Stevie lip synchs and plays a mechanical piano and jams with Yo Yo Ma and spent Sunday, the day before Thanksgiving playing cribbage with residents of a seniors' home in his riding of Calgary (where else would he be? Quebec??). Hell, Thanksgiving even made ol' Stevie say something charitable:
"He suggested volunteering to serve meals, donating to a food bank or visiting with people who might otherwise spend the holiday alone."
Yikes! Even Maclean's is also feeling charitable: I'm surprised they would even publish such a thing. Or maybe, they all got their hands on some ganja.
Iggy and his wife outdo ol' Stevie and go slumming at a soup kitchen in Ottawa. Like Stevie, his motives were probably not that altruistic neither. Something to help him debunk the myths that he is too high on his pedestal; not in touch with ordinary Canadians. That said, I have to hand it him: ol' Stevie would never be caught dead on the wrong side of town. Iggy at least showed that he was not afraid to spend Thanksgiving with the downtrodden and disenfranchised. I honestly hope to see him having more community involvement.
However, if Iggy really wants to play the hero, there's a very easy way for him to do so. I have said this before in my posting, Harper: Time to Fess Up..... I urge you to read this posting if you haven't already. It proves how much ol' Stevie hates our health care system and therefore won't stand up to the U.S. and help debunk some myths. There are also plenty of links to where those quotes came from. It also serves as a warning. Iggy can score big points if he comes up with a real plan to help improve our existing health care system and protect it from any further privatization.
Our universal health care system is at risk. Do not be fooled. Shona Holmes with the help of CCF, is trying to dismantle it; she has never made a secret of envying the U.S. health care system, neither has John Carpay, the executive director of CCF. He is also a former member of Reform; Stevie's old party.
There is a law suit before arbitrators at NAFTA brought forth in the summer of 2008. Alison of The Galloping Beaver wrote about the Melvin J Howard and Centurion v The Government of Canada last year. In short, Howard wanted to build a private for profit super hospital in B.C. in 2003. B.C. basically said no, due to (very weak) protections of our universal health care. Except, in recent years, more and more private for profit facilities are popping up across Canada and as Canada flirts with two-tiered health care, Howard claims that in preventing him from building his super hospital, we were infringing on Chapter 11 of NAFTA. Read The Galloping Beaver posting for more details.
The last three presidents, including the present one, of the Canadian Medical Association are fighting for privatized health care. They claim we can't do anything about our universal health care. What B.S.! They're viewing the aging baby boomer population as a potential cash cow.
I have only illustrated a few threats to our health care system. Of course, there are conservative nay-sayers who are going to use the health care scandals in Ontario to lobby for privatized health care.
As I mentioned in Harper: Time to Fess Up...., one thing most Canadians, be they on the left, Center and yes, the right; agree on is the need to keep universal health care; that health care is something every human should have access to. A system which bases its' priorities on urgency and not socio-economic class or pre-existing condition like in the U.S.
All this to say that Iggy could score those big points if he fights for our health care; even speak up for it state side. Attempt to improve upon it without more private for profit services than there already are.
More importantly, when debating ol' Stevie, corner him into admitting what he really thinks about our health care system. Remind him of his good ol' days of Reform, as Pres of National Citizens' Coalition and in Canadian Alliance Party.
C'mon Iggy, are you game?
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment