Sunday, April 13, 2008

Running on arrogance

Christina Blizzard's Sun column today is titled, Running on Empty. I disagree. There's a lot of hot air in the Legislature. 'Empty' would be an improvement.

To me it's worse to be hypocritical than to be doing nothing. And surely there must be some kind of statute of limitations on pointing the finger at previous governments:

...The worst offender is Health Minister George Smitherman. He was under fire last week over news reports that the Rouge Valley Hospital was about to lay off nurses.

Nickel Belt New Democrat France Gelinas asked Smitherman about the layoffs in question period.

After Smitherman had gone through his litany of blaming (a) the Tories and (b) the hospital management, he reminded Gelinas that when the NDP were in power, they closed hospital beds.

"That's when Howard Hampton was on a five-year bathroom break," Smitherman said contemptuously...


Dalton's method of handling things is to deliver a sanctimonious sermon:

...Pausing every now and then for dramatic effect, he gets into a breathless, preacher-style way of talking when he gets into the spin cycle.

We need "constructive engagement" to persuade the Chinese government to be more like us, he argued. Hallelujah, sister Sandra is going to spread the gospel of good government to China. Hallelujah, hallelujah.

This bafflegab is frustrating for anyone seeking real answers...

So we have a preacher and a pitbull in charge of this province. (My apologies to dog owners.)


You know, sometimes I wonder why I bother pointing any of this out. I'm beating my head against a wall of voter apathy and Liberal Lemming-worship here in Ontario. Hypocrisy and arrogance don't seem to bother them. They just shrug it off and say, well that's politics for ya.

However, with another election years away, I do hope that Blizzard is right. Better that they sit there and twiddle their thumbs than do any more damage than they already have.


So go ahead and take a long, long bathroom break yourself, George. Unless of course, you'd rather wear a diaper.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Waiting for the unions to blame Harris for the Rouge River layoffs...
looks like Blizzard is not falling for the bafflegab.

maryT said...

I thought pit bulls were outlawed in Ontario. lol

Anonymous said...

Mc-guinty is the worst thing that has happen to ontario. But when the PC run a liberal like John Tory, is there really any hope.

I think it is time to start a cricket club.

Anonymous said...

Did anyone happen to read this story on how much McGuinty loves nurses?

"I can't guarantee that no Ontario hospital will ever take it upon itself to lay off nurses or move them from one department to another," McGuinty said in a speech at the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario's annual general meeting. "I can't guarantee that. But I can guarantee our commitment to nurses is unwavering."

Ah the love, but it is not just love of nurses, it is love for everyone in Ontario.

"But McGuinty said his government is so devoted to health care that he took the difficult step of imposing a health tax in 2004, even though it meant breaking a key election promise of no new taxes."


FYI while Ontario is laying off nurses, Capital Health in Edmonton has stated that they need to hire an additional 1000 nurses a year for the foreseeable future to meet their staffing needs.

Al

Anonymous said...

Perhaps the lemming should be declared the official provincial birds.

Another thing that Blizzard's column says is that the opposition pretty much stinks, with the NDP faring better than the Conservatives.

The times I have tuned in to QP, I've tuned out within a half hour. Our Tory bench looks so old and tired it really isn't the best poster for confidence.

Only Randy Hillier seems even close to being enthusiastic.

I think we need to re-brand and infuse some youth juice into the Ontario PCs

Anonymous said...

um...anon. a lemming is not a bird, but I can understand that if you're in Ontario and a Liberal you don't know the difference.

Welcome to Liberal Lemming Land, where arrogance gets you entitlements.

Joanne (True Blue) said...

um...anon. a lemming is not a bird, but I can understand that if you're in Ontario and a Liberal you don't know the difference.

I deleted that one.

It went like this: "Chirp, chirp".

So enlightening. *Sigh*

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Ardvark, thanks for that link.

A stunning example of bafflegab.

Anonymous said...

uhhh...
Sorry Joanne...

the 'chirp, chirp' was about the cricket club...10:26

I was being silly...

I confess...

are we all having a Seinfeld moment here?

..lol...

Ontario politics can make one a little loopy...

lemmings are rodents, right?

bluetech

Anonymous said...

I read that story and I just shook my head in disbelief at the double speak with how much he cares and wants to hire more nurses while telling others they may be laid off.

I know of no other area in Canada where nurses are being laid off,in fact the opposite seems to be the case everywhere but in Ontario. Why?

While we may not have 'a more capable advocate, a stronger champion in your corner than George Smitherman', at least we have plenty of jobs for years to come.

Go west young RN's, go west.

Al

Joanne (True Blue) said...

the 'chirp, chirp' was about the cricket club...10:26

Ha! Sorry, Bluetech. I'm getting a little skittish after all the goings-on at this post.

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Al, and on top of that, our so-called health tax goes to general revenues!!

When will the lemmings wake up?

ladee_j said...

Thank you Ardvark for the link re nurses.
I am a full time working nurse in emergency but as of June 30th I am retiring, not because i don't like the work anymore but because the working conditions have become so intolerable. Thousands of other nurses are leaving the field in the next few years because of retirement or just plain frustration. Meanwhile Ontario is laying off nurses. Unbelievable!
Where are the tax dollars going that were allocated to health care? There is no accountability for this money. While nurses are leaving in large numbers and any that are left are working understaffed and overtime hours, the management and beurocracy continues to balloon.
Dalton and George do not care about the sick in Ontario nor do they care about the elderly in Long term care residences. They have no money to help these people but have lots to spend to try to change the Lords' Prrayer in parliament.
If the public was aware of what we as health care professionals are facing every day trying to access specialized services and beds for our patients, the hours spent by doctors on phones trying to set up transfers etc. when there services are needed for seeing more sick people, they would be in shock.
If anyone becomes ill and requires hospitalization in Ontario please bring a trusted friend or relative to stay with you as spokesperson and to assist. It is for your own protection.
All this is happening and Dalton is laying off nurses. Someone needs a reality check!

Anonymous said...

Jo ann, you and neo at halls of macedamia are well read, and are serving a great purpose...here's the proof:
he had a physician discussing the same issues as ladee...
We who work on the inside know exactly what is going on and it is not good!
Why were we not having these discussions during the election?

Socialism, frequent flyers, and high cost admin and unions are taking 'health care' down the tubes.

And the nurse's and doctors have
to speak anonymously.

Something has to change!

bluetech

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Where are the tax dollars going that were allocated to health care? There is no accountability for this money.

It goes to general revenues. that's right. There IS No ACCOUNTABILITY!!!

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Bluetech, Neo and I have equal disdain for this government, I think.

Sadly, we both care about this province, and that's what gives us ulcers; which of course we can't do anything about because there are no nurses or hospital beds...

But hey! Talk to everyone you meet about this. Maybe someday it will get through. I never give up hope.

Anonymous said...

Nurses not only do the hands on care that one would expect, they are also a patients last, and really only line of defense against the system.

You do not lay off those people who do the actual care.

Admitting my lack of knowledge on the situation in Ontario, I can still safely wager that there are plenty of high paid management types that could easily disappear without patient care skipping a beat.

Al

Marc said...

Holy crap! Hypocrisy bothers you but you're a fan of the Conservatives? Weren't they the ones that were talking about transparency in gov't. What a joke. Former PM Mulbaloney is a crook and what are they going to do about it? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Hypocrisy? None at all...