Froggie want a cracker

The thing that I hate most about Bill 37 — the proposed changes to the provincial elections and elections finance acts — is that I sound just like Premier Doer whenever I talk about the topic. That makes me feel…confused.

However, I continue to believe that, on the whole, the bill will create a much more level playing field for political parties in Manitoba. I even support the alleged “gag order” provision that prevents MLAs from including blatantly partisan material in their official mailings.

Personally, I find most MLA or MP householders to be an insult to my intelligence. They’re so poorly written and designed, and so blatantly partisan, that I can’t imagine who would even read them beyond a party’s existing base of rabid supporters. The federal Conservative mailings into Liberal-held ridings are particularly brutal.

So, I find myself agreeing (again) with the Premier when he says:

We believe that partisan, political attack mailings should be paid by the political party, not by the taxpayers.

You could argue that taxpayers will foot the bill anyway if the proposal for public funding of political parties goes ahead, but it’s up to the parties how they want to spend that money. [My suggestion: a brain, a heart and some courage. I'll let you figure out which provincial leader gets which one.]

So there you go, I’m a parrot of the Premier. In other news, have you heard the one about how the construction crane used to be an endangered species in Winnipeg?