Political Pigs at the Trough and Bacon in the Senate - goodbye Maple Syrup

Stephen Harper - stated he was going to move toward an elected Senate. He - being different than PM's before him would bring democracy to bear on the Upper Chamber.

What do Canadians think of the Senate - my guess is not much - and as of late disgusted.

Harper has yet to fulfill another of his election fibs (lies).

Harper used to have a real antagonistic relationship with the unelected Senate - that is when the majority of them were Liberal appointees. Nowadays no such urgency. The Senate now has a majority of Conservatives which pleases Harper and assists in moving forward quickly his "legislative" agenda.

What did Harper do when becoming Prime Minister? As quickly as he could he "appointed" to the Senate Michael Fortier and then right on to his Cabinet as Public Works Minister. This was to accommodate the city of Montreal - which had not elected a Conservative.

We do remember right when an entire province Newfoundland and Labrador did not elect a Conservative - did we get somebody appointed to Cabinet from outside caucus? NO! We got Peter MacKay.

So this Reformer - Stephen Harper - the man who wants/ed an elected Senate did a fine job appointing Conservatives to the Chamber regardless of his "strongly held" fundamental beliefs.

If all these lies and deceit is not enough - Senators are running around the country kissing babies, rubbing elbows, and running Conservative candidates' campaigns. Does this sound right to you? Does this sound like a party or a potential Prime Minister that wants to have the Senate answerable to voters? Maybe we misunderstood him - as apparently is often the case - maybe what he meant was Senators should get involved in electing Conservatives to the House of Commons. Perhaps now he means we can call a Conservative riding headquarters and ask to speak to the Senator who is helping the Conservative candidate out. Maybe that's what he meant by "answerable to the voter".

As I watched Preston Manning the other night answer a reporters question about being proud of where the Conservatives are today - I was reminded that a few reformers sat at a table and planned to get a Reform government in by 2000. Manning added they were just 12 years late. The archival clips shown were of those reformers Manning and Harper saying the Progressive Conservative Party had to go. Then I am reminded of political wimps like Peter MacKay and Loyola Hearn that accommodated that destruction.

Don't be fooled by the Newfoundland and Labrador PC faces that show up at your door looking for a vote. These people have become members of a party that was built on extreme right-wing philosophies and are only shrouding that until they get a majority. Then the likes of Fabian Manning, Jerry Byrne, John Ottenheimer, and Loyola Sullivan will have to sit and take the absolute extremism a Progressive Conservative does not support the likes of which has never been seen in our Province.

These Pigs at the Trough are learning to say and do anything to get elected - and then learn to shut-up as reformers alter this country to something between a police-state and a Bush party.

The ABC campaign must be stronger than before and more aggressive. Just today I was reading an announcement for an upcoming debate - being sponsored by a community services group. It read that 4 parties were participating - Liberal - NDP - Progressive Conservative - and the Green Party. It also listed Loyola Sullivan as a Progressive Conservative. A wolf in sheeps clothing.

Well Newfoundland and Labrador if you elect these opportunistic - ideologically void - pigs at the trough - they won't hesitate to sell us out and tell us we have an attitude of defeatism if we complain.