Some journalists swooned over France's new socialist president François Hollande. Reuters news agency said he'd "swept to victory ... in a swing to the left at the heart of Europe," while the Globe and Mail crowed about "historic regime change" as though the French had overthrown a murderous tyrant rather than voting out a clown. Put away the champagne. There is nothing to celebrate here. Click here to read the rest.
Newfoundland and Labrador's latest budget makes it official. Only Saskatchewan is not dripping red ink. Every other province -- and the feds -- are bathing or at least washing their feet in the stuff. And yes, you should be worried. Click here to read the rest.
On Monday, Albertans will go to the polls to change political dynasties. But it won't matter much because in Alberta voters don't leave parties. Instead, parties leave voters. Albertans know what they want, stick to it, and only change parties in order not to change policies. Click here to read the rest.
According to the fledgling Broadbent Institute, Canadians are so worried about inequality they want to pay higher taxes. Good luck campaigning on that. Still, I think these Institute guys are on to something. Click here to read the rest.
There’s something I’m not buying about the F-35 “stealth” joint-strike fighter. Besides the government’s dishonest bloviating and the opposition’s peacenik whimpering, I mean. I just can’t understand a plane meant to dominate aerial combat for five decades in a world of blinding technological change. Click here to read the rest.
How about a second helping of hospital food? No, really. They’ll even trim the crusts off the egg salad sandwiches for you. They being the bistro staff at Ottawa’s Queensway Carleton Hospital, not the politicians endlessly praising our health system while doing their utmost to make it horrible. Click here to read the rest.
The auditor general’s report on the F-35 joint strike fighter plane is a big egg. It can cover a lot of Ottawa faces. Click here to read the rest.
Practically everything about government budgets makes me want to scream, from reckless spending to vacuous rhetoric. Take Thursday’s federal “Economic Action Plan 2012”… please. First, it was awful. Then almost everybody said exactly what you’d expect if they’d written their press release, column, or news story before the thing even appeared.