New Brunswick Politics

It's Hard To Smile with a Knife In Your Back.

2007-03-16T08:48:00.000-03:00

Sorry about the lack of updates......have'nt been able to log into my account for some reason.

Anyway,the title pretty much sums up my feelings on the Liberals first budget. I was going to use another analogy involving a bar of soap and a shower, but decided against it.

Anyway, I went through the so called "Charter For Change" and I can't find anywhere where it states middle class New Brunswickers and Small business will take it on the chin in favor of the more well to do folks. Looks like Shawn and his team are everything they accused the former Tory government of being, and more. I'm beginning to think the "L" in Liberal stands for a four letter word that rhymes with "buyer."

Which ever Province Mr.Lord is in this week, i'll bet he's having a bit of a chuckle and saying we got what we deserve. Touche.

Of course, we should all know by now what this budget is really all about. It's about filling up the coffers so in four years when Shawn comes knocking for re-election he can spend all of the extra revenue on us and we'll be ever so happy at all he's "giving us."

This budget simply proves what many have said all along about Mr.Graham. He's a friend of Big Business and the Rich. Screw small business and low and middle New Brunswick.

Somehow I don't see much here to keep bodies in New Brunswick.

And the spinners both in government and the blogosphere can try and spin it all they want. I'm not buying, and I know i'm not alone in that.

Another Federal Election Coming Up??

2007-03-09T06:06:00.000-04:00

There's a certain smell in the air these days........

and no i'm not talking about air pollution.

Via CTV: Tory spending points to coming election: analyst

As the CTV story points out, there has been alot of spending anouncements made in the last few months, and it seems to be ramping up even more the last week or so. Yesterday Harper announced $155.9 Million to Alberta's energy industry "more environmentally friendly."

We've also been hearing Mr.Harper will be announcing money for harbour cleanup. According to MP Greg Thompson "Well, you probably won't be mowing your lawn when it happens, let's put it that way."
I have to admit to some scepticisim considering the ton of "announcements" we've heard on the subject with little to no real action over the last 10 or 15 years on the subject.

Anyway, I'm inclined to agree that couple all these announcements with, the latest Poll Numbers and it's a recipe for an election, likely a spring one, but i'd not discount a fall one either. Think barbeque circuit, with all these announcements to talk about all summer...lol

My money is on the Spring though....strike while the iron is hot they say.

Question is, do Canadians really want to go back to the polls yet again??? I really don't personally.

Then again, it will give lots of fodder for bloggers as per usual.

Anyone willing to bet against a spring election??

Andy Scott Calls It Quits

2007-03-05T23:59:00.000-04:00

Charles Leblanc is reporting Fredericton MP Andy Scott is leaving politics.

I know my friend Spinks will be glad to see him go. Personally, I, as do most of his constituents like Andy, and am sorry to see him go. Having not seen or heard the news yet "officially" i'm guessing he's decided running back and forth to Ottawa is less of a priority now that he has a young son to raise. Just a hunch on my part at this point.

All The Best Andy in whatever you choose to do from here on out.........I'm betting you'll have no problems finding new work closer to home. :-)

Regards
PNB

Liberals Win Moncton East By-Election

2007-03-05T23:10:00.000-04:00

Well Duh!!
LOL

By-Election Results

I would have been very surprised at any other outcome given the numbers in the house.

Our resident Liberal Hater is not a happy camper obviously.......

The only comment i'm going to make is to Mr. or Ms. "Shawn Breaks Promises" is, if broken promises bother you so much, where were you while Lord broke them time and again for 7 1/2 years??? LOL

Using words like:
Liberal lackey
Liberal puppet
Moncton yahoos

Nuff Said..........

I'll Take Rumours and Innuendo for $400 Alex!

2007-03-02T20:56:00.000-04:00

Answer: 12% to 15% hike in power rates.

What is: The near future as stated by the New Brunswick official opposition.

LOL

Ok so, as you may or may not have seen on CBC New Brunswick today, the opposition, specifically Leader Jeannot Volpé states they have information that the Liberals are going to up the power rates in New Brunswick by 12% to 15%, but are holding off until after the by-election in Moncton.

Wow…..that’s a pretty hefty accusation considering the kind of hot button issue this one usually becomes with the average citizen. I mean, power rates and the bill that arrives at the end of each month is something MOST NB’ers understand.

So if the are wrong, it makes the opposition look pretty bad. If they are right? Graham and his team may be fending off a lynch mob in the capitol.

Liberal MLA Jack Keir (the only real blogging MLA in New Brunswick by the way. :-) ) has said Nope, uh uh, ain’t happening………that’s good Jack………cause there is a bunch of us bloggers in NB that will be watching to make sure you keep your word.

And to Jeannot, surely you are not simply playing politics just to get a sound bite on Friday before a Monday By-election right?? Granted that was a favorite of the Lord team....so yeah I guess it could happen....I guess we’ll all know in a couple of weeks....

Oh and there's also the possibility that the Liberals intentionally "leaked" bogus information to make the Conservatives look really bad......

Tick Tock, Tick Tock, who’s gonna get a verbal Bitch Slap in the blogs (this one at least) in a few weeks...

hehe

Righting a Wrong.......

2007-03-02T20:15:00.000-04:00

This one is long over due on my part......

If you are intrested in some great observation and commentary make sure to check out jAjAkooM

This guy is one of my daily stops on my blog reads.

Keep at it bro! Great blog, well worth a read.........one of the better blogs NB has to offer in my opinion. Make sure to check him and some of the others on the side-bar on the right........you'll be glad you did!

PNB

No Income Splitting Any Time Soon.

2007-02-28T21:54:00.000-04:00

Via CTV: Tories back away from income splitting: report

I can think of one fellow blogger who won’t be overly happy with this one. My friend Spinks has been a big advocate of income splitting in the past.

Quote From the CTV Story:

Don Drummond, chief economist for Toronto-Dominion Bank said he expects the Tories will try to deliver on broader income splitting in future budgets.
"It's not a matter of principle. It's a matter of cost," he said. "Its day will come, but it will have to come at a time when they have a larger amount of fiscal resources," he told The Globe.

In other words don’t hold your breath…..lol
Going to be difficult to keep cutting taxes, yet eventually have “more fiscal resources” IMO.
Of course, I guess it would be possible, if say, they were to make more cuts to social programs for instance..... Naw, they wouldn’t do that if they win a majority next time around......would they??

Justin Trudeau To Run In Papineau

2007-02-24T19:09:00.001-04:00

Via CBC: Justin Trudeau will run in Papineau

I’ll come right out now and say I personally like this guy.

There, now that that is out of the way......

It’s inevitable, that Justin Trudeau will invoke comparison with his famous Father. Lord knows the Trudeau name is perhaps not an easy one to live up to or even with in some cases.

Some Canadians say that famous name with pride, and perhaps still a bit of a sense of awe. Others, derision, and yes, truth be told, in some cases hatred. Me, put me down for a bit of column A and a bit of column B, although, hatred would be far to strong in my case. But it’s not my mission to debate Pierre’s legacy here. I have a sneaking suspicion that Pierre Trudeau may make a postumous visit to Spinks' 101 List..... Just a hunch on my part. :-)

I'm honestly hoping Canadians, and more importantly in this case, the people of Papineau will be able to give Justin the chance to sink or swim on his own. If you must dislike, or deride him, at least let it be on his own ideas, and not simply because of the ideas of his famous father.

While it’s inevitable there will be some parallels in ideas between father and son, there will no doubt be some stark differences as well. Don’t forget, Justin has grown up in a country, as have many of us, where his father has had a huge part in shaping it’s current identity. He has the benefit of seeing the good, as well as picking out the bad. You know what they say about hindsight.

I personally look forward to seeing Justin in action. I have a suspicion this guy may be harboring some tools even Pierre didn’t possess.

All that aside, let s face it; this kid is a “Star Candidate” if ever there was one. Any party would jump at the chance given the current state of minority affairs to enlist Justin Trudeau.

Also, he’s not running for PM folks, so lets remember that. He’s vying to be an MP, representing a single riding......

Will it lead to more than that eventually?? Who Knows.

That’s one many of us will be watching.

Liberals Broken Promises.

2007-02-23T05:23:00.000-04:00

In case you didn't see it, CBC reporter Robert Jones did a two part story on the Provincial Liberals called "Broken Promises." I know my friend Spinks is no fan of Mr.Jones and in the past has accused him of having a Liberal bias. Seems like an odd choice for a story from someone with a supposed Liberal bias......lol

Anyway, make sure to check it out. As with all CBC media, it requires the dreaded Realplayer to watch.

Broken Promises By Robert Jones:

Part 1

Part 2

PNB

Moosehead Now a "National" Brewery

2007-02-22T05:33:00.000-04:00

Via CBC: Moosehead enters Saskatchewan

Yeah I know, this one's not political, but just giving a Shout Out to a great local company that's doing so well. Yeah I admit it, i'm a Moosehead Guy. I believe in supporting the home team. :-)

Should the party be topping up the Premier's salary?

2007-02-22T04:48:00.000-04:00

Via CBC: Liberals say no more extra funding for politicians

Should the party be topping up the Premier's salary? The Liberals say no.

I've actually had some strong feelings about this in the past when Premier Lord was vilified by some for the practice. You can read about it Here

I challenged Graham then to weigh in on this one back then, and it would appear he’s doing just that now.

I never thought I’d see the day when I agreed with something Stuart Jamieson had to say, but here it is! lol

Conservative MLA Bev Harrison says “Part of your job role is to lead a party. It's another facet of your job. So you should really be paid for that sort of service.”

I have to disagree. The Premier already receives a salary as MLA and Premier of the Province. Should the leader of the governing party be paid twice for the same job? I think not. Of course, it’s a good gig if you can swing it.

Somehow, I have a feeling though that this could just be the first move to bump salaries in the capitol yet again.

Bernard Lord Heads To Montreal Law Firm.

2007-02-19T20:44:00.000-04:00

Well, if you haven’t seen or heard yet, former New Brunswick Premier Bernard Lord is heading for greener pastures in Montreal.

For myself and others like David Campbell this one really is no big surprise. It’s been the rumor flying around.

