Why leftist ideology will NEVER solve our social problems

It's rather ironic that this post is going up today of all days, the day of Jack Layton's funeral in Toronto. But someone left a comment here on the blog today, once again fundamentally misunderstanding my views on helping the less fortunate in our society, and once again calling into question my faith for being a "Conservative".

Anyway, I responded with pretty much what I'm about to say, but then thought that with what's going on today, I'd post it for my general readership too. (plus, it's been a while since I last posted anything of substance, so I figured it's time to stir the pot again)

For all of you out there, my long time readers, long time haters, and those of who who've just stumbled across the blog for the very first time... Did you know that I acutally SUPPORT INCREASING welfare benefits? And did you know that I STRONGLY SUPPORT a strong social saftey net? And I do so based on my firm convictions as a CHRISTIAN CONSERVATIVE... as I'm a Christian FIRST, and a Conservative SECOND. And the two, despite what many on the left would have you think, are NOT mutually exclusive.

Where I fundamentally disagree with those who are on the left, like the late Jack Layton for example, is they way that most folks on the left envision the solution to these problems. Most of them (and I recognize that I'm making some significant and non-encompassing generalizations, I know) believe that by simply throwing more money at the issues, we'll be able to solve these significant and long-term issues. A large number of them also incorrectly believe that the way to get this money is to over-tax hard working people, thereby "leveling the playing field" as it were.

Personally, I think this is a REPREHENSIBLE philosophy, and only ENCOURAGES more of the same behaviours that are the root cause of SOME (but obviously not all) of the problems we face. In essence, it's a a fundamentally Communist perspective... take away from those who have, in order to give to those who don't. The problem with that perspective is that there are many of those who don't "have", who in fact COULD "HAVE", if they weren't repeatedly making bad choices.

For example, I've worked in front line healthcare, working daily with folks who are on social assistance. Of course, many of them VERY legitimately, who have conditions that prevent them from being able to provide for themselves. (see related ASIDE below) It's really sad to see the generational welfare families, who've figured out how to "work the system", and have taught their children how to do the same... kids who have now grown up with a "sense of entitlement", and have no desire nor inclination whatsoever to get themselves off the system. They look to the state for EVERYTHING, and blame all their problems on society in general, rather than looking to themselves and learning the benefits of hard work to improve their own lives. It's a desperately sad and vicious cycle, one that will be IMPOSSIBLE to break if we just keep throwing more money into the system.

(RELATED ASIDE: I remember one guy who really WANTED to provide for himself but just couldn't... was in a wheelchair, and had numourous conditions that prevented him from holding a job, because his body wouldn't co-operate with any kind of consistant schedule. So what did he do? When he was in good health, he'd spend a lot of time doing voluntary work, like sorting at the local Food Bank, and in general just trying to give back to the society that was supporting him. Had a GREAT attitude, and didn't convey any sense that he felt "entitled" to Government assistance. Now THAT's someone who more than deserves our support!)

So, I've come to the conclusion, as have many other Conservatives, that it's ONLY when we revamp the entire system, and get the "freeloaders" off the system, that we'll then have more money available to actually increase benefits to those who are genuinely in need. You see, I'm focused on the ROOT CAUSES of the problems we see, not the SYMPTOMS... but I percieve that most folks on the left are focused on the symptoms, not the solutions. Of course, most of them will turn around and say that the REAL root cause of our problems is the dreaded evil of "capitalism"... at which point I just roll my eyes, once again.

You see, I wouldn't call myself a "capitalist"... we just live in a capitalist society. AS HAS MOST OF THE WORLD SINCE THE BEGINNING OF TIME. You know, the general principal of "If a man shall not work, he shall not eat." Which, interestingly enough, is a Biblical principal too.

Now of course if a man CANNOT work, then OBVIOUSLY we need to support him or her in our society. For the record, I want to HELP solve these issues, to "Do unto others as I'd have them do unto you", as the Lord Jesus taught us. But I have a fundamentally different perspective from those on the left as to HOW we need to go about solving them.

That doesn't make me an evil person... it makes me a "Christian Conservative". I'm just someone who wants to see the lives of ALL his fellow countrymen improved, without having to pay too much in taxes, of course.

RIP Jack Layton - 2011

My wife called me this morning to let me know of the passing of one of Canada's great politicians... Jack Layton.

While I may have disagreed with many of his positions, no one could ever doubt the sincerity of what he believed. His voice was a clear and articulate one for the left, and the loss of his voice is a loss for all of us in this great nation.

My thoughts are with his family today. RIP, Smiling Jack.

Canadian Government Funding Blasphemy

UPDATE: The band and the record label have voluntarily withdrawn the album, and have returned the taxpayer funding for the project. They're intending to re-release the album in a non-taxpayer funded format... as is their right. It's still a piece of blasphemy, but now I simply pray for their souls. :END UPDATE


In a word, DISGUSTING... the Canadian Government has (perhaps unwittingly, I'll grant that) provided over $14,000 to fund a punk album that openly mocks Islam, running the risk of riots from coast to coast.

Oh, did I say "Islam"? I meant "Christianity". (now watch how fast the Left goes from righteous anger to excusing religious intolerance... in 3, 2, 1...)

So, now that it's open season for Government funding on faith, does that mean someone can now apply for funding from the Government of Canada to openly mock Islam's "prophet" Muhammad? I think we all know the answer to that... ABSOLUTELY NOT, and that's EXACTLY how it ought to be. Free speech is one thing, but TAXPAYER FUNDING for things that openly mock the faith of others IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE, regardless of who's faith is under attack.

There is only ONE acceptable answer to this... the funding needs to be revoked and/or immediately repaid to the Government, and the bureaucrat who authorized this expenditure MUST BE CLEARLY DEALT WITH, with a clear and public apology for his/her insensitive and idiotic decision. A clear message needs to be sent... RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE IS UNACCEPTABLE IN ANY FORM WHATSOEVER WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT OF THIS NATION. And if they refuse to apologize... FIRE THEM.

AND... I fully expect ALL PARTY SUPPORT FOR THIS. Your first chance to do the right thing, Mr. Opposition Leader.

LINE OF THE DEBATE goes to... LAYTON!!!

No question about it, Jack Layton had the line of the night with this barb he threw at Michael Ignatieff, over his lack of attendance in the House of Commons.

Tories launch pre-emtive strike in hopes of avoiding a spring election

Why are we launching ads now? "Spending our money, so THE OPPOSITION won't spend yours" is probably the best way to sum it up for Joe Canadian.

By launching these attack ads now, we're hoping to drive Ignatieff's numbers down a little further, thus giving the Liberals pause before they decide to bring down the House over the next Budget. By spending a little bit of our own Tory war chest now on these ads, I believe the hope is that we'll help taxpayers avoid spending $350+ MILLION dollars on an unwanted and unnecessary premature election this spring.

How's that for a responsible political Party? We're actually spending a little of OUR OWN MONEY, in order to save taxpayers MILLIONS. The Liberals? They want to blow your money on an election that will change nothing (other than their leader), and to hang on to the MILLIONS they're getting in political subsidies, again from the taxpayer's pockets.

So check out the ads for yourself... and I suppose I should say, "You're Welcome Canada!".

Our Political Leader's Theme Songs

Buddy of mine sent this my way... pretty fun. If all our political leaders had a theme song, what would it be? Of course, I don't think Harper deserves to get "The Imperial March", but even I had to smile. I think this Tyrone guy's got the other leaders pretty much nailed... and I LOVE Lizzy May's!

Jack Layton


Ignatieff


Elizabeth May


Stephen Harper

Welcome to the fold Mr. Fantino!

Congrats on a hard fought, and well deserved, upset last night in Vaughan for Julian Fantino, one of Canada's newest Memebers of Parliament. With a hard fought 997 vote margin, Mr. Fantino stole for the CPC a supposedly "safe" Liberal seat, even with all the resources thrown at them by Ignatieff and the Liberal Party of Canada.

For Mr. Ignatieff, however, last night was not a total loss... in what's sure to shock many, the Liberals managed to upset the NDP in Winnipeg North, and stole from them what thought to have been a safe NDP seat. In all likelihood, look for this seat to swing back to the NDP in the next General Election, as it may well have been low voter turnout that allowed the Libs to swipe this one.

Last nights results do mean one all important thing, however... NO SPRING ELECTION. If the NDP are losing seats to the Liberals, with a guy like Ignatieff at the helm, I'm guessing that they'll think twice before pulling the trigger. And with Iffy losing seats to Mr. Harper in the GTA, right on the doorstep of "Liberal" Toronto, look for them to also dial down the rhetoric somewhat.

Liberal/NDP Coalition via Facebook?

Okay, I got by far the weirdest "Recommended Pages" suggestion from Facebook today... Facebook suggested that since I "like" Jack Layton's page (which is no secret, I respect the guy) that I might want to consider "liking" Michael Ignatieff's fan page. Why? Here's precicely what it said...

You catch that?  "Many who like Jack Layton like him". Isn't that interesting... many of Jack Layton's fans are also Michael Ignatieff fans. So it wouldn't be a stretch to suggest that NDP supporters are also Liberal supporters, would it not?

Of course, this little screen shot helps verify something that we've all know for a long time... that NDP supporters are also CBC supporters. I mean, it's not like NDPers would bother to listen if it wasn't left leaning...

JACK JUMPING SHIP?!?!?UPDATE - It's prostate cancer, get well soon Jack!

WOHA... The National Post is reporting via Twitter that, NDP Leader Jack Layton to "make an announcement about his personal status and his immediate future as NDP leader".

THIS COULD BE HUGE, stay tuned, press conference at 2PM EST

UPDATE: Rumour is via Kady O'Malley that he's just announcing a temporary stepping down for health reasons.

UPDATE II: Consensus seems to be growing that he's going in for back surgery... which means there's NO WAY we're going into a Spring election, as the NDP will be more than reluctant to jump into the fray without their leader. Which is likely why he's doing it now... perhaps he's got some good intel that says Iggy won't change his mind about forcing an election, and therefore Jack wants to get it done now to be ready for a Fall or 2011 campaign.

UPDATE III: Layton announced that it's prostate cancer, and that he will be remain as Toronto-Danforth's MP, and Leader of the NDP, during his treatment. All Canadians wish him well, and I know I will pray for a speedy recovery.

Iffy's getting worried about the Prorogue

The whole "backlash" against the Prime Minister for Proroguing Parliament must be going beyond the wildest dreams of the Liberals... and I don't mean good dreams. I mean wildest nightmares.

Do you see how furiously Iffy is backpeddling already? The natural reaction of an Opposition Party, at least you'd think, would be to capitalize on what the media is spinning as a potential major blunder by the PM. But check this from the CBC on Friday...

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff called the decision by Prime Minister Stephen Harper to prorogue Parliament and muzzle the opposition "a crazy way to run a democracy," but he stopped short Friday of threatening to bring down the government.

You catch that? He's ALREADY trying to lower expectations. He's ALREADY trying to lower the heat on this issue, while trying to at least get one or two shots in on the PM. But when it comes to actually pulling the trigger, A FULL THREE MONTHS BEFORE THE NEXT THRONE SPEECH, he's already putting the word out that he's NOT going to pull the trigger.

If you're a Liberal, or just someone who's opposed to Harper 24/7, you might be asking yourself "Why is he not all over Harper on this?" Well, just taking a good look at the level of heat in the anti-prorogue Facebook group might give you a hint as to why. There are a whole lot of folks who are hot under the collar about this issue, and it's going to take a whole lot of effort on the part of the Liberals to ensure they don't end up on the receiving end of that hatred when this is all said and done in early March.

Go ahead and take a look at the commentary in that group... I dare you. Amongst the typical left-wing drivol you'll find in every anti-Conservative group, you'll see one thing repeated over and over again... calls for Mr. Harper to be removed from the PMO.

Now, I'll say again what I said earlier this week... what exactly is going to happen when Iffy let's all these folks down and allows Mr. Harper to remain the Prime Minister? EXACTLY... all of a sudden, the anger swings from Mr. Harper, to the man who's actions are allowing Mr. Harper to remain in power.

Which is precisely why he's ALREADY trying to walk the fine line of gaining some points over this, but not aligning himself to closely with it, lest he get tagged with the backlash when he does diddly-squat after the Throne Speech in March. And you can bet you know who will be doing everything he can to capitalize on that redirected anger... that's right, good old Jack Layton, who's right now quietly sitting in the corner, just enjoying the show, and biding his time until the moment is right. I'm betting at LEAST a 2% jump in the polls for the NDP once this is all said and done, with a corresponding 2% drop for Iffy's Liberals. Maybe even 3%, all depending on how well Jack plays his cards.

Go ahead, quote me on this when the polls come out around March 10th. I've never been a betting man, this one's a sure enough thing that I might be willing to make an exception! A 2%-3% drop for the Libs when they vote Confidence in Mr. Harper's government, with a corresponding uptick for the NDP. That's my guess come March 10th-ish.

Why Iggy must tread carefully on Prorogue issue

Been thinking about this whole tempest in a teapot from the anti-prorogue folks, and how it has the potential to backfire HUGE on Iffy's Liberals. Just stop for a moment, and think it all through logically... either way he plays it, Iffy's screwed.

If Iggy tries to fan the flames of discontent to capitalize on the supposed "anger" out there, then what's going to happen when he backs down in the Spring and votes in FAVOUR of our Throne Speech and Budget? All of a sudden, all that anger is going to swing from Harper to Iggy... and you know that Jumpin Jack's going to make sure Iggy wears the blame for propping up the Tories.

Option Two, which seems to be the course being taken so far by the Liberals, is that Iggy's gonna try and keep his head down on this one. But that's another failing strategy, as some folks are ALREADY starting to ask, "Where's Iggy on this issue? Why isn't HE speaking out? We hear some of his MP's saying things, what about Iggy?" Then once again, when his Liberals back down and vote confidence, WHAMO... Jack beats them over the head with it yet again.

Either way, Iffy gets screwed on this issue, no matter which option he takes. Furthermore, NDP Leader Jack Layton can jump on the bandwagon, look like the hero in the eyes of disaffected Liberals who are angry with Iffy for supporting Harper, and further grows his tent.

Iffy, LOSE-LOSE. Jack, WIN-WIN. Harper... BIGGER WIN-WIN, as he either remains PM, or gets a Spring election, one where Iffy's already taken a severe body blow.

So I must say I'm somewhat amused to see various Libloggers signing on to the anti-proroguation rallies, like YappaDingDing, The Progressive Right, PoliticsCanada, Scott Tribe, former Liberal candidate and CAITI blogger Brent Fullard, Impolitical, Liberal PC(O) candidate for VP of Organization and blogger James Morton, and rival Liberal PC(O) candidate for VP of Organization and blogger James Curran, all jumping on the bandwagon. I suppose it's going to make the climbdown all that more entertaining, when these guys blow their collective stacks at Iffy for supporting the Harper Government.

UPDATE: Paul Wells nails it today in his post... his message to the Opposition? Go Big, or GO HOME!

Coderre just gave Layton his opening

Unbelievable. if anyone of you thought we weren't going to the polls, this just changed everything... by suddenly up and quitting today, Denis Coderre has perhaps give Jack Layton just the cover he needed to join the Liberals in forcing an election.

With the Liberals in complete disarray, and their Quebec organization is shambles, there's never going to be a better time to go to the polls for Jack Layton's NDP. They're going to be able to poach a whole whack of seats, perhaps even a couple in Quebec, from the disorganized and demoralized Liberals.

I've been checking the Parliamentary website today, watching for the official tabling of the Liberal's non-confidence motion. If they're going to table it, it will be after Question Period around 3:00PM today.

If they Liberals are really worried, watch for the unthinkable... watch for them to take a pass on introducing their motion!

UPDATE: But it shall not come to pass... Layton will continue to prop us up. Wonder how long he can keep this up without his own caucus revolt...

How Jack gets his mojo back

It's real simple, with all the recent polls out there, and with the current implosion of the Liberal brand in Quebec... CALL IGGY'S BLUFF ON THE NEXT CONFIDENCE MOTION.

There is simply no way that Iggy can afford to go to the polls right now... he's in Dion like territory with the media and the electorate. Gilles will be smelling the blood in the water, and won't prop up the Tories in the upcoming Confidence motion. All Jack has to do is stick to his guns and vote non-confidence for the 80th time.

Only two possible outcomes, both of them which are good for Jack Layton's NDP:

1) Iggy gets to wear some serious on his face, AGAIN, when he's forced to let his own non-Confidence motion fail.

2) The motion carries, we go into an election for which Iggy will wear ALL the blame. Jack gets to run his dream campaign of being the "Effective Opposition" with a Liberal leader everyone is ticked off at. He's in a great position to pick off a whole whack of Liberal seats in places like Toronto, thanks largely to disaffected Liberals.

I just don't see the downside for Jack Layton... do you?

Car Rollover Outside 24 Sussex Drive

Initial speculation that the driver was Jack Layton have now been retracted...

Rollover Outside 24 Sussex Drive
Josh Pringle - Monday, September 14, 2009

The RCMP is investigating a single vehicle rollover on Sussex Drive in front of the Prime Minister's residence.

Why Jack should go "All In" on Iggy's election bluster

Talking to folks just out of Ottawa, and they say the feeling on the Hill is that Iggy is all bluster, and that there won't be any election call anytime soon... they think he's bluffing, counting on either the Bloc or the NDP to keep the House standing.

But with the Bloc launching some pretty effective attack ads, seemingly prepping for an imminent election this fall (I mean, come on... when was the last time you recall the Bloc paying for PRE-WRIT ads?), I think Jack Layton has been presented with an interesting opportunity... one where he should go "All In" and call Iggy's obvious bluff.

I've heard over and over that Layton's run as leader of the NDP is likely winding down. Yes, he's done fairly well, and has consistently increased their seat count with each election he's fought. I always hear some of my fellow Tories mocking him, but I personally think he's done a great job at solidifying the NDP as a real force in Canadian politics. If you think about it, with the Greens consistently eating 7-9% of the vote each election, the fact that Jack has managed to keep the NDP over the 15% mark is no small feat. He's solidified his base, and brought the party more into the mainstream, shedding much of their extremist persona in the process. While most Canadians would ever trust them with the levers of power, he has made the NDP "respectable" in many ways. But there are some rumblings in the fringes, some dissatisfaction with his methods, such that without a solid performance in any upcoming election, his era may be forced to an end.

As such, Jack Layton has been given a unique opening by Ignatieff, one that may help him and his party to edge out an even bigger beachhead within the traditional support base of the Liberal Party. Right now, the Liberal Party has in Ignatieff the furthest right leaning leader that we're likely going to see for a generation. As the Bloc's ads imply, a lot of his positions are, in reality, indistinguishable from Mr. Harper's. (I know many Liberals, and even some Tories will have issues with that statement, but in areas like Afghanistan, or the oil sands, they do have a lot of similar viewpoints... but again, my point is try to view this from a left or centre-left POV, as the Bloc ads are implying)

As such, if you really think about it, the NDP are pretty much never going to have it this good EVER AGAIN. Basically, the Liberals entire left-flank is completely exposed, and is extremely poachable right now. Seats like the one they lost to Gerard Kennedy could be back in play. Their Quebec beachhead in Outremont might be defensible. A few more seats in BC or Toronto could be in play, where a phalanx of left-leaning Liberals are all bent out of sorts with the undemocratic coronation of a man they view to be "Mr. Harper Lite" as leader. Folks who are going to have a difficult time voting for His Royal Iggyness, and his cadre of advisers who have, in their minds, taken over their beloved Liberal Party.

