tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50689275222127265632024-03-08T04:34:27.168-05:00Joseph C. Ben-AmiConservative Rejoindersjosephben-ami.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/17666573315236488467noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068927522212726563.post-24160613873200203572021-01-24T11:44:00.000-05:002021-01-24T11:44:01.147-05:00 Canada’s conservatives take the bait – again.<p>As a long-time member of the Conservative party of Canada (and its previous iterations), organizer, and conservative activist I regret being put into a position where I feel the need to speak out against the actions of our party’s leader, Erin O’Toole, and those members who voted to eject Derek Sloan from the federal conservative party caucus.<span></span></p><a href="https://josephben-ami.blogspot.com/2021/01/canadas-conservatives-take-bait-again.html#more">Click here for more »</a>josephben-ami.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/17666573315236488467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068927522212726563.post-60574723764678549962021-01-13T15:09:00.002-05:002021-01-13T15:09:14.494-05:00Rethinking our response to this (and any future) pandemicLet me make clear right from the start that I am not an anti-masker. I do question the efficiency of mask-wearing, but not because I subscribe to the theory that masks are “too porous” to filter a virus as small as the COVID19 virus, or because I detect a conspiracy to take away our rights and impose one-world government. I question the efficiency of mask-wearing because making it compulsory has done little to slow the spread of the virus, in contrast to the success we had in the spring, when masks were voluntary.
So I question the usefulness of making mask wearing mandatory, given the evidence. <span></span><span></span><a href="https://josephben-ami.blogspot.com/2021/01/rethinking-our-response-to-this-and-any.html#more">Click here for more »</a>josephben-ami.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/17666573315236488467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068927522212726563.post-4745672947808031152020-03-26T15:29:00.000-04:002020-03-28T16:39:18.755-04:00It’s time for conservatives to take their party backLast week, for the second time in the current Conservative Party leadership race, an elite group of establishment conservatives used the Leadership Election Organizing Committee (LEOC for short) to deny rank and file members of the party the right to vote for or against a candidate of their choice.<br>
<a href="https://josephben-ami.blogspot.com/2020/03/its-time-for-conservatives-to-take.html#more">Click here for more »</a>josephben-ami.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/17666573315236488467noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068927522212726563.post-77926579758392705392019-11-21T21:20:00.000-05:002019-11-26T09:45:04.340-05:00Why did the CPC lose October 21? Don't blame so-cons.Since October 21 there’s been much talk amongst the self-appointed grandees of Canada’s conservative establishment about whether Andrew Scheer should remain leader of the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC). Most of that talk has focused on his alleged social conservatism. The narrative goes something like this: Scheer does not march in gay pride parades; he believes in traditional marriage and he’s pro-life. The Conservatives lost the election because Scheer and the party are too socially conservative under his leadership, therefore he must go.<br>
<br>
Except…<br>
<br>
<a href="https://josephben-ami.blogspot.com/2019/11/why-did-cpc-lose-october-21-dont-blame.html#more">Click here for more »</a>josephben-ami.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/17666573315236488467noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068927522212726563.post-15314324884134708212019-07-28T14:20:00.000-04:002019-11-21T21:08:58.950-05:00Addressing the alarm over amber alertsOntario residents with cell phones were recently roused at 3 am by the pulsating sound of an Amber Alert, initiated by police in response to the abduction of a young child in Brantford, a small city east of Hamilton. It wasn’t the first time, and as with previous middle-of-the-night alerts, the alarm triggered an avalanche of complaints from irate citizens whose sleep was interrupted, which in turn provoked a barrage of counter-accusations of selfishness from both police and supporters of the system.<br>
<br>
In truth, both sides are right, and both are wrong.<br>
<br>
<a href="https://josephben-ami.blogspot.com/2019/07/addressing-alarm-over-amber-alerts.html#more">Click here for more »</a>josephben-ami.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/17666573315236488467noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068927522212726563.post-50987887554598485962019-07-05T09:46:00.001-04:002019-07-28T23:06:20.909-04:00What conservatives can learn about polling from The West WingThere’s a scene in the television series <i>The West Wing</i> when White House strategist Josh Lyman is discussing polling numbers with pollster Joey Lucas. Citing the lack of public support for a particular provision on gun control, Lyman recommends backing off the measure, declaring that “the numbers don’t lie.” But Lucas disagrees, pointing out the numbers “lie all the time.”<br>
<br>
<a href="https://josephben-ami.blogspot.com/2019/07/what-conservatives-can-learn-about.html#more">Click here for more »</a>josephben-ami.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/17666573315236488467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068927522212726563.post-68449826730750517942019-05-23T12:01:00.003-04:002021-01-13T17:49:45.678-05:00Maybe we should just say thanks?Shortly after the recent fire at Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral was extinguished several prominent, wealthy Frenchmen stepped forward to pledge significant sums of money toward its reconstruction. One would think that people would be grateful for this generosity, and most are. But not, it seems, the high priests of the progressive-left who couldn’t help attacking these individuals for allegedly caring more for a building than people. These critics apparently believe that society would be better served if such generosity were directed toward eliminating perceived social inequality, and they are invoking Victor Hugo’s <i>Les Misérables</i> to help make their case. “Yellow Vest” protesters were quick to jump on the bandwagon. “Millions for Notre Dame, what about for us, the poor?” read a sign worn by a Paris demonstrator the Saturday following the fire. “Everything for Notre Dame, nothing for <i>Les Misérables,</i>” read another sign.<br>
<br>
<a href="https://josephben-ami.blogspot.com/2019/05/maybe-they-should-just-say-thanks.html#more">Click here for more »</a>josephben-ami.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/17666573315236488467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068927522212726563.post-83860870458998811942019-03-13T13:24:00.001-04:002019-05-24T06:57:35.060-04:00Antisemitism rears it head in U.S. Democratic PartyAs the U.S. Democratic Party continues its relentless march to the left it was perhaps inevitable that the ills which have infected that side of the political spectrum would reach its very heart – the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. How else does one explain antisemitic statements recently made Ilhan Omar, the newly-elected Congresswoman representing Minnesota’s 5th district, and rising star in the Democratic Party?<br>
<br>
<a href="https://josephben-ami.blogspot.com/2019/03/antisemitism-rears-it-head-in-us.html#more">Click here for more »</a>josephben-ami.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/17666573315236488467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068927522212726563.post-39602660175835392832018-11-02T14:53:00.002-04:002019-07-28T23:08:30.306-04:00Is it time to place armed guards in schools?This past week witnessed calls from across the political spectrum for politicians, political activists and media personalities in America to tone down their rhetoric and adopt a more respectful attitude to one another in the wake of a deadly shooting in a Pittsburgh synagogue that left eleven elderly Jews dead and several more wounded for no reason other than that they were Jews. Pleas for a more respectful and civilized debate were quickly accompanied by demands for tighter gun laws. Both reactions are entirely predictable and understandable – and both miss the mark.<br>
<br>
<a href="https://josephben-ami.blogspot.com/2018/11/its-time-to-place-armed-guards-in.html#more">Click here for more »</a>josephben-ami.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/17666573315236488467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068927522212726563.post-74031763522889194712015-09-20T06:32:00.000-04:002019-07-28T23:08:50.554-04:00Slandering Canadians on immigrationThis past Friday (September 18th) the <em>Globe and Mail</em> newspaper published an op-ed penned by former Conservative Senator Hugh Segal sharply criticizing Canada’s immigration and refugee policy, calling it “bigoted” and “vision free“, and contrasting it with the policy of Germany which, under Angela Merkel’s “enlightened” leadership he asserts is “set to take in more than 800 refugees.”<br>
Setting aside for the moment the shockingly <em>ad hominem</em> nature of his attack – I will return to that presently – Mr. Segal is playing fast and loose with the facts.<br>
<br>
<a href="https://josephben-ami.blogspot.com/2015/09/slandering-canadians-on-immigration.html#more">Click here for more »</a>josephben-ami.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/17666573315236488467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068927522212726563.post-20322754186567271912015-09-04T06:27:00.000-04:002019-01-16T06:31:36.305-05:00Justin Trudeau's reefer gambitThis past week, Justin Trudeau re-iterated that, if elected October 19, the Liberal Party, which he leads, will move immediately to legalize and regulate the production, sale and use of marijuana in Canada for recreational use.<br>
<br>
<a href="https://josephben-ami.blogspot.com/2015/09/justin-trudeaus-reefer-gambit.html#more">Click here for more »</a>josephben-ami.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/17666573315236488467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068927522212726563.post-2986055668319832892015-08-18T19:40:00.000-04:002019-01-16T06:05:38.127-05:00Daycare con gameThis past week Statistics Canada released a report entitled <em>Child care: An eight year profile</em> alleging that "the proportion of children in child care has increased significantly." Daycare lobbyists, funded primarily by – you guessed it – taxpayers, were quick to jump on this report as further evidence of a growing daycare crisis in Canada. They are demanding that the spigots be opened and that Canadian taxpayers foot the bill for their dream of an expansive, national daycare system, run by – you guessed it again – the daycare lobbyists. The only problem is that the Statistics Canada report says no such thing. If anything, the numbers suggest the opposite.<br>
<br>
