Politicians Missing a Huge Opportunity To Reach Young Voters

By now you may have heard about this news story over the weekend where a VICE news reporter was denied an opportunity to ask Stephen Harper a question during a campaign stop in eastern Ontario. If you haven't heard, take a look... it's a good read. And this coming from someone who doesn't always read an entire news article before he gets bored.

Here's a brief synopsis:

We all know about Stephen Harper's policy of only taking 5 questions from the media during his election campaign stops. Well, during a campaign stop in Ontario this weekend, VICE news reporter Justin Ling noticed there were only 4 other reporters present. Justin asked Harper's media people to inquire if he could have that 5th question. Long story short... Harper only took 4 questions. As it turns out, the 5 questions aren't just random pickings. 1 question is reserved for local media (who are only permitted to ask a local question) and the other 4 questions go to established traditional media outlets. So if you're an independent reporter or work for a smaller news organization like VICE... you're out of luck. But here's the kicker... those established media outlets have paid to be on the Harper bus.. $3,000 a day (or about $78,000 for the whole campaign). So in other words... reporters have PAID to be there. Justin only wanted to ask a question about foreign policy. Instead, he was passed over in favour of the established reporters who only seem to ask about the Mike Duffy trial these days.

Money talks I guess. I hope I'm not the only one deeply concerned here. Furthermore, what does it say about our established media that it took a smaller media outlet for this dirty secret to come out? Clearly, this has been going on for quite some time and the mainstream news outlets have gladly and quietly ponied up the cash. Apparently, only the Conservatives require a cover charge to gain elite access to their campaign bus. But just as bothersome, is the fact that smaller news outlets and bloggers are being shut out completely. A huge opportunity is being missed here, many young people get their news exclusively from online news sources like VICE. If politicians and their political parties want to reach younger voters their attitude has to change.

But, there's a little epilogue to this tail. NDP leader Tom Mulcair has been criticized this campaign for often taking NO questions at all. Mulcair was campaigning in Kitchener yesterday and stoped by a local radio talk show. He was asked about Harper's lack of transparency and being closed off to the media. As expected, Mulcair ripped into Harper, despite the fact that he failed to take any listener questions during his scheduled 25 minute interview. I say 'scheduled' because the NDP leader showed up late! And then proceeded to leave early, leaving the talk show host an extra 3 minutes to fill until the commercial break. I find it hilarious that Tom Mulcair had the nerve to attack Harper calling him "Arrogant" yet he himself showed up late... left early... and didn't take any phone calls from the public.

Now, I'm not defending Harper. The way he's treating the media during this campaign is disgusting. But really, this seems to be an indication that all these guys are exactly the same. Politicians will NEVER put your interests ahead of their own. All of this talk about voting for 'change' is really just a smoke an mirrors show. For small c Conservatives like myself, there really is no mainstream option for smaller government anymore... assuming there actually was to begin with.

Key Libertarian Figures

On my Podcast this week, I talked about some key resources in the Libertarian movement as well as some people who I felt communicate Libertarian ideas easily. For new comers to the Libertarian movement, check out these resources:

People:

Ron Paul  -Has done so much for the libertarian movement in the last 5 years.
Harry Browne - For me, the single biggest influence on my way of thinking. RIP Harry.
Walter Block - Makes things very easy to understand, check out his stuff on free market environmentalism.
John Stossel - Former ABC 20/20 co-host. Now has his own weekly show on the FOX business network
Milton Friedman - Economist who made ecomomics easy to understand
Tom Woods - Author and economist. The hardest working man in Libertarianism.
 
Radio/TV Shows:

The Tom Woods Show - Daily 30 minute podcast, well worth the listen.
Free Talk Live - Libertarian radio show heard on 150 actual radio stations.
Penn and Teller: Bulls*** - A must own on DVD for any libertarian.
Stossel - Friday nights on FOX business

Websites:

Mises.org - The Mises Institute
Reason.com - Reason Magazine
LewRockwell.com - Lew Rockwell's Website

Youtube Channels:

ReasonTV
Learn Liberty
Tom Woods TV
Julie Borowski

A Letter To My MPP

A few weeks ago, I did something that I've never done before. I wrote a letter to my MPP. I was worried that a carbon tax would be introduced in the upcoming budget and I was concerned about that.

Here's what I wrote:

Dear MPP,

I am writing to say I OPPOSE the rumored carbon tax the Liberals are proposing in the upcoming spring 2015 budget. Please do research on climate change. Virtually all statistics coming out are being manipulated to it make it appear that there is a warming trend... the opposite is true.

Please do the right thing and vote against a budget that has a carbon tax in it. 
 
And here is the robotic response I got. Looks like this is a generic e-mail with my name slapped on the top. Didn't address anything I had to say in my original message.

Dear Political Paradox,
Thank you for your email regarding our government’s ongoing discussions surrounding a climate change strategy for Ontario. I always appreciate hearing from constituents.

The Government of Ontario is committed to providing leadership in fighting climate change, which is why the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) is launching consultations on a new Climate Change Strategy.

We know that climate change threatens our communities, infrastructure, natural resources, businesses, and the environment – at home, and internationally. While we still have a lot of work ahead of us, we are proud to build on the progress we have already made.

Ontario’s decision to close coal-fired electricity plants, curb the use of cosmetic pesticides, and protect 1.8 million acres of land have resulted in fewer smog days and cleaner water. Ending coal-fired power is the single largest greenhouse gas reduction initiative in North America, equivalent to taking seven million cars off the road.

