Prime Minister Stephen Harper Continues to Score Goals

What is this strange tickling feeling in my tummy? I have not felt this way since I ate poorly cooked pancakes.

One of my first posts on this blog was called 'Wondering Where the Lions are' which lamented the loss of leadership in Canada. Indeed, on and off over the last couple of years I have been critical of this country for patting itself on the back for such accomplishments as dithering. The Liberals in their faux leadership role, ran Canada like a supply store stocking shelves with less products Canadians needed and more with what the government wanted for political expediency. It was a sad mess. Sales plummeted no doubt.

No more I guess. In just a few months (and with a minority government no less) Prime Minister Stephen Harper has made a decade and a half of cynical Liberal governship look childish and shoddy. Harper is slowly leaving his imprint on the land and this is as refreshing as lemonade. Who would have thought something as simple as leading and making decision would be so fun? Like scoring a hat trick at the good old hockey game, eh? Not to mention helping to clean up a tarnished international reputation.

Already Harper should have loosened any suspicion Canadians may have had with his morale uplifting visit to Canadian troops in Afghanistan.

More recently, how about today's budget? The consensus was that it was balanced and intelligent. Not surprisingly the Liberals and the NDP (who cares what they and the Bloc think?) were not impressed but economists and the markets were.

What did the Liberals expect? That the Conservatives were going to table a Liberalized budget? Personally, I think it's a step in the right direction. It's not a budget based on morality. It is rooted in simple political calculations. Far from a perfect budget, Harper is sterilizing a nation. People are blasting Harper for not doing enough - in many ways it doesn't. For me, Canada has always lagged in research and development funding and I fear the Conservatives may not buck that trend. Again, it must be reminded that he has a minority.

One measure, for example, that may prove popular is that families will be getting $100 per month (taxable of course. Hey, this is Canada) in their pockets for every child under six. Imagine that, extra cash in our pockets. This can be spun in many ways but the idea of the government sending a cheque is abnormal in recent Canadian affairs - except in Alberta under Ralph Klein. Collectivism with my money simply does not resonate with many Canadians. Evil this Harper.

The end result of his efforts will be plainly evident. In a similar vain, when you have organizational standards in sports (or a successful corporation for that matter) the product will speak for itself.

Who knows? Maybe even a championship would be in the cards. Why should it be any different in government? Welcome back, Canada.