Liberals Accept Budget

The Globe and Mail
January 28, 2009

Michael Ignatieff, the leader of the Liberal party, agreed to pass the Conservative budget with minor conditions on Wednesday. The Tories, led by Stephen Harper, were thankful that the budget was passed although with some reservations. Jack Leyton, the leader of the NDP party, as well as Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe were unhappy to admit that the planned coalition government was officially dead. Although Ignatieff approved the budget, he called it "flawed" and said that it did not present a clear plan to dig the country out of the recession it is currently in. However, he was happy to say that their united opposition managed to extract concessions including spending on things such as social housing, skills training, as well as universities. In his amendment, Ignatieff also insisted that the government provide fiscal reports on the budget measures, maybe even monthly, possibly set confidence votes that could see the Tory government defeated. Ignatieff says that he is essentially "putting the government on probation". Although the last thing he or the country wants at this time is an election, he will bring down the government if he must. By 4 P.M. Wednesday, the government accepted this amendment, relieved that he did not demand any more substantive concessions. Iganatieff's actions, however, caused anger in many other parties and their leaders. The Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe did not support the budget and was disappointed with the Liberals' acceptance of a less than ideal budget . He accused the Liberal party leader of "abandoning Quebec" by supporting the budget. Even the NDP, who had agreed to form a coalition government with the Liberal party, were very disappointed with the Liberals, and believed that they were caving in to the Conservative pressure. Many MPs of the Liberal party also felt that the party was selling out on their oroginal goals by supporting the budget. However, some Liberals argue that they have forced Harper to spend to boost the economy. If he fails in keeping the promises of his budget, they feel that they will be able exert political pressure on the Tories, especially if the recession worsens.

Overall, the reactions to the budget given by Prime Minister Stephen Harper were mixed. While the Liberals reluctantly agreed to the Tory budget, they demanded many different concessions from the government. In this situation, I support the Liberal Party's decision, and I believe that Ignatieff's decision was the right one. If he did not approve the budget, a non-confidence vote would have taken place followed by another election. This country's economy is not in a position to hold another election, especially during this recession. Ignatieff realised this and chose the most logical plan: support the budget, but demand concessions at the same time. Although Ignatieff was criticized for weakness in his actions, I truly support what he has done in this situation. The political parties must all rise to the economic cause at hand. This is no time for partisan politics, but rather a time to unite as a nation towards the common goal of a successful economic future.

Harper's Speech to the Throne

The Globe and Mail
January 27, 2009

The new Parliament was opened on January 27, 2009 after the throne speech was given by the governor General Michael Jean. This throne speech was said to have been brief and gloomy, and will be remembered for its inability to address any of the major issues of the day. One month ago, in December 2008, the Conservative party led by Stephen Harper narrowly escaped defeat at the hands of the Liberal-NDP coalition. Their victory was only guaranteed when Harper asked the Governer-General to prorogue parliament. This new parliament began with yet another promise for "change". Michael Ignatieff, the Liberal party leader, commentede on the great contrast between Monday's 'play it safe' throne speech and the government's financially agressive budget in October 2008. He believes as most liberals do that this government has a split personality, but that the viability of the Conservative budget will be the true test. Traditionally, the Speech from the Throne contains a few specifics but, overall, sets a broad outline for the government's priorities in this parliamentary session. In the Throne Speech of 2007, Harper was specific in his plans and dared the opposing parties to accept it or defeat him. However, in Monday's speech, Harper outlined a promise to cooperate, and was very vague in all of his plans. NDP leader, Jack Layton, said that he has heard the same non-commital phrasing in many past speeches. Ignatieff even commented that "immitation is a sincere form of flattery", dismissing Harper's conciliatory phrasing as mere repetition of previous liberal policy. The NDP and Liberals are still likely to defeat the Conservatives, and vote against the budget as it stands. The Conservatives, on the other hand, truly hope that the budget is conciliatory enough to be approved. It will be presented today, on January 27, 2009.

After reading this article as well as the actual text of the throne speech, I truly believe that this speech was not a thoughtfully written speech given the current predicament of our country's economy. While throne speeches are usually ceremonial rather than filled with hard, factual details, this speech was particularly vague and uninspiring. With this inauspicious beginning to the new parliament, hopes are not high that the Conservatives will be able to forge a successful government. In my opinion, Harper did not specify his plan of economic action adequately, and gave a very ambiguous speech outlining unclear principles. One can only hope that Harper will present a more detailed and confidence inspiring budget when it is presented today in Parliament.