With all that in mind, if he plays his cards right, Jack Layton may have just been handed his dream scenario on a silver platter. And so far, he HAS been playing them perfectly.

First off, instead of following Ignatieff's bluster with even more electoral rhetoric, he followed up with some level headed statements reiterating his desire to "make Parliament work". Instead of ratcheting things up, he set himself up as the level headed one who's actually in control of the situation. Right now, all the pundits and reporters are saying that Iggy has boxed himself in and left himself without any options, while in the next breath stating that Jack is the one who's holding all the cards. Should he continue down the road as being the levelheaded one, he'll be the one in the spotlight... and for Jack, getting any coverage is a good thing for him and his Party.

Secondly, once Parliament actually resumes, all the focus will still be on him. He'll be able to say that he made an effort to make Parliament work, and that his Party has been the mature and responsible one, and he'll be able to paint Iggy and his Liberals as being the ones playing childish partisan games, thanks to all of Iggy's bluster this past week. With his record of being "The Effective Opposition" intact, having voted against the Government consistently, he won't get tagged as being the one who brings the House down... that blame will fall squarely on the Liberals, who have been the ones holding up the House. There's almost no way he can possibly lose on that front once the House resumes sitting.

Thirdly, by then telegraphing in advance his intention to continue opposing the Harper Government, and with the Bloc appearing to be itching for a fight, he'll have thrown it all right back into Iggy's lap. Should the polling numbers of the last week continue, with the Liberals on the slide and our support numbers solidifying, Iggy will be forced to pick and swallow the lesser of two evils... either pull the plug and go into a suicidal election campaign, or back down yet again like the toothless paper tiger that he is. Both unpalitable options for the Liberals, but one that's entirely Ignatieff's fault, for trying to bluff his way up in the polls with all his false bravado.

Either way you look at it, Jack comes out smelling like roses in this one. Either he forces Iggy to back down and wear another dozen eggs on his face, or he gets an election where he stands to make gains with a good and focused campaign. Since his career is likely over after the next campaign should their seat count go down, it's time to make a bold move. If he waits until the Liberals are ready, there's no way that he'll be able to hang on to many of the seats he currently holds, because the Liberals are going to wait until their numbers show that the NDP isn't a threat. Whereas right now, the NDP IS a significant threat, and the Liberals in reality don't want an election right now.

With Iggy sitting at the big boys table, untested in battle, and trying to bluff his way to a win holding a pair of twos, now's the time for Jack to say that he's "All In", call Ignatieff's bluff, and go for broke.

Because I think he has more to gain than he has to lose right now.

Layton scores the "KO" punch in English debate

I'll post more thoughts on the debate later today, but I have to admit it, hands down, it was the NDP's Jack Layton who had the "clip of the night", with this devestating shot at Liberal leader Stephane Dion...



h/t to Splatto for the clip
Also posted over on Janke's blog

And yes, I'll confess... I was in a room of about twenty Tories, who all erupted in unison at that clip. And again when it got played in the post-game analysis on MDL.

Ten years from now, this will be the only clip anyone remembers... just you wait and see.

I think Layton, followed closely by Harper, won the debate last night. Any Liberals who try to claim their guy did are, quite frankly, delusional.

Harper: "Let's talk about the economy Mr. Dion"

In a bold and smart move, Mr. Harper will ask the broadcasting consortium to extend the debate segment devoted to the economy from 12 minutes to a full hour, since that's the primary concern of Canadians in these uncertain economic times.

The NDP's Jack Layton has already said he'd agree to the change in format.

And Dion is left twisting in the wind... it's gonna be all "Green Shift", all the time folks.

Harper: "Check... your move"

How many Liberals have already jumped ship?

Bet you missed this one little line burried in a story in yesterday's Vancouver Sun...

Dion could just as easily have gone north across the Ottawa River to the riding of Gatineau, currently held by first-time Bloc MP Richard Nadeau who narrowly beat Liberal incumbent Francoise Boivin by 830 votes in 2006. Boivin is back to run in that riding but this time, she's running for the NDP.

