Dalton McGuinty fells another family-owned business

Dalton McGuinty and the Ontario Liberal's new Accessibility for Ontarian's with Disabilities Act sounds like a pleasant and caring law. After all, what sort of monsters would we be if we didn't allow disabled people to go anywhere they wanted in the province.
Maybe I could agree, if it weren't for the fact that my parent's taxi business will shut down because of this one-size fits all policy.
Under this new accessibility act, municipalities (who issue taxi licenses) are required to make sure that private transportation companies fit into their accessibility plan.

79. (1) Every municipality shall consult with its municipal accessibility advisory committee, where one has been established in accordance with subsection 29 (1) or (2) of the Act, the public and persons with disabilities to determine the proportion of on-demand accessible taxicabs required in the community.

(2) Every municipality shall identify progress made toward meeting the need for on-demand accessible taxicabs, including any steps that will be taken to meet the need, in its accessibility plan required under Part I.

(3) Municipalities shall meet the requirements of this section by January 1, 2013.

(4) In this section, “accessible taxicab” means an accessible taxicab as defined in section 1 of Regulation 629 of the Revised Regulations of Ontario, 1990 (Vehicles for the Transportation of Physically Disabled Persons) made under the Highway Traffic Act.

Private taxi companies that do not comply face fines.

My mom found out about this new law when she went to renew her taxi license this week. The Municipality of Strong Township told her they have to review the law to see if she is even eligible to receive one.
Option 1: Buy an accessible van. Option 2: Shut the business down.
Unfortunately, accessible vans don't come cheap, particularly to a business that barely manages to pay the bills.

This isn't a big company. She has ONE taxi van and that's usually more than enough for three seasons a year. Since the economic crash in 2008, it's more than enough for the fourth season (summer) too.
My parents asked me to move home (against my better judgment) in 2005 and started the taxi a couple of months later.
My dad was having regular heart attacks, was scheduled for a triple bypass, and wanted to start a small business rather than go on a pension. He can't operate heavy machinery in open face pits (something he did for 30 years) because of other new legislation.
I agreed to help start the business and I still help out. I do as many of the calls for late-nighter, drunks, drug addicts, dangerous people, long distance trips and horrible weather calls as possible.
My mom runs the business now, and I'm not about to let her deal with those problems.
We are the only legal licensed and insured taxi in a 30 mile radius and we're shutting down because of McGuinty and his new law.
We already compete with a host of illegal taxis, and there is no form of enforcement of laws to be had.


This one, seemingly harmless, law is shutting down at least one family business. I imagine there are other taxis in rural and remote Ontario towns facing the same problem.
It's just an example of increased regulations doing damage to our economy. Ontario has become Canada's big economic joke and the powers that be in Queen's Park are still providing punchlines.

There is always Option 3: We could operate the taxi illegally (without licenses or required taxi insurance), but all it would take is one complaint to the Ontario Human Rights Commission and my parents would lose more than just their business – to an unelected group which doesn't have to follow the rules of law.
If Strong Township comes back and says, “Sorry. No Dice,” the taxi is done. Considering I drove more than 200 miles on News Year's Eve and didn't see a single RIDE program, I don't think it'll make a difference.
Dalton McGuinty's made a difference though. Too bad it's a negative one.

Piss On 'Em

July 1940:

The French fleet harbored at Mers-el-Kebir was given an ultimatum by British command – either they join the British fleet to fight the Germans, or they leave for a harbor where the Germans couldn't take command of the French fleet. They were given six hours to decide.

Britain couldn't chance that the French fleet might aid the Germans in stopping British supply lines and communications.

French Admiral Francois Darlan assured Winston Churchill that under the armistice agreement with Germany, the French fleet wouldn't be taken and that they would remain in the French Algerian port.

Wrong answer.

On July 3, 1940 the Royal British Navy attacked Marine Nationale and scuttled the fleet.

The Brits and France were allies, but the British killed 1,297 French sailors and wounded about 350 other.

This was good for Nazi-German propaganda in Europe and bolstered Anglophobic feelings in France.

Across the pond, they got a different message: Britain is going to win this war.

Hey, everyone loves a winner.

Under Winston Churchill's command, the British showed the world they were going to win at all costs.

January 12, 2012:

A video of four marines pissing on dead Taliban soldiers made it around the Internet and into the media.

The nancy-left immediately decry it as deplorable, despicable, disgusting and a litany of other “de” words. They complain it's going to increase terrorist recruitment; takes away the moral authority for the war or proves we never had any; and worse, we might offend somebody.

The right and moderate-left almost unilaterally condemned the actions, but spring to the soldiers' defense.

The most reasonable response to commentators I've heard so far is from Rep. Allen West. He tells them to, “Shut your mouth. War is Hell!”

Unfortunately, I've yet to hear anyone endorse the actions of these four brave Marines.

(Pausing for the accusations of barbarism, bigotry, and vile evilness)

I'm not suggesting these swinging dicks, with, well... swinging dicks, are of the same caliber as Churchill. The message is still there.

The Muslim faith requires certain posthumous procedures for a corpse, so that it's adherents can make it to Heaven – and pissing on them isn't one of them.

Now, I'm not suggesting that we pee on every dead terrorist, but we make sure that when we kill them, we deny them whatever passes for last rites.

The argument that this is a recruitment tool for the Taliban or Al Quaeda or any Islamist animal is ridiculous.

What good is their holy war if we deny them their bodies for heaven. They declared war on us.

Sure, some whackjob imam is going to convince a few they can still make it to heaven, but, by and large, fewer and fewer illiterate goat-bangers are going to sign up.

A suggestion: ship portable biomass generators to Afghanistan and burn their bodies to power our bases. Mix their ashes with manure and plant a garden. It's “Green Friendly.”

This isn't our war. We never wanted, nor asked for it. It's theirs and theirs alone.

They don't wear uniforms, so the niceties of war do not apply to them.

It's time we get nasty; it's time (after a long damn decade) that we show these bitches that we are going to win and we are going to do everything to make sure they are going to hell.

“When people see a strong horse and a weak horse, by nature they will like the strong horse.” - Osama Bin Laden

The British deliberately killed 1,300 allies to win a war, what's a little urine between enemies.

As for the whiners declaring this a monstrous consideration, “Piss on them too.”

David Suzuki Abuses Children

 If conservative or libertarian organizations targeted children with their public service announcements (PSAs) or campaigns, the concensus media and left-wing spin machine would go nuts.

The hue and cry would be great, with accusations of baby rape and, one way or another, racism. This is why few such organizations target children.

Socialists, environmentalists and most other groups that end with “ists” are so full of misplaced self-rightousness they feel it's OK to attack children if it advances their cause.

David Suzuki, his foundation and his government supporters are literally child abusers.

A publication by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) says child abuse includes: the restriction of movement; patterns of belittling, blaming, threatening, FRIGHTENING, discriminating against or ridiculing; and other non-physical forms of rejection or hostile treatment.

Anyone who's ever been a child in a family that celebrates contemporary Christmas knows that you don't mess with Santa.

Tell a child that Santa won't be visiting because they've misbehaved too much throughout the year and you'll get terrified scream that would put any B-Movie horror queen to shame.

That maggot Suzuki doesn't care about frightening children. He started this piece of fundraising genius http://www.wherewillsantalive.ca/ and tells children that Santa is going to be homeless if they don't give money to Suzuki, who will single-handedly stop the North Pole from melting and save Santa's home.

Don't worry kids, Suzuki is a complete liar. Sun News Network's Kris Sims has confirmation from NORAD that Santa is A-OK. The North Pole isn't melting either.

If you want more proof that Suzuki is lying, ask yourself, “If the North Pole is warm enough to melt, why is Suzuki wearing a parka in his live report?”

What kind of maniac tries to scare children into giving him money, or advocates children spending their parents' money? Well, The WHO/ISPCAN report also notes that exploitation of children is also abuse.

It can be expected that someone who supports any sort of Dalton McGuinty plan, particularly the Ontario premier's green plan, is a supporter of wasteful spending.

To make matters worse, the National Film Board paid to pipe this child abuser into Canadian schools. Enabling a child abuser is guilt by association.

Next week: Why PETA are child molesters.

Planes, Trains and Automatic Weapons

Reports of battery fires in the Chevy Volts cast a shadow on Barack Obama's green energy program, but suggestions the NHTSA suppressed the safety findings for up to six months is a total eclipse on his entire administration.

Toyota was bombarded with unfounded claims of an electrical problem in its accelerators. While there was an issue with floor mats and sticky pedals, human error proved to be the most common cause of unintended acceleration.

The US government (new owners of GM) and the media jumped all over Toyota, fines were threatened and Toyota sales dropped. The actual results of the NHTSA and NASA safety study was under-reported because Toyota was, more-or-less, vindicated.

A malicious campaign from the O-Team and the MSM did its damage to Toyota, all while Government Motors was trying to pawn the Volts off on an unsuspecting public.

Yet, it took six months to warm people Volts are a firetrap.

The Community Organizer Of The United States (COOTUS) protected his union buddies at the expense of a private company which is largely non-union.

He did again yesterday. It was reported a National Labor Relations Board lawsuit against Boeing was dropped. The aircraft manufacturer wanted to build a new plant in Right-To-Work state South Carolina, but was opposed by NLRB, who argued Boeing should be forced to expand in union-run Washington State.

Once Boeing agreed to a contract with the union granting big pay raises, significant job security measures and future expansion in Puget Sound, WA, Boeing was finally given permission to build in S.C. Read more..

Lafe Solomon, the NLRB’s acting general counsel, said, “The case was always about the loss of future jobs in the Seattle area.”

This is really quite incredible. The O-Team can't lower the unemployment rate below 9 per cent, but it can protect jobs that don't even exist.

Fiery car crashes and airplane plunders are insignificant compared to walking firepower. The Fast And Furious operation to nab drug dealers and gun runners looks more like a secret plan to demoralize the Second Amendment argument.

Gun sellers were told by the government to allow illegal gun sales near the US-Mexico border. Instead of catching the gun runners, the authorities were ordered to let them go. Those guns were later used to kill an American border guard and countless others.

These are just three major fumbles, in a long list of fumble, for the Obama administration. It's no wonder he's already going down in history as the worst president ever.

A recent study suggested that a majority of Canadians like Obama. I suspect it's not because we think he's competent. It's because the more he screws up, the more opportunity Canada has to excel. Good leadership does make a difference.

OK, I lied. There are no trains in this post.

Iran Will Divide World

One way or another, Iran is going to change the world.

If the thought of nutcase Mahmoud Ahmajinedad getting his grubby mitts on five nuclear weapons by April 2012 wasn't frightening enough, the fact that so few people seem to be aware of an imminent war with Iran is scarier.

The Iranian president has the will to nuke Israel and the US, soon he will have the way. The sane leaders of the Western world will not let that happen.

The US, Canada, and the European Union have imposed economic sanctions against Iran to pressure the Persian nation to abandon it's nuclear program.

Good luck with those sanctions, fat lot of good they'll do if Russia and China don't support them. Russia has said that the UN sanction route has been exhausted.

Regardless of sanctions, Iran will continue to pursue weaponized nuclear power, and as long as they do, Israel is in extreme danger.

We can be glad that, while a small nation, Israel doesn't lack moral-fiber – it has great big metaphorical balls. The closer Iran gets to obtaining nukes, the closer Iran gets to be on the receiving end of a preemptive strike. The IDF and Israeli government take their citizen's safety seriously.

The world is going to explore every possible diplomatic means of stopping Iran, but in the end Israel will have no choice but to strike, and that's where things get complicated.

Recently, Canadian Defence Minister Peter MacKay announced Canada will sign a mutual defence pact with Israel by Christmas. Canada has rightly been a leader in diplomatic relations with Israel.

If a war between Israel and Iran erupts, Canada will support the IDF.

Canada's partners in the Commonwealth of Nations (UK, Australia, etc.) will support Canada, especially after the so-called “student activists” stormed the British embassy this week.

Britain's involvement will cause problems within the European Union. Turkey has recently fallen out with Israel, and while only an associate EU member, they can put diplomatic pressure on the rest of the members.

While there is no love lost between the Sunni (Turkey) and the Shia (Iran), Turkey will most certainly side with an Islamic country over a Jewish one, particularly if they have an Ottoman hangover.

The rest of the European Union will weigh any action against their increasingly Islamic populations.

US President Obama's been cold to Israel, but he wouldn't survive another election without supporting Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gets more cheers from an American crowd than the Big O.

The two big buyers of Iranian oil, Russia and China, seem to have better diplomatic relations with Iran than anyone in the west. China's not exactly a freedom loving country and future repeat Russian President Vladimir Putin is suffering some Soviet nostalgia.

With the Mideast ready to blame every problem on Western nations, whilst cloaking their political ambition in the guise of Jihad, Iran is poised to split Western and Eastern nations into a devastating parody of a mid-90s East-Coast/West-Coast gangsta rap rivalry.

It's going to get bloody.

Evil prevails when good men fail to act. Iran will be stopped no matter the cost.

The Western world's support of revolutions in the Mideast, notably in Egypt and Libya, are turning into epic fails. The Muslim Brotherhood has majority support in Cairo and Koran-thumping Sharia-loving Islamists will likely gain support in Tripoli. This is the inherent error of democracy. Freedom is the only answer. To prevent future mistakes like Egypt, @NewsOfMideast and others advocate a #freedomcoalition. This coalition, made of countries that allow for the fundamental freedoms of speech (expression), press, religion and association, throw their weight against regimes that quash their own citizens. Iran and Syria are the current focus.

Intervention in any country's civil problems is useless unless those countries accept these freedoms for their people. If you believe in freedom, lend support to #freedomcoalition.

Follow me on Twitter @ClintHD

Right-To-Work Answer to Union-led Occupiers

Now that they've been kicked out of St. James Park in Toronto, maybe the Occupy movement can ramp up their protest by occupying glass and stone edifices to capitalism – shopping malls.
Toronto Occupiers can get the Eaton Centre food court condemned and Occupy Ottawa can turn the Rideau Centre into their own personal pig pen.

Yes, they're private property... private property owned by the Ontario Teacher's Pension Plan.

Since the Ontario Secondary School Teacher's Federation and Elementary Teacher's Federation of Ontario both support the Occupy movement, they shouldn't be too upset about putting up the Occupiers for the winter.

It's an extreme suggestion, but one that highlights the hypocrisy of the modern union. They represent a radical political view more than their union members.

Each and every union member suffers when capitalism takes a hit. Whether by pension plan in the public sector or job security in the private, each and every group of organized employees is dependent on capitalist values.

Why would an employee support a union that no longer represents their values? They don't have much of a choice, thanks to the Rand formula.

In 1946, Supreme Court of Canada Justice Ivan Rand ruled that any employee, union member or not, that benefits from collective bargaining must pay union dues and employers must automatically deduct dues.

At the time, it was a reasonable ruling designed to protect a struggling union movement's freedom of association.

Seventy years later, the ruling has been misinterpreted and misused so often, Rand himself probably wouldn't recognize the law.

After the Canadian Charter of Rights was introduced, the Rand formula was challenged for violating the freedom of association. Which it does.

One Supreme Court justice suggested the freedom to associate does not include the negative right not to associate. Really? Despite the freedom of expression, anyone who's been arrested knows they have the right to remain silent.

When Lavigne vs. OPSEU was heard, freedom of expression was debated. Should someone be forced to pay dues to a union that acts against their personal beliefs? According to the Supreme Court, yes.

They argued that while a union may support a cause contrary to a member's belief, membership implies they have a vote in the matter and can speak out against said support.

The Ontario Public Service Employees Union provided evidence to the contrary about a decade after the Lavigne ruling. When OPSEU went on strike in 2002, a dissenting woman received death threats and had her car keyed.

No one, who worries about their job security or their health and well-being, speaks out against their own union.

I condemned the 2002 OPSEU strike in a column, it wasn't long before a union thug (who was much taller and heavier than I) showed up in my office and growled at me. I just laughed and went about my business.

The Supreme Court repeatedly ruled that while the Rand formula does infringe right to association, it does so in a way that's better for the state and democracy.

OK, I'll buy that argument.

However, in the interest of the state, democracy and freedom and since the union movement has built a significant stronghold in the last 70 years, it's time to introduce Right-To-Work legislation.

In the US, studies have shown that while wages are lower in RTW states, after cost-of-living is accounted wages are equal or even slightly higher than union states.

RTW states also added jobs, compared to falling employment levels in union states. Union membership only faced slight decline.

Before Oklahoma became the newest RTW state in 2001, the state's AFL-CIO president said RTW would lead to lower wages and less health coverage.

In 2002, statistics indicated household incomes rose and 54,000 more people had health coverage. Health coverage in the rest of the US fell.

In these uncertain economic times, why wouldn't Canada adopt a law that doesn't infringe on anyone's freedom, but boosts economic growth, stability and GDP.

If it's OK for Canada to limit freedoms in the interest of the state, it's certainly reasonable to return those individual freedoms in the interests of the state.

In Defence of Mustaches

As someone who is growing a mustache this month, I feel compelled to defend the Movember movement, to raise awareness of PSA tests for prostate cancer, for all the wrong reasons.

My facial hair has always grown fast enough to lend credence to Scotsmen fornicating with sheep jokes, and I've always wanted to try growing a mustache. During Movember, if it looks stupid, at least I won't be the only one looking stupid.

In fact, it does look pretty stupid, but at least people will think I'm doing it out of charity.

How someone with brown hair grows a thick blond mustache is beyond me.

In the last week, I've read two columns critical of the Movember movement. The latest, Mustaches for men of action, by Scott Gilmore of the Ottawa Citizen is reasonable and argues that merely growing a mustache to raise awareness is insignificant. If you want to truly support something, write a check.

I agree, but big government intervention and nanny-state mentality has ruined charitable giving. People no longer feel the need to give to charity, because government has given them the impression that the state will do it for them.

It should be noted, that American studies indicate conservatives (people who believe in small government) are the most giving.

Here in Canada, where food, utilities and consumer goods cost more, fewer and fewer people have the disposable income to give to charity, but they can grow a mustache... well most men and a few women can.

As far as mustaches being for men of action, its my face and I'll disgrace it however I want.

There are some other advantages too.

After being harassed to shave his mustache at a party, my friend, who we'll call Mike, because that's his real name, yelled conspiratorially to me. “The girls... Clint, the girls... November 18 is Bang a Dude with a Mustache Day.” What harm is he doing if he's deluded into thinking a mustache will increase his chances of getting laid today, but manages to raise $3,000 for prostate cancer research.

The first column, Why I Won't be Growing a Moustache for “Movember” , by Justice Marshall in the Vancouver Observer, argues that Movember is just a tool of greedy corrupt capitalists, whose companies secretly add carcinogens to their products. He also alleges PSA tests kill people.

Um... OK.

I think it's wrong to exploit the mentally challenged, so no comment.

I suppose that would make me a sellout for growing a mustache this month.

As far as I'm concerned, the line from American Metal band Five Finger Death Punch's The Pride sums things up. “I'm not selling out, I'm buying in.” (Their 2011 album American Capitalist is now available)

On December 1, my mustache is gone. I'd shave it off now (mostly because a friend said she didn't like mustaches over drinks), but I'm no quitter. Besides, it's November 18 today, maybe I'll found out if Mike is as delusional as I thought.

A little anecdote: When I was little, I asked my cousin Lorne why he never shaved his bright red mustache. He explained that in the winter snot would freeze in the mustache and stop it from running into his mouth. I asked him what happened when he went inside and it thawed out. “Then you have something to eat,” he replied.

Lorne, who's now a fairly successful chef in British Columbia, has been on the food network a couple of times and in an episode of The Bionic Woman. He called my dad to tell him about the episode.

Lorne: “Uncle Milt, I was on The Bionic Woman.” My dad: “That must have tired you out.”

Lesson learned: Being a smartass is genetic and the Bionic Woman likes mustache rides.

This is Under And Over It, 5FDP's first video from American Capitalist (warning: explicit lyrics)