Election Day minus 12 - Be the Gorilla

Day 26: I know some Libertarian candidates read this blog just from the feedback I get. We have just over one week to make some noise. The fact is thats all we can expect to do, no Libertarian is going to be elected this time around. It may be years or longer before a real libertarian candidate even threatens in an election. So what is the most that can be expected?

If you are running a "real" campaign, with some money, maybe pamphlets or signs or both, the most you should expect is recognition within a portion of the local electorate. That means that people may remember the party or you, the next time around.

Even though I ran Federally in 2008, the only people that remember that, besides my family and friends,  are some media types, like the people at the local paper, and the incumbent candidate. I did not register to most people, even a fraction of the electorate. I know this because people tell me they have never heard of us. Some will recognize my name because I've written letters to the editor locally, beyond that, nothing.

So this time I was determined to make some noise, say some outrageous things, at least make it memorable for some people and possibly they will remember me and the party when we do this again in Ontario in just 5 months. So in some sense the timing of this election was fortuitous, because many of our current candidates in Ontario will run in October provincially.

We will see if it works, but you need to think just like that. No sense playing it safe, there is no percentage in that. Be the gorilla, find out about gorilla political marketing and adopt some of those ideas, and be ready for the next one or use them NOW.

Jim McIntosh sent this around:  "If you want more government and higher taxes, you have many choices. If you want less government and lower taxes, don’t waste your vote on any other party. Vote Libertarian and send a message to Ottawa." (or Queen’s Park as the case may be.)

For those of you who did not yet hear my radio appearance on a local alternative rock station (The Edge 102.1FM)(it is gorilla-like), my YouTube friend from the west did the following video:

Election Day minus 15, 14 & 13 - Humour and Passion

Day 23, 24, 25: Its has been busy. On Sunday the Ontario Libertarian Party held a Caucus Meeting that had been planned some time ago. With an election set for Oct. 6, 2011, we are preparing to have many more candidates and a real presence, so maybe the media will give us some credit. Our keynote speaker was Gerry Nicholls, "One of the top five political minds in Canada," and he has libertarian leanings. It was well worth going, unfortunately I missed an all-candidates meeting for the current election. Too many elections!  

The interview on the Edge FM102 was on Monday morning. I had been warned that I might be in for a rough ride, and after listening to that station I was prepared. Here is the link to the particular show (Dean Blundell Show), then look for the podcast for April 18th, 2011, next let it load onto your computer. You can PAUSE the playback while it loads, my interview is at the 42 minute mark (after it loads). You should find it funny, certainly entertaining, and ultimately serious. Enjoy, it's 8 minutes long.

Last week I was invited to speak for two minutes by my local cable channel RogersTV. That picture (left) is from that talk, and here is the link with a brief commercial at the beginning. If you listen to each of the other candidates you will see why Markham-Unionville is as safe a  Liberal seat as there is in the entire country. My wife thinks my talk was the best (and she is of course, unbiased ;-) ). I think it is the most coherent, but you decide.

Today I met all the candidates for the first time in a debate of sorts at the same place I did that two minute talk. I was one of five candidates and I was totally ignored in any of the comments made by them, as expected, even though I was possibly harsh in my criticism of their parties. I know I must have made an impact though, because after the taping session one of the studio employees told me that I had "won" on passion. Too bad passion does not register on election night.
If you live in York Region my debate will air on Friday April 22 at 8:00 pm in all areas, and Tuesday April 26 at 1:00 pm in York South and April 27 at 3:00 pm in York North. Check this for exact times.
By-the-way, I still have not had time to repair my blown-over signs. I've done the odd one, when I'm in the neighbourhood of one, but, I have had family gathering these last couple of nights and that has priority, the signs will wait.

Election Day minus 17 and 16 - Frustration

Day 21 and 22: Yesterday was supposed to start with an early morning radio interview on The Edge 102.1FM. Unfortunately I was "bumped" by Charlie Sheen. That's right, Sheen was in Toronto Thursday/Friday to do his "show," such as it was. The excitement on this radio station was so great, that they ran out of time, and I have been pushed to Monday at 8:15 am. No problem, I will be ready.

I was interviewed by the local (really local) newspaper, which I thought went well, but lets see what they write.