Over the next few months, we will be asking Ontarians about their thoughts on how to fight climate change, foster economic growth, and keep our businesses competitive. In fact, Ontario has the fastest growing clean-tech sector in Canada, with 2,700 clean-tech firms employing 65,000 people and generating annual revenues of more than $8 billion.

To begin the process, a Climate Change Discussion Paper has been posted to the Environmental Registry for public comment on February 12, 2015 for a 45 day period, and is the first phase of a series of comprehensive consultations to be held throughout the coming year. To contribute to the ongoing discussion, please visit www.ebr.gov.on.ca

These province-wide consultations will speak to climate change, the risks of doing nothing, economic growth opportunities, and our path forward. Further details regarding in-person public sessions can be found at www.ontario.ca/climatechange

We look forward to hearing from the general public, industry stakeholders, businesses, Aboriginal leaders, and municipal representatives on this vital issue. Also, Ontario will host a Climate Summit of the Americas from July 7-9, 2015, to advance collaborative action on climate change ahead of the Conference of the Parties in Paris in December 2015.
Once again, thank you for writing. If I can be of assistance with any other provincial issue, please do not hesitate to contact me.

The "Power Wall" Smoking Ban Has Failed

On Friday night, I took a quick trip to my local convenience store to buy the winning ticket for this week's Lotto Max draw. I think they gave me the wrong ticket, as it turns out, they sold mine to someone in Owen Sound. Oh well... maybe next time. While I was waiting in line I looked up at that blank wall behind the cashier, for behind that wall I knew were cigarettes. Now, I don't smoke and I never have but I think everyone knows what is behind there. They are called "Power Walls" and they are illegal in Ontario.

In may of 2008, the province of Ontario along with many other provinces banned the display of cigarettes in convenience stores. I'm going to show you a picture here, something as rare as a sighing of the Yeti, something which hasn't been seen in almost 6.5 years.. .something which is illegal:

 

There... I did it, let's see if I can write the rest of this article without being jailed.

So, as I'm standing there in line, I got to thinking... I wonder if the power wall ban has been effective in reducing smoking? If you are a regular reader of this blog or a listener to my podcast, you'll know what my immediate suspicions are... not at all... and I WAS RIGHT! A report out last year shows no change in the smoking trend of Ontarians.

The report was produced by the Propel Centre For Population Health Impact at the University of Waterloo and appeared on a number of websites. I found it at the website of the Manitoba Tobacco Reduction Alliance (If you'd like to read the whole report, click HERE.). In the report, appeared the following chart:

 

As you can see, the number of daily smokers has remained pretty steady, even after the power wall ban came into effect in 2008. Here is that chart in a different form:

For some reason there was a big up trend in 2012, I didn't look deep enough in the report to see if there might be a reason for this. Now, it appears that "Smoking Prevalence" (which basically includes occasional smokers as well) is down. However, the trend was going down even before convenience stores were forced to cover up:

Of course, I'm sure some will claim some sort of victory with this final stat claiming that numbers are down since 2008. Government jumps in front of a parade, then pretends to be leading the parade.

So in conclusion... what has happened? Lots of money was spent putting this plan in place and there has been no impact or reduction in smoking levels. The "out of sight, out of mind" mentality clearly has not worked here in Ontario. Let's let retailers again be allowed to display the products they have for sale.

Libertarianism 101

This week's podcast episode was titled "Libertarianism 101". I wanted to clarify some basic libertarian positions that I passively make reference to that may confuse some people. We covered 4 areas... Click HERE to listen to the full 30 minute episode.

Here is a summary:

Government Regulation

Typical Thought: We need government regulation to clamp down on big business. Without government regulation, the consumers will be abused, prices will be sky high and we'd be drinking orange juice laced with bleach.

If you really think about it, government regulations are kind of redundant. In a free and open marketplace, Businesses will take it among themselves to make sure products are safe and offered at a competitive price. Otherwise, they'd be out of business.

What about drugs? Many think that the FDA and Health Canada need to keep unproven drugs off the market. But no one thinks of it the other way. What about people who die while waiting for drugs to be approved? There is tremendous evidence to suggest government has killed more people withholding drugs from the market than it ever has releasing a drug too early.

Conclusion: Government regulation often has the opposite effect to what was originally intended. And any well meaning company would take it among themselves to make sure standards are met. Otherwise... you'd be out of business.

Monopoly

Typical Thought: We need government regulation to oversee big business... otherwise Wal-Mart would run everything.

We hear about monopolies all the time but in reality, it have never occurred in the history of north America. In fact, the only REAL monopolies occur with government ie. Alcohol sales, Healthcare, Heating and Hydro. All competition is outlawed in these areas... THAT is a true monopoly.

Conclusion: The word "Monopoly" is over used, and the only REAL monopolies in society occur within government.

 Capitalism

Typical Thought: Capitalism is bad. Only government oversight can prevent big business from abusing their power.

People THINK we live in a capitalist country... but we don't. The fact is, most government policy favours big business over little business. Business and government work very closely together. All you have to do is look at the biggest donors to the main political parties to know what's really going on.

Conclusion: We don't actually live in a country that practices Capitalism. What we THINK is capitalism, is actually crony capitalism brought on by bad government policy.

Government Spending

Typical Thought: Government is essential to keep the economy moving, invest in our future and create jobs to ensure the economy stays strong.

Because government doesn't have any of it's own money. By default, every dollar that government spends, is a dollar NOT spent some place else. Some people disagree with this claiming that the "Multiplier Effect" has a positive effect on the economy. However, it is debatable whether or not the multiplier effect actually exists.

Conclusion: Government doesn't actually create jobs. The best it can do is move a job from one location to another.