You Don't Say... February 16, 2012

I'm not saying that I knew Whitney Houston well or that I will mourn for days now that she is gone, but the world lost a talented performer and one hell of a voice. Rest in peace Whitney.

I'm not saying I'm having second thoughts about thinking it's a good thing that Toronto EMS services are now considered "essential" by the city, but how exactly is it a good thing in the long run? They lost a lot of bargaining power by losing the right to strike when they were declared essential and are pissed off as a result. Let's hope the city doesn't take advantage of this fact. Rob Ford would NEVER do that...right?

I'm not saying that I'm happy that Rick Santorum won 3 Republican Primaries over the weekend, but it does make Barack Obama's path back to the White House that much smoother. Those victories keep Slick Rick in the race, which will ultimately prove costly to whoever gets the nomination. Between Santorum, Mitt Romney and good ol' Newt Gingrich, the combatants are tearing each other apart and emptying each other's closets of all their skeletons, making American voters wary of trusting any of them. Their loss is Obama's gain and I'm mighty pleased about it. Keep up the good fight, boys!

I'm not saying that the Federal Tories' changes to the Balanced Refugee Reform Act are stupid, but they are harmful and could prove deadly. So, the conservatives don't want to allow refugee claimants from "safe countries" to be able to appeal rejected claims in order to "speed up the removal of bogus claims", eh? Citizens of "safe countries" have reasonable grounds for fleeing their native lands (see religious or political persecution, crime etc.), but often have their applications summarily dismissed after a scant glance because their countries are "not dangerous enough". These people need a right to an appeal, too, and deserve a second chance of getting their pleas heard.

I'm not saying the Drummond Report paints a gloomy picture for the future of Ontario, but a drizzly, foggy, cold, damp night in London, England looks like a week at a sunny tropical resort compared to this. Is it worth it to harm our childrens' futures by increasing class sizes and user fees for programs just to have a balanced budget by a specific date? Is cutting post-secondary education and healthcare funding and messing with money-making assets just to save a few bucks? NO. ABSOLUTELY NOT. Time to take a more well thought out, less guillotine-like approach to raising revenues and controlling spending around here. Closing tax loopholes and raising corporate taxes anyone?

I'm not saying the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops doesn't have the constitutional right to complain about President Obama's contraception compromise, but it does appear that they, along with Fox News and others, are being extremely melodramatic about the whole situation. religiously affiliated hospitals and universities don't even have to pay for any type of birth control for employees or students, their insurance companies will. I thought Obama already catered to their feelings and complaints. What gives?