The remainder of the day was spent erecting signs - a really wind day, and with the help of party V.P. and friend John Shaw, we planted about two-thirds of my large signs. Here is where lack of experience starts to show. Today we had gale-force winds and rain, lots of it, and the ground really got soaked and soft, and I think all of my signs are down. Really frustrating!

I don't think I'll have time to fix them tomorrow because the Ontario Party has a planning session for the Provincial Election in October and I am involved there. The Province has fixed dates for election, the Feds, well, lets say we were caught with our pants down on this one. But, live and learn, we need longer posts for the signs. Another problem with tomorrow is that a local group has organized an all-candidates debate (M.A.G.I.C. - Markham Action Group for Improved Community) which they failed to notify me about until yesterday (I was told by the newspaper reporter). So, go to the debate or go to the Provincial Caucus Meeting? The meeting will be more fun, and really I'm in this for the fun and the cause. The debate will largely be "pandering" to "rent-seekers" - I don't pander well.

More action on the Q & A front, here is a series of questions and answers (edited) from one of our candidates in the heart of Toronto, Bob Rae's riding:  

1) What made you get involved in politics and bring the libertarian message to the riding and Canada?

I am not political. (That is unfortunately true of most libertarians, they do not seek power)

With the advent of so much alternate (non-mass media) information, we are privy to enough information to correctly ascertain the frightening powers of government. Waste in government is staggering. And government hypocrisy is even more so. When I hear politicians say they want to help, or improve something - especially something "in the name of the common good," it is always the bureaucrats and the machinations of the state that benefit most. I could not ignore that fact for very long.

2) Is Canada actually ready for libertarianism because of government involvement in all aspects of life for decades?

Yes! Most Canadians already accept the basic principle of Libertarianism - the right of the individual to pursue his/her own goals without coercion from others. Canadians are becoming knowledgeable to the fact that government interferes and controls too many aspects of our lives.

3) When there is talk of limited government by Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party, do they really mean it or is it just blind rhetoric? What is your view of a limited government?

Clearly someone who has increased spending, even allowing for growth in the economy, by 25%, who has passed draconian mandatory sentencing requirements to expand the war on drugs and who is bent on increasing the military to support more adventurism in other countries is not a supporter of small government. The rhetoric about having reduced taxes is just empty words, that extra spending will have to be paid from more taxes. They are the worst choice for smaller government.

Our view is one where government is reduced to doing only the role they must do. The role that only they can, and that is not too many things.

4) During the all-candidates debate, what do you expect from the candidates? Will it be more of the same?

It will be more of the same. Politicians pandering to those groups who provide them with the most votes. The debate this week showed that the aim of all parties is to take from one group and give it to the next. I ask, 'how are they going to pay for all these promises?"

5) Have you been canvassing? If so, how have constituents responded to the libertarian message?

I have not canvassed, as I entered into the race just a few days before the due date for registration. However, I do have discussions with co-workers, family members, and others. When explained, most people find the Libertarian idea very reasonable - and an acceptable alternative to the chaos we see today.

6) In terms of foreign policy, the libertarians differ on Canada's role in the world. What do you believe Canada should be doing in the world? Should Canada have an interventionist foreign policy (I.E. The war in Afghanistan)? Should Canada have a role in NATO? United Nations? Canada should be in NATO, but only within the mandate as signed. NATO is mutual defence only, attacking other countries as has become their way of acting is not acceptable to a Libertarian. Afghanistan was a huge mistake.

The only role we should have outside the country are minimal embassies to assist citizens and to maintain relations required with other countries.

The United Nations is too corrupt to serve any useful function now, and we should withdraw. The WTO and other international organizations provide a better forum for specific actions. If something better was to be formed we have no ideological objection to such organizations.

7) Canada has a near $600 billion national debt. What can Canada do about its deficit and debt?

Spend less by cutting programs that are not required. Transfer payments would be the first to go. They are $57 billion now and rising, cutting them is a first large step.

8) Healthcare is a big issue in Canada. What is your view on healthcare? Should the country move towards a free market (not U.S.-style) healthcare system?

The US does not have a free market in health care. The US federal government currently spends more per capita on health care than Canada does. The U.S. have myriad and complex regulations that strangle the system, and provide no help to the sick people.

