solutions

 

 

A.   Gain a Proper Understanding

 

 

Cause is important:
Many things can be taken at face value, look bad, and so make you feel angry. But if you know the cause, you will see things in a different light. Many assume that there is no excuse. But knowing the cause can change how you judge what happened.

 

 

Some things have a strong impact, so they can cause other things to happen.

  • black ice on a road - so a car accident.

  • totally blind - so didn't see it coming.

  • sex abuse - so major emotional problems.

  • gas prices are down
    • so have extra money to spend.

    li>no jobs in town so have to move to find a job.

  • abusive parents
    • so a troublesome child.

     

     

    Abuse:
    Some children can be physically challenged. Or if there was sex abuse or physically abusive parents, this can have a major impact on the nature of a child. We can't expect will power to solve everything.

    Rough Work !

     

     

     

    (1) Harper pulled out of the Kyoto Protocol. Why?
     

    Rough Work !

    (2) has cut funds to environmental scientists. Why? Why else?
     
    (3) belongs to a church which has anti-science beliefs.
     
    (4) Harper has turned Canada into a peacemaker instead of a peacekeeper. Is there a reason for this? We used to think that we specialized in peacekeeping, that it is a valuable job and that Canadians have the talent to do it well. But now, our soliders are expected to fight, sometimes for a good cause, and sometimes for causes which are questionable.
     
    (5) Harper has also ignored the Kelowna accord which would have benefited the Natives. Instead, he has passed laws in the form of an omnibus bill, so they were put through without proper debate. As a result, the Natives started the Idle No More movement and have been really unhappy with our Harper government.

     

     

    Rough Work !

    But:
     (1) It is true that Harper pulled out of the Kyoto Protocol, but key players, the United States and China never were part of that agreement. Staying in would have meant we would have had to pay a huge penalty. The previous Jean Chretien government had not made any environmental changes after signing the protocol, so Harper just continued with the same policy. It could be in Canada's best interests to simply follow the lead of the United States when it comes to the environment.
     
    (2) Recently Harper announced $1.5 Billion for Science and Technology, so
     
    (3) he can't be that strongly against Scientists.
     
    (4) Canada may actually improve our reputation by being peacemakers, by carrying our weight, and by being activelly involved in NATO. This could help our reputation in the EU and in so doing, improve the free trade agreement with the EU which was signed last spring.
     
    (5) Harper also has plans and a budget to deal with the Native situation. Even though Harper did not take the path recommended by the Kelowna accord, he might be getting results. He has promised money for Native schools, so they can start focusing on educating themselves. Since an election is coming up, the money promised should come through. However, it is also true that the oil prices have dropped by half, so tax revenue has been seriously hurt.

     

     

    The Triple E Senate:
    Triple E stands for equal, effective, and elected. It was developed by an Alberta farmer and the radio talk shows loved the idea. There was a lot of hype around it so the Reform party and Stephen Harper got on the bandwagon and gained a lot of votes by supporting the Triple E Senate. They even had expensive elections in which Senators were selected, and then the Prime Minister chose to accept the results, to go along with what was happening and appoint those people to the Senate.

    But:
    They could not change the constitution by simply passing laws. Due to the constitution, Ontario would have to give up its powers and influence and vote in favor of a Triple E Senate which would give more power to the other provinces. Obviously, that was not going to happen. Also, a more effective Senate meant that it would be harder for the government to get things done. Stalemates in the United States Senate were reminders that giving more power to the Senate was probably a very expensive, bad idea.

     

     

     

     

    back to the start.

     

     

     

    ©2014 Brian M. Brown All rights reserved.