Weighing In

In watching the news items out of Ottawa over the last couple of months, there appears to be considerable wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth over:

1. The Long Gun Registry
2. The Long-form Census
3. G8/G20 spending
4. F18 Fighter Jets

Here's my two-cents worth on each of these "nation changing" events:

1. If the police are for it, why would I be against it? And, why is the "law-and-order" government against it?  I'm not sure I see the reasoning behind trying to shut it down. Do we not need a driver's license to operate a vehicle and does that vehicle also need a registration permit in order to be operated on our roads? Are there not many other examples of this nature within Canadian society? Then, why the argument for its disbandment? Surely, you don't believe that there is a secret plot to grab all long guns from law abiding citizens?
2. As a business man, I need the most accurate forecasts and trending data I can get. If I can't trust the source of this data, how confidant can I be in the data supplied? The argument for its change to a volunteer format is that it was too intrusive and violated our privacy rights. If the data is anonymous, how does that violate my rights?
3. $1.2 Billion for a 3-day photo op? In the midst of the most serious recession Canada has experienced since the Great Depression? You know that most of the issues are worked on well in advance by the bureaucracy, so what do these meetings actually accomplish? What value did Canada receive that was worth this apparently extravagant price tag?
4. I know the military was under-funded for many years under previous governments - not something I was particularly happy about - and I was pleased to see a refurbishment of our armed forces. However, it appears that these jets are not capable of performing certain types of activities required by the military. Just as importantly, I think, and this is something that has deeply troubled me about the current government, is its inclination to do away with due process, without regard to the "public" purse.

Fiscal conservatism appears to be an oxymoron.