When the Libertarians say there would be a free market we mean free. The only role of the government would be to regulate against fraud.

  

Election Day minus 18 - Ominous signs

Day 20 - Busy day, the radio interview didn't happen, but I was contacted by a producer from 102.1FM The Edge. My interview is Friday morning between 7:30 and 8 am, and it is already being promoted as: "Libertarian candidate Allen Small will tell you why his party wants to legalize your pot." As if we are a single issue party, like the Greens for example. But that is a good message for that particular demographic, who knows it may attract some listeners.

What did happen is my two minute-talk-to-tape for the cable channel went reasonably well and I got my signs, the prototype is on the left. Mostly the day was spent driving to one or the other of those things. Friday I have a helper and we will post some signs around town.

The war of words continues online, there are so few of us running: 26 out of a possible 308 spots, and we are so spread out that the web etc. is the only way we can "meet."

At one of the "meetings" this morning Jim McIntosh our Provincial CFO, my official agent and the agent of several others sent these "policy" notes around just to give candidates ammunition for the coming debates. I thought I'd share these, because they really get to the heart of who and what we are in Canada:

Topics covered: Taxation, Aging Demographic, Economic Development, Accountability, Family Doctor Shortage.

Re Taxation

Question - How many of you have got YOUR taxes done? Why do you call it "YOUR" taxes? Isn't it really THEIR taxes [referring to the Liberal, Conservative and NDP candidates]? This is money you earned that they are prepared to come and take from you, at the point of a gun if necessary, so that THEY can spend it as THEY see fit. So they can give money to corporations with big unions, or build stadiums for wealthy team owners, or provide government contracts to their friends. We work for almost six months of the year to support all levels of government. Do you have any choice? Doesn't that make you a slave for half of your life?

Re Doctor shortage (this is really a provincial issue - but things are so confused)

Question - If government provided bread for free, do you think we might run out of bread pretty damn quick? Lots of people would go without bread. It's the same with doctors. Government provides them for free to people. So lots of people go without doctors. Hey - you aren't paying for it, how can you complain? [sarcasm] But of course, doctors are not free of cost. The more doctors there are, the more it will cost the government. So several years ago, the government decided one way to control health care costs was to limit the number of

doctors graduating from our universities. And the number of nurses and hospital beds. Thank you Liberals and Conservatives. And Thank You NDP for persuading them to make a monopoly out of Health Care in the first place. Government-run monopolies are the problem. Competition is the solution. For more choice in health care, choose the Party of Choice, Libertarian.

Re Accountability

"You want accountability? Let's start with your MP (fill in the blank here). Did s/he tell you about the dozens of bills s/he was going to vote for before s/he was elected. Did s/he tell you he was going to ban incandescent light bulbs (thats a provincial issue, but you get the point) and force you to buy those twisty lights with mercury in them? Did he tell you he was prepared to give lots of your money to car companies so they could build more of the cars you didn't want in the first place? Did he tell you about all the other laws to restrict our activities that his party was going to pass in the last three years? Is there any way for us voters to say, "NO, repeal that law?" Of course not. Politicians don't want you interfering in their plans. They won't even give you the right to vote for "None of the Above". But that's why I'm running; If you vote Libertarian they will know you don't want any more of their programs.  (good one)

Re Aging demographics

Why is this a problem? Is it because people are living longer? Isn't that a good thing? Is it because families are having fewer children? Why is that a bad thing? Maybe it's because we have fewer people earning money that can be taken by the government to pay Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security, and Guaranteed Income Security to more and more old folks. And all the health care that old people need. Maybe the government didn't expect people to live very long after retirement when they introduced all these programs. Now they've taken your money, thereby limiting your choices to prepare for your own 'golden years' and turned them into the 'rust years'. Government is not the solution, it is the problem. If you don't want to become a ward of the state in your old age, vote Libertarian.