I notice Scott over at The Sorry Centrist has some interesting thoughts regarding Mr. Lord’s move perhaps even coupled with a little angst?

I respect Mr. Lord’s decision to take this job and head off to Montreal, as it’s a free country and he’s certainly free to go and do as he pleases. I must say though, that a part of me can’t help but be a bit disappointed. The story does say he will commute to Montreal, but rumors are all ready flying that in a year or so he’ll be gone for good. After the attention is gone perhaps?

God knows I have not always been a member of Mr. Lords cheering section while he was premier, however, I never doubted his personal commitment made to New Brunswick. I remember the many speeches where Mr. Lord spoke of the opportunities available here, and how it was up to New Brunswickers to work together to continue to create new opportunities. Heck even at his resignation, Mr. Lord and his handlers assured everyone that no matter what Mr. Lord Chose to do it would continue to be in serving this province.(Or something to that effect) Working for a Montreal Law firm doesn’t really do much for NB IMO.

So sure, he’s free to do as he wishes. But it sure makes many of his words he spoke on the subject during his tenure ring kinda hollow doesn’t it??

But all that said, I guess I can be big enough to wish him well.

Good Luck Bernard.

PNB

Judge William McCarroll Holding Hearing Thursday

2007-02-14T19:29:00.000-04:00

Via CBC: Delays on psychiatric assessments anger judge

I thought this one was intresting. No secret of course what the problem is. No beds in the Restigouche Centre. So the question becomes what will the Liberals do?

No Pre-kindergarten for N.B

2007-02-14T19:23:00.000-04:00

Via CBC: Liberals will not be fulfilling Conservative pre-kindergarten promise

The Libs have canned this program that was announced by the previous government. Good idea? Bad? Do you care?

I'm wondering what you teach a child to prepare them for kindergarten? Anybody know?

Government Changes The Law To Avoid Paying Back Fees

2007-02-08T20:31:00.000-04:00

Via CBC:N.B. government won't repay $12 million to bars: Minister

Can anyone out there explain to me how in the world it’s possible or legal to change the Liquor Control Act to retroactively turn the “illegal” user fee into a legitimate tax, so that it circumvents the SC ruling? I mean why wasn’t this made a “legitimate” tax to begin with?? I'm amazed that the government can get away with this.

I’d be very surprised if someone doesn’t challenge the legitimacy of this move also……

Any lawyers out there?? Is this really legal? Can the government really go back and make this a tax to be paid retroactively?? What else can they “retroactively” change??

Wow……

So the Minister is less concerned about what is fair and just, and more concerned about keeping the money collected……..legal or not………

Wow……

Update: I noticed Gene over @ To Be Announced has similar thoughts

Fixed Election Dates

2007-02-07T16:35:00.000-04:00

{Via CBC:} Fix N.B. election dates: Officer

This is one the Lord PC's kicked around in the past. I personally like the idea of fixed election dates. Sure would take the guess work out of things.....

The Liberals should seriously take a look at this one. My guess is this one would be a popular idea with the electorate. It makes so much more sense.

Of course, it does potentially create a slight problem for the governing party. Namely, not being able to call a snap election when sitting high in the polls. Indeed it could very well mean heading to the polls when a party is in a tail spin.

2007 N.B. Speech from the Throne

2007-02-06T21:07:00.000-04:00

I took a few minutes and read the Speech from the Throne, and as usual I find nothing much exciting here. Sure it's a nice feel good document produced by the Governing party, but in itself means very little.

Personally I’m much more interested in the Budget that will be introduced come March 13th. That's when we get some real details, and not just some nice phrases about what the governments' plans are.

Anyway, here's the link for the speech for anyone that wants to take a look.

Speech from the Throne 2007

By the way I didn't see anything in this document about a study on Ritalin.......I would imagine that won't sit well with Charles

PNB

The Crossing Of The Garth

2007-02-06T14:37:00.000-04:00

**VIA CBC**

So Garth is going to cross the floor and join the Liberal Party according to reports. That’s fine. He is free to choose what party he wants to be a member of, as are we all. I hope though he’ll be resigning to run in a by-election, since it was his contention that David Emerson should have done just that when he chose to wander across the floor.

I won’t bet money on it though……somehow I don’t think it’s going to happen……

What's that flying out the window you ask??

That is whatever shred of credibility Garth had left flying out the window if he doesn't step down and run in a by-election......

How about it Garth??

Update 1:
Thanks to Scott over @ The Sorry Centrist
for pointing out my last post on the subject when the rumor was he was heading to the Green Party. My take hasn't changed.

Garth And The Greens

Update 2:
After listening to Garth's press conference with Dion all I can say is ....yeah right. Garth had the chance to come out smelling like a rose. I bet if he had resigned, and run as a Liberal he would have won, and gained a ton of credibility as being someone who meant what he said. His attempt at achieving the same thing by "challenging" the PM to force the others to run in by-election was a very weak one indeed. Garth signed his death warrant in Canadian Politics.........at least if there's any justice at all he did.
Very Disappointing.

Quebec gets better LNG deal than Saint John

2007-02-05T14:58:00.000-04:00

Globe & Mail

This one comes via Spinks in the comments section from somebody named flynn.

$10,000 per year average instead of $500,000 seems to be a bit better..........

I've said before I was in favor of this project itself, but not happy with the council selling the farm.......I guess this proves it.......

**Update: The Globe & Mail Story is now subscription only.

The intresting part i'm refering to is this:

"The consortium has signed an agreement with Lévis city council to pay an average of $10-million a year in property taxes over 50 years, making Rabaska one of the highest-tax-paying industrial facilities in the province.

Rabaska promised to offset the loss of any property value for all 135 homeowners within a 1.5-kilometre radius of the terminal. And the company said it would pay the cost of any home-insurance premium increase caused by the terminal.

In addition, Rabaska vowed to invest $300,000 in the city's public transportation system and $475,000 for a new park and recreational area, and to plant as many as 15,000 trees around the facility to attenuate its visual impact."

Support For A bilingual Canada

2007-02-04T23:36:00.000-04:00

{Via CBC: Plenty of support for bilingualism: poll }

81 per cent of those surveyed support the idea that Canada is a bilingual country.

91 per cent, said the prime minister should be able to speak both English and French.

Moncton By-Election

2007-02-04T23:16:00.000-04:00

So first off the by-election in Moncton for Bernard Lord's seat.

This one is very different from the last By-election in Saint John Harbour. The Graham government has a full term ahead and Moncton would have to be nuts to vote any other way but Liberal IMO. If we want to dredge up the Saint John (Yes Charles Saint JOHN) v.s Moncton rivalry………Moncton needs more representation at the table……..and I’d bet Shawn & Company will pull up another chair to be fair……..

Perhaps one of my New Brunswick Blogging compadres can come up with a reason at this point to vote conservative…….lol

I'm dying to hear it…….

Cause I can’t think of a single one………

PNB

I'm baaaack!

2007-02-04T20:24:00.000-04:00

So let’s see:

Since I’ve been “away”:

Scott also took a break.....good to see him back.

Spinks Has been doing well with his regular blog, and IMO may have a national hit on his hands with 101 people who are screwing up Canada Make sure to pop over and throw in your two cents.

And My Friend Charles Leblanc is still blogging away non stop. (That at least hasn’t changed…lol) So yeah Charles, you were right man........I couldn't stay away! :-)

Anyway, yeah I’ve decided to make a “come back” although, I’ve never really been gone……just not blogging. That will change as of tomorrow.

I had originally intended to make a massive overhaul before returning, but decided to just jump in again, and make the changes over the next few weeks.

I feel like I again have some things that I want to say. To be honest, I had really just tired of talking politics, and the merry go round of it all. But some of the goings on recently by the Provincial and Federal Governments has got me raring to go again.

As I said back in Dec. there will be some changes…….number 1 one the list is updating the links. New Ones have emerged, and old ones have gone. In particular, I was sorry to see Harrap pack it in.....then again, i've learned never to say never. ;) Hopefully he'll return at some point.

One of those changes is from harma/hagrid believe it or not. There have been days, and there will be in the future when my time for blogging is very limited. So, on those days, I’ll be simply linking to MSM stories and letting people rip into them and comment. To take it one step further, I also don’t have a ton of time every day to peruse every media outlet for every story they run…….so here’s where you come in. If you see a story you think should be discussed that I miss, email me the link @ Politicsnb@hotmail.com and I’ll add it ASAP. I’ll ask people to be realistic though. There’s no sense posting 25 stories a day and expect people to bother to discuss them all. So lets keep them important and relevant to N.B.

Good idea or bad?

Got any suggestions about what you’d like to see here? Email me or post it here. I’ve got some other ideas also……more on that over the next week or so…….

It’s darn good to be back.

PNB

Happy New Year!

2006-12-29T21:28:00.000-04:00

Yeah, Yeah, I know, I'm supposed to be gone........

But I couldn't resist popping by for the few that still hit the page to wish a Happy new year......

I may not be as gone as I thought I would be however......Charles Leblanc was on the money when he told me "I'd be back".........lol

You're right Charles........it's like a bug only worse.........hehe

That said, it will be in a slighly different format..........who knows Harma/Anonymous may even be happy with the new format. :-)

Anyway, more about that in the New Year......in the meantime, Happy new year to everyone!! Have fun, celebrate, party, but please, please don't drink and drive......

Cya all next year......

PNB

Final Blog

2006-12-01T22:59:00.000-04:00

Well, as the title suggests, I’m throwing in the towel.

When I first started this blog I was really into it......and the first 8 months were a blast. Then as many of you will recall, I took the summer off. True, I was extremely busy, but I was also not much into the whole thing for awhile. When the election was called here in New Brunswick, I was re-energized to a certain extent, but not like I was originally. Lately, I’ve found myself purposely avoiding this blog, as it almost seems like a job these days instead of a place to rave, rant, and get some stuff off my chest, and just have some fun.

When I first began this blog there were few blogging in NB. We had Charles (Who I have to credit with giving me the blogging bug) and Scott and a few others. It’s great to see that changing over the last 6 months or so. My bud Spinks has taken up the charge, and I'm going to leave it in his and the others capable hands, as they do a much better job anyway.

To everyone that left comments over the last year and a bit, many thanks. And to those that dropped emails, and those that simply stopped by regularly to read I thank you also.

