I’ve got to hand it to our neighbors to the north. They may not be known as one of the cultural centers of the universe, (Gordon Lightfoot, Anne Murray, hockey, and Canadian Bacon excluded) but they sure know how to make art out of scandal.
We Americans could learn a thing or two from our northern brethren, and not only when it comes to the manly arts of hunting and fishing. Our political scandals here are either sordid little sexcapades that are fun but involve little in the way of intellectual challenge or simple, boring, one dimensional illustrations of human greed where the specimens on display are revealed for the grubby little lowlifes they truly are.
And while it’s doubtful many American politicians involved in scandal would make it much past Dante’s 8th level of hell, Canada’s Liberal Party may have devised such an elegant defamation of democracy as to make it all the way to Senor Alighieri’s “Outer Depths” reserved for traitors to party and country.
Adscam is, to put it simply, the most beautifully constructed, elegantly conceived, political scandal I’ve ever seen.
It should make all of us political junkies in this country weep for joy at the simplicity of its workings. The government, controlled by the Liberal Party, funds a well-meaning program, a goal of which is to keep restless Quebecers from jumping the Canadian ship. A substantial part of the monies appropriated end up going to ad agencies friendly to the Liberal Party. So far so good. “To the winner belongs the spoils” is as good a slogan north of the border as it is here. But here’s where the truly elegant betrayal comes in.
The ad agencies, in exchange for the contracts, hired friends, neighbors, relatives, and activists associated with the Liberal Party. And to sweeten the scandal, the agencies then kicked back money into Liberal Party coffers in the form of campaign contributions!
Is Canada a great country or what?
In effect, the liberals were having the government of Canada fund their party’s elections. Now that’s what I call “public financing.”
But why stop there? Since one of the major purposes of the Sponsorship Program is to keep the French speaking Quebecers from bolting, why not get the separatists involved? Captain Ed explains:
In other words, a good part of the $250 million that Canadians spent out of their tax money to hold onto Quebec went not only to the Liberal Party for their re-election efforts and personal gain—it also went to the separatists that the government wanted to rebut.
Turns out the French-speaking purists weren’t above taking a little of the largess so generously doled out by the Liberal Party.
Maybe they promised to spend it on improving the manners of French speaking waiters in Montreal’s restaurants.
I have to admit I doubt very much whether any of our politicians would be able to be this subtle in their malfeasance. The only thing to rival it wasn’t so much a scandal as it was a political argument; the Iran Contra affair. Ollie North came up with something equally as elegant but ran afoul of the stupidity and greed of some of his associates; they couldn’t keep their damn mouths shut. And yes, Ollie lied to Congress. The fact that any Congressman from either party was able to look a TV camera in the eye and say that with a straight face, given that politicians have learned to lie for a living, explains why people giggled when that charge was leveled against Mr. North.
So, I say “hats off” to our friends to the north. Your politicians may have turned into a bunch of America-hating, quasi-socialist, islamofascist sympathizing euro trash wannabes. But when it comes to ripping off the people, you’ve got us beat hands down…or should I say hands up?
Cross Posted at Blogger News Network
8:07 pm
This I think is only the tip of the iceberg, because our Gun Registry program what was supposed to cost about ten million dollars has cost the tax payers of Canada over one billion dillars…... where has that money gone? Who is being paid off with it?
We have people who have to wait a year for surgery, because there is no money to hire more doctors, but there is lots of money that ends up in the pockets of politicians, and their families and friends.
They all say that things will be different when they get into power, but it seems that things only get worse.
8:08 pm
Welcome to the first rule of politics…if it ain’t nailed down, take it!
9:07 pm
More Canaries
More canaries singing about the Gomery Inquiry…
9:08 pm
Thanks for helping to get the story out! Best regards.
9:29 pm
America-hating, unfortunately, goes well beyond politicians around here. I say thank God for a good neighbor, because I fear we will need help sooner rather than later. Good work!!
11:20 pm
This American gives Canada high praise
With all the lumps the nation has been taking as the corrupt antics of Liberals are revealed sordid detail by sordid detail by the Gomery Inquiry, it is nice to find someone who has nothing but high praise for Canada.
11:54 pm
Even with out corrupt Liberals we’re still better off than you fools. 200 million dollar rip-off? Yeah it sucks but I prefer it to being mislead into an illegal war. At least our citizens aren’t dying for false reasons. “islamofascist sympathizing” – yup that’s me. Wait a second – who’s fascist again? Here I have the freedom to smoke a plant or marry my boyfriend but if I tried that in the land of the free I’d be arrested or lynched.
Thing is – I know not all Americans are as stupid as you and it’s those people that have to put up with you as their ‘countrymen’ that I pity.
“The only thing to rival it wasn’t so much a scandal as it was a political argument; the Iran Contra affair.”
You are a very unintelligent person. Seriously, I know in the back of your head you know and it and it’s true.
Please stop trying. It’s embarrassing.
3:16 am
haha, looks like Justin has a bug up his ass over how corrupt the Liberals in Canada really are. Seriously man, face up to it: you left-wing loonies up in Canada REALLY f’ed things up.
4:29 am
Hmm clicked on the link to Justins blog. Pretty sad. Oh well school probably interfers quite a bit.
8:49 am
Hey JD - where’s your blog? Don’t have one? Then shut yer yick.
Secondly, firebrand, the Liberals aren’t left-wing up here. The are in the centre.
Sorry I know it’s hard for someone with only TWO parties to choose from to understand what a healthy democracy is like but let me make it easy for you: it consists of more than two viable parties.
8:57 am
Just a quick note to my buddy Justin:
Your country has fewer people in it than the state of California. The fact that we have a democracy at all is remarkable given that we have nearly 10 times the number of people.
It’s called the “politics of scale” dimwit. Now go away and let the grown-ups talk. You can play with your choo choo trains, ‘kay?
5:44 am
Bonfire of the Vanities #93
[Oh, silly, silly Kevin…letting me host this…]
Welcome to the Sadistic Edition of the Bonfire of the Vanities,
in which I shall exact the punishment these bitches deserve for such substandard performance!
First, welcome back …
3:09 am
Submitted for Your Approval
First off… any spambots reading this should immediately go here, here, here, and here. Die spambots, die! And now… here are all the links submitted by members of the Watcher’s Council for this week’s vote. Council li…
10:26 pm
Carnival of the Vanities #134 – Avignon Edition
From Wikipedia: An antipope is one whose claim to being Pope is the result of a disputed or contested election. These antipopes were usually in opposition to a specific person chosen by the papal electors (since the Middle Ages, the…
2:45 am
The Council Has Spoken!
First off… any spambots reading this should immediately go here, here, here, and here. Die spambots, die! And now… the winning entries in the Watcher’s Council vote for this week are China’s Time Bombs by The Glitter…