The Political Road Map

The Politics of Pandemic (10 Minute Read)

2020-05-14T18:03:00.004-04:00

I recently had a flashback to December 2019, where I was thinking about 2020. With the New Year just over the horizon, I was wondering if an even year would bring prosperity or if it would be more like a stale year, while hoping I could avoid a negative one. This thought wasn’t random, as I have been having my fair share of years that are up with others that have been more down, just like everyone else.

If you were to ask me if global pandemic would have me on government assistance, spending the majority of my time inside and writing a blog entry on the politics surrounding a microscopic organism that could kill us, yea…it would be a hard sell. I was planning on doing a lot in the New Year because who doesn’t?

Covid-19 is serious, but what this global event is hopefully teaching people is that our government has an active role in our defense. We are taught that society provides us security at the expense of some freedom and we are currently living through a large social experiment that aims to prove just that. While information on the virus is changing as we learn more, I am not going to speak about the semantics of Covid-19 in this entry, but rather the fundamental truths that surround our government’s response and the macro-level view of the pandemic’s influence on the world.

If you look at the basics of a virus within the grand scheme of our world, it is as natural as a fish in the sea or an apple on a tree. A virus exists in its own natural order and follows a hierarchy like many other forms of species. In the case of our current pandemic, this natural order was disrupted by human intervention, which then allowed it to become a part of the natural order affecting humans.

Yes, while we seem to forget, humans are a part of the world Eco-system and our actions do indeed create ripples and reactions, Covid-19 is no different.

When we see how our government has responded to the crisis, it is no surprise that the majority agree. An emergency often has the brilliant ability to break everything down to the basics, which can often inspire very positive change, while possibly prompting very negative reactions. We are humans, we are hardwired to fear the unknown as a survival mechanism and when a microscopic organism that infects easily can potentially kill you, well…it is normal to feel a loss of control. With that being said though, there are lines that should not be crossed in the grand scheme of things, especially when other’s well being is put at risk.

At its base, our government has a natural mandate to assist as many people as possible with every action that it takes; the needs of the many will more often than not outweigh the needs of the few. The Prime Minister has succeeded in ensuring this mandate is satisfied, even though there are people still falling through the cracks and a deficit we will most likely never be able to pay back, but human lives should always be more valuable than the bottom line, so a deficit isn’t the end of the world.

When it comes to the politics surrounding pandemic there really aren’t any if your government is functional and stable. To bring partisanship into the equation when you are still trying to figure out what your enemy looks like is to not only be foolish, but dysfunctional to the highest degree.

During times like these, you need to focus on what unites us, which in our case now is the general well being of our fellow man, party names and colours become a luxury Canada cannot afford.

The early days of the pandemic were nail biters, because time was not on our side and people were getting infected at rates we could only determine in our nightmares, since information was constantly changing and largely unknown. It was one of those moments you see in the movies where everyone is scrambling and tempers flare just because of how frustrating it is to not to have an answer.

The message remained simple though, stay away from people and keep safe in your home. While our information is getting better now, we know that this statement played out to our benefit. In order to help others it was better to focus on the quality of your actions as opposed to the quantity.

A telephone call to check in on someone, the discipline to take what you need as opposed to hoarding supplies and the trust of your government that it would do what was needed to support our system. You really get to see how fragile our society can be when it comes to the natural order of things; it takes a lot of work to keep things stable and without cooperation things can fall a part easily.

Humanity has a long history of getting its teeth kicked in and also kicking in teeth, so like everything else we will get through this.

Politicians for the most part dread these scenarios, but there are those that are saved by them. Looking at our Premiers, we can see how the optics of delivering a box of masks or taking food to a senior transforms you into an angel, even if your policies before the pandemic arguably weakened our system.

One can hope that we are all able to take something positive from the pandemic and experience growth, after we wash our hands and keep our distance. One can also hope that our politicians and leaders utilize the measures taken to help Canadians now and continue to incorporate them into their planning once the pandemic is over.

A pandemic does a great job of showcasing the holes in our society that we have the privilege of ignoring during times of peace.

While you may still be afraid and the isolation may finally be catching up to you, it is important to remind yourself again that the quality of your actions, not the quantity, will ensure our success.

Take the time to keep safe, as I am certain we are all going to make it out of this having grown as we enter a new era of positive change.

Donald Trump: "Ite in patria tua" (10 Minute Read)

2019-07-17T14:33:00.002-04:00

Why President Trump's recent Twitter attacks are bad for social unity and great for his political base.

Donald Trump recently took it upon himself to directly attack elected congresswomen on Twitter, over what he perceives as direct attacks on America.

With this, he has not only managed to get the spotlight placed back on himself, but has also set the tone for the upcoming 2020 American election.

If you haven't seen the tweets, I will post them below, but for everyone who has witnessed them, you hopefully can see why this type of wording from the president of the United States is bad news. Especially when they come from the mouth of the very person in charge of leading Americans, regardless of their political stripes.

While many people have shrugged these words as nothing important or worse just laughed them off, they do not realize the implications they actually create.

It is no surprise that since Trump's election as president, the world has witnessed a shift toward a more nationalistic or protectionist political view. While there are exceptions to this of course, the reality of the situation is that America still sets the tone that the world listens to and in many cases adopts. Donald Trump knows this, which is why it is not surprising that he relies on social media and any form of attention in order to appease his political base.

In politics, whenever someone begins to gain attention or some form of power from the electorate, those currently holding the majority of power begin to worry, which is why you can witness a shift in attack ads during an election based on poll updates and debate outcomes.

So for Trump to focus on four women currently serving in congress, he is not only showcasing the fear they present to him, but also making public his disregard for people of colour and women.

How?

By telling people to go back to their own country, because they happen to be doing their job and questioning the "Great Country of America," you are basically using the playbook of every uneducated racist anywhere in the world.

When people begin to witness great change, especially change that affects their personal way of life, they usually do one of two things: They accept the change and adapt or they become very xenophobic and find a source to attack that is responsible for that change.

The political base supporting Donald Trump and who made it possible for him to win fall within a mixture between both outcomes above.

These are people that are witnessing their country changing and have attempted to adapt, but have been left behind due to economic and social changes, especially in areas like the Rust Belt or Bible Belt.

When Donald Trump assumes that someone of colour is not a naturally born American, like he did with three of the four congresswomen, he plays the role of great protector for his base.

A predominately white country like America is changing in such a way that it is no longer going to appear fully white. Throw in the constant reliance on Fake News, used to combat any form of truth against Donald Trump and you have a recipe for disaster.

To make matters worse for Canada specifically, this kind of lingo is beginning to creep across our border and also be utilized by politicians on the right. From the need to attack immigration quotas to the reliance on threats of separating from Canada, these politicians not only should be ashamed of themselves, but should also step down!

The worst possible thing any sovereign nation can endure is a civil war.

With Donald Trump, his actions and words have done nothing but sell to his personal base that being white and a traditional man is still the primary face of America. To be anything other, especially a woman, who does nothing but complain while not being a natural born American, is wrong.

And this folks...is where we witness a turning point in American political history.

The most important thing to do is not fall for the trap Trump has set. He wants you to become upset and irrational, because then it is easier for his political pundits to attack you and dismantle your argument.

The most important thing people can do right now is see through the smoke and mirrors and realize the kind of man Donald Trump is. He is not a politician, but simply a strong man who ran under the guise of bringing positive political change to America. Donald Trump is a businessman who cares of no one but himself, the zero sum game of life. You are either with him or you are against him and that is the kind of political belief that contradicts the history of America, a land of immigrants dedicated to freedom and expression.

So in closing I can only say that people on both sides of the border need to remain vigilant. A Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian just like an American is an American.

You are not a traitor for questioning the ethics or actions of your country and it's allies.

You are not a traitor for wanting to benefit your countrymen, by implementing change that actually lifts them up.

You are a traitor and a turncoat, when you sell your country out and divide it for the sole benefit of increasing your own power and wealth!

-The Political Road Map-

A Salute to Progressive Bloggers

2019-07-13T20:56:00.000-04:00

The October election is coming fast and with it one can only imagine what tricks and zingers the main political parties along with the Russian trolls are coming up with. Memes anyone?

This post is simply a thank you to everyone at Progressive Bloggers and to everyone who takes the time to comment and discuss a topic that many people choose to ignore.

Everything is political, whether we like it or not, it affects us and requires us (the electorate) to ensure our way of life continues.

In 2019, the world has become such an ever complicated place, maybe not too complicated, since it has always been in some form of mess, but it definitely hits closer to home than ever before.

There are entities out there that want us to fail for the simple purpose that democracy makes their work messy and inconvenient.

We all know that politics are power games and while our domestic parties dual it out for more coverage and exposure, we must never forget that international actors have an interest too!

Hopefully this doesn't sound too conspiracy related, but I mean come on! Donald Trump! Enough said...

Anyways, Salute to everyone on the blogroll and regardless of your political stripes, may we all continue to discuss and filter out the misinformation from those willing to destroy our way of life and the foundation of our political system!

-The Political Road Map-

Starting Beef with the Beyond Meat Burger (10 Minute Read)

2019-06-12T16:44:00.002-04:00

I recently had a chance to try A&W's Beyond Meat burger. Which is taking North America by storm and has already gone public, with impressive early gains in its stock.

While the burger wasn't exactly the same experience as biting into an actual meat burger, it fit in perfectly well with the fast food environment. You may think that a quick stop into McDonald's or some other fast food joint will get you an entirely natural and simple burger, but boy would you be surprised. Calculate the fillers and preservatives and it is difficult to find wholesome food and fast in the same place.

Disclaimer: I am currently on a Keto regiment, which means the majority of my food is made with a high percentage of fat and is primarily considered whole food, since I am using basic ingredients in everything. I do not work on behalf of the meat industry, so any questions I have or caution I provide is out of the concern for the majority of people as a whole.

The Beyond Meat burger has come into the mainstream food venue as an apparent solution to the world's problem with meat consumption, treatment of animals and also climate change. While no animals are directly harmed in the production of these meatless meat products, I worry about the humans that may be harmed by the political and economic motives behind the scenes.

Each burger contains four main ingredients along with other trace amounts of items to help mimic an actual burger patty and act as preservatives. In total, your Beyond Meat burger contains a total of 20 ingredients.

Lets compare the almost twenty ingredients found in this burger with the one ingredient found in your traditional home made burger, which is beef. Granted, not all beef is the same, but at the end of the day it still remains a whole food if you make it from scratch.

From a health standpoint, I have to question how healthy this kind of item really is. It is no surprise that North Americans have an addiction to meat, but can we really protect the environment and address this addiction by pumping ourselves with additives?

As we move forward with a growing global population, the need to reign in our diets and control portion sizes will become even more important. Frankly, obesity is a simple side effect of the marketing and campaigns present to push the illusion of cheap and quick food to a busy population. The Beyond Meat burger hopes to address this by saving the cows, but if anything appears to be jumping on the very same bandwagon with an ethical label as its main focus.

Animal rights activists are praising the introduction of this option, since it is 100% vegan, even though it is created in a lab.

God forbid we eat GMO plants from Monsanto, but the franken-burger from Beyond Meat, thumbs up, no questions needed!

The Environment:

Aside from saving the cows from factory farms, which is a legitimate argument, the company hopes to address climate change, since cows eat grass and require space to roam, not to mention they emit methane from their burps, which captures heat much more than simple carbon dioxide does.

On the surface this seems like a huge win for the planet, we avoid farming a living creature, push to reduce meat consumption and in doing so potentially remove a source that contributes to 1/3 of global methane, right?

Not necessarily unfortunately, because if you actually look at the stats with a wide angle, you see a much different story. While cows produce methane, so does every other animal currently living on the planet, does that mean we should limit populations of those species too?

More importantly, the biggest contributors of methane still come from human production, specifically in the form of plastic production and oil & gas extraction. Methane is produced as a byproduct during the extraction process and plastic products such as bags and wrappers actually produce methane when they are exposed to a heat source or direct sunlight.