Did you catch that? A former Liberal MP, who's now running for the NDP.

The Liberals are having trouble finding candidates in Quebec, and maybe here's why... many Quebec Liberals are following in the footsteps of Thomas Mulclair, and jumping off the "Good Ship Dion" in order to run under the leadership of Jack Layton... who's polling second in leadership across the country, ahead of Liberal leader Stephane Dion.

Layton rockets past Dion on Facebook!

LOL... looks like all the Liberal fretting yesterday couldn't stop the Smiling Jack Express train... Jack Layton officially shot past Dion last night for having the highest number of supporters on Facebook, and just kept right on chugging.  The current numbers for Jack are 11,677, versus 11,496 for Stephane Dion... a difference of 180. (not bad when you consider that he was down by 54 as of 5:00pm last night... that's 230 additional supporters in less than a day!)

While many folks have a "Who cares?" attitude about this, a lot more people, including the folks who run these pages, know better.  Though Facebook is hardly a reliable poll, it says something interesting about where the hearts and minds of today's youth are.  In the past, the Liberal Party could count on the youth of Canada as being solidly in their camp in terms of support.  Today's young people though, are a whole lot more politically savvy than most people give them credit for.  They're also becoming more selective when it comes to throwing their support to any individual or party.  As such, there's been a HUGE resurgence in the last few years of support for both the NDP and the Conservative Party amongst young people.  In years past, it was getting rare to see a conservative leaning campus club in many of our Universities.  Today, most major schools have one, and many are strong and growing.

In fact, one commenter on this blog yesterday, thinking that they were mocking me, only served to prove my point.  He (she?) pointed out that I hadn't mentioned the fact that Mr. Harper is third in the Facebook supporters race, with only 10,195 supporters.  Well, thanks for proving my point!  The fact that Mr. Harper even has 10,195 young people who are willing to fly the Conservative banner on Facebook attests to the very fact that conservatism is alive and well amongst the youth of this country!  (though obviously, there's still lots of work left to be done)

Anyway, the fact that Layton has managed to pass Dion, right on the eve of a by-election, is yet another embarrassing blow to the formerly almighty Liberal machine.  It exposes the fact that the support amongst youth that they once could count on is no longer solid... and perhaps serves as a reminder that Mr. Dion is not the "leader" that Liberals hoped he would become.

Congrats again to Mr. Jack Layton on his astonishing resurgence, at a time when many people we beginning to speculate on the NDP becoming politically irrelevant.  Though it's just on Facebook right now, it could well be an indicator of things yet to come.

Liberal Facebook users are worried!

Been watching over the last few days, and it looks like Jack Layton is, or should I say WAS, about to pass Stephane Dion for having the greatest number of Facebook supporters.

I say WAS because it looks like the Liberals have gone into panic mode, trying to make sure that embarrasing event doesn't happen... I've been watching, and I've seen Dion's supporter numbers spike in the last hour. Looks like some young Liberals have gotten the word out and had their friends jump on board quick. I can almost picture the desperate e-mails and text messages that must have gone out...

"Help us save Mr. Dion from Facebook embarrassment! Quick, log on to your Facebook and sign on as his supporter now, before Jack Layton can catch up!!!"

An hour ago, Jack was only 22 supporters away... now Dion, or should I say his paniced young supporters, have opened up that gap to 30.

Still, I don't think the lead will hold much longer. Watch the all the fun for yourself right here!

Instant Update: Right after posting this, I saw Dion's numbers tick up another four supporters... looks like I was right, they're really worried!!!

Here's where they were at @ 2:59pm EDT...

UPDATE @ 3:42pm: Oh yea, REAL worried, it's been another 45 minutes, and Dion's got already another 13 supporters.

One commenter told me to "give my head a shake" if I thought this was of any sort of importance. Symbolicly, it's really important, as the Liberal Facebook users have proven today. They know that if Layton passes Dion, it'll be embarrassing, and that piece of news will be spread far and wide, and that's not a good thing right before a series of by-elections. So yes, ree, it is important... I know it, and members of both the Opposition parties know it. So there.