I was thinking of deleting the blog completely, but since many find this site through the search engines, I'm going to leave it up for the links. To those that arrive here through whatever means, please check out some of the links on the right hand side of the page………you won’t be sorry!

Who knows, perhaps I’ll find some inspiration at some point to return……although I doubt it. I’ll still be around though, throwing my two cents in at the other blogs NB’ers have to offer.

Regards To All
Politics NB

PS: I'm picking Kennedy to get the come from behind win this weekend……..but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Dion pull it out either.

ANYONE BUT IGGY!!!

LOL

Garth Has `disturbing' News??

2006-11-13T21:16:00.000-04:00

Via The Toronto Star:

So Garth Turner has scheduled a News Conference for tomorrow. I have to admit my interest is piqued at his suggestion of revealing `disturbing' conduct by PMO.

From Garth’s Blog: Of Leaders and Voters"

I hope he’s not going to tell us Stephen Harper "eats babies"……we already knew that……..LOL

Seriously though……….this ought to be interesting……….I admittedly like it when conservatives tear each other apart……..I know, I know, I shouldn’t take pleasure in it……..but damn it’s funny…….lol

The Great White North (Fossils?)

2006-11-13T20:02:00.000-04:00

{Via CBC: Canada labelled 'fossil' at climate change talks }

I think I'd laugh if it wasn't so irritating.

Most would agree that Kyoto is a long way from a concrete solution to climate change.but the CPC’s answer to it is a total joke. It seems others would agree.

“Cutting emissions by 45 to 65 per cent from 2003 levels — by the year 2050.”

LMAO yeah right Rona.....it’s a made in Canada ”Cop-out” , not a solution………gimme a break....

Very, very weak.........The Conservatives should have been embarrased to present this as an "alternative" to Kyoto........it's no better........perhaps worse. 2050....bah......

Call Center Faux Pas........

2006-11-13T19:36:00.000-04:00

This one has absolutely nothing to do with politics. Mark Goldberg over at Telecom Trends has a post going on about a call center where he spent 45 minutes on hold, listening to Elton John’s “Rocket Man” ("I Think It's Going To Be A Long Long Time")……….Too funny/sad!! Shows you where customer service is these days with the Telecom Call Centers.

Got another faux pas song for call center’s??? Mark would like to hear them……….take a look….....Telecom Trends

Remembrance Day

2006-11-10T20:56:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow at 11:00, please take a few moments to stop, reflect, and give thanks to those that fought and died in foreign lands so we could enjoy the freedoms we have in Canada.

This year of course we have a stark reminder of what war really means, as we have men and women in harms way in Afghanistan, and men and women who have recently died there, doing a job they believe in. You may argue the right and wrong of the government decision for the mission, but we must not forget, that these soldiers do the job that our government and therefore, ”we the people” ask of them. Those Canadians currently serving and those that have lost their lives in this conflict, and indeed all of the world conflicts deserve our thanks and gratitude.

As our vets age, and we lose more and more of them, it becomes increasingly more important to pass along the message to future generations.

I for one will never, ever, forget.

Please take a moment to pop over to Brent Taylor's Blog as Brent has written an excellent Remembrance Day article.

Very well said Brent!

PNB

101 People Screwing Up Canada

2006-11-03T21:43:00.000-04:00

My good bud Spinks is looking for 25 more names for his list of 101 people who are screwing up Canada

If you haven't put in your choices yet, or thought of some more, make sure to get them in soon so he can start the countdown.

I'm looking forward to this list. If it's half as good as the 10 people screwing up NB and the 10 people not screwing up NB this one should be a corker!!

Go to it people!! Send Spinks your list!

The Rebate Program has not been cancelled....yet

2006-11-03T06:22:00.000-04:00

{Via CBC: Tories accuse Liberals of flipping on heat rebate}

How can anyone say Shawn Graham has broken his promise to keep the energy rebate?? It hasn't been cancelled.....yet. At this point the most he's guilty of is "considering" breaking his promise. I, like many New Brunswickers heard that promise plain and clear........so yes, if the rebate program gets cancelled......then it will be a broken promise. Currently it is simply under review as I would imagine all of government programs are........

I think the PC's need to relax a bit. Don't worry folks.....you'll get your chance to tackle the Libs......but lets cut the dis-information campaign.....

We're all watching Mr.Graham......Are you a man of your word?

You Go Jim!!

2006-10-31T19:18:00.000-04:00

It's about freakin time somebody spoke up!!

(VIa CBC)
Flaherty imposes new tax on income trusts
and
(Via CTV)
Flaherty plans changes to curb income trusts

Kudos to Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and the Harper government for taking this "BULL" by the horns.

Income trusts are baloney for everyone but the companies that undertake them. It's all about avoiding the Corporate tax man. The devil as always of course will be in the details, which i'm waiting anxiously to see.......but on first glance this is great news.........

Why should pensioners and widows get the short end of the stick so companies like Bell can avoid paying taxes like other Canadians......

**EDIT**
I had been wondering if the Bell and Telus plans would prompt action like this from the feds. Too bad they didn't act sooner before Aliant (Now Bell Aliant) went this route.......
Flaherty's plan gives existing trusts a 4 year grace period......(I think 2 would have been enough.) They also propose a 1/2 percent decrease in the corporate tax rate....in 2007.
I imagine the big Corps. like Bell and Telus will be screaming bloody murder tommorrow.......that should be a hint to the average Joe, that overall it's much more fair than the previous rules......

Also, another Kudos to Flaherty for the announcement regarding rules for seniors......income splitting for pensioners, and an increase in the Age Credit Amount by $1000.
Obviously good ideas for a government rumored to be coveting a spring election......

But no matter what the underlying reason........good moves just the same.

Time to make your predictions.......

2006-10-29T20:08:00.000-04:00

Well, it's that time that most political junkies love.......U.S elections. Granted, if you're like me, it's the "BIG" Presidential that really captures the attention. But I found a few minutes to pop over to Scott's (A.K.A The Sorry Centrist) pool at Predict 06 and toss my predictions into the fray for the midterms.

Who knows........maybe you'll win a prize........

Wrap my mug carefully Scott......I don't want any chips when I add it to my mug collection! LOL

PNB

This Is It.........

2006-10-29T00:52:00.000-03:00

Well, I think this will be the new look..........

Having some problems tonight getting the haloscan comments back up.......

Hopefully I'll be able to get them back in the morning.....as well as the links........

PNB

Some Changes........

2006-10-28T22:49:00.000-03:00

Well, now that i've hit and passed the one year mark, I'm thinking it's time to do some upgrading around here.......i've grown tired of the look.

I'm going to be making some changes over the next few days.

The colder weather is upon us, and I expect to be fully back in the saddle shortly.......

I guess after 1 full year, if i've learned anything, it's that i'm a 'cold weather" blogger........lol

Time to fill this sucker with some fresh content to go along with a new look.........

Stay tuned.......

PNB

Trouble In Paradise??

2006-10-20T22:36:00.000-03:00

Interesting article on Politics Watch today. Is Stephen Harper losing his tight grip?

Seems rather early for the knives to come out. But then again, given the latest Poll Numbers there has to be some head scratching going on within the PC ranks. I mean c’mon, a leaderless party, coming off a major scandal like adscam that cost them the election, polling neck in neck with an 8 month old governing party??? That can’t exactly be a confidence builder for the conservative caucus. Admittedly I'm no CPC fan, but even I'm surprised at this one………….The Conservatives should be riding high right now……..but seem to be just scraping by??

Not a death knell of course……….it’s still early, and I expect these numbers will rebound……..But lets be honest…….shouldn’t the numbers be better for the Conservatives right now??

Garth and the Green Shirts

2006-10-20T22:09:00.000-03:00

So as you can tell from my blog below this one, I support Garth Turner as far as his right to blog, and talk about his thoughts and ideas online……I still think he got the shaft, despite the goings on over the last couple of days……..

NOW
After reading various opinions about this one around the net, and catching Turner on “The Hour” with Georgie Boy on CBC last night, and the some of the discussions such as This One over at The Sorry Centrist I have to ask the question……….

Since Garth was so adamant about David Emerson having to face a by-election (an idea which I supported by the way) shouldn’t Garth have to do the same if he joins the Green Party??? I mean getting booted out of the Conservative Party and sitting as an independent is one thing, but if he joins another party, even one with no seats in the Commons, shouldn’t he, given his own ideas on the subject have to face the electorate???

My own opinion is yes. Seems to me it would be pretty hypocritical for him not to.

How about it Garth………are you going to walk the walk??

Garth Gets The Boot.....

2006-10-18T20:16:00.000-03:00

I knew the current crop of Federal Conservatives don't like anyone in the party to show they have a brain, and may disagree with some of the party ideas.......but wow!

Today, Halton, Conservative MP Garth Turner was kicked out of the governing Conservative Party caucus because he is alleged to have “broken caucus confidentiality.”

Bullshit.

Garth Turner, was kicked out because of his political views, many of which you can check out for yourself at Garth's Blog It’s a simple case of the “Bush” style that Mr. Harper and his gang are so fond of. “You are either with us or against us.” There is no place in the Conservative Party of Canada it seems for somebody who speaks his mind and shows some courage and backbone. I guess they prefer “YES men” instead.
Garth has been taking heat from many in the party, including the Prime Minister, since day one for his blog, and posting his views online. Remember when Garth was called to the carpet for posting his views about the David Emerson affair??

Apparently, what we have in the conservative party of Canada is a group of control freaks who, if they cannot control you, simply drum you out. We’ve seen this Time and Again that if you don’t toe the CPC party line, then you will be muzzled, or taken out.

....it seems that being honest and speaking your mind make you an undesirable in this “New” federal Conservative party.....

Only the naïve could possibly think this one didn’t come from the top ranks of the party...out of spite.

You Go Garth....keep blogging, and representing your constituents of Halton.

NO MORE BAIL OUTS!

