Ladies and Gentlemen,
Something revolutionary has happened to the Mushy Headed Canadian Politicians and commentators in the era of Obama. Back in the Bush era, which ended only days ago, everything the U.S. administration did was unworthy of Canadian respect.
It was toxic to the planet earth. World peace was threatened not by terrorists, but by the War on Terror. Climate change was caused by American consumption. Never mind that most of the countries were just belching out the soot and creating air that was so bad, millions of people have been wearing little surgical masks just to be able to survive outdoors. Nevertheless, the USA was seen until only days ago as the International Boogie Man. But now, if Barack Obama wants it, it must be good. Jack Layton until yesterday was all over Obama. We need to do what Obama is doing. Run deficits like he is suggesting. Debt levels like he is promoting because if Obama says so it must be good. Now yesterday, Smilin' Jack did a bit of a spin away from what I like to call the Daily Obasm, the daily requirement by people on the left to find something about Obama to get excited about.
The “Buy America” was discovered to be part of the Democratic Party’s 700-billion dollar bill that Obama is supporting. Buy America? You mean those who would be getting new U.S. stimulus money for infrastructure projects wouldn't get it unless they used only American Steel and Steel products. What about that great Canadian steel that is made in Hamilton and all those other steel products made in Ontario? Ah…OH...Time for a turn and nobody does a HUEY faster than Jack Layton and so last night he announced that if the Americans go protectionist, so should we. No doubt this means that one of the CBC's favorite Bloggers, author and former Globe and Mail Columnist Heather Mallick may have to do a Huey too. Recently, Heather was writing about how wonderful the Obama stimulus package was. She was truly stimulated by Obama's intentions to help the unemployed, the sick and the poor and this time Heather wasn't talking about her fellow journalists.
Heather Mallick said Obama really got it right and Poor Poor Stephen Harper, that hopeless hapless George Bush Wannabe, got it wrong because Harper wants to help the Forest industry. Let’s quote the CBC blogger, "What is 170 million dollars going to do for the forest industry, which is literally being eaten by bugs? Those bugs are thanks to climate change, about which the budget says almost nothing." Heather is partly right here. Part of the problem that BC forests are having has to do with the BEETLE infestation which environmentalists blame on Global warming. But there is this other reason that Canadian lumber is in trouble these days and it has nothing to do with the insect infestation in the Canadian west. It has to do with some of the insects on Wall Street who have created a credit crunch and financial meltdown that has chopped the U.S. housing market into pieces. The most often used F word in the U.S. these days is not the one Heather the Blogger uses, you know the one that rhymes with truck. It is FORECLOSURE.
Now we do not have the same problem with Foreclosures in this country. Barack Obama wishes he inherited the kind of economy that Heather’s least favorite politician Stephen Harper is operating in. Nevertheless, Heather seems to feel embarrassed as a Canadian because Stephen Harper in his latest budget wants to throw in some incentives for those Canadians who wish to do home renno work. Some Saturday, if Heather can wake up before 6 in the evening and have someone take her to the suburbs, she might find thousands of Canadians at Canadian Tire, Revvy, Home Depot and elsewhere shopping for the things they really, really, really want, things having to do with Home Renovations. And so, the Harper folks have figured out that you might as well give people the kinds of incentives to do things they really want to do and to do more of it. This is known as Economics 101 and it is precisely the kind of thing that Obama’s crew is doing as well.
But Heather Mallick writes:
"What a cheesy, small-time way to keep Canada just mucking along. During the biggest economic crisis the world has faced in a century, we have a prime minister as carpet salesman and a nail-biting Opposition leader in the back office with a cheap calculator.
I'm going to be so embarrassed when President Obama visits. Can we set our ambitions any lower, Canada? "
Talk about cheesy. Saying you are embarrassed because Obama is coming to Canada only to find a country that isn't in the same jam his country is in and in order to get out of it Obama is doing exactly what Harper is doing. The only difference is Americans are going to be given incentives to buy the kinds of products that will help their workforce to the detriment of our own. And guess what? The only Americans really standing up to this “Buy America” Campaign, “Screw Canada” campaign are the Republicans, those nasty right-wing, war-mongering Republicans. To quote their leader in the U.S. Senate Mitch McConnell, “I don't think we ought to use a measure that is supposed to be temporary to set off trade wars, when the entire world is experiencing a downturn in the American economy.” How would Heather Mallick respond to this when OBAMA comes to Canada? Would she say, "Mr President, we support your “Buy America” provisions. We know it will cost Canadians their jobs. But their jobs aren't worth as much to me and my enlightened journalistic colleagues as it is for you to know that we think of you as a Great President and seeing you on TV makes us embarrassed to be Canadian.”
That may be a message that Heather Mallick and her CBC colleagues want to transmit to the President of the United States.
I think that’s the kind of message that would make Obama think we are a second-class country.
Of course, we are not a second-class country at all. We are a First-class, World-class country, with a no-class bunch of people on the left who only days ago were willing to kick everything American to make themselves look like proud Canadians. There new tack is to kick everything Canadian to make themselves look like they are pro-Obama.
Pretty Cheesy, Eh? Now I know Wisconsin has great cheese. And call me a Homer, but I prefer the cheese that comes from Belleville, Ontario and New Bothwell, Manitoba and Didsbury, Alberta and while I like the football that comes out of Pittsburgh, I prefer the steel in Hamilton.
This may be a little too unsophisticated, a little too pedestrian for Heather Mallick and her mates at CBC.
But I'm Chuck and I'm Canadian.
