The way I see it -- Election fever and the media.

As I watch the cream of the crop media giants interviewing politicians about the pending election I wonder why they do not get to the real points. Just a couple of issues that I think should be better tackled by these self appointed representatives of the public.

The “Harper Government” members often accuse the other parties that they are the ones responsible for the upcoming “unnecessary” election. Balderdash! A minority government must consult with the rest of the parties to ensure that they have enough support for proposed legislation or budget in order to carry on as government. Defeat of a minority government is always the result of a government’s unwillingness to negociate with the opposition. This point should be strongly emphasized by investigative reporters.

Another often heard accusation by government members that the opposition parties wish to form a coalition government in order to gain power to govern. Do they forget the obvious fact that a minority government could not operate without a coalition with one or more other parties? That is the only way minority governments can survive! Why don’t these reporters point out this simple fact to their interviewees?

A favourite subject of the “Harper Government” is the economy and who could manage it better. Would not managing the economy require money? I would think so. Does the government have money? Only virtual money, something like Monopoly money. Just check out the Canadian Debt Clock! The total debt of the “Harper Government” is over $562 billion. Each one of us owes nearly $17,000 and this debt is growing by the minute. Is that managing the economy? Local politicians do a heck of a lot better job of managing their communities economies than do our senior governments. Now, I am not implying that the other parties could do a better job, but to claim that this government is the best manager of the economy is a bit of a stretch. Virtual money is not a solid base for the economy and as long as they keep adding to the debt they are not managing the economy. Paul Martin was the last Finance Minister who had a balanced budget that was actually reducing the debt but then came the current minority Government that managed to reverse that brief spell of prosperity. Should not be responsible reporting to point this out? We can only wish!

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