While reducing the amount of livestock would definitely help overall, you have to be weary of a company selling you a product that makes it money, especially if it claims that said product is a large part of the solution through its marketing. Unless you are a nonprofit or government body, nobody is saving the planet unless it serves their own agenda directly.

Another point to consider is the transportation and packaging of the burger. The ingredient list is long, but is most likely not being sourced in a relatively local setting. Which means that although your generic meat burger may require energy to grow, slaughter and form, your meat substitute may actually match this carbon output when you consider the refining and transportation required to supply facilities with the main ingredients. Not to mention, as stated above, plastic products create methane and surprise, the Beyond Meat burger is wrapped in the stuff!

Traditional meat burgers do require animals to be slaughtered, but in most cases are sourced from local farmers. This is something we need to do more of, since a push to source local foods allows us to reduce the amount of fuel needed in delivering this food, especially from places overseas.

The Politics of Food

Yes, even food enters the realm of politics and the Beyond Meat burger is no exception.

Companies have been working hard to ensure that they are protected from the detrimental effects their food products can create. This is why you do not see class action lawsuits against fast food giants, because legislation exists that puts the onus on the consumer to eat in moderation.

Then you have specific groups that endorse a certain lifestyle, especially in the vegan community, who, on the radical side, often profess that animal consumption is the ultimate evil in society. These groups have money and a voice behind them, so when you see something like the Beyond Meat burger enter the market, it is no surprise that misinformation and hype can allow people to not take a second look and join the hype.

Is the idea of a meatless burger cool? Sure it is, but I personally believe that switching over to a meat substitute like this will not help the environment very much, aside from making a bunch of companies waving the vegan banner much wealthier.

Heck, Tyson foods, which is one of the three largest producers in America for meat products is also a supporter for the Beyond Meat burger. That's no different than an oil company investing in a company working on solar panels. Contribute to the problem, while investing in a great optics project for your marketing!

If you want to really save the environment and live healthier, you may have to perform an audit on your grocery list, but not with Beyond Meat.

Adopting a vegan diet can be helpful, but you can still live with a Mediterranean diet and improve not only your health, but also your reliance on factory farmed goods.

We need to place more emphasis on natural ingredients and whole foods in order to get ourselves back into a state of balance. This means cooking at home more and questioning the ingredients many companies are using, which in most cases only help their bottom line in the end.

Save the cows by eating less of them, but save yourself and society by demanding farming techniques that are sustainable and involving yourself more in the production of meals served to you and your family.

It isn't easy, especially in a world of busy schedules and rising food costs, but it is necessary if you want to impact on the world in a positive way, without making too much of a drastic lifestyle change and still keeping things natural.

I am interested in hearing your feedback from this entry, so as always, feel free to drop me a line or two.

-The Political Road Map-

The Rise of a Blue Flame in Canada?

2019-05-16T23:29:00.001-04:00

A blue flame appears to be rising in Canada and if the outcome from recent provincial elections is any indication, a lot will have to happen between now and October for Justin Trudeau to remain in majority territory.

In fact, at the moment, the best case scenario for the Trudeau Liberals would be a minority outcome, allowing them to retain power and hold back Conservative Andrew Scheer and well...his lack of an actual platform.

You see, in 2019 alone, we will be witnessing six elections on the provincial level, with three already over. The outcome for the three has been Conservative, Conservative and Liberal with discontent and anger being directed at the Prime Minister for issues both old and new.

While Conservatives will tell you this is the beginning of a sweep, I do not agree.

Truthfully, we are witnessing a blue flame. Why a flame? Well, a flame is not as evenly distributed as a wave or sweep would allow you to imagine. At its centre, the flame is hottest, with a consistent burn that fuels the heat around it. While it spreads out however, the flame lightens, but maintains the stance of contesting everything it comes into contact with.

Andrew Scheer and his provincial counterparts represent this flame based on the severity of their platforms and the consistencies of their message.

Take Alberta and Ontario for example, both provinces went into an election with the perfect ratio of kindling to spark a flame. In both cases, you have party leaders, who really didn't offer a platform of solutions to these problems, but were consistent in their message to fight everything in order to return people to a sense of normal, even if that meant fighting change itself.

The flame though is not consistent, so while the conditions may be there for change, the results have not remained the same throughout. In Prince Edward Island, a three way race emerged from a Liberal majority that has shocked everyone. What was more shocking to me was the fact that all leaders involved seemed to actually get a long, which was not the case in Ontario or Alberta.

The recent election in Newfoundland and Labrador further cements this, with the Liberals hanging on for dear life against a supposed Conservative sweep.

What is obvious is that people want change. They are seeing the landscape around them change and the effects of the world around us are changing their perspective accordingly. With climate change becoming more of a crisis by the day and populism on the rise, people are looking for solutions and answers to the fear of the uncertainty created.

When people become afraid, they usually either become vulnerable to persuasion or angry and erratic. Leading up to October, I believe we are going to see a good mixture of both expressed from the electorate.

With that being said though, I still have yet to see anything come from the Conservatives that shows me they possess the answers and solutions people actually need. If anything, the Green Party is moving up the ranks and accomplishing something I thought originally was still a decade away, they are winning and causing a split in the vote.

While the Greens usually employ right wing economic policies, they are attracting supporters from the NDP and even the Liberals, who want change from the mainstream parties and see nothing new coming from the Conservatives.

There wont be a blue sweep or wave come October though, we are going to witness the flame either grow or weaken depending on how Andrew Scheer and his party conducts themselves and how well Trudeau can complete his damage control from recent events.

What definitely has to happen though, is an increase in voter turn out, as we are still sitting in the low 40's and this does not help the situation.

The most important poll will occur on election night and one can only hope that the party in the lead is prepared to continue serving Canadians with more than just complaints and accusations, while coming up with solutions required today for the problems of tomorrow.

Canadians deserve better than a platform derived from the very hate and fear that is fueling our discontent.

-The Political Road Map-

Justin Trudeau's Carbon Tax: The Ultimate Sorry

2019-04-19T12:52:00.000-04:00

On April 1st 2019, Justin Trudeau’s government initiated carbon pricing in an effort to place a price on pollution and address climate change. From that moment onward, there has been nothing but chaos and misinformation regarding this tax and how it will kill jobs and actually destroy the world, especially if you vote Conservative.

While I am not a huge fan of the Trudeau government, I do agree that putting a price on carbon is part of the complex solution needed in order to address climate change. If you have been following the Trudeau government over the past four years, you will notice a trend with the Prime Minister when it comes to apologizing for pretty much anything the government has been guilty of both recently and in the past (The SNC-Lavalin case as the only exception of course). So the implementation of carbon pricing under his government actually makes sense, how else do you address an issue and apologize to the planet at the same time?

The carbon tax has become such a contentious and divisive topic, that it will most likely dominate the upcoming federal election in October. On the right, Conservatives argue that the tax is unfair and ineffective, all the while offering no actual alternative themselves. Further left, there are voices that believe the current proposed tax is in fact not enough, as climate change has reached an all new level of dangerous and requires more drastic action.

While Andrew Scheer and many Conservative governments on the provincial level draw a line in the sand in opposition to Trudeau, they suffer from inevitable failure, here is why.

Since the 1970’s, when the greenhouse effect was introduced to the scientific community, there was an understanding that human actions continued to affect the world around us directly. With this, many lines were drawn in the sand and every time a new line was created, it was not long after that we decided to cross it for whatever reason, be it economic, social or political. Countries like the United States and Canada were able to develop to an advanced state, by crossing this very line, but where does that leave developing countries that now wish to also develop for their citizens?

I am not going to sell you on climate change, since there is nothing to argue, it is real and it is happening right before our eyes. When the storm of the century, which brings rains that flood your home and neighborhood alike, happens every decade, our eyes should begin to open. What happens when something like this happens every year instead of every hundred?

More importantly, what happens when food prices skyrocket because our agricultural sectors experience crop failure or unusually severe drought? Anyone with half a brain cell knows that you need to have a strategy in order to address possible outcomes, but as the business community and political right will proudly profess, there is no such thing as a free lunch, unless you’re promising to create jobs.

To think that governments on the left are proposing this tax, should not only fortify the importance of the cause, but also highlight the severity of the situation.

Consider this, left leaning government’s traditionally place a focus on the middle class and vulnerable groups while determining legislation. A carbon tax may inconvenience the rich within society and place pressure on medium and small sized business, but it will devastate the poor. Those living with less than $20 after paying their bills may now lose another 10% to 20%, if not more of what remains due to business passing the burden to the consumer.

Whether you like it or not, things are going to get more expensive with a carbon tax or without. Take food prices in recent years as a prime example: California and Mexico experience a long drought or gas prices explode like they usually do in the summer months and people end up paying $9.00 for a head of cauliflower. In 2018, the Insurance Board of Canada reported that we spent $1.9 billion in damages related to climate change. I have included a link to the report at the end of this entry.

If you are in your late 20’s or a 30 something like I am, your friends are getting married and are having children. Any child below the age of 5 years old at the moment will be in their 30’s when we pass the point of no return. While their parents along with you and I will be in our 50’s & 60’s. We will be in a vulnerable state and their lives will be changed forever, all because people were too comfortable to act. What will our explanation be to them?

The federal government has been in talks with the provinces since 2016 in order to allow enough time for provincial systems to be created. What better way to price carbon based on your individual province than to actually allow the governments in power of those provinces to act? Failure to establish a system by the deadline would mean that the federal default plan would kick in. This is why on April 1^st; Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba & New Brunswick were affected by the plan.

Everyone else already had a system in place.

In Ontario for example, the previous Liberal government enacted a cap & trade system that would have satisfied this requirement; unfortunately, this was removed by the recently elected Conservative government. This action not only put a standstill on carbon credits that the province would have received back, but has led to more taxpayer money being used in court to fight any federal involvement with the default plan that now kicks in.

In Alberta, this takes an even more sinister twist with the newly elected United Conservative Party (UCP). Not only are they going to spend tax payer money to fight the federal plan and dismantle the carbon plan introduced by the NDP, they are also going to initiate their own carbon pricing on large oil companies in order to fund the War Room, an initiative aimed at promoting the oil sands at all costs and defending oil extraction from any other media source or special interest group.

So while the federal government has been fair in allowing the provinces to enact their own custom tailored system, the opposition has gained ground by claiming that the federal government is forcing this upon everyone, like an unruly dictator bent on raising taxes. Meanwhile, this same opposition is using tax payer money in a wasted effort to either fight the government or worse promote billion dollar oil companies and the utility of their practice, all with tax payer money, that’s right, your money!!!!

Back to Justin Trudeau though, as the whole idea behind this carbon pricing or cap and trade initiative is a simple one. We need money to not only invest in new technology, but also influence people to act. The government can promote green incentives until they are blue in the face, but many companies will simply not care or listen. With carbon pricing, there is a direct and effective system in place that makes them listen and rewards people for choosing greener alternatives that will help.

An average family of four will also receive around $307, which in reality, will not balance out compared to many of the increases that companies will most likely attach to their products. Have you ever heard of a company that purposefully reduces their prices, just because their costs drop? Sale pricing aside, many companies, especially in the fossil fuel industry play along the lines of: Up like a rocket, down like a feather.

Much like the HST with Stephen Harper, Canadians will most likely not receive as much money back as promised, but will benefit in many indirect ways, especially with new technology resulting in better products and yes…new sectors of employment.

Looking at the philosophy behind political movements and governments, I always tend to revert back to Plato and the allegory of the cave. Whether you like it or not, society is a human creation that is not found in the natural world. Our ideas and our creations are often seen as a combative force against nature, which is why in the past, industrialization has been legitimized in an effort to create economies and employment.

With climate change, our society becomes like a puzzle on a table. Each piece is balanced and shifting based on how our communities and governments change, but inevitably, we are sitting on a foundation that is slowly eroding. Would you rather our governments remain proactive, so that we can lessen the erosion or should ignorance guide us until the table is swept from beneath our feet?

Please feel free to share this and please let me know how you feel about the carbon tax. People deserve much better from their elected officials and while it is easy to complain, a carbon tax will do something as opposed to proposing to continue doing nothing.

