all the delays — full F-35 production is not expected until 2019 — the U.S. military has spent billions to extend the lives of older fighters and buy more of them to fill the gap. (New York Times, 2013)
  • Mark Gunzinger, a retired American Air Force colonel who is now an analyst at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, noted that the F-35 could be too sophisticated for minor conflicts, and its relatively short flight range could be a problem as the Pentagon changes its view of possible threats. (New York Times, 2012)
  • S. air force data demonstrates that single-engine jets have crashed more often. The manufacturer and the government have argued that improvements in technology have made the F-35’s engine more reliable and safer than its predecessors. A report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and Rideau Institute noted: “The single-engine versus twin-engine issue has not been resolved by improvements in the reliability of jet engines”. “Engine failures will still occur, and when they do so away from an airport, a second engine is the only thing that can prevent a crash.” (Canadian Press, 2014)
  • A 2014 government-commissioned report on the F-35 and its competitors shows little difference between the four warplanes when it comes to the vast majority of missions they will be required to perform. The only major exception is fighting against another country, though the report says such an event is “highly unlikely” to occur in the future, and even then, “the government is not obliged to undertake such a mission.” (Ottawa Citizen, 2014)
  • An Industry Canada report said that the four aircraft companies reviewed had all laid out plans for bolstering the Canadian economy with jobs and other benefits should their aircraft be chosen to replace the CF-18. (Ottawa Citizen, 2014)
  • In 2015, the U.S. Government Accountability Office stated that progress had been made on some of the problems that have plagued the controversial jet fighter’s development for years. These include designing a new pilot’s helmet and fixing an issue that resulted in cracks in the aircraft’s frame. But the GAO, which serves as Congress’s independent auditor, said “key gaps” persist that threaten to increase costs and put development even further behind schedule. Problems with the aircraft’s engine have delayed aircraft deliveries and testing. (Ottawa Citizen, 2015)

*In addition to Canada and the U.S., the original F-35 project included Britain, Australia, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Turkey, Israel, Singapore and Japan.

Canada Federal Election Federal Government Justin Trudeau

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Sep 18

Tis the Season for Political Debates

by bcurry

Well summer is coming to an end. Now begins a new season of politicking and televised debates, both in the U.S. and Canada. Don’t get me wrong, I think that televised debates have a place in letting potential voters know about candidates’ policies and their ability to express themselves in a clear and concise manner. Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy were two of the first presidential candidates to have a televised debate. Due to its novelty at the time, millions of Americans and Canadians watched the debate. Kennedy took full advantage of his good looks (i.e. formidable charisma) and speaking style to hammer Nixon in that debate. Kennedy’s photogenic qualities definitely helped him to go on to win his presidential race. Nixon’s image did not come across at all well on the television screen, although he was a good debater.

With the advent of social media and other avenues for displaying one’s politics, the role of television and radio have somewhat diminished. While watching a couple of recent political debates, it seemed like each debater was attempting to get that one memorable stinger against the others — that one 30 second notable quote. Then, it’s up to the media gurus to analyze the results, proclaiming winners and losers. Needless-to-say, political commentators have their biases just like the rest of us. Debating results usually don’t affect the choices of the majority of voters who have already made up their minds or vote along party lines like the robots they are. Candidates today prepare carefully for such debates with the help of media experts, image and speech consultants. Some may even take acting courses. Indeed, it’s often not what you say that counts, but how you say it.

Let’s face it. Television is old school. Most of our younger voters, including those between 25 and 40 years old, will obtain their information through various forms of social media. They do not watch televised news, listen to radio talk shows or read newspapers. The declining ratings for televised debates only highlights this major change. Today’s voters don’t have time to sit through long drawn out debates. When it comes to elections and party politics, all they want are short blips. The “me generation” is just too busy multitasking nowadays.

Federal Election U.S. Primaries

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Aug 19

Two Election Processes – Nothing Very Impressive To Date

by bcurry

The hot summer is here, and people are out and about enjoying the warmer weather. At the same time we are being bombarded by various media in the U.S. and in Canada about the current election processes occurring in both countries. The average person probably couldn’t necessarily care less. However, Donald Trump’s antics in the U.S., Hillary Clinton’s e-mails and Senator Mike Duffy’s “fraud and bribery” trial in Canada have emerged as primary targets for the media and rumour mills. Nothing like a few scandals to get one’s attention!

How about those issues and party politics? When are the candidates really going to get down to brass tacks? So far, parties have been scarce on details and loud on rhetoric. The electoral processes are getting longer and longer and costlier, and the electorate is becoming more bored and disinterested. Millions will be spent on attack ads and media events. However, is the average American or Canadian really all that engaged under the current circumstances? Not really, and the polls tend to support this observation. Most of us would rather just be lying in the sun on a beach somewhere.

Indeed, the issues are important, starting with the economy. Then we have climate change, global and homeland security, structural unemployment, lack of good-paying jobs for young people, hydrocarbon, nuclear and green energies, immigration, urban decline, infrastructure maintenance and development, old age security, health care and aging populations, access to higher education, etc., etc. Maybe we’ll hear more about positions and policies in future debates, but whose going to be listening? We may all be turned off and tuned out by then. It would appear that many people already have made up their minds or will simply vote along party lines.

Well, we are democracies after all. Until something better comes along, I suppose that we have to live with the system as it exists, headaches and all. Good luck with that!

Canada Federal Election

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Jul 27

Could Donald Trump Become President? Sure, Why Not!

by bcurry

Donald Trump wants to be President of the United States of America. Well, maybe he’s not all that crazy. After all, Ronald Reagan was once a former actor whose greatest role was playing the U.S. President for real. He was said to have slept through Cabinet meetings and insisted on having briefing notes of no longer than one page in length. Apparently, this was to accommodate his short span of attention by providing script-like documents. Bill Clinton was well known for failure to keep it in his pants during his entire political career. George W. Bush invented new words or mispronounced actual words, thus becoming the butt of numerous comedians’ jokes. President Bush was given 9/11 as his legacy, and messed it up by invading Iraq under false pretences. Barak Obama became the first African-American President, although many Americans including African-Americans, didn’t think of him as really being black.

So why couldn’t Donald Trump become President? Trump leads all other Republican candidates in the polls at this time. He shoots from the hip, much like Reagan and Bush. His mouth often outruns his brains, not unlike former Presidents. Yet, he has come to represent a significant part of the American electorate that is angry with the state of their politics, the economy and society in general. He represents that portion of the population where the American dream has become a nightmare. He talks about issues like immigration which other candidates have tended to avoid by employing the usual cautious platitudes. He doesn’t rely on carefully-worded positions developed through focus-groups and well paid politically-savvy advisors.

Many Americans, like many Canadians, are frustrated with the current political scene. They feel that the powers that be in Washington and Ottawa do not reflect their real interests. In all truth, can you blame them? When you struggle everyday to make ends meet and good paying jobs are becoming fewer and fewer, you tend to target those fat cats in government and in the corporate world. However, despite Trump himself being a fat cat, he seems to speak for this disgruntled portion of the population. You may not like the things he says or how he says them, but you have to admit that his straight talk is somewhat catchy and to the point. If anything, he once again has become a media darling, which may in the end be his downfall.

Federal Election US US Politics

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Jul 21

Increased Child Care Benefits Payments – Another Pre-election Bribe for Canadian Voters

by bcurry

Well, it must be close to the federal elections in Canada. The government just announced $3 billion in universal benefit payments being sent out to families this month.  It just happens that the announcement comes before the planned October federal election.  On top of which, the federal Minister responsible, Pierre Poilievre, gives a press conference announcing the pay-out dressed in a blue shirt with the Conservative party crest clearly emblazoned on it.  No partisan politics here!  This is not the first time that Mr. Poilievre has posed as the party cheerleader while serving as a Minister of Cabinet.  After all, he is Prime Minister Harper’s designated errand boy.  In addition, Mr. Poilievre had earlier referenced the rollout of these cheques as being similar to Christmas in July.  Of course, he forgot to mention that, as taxable benefits, millions of the dollars paid-out will be returned to federal coffers come next tax collection.

In the past, the federal Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner has criticized the use of Conservative party logos on cheques and other props during previous federal government announcements.  Here we have a ruling party that has no qualms about using tax-payers’ money to market their political brand.  In terms of informing Canadians of government policies and programs, there is a legitimate role to play for Cabinet members and institutions.  However, one has to question recent television and radio ads and public gatherings that say very little about the policies and programs themselves, and obviously more about the party in power.  All that’s missing are the pom-poms and mascots.  Although Mr. Poilievre could certainly qualify as a party mascot — perhaps a weasel.

I can’t say that I have a lot of faith in the Canadian electorate.  I can only hope that those that do vote will see the overt attempt to buy our votes. Canada’s economy is in obvious trouble.  One has to ask if this is the right time to be handing out universal benefits as if money were growing on the trees surrounding Parliament Hill?  I thought that this was a Government promising to balance the budget next year.  Instead, this is a desperate Government whose only aim is to win the next election, no matter what the costs.  So much for conservative fiscal management!  So much for Government accountability!  So much for Conservative promises!

Canada Federal Election

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Jun 21

Why Bother Arguing With Gun Owners?

by bcurry

More mass shootings in the U.S. and the resulting silence is deafening.  While their President may continually question the fact that his society is the most violent among industrialized countries, the onslaught continues.  The arms industry and its lobbyists rule the day.

Even here is Canada, statistically far less violent but increasingly seeing the use of firearms in homicides, there has been little real outrage over the recent weakening of gun control measures.  Some Canadian gun owners even argue that more gun control is a first step in the government eventually confiscating their weapons.  Sounds like arguments by militant militia movements existing both in the U.S. and Canada.  Remember folks, it’s the God-given right to bear arms!

When the number of guns in the hands of people outnumbers the number of people in a society, it would seem only inevitable that they will be used in violent acts of domestic terror and crime.  Indeed, some would argue that we are now in a state of perpetual war.  Local police are equipped with high-powered rifles, machine guns, armoured-attack vehicles, etc., etc.  As more police are unfortunately gunned down, authorities are becoming more and more like paramilitary organizations.  Can’t really blame them.

Getting guns off the street is a lot harder then it sounds.  Pro-gun groups continue to argue that each individual has the right to defend themselves if attacked or provoked.  It used to be that guns were primarily needed for hunting, target practice and sporting events.  However, we’ve seem for whatever reason to have expanded the need.  Sorry folks, given the political and financial clout of gun advocates, there isn’t really any reason to bother arguing for increased gun control measures.  There are no more excuses, no more rational thinking and no more political will.

Gun Control

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Jun 9

Summer’s Here — But So Is Climate Change

by bcurry

Yep, summer is finally here.  But so are the continuing bizarre, often severe, weather patterns. There is all that drought in the west, tornadoes in the mid-west and bone drenching storms in the east.  Records are being broken everywhere.  And the wind.  I’ve never seen so much wind almost on a daily basis.

While all this is going on, our fearless G-7 leaders were meeting in Germany.  Among the issues discussed was that of climate change and carbon emissions.  Low and behold, they announced an agreement to become carbonless by the end of the century.  In the meantime, let’s try to reduce carbon emissions by 2050.  All probably too little, too late!  At least according to the often ignored so-called experts.

At my age, I won’t probably be around by then.  However, I’m happy that our leaders are finally recognizing that climate change does exist, humans contribute to its existence, and it is here to stay.  All we can do now is take the necessary measures to hopefully mitigate its full impact.  The health and survival of humanity depends on it.  Every sector of our daily lives is affected by weather patterns — including agriculture, travel, forestry, manufacturing, energy production, etc., etc.

Climate change is the number one issue that our grandchildren will have to face.  It’s up to my generation – the so-called boomers – and Generations X and Y to get the ball rolling.  Yes, there may be some sacrifices that we will have to make.  However, the potential consequences of doing nothing or too little are horrific.  Unfortunately, this issue will not be the number one priority of candidates in coming federal elections in Canada and the States.  Once again, getting elected is more important then preserving the planet.

Climate Change

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May 25

Student Debt and the Costs of Higher Education – Worth it or Not?

by bcurry

Just read an interesting Washington Post article noting that roughly over 40 million Americans have student debt.  Indeed, it further notes that 65 ­­percent of student loans are held by Americans younger than 39, while people age 40 to 59 hold another 30 ­percent.  Student debt can be brutally unforgiving for those who don’t pay back the money. Students who default can lose their paychecks, tax refunds, or even a portion of their Social Security.  Total U.S. student loan debt level is at a record high of over $1 trillion U.S.  The average undergraduate who borrows to attend school graduates was nearly $30,000 U.S. in debt.  Almost 20 percent of student borrowers are now in default.  Indeed, some analysts have proclaimed the current student debt loads in the U.S. as the next equivalent to the previous housing bubble.  Thousands of former graduates from post-secondary institutions are simply refusing to repay their education debts.

The level of student debt in Canada is just as much a concern.  On average, someone graduating with a bachelor’s and master’s degree will owe about $20,000 Canadian.  In certain disciplines such as business, law, medicine and dentistry, the final student debt load can total many thousands more. Higher education can often not be achieved without the financial help and moral support of parents, who themselves have to dip into their retirement savings or obtain second mortgages.

Interestingly, the burden of student debt is becoming an issue in the 2016 presidential campaign as candidates court the millions of Americans grappling with the high cost of college.  To date, in expectation of an October 2015 federal election in Canada, none of the federal political parties have really addressed the issue.  There wasn’t anything much in the most recent federal budget concerning student loans and loan repayments.  It seems that the concerns of Canadian millennials, who are particularly affected by high student debt, are not being addressed by the current federal government.

On top of that, many young people are having a tough time getting a good paying job in today’s lacklustre economy.  Minimum wage jobs don’t do much to help pay down student debt.  Is this truly the “lost generation”?  We have thirty-year-olds, as part of the so-called boomerang generation, returning to live with their parents because of financial considerations and poor labour markets.  Some are beginning to question the real value of higher education.  Underemployment has exploded in the last decade, and many have to survive on contract and part-time employment with little job insecurity.  No wonder many millennials have put off getting married, buying homes and having children.  Can’t blame them!  Societies need urgently to address this issue now.  Politicians and educators need to step up to the podium and take concrete actions.  As voters, we need to do this for current and future generations of graduates.

High Student Debt

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