Mar 292020
 

North America is now weeks into governmental measures to keep “non-essential” businesses closed and to keep people in their homes. Fears and anxiety caused by the initial hoardings of toilet paper and other goods now are having to share the stage with fears and anxiety caused by the inevitable deepening economic devastation caused by those measures.

Faced with the rise of the latter fears, politicians are beginning to worry. On one hand, they have told the populace that it is right for us all to sacrifice for the good of the people who are vulnerable to the disease caused, in some, by the Coronavirus: Covid-19. On the other hand, it is becoming increasingly obvious to all that the government’s shut-down of the economy is not practical. The question for politicians is: How do I now justify ending the governmental policy that I’ve already told everyone is the right and moral thing to do without being morally condemned for it? Alternatively, how do I justify not ending the shut-down without looking like I’m impractical? Continue reading »

Mar 262020
 

Pusateri’s is a Toronto retailer that is being attacked on social media for reportedly charging $30 for one package of Lysol disinfectant wipes. Critics of the decision to set that price call it an instance of “price gouging” – i.e., charging more than the usual price during a time of usual-supply and unusually-high demand – and condemn it morally. Asked to weigh-in on what Pusateri’s was doing, Ontario Premier Doug Ford was “furious”, exclaimed that the pricing was “absolutely disgusting”, and advised that his government was “gonna come after [“price gougers”] hard” using emergency powers he has given himself in response to the spread of the Coronavirus. “They’re done! They’re gonna be gone!”, he exclaimed, referring to Pusateri’s as a “bad actor”. He, and the self-righteous anti-“price gouging” scolds, should have been thanking Pusateri’s for performing an essential function. Continue reading »

Mar 222020
 

As the spread of the latest Coronavirus (SARS coronavirus 2, or “SARS-CoV-2”) continues, two purportedly opposing camps of policy wonks are forming, which I herein name “Dark-siders” and “Straddlers”. However, though their policy proposals differ, their respective proposals are founded upon the same ethical philosophy. For that reason, the policy proposals of the two camps ultimately will facilitate the same end. And, because the ethics underpinning their policies treats human nature as a thing to be defeated, rather than defended, their policies will be every bit as destructive as the illness they seek to address. There are collectivists who hope to take political advantage of the destruction caused by the government’s response to the Coronavirus. If the collectivists are to be thwarted – if individual freedom and capitalism are to prevail – the government must be careful to found its Coronavirus policies on a better ethical footing. It must come over to the Light-side. Continue reading »

May 222018
 

“Freedom Party leader Paul McKeever today challenged candidates in the 4 London-area ridings (London North Centre, London Fanshawe, London West, and Elgin-Middlesex-London) to state clearly whether they are for or against the Bus Rapid Transit (“BRT”) plan, and whether they are in favour or opposed to provincial funding for the BRT…” Click here to read the full media release.

Feb 132018
 

“Freedom Party of Ontario today released its bold 2018 provincial election platform. The magazine-like cover of the platform features an illustration of Greek Titan Atlas, who has shrugged-off the weight of the world, and encourages the voter to shrug-off the government of Kathleen Wynne after 15 years of Liberal rule…” Click here to read the full media release.

Feb 132018
 

In anticipation of the June 7, 2018 Ontario provincial election, Freedom Party of Ontario released its 2018 Election platform in the early morning of February 13, 2018. In 2011, Freedom Party had released the world’s first-ever election platform audiobook and, for 2018, it again produced an audiobook version of the its platform (released at the same time). In the run-up to the election, the plaform also could be viewed in html format. Continue reading »

Feb 012018
 

Contents:

On February 1, 2018, Freedom Party of Ontario leader Paul McKeever testified at the Oshawa hearing of Finance Minister Charles Sousa’s Pre-Budget 2018 Consultations. McKeever was the second of approximately 36 speakers. McKeever identified 4 ways not to balance the Ontario budget. Although the speakers were to give back-to-back submissions limited to 3 minutes each, and although the entire consultation was scheduled to last only 90 minutes, Finance Minister Charles Sousa felt the need to respond to McKeever’s submissions immediately after he made them. Sousa spoke for 7 minutes. This is the transcript of his response to Paul McKeever, delivered in front of all attendees. NOTE: Sousa apparently mis-heard the Master of Ceremonies when McKeever was introduced because, in the close of his response to McKeever, he referred to Freedom Party’s as the “Green party”, and said that we were doing “good work”. Continue reading »

Jan 312018
 

2018-01-31-mckeever-thumbContents:

On February 1, 2018, Freedom Party of Ontario leader Paul McKeever testified at the Oshawa hearing of Finance Minister Charles Sousa’s Pre-Budget 2018 Consultations. This document is the text that Paul McKeever prepared on January 31, 2018, in advance of giving his oral submissions. Essentially, McKeever identifies 4 ways not to balance the Ontario budget. Each person making a submission was given three minutes to speak, hence the brevity of McKeever’s notes. Continue reading »