A political party should never get away with offering complaints as a platform with no real alternative, you deserve better, our planet deserves better and more importantly our future deserves better.

- The Political Road Map -

Insurance Board of Canada Article: http://www.ibc.ca/on/resources/media-centre/media-releases/severe-weather-causes-190-million-in-insured-damage-in-2018

Adult Assembly Required: Justin Trudeau & SNC - Lavalin

2019-03-01T18:51:00.001-05:00

If anyone can take anything from the past few weeks regarding Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the resignation of Jody Wilson-Raybould, it should be that sometimes even though you try something different, you get the same old turnout.

That smile you give when the boss wants you to skirt the law for a corporation and you say no.

SNC-Lavalin is not the first incident where a company has decided to bend the rules or enter into a gray area in order to conduct business. It will also not be the last time that any of us witness this kind of conduct.

While there may not have been any criminal activity taking place in the PMO, regardless of how much the Conservatives are praying for some to show up, this incident sets an unfortunate precedent that reflects much of the same old in politics.

Our Prime Minister and his team were able to be duped by a company threatening to leave Montreal and take every job currently in existence there, that he put himself into firing distance from his opposition and has made people question the integrity of his team. It is also no surprise that Trudeau decided to shuffle his cabinet today, as this is further evidence to support the reality that this incident has shaken him.

Duped with the same old line: Do this or jobs leave and votes with them!

While many may assume that this is the end of Prime Minister Just Trudeau, with an election just around the corner, I personally am of the opinion that SNC-Lavalin will not be the final nail in the federal Liberals coffin.

Rather, I believe this incident provides an excellent example of what people need to focus on when selecting their political leadership.

Are Canadians best served when their leadership will potentially side step the law in order to save image/jobs?

How do we combat apathy and mistrust, especially in the age of Donald Trump, when politicians still place themselves in the position of potential scandal?

What is even more important and also disgraceful is how the law is reflected in this entire scenario. Let’s face it, Jody Wilson-Raybould held up her end of the bargain, she had a job and ensured it was maintained.

What the PMO has shown is that while laws are made to equally affect all people, not all people are equally affected by the law.

Why? This is because the action in question is the implementation of a deferred prosecution agreement. This agreement was recently implemented by the former government under Stephen Harper and is essentially mediation between a judge and a corporation found to be in the wrong, usually regarding corruption or some form of fraud. Many in the legal and political realms argue that such an agreement amounts to a slap on the wrist and creates a duplicate legal system for corporations.

Essentially, SNC would have to promise to open their books and allow transparency to prevail in their actions, while also showcasing methods taken to ensure that the infraction would not happen again. This would also be accompanied by a fine and remedial action for any persons who experienced financial loss due to the infraction. Failure to do so would start a proceeding that would result in an official criminal investigation.

If myself or anyone reading this entry were to be in the same position as SNC-Lavalin, we would most likely either face a substantial fine or jail time or both along with a very long professional ban from working with any government body.

Hopefully, you can see why such a precedent doesn’t really seem fair, especially when corporations are viewed as persons under the law and can gain benefits from such a designation, but apparently side skirt the repercussions of that same law.

The novelty of Trudeau-mania has worn off, but is there a chance to revive it?

In the end, what the average person can take away from this experience is that our Prime Minister, while showcasing how progressive he is with a more balanced roster of MP’s and with initiatives that focus on gender and equality, it still very much the same as his opposition when it comes to save face and ensuring his image is not tarnished, where it counts, in the very place that nets him his votes.

Things may have improved since the 2008 Great Recession, but we are still living in an age where government continues to cater to corporate interests over the benefit of the electorate. While Trudeau may have had the best interests in mind (jobs), he fell for a hallow threat from a company that knows how to rig the system in order to get by, which was a very rookie move.

Not to mention that now is more important than ever to ensure these corporations see consequences for their action, since many of these financial bodies are like the Borg in Star Trek, they get hit, assimilate and learn new ways to evade the system in order to grow and benefit their own agendas.

- The Political Road Map

The Alt-Right & Radical Left: A Love Story? (10 Minute Read)

2019-02-07T13:43:00.000-05:00

I have a confession to make and it isn't an easy one. My entries and my content over the past few years have dwindled and are diminished, which is directly my fault.

To be honest, the political climate on social media and in the streets has become bittersweet since 2016. More people have now taken it upon themselves to become involved and educated on the political happenings around them, which is sweet and something we should all strive to continue.The bitter portion of this lies in the sources that they are using to educate themselves and also in the groups they are joining.

To be more specific, while everyone can agree that the United States have become more polarized since the election of Donald Trump, it appears as if the entire world is following suit and in doing so, creating a far divide between the political left and right.

On the left, we are seeing radical groups such as Antifa and Anarchic-Communist groups, that appear to have come into existence in order to directly counter a rise in Fascism and hate on the right. Unfortunately, many of their public appearances end up spewing hate toward their opponents and have also involved physical violence. This has essentially worked against their message, as it has allowed easy ammunition for their opponents to delegitimize them.

On the right, alternative groups have drawn lines in the sand between themselves and fringe white supremacy/nationalist groups, while incorporating much more rhetoric from Libertarian sources. Their arguments and beliefs now fight in an effort to preserve free speech around the world, utilizing what they believe are unshakeable facts. A common argument you may hear from these groups is that their logic outweighs the emotional responses being displayed by social justice warriors on the left.

I haven't had the chance to personally research many of the groups that have come into existence, so I took it upon myself to enter into a position that many people without direct knowledge often do.

How did I do this?

I began searching social media and message boards in order to get a better idea of what is out there and what they are talking about. In fact, I spent around 9 hours "researching" various right wing & left wing groups on YouTube, in order to witness their arguments and review their reasoning. An average person, who does not follow any specific political source, is more likely to see something on a social media feed or on YouTube, which is why I felt this would provide a more authentic way to see the sides created through a different set of eyes.

The following is a sample of what has come from those 9 hours of my life...

It is no surprise that The Political Road Map has leaned more toward the left of the political spectrum in the past. While this may seem appropriate for any opinion based blog, it does not serve proper justice when the goal of this blog is to provide options for people who aren't well versed in politics.

We cannot properly assess an argument without first seeing both sides, which is why having proper sources of information and a balanced viewpoint serves people the best.

Naturally, looking at the right wing or alternative groups is probably the best place to begin. I truly believe and can see that many people on the right are troubled with the current environment within western society. While they may not directly support Donald Trump, they have been grouped into the same category as him, along with a slew of other groups that range from Neo-Nazi's to immigrant hating nationalist groups.

Their argument of free speech has stemmed from the belief that if someone questions certain topics, they are automatically silenced, or worse, left to the masses to be judged and destroyed. This concern is not only a real one today, but one that requires diligent yet blunt treatment in order to resolve.

For if we cannot argue or have a civil discussion, how does anyone expect to accomplish anything?

I would ague that the current polarization we are witnessing is not only due to the reinforcement of tribalism among groups on the political spectrum, but also the addition of more labels and a complete breakdown in communication.

I will not get into specific details on this post regarding certain right wing figures, however I will say that the left has failed horribly in the sense that many young people are being taught to automatically shut down a discussion if they do not like the message. Whether this is deliberate or simply an indirect by-product is not really known. For example: A right wing speaker comes to a campus to discuss free speech, immigration reform and values, which lately has been met with threats and protests that aim to disrupt the discussion. Instead of providing a counter argument to accompany these talks, disruption is seen as the only proper response, which is wrong.

Many groups on the right are now using "facts" in order to substantiate their claim that free speech is under attack and that those who protest their ideas are somehow uneducated and thus destined to fail in life. This sentiment seems to be common, however it also shows a failure of these groups to look at the whole picture themselves, since many of their facts are snippets from isolated reports that are then compacted and made easily digestible for their followers. It is no surprise that when confronted in public, these same individuals can easily appear to be winning the argument, especially when their left wing opposition fails to provide counter facts and simply decides to stop any civil discussion.

This is dangerous and is very common on YouTube, as these groups use encounters like this to further showcase how their position is one of truth. To be fair though, when someone targets young university students and begins to question them on complex problems, with a camera in their face and on the spot, you cannot expect to really derive some form of complex response. The reality is that people often best learn when asking questions, which I feel is not happening on the right level necessary to facilitate proper discussion.

So, when someone creates social justice warrior compilations for their base of supporters, it appears that they are able to reinforce their message, by casting the opposition off as comical or childish. In doing this, they also take the complexity of these issues out of the equation in order to further solidify their own points. For example: Build the wall, because a report has been released that shows cities in America that welcome illegal immigrants, are also seeing a rise in crime. Keep it simple and make it strike close to home and even with little facts to support the argument, someone can make a correlation between illegal immigration and vicious crime seem unarguable.

One major point that I was able to gather from the media I was watching is that each side seems to be doing the same thing, with the same goals, just packaged differently. The left wants to abolish hate and avoid a rise in nationalist/Fascist organizations. While the right wants to abolish hate, but is on the defensive, because they feel the left is grouping them with Fascists and hate mongers, who they do not support, especially when it comes to big government. The key word here is "Big Government," which appears to be a very important point in the arguments provided by right wing groups.

The right often claims that people on the left use emotion to support their claims, which is wrong, because it lacks a foundation of facts. The left counters that targeting immigrants and supporting a national identity have led to ideas, laws and examples of systemic hate in the political system, specifically when looking at Donald Trump. So while everyone is speaking, no one really has anything to say aside from you are wrong, while I am right and that is that.

Each side seems to be failing to see that common ground can exist, even though a large polarization exists. It is perfectly healthy in politics to have a disagreement on how something should be done, so long as everyone recognizes that their plan is being offered to provide a benefit to their country/group. Currently, this common ground is not being communicated, so each side argues, while not even taking a moment to hear what the opposition is truly saying.

It is one thing to hear someone speak, but quite another to actually listen.

I felt this was an excellent photo to reinforce how people are treating a difference of opinion in today's world.

Libertarianism

I am going to end this post with a look at something I have heard come up numerous times on social media. "I am a Libertarian and while I do not hate people, I do not believe a "big government" should spend my money for other people's problems."

This makes me actually smirk every time I hear it, because if you look by comparison at the Hippie movement of the 1960's, something very similar existed in the root of its message.

While Libertarians say the government should stay out of it, because I can do better, many Hippie groups said society can stay out of it, because WE can do it better. Hence, the creation of Hippie communes and a paradigm shift in thinking that led to the counter-culture movement.

Libertarians in the United States are using this kind of methodology to reinforce why things like abortions for example should not be made accessible with public funds and when incorporated with religious views, this also extends to contraception. In this example, the question brought forward is; why should I pay for someone else's sex life?

I could most likely create an entire post responding to these examples alone, but the main purpose of this entry was to not only warm up my writing skills, but also begin looking at how far right and far left groups seem to be moving so polar opposite, that they are in fact meeting at some point. The most unusual of love affairs, but it is said that opposites do attract.

If you take anything from this entry, it is that we need to continue talking and not the opposite. You may not agree with someone, but their right to speech is one that we all should not take for granted.

Mind you, I personally believe that everyone in society is entitled to an INFORMED OPINION, which would remove ignorance and hate speech in an ideal environment. The reality of this is that we are all not educated on the same matter, at the same level. People will have beliefs for whatever reason that allows them to, which is why discussion is crucial to help reinforce proper beliefs, while educating those that are misinformed.

So please, do not punch a Nazi, educate them better. Please do not vow allegiance to Communism, when it killed 100's of millions of people and please do speak to people with opposite views. People are different and there is nothing we can do about that, so in order to move forward, we must first work together to find common ground.

-The Political Road Map-

The Tyranny of the Triggered

2018-01-29T21:07:00.000-05:00

Modern society has become an ever expanding landscape of polarization and finger pointing that not only undermines our ability to discuss, but corrodes at the very foundation of our democracy.

The issue is so alarming, that it is no surprise when people feel out of place when it comes to supporting social causes, while avoiding the very groups that are currently pushing for them.

