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Blog of Adam Daifallah -- author, journalist, law student. Lover of politics, writing, golf, curling, fitness, fashion, bacon and maple products -- not necessarily (but probably) in that order. Partisan of the Anglosphere. Contact me via email at adam@daifallah.com. This summer I am joined by Keir Wilmut and Omar Soliman.
Sunday, December 11, 2005
On beer and popcorn
Change the score to 1-1 on the foot-in-mouth count. Scott Reid's comments today -- that parents cannot be trusted with a childcare tax credit because they could spend it on "beer and popcorn" -- has exposed Liberals utter obsession with statism, a concept explored at great length in our book. From the introduction:
Canada’s political status quo is not liberal, conservative, right-wing or even classical liberal—it is statist. Statism, as defined by the Acton Institute, is “a program or viewpoint that looks to the state for res-olution of social and moral problems, rather than to individual effort. Specifically, a condition where the nongovernmental institutions of a so-ciety develop an overextended and unhealthy reliance upon political structures for the solution of problems.”
Statism is anathema to conservatism. It leads to citizens placing an increased value on government not only as a means of solving social problems, but as being the preferred means of attaining social status. Think for a moment about the (mostly self-appointed) Canadian elite, particularly its public intellectuals, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a non-statist among them. All the members of the CBC cocktail circuit—Adrienne Clarkson, John Ralston Saul, June Callwood, David Suzuki, Margaret Atwood, etc.—have either been employed by government or advocated intervention of the state to solve our problems.
Today Scott Reid let the Liberal's statist, "government knows best" ideology show. They don't trust parents with their own money! What he said is embrassing, and most parents will be repulsed. The Conservatives can and I think will make some hay off this.
Two other quick points:
1. Looks like the polls are staring to move...
2. No clue whether it is actually in line or not of the actual split of pro vs. con feedback received, but if this CBC compilation of emails about the Martin handgun announcement is in anyway representative of the population, oh boy. And this is the CBC we are talking about here.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 10:29 PM
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