Round, Round We Go

So here we have proof positive that Dalton McGuinty's wage freeze is a colossal fraud. Like anyone needed proof, but there it is. If you're part of a union- any union- it's raining cash. Bonuses for the eHealth cronies. Vegas vacations for OPSEUs who want to follow Ruth Ellen Brosseau's lead. A wage hike for the OPP so that the Toronto Police Services Chair will stop his inconvenient complaining about costs going through the roof right before an important election.

Finance Minister Barney the Duncan-saur pulled himself away from the buffet table long enough to comment and blamed Rob Ford for the problem. Rob Ford is not up for re-election in October. DOESN'T MATTER. As I pointed out in my previous post, that if any Conservative anywhere does something that vaguely resembles whatever a Liberal is doing, then that completely absolves the Liberal of any criticism.

Here is Kelly McParland's definitive word on the matter:

The McGuinty Liberals seem to have decided that their own survival ranks above all other issues in the order of priorities. If they have to bankrupt the province to ensure that, they’re willing. And if they lose the election, it won’t be their problem anyway.

Got that? Dalton and his flock of fumblebums are going to spend money until there is nothing left. So along comes Tim Hudak with some gas price relief, saying he'll take the HST off of heating bills and cancel the festering debt that the Liberals have refused to deal with. It isn't the full story, but it's an excellent start. And here are two bloggers who were critical of the PC's (as is their right), but are now agreeing that Hudak is doing the right thing. Not only that, but the way forward for our party on the HST is clear: We will take the HST off items that should never had been subject to it in the first place and give people a break on skyrocketing hydro bills. That is to say, we will stop the HST dead in its tracks.

Ohhh, but that's not good enough. Because now we have to listen to anonymous sources who are unhappy about a "reign of terror". Last week it was complaining about the HRCs. Next week, it'll be lectures about conservative principles. By the time we form government, we'll have comfortably settled into a holding pattern halfway over "We need a new Reform party." Plus ca change.

I don't put much stock in rants about "real conservatism" because everybody and their brother is an expert on what makes a real conservative. Sometimes, I like to compare "real conservative" rants to NDP "We will not adjust" rants and see how similar the two are. Try it yourself sometime.

I find these rants entertaining and sometimes mildly annoying, mostly because I'm surprised how many times people fall for the same tactics over and over again. Everyone knows the answer to "Why did the chicken cross the road?", but nobody ever seems prepared to answer the question, "Why did the politician tell people what they want to hear?" In both cases, the punch line is the same: "To get to the other side". It is done because it works. Instead of getting mad, try asking yourself why it works and what it says about people.

Of course, I have the benefit of realizing that this is all part of a Liberal plan to divide the PC Party of Ontario so that they can get away with what they've done. Andrew Coyne having a meltdown on Twitter is OK, and is getting to be pretty routine, but when Liberal partisans pull out the popcorn, it's time to start asking why they are so interested. Likewise for this post where a Liberal operative shows up in the comments and starts egging on the debate. And then there's this guy, directing it all. But let's remember that this is part of a government, who, as Mr. McParland says, has decided their own survival ranks above all else.

Again: complaining about our party is part of life as a conservative, but PLEASE don't let the Liberals make tools out of you, with which they will build their third majority. That's all I ask.