We currently live in an environment with two major forces: The Douche Bag and Snow Flake Left and the Ignorant and Racist Right. While these labels may seem harsh, and they are, they represent the physical divide that has widened the gap between opposing views and has inevitably decreased the size of moderate views based on logic and discussion.

Take this example, if you happen to not fully support a certain cause, the quickest and most common response is to be bombarded with accusations of being as vile and close minded as the worst of those who oppose the same movement. It is so bad that even questioning the motives of a group, while supporting the objective of the movement, can lead to such vile polarization, that its not uncommon for people to feel like standing aside and not bother at all.

The internet and social media was supposed to bring us closer together and provide us with the foundation of nonstop knowledge, however it has instead isolated us and put us in a position to not trust the very information we need to make important decisions as voters and citizens.

We Don't Talk Anymore

The main issue causing this polarization is that people do not really talk anymore. With more and more technology in our daily lives, we have become isolated and more sensitive as a result. It is now more common to find people who are triggered and in need of a safe space than to be ready for proper discussion with an intent to defend their position and their beliefs.

Instead, these very same triggered people now point fingers and throw ultimatums in the form of labels, while disregarding any and all discussion that may alter their own personal views. This isn't even isolated to one side of the political spectrum, as groups from both the left and right have begun taking this strategy.

Everyone is so busy pointing fingers and blaming others for being ignorant, that instead of moving forward and creating actual change, we are standing still with one hand pointed outwards and the other over our mouth from the shock of how triggering our opponent has been. In many cases, this opponent may have said something worthy of triggering the individual, but it seems like the very act of questioning someone in the form of a logical discussion has become just as bad now a days.

Take No Prisoners

The thing about polarizing views is that the objective is to take no prisoners. You are either with us or against us and in doing so, are always preparing for conflict. It is not surprising that people need a safe space, since who in their right mind wants to spend every waking moment fighting? Instead of talking about important topics affecting the current social and political landscape of our times, we seem to be spending more time creating enemies, instead of creating solutions.

The political repercussions of such an attitude is that we increase the amount of fear and thus hate that is created between groups. This isn't the kind of fear that makes people think about locking their doors at night, instead its the kind of fear that allows people to side step their own logic and reason and elect a billionaire, who blatantly lies to them about caring about their own lives and financial well being.

This kind of fear not only divides our society, but opens the possibility of allowing some of the worst types of acts from being committed.

How?

Well think about this for a moment, while people are so busy pointing fingers and giving into their fear, they stand divided and allow others with their own agendas to move forward with plans. While this may seem a little conspiracy theorist like, you need only look to what Donald Trump has done in the United States recently regarding the largest Tax Overhaul in 30 years. While the media did give it coverage, the majority of the air time was dedicated to Hollywood and the #MeToo movement.

Don't get me wrong, the #MeToo movement means well, but people should have been rioting in the streets over tax legislation that will inevitably add as much to the national deficit as both the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have since 9/11.

While the media is here to be a sober 3rd party that challenges the government and big business in an effort to inform us and serve a purpose, we can no longer trust them as this polarization has even affected their own ranks.

Remember Fake News?

The triggered have now dominated the conversation of today and while they mean the best in supporting their own agendas and hopefully helping others too, they unfortunately have created a divide so large, that progress and moving forward are no longer a guarantee that one can have from the idea of discussing opposing views and winning hearts and minds.

Instead, we are creating safe spaces, offending everyone and allowing the rug to be swept from beneath the electorate at the same time.

Talk more, get involved and when your friends and family say...Oh no, here we go again, regarding your discussion about politics and social movements, remind them of their duty to democracy.

Our system will not fall overnight, but if we continue to divide ourselves and avoid hard topics in an effort to not hurt feelings and trigger people, we invite the very cancer that continues to eat away at our institutions and invite the destruction of our very rights as free and informed citizens.

-The Political Road Map-

A Road Map for the Ontario PC Party

2018-01-25T16:12:00.003-05:00

My phone went off around 3AM this morning with various breaking news updates. I got up and having been battling the flu, had a drink of water, coughed up a lung and still probably didn't feel half as bad as PC leader Patrick Brown did. I mean, talk about a rise and fall within hours, but an action that was required.

Throughout the day, I was thinking about the various elements now becoming a reality for the PC party, with an election only months away and the need for a new leader being imminent. The thought of the necessary actions to create a road map, that would not only guide the leaderless party, but also provide them with the ammunition to strike back and have a fighting chance in the June election.

Party Image

While Patrick Brown has declared that he will remain an MPP and fight tooth and nail to clear his name of these unfounded and false accusations, his choice to step down was a necessary one. Being a leader in the political realm, much like the regular world, requires having the stamina to make sacrifices that enable your party to continue. If Brown remained as the party leader, he would not only create an easy target in the upcoming election, but allow his opponents the chance to easily remove attention from what matters most, the party platform.

In politics, it is not uncommon for leaders to be vetted by their own party to ensure they do not have any loose ends that can come back to bite them. Patrick Brown has had some flip flop moments since his election as party leader, but the perception created by the accusation of sexual misconduct, coupled with the current social environment around the #MeToo movement, is almost as bad as having a party leader that comes out with a platform centered on terminating 100,000 jobs if elected.

In order to maintain party image, the interim leader will have to ensure that anyone chosen to take up the leadership role is not only well suited for the cameras and the party membership, but also ready to come in guns a blazing in order to keep the topic on the deficiencies of the current government and the intentions of a potential PC government, should they get elected.

"Keep your message strong and the electorate focused on your opponents past and your future, not the other way around."

Membership Consistency

While the timing of these accusations is quite convenient regarding the next election, it is important for the Progressive Conservatives to ensure their message remains in tact and consistent. Many strong party supporters may argue that this is nothing more than a political ruse by the Wynne Liberals, but it is important to keep the focus off that.

Why?

Lets face it, if Kathleen Wynne actually was involved in the accusations that led to the actions of today, the operation would most likely have created such a financial budget overrun and would most likely have resulted in a man coming out to make the accusations against the PC leader. Scandal aside, it is important to ensure the people of Ontario are reminded of how inadequate and untrustworthy the current government is and as such ensure justice for their own long list of misdeeds and mismanagement.

Image, Image, Image!

I would not be surprised if the next leader chosen will be a woman. Not for the sake of avoiding more scandal, but for ensuring that someone is chosen to not only strike back and defend the party, but also represent the changing political landscape we currently live in.

The Progressive Conservatives would be wise to emphasize and package their platform as the Politically Correct party in order to win support, but also combat the current government. Usually in an election, the incumbent government has the advantage, as supporters may not choose to vote or people may abstain in protest of the choices.

The PC party will really have to beef up their platform, which may be a good thing as a result of this shocking incident. Patrick Brown has had many issues maintaining a strong and unified platform to run on, which regardless of scandal, is crucial when you are attempting to take back power and get your party ahead.

In closing, I think I was more shocked by the general comments indicating that this would result in an instant win for Kathleen Wynne. Not because it would make her look good, but because it would remove the only other contender that was available. In all honesty, while the Liberals have been scandal filled, the PC are not the only other choice, even though they traditionally are chosen to replace a Liberal government.

It will be interesting to see how the Green Party and NDP respond to this change with the PC party and position themselves in order to possibly take support away from both the Liberals and PC.

Regardless, the most important thing the PC party needs to focus on is maintaining is road map and ensuring its message gets out there. Lucky for the party, the electorate has a short memory span, so getting back on the topic of platform should not be an issue. In a world filled with social media and reality tv, our electorate has become accustomed to quick news and fresh stories more commonly than in the past, which could help the PC party weather this rough situation.

-The Political Road Map-

New Year, New Wage, New Me

2018-01-06T21:39:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year to everyone!

You may be wondering where I have been for the past five months, since The Political Road Map has become quite lonely. I decided that I would try out working in print media and took a position with a local newspaper. The work is hard, the clientele dwindling, but it pays the bills. Oh yea...I also work on the weekends, so in total, working 7 days a week along with sleeping and eating and the holidays meant much less time for The Political Road Map, its sad I know..

Speaking of working, minimum wage has increased to $14.00/Hour in Ontario as of January 1st, 2018.

At the very moment that this proposed legislation was announced, I heard nothing but non stop chatter about how business will be devastated and it is just so unfair for such a huge hike in the wage!

Now that it has officially gone into effect, a mere 6 days into the change and I hear nothing but continued banter and complaining along with disgusting examples of how some business is reacting. Lucky for me though, there have also been even more examples of business doing the right thing.

We live in a Capitalist system, so capital is a crucial element of our daily lives and as such the discussion over a minimum wage hike or living wage is not only important, its perfectly normal.

The story of the Tim Horton's heirs giving their employees notice of sweeping changes has made headlines all over social media and frankly has been overworked, but I decided to include a partial copy of the letter below for reference purposes.

Bad Tim Hortons! No Desert for you!

Running a business is not easy and while I have no direct experience in doing so, I do acknowledge that in a world where change is the only constant, one has to be prepared for anything, especially when taking their personal dreams and employing others to make it a reality. One should also realize though that the people allowing them to make their dreams a reality, also have dreams of their own.

With that being said, people need to understand that businesses need to prepare themselves for changes and should always have a rainy day fund, even though this is not the easiest thing to do.

The reaction from an increased minimum wage not only has shown us how unprepared some "Big" business has been, but also how important the bottom line has become to private industry. While a business is in existence to generate a profit, it is blatantly evident that some businesses make the rest look awful by their reactions to anything that doesn't make them wealthier. The letter above is an example of measures being taken by a traditional Canadian business gone bad.

Tim Horton's can cry all it wants about a minimum wage hike and may even further increase its prices, but let us all not forget that in August 2017, Tim Hortons already increased all of it's prices and the minimum wage increase was still five months away!

Let us also not forget that the above letter is an excellent example of how not to run a business. I may not own my own business, but I do work in a business and with customers on a daily basis. If you truly care about your customers, you will do anything necessary to ensure that the people who interact with your customers on a daily basis and who perform duties as your physical ambassadors to the customer, will be in a position of comfort in order to complete their work. The letter above indicates that these heirs, while wealthy, are not taking this into consideration and are only focused on the shareholders profiting from their franchise.

If your employees are too busy worrying about paying the bills, while working over 40 hours a week and in many cases, such as myself, working multiple jobs, how can they be focused on A. Performing their duties and B. Providing an experience that makes customers want to return.

If a business is having problems justifying paying someone $14.00/Hour in order to ensure they can at the very least survive, that business needs to evaluate what performance markers are bringing on these questions? I can understand if you have underperforming employees that create more problems than they solve, but to punish all employees working in a minimum wage job as a result, is just bad business.

To allow your employees, both good and bad, to work while struggling monthly, is to literally say that they are not worth the investment. I can only ask...if your employees are not worth the investment, then how can your business be worth the investment, when your greatest allies cannot even survive on their own?

Another strike against businesses that will now cut hours in order to compensate is the performance and efficiency of their daily operations. If you are sacrificing service due to employee wage, then your management requires better training. If you cut hours, it isn't due to payroll, it is due to performance and doing so only hurts your bottom line more as customers may think twice due to poor service or a staff suffering with low morale. You cannot increase performance in this scenario with less staff, you may get lucky for some time, but eventually this will catch up to you. Think Sears Canada and then read the last sentence again, it makes sense.

Many Baby Boomers are currently arguing that Millennials are lazy and that if someone is working a minimum wage job, it is some how their own fault. This is not only ignorant, it is blatantly false and I will prove it right now!

See graphs below with numbers and figures:

A Comparison between Boomers and Millennials based on Race

The information above was conducted by the Young Invincibles think tank in Washington DC, that aims to educate young professionals on ways of not only investing their resources more efficiently, but also traversing a job market that is becoming one for the history books.

Millennials are now the most educated group of individuals in Canada and the United States that has the most amount of debt and the bleakest employment prospects as they graduate.

Boomers on the other hand were not only more likely to work in a unionized environment, but also have more access to stable employment with little to no experience/education required and an economy that was not as inflated.

If you are a young professional in need of employment, especially while attending more schooling to advance yourself, you join new immigrants and other groups classified as unskilled labour, who also have limited prospects for employment in this economy.

