Editorial

Election in the air

Is that an election we hear brewing? Or just some very humble Tories attempting to say they’re sorry for any one of a dozen or so screw-ups in recent weeks, months or years? (We’d name them, but space is limited.)
In less than a week, the provincial PeeCees announced they were ready to dabble in — but certainly not control – the skyrocketing insurance premiums that Albertans have been paying in the past year or so. Two sleeps later Energy Minister Murray Smith told reporters – and anyone who would listen – that the province will revamp and re-institute its energy rebate policy because gas rates have surpassed a certain cap and will likely continue the trend well into winter.
For a government that continues to insist it’s not at all interested in getting into the business of business, the announcements appear dangerously close to crossing the line. Of course we’d be more than happy to accept a cheque to help pay the bills. And we’d jump for joy if our insurance company sends us a chunk of change – or gives us free insurance for a year – or even a few months.
But we’re having great difficulty in trying to figure out why the government would be so ready to spend its (er, ‘our’) hard-earned tax dollars on rebates or investigating the insurance agencies’ recent money-hungry madness. That is, why spend it there, instead of using the cash to help some of the many schools in this province that are having such a tough time making ends meet?
(In fairness, our agent says the industry has been hit extremely hard from many angles ever since Sept. 11, 2001, and we believe him – even though we don’t like it.) But we digress. The last time cheques were actually in the mail, we were heading into a provincial election. And what better way to show your appreciation for the unexpected greenbacks than to vote for someone who was alleged to have been doling out goodies? Or at least that’s what we’d bet Premier Ralph Klein and his cohorts were banking on.
And obviously it worked – at least partially. Albertans sent the Preem back to his high chair overlooking the province with resounding numbers and overwhelming speed.
Maybe he’s looking for an encore, even though he’s not obliged to go begging for another mandate for at least another year or two.
But as good as that moolah would look in our personal accounts, we’d really rather see it being used to help make sure our grandchildren have a good enough education to ensure them a productive life that’s free of want.

In another corner..
And speaking of sucking up to the electorate – or in this case, another attempt at launching a legacy – Prime Minister Jean Chretien’s government appeared ready to impress at least a few Canadians last week when it announced the weed would soon be in the mail!
Yup, scrambling to meet a court-imposed deadline, the feds announced that the marijuana their experts grew in that Manitoba mineshaft wasn’t all bad. In fact, some of it was potent enough to rate as acceptable for the many Canadians who have doctors’ notes saying they can have, eat or smoke the dope – for medicinal purposes only.
Of course Chretien isn’t looking for votes. In our humble opinion, we doubt that he really cares if Paul Martin (or whomever succeeds the PM) gets elected.
No, this is about legacy-building.
And whereas Chretien has failed miserably in that arena thus far, we suspect the ‘marijuana in the mail’ line is just another attempt at leaving his memorable footprint on this country.