by arthur Weinreb, associate Editor,
October 21, 2004
after a year in power, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty decided to issue a report card on how he and his government are doing. Not only did he give himself a B but he produced the results in a 16-page report for distribution throughout the province. The 16-page, taxpayer-funded report is the same type of shameless self promotion that former Opposition Leader McGuinty constantly whined about when the previous Progressive Conservative government did it. What a difference a year and a little bit of power makes. Can the education premier spell hypocrisy?
The Liberals, both provincial and federal, must be having some sort of contest to see who can be the most arrogant. Dalton's sure giving it a good run. Perhaps the politicos are planning a new reality show, "Canada's Most arrogant" and the Ontario premier is trying to ensure that he is not voted off the island. If that is the case, he should worry more about being voted out of power in 2007, which at the rate he's going looks highly likely. If Dalton somehow doesn't make it as the most arrogant, it won't be for a lack of trying.
It is difficult to see where he picked up the idea that it was okay to grade himself. Perhaps he picked it up at Premier's School. Premier's School is where you go to learn how to get elected by promising anything and everything to everybody. and once you do get elected, you simply break all of those totally unrealistic promises and blame the previous government. In those days, Dalton must have gotten an a in that course.
after he shows his colossal arrogance by deigning to grade himself, all he ends up with is a lousy B. When I grade myself, I always end up with an a+. after all, I get all the answers right and do everything correctly. at least I think I do. If I didn't think it was right, I would have done something else or given another answer. Of course much like the premier, I was living in another world when I graded myself. When I was graded it was always done by someone else who usually didn't see eye to eye with everything I did. But I would never have given myself just a B – I think I'm worth an a+.
Dalton no doubt is a hard worker--it's getting to be a full time job just reigning in his Minister of Health, George Smitherman, who is quickly gaining a reputation for terrorizing hospital and other medical personnel. When he came out with his so-called report card, he has shown that all too common Canadian trait--spending long hours striving for mediocrity. What ever happened to excellence? The head of the Promise Breakers made so many promises that he couldn't keep and told so many lies that he's spending so much time playing defence that he can't properly focus on going forward. Come to think of it, it's not even worth a C.
McGuinty issued his report card in a cynical attempt to put a positive spin on what he and his government have done during the past year. and while we are on the subject of grading, Dalton deserves an a for being honest enough not to give himself an a+--there may be some hope for him yet. Wow, this is a first--I managed to put "Dalton" and "honest" in the same sentence. Eureka!!!
Of course McGuinty's silly waste of taxpayers' money with his fudged up report card, left it open for others to grade him. One of the ones who quickly jumped into the fray was NDP leader Howard Hampton who promptly awarded McGuinty an F.
No matter what you think of Howard Hampton, his party or his policies, Hampton has a lot more credibility than the premier does. and that says it all. an F it is.