2006-10-14T00:16:00.000-03:00

{Via CBC: Ferry deal hung up on details }

So am I the only one that thinks this government bail out is a bad idea?? I'm not without feeling for those that depend on it, and the jobs involved, but facts are facts. It's not being used enough to make it viable....end of story. All the government money in the Canada will not change that fact. Having recently priced this excursion across the bay, I can tell you, its way, way cheaper to drive around. Obviously it's not as convenient, but what the land route lacks in convenience, it makes up for in the pocketbook. Even at $1.20 a liter, if you have any sort of reasonable vehicle on fuel.....it's still much, much cheaper. Seems to me Bay Ferries have priced themselves out of business. I understand it's expensive to run this ferry, and the company has to make money......but if you price it so it's no longer affordable to the average Joe.....well.......it's not rocket science.

So all levels of government toss some money in the pot.......then in 2 years Bay Ferries is back looking for more......how is this much different from the old days when the Government ran the ferry if the government has to pay to keep it running??

A very bad precedent.......IMO.

LIberals Hire an Auditor....

2006-10-11T19:14:00.000-03:00

{Via CBC: Liberals hire auditor to review government records }

Good idea.........pretty standard. But besides those areas mentioned....health care, and pension plans........perhaps now that the PC's are out of office, we can finally get the truth about what Lord's promise to remove the highway tolls actually cost New Brunswickers?? I have a feeling the true cost was much higher than was ever revealed.

Second Refinery In the Cards?

2006-10-06T20:40:00.000-03:00

So the big news around the southern part of NB this week, besides Graham's "letter of intent" for harbour cleanup in Saint John (which I'll believe after I see the feds actually pony up the dough they keep talking about) is of course the news of the proposed Irving Refinery in Red Head.

I may as well state right off the bat; I support this idea of a second refinery. I know I’m going to catch it from the environmentalists on this one.......but so be it. Some seem to forget that Saint John is at heart an industrial city. As goes the industry, so will go Saint John. 1000 full time refinery jobs is nothing to shrug of lightly. Ask those currently employed at the Refinery all ready located in Saint John, or in supporting industries around the city. That sucker puts a lot of bread and butter on a lot of tables, not to mention gravy and whipped cream and cherries.

NOW, with that said, I’m not without concerns about the environment of course. But you know, Irving is a favorite whipping boy of people like the conservation council etc, being the cities largest employer, but to be quite honest, as recently as 20-25 years ago, you couldn’t drive close to Saint John without literally gagging from the smell from the mills. Is it 100% gone? Of course not……..but it’s a damn site better now than what it once was. Irving companies have invested millions in each mill, and the refinery, to put scrubbers, and other pollution controls in place to make it better. Sure I want to see more done. I would also like to see some plans from the Irving group on what they can/will do to address the added pollution this project is sure to bring.

I will bet that the majority of Saint Johners will support this idea at the end of the day, just as obviously the majority support LNG in the city. There is a minority that does not of course, and they should be listened to as they bring their concerns to the table. But at the end of the day, most will support it, because despite the faults………it’s in the best interest of the city.

It’s not like many others are lining up with other projects and ideas.

This blog won’t be very popular with the anti-Irving contingent out there I dare say. But since I work in one of those “spin-off” industries, I know what a project like this could mean to the city. The needs of the many etc, etc……….

So flame away……….I can take it.

Iggy and the Libs

2006-10-02T23:38:00.000-03:00

To this point I haven't posted anything about the Liberal leadership race. Mostly because........well.....to be blunt.....I simply do not care much at this point.

Ignatieff seems to have the lead at this point over Rae. The question i've been asking myself is who is more electable to Canadians?? So far I haven't come to a solid conclusion. Iggy doesn't really inspire me. But Rae carries a lot of baggage from his stint as Premier of Ontario. Granted, he inherited a mess to begin with, but in politics....well......that damn "optics" thing again.

So, in a federal election who would be better for the Liberals?? You tell me...... Given the recent history of the Federal Liberals, it’s a tough gig for whoever wins.

I think either Iggy or Rae could debate circles around Harper. Not that Harper is not a smart guy.....he certainly is.....I’ve not always been kind to Mr. Harper about certain things....but dumb he most certainly is not. Bottom line, the Liberals need to look at the big picture.......who is the best choice to go against Stephen Harper on the issues in the next federal election. I'll be darned if I can pick one. I would almost have to guess, that barring some catastrophe on the conservative side of things, we’ll see a majority conservative government next time around….(Did I just say that?? LOL)………so the next Liberal leader will have to hone his skills on the opposition benches for awhile.

If I had to pick a horse at this point, I’d say Iggy, but we’ll see………

On the plus side for Rick Mercer, and the political cartoonists........Prime Minister Iggy has some definite opportunities for humor........LOL

Anonymous Bloggers

2006-09-30T20:54:00.000-03:00

I decided to bring this one to my own blog, after taking part in a discussion about it over at Spink About It

Why is it people like Brent Taylor (I won't link him, as wouldn't want Brent to have to deal with us Anonymous idiots :-) ) feel that if myself or another blogger or commentator does not put his name on his thoughts, then we simply are irrelevant?? Are my thoughts not mine as I write them, with or without my name??

What Brent and others like him seem to forget is politics is not my life. I do not make a living in any way shape or form from politics as he does. I am simply a private citizen who wants to have his say. If you take a look around the blogosphere you’ll notice most of the “big name” bloggers, either in Canada or the U.S. dealing with politics are involved in it in some way or other. Whether it’s first hand, as a serving or former politician , party worker or insider,or as a “paid” commentator in some way, TV, radio, newspapers etc……..there are exceptions of course, but they are few, and far between.

Would I like to put my name on my blog?? Absolutely……..

Can I?? Not without putting my own livelihood and others, on the line. Seems silly? Take a look around……. We are seeing often these days’ people being fired from their jobs for comments posted on their personal blogs, even those that don’t directly impact their jobs…….so the question is……………do I post under a pseudonym and have my say?? Or do I put my own job and those of my co-workers and employer at risk to appease someone like Brent Taylor who given his past political affiliations has already done as much damage to his own reputation as is probably possible?

I think I’ll choose to continue to post my thoughts about politics, politicians, and whatever, for those that enjoy the read, and urge those who are offended by the notion of “Anonymous” bloggers, to kindly not darken my doorstep.

The holier than thou among us, should perhaps reflect on the fact, that perhaps some of us have other commitments more important than our hobby blogs………….it is after all “just politics” to us laymen, not a way of life.

**EDIT**
You'll notice that I didn't say only Brent Taylor.......I also mention others.....Taylor is not the first one to mention this, and I have even had some emails on the subject over the past year that this blog has been in existance. Sorry Brent if you feel it was only you I was speaking to.....I've highlighted ther "other" so you don't feel so picked on.**

The last Tory out is a rotten egg!!

2006-09-26T22:24:00.000-03:00

As reported on CBC New Brunswick, Bernard Lord's former law partner is the first Tory appointee to head for the hills. Yassin Choukri was eventually appointed Deputy Justice Minister after working in Lord's office after the 1999 election.

I wonder how many will leave voluntarily, and how many will wait to be shoved out........

Will He Get an Apology for New Brunswickers??

2006-09-26T21:38:00.000-03:00

I have to hand it to my bud Spinks he's like a dog with a bone once he gets his teeth in to something.......lol

As I posted on his blog, I have my doubts that he'll have any success getting an apology out of Carmel Robichaud at this late date.......however, I do agree that an apology is/was is order.

Admittedly, at first glance, I had my doubts about Spinks' objectivity on this one. But after some thinking on the subject, I do believe he has a point.....granted, the optics are not the best, but as Scott points out.......optics is not the issue here, lobbying to get a license returned for a convicted drunk driver is.

What she did was wrong, and it deserves an apology. If he was calling for her resignation right after she faced the elctorate in an election I'd tell him to get a grip.........but is an apology is different....is that so wrong??

Anyway......if you agree with him.....make sure to pop over and sign his petition.

PNB

No medal for vets? C'mon Stephen........

2006-09-22T21:48:00.000-03:00

From the "shock and awe file"........

They say you learn something new everyday......I was listening to CBC's As It Happens this evening, and heard a report about the "RED FRIDAY RALLY" in Ottawa. I listened to Stephen Harper talking about supporting our troops, etc, as he often does lately. Shortly after, there was a story about a vet from Windsor Ont. named Murray Sinnet(sp?) who is pushing for a Canadian military medal similar to the U.S. military's "Purple Heart" given to soldiers wounded in action. Color me surprised and embarrased to find out Canada has no medal to honor men who are wounded/injured in combat. Why????

Don't get me wrong. I'm not blaming Stephen Harper for the lack of a medal, as obviously this situation has existed long before Stephen got the helm......But Stephen Harper has the oppotunity to change the situation. He can do it if he chooses......Show the military he's doing more than simply paying lip service to their sacrifices.

A medal can never replace a limb, or heal a permanent injury. A medal is simply a small token of respect for someone who's been permanently maimed or injured in the service of his/her country........

What do you say Stephen?? You up for it?

Admittedly I'm no expert in military matters....Perhaps a vet or someone involved in the military can tell me if I'm missing something here??

You can listen to the AIH interview here: (Requires Real Player) CDN PURPLE HEART
Starts at 16:20 and runs 5:05.

Oct 3 the Big Day for the N.B Libs.

2006-09-21T21:12:00.000-03:00

Since Oct 3 has been chosen as the day the new Liberal Government of New Brunswick is going to be sworn in, I had planned on some thoughts about possible cabinet positions.......but as I suspected, NBPolitico is All Over It
:-)
So I think i'll leave the cabinet speculation up to him on his blog. I have to say at this point, I simply don't care where or how Graham positions his team. I'm more intrested to see what he's going to do with all the promises that were made during the campaign.

I've been watching with a touch of amusement all the speculation about Bernard Lord and his "future" plans.......everything from Federal Politics, to An Ambassadorship to France, to staying on as opposition leader. The last one seems highly unlikely. Lord is far to ambitious to be happy playing second fiddle to his old job. No, Lord will no doubt find a ton of opportunities......as well he should.

Give the guy a break already. We'll all know in time........when he and his family are ready to share, and he's weighed all his options.

Oh, and to a certain "Anonymous" critic out there..........nope sorry to disappoint you my friend.......i'm still around. :-) I wouldn't have thought a two day absence would have fueled speculation that I had left the building. Sorry if that disappoints you. For someone who constantly raves and rants about the irrelevance of political blogs in New Brunswick, and the fact that pretty much nobody reads them...........you certainly seem to spend a ton of time on them yourself........commenting about how dumb and inferrior everone is to you.......... ;)

PNB

Liberals Win A Majority.