<a href="https://josephben-ami.blogspot.com/2015/08/daycare-con-game.html#more">Click here for more »</a>josephben-ami.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/17666573315236488467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068927522212726563.post-78561344862631694882015-08-18T06:14:00.000-04:002019-01-16T08:22:37.363-05:00Ronald Reagan and the scariest nine words in the English languageRonald Reagan used to say that the scariest nine words in the English language were: “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” The line was delivered with his trademark hint of humour, a trait that was at once charming and disarming, making it one of the most versatile and effective items in <em>The Great Communicator’s</em> toolbox. But Reagan’s humour could also obscure the importance of his observations with the result that his aphorisms were – and still are – cited more often as examples of his wit rather than the expression of fundamental principles that they almost always were. <br>
<br>
<a href="https://josephben-ami.blogspot.com/2015/08/ronald-reagan-and-scariest-nine-words.html#more">Click here for more »</a>josephben-ami.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/17666573315236488467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068927522212726563.post-16344799380664740152015-08-03T22:09:00.000-04:002019-01-16T06:05:53.940-05:00Income inequality charadeWith a federal election imminent in Canada and presidential primaries looming in America, we are likely to read and hear a lot about the "scourge" of income inequality in the coming weeks and months. Income inequality and the growing gap between the rich and poor in our society is a common theme in politics these days as politicians from both sides of the ideological spectrum strive to demonstrate that they care more about poverty than their competitors.<br>
<br>
The spectacle would be funny if it wasn’t so misguided.<br>
<br>
<a href="https://josephben-ami.blogspot.com/2015/08/income-inequality-charade.html#more">Click here for more »</a>josephben-ami.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/17666573315236488467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068927522212726563.post-39040134935777234042015-06-12T19:15:00.000-04:002019-01-16T06:06:07.726-05:00Saving the middle-class?The idea that the middle-class is getting a raw deal is not exactly new. Liberal pundits and politicians have been beating that drum for some time now in an effort to attract votes from a segment of the population that has historically leaned toward more conservative policies. Envy, it seems, is as powerful a motivator today as it has been throughout history.<br>
<br>
<a href="https://josephben-ami.blogspot.com/2019/01/saving-middle-class.html#more">Click here for more »</a>josephben-ami.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/17666573315236488467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068927522212726563.post-84159493578826568492015-03-17T06:10:00.000-04:002019-01-16T06:12:53.274-05:00Time for the right to really uniteOf all the silly ideas to have emerged from the wreckage that has been Canada’s conservative movement for the last 50 years, none has been more damaging for the prospects of conservatism, or more vacuous, than the idea of bifurcation, a notion that has now also taken root in American politics, manifesting itself in the conflict between conservative Republicans and their "Tea Party" allies on the one hand, and so-called moderate Republicans on the other.<br>
<br>
<a href="https://josephben-ami.blogspot.com/2015/03/time-for-right-to-really-unite.html#more">Click here for more »</a>josephben-ami.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/17666573315236488467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068927522212726563.post-10580149615610284522014-08-05T06:47:00.000-04:002019-01-16T06:49:08.235-05:00Balancing workers’ rights and union privilegesCanadian law with regard to unions and workers’ rights is sharply different from that of other western nations. Forcing workers to join a union as a condition of their employment is prohibited by law in most, and those individuals who exercise their right not to join a union are either exempted from paying dues altogether, or they - along with <em>all</em> members of the union - are entitled to a reduction in their dues if the money is spent on activities from which they derive no work-related benefit, or on causes with which they disagree.<br>
<br>
<a href="https://josephben-ami.blogspot.com/2014/08/balancing-workers-rights-and-union.html#more">Click here for more »</a>josephben-ami.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/17666573315236488467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068927522212726563.post-37573759702396401152012-05-01T19:01:00.000-04:002019-01-16T06:06:30.239-05:00A whiff of totalitarianismIt's painful to witness the travails of a son trying desperately to measure up to the reputation of a famous father, especially when the son's effort misses the mark so badly, which is what happened recently when Justin Trudeau suggested that he might support Quebec independence if Canada were ever to succumb to Stephen Harper's "hidden agenda" to do away with same-sex marriage and abortion.<br>
<br>
<a href="https://josephben-ami.blogspot.com/2012/05/a-whiff-of-totalitarianism.html#more">Click here for more »</a>josephben-ami.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/17666573315236488467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068927522212726563.post-13755288872051646592011-10-05T19:08:00.000-04:002019-01-16T06:06:46.761-05:00Freedom of religion starts at homeThe announcement that, if re-elected, a Harper-led Conservative Government will create an office dedicated to the monitoring and promotion of religious freedom around the world has been applauded by people of faith in Canada – particularly Christians – who have seen, not just the rights, but the very lives of their co-religionists come under increasing threat in recent years. It’s a welcome initiative, but it also begs the question: what about defending religious freedom right here at home?<br>
