Two divergent and unrelated news events got me going today. Beer sales in corner stores and vaccinating our kids. How different does it get? Well, I am known
as a conservative thinker and a former Member of Provincial Parliament elected under the Progressive Conservative banner. Truth be told, I am more libertarian than
I am conservative. So, in a perfect world, I like the concept
of “live and let live”. But, it’s not a perfect world. So, conservatism will suffice…and my interpretation of it is that laws are a set of rules that
protect us from each other…period. People often ask me about laws enacted to
protect us from ourselves…what we can eat or drink or whether we should be allowed to expose
ourselves to the ultraviolet light of a tanning bed. My reaction is unequivocal...leave
me alone, I’m an adult!
This began to gnaw at me when media reports emerged saying that the Premier
of Ontario had announced that we'd see no beer sold in
corner stores. She did say the Beer Store monopoly would be changing this
Spring but she was absolute in her “no convenience stores” position. Well, Premier
Wynne, just who do you think you are? This province elected a majority Liberal
government of which you are leader, therefore Premier. We did not crown you Queen nor pump white smoke up a chimney to anoint you the first female Pope. So, you govern...but you don't rule.
Basically,
every jurisdiction in North America has beer available in privately owned chain
stores. These are often supermarkets but they could, alternatively or in
addition, be corner convenience stores. This acknowledges several things…consumer demand,
lengthier hours of availability, non-monopolistic competition in price and product, and
(importantly) the fact that we are adult decision-makers, fully capable of
electing to buy and consume beer when and where we like…or not. No one likes a dictatorial government, notably where the rights being
curtailed involve government trying to protect us from ourselves. Please stop this silly nonsense, Premier Wynne, and just give Ontarians what every other state and province
has. Quit trying to be 13,000,000 peoples’ mom!!
Perhaps you should focus on another
news story of the day and begin doing your job properly...protecting us from each
other. As an MPP, I recall, all too often, misguided idiots
passing for parents presenting themselves at my office to have documents
notarized which would prevent their children from receiving any
vaccinations. They’d say they didn’t believe in injecting “monkey pus” into
their kids’ bloodstreams. I wanted to jump across my desk and slap them…but,
alas, I had to smile and sign.
We are
seeing a resurgence of measles in various places around North America, now including Ontario. This
tells us several things. a) These controlled diseases are not anymore controlled now than they ever were, absent preventive vaccination; b) There are
many people like those parents still out there; c) Communicable diseases can spread rapidly. So, here are some laws we actually need...and, Premier Wynne, it's your job to pass them!
Parents who deny their children a vaccine proven to prevent a disease are
criminals and do not deserve to be parents. Premier Wynne, enact a law forcing them to stand aside and shut up as their children are properly vaccinated against all diseases for which we
have proven preventives. That would be good legislation for Ontario. Instead, you appear to prefer screwing around with where we can buy beer and when. Hey...leave that to us…we
are as adult as you are and, it would seem, many of us are a good deal brighter.
You have clear priorities...fix your flagging economy. Create a solid economic
development plan. Develop a parallel jobs plan. Get out of peoples’ lives and out of
our faces except when it comes to protecting us from each other…or, in this case, protecting
the most precious and vulnerable among us, young children, from the stupidity and
irresponsibility of parents who refuse to vaccinate.
Peter
Peter
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