2006-09-18T23:25:00.000-03:00

After watching the evenings proceedings, it's quite clear that the conservatives were not decimated or even beaten very badly. Their popular vote actually increased, and the Liberals share increased in proportion to the Loss of vote by the NDP. The popular vote is almost identical.
Those out there looking for a change, will get it........but still a large and strong conservative opposition. The Liberals simply have a bit more breathing room than the PC's had last time around.

Mr.Graham, I urge you not to squander your shot at the "Big Chair." The bloggers of New Brunswick are going to be following your progress, or lack there of. There is no free ride. We have the platform, and the promises. New Brunswickers gave you 4 years.......make them count.

Now the questions.......Bernard Lords Future? Allison Brewers future? Do they stay or do they go. I would have to think they will both step down.....so when? Right away? As we discussed earlier in another blog, who if anybody is waiting in the wings?

I hope all the bloggers that joined in during the campaign will stick around, and even more join in. Thanks to Spinks and Charles for their part in the evening, and a special thanks to all those that joined in the chat. I had alot of fun spending the evening chatting with other political junkies while watching the returns come in.

Congratulations to all the winning candidates, and the unsuccesful ones as well. They all deserve a pat on the back for putting themselves out there for election to public office, and their willingness to serve the public. I know we beat up on politicians, and i'm as cynical as the next guy, but I do believe most get into politics for the right reason. And the ones that forget?? Well, that's what elections are for.

oh........and bloggers! :-)

NDP Decimated in New Brunswick

2006-09-18T21:38:00.000-03:00

Pretty obvious where the disintegrated NDP vote went. This was more of a vote against the Conservatives more than a vote of confidence in the Liberals IMO. People wanted a change obviously.

People were not buying the 5 in 5 nor the 20 point checklist. Closing Hospitals, Insurance, Orimulsion.......It all adds up.

A Liberal Win

2006-09-18T21:35:00.000-03:00

I guess people wanted a change after all, even if the Newspaper editors in this province said not.

So much for polls. They were not as close as most thought.

SORRY GUYS!!! TOO EXICTING!!! I GOT TO SIT DOWN AND WATCH!!!

2006-09-18T20:54:00.000-03:00

KEITH ASHFIELD AND CLAUDE WILLIAMS WINS!!

2006-09-18T20:51:00.001-03:00

Wayne Steeves wins!!!

2006-09-18T20:42:00.001-03:00

Jody Carr wins!!!

2006-09-18T20:42:00.000-03:00

Ed Doherty wins!!!

2006-09-18T20:39:00.000-03:00

Victor Boudreau wins!!

2006-09-18T20:37:00.000-03:00

A Liberal Majority??

2006-09-18T20:34:00.001-03:00

So the newspapers were wrong that people didn't want a change. Still early........but it's looking good for the red and bad for the blue......if it holds.

Abel Leblanc wins!!!

2006-09-18T20:34:00.000-03:00

BERNARD LEBLANC WINS!!! I was right

2006-09-18T20:31:00.000-03:00

HERE WE GO!!!

2006-09-18T20:07:00.000-03:00

15 minutes till d-day!!!

2006-09-18T19:52:00.000-03:00

30 minutes left!!!

2006-09-18T19:34:00.000-03:00

CBC For Me.

2006-09-18T18:10:00.000-03:00

It will probably come as no surprise that I'll be watching CBC television and the CBC Website, for my MSM election coverage. No doubt that my protege Spinks will probably get most of his from CTV TV, and CBC on the web....(I'm sure he'll correct me if i'm wrong).....as the other media outlets have horrible web sites, and to them New Brunswick seems not to exist.....anyway....off that tangent and back to tonight. :-)

Should be a great evening........hope to see you here starting at 8:00 when the polls close.

If anyone at a campaign headquarters etc. has internet access, please try to pop by and give us the scoop from where you are.

PNB

test

2006-09-18T16:43:00.000-03:00

**EDIT**
As you can see Charles Leblanc is on the prowl in Saint John Tonight and will be uploading pics throughout the evening......and chiming in with some on-site reports......

Intresting shirt Charles......no need to ask how you voted........LOL

PNB

All Over But The Voting....

2006-09-17T21:50:00.000-03:00

Just hours away now from Election Day. I'm sticking with my numbers, but it wouldn't surprise me a bit to see a one or two seat win yet again, if the polls are close at all. I think it may be a late one tommorrow night. :-)

Looking forward to blogging along with the election coverage with my bud Spinks over at Spink About It. The Chat will be open on both sites, hope you can join us, as we'll start as soon as the polls close at 8:00pm. I think this is going to be alot of fun no matter who wins......

Make sure you all get out and vote!!
The Polls are open 10:00am to 8:00pm

Good luck to all the candidates.......

PNB

Predictions From A Loudmouth Blogger :-)

2006-09-15T21:08:00.000-03:00

Well, here it goes! Normally I leave my predictions until the night before election day, but I said I’d put em up Friday, here they are:

Liberal: 32
PC :22
NDP: 1

Looking high for the Libs you say?? Yeah………they are. But I think there is a bit of a surge taking place, and I think the Libs will be in the 30+ range. I should mention, I came to this not because I think Shawn has magically transformed himself, but I think minus any Major election issue this time around, it is going to come down to a race between local candidates, and not really a leadership contest. That said, I think the Liberals simply have a better slate of candidates than the PC’s this time around.

I'm going to add my thoughts on the local ridings in the Saint John area. It’s the area I'm most familiar with and the other areas have been picked apart, and analyzed to death.

Fundy - River Valley: This is a riding where many feel ignored by the Lord Conservatives. I think there will be a backlash, although Borden DeLong for the PC’s is a strong candidate, I'm giving the edge to Jack Keir of the Liberals.

Saint John - Fundy I actually have a strong Anti-Jamieson bias, and I'll be damned if I can figure out how this guy keeps getting elected. That said, I have a feeling he will once again pull a rabbit out of his hat, and convince enough people he deserves the job. This riding is not a gimme this time around, and a drive around will tell you there are a ton of James Huttges supporters in this area. This one could be very close. Call goes to Jamieson.

Saint John East Roly MacIntyre should grab this one fairly handily for the Liberals. MacIntyre should be a shoe-in for cabinet if the Liberals form a government after Monday night, and he retains his seat like I expect.

Saint John Lancaster An interesting choice of candidate in this one from the PC’s. Peter Hyslop was the public intervener in the NB Power rate hike hearings in front of the PUB. He has come out and publicly stated he thinks Lord should apologize for the Orimulsion fiasco. With friends like this........
I don’t think he can take Abel Leblanc quite frankly. I think Abel has a ton of support, and should take this riding without much trouble.

Saint John Harbour This one should be a cake walk for Liberal incumbent Dr. Ed Doherty. He’s very, very popular in this riding. PC candidate Idee Inyangudor was Trevor Holder’s assistant. Probably the only person they could find after the beating the PC’s took in the recent by-election. Inyangudor is the sacrificial lamb in this case. This one won’t even be close.

Saint John Portland One of the most interesting races in Southern New Brunswick IMO. Holder came close to losing this one last time around by 169 votes to Colleen Knudson. What saved him was the vote splitting on the Left between the Liberals and the NDP. NDP candidate Clare Mudge is an unknown this time around, and popular former federal NDP Candidate Terry Albright is working with Knudeson. Holder is in trouble I think. I'm calling Knudson by a comfortable margin.

Rothesay This is a tough one. I’ve been hearing good things about the Liberal Candidate Paul Barry. Even so, Margaret-Ann Blaney may be tough to beat. Constant reader will know I'm not a fan of Blaney, however, she still commands a lot of support in this area. I do think Barry could take this, if there is a real desire in the electorate for a change, but I'm giving the edge here to Blaney, in what I'm projecting will be a squeaker.

Quispamsis I’ll be watching this one very closely. Brenda Fowlie should not be re-elected if there is any justice at all. She does not deserve to be an MLA, let alone a cabinet minister with one of the top portfolios. She squeaked this one out last time by 19 votes. I think it will be a much larger margin this time around…….but not in Fowlie’s favor. The Liberal’s have worked this riding very, very hard, and I'm calling Mary Schryer in Quispamsis.

Hampton – Kings Bev Harrison has had this one in the bag for the last couple of elections. He’s been campaigning harder this time around than he ever did in the past. Redistribution may play a role in this one. Harrison is gaining some of Fowlie’s old riding, and has lost some strong Conservative support up in the Norton area. Liberal Linda Watson has worked hard here, but I'm a bit perplexed to be honest. I would have expected a higher profile candidate this time around in this riding. Given the past history of this area, I have to give the edge to Harrison, unless, again, a “change” catches on and there is a move to dump the conservative. This one is in my “Ones to watch” category. Call goes to Harrison.

Finally, I just want to comment on the Fredericton - Lincoln race. Up above in my predictions I gave the NDP 1 seat. This is it. I'm not totally convinced she can win this one. Greg Byrne will be tough to beat. I think this one could very possibly wind up PC due to vote splitting. That said, I think the Province would actually be better served by having Brewer in the Leg and out of the gallery. She's a smart lady, and while I may not agree with all her ideas, i'm convinced that a Legislature made up of only Liberals and Conservative MLA's is in nobody's best intrest, except perhaps the Liberals and Conservative MLA's.

Oh and while i'm at it.......Tanker malley will win again. Should he??? Absolutly not........but go spend some time on the Chi' and you'll know why Malley will be re-elected and be rewarded with his pension.

That's it..........The above senario is one of the reasons I put the Libs out front. This one is going to be fought in the trenches at the local level. Hope you join Spinks and I election night....I think this one will be a dog fight.

Will Lord still be master of his domain if he wins with two seats or less?

2006-09-15T09:15:00.000-03:00

I’ve asked this question on another site but the Liberal response was no response at all. I’m very disappointed. Hell, maybe it's a stupid question, but here it is again.

