Before I get into my annual recycling of holiday blog ideas, I first wanted to say a few words about Donald Trump and his ridiculous 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, including oil and gas imports, unless we clean up our act on illegal immigration into the United States and the importation of illegal drugs, specifically fentanyl.
Unlike most Canadians, at least those the Liberal party, my initial reaction wasn’t feigned panic, surprise and oh so serious proclamations that it was time to put aside our partisan differences and gather together as a country, say a “Team Canada” and present a united front to defend our interests from a suddenly trade belligerent and nationalistic Unted States.
Nope, my reaction was – have you people not been paying attention? There was a whole campaign wherein the most (and probably only) coherent message of the whole Trump campaign was that he was going to use TARIFFS to achieve policy goals on things like manufacturing, energy independence, drug abuse, illegal immigration and whatever else came to mind on the gold toilet.
Nothing about this should have taken the government by surprise.
Where’s the plan? Why the convening of “Team Canada”? Why consult only with vote-rich Ontario and Quebec first? Why keep going ahead with mindless vote-buying boutique tax breaks? Why is the government so asleep at the wheel? DO THEY EVEN CARE? Or is it only about survival at this point?
We know it’s the latter. In fact, I think that Trudeau and Enviro-puppeteer Guilbeault are secretly delighted to see energy included – maybe Trump can accomplish what the Canadian electorate and Alberta won’t ultimately allow them to – gradually throttle energy industry growth through tariff instead of hugely damaging and unpopular industry targeted regulations.
We have major problems in this country. They are related to affordability, crime, energy security, taxes, immigration, perception, military spending, first nations, government finances – you name it. Our economy is in per capita free for all versus our closest peer and our currency is on life support. And now we have a Trump problem.
His tariff plan is terrible, for the United States, for Canada, for Mexico, for bilateral relations. It has been telegraphed well in advance and STILL the government was caught flat-footed. The only real responses I heard to it were from Doug Ford of all people and Pierre Poilievre, our defacto prime minister in waiting. Our current government gave me condescending platitudes and the convening of self-serving focus groups with the implication that “only Liberals and Trudeau can solve the problem”. Sound familiar? It should, that’s how Trump sells himself.
The President of Mexico came out blazing with a right cross. Trudeau made a late-night supplicants phone call.
Massively disappointing.
You want a TEAM CANADA approach? Let Canada decide.
Your product is expired, the best before date is in the rear view mirror.
Call a f-ing election. Not in October.
Now.
It’s the Christmas present ALL Canadians want, not the ability to save a nickel on designer pre-mix cocktails, Christmas trees and puzzles (but only if you are under 14).
Do. It.
At any rate, on to more festive thoughts!
Now that our friends down South have finally finished celebrating Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday, Whittling Wednesday, Thirsty Thursday and Frugal Friday, I think it is safe to say that we have finally hit the holiday season.
I don’t know what gave it away – the endless deluge of Christmas ditties while standing uncommunicative in the grocery store check out line, the Valentine’s display at Costco, the lack of snow everywhere except Calgary. Maybe it’s the annual Hallmark channel assault of Christmas movies or the lights and the trees that have sprung up on pretty much every house in the neighbourhood (even mine). Any one of those factors could be the giveaway.
At any rate, Christmas is that time of year that always seems so far away until whammo, there it is – and we all come to the crushing realization that we haven’t even started shopping or otherwise getting ready for the festivities. Interestingly, one way of managing that crisis is to use a calendar, because that shows you how many days you have until you really need to hit the panic button.
And as luck would have it, you can buy a calendar that actually does the counting down for you and rewards you with a daily chocolate for doing so! You are out of chocolate? Dude, you are out of time!
I am referring of course to Advent calendars. Look, I know the purpose of the Advent calendar isn’t to serve as a shopping guide, so please don’t come to my house and scare my kids. But given that you can now get a cannabis Advent calendar, I think you should all cut me a little slack for suggesting my own uses for one.
So, in the spirit of the season and the first of my lazy holiday themed blogs (warning – there is a top movie list coming!), I present to you my very own Crude Observations Advent calendar, complete with an energy or related treat for each day. I will leave it up to you if you want to read it all at once or actually use it for the purpose it was intended.
I am more of an immediate gratification kind of guy, although the bourbon advent calendar requires some moderation – so you can guess which course of action I would recommend… The link attached will allow you to enjoy however you want to.