Re Economic Development

What industry has experienced the greatest economic development in the last couple of decades? Isn't it technology, like computers and communications? [Hold up your cell phone.] How much 'stimulus' money did we provide this industry as taxpayers? Not nearly as much as we freely chose to spend on products and services provided in a highly competitive market. Who needs government to provide "economic development?" Companies that can't provide what we want at a price we are willing to pay, and politicians who hope to

get a cushy job when they are voted out of office. Some of you more mature folks may remember when Bell had a government-granted monopoly phone services. When they removed that privilege, look at the economic development that followed. We will have much more economic development if the government gets out of the way. Government is the problem, not the solution.

Now I have to go do their taxes. :-(

Regards;

Jim

Election Day minus 20 and 19 - Repetitiveness

Day 18 and 19: The "English" debate was last night, the only one that I understand. Tonight is the French debate, welcome to Canada.

That picture is of the three main party leaders who have representatives in Parliament from across the country, the fourth guy on the far right is the leader of the Bloc, a separatist party whose purpose at this debate is beyond me. Every time he opened his mouth it was to whine about one thing or another and how his province Quebec should be a nation - separate from Canada. Yet there he was, most of us are not able to vote for him, or against him, because he belongs to the archetypical single interest party - one Province. But that is an indication of the kind of liberal democracy Canada is, imagine such a debate in the United States, I can't imagine it.

The debate itself was uneventful, no knockout blows, but as you might expect everyone tried to gang up on Mr. Harper the government leader. His counter, was to be calm and repetitive, over and over he mouthed the mantra of his Conservative Platform, and I guess he succeeded in fending of his opponents. They eventually seemed to tire.

Fiscally, Harper sounds acceptable to me, but I don't trust him on his record or on the record of previous Conservative governments. The Liberals have in the past, been more prudent fiscally than the Conservatives, as counterintuitive as that may seem.

In my own little campaign, not much to report, no election signs yet, and not much campaigning this week. I've been busy writing speeches and answering emails from just about everyone. Tomorrow I have my first two public appearances, a radio show at 9 am, and a TV taping at 12 noon. So I need to look that over right now.  

Yuri's Night 50th

That picture (left) is ostensibly a fuzzy black and white TV image of Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in Vostok 1 (mission patch above) during his one orbit space flight around the planet on this day 50 years ago, and I remember it too. Pretty exciting day, but it must have been terrifying for Gagarin, he was the first person to orbit the earth and thus the first to spend an extended period in space - one orbit. Much of the time in orbit Gagarin was not in contact with controllers in Moscow and his capsule automatically fired retros about one hour into the flight. Gagarin parachuted from his capsule 7 km above the earth when the capsule door blew off and he landed in South Western Russia. While dragging his chute along the ground in a field, Gagarin met a farmer and his daughter and asked for a phone to call Moscow.

Ironically Gagarin died during a routine training flight in March 1968.

The video below is an interesting tribute. 

Election Day minus 21 - Futility?

Day 17 - The close of nominations - a warm and windy day, "April is the cruelest month," that is Eliot, a poet not a weatherman. Tomorrow will be cool, I always thought April was cruel because it teased. I also had my snow tires swapped today (so did everyone else from the size of the crowd at the shop). It could still snow, that would be cruel.

All my papers are in, so now the real hard sell begins. The problem for Libertarians is we have nothing to sell but freedom, and people think they already have that, and are unaware that they lose it in dribs and drabs every time some blowhard politician declares a new program to help this group or that. The good news is, I can still insult the Prime Minister, even in a public debate, and few will think anything of it, thats freedom. Try doing that to the POTUS in the States, call Obama a name in public, even FOX NEWS will defend him.

This morning's National Post had an OpEd piece from a friend (the Party V.P.). In 750 words John Shaw, tried to encapsulate the essence of the Libertarian Platform for Post readers, a daunting task. The second paragraph in my link above gets to the heart of libertarianism, and I'm sure most readers will think they are in control of their lives, so they will dismiss it but conveniently forget that as much as 50% of their income is taxed away and spent by some level of government or other, 50%. The federal government takes a good chunk of that. Is it wisely spent? Well, each time there is a spending scandal (who can keep up) that is a clue the money is not wisely spent, as if we really had a choice in how it is to be spent. Of course thats what we are about. Libertarians are all about choice.