Since Premier Lord’s “reason” for calling this election was because he did not want to face another session in the Legislature running what amounts to a minority government, if the PC only win by two or less seats, would this be a failure on his part? And, should his caucus have full confidence in his leadership?

If your answer is, “Lord isn’t winning, so the question is moot” or “Lord is a liar”, then I don’t want to hear it. That is what I meant by responding with no response at all. Indeed, those were two of the answers I received. Also, if your answer is simply, "Lord will win handily", the same goes for you.

Take a second and think about it. If you manage to wrench your head out of your respective party’s butt, I would really like to see what you have to say. Nobody is going to read this and have their minds changed so profoundly that they will buy what you or I are selling.

Advance Poll Numbers Up...

2006-09-14T21:18:00.000-03:00

I see CBC is carrying a report that advanced polls are up 50% over the 2003 election. In it, Barry Kay from Wilfred Laurier University talks about the “theory” of heavy voting in the advance polls translating to a high turn out for the election (which he says has no basis in fact). I agree with him. I think many just take advantage of beating the "rush" and getting it done early. Myself I prefer the "old fashioned" vote on election day, then settle down with a few cold ones and watch the returns come in. :-)

However, it got me to thinking about the issue of voter turnout. If there is a high voter turnout, is that good for the Incumbent Conservatives? Or would a small turn out be more in their favor. Depends how you look at it I guess. I would tend to think a High turn out in the overall numbers could be trouble for the PC’s, as it may signal many people are in a “looking for a change” state of mind, and A low turnout, signals an apathetic, indifferent, or satisfied electorate, and I would have to think that would benefit the PC’s. That’s my take…….interested to hear some other thoughts.

What do you think?

Newspaper Muzzles its readers......

2006-09-12T18:54:00.001-03:00

(Via CBC: Paper bans election talk from letters page )

After reading this one, I simply had to mention it here.

A newspaper, banning election letters during an election….they have to be kidding.

Sure the Partisan workers try to get their partisan spiel in the paper. No different than having a candidate for office on a phone in talk show and party supporters jamming the phone lines.
What’s different in this case is Greg Mulock the editor of The Northern Light simply banned Election letters outright. Isn’t that what editors get paid to do?? EDIT?? Sorry if I simply cannot get my head around this one. Pretty hard to have debate, and exchange of ideas during a campaign, when newspapers pulls out the muzzle for its readers.

Sure tighten up the editing, and watch for those over the top Partisan letters, but don’t muzzle the community totally from discussing the issues.

Just wrong IMO.

PNB

Closer than most thought??

2006-09-12T13:35:00.000-03:00

Well, the new poll by CRA is out, and from the numbers, it would appear that the New Brunswick "Red Machine" is in better shape than many thought.

Liberal: 44%
Conservative: 42%
NDP: 10%

What I find intresting is, yesterday the MSM and blogs were all abuzz with anticipation of this poll, as CRA tends to be the most accurate of the bunch. They were bang on in the last couple of elections. When the last Bristol numbers came out, they were played up far and wide by my right leaning associates, even with their dubious methodology. This time, those same folks are strangely quiet. Not the numbers are enough to get overly excited about.....but they show another horserace.....on that the Liberals are actually slighly leading this time.

Still hearing around Saint John area "anybody but Lord" as a mantra. Also, the big knock against Graham seems to be that he's inexperienced and green. Seems to me that that was the exact same thing that was said about Lord when we handed him the keys. I'm beginning to wonder if Shawn doesn't actually deserve a shot. Is there a shift in the tide against the Lord Conservatives?? It's only a small edge at this point....is it enough to win?? It may be an intresting Election night......

Election Night Plans

2006-09-11T20:28:00.001-03:00

As you may or may not have already seen over at Spink About It , Spinks and I going to have tag team election night coverage on the 18th. The chatroom will be open, and Live and accesible on both blog sites all evening. I'm also looking at a couple of things as well...stay turned.....Looking forward to having some fun, as well as some intresting observations and discussions. So pull your computer over by the TV and join in....Election nights are made for Political junkies :-)

As Spinks mentioned, it would be great if we could hear from some people at returning office's or a campaign headquarters/party that evening....

Hope to see you all on Monday night.

PNB

Keir does it right....

2006-09-09T20:09:00.000-03:00

As you may have read over at Spink About It , Fundy-River Valley Liberal Candidate Jack Keir has entered the Blogosphere with a bang. Up until this point I have been leaving the "candidate" blogs to my bud Spinks, as he's doing a fine job with it........however, I have to give a shout out to Keir and his team for having the Cahones to not only open the comments, but to link other political blogs in NB, even those that may not endorse him, or agree with the party platform. It would appear that Mr.Keir and his team believe that discussion of the issues is a good thing.......no matter what your political stripe. Kudo to the Keir team!

I notice that the only candidate that Spinks has listed in his Links is Brent Taylor. Kind of curious, considering in order to get a reciprocal link on Taylor's blog, you must be a member of the
Blogging Tories

I'm going to add a link for Mr.Keir, as he has linked me. I believe in proper Netiquette. However, i'm going to go a step farther, and start a "Candidate Blogs" link list, and any of the candidates in New Brunswick, who shows the same guts gets a link, no matter what the political stripe.......yeah you too Brent......LOL

**EDIT**
I should have qualified with saying, it is not a requirement to even add "my" blog, but a cross section of the NB Blogs works. There are many good ones. I should have made that clearer.

The Liberal Platform

2006-09-07T21:48:00.000-03:00

The Liberal platform has been released. You can grab a copy @ The Liberal Charter for Change

I'm gonna read it over before I comment on it.
Meanwhile go grab a copy and see whether it gets a thumb up or a thumb down.

Debate Thoughts

2006-09-07T20:06:00.000-03:00

I have to start by saying I think Lord gets the nod for the debate, mostly because it was sooooo boring, and absent of any new ideas or debate. The hour was simply too short to really get into any meaningful discussion on any of the topics. It should have been 1 1/2 to 2 hours IMO. Everytime an actual debate started to happen, Terry had to cut them off. As with the campaign......ho hum, ho hum......and that's advantage incumbent.

Lord was his usual slick self, he is obviously speaking to those who support him.....nobody else. IMO he seems to be showing a touch of arrogance these days. Anyway, Five In Five, Blah, blah, blah. He probably will win.....because he's not saying anything at all, let alone anything wrong.

Graham did better than I expected, and did make a few points, however, nothing to set the campaign on fire. My complaint with Graham, is, he only seemed to want to talk Orimulsion......and while it is an issue, not sure it's the major one......gotta find something else Shawn, because Orimulsion is not going to be the insurance issue of this campaign.

Brewer did ok for her first debate, but she appeared very nervous and read far to much from her notes. It was good to hear her bring up the foolishness in the last session by the MLA's on both sides of the house. Of course, it was ignored by the other two......but a reminder to Joe Citizen can't hurt. I thought she also did an admiral job in the Healthcare section, calling Lord on healthcare cuts.

I hope the second debate is better, but since I don't subscribe to Rogers, I guess I won't be able to watch. I'll have to rely on the TJ the next day for the story...... :-(

Go ahead and say what you want about the CBC, but at least they are accesible to all New Brunswickers, not just those with cable TV. An election debate covered only by Rogers TV is a diservice to New Brunswickers IMO.

Anyway, it was as boring as I expected........and I bet will help nobody make up their mind. Mark me down as "Still Undecided."

Debate Tonight

2006-09-07T15:05:00.000-03:00

Well tonight at 7:00 pm is the NB Leaders Debate on CBC. I'll be moving the chat to the top of the page, and will be here chatting and blogging while I watch. Hope to have people join in. I think it will be intresting to get some instant reaction to the debate as it rolls along.

Cya tonight.

PNB

Blogging Article in HERE Newspaper..

2006-09-06T20:29:00.000-03:00

**Via Here NB**
Blogging the political trail

By David Gingras

The article Spinks spoke of a couple of weeks ago, is printed in "Here" this week. Nice to see a positive article about Blogging in New Brunswick.

Well done David!

PNB

When two voices are not enough

2006-09-06T19:58:00.000-03:00

The problem with only two voices in the Legislature is that they will eventually come out sounding like they’re in stereo. The campaign so far has already showed us that policy-wise there isn’t much difference between the Liberals and Progressive Conservatives.

I’m not one to preach for the advancement of the NDP cause, but the fact remains since Elizabeth Weir stepped down from the Legislature and stepped into obscurity the Leg hasn’t been the same.

Why is the third party so important?

Recently, I was made privilege to some information concerning the possible abuse of private flights by government members from the capital to their individual ridings. When some opposition caucus members wanted to bring this to the attention of the Legislature, the outside influences that follow Shawn Graham around quickly nixed the idea. Why? Well, the reason given was the members could have said something that would come back to haunt a future Liberal government. Imagine that. The opposition ignored an issue of possible interest to the taxpayer; because the Grits would essentially do the same, that is, abuse the system.

When a lowly peon like myself is given access to such information, it scares me. I have to believe that there are dozens of other examples of such irresponsible governing. Whether they are government or opposition, the Grits and Tories run things from the same playbook.

I have plenty of Liberal friends and it just drives them when they ask me what I think about some PC policy or decision and I respond with “that’s exactly what I would do and it’s exactly what you would do.” I don’t know why they remain friends with me, but they keep coming back.

To get back to my original point, some riding in New Brunswick should take one for the team and elect an NDPer for the good of the entire province. It would be nice to have someone in the Leg who wasn’t there for the sole purpose of attaining more power. However, I don’t think the people of Fredericton-Lincoln are going to co-operate. Will anyone else? Regretfully, democracy and the people of New Brunswick aren't going to be well served in the next Leg.

PUB ---- Hello?? Anyone home???

2006-09-06T19:24:00.000-03:00

Well, once again, we see the benchmark New York harbour price fall sharply, and the PUB again drops the ball and the gas regulation legislation fails New Brunswickers. I guess they are all too busy to take time out of their busy schedules to do what they were put on this board to do. Can’t wait to see what weak excuse they’ll have this time. So much for Brenda Fowlie's jabber about that special "trigger" built in for these sort of circumstances.

Perhaps my fellow bloggers on the “liberal bias watch” will come up with information that the PUB are all Liberals, and are purposely out to get Lord & Company. LOL

Is gas regulation working??? I know one thing………..the PUB certainly isn’t.

