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Monday, August 09, 2010
Premier Dad McGuinty
An interesting revelation has come out that reveals a bit about how Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty views the universe.
Tim Hudak, the leader of the Ontario PCs, has taken to referring to Mr. McGuinty has ‘Premier Dad.’ This is a great bit of messaging because in only two words the PCs can sum up everything that is wrong with the current Liberal administration. It brings up images of paternalism, control, and even a bit of oppression. I’m convinced that if the Liberals lose the next election it will be because of the successful labelling of Mr. McGuinty as ‘Premier Dad.’
And it turns out that Dalton McGuinty likes being called Premier Dad. He thinks that the PCs have really captured his essence.
Premier Dad is forgetting a few things though:
1. Most of us already have dads.
2. We are all adults.
3. Adults tend not to like being told what to do by some stranger who thinks he is our dad.
The fact that Mr. McGuinty has latched onto the title of Premier Dad, tells us what we already suspected. He thinks that the role of government is to control every detail of every individual’s life (ironically Premier Dad is a more strict father than my actually dad. I’m pretty sure dad would have let me go watch a UFC match).
We can only hope that he starts describing himself as Premier Dad in public.
Posted by Hugh MacIntyre on August 9, 2010 | Permalink
Comments
Hugh: I agree that Dalton McGuinty views government as a parent or nanny, rather than as a defender of every adult individual's life, liberty, and property. And I agree that he has to go in the next election.
However, the fact of the matter is that the Progressive Conservatives were equally paternalistic when John Tory was leader, and is now *childish* with Tim Hudak as leader.
As the nominal Official Opposition, the Progressives were utterly oppositionless under Tory. Ban incandescent light bulbs? The PCs said that McGuinty should not even be pondering the issue, and should impose the ban right away. Climate change: sign them up for "green" initiatives. Health care: no disagreement that Ontario should continue to ban private insurance (socialized health care was introduced by the Progressive Conservatives in 1968, and was funded by a new tax also brought in by the Progressive Conservatives: the provincial income tax). In short: under Tory, the Progressive Conservatives were a bobble-head squad; yes men to McGuinty's every suggestion, arguing not "whether" but "how" and "how soon" and "how much".
Under Tim Hudak, the Progressive Conservative party has been Hudakified: cheap visual props, and ad hominems like "Premier Dad" are the stock and trade of the PCs under Hudak. In terms of policy, the PCs under Hudak have been equivocal, dithering, strange and, at all times, reactive rather than pro-active.
People in rural ridings are upset about wind turbines: suddenly Hudak's conservatives are the wind turbine party. They're answer? Giving local government's a say over whether or not they go up. Spending billions more on nuclear and hydro (where, exactly, is that hydro to be found, Mr. Hudak...and have you noticed that the Beck expansion has now stalled due to what are expected to be absolutely massive cost overruns to put more turbines in at Niagara?). Move over Ayn Rand.
HST: two PC MPPs stage a bizarre sit-in in the legislature last December, with predictably zero effect. Backed by widespread discontent with paying more taxes, Hudak pushes his way through the crowd to seize the microphone and announce that...he will not commit to repealing it if the PCs form a government. Not exactly "High Noon".
Eco fees: the most obvious example of low-hanging fruit. Even Liberal MPPs were against it. Yet, here's the thing: the eco fees were part of the implementation of a Progressive Conservative bill brought in about 9 years ago. Do they have to be trashed. Of course, which is why even the Liberals agree, and why there will be no Eco Fees for Hudak to campaign against in 2011.
Here's one that people seem to forget: Tim Hudak promising to scrap Human Rights tribunals. It was pandering to those upset with the federal prosecution of Mclean's (for the Steyn article) and the Alberta provincial persecution of Ezra Levant. In other words: issues of free speech. The problems: 1. It was the Progressive Conservatives who introduced Ontario's Human Rights Code, and 2. Ontario's Human Rights Code does not have a provision of the kind that are in the federal Human Rights and Alberta Human Rights statutes: he didn't do his research, or else he doesn't understand law.
