Calling out an old boss, voting for the Pope and listening to a Kardashian...uh???

The other day, I was reading an article online where the writer indicated that more institutions should do like the College of Cardinals does when they are sequestered in a room until they have elected a new Pope.  What he was suggesting is that our governments, be they municipal, provincial or federal would get much more substantive work and pass much more effective legislation if they were forced to sit in a locked room until they have come to a decision in a private setting as opposed to all of the posturing we see in the various media as politicians eternally seek that catchy sound-bite that will garner media attention.

Obviously, this would not work for many reasons when it comes to our political system but would it not be nice to see our leaders arrive to a decision without the vitriol and posturing that now occurs prior to, during and following each debate on each issue.  It has gotten to a point now where representatives of political parties argue back and forth on TV, radio and in social media because that is what is perceived as being required in order to win the next election.  I have long accepted that the first priority for a politician once elected is to start running for re-election but would it not be nice if we could have an honest discourse in our country without always having our representatives hiding behind their political stripes or, worse yet, arguing against decisions made by a government even though that decision is good for the taxpayers. 

I have become incredibly frustrated with individuals who claim to have the best interests of my province or my country at heart but spend all of their time viewing issues through blue, red or orange coloured glasses and who view history through those same tinted glasses.

I have a friend, a great guy who is also an intelligent man but who, because of his political leaning refuses to admit that, in his 16 years as Prime Minister, Pierre Elliott Trudeau accomplished anything substantive or positive for our country.  I am not here to open a discussion on the pros and cons of Mr. Trudeau’s time in office, especially since most of my readers weren’t around for the bulk of his time in office.  However, to claim that someone can be Prime Minister of our country for 16 years, win 4 federal elections and accomplish nothing is shortsighted and is a slap in the face to our country’s history and to the people that voted for Mr. Trudeau either once or several times.  In fact, in the majority of polls conducted by credible media outlets, Mr. Trudeau ranks consistently in the Top 5 Prime Ministers of all time, including in publications that are not viewed as “liberal friendly” or “Left Wing”. Did Mr. Trudeau make mistakes…absolutely!  But to claim that he accomplished nothing in his 16 years as Prime Minister is to be looking at history through blue tinted glasses.

Our province and country would be that much better off if our political leaders spent more time identifying well-researched solutions to key issues and problems as opposed to slinging mud at each other and competing for the one-liners that will make the evening news.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

·        I have rarely used my blog to point the finger at one person in particular but one former local politician did something at the grocery store the other day that was the proverbial “straw that broke the camel’s back”. Jamie, this was the fourth time over the past few years that you walked by me in a public place and just as I was about to say hello you turn away so as to not acknowledge that I am there.  I don’t expect you to chat me up for an hour but saying hello would be a nice touch.  Your husband says hello all the time and I never wrote speeches for him nor did I ever vote for him!  Real leaders, those who honestly care about their community as much as you always appeared to, get up from the ground, dust themselves off and remain a part of their community.  When I ran for school board several years ago, and lost, you gave me a hug, told me you were proud of me and told me that I should keep my head up and remain active in the community…I think a quote about following your own advice would be appropriate here!  Oh, and by the way…HELLO!! 

·        In the near future I hope to write a full blog about the Shania Twain Centre and the controversy that has surrounded it since the funding announcement was made over ten years ago.  In the meantime, I want to make a point clear for all of the individuals who THINK they have it all figured out.  Shania owes NOTHING to the City or the people of Timmins.  She has been good to our community in ways that extend far beyond what any celebrity should be expected to do and for those that say “…Timmins has been good to Shania”…well, that is a small town bullshit argument and you need to get over it. Shania has always been good to the people that have truly helped her along the way and if she hasn’t shown you the love it is probably because lending her a tape recorder or a pen to write that lyric on a napkin probably does not rank real high on her list of the things that helped me make it to the top. 

·        I have always been fascinated by “celebrity endorsements” and what impact they might have, specifically when it comes to politics or humanitarian causes.  I have three causes that I support on an ongoing basis…the Canadian Cancer Society, Sick Kids in Toronto and the children of friends and family that are fundraising for their various teams or activities.  I support these causes because they are close to my heart, not because Bono from U2 or Wayne Gretzky told me to do it in a commercial.  I am especially amused when celebrities publicly support candidates in elections.  Many will tell you that I have long had a weakness for Cameron Diaz but I really don’t give a hoot what candidate she supports politically, even if I was American.  I’m not sure it is wise to support any candidate because the Kardashians said they are good people, in fact that might cause me to automatically vote for the other guy.  That being said, I’m assuming that political strategists have done their research on this and that it does have an impact.

·        Recently, the Ontario Hockey League gave a special exemption to a young man named Connor McDavid to enter the Ontario Hockey League Junior Draft as a 15 year old.  He promptly was drafted 1^st overall in the draft by the Erie Otters.  He has since been all over the airwaves in Southern Ontario as media outlets want to be amongst the first to get an interview with the “next big thing”.  Is it really fair to put that much pressure on a 15 year old even if he is potentially THAT good?  At this point, the only way this kid will meet expectations is if he dominates the league.  That’s a lot of pressure for a 15 year old.

·        Last week, I had the pleasure of facilitating the Annual General Meeting for the Timmins Minor Hockey Association.  It was the fifth or sixth time that I facilitated the AGM for the TMHA and I still can’t believe just how political minor hockey can be.  I think minor hockey would be much better, and the kids might have more fun if they locked anyone over the age of 25 out of the arena.  Alas, that would keep all of the parents from seeing their very own future NHL superstar children perform and would make it difficult for the refs to hear what obscenities that same parent yelled when the same ref makes a call that will surely cost their son/daughter a shot at a scholarship to play hockey for a U.S, University. The best advice I have for hockey parents…lay off of the volunteers that are responsible for keeping hockey going for your child.  Without them you’d have to hope that the NHL scouts would catch a glimpse of your little NHL superstar in the making in between “car stops” during road hockey.

·        Several weeks ago, there was a Mega Millions lottery prize in the U.S. that went up to $640 million before it was won. Wow…that’s’ almost like owning a Tim Hortons franchise!  J

·        There is currently an inquest taking place in New Zealand to determine if Coca-Cola is partly responsible for the death of a woman who drank 8 to 10 litres of Coke a day, smoked 30 cigarettes and did not eat much.  Yup, it had to be the coke that killed her.

·        So, I was on Youtube last week and noticed for the first time how so many random/anonymous people leave comments ripping the artist/band, the quality of their voice, the lyrics, etc.  Whatever happened to if you don’t like it, just don’t watch it?

·        How big is NFL Football…the NFL Draft where they pick guys coming out of college is the 3^rd most watched sports “event” every year.  They get about about 40 million people to watch it every year.