Was The Lord Government dupped?

2006-09-05T20:23:00.000-03:00

It certainly appears that way........insurance is back for a return engagement.

If you missed part one of the Robert Jones report, i'll post the link below. (Requires RealPlayer Free Edition...... you can get it HERE )

You can bet it will be everywhere tommorrow. I dare say the spin doctors will be VERY busy for both parties tonight.

**EDIT**
Listen to the report via CBC.
(Now updated with it's own link to the video)

Insurance reform gone wrong

What took so long?

2006-09-05T19:44:00.000-03:00

Well today we finally see Graham start to go on the attack against Lord on his record of the past seven years in office. I guess the message finally got through that Shawn Graham's message hasn't been resonating overwhelmingly with people. Since most people can see very little difference between the two platforms, the edge in that case usually goes to the incumbent. IMO, it’s really Graham’s only chance. If he doesn’t go after Lord and attack him on his record, he may as well fold up the tent and stay home for the last twelve days. Will it work for him?? That remains to be seen. If he goes for the jugular in the debates, and is successful, this race should really heat up. But if he lets Lord dipsy doodle, and stick handle around, this one is likely over.

I'm hoping for some fireworks myself………this damn campaign needs some fireworks, instead of the ho hum we’ve seen so far.

Speaking of which………anyone know what format the debates will take? Will there be a chance for the candidates to confront each other??

I'm assuming I’ll not get to see the second debate, as I don’t have rogers cable…….anyone got the details on that one??

Repatriation----Success? Or Failure.

2006-09-01T21:34:00.000-03:00

**Via CBC New Brunswick**
Show me the money, expat New Brunswicker tells Lord

I understand that the Lord Governments "Repatriation" program has been deemed a success by the PC spin doctors because they "exceeded" their own targets. Government numbers indicate 800 people returned over the last three years.

So let’s look. First, how many were returning anyway for their own reasons? Were they counted in this number? Next, how many of the 800 stayed after they came back. And the biggest question I have is, how many others have left during that same period??

I'll commend Bernard Lord for trying. Problem is, I believe we need some real changes here in NB to make it happen. Simply creating a few jobs and telling NB'ers in Alberta that it's all roses at home don't cut it.

You see, we've all heard the horror stories about the people that go out to Alberta, and work 7 days a week and live in the camps. But make no mistake, there are many, many others who do very, very well, who while they miss New Brunswick, see no future here for them in the foreseeable future, due to the lack of high paying jobs, to match their skills. I personally have 5 very close friends who fit in this category. How do we "repatriate" these people?? They would love to come home……but the question they will inevitably ask is…..come home for what???

Lord's plan to try and get some mfg. jobs setup doing outsource work for Alberta firms is a good one. There is some of this happening right now in the province. Question is, is even that enough?? Personally I don't believe so.

What needs to happen of course is creating jobs that will appeal to people as long term, that they can build a future on here in NB, not simply a year or two of steady work. How do we do that??

Bingo!

If I knew that, I’d run for Premier……… lol.

In the meantime, beware of the "spin" being tossed out on this one.........it's really not as good as it sounds.

Leaders Debate

2006-09-01T20:07:00.000-03:00

Leaders Debate:
Thursday, Sept. 7, 2006
7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (AT)
to be broadcast on CBC Television, CBC Radio, and CBC.ca.

Got a question you want answered by the party leaders that may help you decide what party gets your vote??

Send your question here:
CBC Leaders Debate

I Plan on being on hand debate night on the live chat.......hope to see you here.

Jean-Paul Savoie Gives Lord the Nod.

2006-08-31T19:17:00.000-03:00

Personally I thought Kedgwick Mayor (and former jr liberal minister) Jean-Paul Savoie's explanation about why he's supporting the Tories was pretty weak. I have never bought the argument that it makes one iota of difference to have parties of the same stripe at both federal and provincial levels. C’mon people lets be truthful here. What the hell has Harper done for NB since he’s been in power, that wouldn’t have got done anyway??? Oh wait there was the “bus fare” money that Saint John got towards Harbour cleanup.....Can't forget that.

But really, we've heard that weak, tired argument before.......and has it ever really materialized??? Nope.

Quote By Savoie from CBC:
Having a Conservative government in Ottawa and having a Conservative government in New Brunswick [will help]," he said. "If we've got our plan, and we convince the politicians they should work on the files of the region, then maybe we got a chance to make a difference."

Does he really believe this??!! LMAO

Obviously he finds himself more aligned politically with Lord’s conservatives, than the Liberals....fine. But we’ll be better off because of Conservative governments at both levels??? give me a break.

Sheesh!

A slight Shift?

2006-08-28T21:12:00.000-03:00

Wondering if some momentum might be starting to swing ever so slightly towards the Liberals. At this point I still give the edge to Lord, however, we see Frank out on the trail endorsing Graham, and ummm, is it just me or does it seem like every time ya pick up a newspaper lately, there's a BIG picture of Graham on the front page? Of course those two things by themselves don't add up to much, however, I'm starting to hear people on the street say "why not give Graham a chance", and "anybody but Lord." Granted, this is around Saint John, where Lord is not overly popular anyway. Look for this one to get down and dirty in the next week of so. The Conservatives have already started to attack. I imagine this so far lackluster campaign will start to heat up next week after the kids head back to school, and people return from vacation. That's when we should start to see whether a real shift is happening or not.

2006-08-25T21:39:00.000-03:00

Ummmmm......is anyone keeping track of how much money Lord has "pledged" to spend in the last month or so?? My god, we must be swimming in money!! Another $240 million for upgrading schools! It never ceases to amaze me how rich we are come election time, and in the months leading up to elections. Heck, the Lord government has done more road construction in the last 3 months than they did in the last 6 years! No wonder people are so sickened by politics, and politicians. They starve us and treat us like dirt under their feet for a few years, and then spend OUR money like drunken fools at election time, and we are supposed to be grateful that they are thinking of us every fourth year.

And they say the electorate is cynical.............Imagine that!!

Media Election Coverage.....

2006-08-25T21:21:00.000-03:00

Well, now that we are a week in to the election, i've been wondering where people are getting their election coverage/info.

Online is a no brainer..........CBC has the only local news site of the Canadian networks. My only beef here is lack of local updates on the weekend. Most times you are lucky to find New Brunswick mentioned on CTV unless we have some major news, or it's an extremely SLLLLOOOOWWWW news day. Global's site is simply horrible.

Radio, I still give the edge to CBC, at least as far as the information morning programs are concerned on my morning drive. Rogers has done ok as well with coverage through the day. The other Private stations have their ususal 10 second blurbs.

TV. I have to admit to having seen very little coverage of TV news lately from any network. I've asked around, and most seem to prefer CBC, then Global local news, and CTV pulling up the rear. If it didn't happen in Halifax or Dartmouth, it's just a quicky from CTV.

So who has the best election coverage so far according to you??

Riding To Watch

2006-08-22T21:43:00.000-03:00

I was reading Jacques Poitras blog about 10 ridings to watch. His list is a good one, and is worth checking out.

Another race to watch, that didn’t make Jacques list, is the riding of Hampton-Kings. Last time around, it was not a close race as Hampton-Belleisle. Harrison won in 2003 by 746 votes.

So why is this one more interesting this time around, you might ask??? Redistribution. This riding has gained areas from the former Kennebecasis riding. That’s right, Brenda Fowlie’s riding in 2003, where she won by only 19 votes. Travel around these rural areas and ask about Fowlie’s representation and people do not give glowing reviews. You’ll be sure to hear about the main road that was closed due to a washout from the sping, until just a week or so ago. It was a major inconvienience for most everyone in the area.

Oh and to add a bit more to the mix, this riding is also gaining parts of Liberal MLA Stuart Jamieson’s Saint John Fundy riding. Further, some of the territory lost in redistribution, was pretty solid Conservative support. This probably explains why Mr.Harrison has been hitting the rural areas campaigning so hard, even before the writ was dropped. How much of a difference will this make? To early to tell, but depending on who the Liberal’s come up with, (they seem to be taking their sweet time with a candidate) it could be a horse race. Putting this one down as a definite "one to watch"........stay tuned!

**Edit- Since I posted this last night, the Liberal's site has been updated, and they have indeed chosen a candidate for this riding. Linda Watson. It appears there are only 4 ridings without Liberal Candidates now.

Simple Essentials

2006-08-21T22:11:00.000-03:00

Just popped over to Simple Essentials and I see Lisa has a very intresting blog about the ad/marketing campaigns by the Libs and Cons. Maybe one of the parties should have hired her for advice.......hehe

PNB

Promises, promises........

2006-08-21T20:24:00.000-03:00

Well, lets see, Bernard Lord has finally had an "eye opening" moment, and NOW wants to take care of seniors. Finally seniors will not have to be picked clean before they can enter a nursing home in New Brunswick. Seniors and their families are no doubt wondering what the hell took so long?? I like this in theory, but will wait for the details.

Shawn Graham is promising $1 million smackeroos for daycare spaces, and to improve wages, benefits, and training for childcare workers. Doubling daycare spaces is needed, most working parents can tell you how tough it is to even find a space for your child.

Allison Brewer wants to bring "accountability and respect for the legislature" even as she accidentally tried to break the rules by campaigning on the steps of the Leg. (Whoops!!)

Oh, and what the heck is with the Libs?? They seem to be very slow getting going with their signs? Only today around the Saint John area did some signs start going up. Are they short on help or something? Actually I notice many areas in the province are not even represented yet according to the Liberal’s web page……..I would have thought they would have been on this weeks ago……I mean it’s not like this election was a well kept secret. Did someone drop the ball, or are they having problems finding good candidates? Team Lord on the other hand is all filled and ready to roll.

I will of course be watching two particular ridings. Miramichi-Bay du Vin and Quispamsis. There is absolutely no way that either of the incumbents should be returned in these two ridings IMO. They have proven they have no respect whatsoever for the Leg or the people of New Brunswick. Hopefully the constituents in these ridings were paying attention.

Gabbly Chat

2006-08-19T21:18:00.000-03:00

I've added a "gabbly" chat to the page.......thought it might be cool to try it out. Pick a name and join in!

