Revolutionary Moderation

Shout-out - you know who you are



Someone keeps finding me via the google search "Ezra Levant idiot", for which I now rank #3. Each time I notice it, it prompts me to seek out Ezra's latest published foray into the deep recesses of his fuzzy logic. This week, he draws some odd conclusions and makes some startling implications. (Click on the link before the 17th - the Sun wisely "disappears" Ezra's columns to be replaced with the new.)

Weep for Saskatchewan. Last week our neighbouring province was sentenced to four more years of socialist rule.



Of course, nobody inflicted an NDP government on Saskatchewanians. They did it to themselves -- or at least 45% of them did. That was enough of the vote to win 30 seats out of a 58-seat legislature. The conservative-leaning Saskatchewan Party picked up the other 28 seats with 39% of the vote. A self-indulgent Liberal campaign siphoned off 14%, but won not a seat. The vote-splitting allowed the NDP to slouch over the finish line.

Interesting conclusion here - vote-splitting hurt the Saskatchewan Party, presumably because the 15% who voted Liberal would have voted against the NDP. But since the Liberal MLAs walked to the NDP in the last legislature to determine a government, Ezra's conclusion sounds to me like wishful thinking, though logician Stephen Downes would more likely classify this as a "sloppy induction". But never mind that.

Saskatchewan loses 500 citizens a month more than it gains -- the only province other than Newfoundland from which Canadians are fleeing.



...



The one contrary trend to this exodus of young people is the growth of Saskatchewan's aboriginal population, which actually masks the true extent of the emigration of young people from the province. It's white flight, too.



...



Conservatives, especially conservatives of a Christian variety, should always welcome more children. But aboriginal children in Saskatchewan are born into a particularly punitive social environment, where they are tagged and tracked by race by the government, because everything from their taxes to their welfare cheques depends on it. They are not allowed to succeed or fail on their colour-blind merits, as are the rest of us.

And just that quickly, we have left the realm of "Rich people don't like the NDP", and moved into "The big problem with Natives is they get everything handed to them. If they had to work to make a living, they'd be much better off." This is a classic Reform Party chestnut, which has been toned down considerably, but still lingers, in the Canadian Alliance. Ezra is still happy to bring it out loudly, however.



(A quick aside: note what's missing in the CA policy book I've linked here. There is not a single mention of negotiated treaty rights.)



Poverty is caused by social assistance. Also, have you ever noticed that only sick people are taking medicine? I think medicine causes illness. Let me refer again to the logical Mr. Downes, who might classify these inferences as "Wrong Direction".



I could play this game all day. But let's look at what seem to be Ezra's conclusions. Saskatchewan has too many old people, poor people, and Indians. Saskatchewan does not have enough rich white folk. Especially Christian conservatives, who love children more than other people do.



Thank you Ezra, for another thoughtful contribution to the national dialogue. Have a nice big cup from me.