TONY AT TEN BLOG 8, THEME: FOOD FOR THOUGHT ...AND ACTION

We are all primarily responsible for ourselves. When it comes to others we are responsible for the truth, our words, our actions and some degree of empathy. Thankfully we are allowed this freedom in Canada. Ideally we have been raised to make free choices and to be held accountable for these choices. 

However, it is painfully obvious that when it comes to casting our ballots in any election we do one of the following: 

1. Not bother to vote due to indifference (FOR SHAME!) 
2. Not bother to vote due to being incapacitated. 
3. Not bother to vote because we don’t like the candidates. (UNDERSTANDABLE, BUT WEAK) 
4. Vote because we are influenced by the opinions of others, the propaganda of the party line or hollow promises. (NOT REALLY - A FREE CHOICE IS IT?) 
5. Vote unintelligently because we haven’t read enough, listened carefully enough, experienced enough or haven’t been affected enough. (TIME TO MAN UP) 

Many Canadians have given their lives to protect our freedom! We owe them and our own children respect by caring about what this Country is doing. For example, McGuinty wants to pound his chest and claim that Ontario is a “World leader” in green energy. Many in our society say communities and people first!  

We need to educate ourselves on the important issues of Health, Safety, Education, Employment, Canadian Values, Respect for Law and Justice and Freedom for all Canadians. Only afterwards do we need to be aware of and care about world issues. 

You may ask “what about the Environment?” I believe in reforestation, air quality, conservation of resources and concern for wildlife, fresh water and food supplies. Environmental extremists have the ear of our decision makers. Our planet is not in peril; however, many of its human inhabitants find themselves in a perilous state. 

If people are forced to breathe polluted air resulting in health issues, then let’s stop polluting by improving technology and taking the time to make it safe and efficient instead of rushing into unproven programs that threaten to eliminate jobs and incomes and raise the costs of production with bogus Government Environmental Programs. You can always tell the pioneers by the arrows in their backsides. 

Let’s concentrate on advancing useful products, ideas and services instead of: 

· Bigger governments and more civil servants

· New gadgets for cell phones

· New mobile devices 

· More TV channels 

· Idiotic commercials and advertising 

· Faster internet 

· Wind turbines that are costly and a health hazard 

· Games and cosmetics 

· Subsidies to private industry 

· Speed traps and highway patrols; let’s use our police resources to catch thieves, murderers, child molesters and abductors, rapists, scammers and fraudsters. 

We need development with proven overall benefits in: 

· Energy harnessing 

· Energy consumption and efficiency 

· Energy storage 

· Rapid transit 

· Community facilities 

· Cost reduction of health care 

· Fighting poverty 

· Community college apprentice programs 

· Taxation reform 

· Political reform: more power to Municipalities and less to the Provinces 

Do You Care?

Some  examples of "Must Reads" 

1) News Articles:

RE: Ontario’s Green Energy Act 

· http://opinion.financialpost.com/2011/12/05/terence-corcoran-the-dark-side-of-green-energy/

· http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/12/07/national-post-editorial-board-mcguintys-green-energy-disaster/ 

RE: Fighting in Hockey  

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/04/sports/hockey/derek-boogaard-a-boy-learns-to-brawl.html?emc=eta1 

RE: Our Youth  

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/05/opinion/the-role-of-youth.html?emc=eta1 

RE: Income Disparity  

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/07/business/global/micro-tax-on-financial-trades-gains-advocates.html?emc=eta1 

RE: Government Action:  

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/06/us/vermont-rebohttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/08/business/an-entrepeneurs-rival-in-china-the-state.html?emc=eta1unding-from-hurricane-irene.html?emc=eta1 

RE: Air Pollution: Never mind the planet; it can look after itself; what about the People? 

· http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/07/world/asia/beijing-journal-anger-grows-over-air-pollution-in-china.html?ref=science 

· http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/08/opinion/the-age-of-man-is-not-a-disaster.html?nl=opinion&emc=tya4 

RE: Canada USA Border  

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/12/07/michael-den-tandt-a-welcome-thinning-of-the-canada-u-s-border/ 

RE: Politicians:  

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/07/intellectuals-and-politics/?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=thab1 

2) Books

RE: Egoism and Self- actualization 

Why Ayn Rand is Wrong (and why it matters) 

Levi Asher 

RE: Child Abduction
http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=26357929 

by Paul R. Beaumont, Peter E. McEleavy. 372 pgs. 

RE: Poverty and Children in Poverty
Allahar, Anton. Richer and Poorer: the Structure of Inequality in Canada. Toronto: J. Lorimer, 1998
Capponi, Pat. The War at Home: an Intimate Portrait of Canada’s Poor. Toronto: Viking, 1999.
http://www.amazon.com/Framework-Understanding-Poverty-Ruby-Payne/dp/1929229488/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323275122&sr=1-1