So what do we get, at the end of the day, from the Progressive Conservatives? "Premier Dad". An ad hominem that is utterly hypocritical because, the Progressive Conservatives' history of paternalism (OHIP, rent controls, provincial income tax, eco fees, price controls on the retail price of electricity, 10s of billions in debt from nuclear investment, and more nuclear investment promised)...makes even the Liberal's paternalism look small-time.
Bring on the vague and ambiguous. Bring on distinctions without differences. Bring on the Progressive Conservative platform for 2011.
Posted by: Paul McKeever | 2010-08-09 8:03:26 AM
Incidentally: I really wish we had some sort of Edit button for our comments. I do not have a great deal of time to spend on comments and, as a result, grammatical and spelling errors go unnoticed...until after posting. E.g., "they're" for "their", a period instead of a question mark, etc.. Is there no way to configure the blog so that commenters can brush-up their comments after they are posted?
Posted by: Paul McKeever | 2010-08-09 8:34:01 AM
Premier Dad and Opposition Leader Mom.
Posted by: Rob | 2010-08-09 9:36:44 AM
Even "Premier Dad`s" Dad allowed him to have *****a pit bull terrier*****.
http://tiny.cc/d8c19
Mr. McGuinty: I have a petition dated December 22, 1987.
"To the Honourable the Lieutenant Governor and the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:
"We, the undersigned, beg leave to petition the parliament of Ontario as follows:
"Whereas the Christmas-Hanukkah season is traditionally a time for family;
"And whereas members of this Legislature who are from distant places are subject to the vagaries of travel which could occasion considerable time;
"And whereas the legislative support staff are subject to the same;
"And whereas the following people are particularly anxious to see the Legislature adjourn, namely, the following constituents of Ottawa South:
"Elizabeth McGuinty, Mrs. Dalton McGuinty I, Jocelyn Mary McGuinty, Liseanne Mary McGuinty, Dalton J. Patrick McGuinty, Jr., Dylan Charles McGuinty, Patrick John McGuinty XXIII, David Joseph McGuinty, Michael Terence Thomas Moore McGuinty, Brendan Paul McGuinty VI, Anne Marie McGuinty, Teresa McGuinty, Marie Angela McGuinty, Noralyn McGuinty, Connor Joseph McGuinty, Carleen Mary McGuinty, Dalton J. P. McGuinty III; Liam Brendan McGuinty, Matthew Carlos McGuinty, Caroline Nicole McGuinty, Gordon Patrick McGuinty, Lucille Mary McGuinty, Michael J. McGuinty-McKee," all of whom have duly signed.
*****There is also a paw print on this paper of one Tory McGuinty, who is the McGuinty family pit bull terrier.*****
I am also posing this petition on behalf of the family of the member for Algoma-Manitoulin (Mr. Brown): Mrs. Lynn Brown, Micki Brown, Amy Brown, Paula Brown and Jennifer Brown, all of whom are with us in the gallery.
"We, the undersigned, petition all members of the Legislature of Ontario to expedite adjournment of the Legislature at the earliest possible time."
Posted by: Pete Pibble | 2010-08-09 9:38:07 AM
I think I would be the last one to complain about bad grammer.
As for Hudak, I think things like 'Premier Dad' are part of the political game. It goes back to the very beginning when Chief Oga called opposing Chief Oogga a child of a monkey. Remember the term 'Tory' was originally an insult. So I won't hold anything against any party using petty name calling for political gain.
I am reserving judgement on Tim Hudak. I opposed him in the leadership race, but I have an open mind. I would need him to be demontrably better than the current government, and even just allowing MMA in Ontario may be enough to win my vote. Assuming that the rest of the platform isn't horrific.
Posted by: Hugh MacIntyre | 2010-08-09 9:40:12 AM
Rob,
I like that, that's funny
Posted by: Hugh MacIntyre | 2010-08-09 9:41:24 AM
While Premier 'Dad' is worried about snacks and smoking in the car, nobody can afford to pay their hydro bills or buy food because of his crushing increases in rates and taxes. Premier Dad will make sure the kids have a snack in school, but their Daddy won't have a job at the plant 'cause it shut down and went to Asia.
Posted by: Art | 2010-08-09 9:51:02 AM
Bye, Bye Premier Dad!
McGuinty's ineptitude is astounding. We have the OLG scandal, the eHealth scandal, three ministries currently under OPP investigation for corruption, the pharmacy war, the Korea solar power deal, the illegal green tax currently under investigation, increased smart meter costs, the health tax, the HST, the secretly approved police powers for the G20 Summit wherein, the police mislead the public about what powers existed, McGuinty's recall of his proposed sex education, Super Corp and the eco fees. Clearly, McGuinty is not fit to govern as he broke his written promise not to raise our taxes, lied outright to the electorate numerous times, snuck various taxes in via the backdoor and has bungled one matter after another. Under Liberal reign, Ontario has become a have-not province for the first time in Canadian history despite the fact that we're paying more taxes. As well, Ontario is now run as a dictatorship. So much for the Liberal's definition of democracy.
Posted by: tish | 2010-08-09 9:55:16 AM
Premier Dud
It is painful being a liberal these days. I know, I am one. McGuinty has mislead and been dishonest with the people of Ontario on taxes and government policy. He was a key player through the G20 in the largest number of civil rights violations in the history of Canada. He shafted the good and honourable people of Toronto on taxes and cheated them out of revenue. He favours the well healed over those in need of healing. As fraud investigators say: 'Nobility leads the fraud'. McGuinty is as phony as a three dollar bill.
Posted by: Ryan | 2010-08-09 10:10:31 AM
Stalin was called that
And the demagoguery goes on. Actually this premier is one of the most discredited, flip-flop with a record of broken promises. No matter what a small portion of his followers may try to write to romanticize his decrepit actions the fact of the matter is that with all the scandals and tax rip off schemes in record to the history of Ontario he is responsible for and he will be booted off in the next elections to the gutter history reserved for Bob Rae.
Posted by: anne | 2010-08-09 10:17:40 AM
Chairman McGuinty
McGuinty is as close to a communist Ontario has ever seen. He has demanded absolute control and has forced a totalitarian like ideology on the people of Ontario. The NDP under Bob Rae were not even close in there ideology - they spoke of more freedom. I can't wait for election day to turf this clown out of office.
Posted by: timbit | 2010-08-09 10:26:50 AM
Wow thats typical Shotgun Blog thinking.
When Dalton daddy bullies us robs us blind, lies and sneaks through laws he's a dad. Now if Harper does this he's a republican dictator. Even the dumbest people in the country can see the Western Standard no longer has any semblance of truth left.
Posted by: truth | 2010-08-09 10:37:32 AM
When Dalton daddy bullies us robs us blind, lies and sneaks through laws he's a dad. Now if Harper does this he's a republican dictator.
Posted by: truth | 2010-08-09 10:37:32 AM
And just where did you get the idea that Premier Dad was was meant to be complimentary ??
Posted by: peterj | 2010-08-09 12:01:17 PM
Ashamed!
I am really ashamed that Dad is the most hated person in Ontario.
Posted by: cindy | 2010-08-09 12:35:51 PM
The question is why do people continue to vote for politicians who increase the size, scope, intervention and spending of government. It seems that this is what they want and any politician hoping to get elected must pander to them. Unfortunately it is not limited to any single district, region or province.
Posted by: Alain | 2010-08-09 3:11:42 PM
You just can't make this stuff up.
First Hudak speaks out against HST, only to say that he will not promise to get rid of it. Today, he says "no" to online casinos...unless *he's* the one implementing them:
http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2010/08/09/14970361-torsun.html
No principles. Just ad hominem. Expect more. Much more. From the PCs.
P.
Posted by: Paul McKeever | 2010-08-09 3:35:29 PM
HST, e-health, G20, OLG, eco tax, sex education...
