Hot Takes – Jan 14, 2021
Every Thursday I join Round One on NEWSTALK 1010's Moore in the Morning to take on the issues of the day with a panel of pundits. Here's my take on today's topics.
1. US Pigeon in Oz. This has to be the world’s lousiest racing pigeon. He’s expected to cross a finish line in Oregon, but gets lost and ends up 13,000 km off course in Australia? He’s just bad at his job. Also, he’s an illegal alien in the land down under and deserves the full weight of the law. But, why do they have to catch him first? Isn’t that why God made shotguns?
2. For rent: Quebec dogs. This is a cute story about a serious problem: cops acting like Stasi agents demanding “identity papers” in order to enforce a ridiculous curfew that has precisely zero chance to reduce the rate of coronavirus transmission in Quebec. It’s a lazy, cover-you-ass solution from public health officials who are bereft of ideas because they didn’t read far enough in their textbooks to learn that lockdowns don’t work in the real world populated with actual humans. Millions of years of evolution have hardwired human beings to band together, to live, hunt and love in tribes. Curfews and lockdowns are not going to override that genetic-level programming. People are not going to comply for any length of time. They could – and largely did – comply for two to four weeks last spring. That’s all the time many people are going to give this band aid solution. Lockdowns are killing people. Our survival instinct is not going to let us meekly be restrained in solitary confinement until we die. Since April, 2020 – all our attempts at lockdowns (six so far in Toronto) have failed. Because they simply cannot work.
3. Meng Wanzhou’s family visit. Ever the modern civilized western nation, Canadaa allowed the family of Meng Wanzhou – the Huawei CFO on “house arrest” in Vancouver, pending the outcome of her extradition trial – to visit her in her palacial west coast mansion. A family visit is galling, but not irregular, for someone in pre-trial custody. Even convicted serial killers are occasionally afforded such treats. But, the fact Canadian officials reportedly waived infection control measures to allow her family to skip mandatory isolation on arrival in Canada just reinforces everything that’s wrong with government’s approach to the pandemic. It’s yet one more reminder that governments officials do not take the pandemic seriously. The average Canadian can’t help but wonder, why should we? Even worse, Meng is not even really on house arrest – she’s allowed to go wherever she wants and do whatever she wants.
4. Trump Impeachment. Trump is an embarrassment to the United States, but this second impeachment is exactly what every other impeachment before it has always been: just politics. Any “trial” that features politicians, instead of judges, is nothing more than political theatre. If Congress believes Trump broke laws – he should be charged criminally, not politically.
5. Toronto Police budget. Acting Toronto Police Chief James Ramer delivered a zero-growth budget with no muss and no fuss. And the sky is still up there. It puts the lie to years of whingeing from past chiefs Bill Blair and Mark Saunders who insisted it was absolutely impossible to do what Ramer just did. Shame on them. Kudos to Ramer.
6. Stay at Home Order. It doesn’t really matter if people are confused by the Ontario government’s latest “stay at home” order – or, if that’s because the regulation is unclear or the people are stupid. Because, it’s all meaningless. The order won’t work. Public Health Officials already estimate at least 30% of Ontarians are flouting the rules – intentionally or otherwise. Toronto’s now in week six or seven of its fifth (or is it now sixth?) lockdown and we know with 100% certainty that the previous lockdowns did not work. Numbers continue to get worse no matter how long they extend the lockdowns. Further expanding the lockdown will just increase non-compliance. It cannot and will not work. Ontario’s strategy at this point is to keep people locked at home until September when Ontario may approach herd immunity.
BONUS TAKE:
7. Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared another State of Emergency this week. That means his cabinet can essentially do everything the legislature can do. In my mind, this means that any MPP who is not part of cabinet is now a non-essential worker and should be laid-off for the duration of the emergency. Let them eat CERB. I bet the emergency wouldn’t last long!