Who's on first?

Seeing as the Sunday Night Football Game is a blowout already, I have made the executive decision to make my inaugural blog post (sort 0f, see previous post).

For those who do not know me, I am conservative in thought and Conservative in party persuasion. That has always been the case and always will be. I have seen the other side of the spectrum throughout my schooling (thanks, pervasive union atmosphere in high school) and am disgusted at much of what other parties stand for.

All that said, Canada's New Democratic Party (NDP) is a national disgrace. In all honesty, can anyone with half an educated brain and an annual income over $50,000 be a straight-faced NDP supporter? I think not.

My particular riding, Hamilton Mountain (HM), is currently held by NDP MP Chris Charlton (CC). Notice how I did not say my riding was "represented" by CC? That was not an error. CC may have won the most votes in the January 2006 federal election, but any form of representation has been sorely lacking since then. In a city that needs strong representation from its elected officials, Hamilton has been short-changed by three NDP MPs who, along with their sham of a party, stated their intention to vote against this October's Throne Speech before it was even read by the Governor General. Representation indeed.

CC's most recent newsletter re-enforces what I have railed against. Case in point, the banner headline: Harper-Dion Coalition Hurts Hamilton. Am I missing something here? The government has pledged millions of dollars to the city and are implementing numerous initiatives that benefit Hamilton's residents. Last time I checked, reducing the GST, cutting personal taxes for low-income families (which probably includes a vast number of NDP voters, ironically), following through on cleaning up Randle Reef, and implementing the CANMET laboratory at the McMaster Innovation Park all translate into good things for Hamilton. Yet still, CC will continue to issue partisan propaganda that is baseless and has little useful information.

At a later date, I will get to the Liberal Party and Stephane Dion. That train-wreck deserves a blog entry to itself.

I, however, have some useful information on CC and her representation of HM. Anyone who pays attention to local media would have seen the coverage of Environment Minister John Baird in Hamilton to announce federal government funding for cleaning up Randle Reef. While 4, count 'em, 4 of Hamilton's MPs were in attendance for this significant announcement, CC was not. She was nowhere to be found. Now, as a resident of HM, it is reasonable to expect that CC would attend this ceremony, if not for her constituents, but out of respect for the Minister and her fellow local MPs. Apparently respect is not something CC is capable of showing. Hopefully voters will show CC the same lack of courtesy at the polls when the next election is called. Knowing the NDP though, they will be up to their dirty campaign tricks and knocking down opponents' signs about as fast as they knock on voters' doors to distribute their filth, er, brochures.

If the NDP claims to represent working families, they ought to stand and support motions in the House of Commons that benefit their constituents. If MPs such as Chris Charlton claim to represent a riding, they should be doing so and not concentrating their time on pet projects that will never see the light of day. Voters elect MPs to carry their wishes to Ottawa and make this country a better place. With an ineffective, second-rate party such as the NDP, Canada does not move forward, Hamilton does not see progress, and constituents do not receive the representation they deserve.

-AB