The issue is so detrimental that I even argue the resistance to a minimum wage hike is not only cruel, but further evidence of business asking for government welfare in their daily affairs.

I understand that the issue is not one sided and has to be explained by perspective, but nothing ever introduced to humanity has transitioned flawlessly. While business that is big and small may be feeling uncomfortable now, we are currently experiencing short term pain for long term gain.

Empowering workers to be able to sustain themselves and their families easier, allows them to reinvest back into the economy via consumerism. Sometimes people forget that while capital is crucial to Capitalism, Consumerism is the engine that keeps our system going. If we continue to incentivize business and forget about consumers/the general work force, we invite chaos as our system continues down a path of income inequality, that if left unchecked not only hurts your citizens, but also opens the door for someone like Donald Trump (Eek!).

A word of wisdom to business of all sizes, if the minimum wage hike did not occur, you would still be looking for ways to optimize your services and increase your prices to keep up with rate increases for supplies from vendors. No business has ever decreased their prices in the event of a cheaper supply/cost to them, maybe more sales, but they always sell items at prices they can get away with.

You may have created the company that employs people, but and this is a big BUT, your employees keep you in the position of employer. There is no better support than employment that allows people to live and become financially independent.

So please...stop all the bitching and do your thing to keep people buying your stuff. If your employees live better lives, they can continue improving themselves and as a result reinvest in the places they work for. If you use the minimum wage as an excuse to further push your employees down, not only are going to increase your turn over, your going to decrease the satisfaction of your customers and lose out even more.

In closing, lets review what the Political Road Map stands for, with a twist.

Where are you? Where are you going? Is your government/employer heading in the same direction?

-The Political Road Map-

De Minimis Trump

2017-07-21T10:46:00.000-04:00

If you haven't heard, President Trump is working on renegotiating NAFTA in order to get a better deal.

Ever since he first made reference to Canada being an unfair player, many people began to wonder just how Trump could influence our spending power and affect us, aside from the obvious stuff, like import tariffs on our exported goods.

This is where the De Minimis term comes into play and becomes very important to the average Canada. De Minimis, simply translated from Latin, means something of insignificance or of little importance to merit review. To many Canadians, Trump is in and of himself a De Minimis, however if Trudeau's Liberals were smart, they would use our current De Minimis of $20.00 as a weapon to ease the might(stupid) Trump!

If you buy anything from the United States and have it delivered via mail, you are usually subject to Duty on anything over $20.00, not to mention the shipping costs, coupled in with any fluctuations on the dollar. This can make the entire process very frustrating and expensive if you live too far from the border to drive, which Canadian retailers like.

You see, for the past 20 years or so, Canadian retailers have fought hard to ensure our De Minimis ( Say that 10 times fast) is low in order to maintain domestic consumption. Our American counterparts recently had an increase added to their limits under the Obama administration, which increased their De Minimis from $200 to $800!

While this is good for the average American, it also directly translated into something great for Canadian exporters.

Canadians as a result, have been long overdue for an increase and based on the price gouging that we do experience here, with the closure of many brick and mortar stores, it appears the conditions are perfect to begin looking at an increase.

Many Canadians will argue that this is bad for domestic business, since it will take tax revenue from the governments hands and further kill our domestic retailers, however I disagree with this. Our domestic retailers in many cases are no longer domestic in the true sense, many of these retailers are American owned and when the time came that Canada was at parity with the United States, insisted on keeping their prices higher, while using shipping and dollar fluctuations as an excuse.

Not to mention that our world is changing, which is allowing us to purchase a wide variety of products from anywhere, which sometimes still work out to being cheaper even with the duty and shipping calculated.

Trump wants to boost American exports and domestic manufacturing, so it makes sense to have our government play into him, while really just doing something that will allow the average Canadian more choice and boost their personal abilities. Not to mention, increased shipping via parcel will directly benefit someone currently hurting for more business, that someone being Canada Post.

Where the government might lose out on some duty, Canada Post will more than recoup the loss in increased revenue, which is good for them, good for the increased demand and jobs to come and good for all other parcel companies looking to continue an expansion among Canadian clients.

So I say, bring on your demands Trump. You are a De Minimis to all Canadians, until you actually do something that benefits all Canadians.

Ask not what you can do for Trump, ask what Trump can do for you!

-The Political Road Map

How Facebook Can Eliminate Fake News

2017-07-10T13:14:00.001-04:00

Since the election of Donald Trump as President, the term Fake News has become more common in both social media and regular media streams. For many of us, it has become tiring, as anyone and everyone begins utilizing Fake News to disrupt any meaningful argument that opposes their point of view.

While Fake News can be seriously annoying, it can also be very disruptive to our democracy and how people essentially collect their information. By introducing doubt into the sources available for information, people can develop a sour taste and thus avoid researching important topics that can affect how they vote and think. Fake News as I have made reference to in previous posts, is essentially nothing new, but poses a toxic threat in a world with fast internet connections and instant answers.

Due to the importance of social media in our every day lives, it makes sense then that Google and Facebook have a responsibility to take action in order to address Fake News. More importantly, for their own reputations, it is important they do not become a direct platform that contributes to the spread of misinformation and hate speech.

In March of this year, it was announced that both Facebook and Google had decided to start policing their platforms in order to tag and remove fake or disputed articles. At first, I took great caution to the direction both social media entities were taking, since they were essentially proposing to inform users on what information is valid and what is invalid. While this may seem innocent and proper, I do not believe anyone should sacrifice their ability to determine what is real, simply by allowing a large corporation to tell them what is in fact truth.

Many of us are adults and should have the capabilities to discern what is misleading from what is valid through searching the web or simply discussing the topic with others.

If Facebook wants to continue making profits off of our general interests and topics posted, they need to ensure that those with a motive to spread misleading information cannot use their advertising as a vehicle to do so.

A simple approach to resolving this would be to ensure that users have the tools necessary to isolate suspect material and quickly confirm if the information is actually valid. For example, in our modern world, information moves quick, so if something is suspicious, a user can simply highlight the heading of an article and right click to access a quick web engine search for verification.

By allowing people to install or incorporate a widget, much like they do to eliminate pop ups, you continue to give them the power to control the information they intake. Google can easily achieve this through the creation of said widget or by partnering with social media outlets to allow some form of instant check to be conducted at the users request.

Luckily, Facebook decided not to continue with their original plan to inform users on what is valid, but instead has installed fail safes that will target status updates that may contain links or keywords that have originally been refuted or reported by someone.

If you discover something that is directly misleading or a proponent of hate speech, you simply report it to Facebook and once investigated, it will be flagged, in order to avoid others from accidentally sharing it and further spreading the disinformation.

Throw in some quick gadgets from Google and this system can not only ensure that Fake News finds a quick end, but also enables users to continue their personal due diligence, when it comes to the kind of information they encounter and their power to influence it.

How do you feel about Fake News? Have you encountered it on a regular basis and if so, how do you respond?

Do you agree with the direction of allowing people to police the information they receive or should more of a centralized effort be maintained that controls what information people are exposed to?

-The Political Road Map

Oh Canada, Our Canada!

2017-07-07T10:26:00.000-04:00

Canada has just turned 150 years old and while this is a milestone worthy of great celebration, it is important to remember that our country is actually much older.

As we look at the past 150 years, many Canadians have different interpretations on what exactly it has meant. The truth is that while our country is the best in the world, it has had a spotty record with regards to how it has treated certain minority groups, indigenous groups and as of late the environment.

To understand all of this, it is important to question what truly makes someone Canadian? While we are a country of immigrants, many people believe they are a native Canadian simply be being born in this country and as such live by its stereotypical Canadian image. There is some truth to this in the legal sense of the definition, however being Canadian is so much more than Maple Syrup, Poutine and even the flag.

When the "new" world was discovered and explorers from all nations braved to visit it and meets its inhabitants, much was discussed with regards to a wild natural land that challenged even the mightiest of people. As such, people came here in search of a new life and the riches and demons that came with it. The Hudson's Bay Company, which is now 347 years old, was created to facilitate an economy between Europe and these inhabitants.

Being Canadian, was not simply being born into this country, but by experiencing it, surviving it. Living in an area that could test you with its hot and humid summers, while also try and kill you with its long and dark winters. Canadians became resilient beings as they worked together to fight off nature and the many things within it that could kill them.

At times, this would require alliances with anyone also experiencing the same conditions, as everyone became equal in the face of adversity, while at other times this would lead to genocide and massacre in an effort to secure resources and land.

Fast forward hundreds of years and you have a Canada that becomes an independent nation, not by war, but because of the financial strains incurred by war and empire on the British. We are truly a country of politics and discussion, but just because we didn't fight a war for our freedom, doesn't mean we are innocent by any means. In all truth, no country can claim to be innocent of any harm, but it is important to recognize this and remedy it in any way possible.

Looking at 2017, Canada is a much different place than before or at Confederation. Now, instead of fearing and fighting to control it, man must learn to recover nature and live peacefully with it. We live in a world that is much more connected and one that claims to be more advanced.

While much has changed, much still remains the same. People are still fighting with each other and politics is still bloody and dirty in many ways. Our indigenous allies, many of whom are just as Canadian as anyone born here from immigrant parents, are living in squalor and in need of a brotherly hand.

Our government has spoken greatly regarding the need to atone to tragedies of the past, but unfortunately has decided to remain at giving nice speeches and has yet to actually do anything.

Our country is still divided, Canada is not one country, but a combination of four distinct groups: English speaking Canada, Alberta, The Indigenous and Quebec.

And all the while, we celebrate 150 years of living, fighting and surviving the growing pains that this beautiful country of Canada has gone through.

The time now arrives, where Canadians must continue to define ourselves in new ways and provide an example to the world on how we can not only make amends for our past errors, but also move forward with a focus on unity and truth. We are a country of Peace, Order and Good Government and must continue to utilize this as a way of improving life for everyone, equally.

While there are buildings in Europe still standing that are older than the Canada of 2017, everyone must look forward to the next 150 years, or 50 years in my case, with the optimism of contributing toward a Canada that defines the world and is not defined by it.

Congratulations on reaching 150 years of age Canada, you don't look a year over 100, but there is still much more to be done and luckily, many great people in this country ready!

-The Political Road Map

Hate Speech is Free Speech

2017-06-15T09:57:00.001-04:00

I know, you're reading my entry title and thinking, wow...that is one bold statement or rather, what the hell is this guy thinking!?

Free speech is a right that all humans should have, this is a basic, but crucial statement regarding life on Earth.

After experiencing people of all places along the spectrum practice their right to free speech, I have come to the conclusion that how we define freedom of speech is really based on your perspective of freedom in general.

Some people look at freedom like they do society, while we are free to live our lives, we do sacrifice a small portion of that freedom in order to reap the benefits of an organized society. One example of this is the sense of protection created by man made laws, which allows us to live within imaginary boundaries, but also ensures others do too!

When you look at a persons freedom of speech in this way, you can understand why some things that are seen as socially taboo or reckless and hateful towards a certain group can and must be adjusted in order to avoid the creation of more hate and actual violence. While this may seem like a valid position that ensures all people equality and safety, it lacks a few fundamental elements in its practical implementation.

Lately, People who abide by the notion of clean free speech, often forget the necessity of informed free speech. In an age of misinformation, disinformation and fake news, I believe we have entered an era, where people simply censor, before correcting the opinions and beliefs of others, which has caused nothing but further division and strife within society.

Take the recent election in the United States, which showcases perfectly what happens when a segment of the population becomes censored or labelled before any education or fact checking is utilized.

"The silent majority stand with Trump."

A slogan such as this one cannot be ignored lightly, but I believe came into creation through the fact that so many have been ignored and disengaged over time for their own opinions. When we cast people off as ignorant, racist or phobic because of their opinions and forget to inform them with facts in order to engage in discussion, we further create this silent majority that lives in a kind of cast off anger regarding their treatment.

Why should I stand by silently, when my country and way of life is being changed and I am being told to sit out and called all of these names?

You may be thinking that the above sentence is ridiculous, but in reality we have many people who feel this way pertaining to topics like immigration, social assistance and even campaigns that further reinforce diversity and equality. When these individuals bring their thoughts, feelings and questions to the table and someone looks at them like they are either stupid or racist, the division only becomes larger and more severe, which allows for populist thinking to flourish and damages our democracy.

Now, I am not saying that people cannot be blatantly racist, which is very true and those individuals need to be called out, even stupid people, since they still exist in some context. What I am arguing though is that we need to ensure that proper discussion is occurring with facts and arguments, before we sit down and just use the label of racist or white bigot to make any opposition disappear.

In the current political atmosphere, there exists a large emphasis on each radical end of the spectrum, specifically the Libertarian movements, which can exist on the far right and left. These individuals essentially look at the world with an Anarchistic viewpoint and wish for people to have ultimate freedom in their daily lives. This in turn can allow someone to say they believe that all speech is free speech, regardless of the content expressed.

While I am not a Libertarian, I believe a balance must be struck between Societal Free Speech and Anarchistic Free Speech, which is crucial to preserve our democracy and ensure everyone has a fair share. This means that while hate speech is still alive and well, it is still the free speech of someone else and as such represents an opinion they believe. Which is allowable, so long as everyone else has the equal right to object to that opinion and open up dialogue that demands facts to back said opinion up.

John Stuart Mill stated something similar to this in his example of the drunk man. While the drunk is allowed to wander the streets in such a manner, society can only socially hold him accountable as they allow him the freedom to continue. This freedom is restricted once the drunk man either hurts someone else or as a result of his drunkenness denies his family a basic living due to the money spent on drinking. Then, society stands in with an argument that requires action, since the drunk man has now gone above and beyond the allowable limits to his freedom. The drunk man is not simply cast off as drunk, but is rather tasked to defend his argument and make amends when his defense fails.

Countering someone else in discussion can be really hard, especially when someone is both hard headed and stuck in their beliefs, but regardless of this it must be done. Nothing in life is easy or free and if you happen to find something that is, you better double check it or see who else is paying a price for you to have it.

I personally have a great way of countering hate inspired speech that stems from a persons fear. I usually incorporate various swear words to really liven up the conversation and ensure my facts stick to the individual in question. Lately, I have really utilized the word Ignorant, not as a discussion ending label, but as an empowering asset to my facts.

The latest example is a discussion I had with a Sandy Hook denier, someone who believes the mass shooting against school children was a hoax. I simply responded with the direct approach of: You ignorant fuck, numerous children died along with countless examples of people who either witnessed the acts or lost immediate family members as a result of it. To utilize the idea that someone would create such a hoax just to take away your right to shoot yourself with an automatic rifle that you don't need, just makes you seem like an ignorant cunt. Stop being an ignorant cunt and look at the undeniable facts!

Was this discussion harsh in its wording? Of course it was, but sometimes you have to be harsh in order to ensure a discussion is had. In the example above, our discussion later included facts regarding gun violence in both Canada and the United States and more use of the word ignorant.

The big difference between my own encounters and what happens in society at large however, is that when the discussion involves facts and both parties remain at the table, positive action is possible. When you label someone right after the fact for their opinion that targets someone else, you remove both parties from an equal playing field and allow a division like the one we are witnessing. This allows people to parade around with their own labels and decry that the media is fake, the snowflakes calling them racists are fake, which in turn allows misinformation and disinformation to seep its way into the minds of millions and thus spreads fake news.

Hate speech, while it is ugly and often routed in total fear, is still someones opinion and right. So long as there is an opposing side that ensures the truth prevails via arguments backed by facts, our democracy will be allowed to thrive and people will have a sense of continued freedom attached to their speech.

-The Political Road Map

Don't Be Afraid of Raising The Minimum Wage!

2017-06-02T08:57:00.001-04:00

I decided to write this post in response to the usual chatter that is generated, whenever the government decides to impose an increase on minimum wage.

Usually, you will hear some form of Libertarian or Anarchist arguing that the increase in minimum wage will not only lead to higher prices, but also directly result in the destruction of many small to medium sized businesses.

I am here to tell you that this is not only a fear tactic, but also a misconception when it comes to increasing the minimum wage.

30% of the Ontario work force is currently working below the $15 an hour rate. These individuals continue to struggle on a monthly basis to not only save for things like their children's education and retirement, but also paying the bills and ensuring enough good food is on the table, which unfortunately is not a guarantee at that rate.

Then you have people arguing that these individuals should be more responsible and become better educated for a higher paying position. While this may make sense in economies of old, our current economy has little to no security left in the work force and that is even if you are fortunate enough to find employment on a full time basis. We are becoming a part time and contract economy more and more on a daily basis and the gaps in our system continue to multiply and grow, so naturally something has to be done.

Small Business to Medium Business

My real agenda here though is not to remind people of the obvious for increasing the minimum wage, since you have most likely heard this many times from multiple social media and news outlets. Not even continue my argument as to why a Guaranteed Income is more of a suitable solution to a minimum wage increase, nope, I am going to talk about the general dynamics that will help business survive any increase in labour costs.

Small and Medium sized business are in fear of any increase to their labour costs and I want to ensure this fear is removed completely.

First, if you are so afraid for the future of your business due to an increase in the minimum wage, you need to ask how entrepreneurial you are in the first place. Do people not generally have a fear when starting a business of failure in general? Could your material costs or equipment failure not impose an equally fearful experience?

Second, you are a small and medium sized business in a market currently dominated by Big Business. I usually refer to Walmart in these scenarios, since Big Business is usually bad for business, especially when you look at the effects of Walmart on our market.

While I am not an expert, I am a consumer, which means I know how to spend money on a daily basis. I need to spend money, much like everyone else living in a Capitalist society and in need of sustenance. So, as a consumer, I can easily decide to spend "less" money at a big box store, where everything is usually present, except for the fact that I usually lack good customer service, a personal touch and community.

So, where do I go for good customer service, a personal touch and a sense of community?

The answer is obvious, I go to that Small and Medium sized business, because while I usually pay a little more for the products I purchase there, I also know who I am buying my materials from. I am also usually treated like a human being and not like a succulent pig ready for the butcher block. For Example: You are less likely to encounter a Small or Medium sized business offering you an exclusive credit card with an introductory bonus point sum that can equal a whole $20.00!!!!

Some Statistics for the Skeptical

So, If on January 1st, You are a Small or Medium sized business and are still in fear, I can be there to hold your hand, as we enter 2018 with a $14/Hour minimum wage.

Keep being the personal experience generating, community enforcing entity that you are and in doing so you will not only offer people an alternative to Big Business, but you will also weather any increase to your labour costs. Not to mention that on average, your employees will be happier and more productive as they will have to worry a little less about making rent and providing healthy food for themselves and their family.

Not to mention that this move also generates incentive for the government to reduce taxes on Small and Medium sized business in the near future. As less people are more independent on their own without any kind of social assistance from the government, it opens the possibility of spreading more support to other areas in need of it. Traditionally, Big Business eats up a lot of this support due to its lobby power, but that doesn't have to continue. Without more incentive and voice from Small and Medium sized business, nothing will change to make life easier for people and stimulate the economy from the bottom up, so vigilance and continued attention is still required.

To end it all off, do not fear job loss or destruction from a higher minimum wage. The price of things seem to go up regardless and people are being laid off regardless of our current minimum wage. Focus on the positive and look to the future as something good overall, since your employees will not only directly benefit, but you also may increase the pool of people who can also access your services and products, which usually results in an increase in profit.

- The Political Road Map

The Religion of Peace

2017-05-23T10:56:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, Upon hearing about the bombing in Manchester, I exhibited the usual response. I had to find out more, what happened exactly, how many people were affected and who is claiming responsibility?

When I usually read news articles, I make an effort to view the comments being expressed by both official sources and by those posting comments on the article. I read comments because while it can sometimes provide entertainment on lighter subjects, it also gives you a perspective on how average people are reacting towards the issue or act being focused on. Sadly, in recent years, many of these comments usually begin with "The Religion of Peace" regarding a new bombing.

Anti-Islam cartoon that spreads misinformation about the religion as a whole

Using this term is not only harmful toward those who practice Islam, which they profess is a religion of peace, but also provides the radicals with more incentive to continue. While it is perfectly normal to show fear in the chaos resulting after something bad happens, it is never beneficial to come to conclusions without really knowing the facts.Radicals of any religion are just that, people who use a religion as their motivation to enact horrible acts and spread fear.

While ISIS has taken responsibility for the acts of last night, their own story of what happened does not exactly match up with what police are saying occurred. This should raise questions among everyone watching, however it is often overlooked. Can we blame people for being angry and wanting to hate someone who targets children cowardly?

What worries me more is how certain public figures have responded to the attack and the language they have used. Specifically, we have Donald Trump calling the attackers losers and while it may be true that they are losers, his choice of wording is interesting. Especially, when only a day earlier his own administration conducted billions in business with Saudi Arabia, a known terrorist supporter, while preaching for Muslim countries to remove extremism from their countries.

Donald Trump during his visit to Saudi Arabia

The acts in Manchester does not have a real purpose, as targeting a concert occupied by children really has no valid gain aside from simply spreading fear.The bomb involved even contained screws and nuts, which is intended to maximize the exposure of the damage from the device. This makes Manchester, if anything, a response to something that recently happened internationally.

This leads me to believe that yesterdays bombing was nothing more than a response to the actions of Donald Trump in Saudi Arabia, in order to not only show the world that terrorism is still alive and well in Western countries, but also to illicit responses such as "The Religion of Peace." When people target Islam as the culprit of radicalism, these terrorists continue to win as they aim to create a war of civilizations in order to increase their ranks and their power.

To kill radicals, everyone must abolish their actions in a united front!

The Western world will mourn for this horrible act like it does with every other horrible act and in time people will see the strength that comes from these acts in order to bring us together. What will remain important however is that people continue to keep their head on their shoulders and not fall for the fear that allows the spread of misinformation and hate. While an enemy does exist, this enemy is not an entire religion, if anything Islam and moderate Muslims are allies we need to work with more closely in order to abolish ISIS and other religious radicals.

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear. - Mark Twain

-The Political Road Map

A Fairy Tale Wedding

2017-05-20T16:33:00.001-04:00

Today, on this chilly Saturday, a wedding has become official that sounds more like a fairy tale scenario to those involved.

No, this fairy tale wedding does not involve Pippa Middleton and her investor husband, but rather a match that might be even more compatible.

Today, Donald Trump has taken the necessary measures to strengthen the bond between the Saudi Arabia kingdom and his administration. Trump went beyond the moral ethics of his predecessors, by initiating both military and investment licenses that range around $300 billion.

This deal with the Saudi kingdom does not only reinforce the foundation of the Trump administration, but further shows the hypocrisy in it as well. While Trump may not trust Muslims due to the issue regarding fanaticism, he has no problem accepting a lot of money from them.

The questions regarding morality involved in selling military equipment to dictators with spotty human rights records are vast and not new. The fact that Trump has taken this step, while many before him have worked toward direct peace, just shows the business side of Trump's administration and the fact that it shows no shame.

Saudi Arabia has been known to export its weaponry to support causes throughout the Middle East, which both support its own agenda and Political Road Map, but also acts of terrorism.

Donald Trump was greeted by a small army and men dressed in traditional garb, dancing with swords as they welcomed him to their lands. His connection with Saudi Arabia should come as a natural one, as both the kingdom and Trump share many of the same ideals pertaining to women and the rule of law. Specifically, where one is suppressed, while the other is directed with an iron fist.

Viewing this trip on the surface shows just how desperate Donald Trump is in correcting his image. As many know, Trump is not doing good in terms of the popular vote regarding his actions and connections to Russia, which is making his impeachment become more and more of a reality as the days pass. This tour around the Middle East is a good way to showcase his ability to create jobs through economic pacts, while also showcasing a positive reception from those welcoming him to their countries. Trump is basically hoping that most Americans will see this as an example of strength and as such associate his work as positive, while hopefully forgetting about the whole Russia connection.

The main question that arises from this kind of activity between the West and known despots is how far do we turn away when dealing with large contracts that are worth a lot of money? In Canada, we have witnessed Justin Trudeau also dealing with Saudi Arabia in the armoured vehicle contract previously put into motion by Harper. Trudeau did not blink while he moved forward with allowing the deal to continue, even though he campaigned as an outspoken feminist and promised to act opposite of his predecessor.

Our elected officials seem to generate amazing camera time and action shots while campaigning for the goodness of human rights and the empowerment of women. Then they turn around and decide to sell military equipment and actively trade with countries that actively stand against these same beliefs. Such hypocrisy should be questioned by all Americans and also Canadians, but sadly, it often goes either unnoticed or without much care from the electorate, which is something that has to change.

Either way, Donald Trump has shown today that his administration has no moral compass and furthermore that his Political Road Map contains no reservations with profiting from dealing with leaders and countries that represent some of the worst human rights records.

Add today's match made in heaven between Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia as another reason to remove this man from the office of guiding the free world.

-The Political Road Map

To Trump All Secrets

2017-05-16T08:24:00.001-04:00

Donald Trump is a man of no secrets, even though much of the media is making him out to be someone with a lot to hide.

A man who talks so much, but often says very little

This should come as no surprise to many of us, as the entire American election saw Donald Trump speaking his mind in many scenarios that would destroy the chances of other candidates.

No, Trump not only has no secrets, but goes out of his way to ensure that everyone is so confused regarding his actions, that the truth still cannot be found.

Just look at the number of people he has publicly fired (6) and made to feel disgrace for the simple fact that they gave him some resistance.In doing so, Trump not only continues his path of madness and uncertainty, but also is able to hide his most egregious flaws in plain sight. Think of Gus Fringe in breaking bad and dumb him down a bit and you see Trump's current action plan, his Political Road Map.

The fact that Trump gave secret material to the Russians is also no surprise. In fact, many Presidents and international leaders will share information with allies or other partners, when they both face a similar objective. The problem with how Trump has proceeded with this transaction, is that he made the mistake of getting caught. If anything, this will hurt American foreign policy regarding data collection, but that is nothing the NSA cannot acquire through some new data mining technique anyway.

Donald Trump is most likely working with the Russians, because he has made it very public from the beginning of his administration that he intended to open dialogue with the Russians. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, since it is better to be working on good conditions with another military force than risk agitating them through your own sporadic actions. Lets face it, with someone like Trump commanding American forces combined with his overall temperament, this passing of information is probably a good thing to avoid an all out war.

Where the scandal arises in this scenario, is the fact that Trump seems to be at war with the American judicial system. Whether it is regarding the appointment of a member or the introduction of travel bans, Trump seems to be aiming his attack inward as opposed to the usual suspects on the international scene. More so, when he has fired James Comey in the middle of an investigation regarding Russian interference that favoured Trump, so we are all witnessing more of the same from the election routine that Trump utilized.

While I doubt Donald Trump has the ingenuity to craft this Political Road Map himself, he has been successful so far at evading serious consequences for his action. Sure, people have protested and voiced their displeasure of him, but that doesn't necessarily take him out of office, even though in a Democracy you think it would.

No, Donald is trumping us all, but crafting enough chaos in his daily administration to not only keep everyone at attention, but to literally bend the rules and skirt the necessary conditions for impeachment all in the open.

I still stand by the claim that this will eventually backfire and we will all witness an impeachment process put forward to remove Donald Trump from office. His administration and the very fact that he is in office is nothing more than America's own social experiment with authoritarianism. Eventually, Trump will make a mistake that will directly expose his actions and freedom will prevail,which contrary to Trumps claim is the exact opposite to how his vision of America is panning out.

To my American brothers and sisters, always remember...Where are you? Where are you going? Is your government heading in the same direction?

Donald Trump thinks he has everything calculated and in his favour, but forgets that every time he strokes that pen, every time he voices against someone or some group, he further increases the material and people who want his head.

In Closing, Trump will most likely not make it to day 365 of his administration. His chaotic Political Road Map will eventually expose itself and like always, the American people and judicial system will kick in to do its job.

-The Political Road Map

Comey had it Coming!

2017-05-10T08:25:00.000-04:00

Years in the future, when humans develop the ability to inspect the time line and revisit moments in history, they will most likely mark two main points of interest regarding the rise and fall of Fascism in America. Those two points will be the reopening of the Hillary Clinton email investigation during the election and yesterdays dismissal of James Comey, which officially began the process of impeaching Donald Trump.

TERMINATED!

Ex-FBI Director James Comey shouldn't be surprised with the notice that Donald Trump has fired him. His actions during the election not only arguably gave Trump a win, but also put into motion the idea that exterior forces were aiding a campaign against Hillary Clinton. This made him a marked man, as his release of information became an all too coincidental action during election crunch time. One might question how different the election would have been, had Comey released an announcement of Russian interference regarding the Trump camp? Conspiracy much?

Now, a new conspiracy claim in Washington, As Comey has been vigilant regarding the investigation of Russian interference regarding Trump. Did Trump fire him over a disagreement? Most likely, since he has always insisted that his actions had nothing to do with the Russians. So, Comey becomes an annoyance for Trump, since he has already served out his purpose during the election.

The real question will be how the country reacts to the termination of Comey? While this may seem like Donald Trump being Trump, it also shows a trend in the Administrations governance. Trump seems to have a lot of fun firing those who do not agree with him, which shouldn't be a surprise, since the man did have a reality television show that centered on this very act. Not to mention, he copyrighted the term "You're Fired", true story!

Actual footage of Trump firing Comey

I believe that while Trump has removed Comey due to how unpopular he has become, he has also put into place the necessary motions that will lead to his impeachment. Everyone knows it, while some are greatly wishing for it, but the fact that Trump will end in impeachment is not a stretch. He has taken his administration in many different directions and really showcases how unstable he is.

Comey had it coming though, he created enemies with the Democrats and then went forward and easily created enemies with the Republicans. This was evident in the media, where Comey went on record with his direct displeasure in the fact that he may have swayed the electorate into choosing Trump. He then took this further with a commitment to ensure all facts were investigated regarding the Russians.

Americans have taken their love of reality television and uplifted it to the highest office in the country. So, the fact that we are witnessing multiple people being fired for doing their jobs, while Trump drives America into multiple directions blindly, shouldn't be a surprise. The people wanted a show and Donald Trump is giving them one, while making a lot of money for both himself and his friends.

Moving forward, we now wait and see who will be next on the Trump chopping block, since we know its only a matter of time before someone else says something in opposition to him. Then, we wait a little further and count down until Trump himself becomes the next one to hear, You're Fired!

Put me down for $10, that Trump will not make it to day 365 of his current administration.

-The Political Road Map

Politics in Cinema

2017-05-04T12:45:00.001-04:00

May the fourth be with you and May you enjoy this post and share it throughout the galaxy!

To say that cinema has become a favorite past time of people is to greatly under appreciate its impact on our society and our lives.

I always find it interesting how the political process is represented in movies and on television, specifically, the dramatization that is added to the process in many cases. While the dramatization has a purpose, since you are paying for a show, it can also misrepresent the tiring process behind governing and legislating policy.

While Science Fiction can utilize this dramatization, other cinema styles can tell great truth through the acts it creates or imitates on the big screen.

Today, many people will be enjoying Free Comic Book Day throughout the country and will most likely be watching or thinking about Star Wars and while real life politics do not usually revolve around intergalactic senates averting universal war, the themes and metaphors present in these movies directly touch upon those in real life.

Politics in cinema has arguably become more important today, as we face a world where people are afraid and leaders are encapsulating this fear to literally divide and conquer. To be able to enjoy cinema that dispels this fear or explains complex situations in more humble and direct ways only serves a positive encounter for the general population.

I would even go as far as to say that the dramatization, while exaggerated in many cases, can bring some life to topics that may usually be viewed as boring or less than appetizing by the average citizen.

So, in honour of politics in cinema, I thought I would create this post and also include some memorable movie scenes that I know both empowered me, as they covered important real life scenarios.

Political Science Fiction


Intergalactic Diplomacy in Star Wars

Police State of the Future- Hunger Games

God among men or Dictator among his people?

Political Fiction

Red Dawn- Depiction of an occupation and its day to day roll out

Our favorite revolutionary- V for Vendetta

Cinema Based on Political History


The Rise and Fall of Canada's Arrow

All the President's Men- One of the best journalism movies- Watergate


Lincoln

The fight for gay rights in America

To end this post off, I want to leave you with this quote, which I felt properly sums up the connection between daily life and the political realm.

Life is politics, basically, but you don’t just go to a gallery and put the words ‘art’ and ‘politics’ on the wall.“

-Luc Tuymans

The Political Road Map

Why Can't We Feed Everyone?

2017-05-02T11:26:00.001-04:00

If a mother and father fail to feed their children for any long period of time, the government will step in for the sake of the children and take action. When citizens of Canada fail to have access to food, with some living on the streets eating garbage, average people walk around them as if to pass some sort of refuse. Sadly, much of this problem does not even affect Canadian adults, but their children.

So, I am going to take a complex problem and simplify it into a question.

Why can we not feed everyone in Canada?

Is it a lack of political will?

Yes, to a certain extent, the government does not have the political will to fight poverty and hunger directly, instead pouring money into programs that often either compete with each other or handle very large numbers of people with the bare minimum of a budget.

Are we cruel?

I would have to agree that society is still quite cruel, while we have advanced to become more technologically savvy( Kind of), we are still very cruel to each other. We hate too easily, live with too much stress and view our fellow Canadians as adversaries, contrary to the belief that Canadians are nice to everyone.

Are Food Supplies Short?

This has to be the most upsetting thing about our current system and problem. While we have people either going without the proper nutrition or just in general hungry, we actually have more than enough food to feed everyone.

So much so, that even if our food supplies are low, we have the technology to develop and maintain food supplies, even into the winter months.

So, Whats Up?

It isn't even what is up, but more accurately what is down. Since the majority of our food comes from either California or Mexico, we often fall victim to the pricing and conditions of other markets that directly affects Canadians. The problem overall is that we are not organized enough in Canada to use every bit of our food supply chain to its maximum efficiency.

Throw in the risk of law suits and public scandal and you have even more food put to waste instead of being redistributed to those in great need. I remember personally working for a large Canadian supermarket chain, who would rather throw everything out each night as opposed to take a loss in price with the high risk of someone complaining about illness.

This problem isn't just with commercial enterprise though, as the typical Canadian tends to waste a lot of food annually, an average of $400.00 in some cases.

My background is Italian, so in my family it was natural to ensure that no one went hungry. Whether we were growing and cooking our own food or cooking in bulk at home to ensure food was available. This changed though as members of family began to become more and more integrated into Canadian society. The best example would have to be with younger family members, who have entered the habit that purchasing food instead of making it from scratch is the way to go and they aren't alone.

People have forgotten the traditions of their family in many cases and naturally lose the ability to cultivate, prepare and cook their own food from scratch. This isn't all their fault though, as society has become more demanding in Canada. Job security for one thing is no longer present in many industries and while our advances in technology have been cool, they have also led to more demanding requirements from employers, which sadly leaves less time for activities in the home and with the family.

This may seem perfectly natural, but it has ripple effects that are leading to the average person losing quality in their life and with others being left behind or ignored.

When you look at the charities on tv showing famine on the continent of Africa, you often see many children eating a mushy rice, which will provide them with a basic nutritional value. In Canada, many people are forced to pick between different canned foods, which often contain a lot of fat and salt. I often argue that rice may fill a persons belly, but pasta puts a smile on their face!

In a country as rich as Canada, we shouldn't be witnessing the ever growing need for food banks and rampant hunger among the poor. Italians faced many years of poverty after World War II, which supported the Cucina Polvera concept. This concept would be an important addition to Canadian mindsets, as it basically means poor kitchen. What it entails is the utilization of various ingredients that are basic and easy to make available, in doing so, it creates flexible recipes that create food in small portions that allow people to eat.

Whether Canadians in need adopt this policy or not, it is important that their ingredients remain natural and not canned and processed with large amounts of salt and sugar. In doing so, we are investing in lower health care costs and hopefully lower social assistance costs, as healthy people have the strength to not only survive, but also thrive.

It has become sadly evident that the various charities and social programs currently in place are not adequate enough to solve the problem, they are becoming overwhelmed and cannot address the numbers in need. Climate change will only make this problem worse in the near future, as our food sources become vulnerable to more extreme weather, which means the number of people expect is only going to grow internationally, which includes Canada.

Salvation Army Hunger Campaign

Do you agree with what I have said in this post? Does Canada have the resources available to end poverty and hunger from sea to sea to sea?

The Political Road Map

Exaggeration in an Age of Trump

2017-05-02T08:43:00.002-04:00

Recently, it was Don Meredith, an embattled Senator, who defended himself as he was targeted for his relationship with an underage girl.

Now, we have Harjit Sajjan, our Minister of National Defence, who is defending himself over his claims that he was the brain child of a successful Canadian military operation.

After reading a few articles from CBC, Sun News and the Toronto Star, I had to take a deeper look, So I did what I usually do, dove into the comments section. Comments are an interesting realm for social media in general, as you enter an area of many dangers and both indirect and direct anger.

I find it interesting specifically, that many members of the military are showing disgrace regarding Mr. Sajjans actions. However, I question if partisanship is fueling more outrage than the comments made regarding Operation Medusa?

We are living in an age of Donald Trump, who throws around words, regardless of their meaning or how offensive they may come across as. Can we truly hold against an elected official, something that did not directly offend a cultural or religious group and with whom apologized for his actions?

Not too long ago, people were commenting on how bad ass Sajjan was, regarding his military service, which does include 3 tours in the Middle East and his overall support for the Canadian military.

Harjit Sajjan giving good advice, but not taking it.

While Minister Sajjan made a critical political mistake, that will no doubt affect his reelection chances, he continues to support our military and that I would argue is more important. He has opened a lot of kinks in his armour, which will give opposition candidates a lot of ammunition on his character, but for him to lose his job over something arguably minor that he has fessed up about? I do not agree with that, even though I do not support Trudeau's Liberal administration, so I cannot say I am bias in saying so either.

How do you feel regarding the situation? Do you believe his actions in government are now overshadowed by an exaggerated claim regarding his involvement in Operation Medusa?

The Canadian military needs all of the help it can get and I believe that we should hold Minister Sajjan to the truth as was done regarding his comments, but allow him to continue doing his job and boosting the military's image and support as much as possible.

When the next election arrives, both he and Justin Trudeau, will have a lot of work cut out for them to be reelected, so I say it is important to never forget, but let the election be used as a tool to determine if he should stay or go.

The Political Road Map

Sugar: A Sweet Conspiracy

2017-05-01T08:38:00.001-04:00

It is delicious, makes everything taste better and is used liberally throughout our processed food chain to ensure that every bite has a smile.

Sugar is a natural part of life, we actually need it to live a healthy life, but like anything else in the world, it must be consumed in moderation, which unfortunately does not seem to be the case in modern society.

Refined or added sugar is a silent killer, but also sweet and addictive!

I had the chance to watch a documentary by Jamie Oliver recently on the sugar epidemic currently being faced in the United Kingdom. For those who do not know, Jamie is a famous chef and has campaigned on his Food Revolution, which is taking cooking back to the home kitchen and using natural and simple ingredients. His documentary focuses on a few different countries, however its data is something I wanted to compare to the best country in the world, Canada. I will post a direct link to the documentary below for you to view, once you've had a chance to finish reading this entry.

So, how much has diabetes affected Canadians and more specifically, how many amputations are occurring as a result of the disease?

Upon searching various government and non-profit websites (Canada.ca & Diabetes Canada), I quickly realized we have a problem in this country and its mostly invisible.

Most of the information I was sourcing dated back to 2011/2012, with little to no accurate information present for any year outside of 2015. We are currently in 2017 and as far as I am concerned, sugar is still present in almost everything.

Here are facts I found:

Currently, it is estimated that between 3-3.4 million Canadians have diabetes, with 1/3 of these people not currently aware of their disease. This is an estimate from 2015 and covers those who have been diagnosed along with those currently living with the conditions necessary for the disease, so there could be more cases that have yet to be identified quite easily.

In 2011/2012, Canada experienced an average of 2000 lower limb amputations per year, with the majority occurring in Ontario. The information was so vague that the estimate does not really cover any other province except Ontario, so this number could also very well be much higher.

To compare, the Sugar Rush documentary listed below indicates that in the UK, amputations related to diabetes is currently at 135 a week or roughly 6,480 annually. Mexico, which is currently the largest consumer of soda/pop, experienced 75,000 diabetic amputations in 2011.

Scary realty, when these are becoming hot ticket items!

So, we know that this disease is deadly and causes a lot of complications, so what does it cost us in economic terms? Well, we know that processed food usually appears to be the cheaper alternative, when in reality is does cost us a lot. However, the cost to our health care system is currently estimated to be at $9 billion annually. This is mainly because a diabetic patient requires a lot of care and monitoring and also testing to ensure their sugar levels remain stable. Throw in amputations, ulcers or complications related to nerves and vision and this cost jumps due to the extra care it requires.

Solution Time

The obvious recommendation is usually the most simple, but not really. That recommendation is to live a healthier life via a lower consumption of sugar and the avoidance of stomach fat to be specific.

This becomes difficult as a lot of food currently has a lot of sugar in it and unfortunately, you never see a daily recommended percentage associated with the amount of sugar in the product. This was mainly done so, because the sugar industry fought hard to remove labeling that would counter the concept of consumer due diligence, since no one could apparently agree on a daily recommended level ( Simple Version).

We need to start reading labels more closely and either scaling back our portions and or avoiding the item all together, try making it at home, it might be a lot easier!

The other important step that would assist directly in the battle against consumption would be a sugar tax. Yes, I know the mention of tax is as much of a pain in the ass as doing your taxes, however it has been proven that a sugar tax on highly processed foods and drinks has led to a reduction in overall consumption with a much needed cash boost to our health system.

Unfortunately, the industry has hidden behind the idea that consumers need to be educated in their own way to avoid over consumption and live a life of moderation. This is not only utter bullshit, because the information is either not present or vague, but also criminal in the way it allows for an open range of sugar use.

Adding sugar to food not only makes it more appealing and easier to sell, but it also activates a reaction in our body similar to the consumption of drugs, we crave it and go through withdrawal.

Know Your Grams

Food items in restaurants now have calories added to assist in making healthier choices, but this is still too vague, as calories come from everything, both healthy and processed. You could consume a healthy* diet of 2000 calories per day, while still consuming 10x the amount of recommended sugar at the same time! Please note though, that the main issue we currently face is the added sugar in food, while you should try to moderate overall sugar intake, a lot of natural and healthy food will contain sugar, just not as much as the processed foods available to buy.

Oh, and the daily amount of recommended added sugar intake for an adult: 35 grams or 9 teaspoons per male and 25 grams or 6 teaspoons for women.

To put that into perspective, look at the example below. A large Double Double from our most favorite cultural icon, Tim Horton's, contains 30 grams of sugar or your entire daily recommended dose! Dammit!

30 grams of sugar for a large coffee, XL contains roughly 35grams!

It's shocking how easy it is for the average person to fall into a sugar rush, since the majority of our products fail to provide us with an accurate picture of the sugar contained compared to the recommended dose per day. When we have an industry, who also continues to maintain and hide behind the fact that adults should have the common sense to know all of this information, the problem becomes even more serious as misinformation or an uninformed populace eats toward its doom. The companies pumping sugar into their food do not have to face the financial consequences of diabetes and other sugar related disease in Canada and frankly, they do not care if you end up having an amputation.

I have seen first hand what diabetes can do to a person, as members of my family have had it. While the disease can also be genetic, it becomes much more common when an individuals diet supports the necessary conditions for it to flourish.

Please, if you take anything from this entry, just take a moment to watch the following documentary and the next time you go to pick up an item at the grocery store, keep in mind the number 25 and 30 with relation to the amount of sugar in grams are present per portion. Our government can only do so much, but with the proper legislation coupled with consumer education, we can not only save a lot of money in our health care system, but help people avoid the awful consequences of disease related to sugar consumption. A healthier life is a happier life and we all deserve to live with the highest quality of life in the best country in the world!

-The Political Road Map

References:

Jamie's Sugar Rush

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bpr20BdngSY

Canada.ca

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/type-2-diabetes.html

Cultural Appropriation of Indigenous Art?

2017-04-29T21:50:00.004-04:00

Today, CBC showcased a story about a Toronto artist, who had her show cancelled, over an allegation that her work is actually a form of cultural appropriation.

Amanda PL is the artist in question and defends that her work is inspired by the art style of famous indigenous artist Norval Morrisseau. For those who do not know of him, his art was famous in the 1960's for its depiction of animals, people and nature. Below is a few samples of some of his more beautiful pieces in my opinion.

Norval Morrisseau

The art is undeniably beautiful, as it depicts not only indigenous acts, but also tells a story with every piece. However, can we truly accuse another artist of cultural genocide or appropriation, simply because they are impacted by an art form?

I mean, I understand how cultural appropriation can be extremely harmful, especially when it is taken and mass produced for profit, as we have seen in the past with various indigenous garb via famous fashion outlets. To take a piece of a culture and bastardize it, in my opinion, would be to mass produce it as your own with little to no history on where it came from or its impact.

Below, you can see a piece from Amanda PL's showcase, which directly depicts an influence from Norval Morrisseau's own work. She says she was impressed by his work, when she was in Thunder Bay and decided to honour his work with her own take on his art form.

Amanda Pl

The saying with art is that good artist borrow, while great artists steal, but can the adoption of an art form really be compared to the mass production and dilution of cultural theft?

Let's use my heritage as an example to further defend my opinion. I am of Italian descent and while Italian's were not treated in the same manner as Indigenous people in Canada, we also received a lot of hate and systemic violence against us. Our culture, specifically our food, has become a staple in many households and also the main focus of many fast chains, who mass produce cheap versions of famous dishes, that often are not even healthy for you and call it Italian, even though they are the farthest thing from a Mediterranean diet, let alone authentic Italian.

This should be text book Cultural Appropriation


Example 2 of mass produced garbage

While these examples are commonly found in society, no one really bats an eye to them as being offensive, even though they are the farthest thing from authentic Italian culture and in some respects, directly insult it.

I do not believe we should easily throw around the label of cultural appropriation, when it comes to a persons expression via art. While I do not personally know Amanda Pl, I feel as if her expression in art form, showcases her own emotions and voice and in doing so, honours the original intent from Norval Morrisseau's intended art. I feel Norval would take her expression via his art form as an honour as well, since she is continuing something he made famous, even if her stories are not told from the perspective of an Indigenous person.

To censor Amanda, is to set a dangerous precedent that many argue is helping to fuel the rise of right wing, protectionist and xenophobic people and politicians. If we continue to label anyone racist or accuse them of cultural genocide, because they are expressing their own voice through a style similar to another cultures own expression, does not everyone stand guilty to some extent?

An Indigenous person may actively enjoy eating at an Italian inspired fast food place, but am I right to judge them as being a perpetrator of cultural genocide? Can I look to someone who performs an art form like Leonardo DaVinci or Michelangelo and wag my finger?

The simple answer is no, because they are choosing to express themselves in honour of something that has touched them on a deeper level.

Art is not here for some, but for everyone and it not only tells a story, but also expresses emotion through words, pictures and song.

As we all share this special medium and allow our voices to be heard through it, can we not honour each other by adopting elements of art that resonate with us?

Amanda does not deny being inspired by Norval Morrisseau and she is not mass producing variations of his art in a disrespectful or profit oriented way, in fact she may be expressing it in a way that forces people to learn more about the art form and derive a greater respect for something that they may not have known much about before. They may now be forced to interact more with Indigenous people, who also practice a similar art form and as such enlighten themselves to its true story and the emotions it invokes in them.

What do you think? Cultural Appropriation in art or honour through the expression of an art form?