So, I guess I am taking a break this week. Still spent from the whole Forecast thing, my Air Canada correspondence (I would note I received a polite and informative reply – nothing is changing but routes are constantly being re-assessed, so I hold out hope), work and, if I’m being honest, a 36 hour jaunt to Toronto to visit the Bata Shoe Museum and eat bacon at a venerable and iconic Toronto greasy spoon.

This doesn’t mean that I am not paying attention to what is happening around the world, I most assuredly am. I’m just taking a break from commenting on it. Often because others have commented so well already and on a fairly regular basis I choose not to comment because to do so would just make me angrier than I normally am.

So why am I writing today? Because I am a creature of habit and can’t help it. And like last year, I am going to try and intersperse the big blog with a bunch of little blogs.

This should be safer in the long run. So this week, I am doing what I call a Top 10 list a la David Letterman.

For me, this top 10 list is going to be based on politics, because I notice a lot of dumb things happening in politics as leaders of parties and movements get out over their skis and think they are more influential than they are or think they are smarter than all of us and therefore we must step aside and bow to their intellectual superiority.

So here it is –

The Crude Observations Top 10 Examples of Politicians being out of touch with the mainstream or thinking that their position makes them immune from the judgement of common man.

10 – Your provincial leader attends two (well-attended) events featuring a discredited far-right American former television commentator, has her picture taken with him, a discredited and wackily dressed would-be male influencer and a convicted felon and takes offense when the media tries to ask her a question or two about it.

9 – Your prime minister (who claims to represent the middle class and those working to join it) hosts a cabinet retreat (in Montreal – good smoked meat) to address all of the issues affecting his government’s popularity  – most specifically housing and other affordability for the middle class and has to HIRE A CONSULTANT to come and tell him and his cabinet what issues are top of mind for the middle class.

8 – the eventual presumptive nominee for the Republican nomination decides to interfere with border legislation making its way through the house, hoping to park it so he can use the border as a wedge issue. Social media of course has a field day. I don’t know, the last time I checked, if something is a crisis, action is needed, immediately, not in a year. Make up your minds.

7 – After checking with noted energy experts Bill McKibben and some random anti-fossil fuel tik-toker, the Biden administration elects to pause any new LNG approvals until more understanding is gleaned about environmental impacts, emissions, clean-up plans etc. Critics claim it’s a death blow to the industry and will create national security nightmares and cool investment decisions. More rational voices point out it won’t really impact anything for five years as so many projects have already advanced past that stage anyway. People in Alberta say – yeah, we’ve seen this before. Democrats eagerly looking for ways to self-destruct their campaign by doing all the virtuous nonsense their opponents say they can’t help doing.

6 – Finger on the pulse NDP leader Jagmeet Singh records an ad excoriating corporate and government greed in front of a development in Edmonton that he calls an obscene insult to poor people everywhere and government money towards luxury condos. The only problem? The complex is being built by Alberta Metis people to house single mothers and underprivileged people, the rents are set below market and there are no “luxury condos” being built at all.

5 – Somewhere in Texas, an under indictment for fraud Attorney General and governor decide that now is a good time to reenact the civil war so they place National Guard troops at the border to quell an “invasion” that doesn’t exist and defies the supreme court order to allow federal government people to remove chicken wire and prevent children from dying. Never mind how performative this is, the reality is that immigration in the US is a mess but stunting never solved anything.

4 – Your municipal government decides that the best way to fight climate change is to fine businesses for handing out single use items like bags, stir-sticks, lids, utensils and napkins. This isn’t just for antique stores either, it’s for quick serve and fast food restaurants which means we are all now subjected to having to take delivery of our burger and fries and drink one at a time and we can, I don’t know, put the hot greasy shit down on out leather seats, meaning another expensive cleanup is required. At the same time, grocery stores have been told to raise the prices of the reusable bags they sell to… discourage their use? I guess when the inevitable reduction in retail sales hits, we will have to endure another high single or double digit property tax increase. The best part? The money collected from selling bags, napkins and plastic forks goes to the vendor. It’s not even a fucking tax. Just giving McDonalds money. Because. How hopelessly out of touch is our municipal government that this is a priority when faced with a fentanyl crisis, record houseless populations, crime and all the other city issues. I know this isn’t supposed to drop down to muni-politics, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see over 50% turnover in municipal councillors this next election and a new mayor.

3 – Back for more, your municipal government decides that it is time to rezone the entire city and allow multi-unit residential properties to be built any time, anywhere. Oh sure, there are “rules”. Maybe they will get read occasionally. It’s being called an affordability measure, but I the short term it will have virtually zero effect on affordability.

2 – Your putative conservative alternative leader takes it upon himself to campaign in BC about “axing the tax” while ignoring the fact that BC has their own carbon tax, so any federal actions would be moot. The same week he calls the mayors of Montreal and Quebec bad mayors for allowing the federal government to push them around about housing when in fact, it is the provincial government that manages that file and relationship. Winning friends and influencing people – way to go Pierrot.

1 – All of these people were elected. By us. Or variations of us. Why is everything these days so consistently dumb.

Welp.

There you have it. And apologies again for my lousy Super Bowl pick. Dallas over Buffalo. I need to have my head examined.