Angry in the Great White North

Columnists Link Byfield and Diane Francis are debating an important question posed by Ms. Francis:

Diane Francis, editor-at-large of the Financial Post, asked a good question in her Tuesday column.

Considering how badly the Liberals are performing, why aren't the federal Conservatives sitting at 50% or more in the polls? Why are they stuck in the mid-30s, same as the Liberals?

Francis guesses it's because too many people find the Conservatives "scary."

Mr. Byfield quotes he explanation for this low showing: "Same-sex marriage, same-sex marriage and same-sex marriage."

Mr. Byfield thinks she is wrong, and I think he makes a compelling argument. The argument he makes is one the Ms. Francis actually mentions in her post:

I think Francis answers very well why the Conservatives are "scary" when she states, approvingly, what a real conservative is: "A Canadian Conservative believes in free markets, free enterprise and restricting the role of the state to providing essential services and protecting individuals and their rights."

This is why Steve Harper and his party are unattractive to so many Canadians.

The idea of "limiting the state to providing essential services" is not universally popular.

Over the past half-century, the Liberals have cemented deep political loyalty by promising voters the state will give them more than it takes.

Two generations of "pogie" -- that's the East Coast term for Employment Insurance payments. Transfers that move money from economically successful areas of the country to the chronically depressed areas, instead of transfering people in the other direction, which is what the evil Yanks do. Subsidies to prop up moribund industries.

All of it making addicts of Canadians. Desperate for their next "fix" of government support, we will do anything, including things that the people who are not addicted (evil Yanks again) would consider insane. For instance, watching up to half of our paycheques get sucked up into income taxes. Then watching 15% of the rest disappear into sales taxes (if you live in Ontario) when you try to use what's left over to live on.

We do it because we need our fix.

The alternative?

Canadians are facing a key question, and they know it. Will we limit government or not?

This question goes way beyond gay marriage.

After two or three generations of induced dependency and learned helplessness, it should not surprise us that many middle-ground Canadians are "scared" by the prospect of something less cozy.

With scare-mongers like socialist Murray Dobbin, it's no wonder we're scared:

In the article, [Conservative Leader Stephen] Harper revealed his admiration for free-enterprise Alberta and his contempt for the rest of Canada: "Canada appears content to become a second-tier socialistic country, boasting ever more loudly about its ...social services to mask its second-rate status."

[Harper] is a proud believer in America's culture of possessive individualism. As such he is more at odds with Canadians' values than any national party leader in 60 years.

Possessive individualism. What I earn I own. What you earn you own.

At odds with the last 60 years of Canadian values? Murray Dobbin thinks that is a dangerous idea, and that our cozy addiction to owning less and less and being given more and more is what makes Canada special.

Stephen Harper thinks otherwise. The question will be how many Canadians will agree with him, and how many will prefer Murray Dobbin's prescription for social bliss, working to pay your taxes to support the likes of...Murray Dobbin.

What do I mean by that?

Mr. Dobbin sits on the board of the Canadian Institute of Policy Alternatives, which received $427,365 from the Federal government in "transfer payments" in 2003-2004. This organization is the polar opposite to the conservative Fraser Institute. Total tax money handed over to the Fraser Institute: $0.

I can see why the likes of Mr. Dobbin find the Conservatives scary. The possibility of getting kicked off the gravy train has probably got him pretty scared. The trick is to make sure the rest of us are scared too.

But remember this. Murray Dobbin isn't looking out for you. He and his kind looking out for themselves. His is the most cynical form of "possessive individualism". What you and I earn, he owns.

Don't fall for his scare-mongering.