Monday, March 12, 2018

Ontario's Conservatives looking like a Multi Level Marketing scheme....

If you've ever been to a presentation for a company like Amway or Melaluca, then you likely understand the appeal of  someone like Doug Ford.  

The script is fairly simple, some guy (invariably a man) gets up in front of a room full of people hoping to get rich, and he tells them how.  He shows off his watch, dangles the fob for his Lexus or Mercedes, talks of his fabulous and exotic vacations and tells those attending, "YOU TOO", can be living this life.  

All you have to do is sign up for the Multi-Level Marketing pyramid scheme being pitched, plunk down $1,000 or so bucks and the dream is yours.  Dreams are nice.  



In politics the Doug Fords and Donald Trumps attract the same type of followers.  People see the wealth and think:  "With this guy running things, life will be good".  

The appeal isn't hard to understand, a lot of people are struggling.  The cost of living in Ontario is high, and its only getting higher.  Everything is expensive: housing, gas, groceries, heat and hydro, its all costing more and wages are not keeping up.  That means people are falling behind.  

But a Doug or a Donald, they're gonna help.  And it doesn't even cost anything, just an X on a ballot.  Taxes will drop, jobs will be so abundant that wages will strart climbing faster than inflation, the streets will be paved with gold just like in the good old days.

I get it.  Let's face it, the old ways of electing career politicians hasn't delivered the results many were hoping for.  Sure the Uber Rich keep getting wealthier no matter what brand of goverment the great unwashed select, and the cost of soap keeps going up.

Guys like Ford and Trump sell a dream.  Lower taxes, job creation, wealth for anyone willing to work for it.  But as American workers at places like Carrier are finding out, dreams and reality are quite different.  If you missed the news Carrier has let go of hundreds of workers in the past year despite Trump touting how he was going to save the jobs there.  (Story Here)

Government is complicated, its not simply like running a business, although there is a business component.  But running ministries like the public education system are not measured in profits and losses.  Police are there to enforce laws, not to deliver dividend cheques to shareholders.  

What will happen in June?  Its still too early for me to make a call, but if I was forced to make a prediction right now I'd say we're heading towards a minority situation at Queen's Park with the PCs having the most seats.

And that might not be the worst outcome.




No comments: