Friday, October 27, 2006

Memo to Stevie - Crime Is Not the Priority


A clear sign of the Reform/Alliance/Conservative party's grasp on the issues confronting Canada is the incredible focus on crime. Let me see, crime has been going down and is at levels not seen in quite a while but climate change is really taking off. Look at it this way, is your granddaughter's safety and future more at risk from climate change or from crime? I'd have to put my money on the climate change thing, wouldn't you?

Crime fighting, though, is so incredibly easy. Pass a few laws and you look really tough. People like that, especially if you've carefully fed them a hefty diet of fear by exploiting a couple of controversial cases. You scare them and then you make them feel secure. Neat trick and it's so damned easy.

Global warming and greenhouse gases are going to take some work and some sacrifice and, besides, the producers are a powerful lobby. There's plenty of money behind Big Oil's propaganda campaign on this one. Of course, let's not forget Alberta, but then again, who would? The technology doesn't exist to control GHG production from the Athabaska Tar Sands. The producers say the answers are coming, just not yet.

Picky people might say, "fine, you come up with these practical solutions to all the environmental problems you're causing, after that you dig up the gooey sands." Those people just don't understand how much the U.S. is counting on that oil and how much astonishing wealth the tar sands hold for Alberta. Pollution, well hey. It is north of Edmonton after all. Not like the good folks of Calgary are going to have to eat the stuff. Besides, if we tackle this one, who is going to battle crime?

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