Heritage Minister James Moore on power and politics yesterday had a frank discussion about free speech.
From sdamatt2
Author: Jon Siemko
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A Bridge Too Far for McGuinty
For once Premier McGuinty did not give into his inherent instinct to tax or Ban anything that has a pulse. Today McGuinty suggested in a speech that he would not pursue further additions to the anti smoking legislation in the province of Ontario.
From Winnipeg Free Press
“I think when you get into people’s homes, you’re crossing a line,” said McGuinty.
“It’s pretty intrusive for us to go in there and start to determine what activities are appropriate and what are inappropriate.”
The Liberals have been pretty aggressive in banning smoking in cars with children, or pretty much any public place where it would affect the health of others, McGuinty added.
Some apartment dwellers complain they suffer second-hand smoke from neighbouring units, but McGuinty said that’s a line he’s not comfortable crossing.This statement is mildly ironic coming from a politician who built a reputation of sorts on a long laundry listof Ban , taxes and backtracks. Is this a step in the right direction for the Premier or just a quick makeover before he hits the hustings to visit with voters in October.?
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Bans, Bans, and More Bans
Canada is affected by the reach of the nanny state; however, not to the same extent as our British cousins, still this trend is on an alarming increase. This interesting article by Maureen Bader makes the case that we are losing our freedom to choose every time a product is attempted to be banned!From The Province
These days, we are bombarded with demands for bans by a garden variety of supporters of the nanny state and politicians are happy to help. Politicians seem to adore bans. Why? Because bans allow politicians to appear to be creating simple solutions to whatever problems have captured the imagination of the worrying class. However, bans also create unintended consequences and even worse, they reduce responsible people to supervised children with few opportunities to make choices on their own.
A well-intentioned public risks being buried under the ban demands of the ban-crazy worrying class. Its list of bans reads like somebody’s day out at the mall. Bottled water and incandescent light bulb bans litter the province. Plastic bags may soon be banned across Canada. Greater Victoria has just voted to ban teens from tanning beds. Ban the tan? When no intrusion is too small for government to consider, it’s a sign the nanny state has run amok.
