Brief political interlude

I hear everyone talking about tax cuts and smaller government all the time these days. Life would supposedly be better if the feds would stop taking our money and leave us alone. Personally, I don't think so.

The government doesn't offer stuff like welfare and free healthcare and pensions out of the goodness of its bureaucratic heart. The fact is that all these crazy Bolshevik schemes to tax the shit out of people and provide them with services is a direct result of the fact that people wanted them in the first place.

You have to remember that there was a point in time when life here really sucked, as in, sucked significantly more than it did now. Things were so bad that there was a general strike that shut down Winnipeg in 1919.

A little closer to home, a large group of hungry unemployed men sat down and refused to leave the downtown post office in Vancouver in 1937. My grandfather, like many others on May 20th, 1938, was tear gassed, beaten and forcibly removed by the police and the ensuing riot prompted the government to create make work projects to keep them employed. It was the first real attempt at welfare in the country.

If you look back at the history of public education and health care you'll find similar protests. The only reason why we have these things is because people fought for them. It wasn't all that long ago, really. Do we want to betray their efforts so soon?

In short, I like the NDP. They're warm and fuzzy. Election's on Monday. Go vote for someone. With any luck we'll get another minority that will fall so we can do this all over again within the next two years.

Authorized by the registered agent for the socialists inside my head.