Re: Commentary: A time for action, not promises
I read with interest Dan Singleton’s commentary with regards to the upcoming provincial election in May of this year.
As I contemplate the failures of all political parties, whether socialist or conservative, one fact is clear to me: we fail because we are human. We only have to consider the words of Job 14:1-2. “Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. He springs up like a flower and withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure.”
Unfortunately, there will always be poor and hungry people in this world, including Alberta, no matter who controls government.
There was a time when churches were the ‘social services’ of society and, in spite of our human frailties, did a pretty good job. There are still remnants of that today; for example, The Salvation Army and the YMCA. In Red Deer, there is The Mustard Seed and, just recently, The Dream Centre; both privately funded and Christian-based.
I would like to quote Dan from his commentary: “The number one job of the MLAs elected in 2019 remains the same in 2023: to serve the needs of residents and their communities by promoting and supporting the province's education, health, social and economic well-being.”
Let's focus on the huge challenge that each department faces.
First, education. As the DIE (diversity, inclusivity, equity) factor takes hold in the classroom, are we really preparing children to become self-sufficient, responsible, well-trained, and hard-working citizens?
Second, health. Yes, this is challenging. As more of us boomers age and require/demand more medical interventions, is the system truly sustainable no matter how much money we add?
We like to claim that we prepaid through personal income taxes during our productive years but our input will not come close to meeting our needs/expectations. It is our children and grandchildren who will carry the heaviest tax burden.
Third, social. Much poverty and homelessness is due to the drug epidemic. I watched in agony and anger for 25 years as our foster son used and abused a penal system that cannot manage mental health. Millions of dollars wasted. At 41 years, this young man overdosed at a safe injection site.
Fourth, economic. Yes, you can assume where I am going. Oil and gas. Carbon, the miracle of the 20th century, lifting millions of average people out of drudgery into a life of relative ease. In my early childhood, heating and cooking was done with wood and coal. We did not have electricity. My grandfather used horse and wagon. My father walked to work; a coal mine where his tools were a pick and shovel. My point being that wind and solar will never replace the capabilities of oil and gas.
In his book, Fossil Future, philosopher Alex Epstein states (p. 88), “When our goal is eliminating human impact – usually in the form of 'going green', 'minimizing environmental impact', and 'protecting the environment' or 'saving the planet' – the value of energy to human flourishing, and even human flourishing as such, is barely considered.”
And finally, Dan, your prediction that the NDP will defeat the UCP in the 2023 provincial election: you may be right.
But I listened in horror as Rachel Notley promised vaccine compliance. First by increasing that portion of the budget.
Then, will she organize a militia armed with vials of vaccine with orders to go from door to door of all “vaccine hesitant” Albertans to convince each one of us holdouts that we are the reason COVID keeps circulating around? What happens if I refuse to let “them” in?
Will “they” come with battering rams? Perhaps you and the good readers of the Albertan can reassure me that this will not happen?
Mary Flemming,
Innisfail