On the topic of choice, a new movie opens this week, I hope at a theatre near you. You should choose to see it. It is possibly a foreshadowing of things to come, or just a commentary on things as they are; whatever it is I can relate now, as I could when I first read the book. Have a peak:

Election Day minus 23 and 22: Rule 8

Day 15 and 16: Rules are rules - Late Saturday afternoon I received a phone call from my Returning Officer. She is effectively in charge of the conduct of the election - all the polls - in my riding.

She informed me that everything is in order except for one item. If you scroll down to the April 8 posting, I mentioned that I must bring the original copy of a fax that my RO received on April 8.

It turns out that Rule #8 (see above) gives me until April 13 at 2 pm. to present all the papers and confirm my nomination, and that is true for everyone. So her threat to dismiss my candidacy (which she mentioned), while worrying for a moment, means nothing. She called me Sunday to apologize after speaking to her bosses at Elections Canada.

Meanwhile I have been busy researching for a two minute TV promo that the local cable channel Rogers (63) will give me on Thursday.

The coming week is already booked up, getting and posting signs, writing speeches, swapping my snow tires, campaigning in the riding and to top off the week, a Caucus Meeting of candidates who wish to run in the Provincial Election in October. 

When "climate science" ceased being a science

One thing I don't like about running as a candidate during an election is how it cuts me off from the daily "real" world news. As I try to focus on issues that affect my local riding, and the country in general, everything else goes out of focus. Opportunities to comment on issues like nuclear power, the environment, the banking industry and everything else that interests me, are lost. Fortunately I seem to suffer from some degree of ADHD and this allows me moments to quickly switch my attention to something else.
An article in the Financial Post yesterday literally begged me to share. The article by David Evans, an Australian scientist with impressive climate science credentials, agrees that carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, but its effects on global temperature are miniscule. Dr. Evans points to other bits of evidence that many climate scientists choose to ignore for reasons he makes clear in this excerpt:

"At this point, official "climate science" stopped being a science. In science, empirical evidence always trumps theory, no matter how much you are in love with the theory. If theory and evidence disagree, real scientists scrap the theory. But official climate science ignored the crucial weather balloon evidence, and other subsequent evidence that backs it up, and instead clung to their carbon dioxide theory that just happens to keep them in well-paying jobs with lavish research grants, and gives great political power to their government masters."

It is a very good article, and it puts the issue in perspective again, pointing to one of the motivating factors behind the political support of global warming, the idea of world government. Here is where many climate alarmists or warmists (like the Gore's and the Suzuki's) fail to see danger. Their background and "education" has driven them to the idea that coercive collective action is required to stop impending doom. That idea has spawned in Canada a political party, the Greens, whose original purpose was to defend the environment and the planet. The Greens have morphed into yet another statist organization that assumes the other political parties have the goal of befouling our home. Now I'm getting political again, because as Dr. Evans shows clearly, global warming has nothing much to do with science, its all politics.

Election Day minus 24 - Nominated

Day 14 - two weeks in: There I am signing my nomination papers after having sworn an oath. My returning officer is strictly by-the-book, quite formal but courteous. All the papers required are in (except I need to deliver an original of a fax on Monday) and she has time stamped my documents, like I was punching in for work.

 Looks like I am the fifth candidate: there is a red incumbent, a blue challenger, an orange, a green and me, a Libertarian, much like the last time.

This time I've ordered some signs as well (thanks to money from the party). The incumbent Liberal has already posted many of his signs, but I've seen just a few Conservative signs. My riding is quite "ethnic," loaded with newly arrived immigrants and recently minted citizens. To break through the Liberal headlock on the immigrant vote will be daunting for anyone. The Liberal incumbent doesn't even live in my riding, he lives in Oakville at least an hours drive away - in good traffic. He is so entrenched here, that he just has to "mail it in" so-to-speak. It is difficult to understand how he knows what's really going on here in my riding where I have lived for 36 years.

I mentioned signs. Well, you would think that is fairly straight forward, and you would be wrong. My town has a booklet that contains the "Election Campaign Sign Regulations." Yesterday I ordered 100 lawn signs and today I discovered that they are too small to place on roadways, I need bigger signs or the Town will cash in my $250 sign permit deposit. I quickly cancelled the first order and substituted big signs for a much bigger price.

So far it has been like a race with hurdles, I never really liked hurdles.