Who will tax greed?

(August 5) - A couple of Fridays ago, my wife and I went around the north west corner of the city putting up signs. The by-election had just been called, and we are a couple of real keeners when it comes to democracy. We’re not the only ones. There were volunteers from all four parties out, all doing the same thing. It was quite a pleasant and congenial experience, except for those moments when we had to pound in wooden stakes with a mini-sledge.

Whenever we’d run across other sign planters, there’d be a round of well wishing and we’d all get on our way. Some in little cars, some in big cars, but all in cars.

No one was carrying large signs in the back of a Smart Car. I didn’t see anyone using the trunk of a high end hybrid. All had fairly ordinary vehicles that run on high priced gasoline. That started me thinking. We love to bash cars and the carbon tire tracks they leave everywhere, but we can’t get away from them. So I thought I’d ask each of the four candidates for their position on the price of gas and if they intend to do anything about the excessive profit taking by the oil companies.

I sent an e-mail before work on a Monday morning. It went out at 8:45. At 9:02 I got an answer back from Anna Muselius for the Liberal campaign. I think at first she was a bit suspicious about what I was up to. I assured her that this column wouldn’t be used as a campaign tool, and she promised to get back with an answer. By the end of the week I still hadn’t heard from any of the other three.

That’s not surprising. I used to be a campaign manager, and perpetual suspicion is a job requirement. It should also be an essential part of the voter’s mind set. If not suspicion, then certainly skepticism.

There are two things you must always remember about politics.

The first is that you will never encounter a political party with which you agree one hundred per cent. Judge them on balance and go with the one you agree with more often than not. I forget what the second thing is.

Maybe a by-election isn’t the time for it, but I’d like to hear a political party say it’s time to tax greed. Oil companies. Banks. Credit cards. Cell phones. Retail ruffians. All act with a “king of the sandbox” arrogance. They think they can get away with anything because no one is tough enough to stop them. Someone needs to take them out behind the barn and kick them in the profits.

I don’t know about you, but I sorely miss David Lewis and his railing against corporate welfare bums. Politicians need to get some fire back into their bellies. John Diefenbaker had it. Pierre Trudeau had it. Tommy Douglas had it. Who now will rage against the machine?

This election is a tough one to predict. Just about any one could win it. There’s no sense saying that everyone is a winner if they get their point of view across. It’s not true.

Playing olitics is like playing darts. Coming second isn’t good enough. So I’ll say to all the candidates what Lynne and I said to the other sign planters on the other side of the Hanlon two Fridays ago: good luck.

It doesn’t mean much, unless you’re an astrological numerologist, but this is the second time there’s been an election on the day next to my birthday. The last one was on September 6 1990. We can all remember who won that one.