<br>
<a href="https://josephben-ami.blogspot.com/2011/10/freedom-of-religion-starts-at-home.html#more">Click here for more »</a>josephben-ami.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/17666573315236488467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068927522212726563.post-12411584377100986382011-09-06T06:52:00.000-04:002019-01-16T06:54:15.296-05:00Want to cut federal spending in Canada? Follow the ConstitutionThe Conservative government of Stephen Harper is committed to cutting federal spending in an effort to balance the budget, and it has announced that it will be conducting a comprehensive, government-wide program review to determine where those cuts can or should be made. This is a welcome initiative that's long overdue. Unfortunately, this review threatens to ignore one of the greatest sources of waste and inefficiency: duplication between federal and provincial departments and programs.<br>
<br>
<a href="https://josephben-ami.blogspot.com/2011/09/want-to-cut-federal-spending-in-canada.html#more">Click here for more »</a>josephben-ami.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/17666573315236488467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068927522212726563.post-68407315794339479742011-02-10T13:09:00.000-05:002019-01-16T06:06:59.939-05:00More stupid thinking on human rights in CanadaThe passage by Canada’s House of Common of C-389, a bill to extend special criminal code and human rights protections to people with “gender issues”, i.e. men who think they are really women trapped men’s bodies and vice-versa, demonstrates how incredibly stupid the thinking in Canada on human rights has become. I’m sorry if some people find that offensive, but I just cannot think of a more accurate way to put it.<br>
<br>
<a href="https://josephben-ami.blogspot.com/2011/02/more-stupid-thinking-on-human-rights-in.html#more">Click here for more »</a>josephben-ami.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/17666573315236488467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068927522212726563.post-24311272447873400942010-04-04T13:05:00.000-04:002019-06-23T13:07:05.337-04:00Who’s really to blame for the Ann Coulter affair at University of Ottawa?Now that the storm surrounding Ann Coulter’s visit to University of Ottawa has subsided, it’s worth while asking who is really to blame for the behaviour of those students who sought to prevent her from speaking. Most observers point an accusing finger at university VP Francois Houle, claiming that his letter to Ms. Coulter suggesting that she risked prosecution for promoting hatred was a green light for protesters. I think that’s too easy an explanation.<br>
<a href="https://josephben-ami.blogspot.com/2010/04/whos-really-to-blame-for-ann-coulter.html#more">Click here for more »</a>josephben-ami.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/17666573315236488467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068927522212726563.post-46492220880952908602009-09-25T22:05:00.000-04:002019-01-16T06:07:17.840-05:00Vancouver's 'safe' injection site - A sad and shameful anniversaryThis week saw the fifth anniversary of the opening of INSITE, North American’s first and only so-called safe injection site for intravenous drug users, located in downtown Vancouver. It’s nothing short of scandalous that the doors of this shameful monument to the triumph of ideology over common-sense and compassion remain open.<br>
<br>
<a href="https://josephben-ami.blogspot.com/2019/01/vancouvers-safe-injection-site-sad-and.html#more">Click here for more »</a>josephben-ami.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/17666573315236488467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068927522212726563.post-74106866220493695732009-03-19T06:36:00.000-04:002019-01-16T06:38:10.040-05:00This Earth Hour, I'll be turning my lights... on!I've often said that the number one problem confronting policy-makers today, not just in Canada but throughout the Western world, is the general, and in my opinion cataclysmic, degradation in the quality of thinking that goes into the positions they take on issues and the policies that are derived therefrom. A prime example of this alarming trend is “Earth Hour” and the practices identified with this event.<br>
<br>
<a href="https://josephben-ami.blogspot.com/2009/03/this-earth-hour-ill-be-turning-my.html#more">Click here for more »</a>josephben-ami.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/17666573315236488467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068927522212726563.post-30994228862958383112009-01-25T14:43:00.000-05:002019-01-16T06:07:31.267-05:00Don't borrow more - Cut spending!Recently, two very different approaches to public finances were highlighted in statements made by representatives of two provincial governments in Canada, ironically both liberals. In Ontario, Dalton McGuinty’s finance minister Dwight Duncan announced that the Liberal government would post a budget deficit of at least $500 million in 2009 despite the fact that he is dipping into the province’s reserve funds to the tune of another $550 million.<br>
<br>
<a href="https://josephben-ami.blogspot.com/2009/01/dont-borrow-more-cut-spending.html#more">Click here for more »</a>josephben-ami.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/17666573315236488467noreply@blogger.com