**Note to Firefox users:**

You will need the latest version of firefox if your older version does not support Gabbly. You can upgrade firefox here:

Firefox 1.5

Thanks Guys!!

2006-08-18T22:42:00.000-03:00

Scott, Spinks, and J.
Just wanted to thank you guys for doing some posting this summer. It was very much appreciated. I've been a bad blogger, taking the summer off to indulge my own pleasure........ok.....truth be told working on my "Honey Do" list.. :-)

Thanks!! You need favors guys, you know where to look!

Regards
PNB

P.S. I had another request from Monctonite as well, but due to my absence I missed the email. Thanks to you also Monctonite for stepping forward.

CBC and Jacques blogging along for the ride.....

2006-08-18T22:26:00.000-03:00

(A shout out to my right wing buddy Spinks for the info @ Spink About It )

Glad to see Jacques Poitras along for the election ride in the blogosphere. Check him out @ Jacques Poitras - Campaign Trail

By the way, I've added a couple of new ones off to the right, also via Spinks.......check out First, Pass the Toast and NB Politico.

Oh and I have to add my two cents..... As Scott mentioned recently...........where are all the female New Brunswick bloggers??? C'mon ladies......we know you are there reading, add your voice!!

Officially Sept 18th

2006-08-18T20:59:00.000-03:00

Well now it is official. Premier Bernard Lord has dropped the writ, and the race is on!

Just a few thoughts.

Despite the assurances by both leaders of intentions on running a clean race, I think we are going to see a dirty, in the mud, fight. We have no clear victor here, (although I have to give the early lead to Lord) and these guys are going to use all ammo and every trick in the book to win. I'd like to think they would keep it semi-clean (although lets face it, it is New Brunswick Politics we are talking about here.....not the cleanest at the best of times :-) ) but I think a desire for power will drive whoever is lagging behind to get nasty quickly.

Gas Prices and energy in general will be the major issue. I fear it may overshadow things like education. Remember our low literacy scores??
New Brunswick Scores Below Average

How about economic development and jobs?? Or HealthCare?? Not to mention Fowlie,and Tanker's shenanigans.

This is going to be an interest race indeed........and a tough fight on on both sides......

Oh and Scott, I'm hearing that Hooten will not be re-offering after her last trouncing.......so I guess your case of Keith's is safe bud! :-) Two bad, as I was looking forward to a free case of the second best Maritime Beer! hehe.......(Saint John Boy ya know.....Moosehead Pale is the Best........ I stick with the home team!) :-)

PNB

Cut Taxes-Stay Alive??

2006-08-17T18:49:00.000-03:00

Gasoline prices fuel Lord's pre-election campaign

Well, I think that Lord's idea to cut taxes on gas is actually a good one, although much belated......too bad he didn't do it before his ass was on the line. In other words, New Brunswickers are only important when it comes time to vote. Same old song and dance.

A gas tax cut was never the solution before regulation. We all know how that would have gone based on past experience. The oil companies would have simply raised the price and put the difference in their own pocket. Now with regulation, New Brunswickers "could" actually save a few pennies, depending on how it's handled.

As well on this one, many people including Shawn Graham are in agreement that the current regulation is not working.(I include myself also) My question is, in that case, what does Mr.Graham propose to do about it if elected? The old system didn't work except for "Big Oil", the new one seems to work for nobody except.....hmmmm.....yes once again big oil... ie. refiners......so Shawn........talk to us........what is your suggestion!! We are listening!

Oh and since i'm on the subject, if Mr.Lord and his government are going to tell the PUB what to do and when, then why bother with the PUB anyway. This little fiasco simply stinks.....

Election Issues

2006-08-16T21:58:00.000-03:00

Well, now that the speculation is over and we know for a fact that there will indeed be an election, I'm quite curious to find out what people are thinking the major issues will/should be? In one the the previous blog's below Garry Sinipass asked this question, but i'm not sure many saw it.

I could list many of them, but i'm more curious to what others are thinking. I know for a fact that some of the MLA's and their teams read here, so this is your chance folks.....lets have em!!

Energy? Education? Gas Regulation? Ore Emulsion fiasco? Economic Developement? MLA's that get the boot and get brought back? The shenanigans from the last session? Environment? That's only a small start.......I could go on.......but I mercifully won't..... :-)

There is much more to talk about besides which party leader is worse.....lets hear it!

First election sign of the season...

2006-08-12T11:50:00.000-03:00

Well, let me qualify...

Was out for my jog this morning and as I turned on from Sam Davis Drive onto University Ave in Saint John - there it was... none other than a somewhat faded "Re-Elect Elsie" sign stuck in the median strip... presumably from her last federal election.

No idea where someone found this or why they decided to post it there... but good for a laugh nonetheless. There's a fair bit of trash in the "pond" at that corner (being a former dump area) so I'm guessing someone found it and seeing what a treasure it was, decided to share with the world. Or at least the world that was in Millidgeville Saturday morning.

Anyway, no political message here - just a funny sighting... although I do have the urge to pull my copy of "History of the Dark Ages" off the shelf... :)

Have a good weekend.
J

NB Election - September 18

2006-08-10T13:38:00.000-03:00

(From the Canadian Press)

New Brunswick voters will head to the polls Sept. 18, Premier Bernard Lord confirmed Thursday.
Though Lord stopped short of actually calling the election, he told reporters he will visit the province's lieutenant governor next weekend, at which point he will dissolve the legislature.
The premier has long said he would prefer to hold the next provincial election in October 2007.
But Lord recently said he would drop that plan if Peter Mesheau, a former finance minister, left the Tory caucus to take a job in the private sector. The loss of one Tory member would plunge Lord's government into minority status _ something the premier has said he wants to avoid.
Mesheau confirmed his plans to leave public life when he met with the premier Thursday.
Lord's government won a second mandate in 2003 with a slim, one-seat majority.
Current standings in the New Brunswick legislature are 28 Conservatives (including the Speaker), 26 Liberals and one Independent.
If the Tories were to lose a sitting member, they would be reduced to minority status because the Speaker does not vote unless there is a tie.
To be sure, a late-summer election campaign would be dominated by cost-of-living issues.
New Brunswickers, like most other Canadians, are feeling the financial pressure of rising prices at gas pumps and in home heating bills.
Earlier this week, Liberal Leader Shawn Graham released the first instalment of his party's election platform, promising to soften the blow of rising energy costs with direct subsidies to homeowners for conservation upgrades and tax rebates for hybrid cars.
Graham said Lord has failed to control rising electricity rates, which have risen 25.8 per cent since
Lord took office.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick's forestry and mining sectors are facing major challenges, and the province is finding it increasingly hard to compete in the call centre industry.
Lord has said he will defend his government's track record in the energy sector, including its commitment to refurbish the aging Lepreau nuclear reactor and invest more money in wind power.
As well, the Lord government is rebating the eight per cent provincial sales tax on energy bills in the coming year to help people cope with the latest hike in electricity costs.

Grand Manan Leading the Charge??

2006-07-27T21:48:00.000-03:00

As much as we are all supposed to "abhor" vigalante justice, are their many people out there who don't have at least some sympathy for the residents of Grand Manan Island?? Living in Saint John where the problem in 100 fold, many can relate. The Island has had a long standing problem with Drugs that is only getting worse. On this score, I actually do agree with PM Harper. Reform of our archaic system is needed, to bring us to the point to deal with the realities of today's society.

People try to blame the RCMP, the judges, etc.........look closer people....it's the justice system that is the root problem. Our members of the system, deal inside the law as it is written. In this particular case, people were driven outside of the law to try and deal with a situation that is ruining their way of life. I really hope Harper is planning some real change, instead of just paying lip service......we are watching Mr.PM.

On a releated note, Bernard Lord stated that the government is looking into it also. Where in the hell have they been?? The drug problem on the Island has never been a secret........anymore than the one in Saint John or other areas of the Province are. I guess it has to get drastic before our government pays attention. Once again Lord has an eye opener. Then again, if Saint John is any indication, I doubt it will make any difference in that respect.

Good luck Grand Manan, the media attention will eventually pass........lets hope the politicians will remember.......

Just don't hold your breath.

Election In the Fall??

2006-07-22T23:29:00.000-03:00

Still hearing rumors about a fall election. Recived an email the other day that Bev Harrison is heading door to door in the rural area's of his riding to personally let everyone know that the PC's are taking care of them by paving there delapitated roads. This particular person says that he has "NEVER" had Harrison knock on his door, yet he is now pounding the pavement talking about the pavement........anyone else seeing their MLA around town more that they normally would?? Despite Lord's statements to the contrary, are we heading to the polls this fall?? I'm hearing rumors that Lord is getting mundo pressure to call an election while they are back up in the polls. It certainly fits......spend, spend, spend, in the spring, do the barbecue circuit over the summer then strike "while the iron is hot" in the fall.....sounds about right.........

Let the beer and popcorn flow

2006-07-21T20:35:00.000-03:00

I always found Scott Reid's popcorn and beer analysis of Harper's plan so completely absurd. Here's the analysis about what will happen this weekend from lifesitenews.com

Better head out to the beer store now; a rush on beer and popcorn is predicted for the weekend as the Conservative Government’s choice in childcare cheques (Liberally aka “beer and popcorn money”) have arrived. The Liberal hierarchy imagines: In the mailboxes of those crazed parents who are depriving their offspring of the wonders of state-controlled daycare professionals and subjecting the poor creatures to the untrained and non-state-sanctioned care of “Mom”, the money sits waiting to be squandered.

The Top 10

2006-07-15T14:12:00.000-03:00

I broke down about a week ago and created a blog. When it fits, I'll cross post here but some of my "rants" just don't belong here because...well this is PNB's blog not mine and he has graciously allowed me to be part of the team even though we disagree most of the time.

However, I started a list on the "Spink about it" blog on the 10 people who are screwing up N.B. I'd love to see some of the regular posters here join in the discussion, yes even you Mike (anonymous), and come up with their own top 10. Someone on Charles Leblanc's blog already listed my name as a choice. I wish I had that much pull. LOL. For now however, I'm not allowing anonymous comments because I've seen how out of hand that can get when no accountability is allowed.

http://spinkaboutit.blogspot.com/