From Banning abortion to blowing cash..Harper style

It seems Canadians are increasingly concerned about the economic crisis. It also seems that those who wish to see us spend our way out of it, are now in the majority. The number of Canadians who think deficit spending is okay has sky rocketed. So what does this mean? Well first I think it shows that Canadians are a little more sophisticated than perhaps given credit for. We recognise that deficits are sometimes a necessary evil.

The same poll also shows that Canadians are increasingly coming back to the Natural Governing party, the Liberals. Canadians know the Liberal track record on the economy is strong. They are proven deficit and debt fighters, they know how to balance the books. This all scares me. You may be confused as to why. Simply put, Harper, who says he doesn't govern by polls, but clearly does ( I suspect a pollster told him people don't like hearing he governs by polls, so he won't say it) now has a mandate and reason to spend like a drunken sailor ( no offense meant to my drunk sailor friends), in his mind at least.

Electoral victory is all that matters to the Conservative/Reform Party. The Provincial tory government in Nova Scotia is facing defeat. Prem Rodney, a close advisor and supporter of the Harper/Bush bunch is going to put off a budget( you call that leadership in economic crisis) to wait for more money from Ottawa, so he can look like he is doing something, and then call an election. Harper will go against his neo-con beliefs and spend billions on infrastructure, but call everyone else socialists when he can.

I believe we need a stimulus package. I agree with the spending. I don't agree with the motives. Harper will use the money to bolster his support and supporters. This kind of political interference never causes a good end result.

Harpers problem is he knows his days are numbered. He will be remembered for taking over a healthy country economically and socially, and turning it into a country where regional, ethnic, and gender divides have been created and our books are in chaos. He has re-opened the Abortion debate, gay marriage debate, took equality out of status of women mission and ended the pay equity system. He will be remembered for going from surplus to huge deficits, maybe up to $40 billion.

Harper hopes pictures of him, in a hard hat, announcing jobs and projects will fix his image. It won't. Just a few short weeks ago, he told people the economy wasn't as bad as Liberals , NDP and Bloc supporters were saying, and he encouraged people to go out and buy stock.

He has done a complete 180 on his economic " principles". The Conservatives have only one principle that they follow, victory at all cost. This is no way to run a country.

With Iggys poll numbers way up, and support slipping from Harper, he may just do whatever he has to so as to stay in power. Motivated only by desire to win, armed with our tax dollars, and hoping to firm up support in his base ( Religious groups, NRA supporters, Republicans and Reform/Alliance people) Harper has the ability to do massive harm to our fragile economy, lets hope someone in his inner circle can stop him, but no one has yet.

Harper has done these few things in the last year that make me question his politcal skills and compassion.
1-Created a hug deficit
2- Allowed a committee to investigate making abortion illegal.
3- Flip flopped on income trusts, costing millions of seniors billions of dollars.
4- Killed Kelowna accord and the help the First Nations requested.
5- Appointed almost 20 partisan hacks to the senate, after saying he never would ( One appointee is 34, charged with sexual assault and will make millions because he has his seat until 75 almost 40 years)
I could go on, but you get the point. Harper is all over the place. He needs a long vacation.