Ethics gap grows as Selinger drags Winnipeg Jets into Election Act scandal

As the NDP campaign of attack ads continues to backfire, unelected premier Greg Selinger resorted to playing the Jets card today with disastrous results.

A feel-good presser to announce an after school program for at-risk kids was immediately identified by media outlets (here and here ) as a (prohibited) "province" or government announcement, and not an NDP election pledge. This comes on the heels of an Elections Manitoba investigation into Cabinet minister Ron Lemieux presenting a cheque within the 90 blackout period.

Today's podcast looks at the official complaint filed with Elections Manitoba and at Liberal leader Jon Gerrard's terse accusations about the NDP being "so arrogant and indifferent to Manitobans that they think they can break the law and get away with it ... What kind of lesson is Greg Selinger sending to inner city youth by breaking the law?"

For his part, the dirtiest player in politics stuck his nose in the air like something didn't stink: "Selinger brushed aside questions from reporters about the timing of the announcement during an election campaign. He and Chipman said the whole concept has been in the works for months."(CBC)

Also up for discussion, including an email from a sharp-tongued listener, is a desperate attempt to manipulate Jewish voters using scare tactics and ancient history - by a columnist who did not reveal his links to the ruling party.

Here's the link to the Friday podcast: http://tgctspod.podbean.com/2011/09/16/tgcts-fri-sept-16-2011-ethics-gap-grows-selinger-drags-winnipeg-jets-into-elections-act-scandal/

And please feel free to read Part Two of the Mike Webster story: Ruling the Ring, I am very proud of it.

The Loan Act budget trick of the NDP, and more campaign dirty tricks

A lot of important people (ie the WRHA, Manitoba Nurses Union, Health Minister Theresa Oswald) had a startling beginning to their day with the report in the Free Press that a homicide investigator had recommended the Crown lay charges against both a front line care worker, and the Health Sciences Centre, over the death of Brian Sinclair after a 34 hour wait in the emergency room in September 2008. Denials that a report had been completed, let alone charges recommended, were issued in record time, but the story had the reputation of ace cop reporter Mike McIntyre behind it, and the denials did little to quell the buzz among listeners about how "the NDP had stalled the Inquiry till after the election and now this gets out".

On todays' podcast we go into depth about the Loan Act, which is the way the NDP is shifting monies to outside agencies that can never pay it back while claiming the dollars still exist in the treasury, thereby concealing how big the deficit really is. Translation: can you say tax increase to pay for the loans? Listen for the surprise realiziation about which pet project of millionaires may have benefitted from the book-cookery while providing cover for their political allies at city hall.

Another episode, another report of stolen campaign signs. It's pretty obvious from the victims, who the perps might be, and we even have a partial physical description of one of the dirty tricksters.

FP edu-beat fella Nick Martin can't stop blogging his feelings about Dr. Jon Gerrard refering to the 'Field of Dreams' purchase of the Midway Chrysler land being an unfulfilled NDP promise (and an eyesore), and the paper quickly ran a follow up to explain why the new 'green space' at Gordon Bell HS is behind schedule ie. needing to raise $500,000 for astro turf (does that count as green space), plus another $800k on top of it. We parse the stories and comments to give some perspective on the political opportunism behind it all - without even mentioning the name Pat Martin!

Plus, by stumbling across a column about the inner city by the poverty industry in today's broadsheet, we launched into a lesson in electioneering, and explain the links between the 'grassroots organizations' being lauded and the party that was not named that was also being patted on the back and promoted. Or, as one onliner said: Are the numbers in this article just a platform for the NDP?

To conclude the show, we compare the poverty industry ways vis a vis homicide #30, as if the 15 year old killed after being knifed 6 times at College and Aikens would have been saved if only there was more recreation programs. (At 3 AM ?)

There's a 6 letter word that might, might, have saved gang-involved Clarky Stevenson - and may save other children - and TGCTS is waiting for one of the leaders to say it out loud.

Here's the link to the Wednesday podcast:
http://tgctspod.podbean.com/2011/09/14/tgcts-wed-sept-14-2011-the-loan-act-budget-trick-of-the-ndp-and-more-campaign-dirty-tricks/