...and the Big Daddy McGuinty lies go on and on. I just heard a news report saying that 30,000 jobs were LOST in July due to HST. Go figure. We've been fleeced yet again. McGuinty has lied all the way through these past 7 yrs. Dad?... Abusive Dad, more like.
Posted by: Marg K. | 2010-08-09 4:13:19 PM
Dad is an imbecile
This guy has done a terrible job in office. He has drove Ontario into debt, forced ridiculous rules into law, he has cost our economy money with adding holidays. It seems he wants to be able to leave office and see the work he did - even though the things he did will be remembered as being idiotic. He reminds me much of a child with an unlimited bank account. He gives the poor folks' all the money that was earned by the sweat of the hard working peoples backs. All the next successful premier has to do in his running for office is to promise to UNDO all the things McGuinty did and he will be elected. Don't listen to dad, he's an imbecile.
Posted by: jake | 2010-08-09 4:22:33 PM
Dads should not lie
Posted by: kb | 2010-08-09 4:33:11 PM
It seems he wants to be able to leave office and see the work he did - even though the things he did will be remembered as idiotic.
Posted by: jake | 2010-08-09 4:22:33 PM
This is a sickness most politicians seem to catch and is the primary reason our liberties are under a constant state of erosion.
Posted by: peterj | 2010-08-09 5:02:56 PM
It's always the same old liberal apologist, blame-the-conservatives argument: "Stewardship Ontario was a conservative creation, Ehealth was started by the conservatives under a different name, the tax collectors got their payout because of a collective agreement under the conservatives, etc. etc."
Tell me this liberal supporters, why haven't the liberals corrected any of these agencies during their SEVEN YEARS in power? And why have these agencies mushroomed into full blown bureaucracies of corruption & entitlement?
Let's look at premier 'dad's' record, shall we?
Despite promising not to raise taxes the liberal 'health tax' is Ontario's biggest tax increase in history, yet now they're running the biggest deficit, and are on track to DOUBLE our gross debt! The EHealth scandal, the slush fund scandal, the lottery corp scandals, the CancerCare scandal, the MPAC scandal, the Children's Aid scandal, the tire tax, the electronics tax, the cheap beer surtax, the hidden hydro tax, the 'smart meter' tax, the 'Eco' tax, the auto pension bailouts, the Nortel pension bailouts, no reduction in the HST despite $4.3 Billion from the feds, the forcing of WSIB on all construction owners, the staggering increase in the Sunshine List, the failure at Caledonia, selling out to the teachers & civic unions, the blatant Nanticoke lie, the squandering of record revenues, the nanny-state banning of nearly everything, the public funding of sex-changes while de-listing eye exams, phsyio & chiro,the billion-dollar burden of Family Day, the Ombudsman/Auditor-General condemnations, the by-election briberies, the refusal to correct the foreign ownership of our beer market, the outrageous property assessments, the stifling of private health services, the acceptance of garbage-striker extortion, the harassing labour inspectors, the idiotic preoccupation with homosexuality lessons for third-graders, dumping the bluebox program onto small businesses, imposing blood alcohol rules that punish the innocent, the tax-collector payouts, imposing socialized daycare, canceling the 'mandatory' LHIN review and of course, sinking Ontario into Have-Not status.
For crying out loud, under premier 'dad' we've had seven years of absolute financial disaster for Ontario, excessive taxation and nanny-state social repression and what do we see on this blog? Liberal apologists still whining about Harris' government of 8 years ago.
There couldn't possibly be a worse choice than 'premier dad'! Anyone but McGuinty in 2011!
Posted by: Overtaxed in Ontario | 2010-08-09 10:05:01 PM
As my kids grew older they came to dislike a saying I would use on occasion: "I'm not running a democracy here!"; funny thing is that the older they got the less I needed to say it.
Voters need to grow up and stop voting for daddy.
Posted by: Dana | 2010-08-10 5:43:52 PM
Ontario`s Dad
McGuinty rolls on, making one mistake after another
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/westview/mcguinty-rolls-on-making-one-mistake-after-another-100418114.html
Art T.
Winnipeg
Posted by: Art T. | 2010-08-11 12:33:35 PM
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