Virginia Tech Decapitation

Google News
January 22, 2009

Early Wednesday morning, a 22-year-old female Chinese graduate student was decapitated by another Virginia Tech student at a Campus Cafe. Yang Xin was murdered at the "Au Bon Pain" cafe on the Blacksburg Virginia tech campus. University Officials report that it was 25-year-old Zhu Huiyang, of Ningbo, China, who killed Xin with a knife. The two were said to have known each other prior to the incident. Mark Owczarski, a Virginia Tech spokesman, confirmed the murder saying that seven witnesses were in the cafe when Xin was attacked, and that there had been no events leading up to the attack. The Virginia Tech university newspaper stated that a 911 emergency call was dialed as soon as the assault occured. It also said that when the police arrived at the scene of the crime, Yang's head had been cut off, and was lying beside a bloody kitchen knife. Apparently, when the officer arrived at the cafe, she found Yang's head in the hands of Zhu. Owczarski went on to describe how horrific and tragic these events were, particularly in view of what happened several years ago with the Virginia Tech massacre. Zhu Huiyang, the murderer of Yang, is currently being held in a county jail, and has been charged with first-degree murder.

Personally, I believe that this event is a sad reflection on the pervasive violence in society. It sadly creates a bad reputation for Virginia Tech as an unsafe university campus. People will now begin to view this place as unsafe and unfit to attend. Not only does it shed a bad light on the university, but it brings back memories of the tragic events that occured in 2007. In April 2007, a 23-year-old South Korean Virginia tech student shot several teachers as well as 32 fellow classmates before committing suicide. These senseless crimes are truly a sad reflection of the lack of safety on university campuses which should be the one place where the brightest in society can seek knowledge without fear.

Israeli Troops Pulled Out of Gaza

CBC
January 21, 2009

Early Wednesday morning, the last Israeli soldier was withdrawn from the Gaza Strip. Earlier this month, an offensive attack was launched and thousands of ground troops entered the Palestinian territory. Israel has disclosed that this offensive was aimed at "halting rocket attacks" from the militant group Hamas, and stopping weapon-smuggling into this territory. Even though the troops have officially been removed from the situation, they will remain amassed on their side of the border, in case there is a renewal of fire. The timing of the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza was well timed, and was intended to occur before US President Barack Obama came into power. In their minds, this would defuse any crisis before Obama became President of their great ally, the United States of America. Over the weekend, a ceasefire was declared, but since then there have been reports of weapons being fired. Two Gaza soldiers were killed yesterday along the border. This conflict has resulted in huge casualties, as 1300 Palestinians have died, more than half of them civilians. Thirteen Israelis, four of them soldiers, were killed by stray bullets. The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, left the disputed territory on Wednesday after touring Gaza and Southern Israel for several weeks. Ki-Moon called the recent fighting "outrageous", and launched an investigation into the Israeli shelling of the UN Compound.

In my opinion, the conflict between Israel and the Hamas has reached unaccceptable proportions. A dispute over land has grown into a full-scale human tragedy with no regard for civilian casualties. With over 600 civilian deaths, Israel has lost the support and respect of nations around the world. The conditions in refugee camps and lack of timely triage and treatment of the wounded in Gaza is unacceptable from the UN human rights standpoint. The UN compound itself was destroyed in shelling and with it, critical refugee aid supplies and medical supplies were lost. In the face of such human tragedy, most Palestinians and Gazans have responded with anger and disbelief. With this, their support of Hamas has in fact risen. Without significant international intervention and pressure, this conflict will surely result in unacceptable human costs for generations to come.

Obama's Inaugural Address

CNN
January 19, 2009

On Tuesday, January 20, 2009 the inauguration of Barack Obama will take place in Washington, D.C. He will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America, and the first African-American President. The inaugural address of Barack Obama has been highly anticipated for many months, and is expected to be one of the greatest inaugural speeches in history. Critics believe that the new president will be studying the great speeches of Abraham Lincoln, Obama's personal idol, and those of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who came into office during the great depression, when writing his own inaugural address. Errol Lewis, a New York Times columnist, believes that he will echo FDR's 1933 inaugural address which stated that "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself". These are powerful words in times of economic distress. Lewis expects Obama to speak reassuring and uplifting words, giving Americans hope in this difficult economic time. Another critic, CNN's David Gergen, believes that the expectations for Obama's address are unreasonably high given his great reputation as an orator and intellectual. His performance on the campaign trail will be hard to improve on. Some even expect the upcoming address to rival the great speeches of Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan.

I believe that Barack Obama's inaugural address will be a speech for the ages, and will be remembered for decades to come. It is expected that he will bring a fresh new take on the presidency and motivate a country mired in an economic recession. While expectations are extremely high for Obama to produce an unparalleled inaugural speech, I believe that he will do just that. He is indeed a man of great substance, character and intellect who will, I believe, not disappoint those who have elected him to office. As the first African American President, the eyes of the nation and indeed the world are upon him. As his hero, Abraham Lincoln's speech once was, Obama's inaugural address is sure to be remembered and quoted in years to come.