Three-party race in Verdun could spell the end of Liberal reign – CTV News Montreal

For decades the riding of Verdun has voted Liberal, but this election might be different.

Quebec Solidaire and the CAQ are leading polls, with the Liberals a close third place.

Housing is a significant issue in the riding, with real estate prices and rents have soared in recent years in Verdun.

Quebec Solidaire candidate Alejandra Zaga Mendez will focus a major part of her campaign on housing and the environment.

Zaga Mendez says she lives with a roommate because rent is too costly.

"Housing is a big issue because people are not able to afford the price of the apartments at this point," she said.

The race to win Verdun could be one of the most exciting in Montreal.

"When we talk about ridings on the island of Montreal that the Liberals have held for a long time and that could really fall, I think Verdun is like the poster child of that riding," Daniel Bland, a political science professor at McGill, said.

Liberal party candidate Isabelle Melancon is feeling confident. She's won two elections in Verdun.

"I went to the Verdun legion, at the Dawson community centre, and the reception is very good," Melancon said. "The English community knows I'm an ally, and I will always work for my citizens."

She isn't the only candidate with prior political experience. Veronique Tremblay is running under the CAQ banner and is currently a city councillor in the riding.

"I've learned a lot about the issues for Verdun, so I know Verdun very well," Tremblay said. "I know the citizens. I know the needs. I think lots of issues share the solutions between the municipal and the provincial."

The election is Oct. 3.

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Three-party race in Verdun could spell the end of Liberal reign - CTV News Montreal

Teletherapy Leader Partners with 16th Liberal Arts College in 2022 – PR Newswire

Gettysburg College launches teletherapy solution, Uwill, to increase capacity and provide after-hour support

GETTYSBURG, Pa., Sept. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Uwill, the leading teletherapy solution for colleges and students, today, announced a partnership with Gettysburg College to support the counseling services available on campus and increase capacity. As the need for mental health support increases nationwide, Uwill's solution utilizes need and preferences to immediately match students with a diverse team of licensed and available counselors.

"Our goal is to provide comprehensive mental health and wellness services campus wide, for all Gettysburg students. We needed to remove barriers such as service hours, and to create an array of opportunities for all students to access quality care. Uwill will help ensure an experience where students can learn, lead, and succeed inside and outside of the classroom," said Krista Dhruv, Executive Director of Counseling and Wellness at Gettysburg College. "By providing the necessary mental health resources, we hope to support each and every student, providing them a sense of balance, and the ability to excel."

Gettysburg College is launching this teletherapy option at a time of increasing mental health challenges reported on campuses nationwide, where 95% of students felt their mental health negatively affected them within the past year. "At a time where mental health support is of paramount importance, Gettysburg's partnership with Uwill shows their dedication to student wellbeing and success," said Michael London, Founder and CEO of Uwill.

Utilizing its proprietary technology and counselor team, Uwill pioneered the first Higher-Ed therapist matching platform and wellness environment. The solution offers an immediate connection to an available licensed counselor based on student preferences, all modalities of teletherapy, 24/7/365 crisis connection, wellness programming, detailed reporting and support. Uwill partners with more than 100 institutions worldwide including the UC Santa Barbara, Berklee Online, Xavier University, and Morgan State University to ensure their mental health and wellness environment meets student needs.

About Uwill

Uwill has become the leading mental health and wellness solution for colleges and students. The most cost-effective way to complement a college's mental health offering, Uwill partners with more than 100 institutions including Boston College, University of Michigan, American Public University System, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Uwill is also the teletherapy education partner for NASPA. For more information, visit uwill.com

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Teletherapy Leader Partners with 16th Liberal Arts College in 2022 - PR Newswire

Liberal made cost-of-living crisis gets worse as interest rates rise again – Conservative Party of Canada

Ottawa, ON Dan Albas, Conservative Shadow Minister for Finance, and Grard Deltell, Conservative Shadow Minister for Innovation, Science and Industry, today released the following statement after the Bank of Canada increased interest rates by 75 basis points:

Todays 75 basis point interest rate hike means more pain for Canadians struggling to keep up with record cost of living pressures.

Despite being warned that out-of-control spending would continue to put enormous upward pressure on inflation and interest rates, Justin Trudeau and his NDP allies have refused to change course. As a result of continuing with their reckless tax and spend agenda, Canadians are now being forced to contend with a fourth consecutive outsized interest-rate hike.

For Canadians, this means less of their hard-earned money in their own pockets. Canadians with mortgages will see a sharp increase in their payments, while those looking to buy a house for the first time will see the dream of homeownership slip out of reach.

Anyone who has taken on debt to afford basics like food, rent, and utilities will see their purchasing power eroded by increased debt repayment. Unfortunately, the Liberals and their NDP allies have rejected Conservative proposals to reduce inflationary pressure by getting their reckless government spending under control.

Instead, the Liberals and their NDP partners seem to be out-of-touch with the cost-of-living crisis Canadians are facing. As a result of their failure to control spending and provide cost-of-living relief, Canada appears poised to face a significant economic downturn.

Canadians deserve a government that will fight the cost-of-living crisis and make life more affordable. That is why Conservatives will continue to call on the government to tackle inflation by getting reckless spending under control.

Conservatives will continue to fight to leave more money in the pockets of hard-working Canadians, protect the value of the money that they earn, and end the governments inflation-fueling reckless spending.

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Liberal made cost-of-living crisis gets worse as interest rates rise again - Conservative Party of Canada

Liberal Democrats were the first to call for energy prices to be frozen – Devon Live

RICHARD FOORD IS THE LIBERAL DEMOCRAT MP FOR TIVERTON AND HONITON

With the energy price cap rising to a staggering 3,549 this autumn, households are bracing for the impact. Many are already struggling to make ends meet and are faced with bills soaring by at least 80%.

Many of us swallowed hard back in April when the price cap rose to a sum just shy of 2,000 - now the situation is even more serious. People from across our part of Devon have been in touch with me to tell me how concerned they are about how they will cope with this huge rise in bills.

The Conservative Party has spent weeks talking to itself and playing brinkmanship with promises of ever larger tax cuts. The Liz Truss-led Government has now conceded that it will have to act, after months of pressure from opposition parties.

The Liberal Democrats were the first to call for energy prices to be frozen and have said all along that we would not fund this through borrowing, instead funding this vital relief with a windfall tax on the super-profits being raked in by energy companies.

We have relied for a long time on the generosity of all the wonderful people in our area who contribute to charities, but we cannot ask even more of them given that we are about to see the biggest hit to living standards in the UK for over one hundred years.

The Government must take drastic action to avoid people going under. Liberal Democrats have been saying for weeks that the Government must cancel the October energy price rise outright this would save households in our area more than 1,900 and provide people with some peace of mind.

This week Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey tabled a bill in Parliament to freeze bills. Now that Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss have paused the civil war in the Conservative Party, we need Ms Truss to act and give people the reassurance they need.

But freezing bills alone is simply not enough. We need additional targeted support for vulnerable and low-income households. By doubling the Warm Homes Discount, extending it to all those who receive Pension Credit and investing in home insulation for customers who face fuel poverty, we can ensure that people in Devon and beyond can afford to stay warm this winter.

I have also been calling for additional support for those who live off-grid and are therefore more susceptible to rises in the price of heating oil. By capping the cost, we can protect the thousands of people who - by no fault of their own are more vulnerable to price fluctuations.

There is an additional benefit of investing heavily in insulation. By ensuring heat is not lost from our homes, we can cut back on how often we turn the heating on, help address the climate crisis and keep bills down.

This is an emergency. I hope that by the time you read this, the Government will have bowed to pressure from the Liberal Democrats and others to step in and help people across Devon by cancelling the planned rise in energy bills this October.

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Liberal Democrats were the first to call for energy prices to be frozen - Devon Live

While the Bank of Canada tries to kill inflation, the Liberal government risks giving it new life – Toronto Star

Two major things are happening to Canadians on the cost-of-living front this week.

The Bank of Canada is raising its key interest rate by another giant leap of 75 basis points, pushing up borrowing costs and slowing down the economy in a relentless attempt to stifle inflation.

And the federal Liberals, holed up in Vancouver for their annual summer cabinet retreat, are gearing up to announce funding and legislation for dental-care support, roll out a housing subsidy and perhaps even contemplate a GST rebate for low-income people, the Star has learned.

If it were a contest for who is more effective at targeting inflation, the Bank of Canada would get the prize.

But theres a brutal downside to the sharp interest-rate hikes coming at a precarious time in the economy: they undermine growth, and thats in short supply right now. The central bank risks provoking a recession, not the soft landing for which weve all been hoping.

So if there were a contest for who is more focused on dealing with the fallout of higher prices, the federal Liberals and their NDP collaborators who have been pushing for these measures would get that prize, as long as theyre careful.

The policy and money the government puts toward easing the day-to-day costs of low-income households through helping them with housing or paying their dental bills are far more nuanced than the blunt instrument that is interest rates.

For the Liberals, dental and housing benefits also have the added bonus of partially meeting the NDPs requirements for political co-operation, keeping that party onside and avoiding an election anytime soon. The agreement with the NDP saw the Liberals commit to a $500 top-up for recipients of the Canada Housing Benefit and dental care for children under 12 in families making less than $90,000 a year.

While a GST rebate isnt on the NDPs formal list of demands, leader Jagmeet Singh has made the case for it incessantly over the past few months. He argues that corporations are profiting handsomely from higher prices, while low-income families cant make ends meet. A GST rebate for low-income households would help offset the extra costs for the most vulnerable.

Theres a downside to those measures too, of course.

For one, they could bulk up the deficit, and that could be inflationary. However, the government is running a surplus so far this fiscal year, compared to a $37-billion deficit at this time last year. Revenues from corporations are rolling in thick. Most but not all of the cost of the dental and housing announcements has been booked in the fiscal framework already.

And the spending on affordability could fuel consumption, which is also inflationary, at least in principle. However, wages are not keeping up with inflation these days, and low-income families are especially pinched.

So the design and scope of the government plans are very important. The benefits of helping low-income households with affordability need to outweigh the costs of possibly exacerbating inflation. Narrowly targeted government help that is geared to income and not too costly could meet the test.

Its a tension that will be with the government and Bank of Canada for many months to come.

The central bank served notice on Wednesday that it will continue to drive interest rates up until its satisfied inflation is well under control and settling back down to the two-per-cent range. Economists are revising their projections for growth and interest rates as we speak, but generally they anticipate a couple more small rate hikes, and then a yearlong wait while those higher rates work their way through the economy. In the meantime, we could well topple into a recession, with the weak job market and financial pain that word implies.

Thats a long, long haul for households already facing extra costs.

Number-crunchers are outdoing themselves with math to emphasize how significant the streak of oversized rate hikes will be for Canadian households. Royal Bank and Desjardins doubled down on their projections of a mild recession next year, especially as housing markets continue to soften. Credit analysts at Equifax figure the average family needs an extra $400 a month to cover inflation plus the expense around rising interest rates. Mortgage brokers at Ratehub.ca say a selected homeowner with a variable-rate mortgage will pay $236 more per month on mortgage payments because of Wednesdays rate increase.

And thats by design. The Bank of Canada makes no bones about wanting to zap the housing market and pour cold water on consumers. Its goal is twofold: soften demand so it can match struggling supply, and keep inflation expectations in check.

Looming large in the background behind this dance between the Bank of Canada and the political decision makers is the Russia-induced energy crisis that has consumed Europe and threatens to engulf much of the world in hard times. All of the best-laid plans of the Bank of Canada to push inflation down to two per cent, and the federal governments best intentions to keep spending well targeted and geared to income, could easily be thrown into disarray come winter.

The real contest will be to see who is the most nimble in the face of perpetual crisis.

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While the Bank of Canada tries to kill inflation, the Liberal government risks giving it new life - Toronto Star

Joe Oliver: Liberals risk drowning in the Poilievre wave – Financial Post

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The conventional wisdom that Poilievre cannot win a national election is wearing thin

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As the Conservative leadership campaign approaches what now seems certain to be Pierre Poilievres coronation, progressives are unnerved by the huge crowds of all ages he is attracting across the country, which point to an expanding Conservative base. Predictably, the Laurentian elite and their media loyalists have dissolved into full-blown derangement syndrome, while providing cover for Liberal missteps. Intriguingly, they are less protective of an increasingly unpopular prime minister.

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The conventional wisdom that Poilievre cannot win a national election is wearing thin. Inflation, which people intuitively understand was created and exacerbated by government profligacy, is the publics top concern. There is also widespread frustration with the governments maddening incompetence and multiple ministerial missteps: Omar Alghabra for the airport debacles, Marco Mendicino, for misleading Parliament about the Emergencies Act, Karina Gould for mind-boggling passport delays, Mlanie Joly for an official inexplicably attending a Russian diplomatic party, Ahmed Hussen and Pablo Rodriguez for the Marouf scandal, Chrystia Freeland for favouring out-of-control spending over growth.

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The prime ministers charisma has faded with his teams eroding credibility. Moreover, even die-hard Liberals are disillusioned by his own divisive tactics, hypocritical virtue-signalling, inability to deliver on priorities, tarnished brand abroad and, perhaps most important for them, 50 per cent disapproval rating.

The government is notoriously selective about treating people differently depending on their race, ethnic group, gender identity, sexual preference, age or country of origin. The most obvious case in point is that despite Laith Maroufs appallingly bigoted and anti-semitic comments he was paid half a million public dollars to provide anti-racism advice. The absence of even elementary due diligence is inexcusable. Worse, it took over a month for the responsible minister to act and even longer for the prime minister to comment, no doubt in part because he did not want to own up to his ministrys incompetence but perhaps also because Marouf hypocritically presented himself as a supposed ally in its core mission.

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Had a racial minority or Aboriginal person been called a bag of feces or threatened with a bullet to the head the PM would quite rightly have expressed outrage, likely in minutes. He was appropriately quick off the mark when Chrystia Freeland was subject to unacceptable verbal harassment. Which makes the delayed reaction from the government and many in the media in the Marouf case even more disconcerting. The Jewish community is understandably disheartened by the blatant double standard. As a matter of basic decency, not to mention fundamental philosophical principle, governments should treat people equally and not discriminate based on twisted notions about identity or victimhood politics.

Pierre Poilievre clearly understands the widespread and growing anger about the disdain, condescension and snobbery a progressive elite have for working and lower middle-class Canadians. He empathizes with resentment about nanny-state intrusions, the politicization of science and the often bizarre ideas of left-wing ideologues, woke capitalists and expert academics. He agrees with people who rail against a government that allows faceless bureaucrats to infringe on their agency, curtail their freedom and damage their standard of living with heavy taxes and burdensome regulations.

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Critics are torn between claiming Pierre Poilievre has no policies and denouncing these non-policies as extreme. He is decried as a populist because he seeks public support (as if the Liberal default position on just about everything is not to swing with public opinion). The Trump North label has failed to stick because he has been consistently pro-choice, supports gay marriage and favours immigration.

Liberals loath Pierre Poilievre because they fear he will dismantle excessive government intervention in society and the economy, reverse tax-and-spend policies, encourage natural resource development, defend free speech and genuine diversity of opinion, decry woke-ism, defund the CBC and undercut elite influence.

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But it is Pierre Poilievre, not Justin Trudeau, who reflects mainstream Canadian thinking about fundamental issues. He believes profoundly in personal freedom and is proud of our history. In contrast, Trudeau has called Canada systemically racist and guilty of genocide. He proclaimed it the worlds first post-national state and declared There is no core identity, no mainstream in Canada. His far-left thinking manifests itself in a profligate government that creates more problems than it solves.

Trudeaus cultish climate obsession has wrought enormous harm to jobs, growth, national unity and the economic prospects of Indigenous peoples. Yet it has not achieved a single national GHG target or impacted global warming even minutely something that actually could be achieved if Canadian LNG replaced coal in energy-hungry Asia and Europe.

I expect Pierre Poilievre will reach out to his leadership rivals and their supporters the way Stephen Harper did as prime minister. He can easily do that without compromising conservative principles, policy priorities or authenticity. It would be the magnanimous and smart thing to do. He will then speak directly to Canadians about how he will represent their values and interests and pursue his vision for a prosperous, proud and fair country for everyone. No wonder Liberals are worried.

Joe Oliver was minister of natural resources and minister of finance in the Harper government.

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Joe Oliver: Liberals risk drowning in the Poilievre wave - Financial Post

Liberal Journalist Mocks Republicans Trying to Help People …

We reported earlier on the bad situation in Virginia where people were stuck in the snow on I-95 for up to a day. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) was still stuck after 19 hours, earlier this morning.

As we noted, some on the left tried to blame the situation on recently elected Republican Glenn Youngkin. But Youngkin isnt even in office yet, so any government response that should have been done here is all on the current, Democrat Gov. Ralph Blackface Northam and he wasnt doing a great job at it.

People stuck for hours were left to fend for themselves to figure out what to do. So, some were using social media to help each other. This is the best of America, when people respond in this fashion to help each other out.

Now you wouldnt think that anyone could object to the people trying to help each other out in the middle of such a situation. But then, you wouldnt know liberal journalist Jonathan Chait, he who shall be permanently aggrieved no matter the situation.

In the middle of a snow emergency with these people trapped in the snow, this is what he thinks is a proper response? And by the way, Jonathan, this kind of response is pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps. When the government fails you, you figure out ways around it to help yourself and your neighbors. Its the very essence of Reaganism, but more broadly, being a good American.

The Reagan account is doing what it can to help people, and the liberal account of Jonathan Chait is carping and mocking people being in danger. Could there be a better example of why one philosophy is better than the other here? How soulless do you have to be when this is what youre thinking about at this point?

This is the same guy who mocked Americans last month who were concerned about the price of milk because of inflation. He has no soul and is all in with the tribalism.

Of course, it shouldnt be about politics now, but making sure everyone is safe, as the Reagan account pointedly told Chait, who doesnt seem to understand that.

My colleague Joe Cunningham does him in nicely here:

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Liberal Journalist Mocks Republicans Trying to Help People ...

Youth wing of Australia’s Liberal Party recognising the Republic of Artsakh and the Armenian, Assyrian, Greek Genocides Public Radio of Armenia -…

The Young Liberal Movement of Australia has unanimously adopted a motion at its National Convention recognising the 1915 Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides, as well as acknowledging the rights to self-determination of the indigenous Armenian people of the Republic of Artsakh, reported the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU).

The Young Liberal Movement is the youth wing of the Liberal Party of Australia, which is one of two major political parties in Australian politics and currently the party in Government federally, led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

The adoption of the motion demonstrates the growing discourse in Australian society supporting national recognition of the 1915 Genocides, which contrasts with the policy of the Morrison Government,who have continued to placate the denialist Turkish Government with the use of euphemisms instead of the word genocidewhen referring to the Ottoman massacres against the Empires Christian minorities.

Significantly, the motion also ensures the Young Liberals support the rights to self-determination of the Republic of Artsakh, which is currently under occupation by Azerbaijan following their attacks on the independent Armenian-populated state in 2020 during the Nagorno Karabakh War.

The 2022 Young Liberal Federal Convention was held from January 21 23, 2022 at the Hobart Convention and Exhibition Centre at the Hotel Grand Chancellor, with 44 voting delegates participating from six states and the Australian Capital Territory.

The motion was moved by ACT Young Liberal President Connor Andreatidis and seconded by one of his colleagues from the ACT Young Liberal delegation.

Andreatidis motion not only recognised the 1915 crimes committed by the Ottoman Empire, but also called on the Federal Government to recognise and condemn the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides.

His motion also linked the Armenian Genocide to contemporary acts of aggression, notably Azerbaijani hostilities against the Armenian nation witnessed in September 2020 and the pan-Turkic attempts to ethnically cleanse the Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) region of Armenians.

Andreatidis motion called on the Federal Young Liberals to recognise the right to self-determination of the Armenians of the Republic of Artsakh, and that the recent and ongoing attacks against the Republic of Artsakh by Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey, are part of an ongoing legacy of Genocide and genocide denial.

Prominent members of the Australian Liberal Party were also present at the Federal Convention and witnessed the unprecedented motion, including longtime friend and ally of the Armenian-Australian community Senator Eric Abetz, fellow Tasmanian Senators Claire Chandler and Senator Jonathon Duniam, and Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein.

ANC-AU Executive Director Haig Kayserian welcomed the support of the Australian Young Liberal Movement and thanked them for adopting the motion.

This motion saw future leaders of our nation call out their current leaders by taking a unanimous stand in solidarity with the Armenian-Australian, Assyrian-Australian and Greek-Australian communities by addressing past and current injustices that remain unpunished, Kayserian said.

Thanks to the leadership of Mr Connor Andreatidis, some of the most politically active youth from around the country and members of our Prime Ministers own party have sent a collective, clear and unequivocal message that we must face our future challenges by recognising and condemning past injustices wherever they may take place, Kayserian added.

We thank Mr Andreatidis and past and present Young Liberal members who have supported this and similar motions which continue to demonstrate their ongoing commitment to advancing issues important to our communities.

In August 2020, the ACT Young Liberals passed a similar resolution recognised and condemning the 1915 Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides and the right to self-determination of the Republic of Artsakh (seehere).

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Youth wing of Australia's Liberal Party recognising the Republic of Artsakh and the Armenian, Assyrian, Greek Genocides Public Radio of Armenia -...

OPINION/LETTER: Liberal progressives and a focus on feelings – Yahoo News

Liberal progressives and a focus on feelings

The letter to the editor, Supreme Court is wrong in COVID-19 decision (Jan, 20, 2022), shows why liberal progressives are a danger to this country. The author says the U.S. Supreme Court should have based its recent mask and vaccine mandate ruling on what he feels would be best for the health and safety of the general public.

His letter shows he does not understand or chooses to ignore the role of the U.S. Supreme Court in our democracy. SCOTUS is meant to be a strictly judicial body. It is not supposed to advocate for or against social policy like mandated mask wearing and vaccination. Its job is to dispassionately decide whether government and private sector actions are constitutional.

SCOTUS ruled that the Constitution does not give the Biden administration the authority to force businesses to require employees to be vaccinated.

Liberal progressives who are rapidly gaining influence in Rhode Island politics are dangerous because reality, facts and the U.S. Constitution mean little to them, as the Jan. 20 letter to the editor makes clear. They demand laws and government policies be based on their feelings. Emotion-driven policies dont make for good government.

Rational people gather facts and draw logical conclusions to make sound public policy. Liberal progressives dont so they should never be elected to public office.

Robert King, Middletown

This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: LETTER: Liberal progressives and a focus on feelings

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OPINION/LETTER: Liberal progressives and a focus on feelings - Yahoo News

MSNBC’s Tiffany Cross urges liberals to ‘pick up a weapon and get involved’ in ‘war’ for democracy – Fox News

MSNBC host Tiffany Cross urged fellow progressives to "pick up a weapon and get involved" in the "war" for the survival of the country on Saturday.

Cross was discussing alleged Trump election interference with Democrat state representative Jasmine Crockett, who is running for Congress in Texas, during Saturdays edition of MSNBCs "The Cross Connection" when the duo speculated about how to fend off Republicans who could object to future results.

MSNBC host Tiffany Cross urged liberals to "pick up a weapon and get involved" in the "war" for democracy. (MSNBC)

KAMALA HARRIS MOST MEMORABLE, EMBARRASSING AND BIZARRE MEDIA MOMENTS

"How do we as a country protect this democracywhen these folks don't like the outcome of the next election, and Jasmine, you know, you're running for Congress inTexas where this is a problem, where they have partisan poll watchers,an open-carry state.It's a very fragile situation that we're in right now," Cross said. "What's your message to the people that you're running to represent? And what's your message to our viewers today?"

Crockett responded that "the role that Black women play in democracy" isnt talked about enough by the media, but she will fight for them in the ongoing "war" against people who oppose liberal viewpoints.

"So there's a bigger story that I think is brewing, and that is that Black women have consistently fought for our democracy on every single level," Crockett said. "And I think that Black women will continue to fight for our democracy. And that's exactly what I plan to do. I don't plan to give up. I know that I wouldn't be here but for those that fought before me, so I'm going to continue this fight. We can't let up. If we say we've been defeated, then they have won.This is a war.This isn't a battle, andwe absolutely will win this war."

NBC'S CHUCK TODD: BIDEN 'NO LONGER SEEN AS COMPETENT AND EFFECTIVE'

MSNBCs "The Cross Connection" namesake host agreed that its a "war," and took the analogy a step further.

"It is indeed a war.And I have to say, they have won some battles, Jasmine, but we have to keep our eye on the war.And everybody needs to pick up a weapon and get involvedbecause this is for the safety and lasting of the country," Cross said.

She appeared to be speaking metaphorically, but the language was still striking given the ongoing media conversation about charged rhetoric in politics and the press.

Cross, who has emerged as one of MSNBCs most liberal voices, also recently blastedRepublicanmembers of Congress as "White supremacists."

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MSNBC's Tiffany Cross urges liberals to 'pick up a weapon and get involved' in 'war' for democracy - Fox News

Liberal Boys and Girls Wrestling Teams Win at Atwood – KSCB News.net

Tommy McClure

The Angry Red wrestling traveled up north to Atwood Kansas to compete in the Buffalo Invitational with an almost complete varsity boys and girls team and a few JV. The Redskins came off a loss to Garden City in their first WAC dual of the season. The Redskins looked more motivated than down going into Atwood. Both Redskin squads would come home with 1st place teams in the boys and girls division with 6 champions and 16 other placers.

The Lady Redskins would only have one individual champion in Mana Chanthasone at 106, but with a large number of girls vs a tournament filled with smaller schools, the lady red would put a placer in every bracket. Chanthasone would dominate her best of three series against Colbys Volger. Isabella Gutierrez would pick up a couple of pins to place 2nd. Leilani Torres would pin 3 of her girls on her way to a second-place finish in the tournament. Other placers were Amelia Alarcon 3rd at 120, Luz Tercero Vargas 2nd at 132, Angelica Quezada 2nd at 143, Alexa Valenzuela 3rd at 143, Rosa Pablo 3rd at 155, Jasmine Rangel 3rd at 170.

The boys would ratchet it up a notch and look the part of a top team. The Redskins big 5 took care of business and all won their brackets with ease. Irving Mendez pinned all three of his foes in the first period all in the first minute. Tommy McClure would pin one and put his other two opponents in grueling matches. Jesus Torres would pin all three of his opponents with his championship being the best of the three, as he would pin Atwoods Withington, who had a record of 23 and 1 record and a number 3 ranking in 3A, in 1 minute 24 seconds. Trystan Juarez, like Mendez, would not let his opponents even get a minute of wrestling in pinning all three. Javon Allen would start off tech falling his first kid in the first period, then made it easier on himself pinning the last 4 opponents.

Liberals biggest surprise came in at their 106-pound bracket with freshman Julian Orrantia, who was Liberals JV and non-scorer. Orrantia, who is almost 20 pounds under weight, broke brackets. He would defeat the number one seed and make it into the championship match. He would fall in the second period but wrestled as a master technician all day. Liberals Big freshman, Hudson Rice, continued his good showing taking 3rd in a round-robin, only getting third because of criteria due to the fact Hudson would beat the one wrestler who had pinned all the other heavyweights, but his early loss to Atwoods Bearley. Other placers were Trey Dinkins 4th at 285, Mathew Trejo 2nd at 195, Yahir Gomez 3rd at 160, Aldo Hernandez 4th at 138, Edgar Landa 4th at 120,

I was very impressed with how both the boys and girls teams bounced back after hard fought losses to Garden City on the previous Thursday night. Our Angry Red girls and boys teams came together to form a unified Liberal Angry Red wrestling team. The girls team are well balanced and a solid team, and they proved it by starting and finishing strong. The boys also had a dominating day from start to finish of the tournament. The boys have built their success on a trio of wrestlers for the 1st half of the season and now have expanded that to the BIG 5. The Angry Red boys wrestling teams BIG 5 consists of: Irving Mendez, Tommy McClure, Jesus Torres, Trystian Juarez, and Javon Allen. We are now focusing on trying to expand the BIG 5 up to the BIG 6 and then the BIG 7, and so on, Coach Fowler.

Liberal will travel to Lamar Colorado for a dual on Wednesday then Varsity Boys and Some Varsity girls will Compete in one of the states toughest tournaments Rocky Welton Friday, while JV boys and other Varsity girls will travel to Larned on Saturday.

Mana Chanthasone (14-2) placed 1st and scored 14.0 team points.

Isabella Gutierrez (12-9) placed 2nd and scored 14.0 team points.

Gisel Tarango (1-8) placed 5th and scored 0.0 team points.

Amelia Alarcon (4-10) placed 3rd and scored 9.0 team points.

Luz Tercero Vargas (5-9) placed 2nd and scored 9.0 team points.

Alexa Valenzuela (8-10) placed 3rd.

Angelica Quezada (6-11) placed 2nd and scored 7.0 team points.

Rosa Pablo (1-5) placed 3rd and scored 4.0 team points.

Jasmine Rangel (0-4) placed 3rd and scored 4.0 team points.

Leilani Torres (9-5) placed 2nd and scored 16.0 team points.

Julian Orantia (8-7) placed 2nd.

Eloy Trujillo (1-11) place is unknown and scored 4.0 team points.

Amedeus Holler (1-2) place is unknown and scored 1.0 team points.

Edgar Landa (10-10) placed 4th and scored 11.0 team points.

Irving Mendez (20-2) placed 1st and scored 20.0 team points.

Aldo Hernandez (4-6) placed 4th and scored 15.0 team points.

Edgar Dominquez (6-7) place is unknown.

Tommy McClure (29-4) placed 1st and scored 25.0 team points.

Mason Bickerstaff (0-2) place is unknown.

Jesus Torres (20-5) placed 1st and scored 28.0 team points.

Julian Harvey (2-5) place is unknown.

Alex Schwindt (5-11) place is unknown and scored 8.0 team points.

Yahir Gomez (8-3) placed 3rd.

Trystian Juarez (23-2) placed 1st and scored 24.0 team points.

Max Arcos (9-10) place is unknown.

Javon Allen (18-5) placed 1st and scored 23.5 team points.

Mathew Trejo (9-3) placed 2nd and scored 14.0 team points.

Daniel Don Juan (5-13) placed 5th.

Hudson Rice (17-5) placed 3rd and scored 14.0 team points.

trey Dinkins (2-3) placed 4th.

Original post:

Liberal Boys and Girls Wrestling Teams Win at Atwood - KSCB News.net

Liberal leadership speculation a distraction, Trudeau should shut it down firmly, say Liberal MPs, political insiders, and pollsters – The Hill Times

If Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is definitely planning to lead his party in the next election, he should put an end to the speculation about the leadership election, or it could become a serious distraction for the government at a time when the country is dealing with the serious health and economic challenges of COVID, say MPs, Liberal political insiders, staffers and pollsters.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured Jan. 19, 2022, at a Hill presser in the Sir John A. Macdonald Building. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

If youve got rumours and second guessing and people mobilizing in the background, weve seen this before, and that rarely turns out well, either for the guy in the position [prime minister] or for the competitors to take over, said Frank Graves, president of Ekos Research, in an interview with The Hill Times.

If you dont pay attention, and all the other stuff is going on in the background, it puts you in a very weak position. If he [Trudeau] wants to stay, he should definitely make that point, extremely clear and well-known so that any successors [should be] aware that they can alter their plans or continue with them, but with the assumption that hes going to be there, said Graves.

Graves and others interviewed for this article referred to the infamous Liberal infighting back in 2000-2002 between the Jean Chrtien and Paul Martin camps, which along with the Liberal Sponsorship Scandal and them holding power since 1993 eventually contributed to the Liberals losing power to the Conservatives in 2006. It took the Liberals about 10 years to return back to power. In his first speech after winning the 2013 Liberal leadership election, Trudeau made a point of telling all Liberals that there should not be any divisions in the party and that there were no Chrtienites or Martinites anymore.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland is seen as the front-runner in the Liberal leadership potential candidates field whenever the contest opens up. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

If you want to deal with these seeds of a problem, you sort of get rid of them before they start to blossom, said one former senior Liberal. Right now, you could argue some seeds have been planted in a pot. The question: are they going to get some water, sunlight, or not? And Trudeau can make sure that theres no sunlight or water and he has the power to nip it in the bud.

Since the last federal election, political circles have been awash with speculation that Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) will not lead the party in the next election. Some have been arguing that he has won three federal elections in a rowone majority two minoritiesand will not run in a fourth as that could end in a defeat. They point out that in the last two elections, he ran against two different opposition party leaders and ended up with a minority, each time. In each of the three federal elections, the Liberal Partys share of support has gone down consistently which is seen as an indication that Trudeaus best before date is fast approaching.

Since the 2015 election when the Liberals won a landslide majority with 184 seats, the Liberal Partys popular vote support has gone down. Also, it failed to win a majority government in 2019 and 2021 and the number of seats in 2019 and 2021 are almost the same.

Last years election is the first time in Canadian history when a federal party formed government by winning only 32.6 per cent of the popular vote nationally. Prior to this, the lowest popular vote by which a party formed government was in the 2019 election when the Liberals formed government with only 33.1 per cent. And before that, the Joe Clark Progressive Conservatives formed minority government with 35.9 per cent of the votes in 1979.

So, Liberal insiders say that barring a major fundamental change in Canadian federal politics, Trudeau will not seek a fourth term as the party leader.

Hes done, he cannot go into another election, he will lose the next election, said one well-connected Liberal in an interview. People are going to want change. Even in a pandemic election, he could not win a majority. This is after the biggest spending boom, this is where you, your dog, and your cat, and your cousin, and everyone else got money. And if you cant get people to vote for you by giving them money, Im not sure how you can ever get them to vote for you.

Industry Minister Franois-Philippe Champagne will run in the next Liberal leadership election. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Since the election, Trudeau has said a number of times that he will lead the party in the next election. But political insiders say he has no option to say otherwise because he would be a lame duck prime minister. They expect him to stick around for about 18 months and leave after that.

Because of this speculation, a number of potential candidates from within and outside of the caucus have been quietly putting together their teams and reaching out to potential supporters across the country. Some of the potential candidates expected to throw their hat in the ring include Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland (University-Rosedale, Ont.); Industry Minister Franois-Philippe Champagne (Saint-Maurice Champlain, Que.); Defence Minister Anita Anand (Oakville, Ont.); Foreign Minister Mlanie Joly (Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Que.); and Diversity Minister Ahmed Hussen (York South-Weston, Ont.). Other MPs might also throw their hat in the ring when the contest opens up.

Former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney and former Montreal Liberal MP Frank Baylis are also said to be testing the waters.

Liberal staffers interviewed for this article said that their colleagues have already been talking about the post-Trudeau Liberal Party, and are in the process of deciding which leadership candidate they will work for. Prior to the Christmas break, one of the most talked about subjects among staffers and MPs at social gatherings was the Liberal leadership election. The Globe and Mails Bob Fife and Steven Chase also reported on the Liberal leadership speculation on Nov. 24, 2021. But because of the recent lockdown as a result of Omicron variant, almost everyone has been working from home and this subject has been on the back-burner for about a month. But they expect things to change when the House returns for the winter sitting.

Omicron has really killed a lot of that because now nobody is in the same room, said a Liberal insider. Im hearing a lot less right now. Quite frankly, [because of] the holidays people were busy, or busy keeping themselves safe and doing their own thing.

Some Liberal Hill staffers and backbench MPs told The Hill Times that since the election, most of the cabinet ministers and their staffers, especially potential leadership candidates, have been very prompt in returning their calls and unusually accommodating. Also, they find them unusually pleasant, respectful and deferential, making backbench MPs feel very special.

Everyones now suspicious about why these ministers are so nice all of a sudden, said one MP.

Meanwhile, Graves said that in the coming weeks and months, Trudeau and his cabinet will have to make some major decisions on issues like economy and health. But, if theres jockeying going on behind the scenes when the prime minister has no plans to leave, the government would not be able to do its job.

Darrell Bricker, CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs, said that if Trudeau is staying on and the party does not put a stop to the leadership speculation, it could end up in the same divisive situation Erin OTooles (Durham, Ont.) Conservatives are in now.

Just as it is for Erin OToole, where theres a lot of talk about inside baseball, and people are focused on things happening inside the caucus room, instead of being focused on trying to take on their opponents, or present a vision for the country looking like theyre not worried about that situation, said Bricker. To the extent that theyre distracted by it, theyll have the same problems as the Conservatives.

Nik Nanos, founder and chief data scientist for Nanos Research, said that with Trudeau as party leader, the Liberals can theoretically win another election. He said it would likely be a minority. If Trudeau decided to leave and theres a leadership election, things would become complicated as leadership elections are, by definition, divisive. Right now, its anybodys guess how divided the Liberals would be after the next leadership election, but a divided Conservative Party and a divided Liberal Party would be a good news for the NDP, said Nanos.

After each federal election, it becomes hard mathematically for the incumbent party to win the next election because every government has its best before date. So, in order for the Liberals to win the next election, not only do they have to do well, but also the opposition parties will have to make mistakes giving an opening to the Liberals. Also, they will have to give a convincing reason to Canadians why they should choose the Liberals over the other parties.

Stephen Harper was a successful prime minister and won a number of elections, but in the election that Stephen Harper lost, it was because he had been in power for a number of years and hadnt articulated why he still needed to be in power, said Nanos.

For the Liberals to win the next election, they have to hope that the Conservatives are disorganized, and Jagmeet Singh doesnt have a great campaign. And then they need to articulate especially if Justin Trudeau was the prime minister, whats left to be done to explain why Canadians should give Justin Trudeau and the Liberals another mandate, said Nanos.

The Hill Times

Continued here:

Liberal leadership speculation a distraction, Trudeau should shut it down firmly, say Liberal MPs, political insiders, and pollsters - The Hill Times

Liberal media members heap praise on Biden following first solo press conference in months: ‘Quite the change’ – Fox News

Media top headlines January 20

In media news today, Biden appears to lose his cool after a reporters question on divisiveness, NPR stands by mask report as three SCOTUS justices refute its claims, and MSNBCs Rachel Maddow says Biden used his long press conference to show Putin he has stamina.

President Biden was met with heaping praise from members of the liberal media Wednesday following a rare White House press conference that lasted nearly two hours.

Although Biden took heat for remarks suggesting Russia could get away with a "minor incursion" into Ukraine, casting doubt on the legitimacy of the 2022 elections, and lashing out at a reporter for questioning his stark rhetoric at his Georgia speech on voting, various reporters and commentators who are known for boosting Democrats were quick to applaud Biden.

They argued the nearly two-hour event was evidence he wasn't "senile," and they continued to contrast him with former President Donald Trump, despite the latter having been out of office for a year.

President Biden gestures as he speaks during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

BIDEN'S PRESS CONFERENCE GETS PANNED BY CRITICS: TOTAL DISASTER

"To go for an hour and 50 minutes and not screw up, really demonstrably not screw up really at all. Really hard to do that," MSNBC analyst John Heilemann said during an appearance on "Deadline: White House" following Biden's press conference.

"The best answer to that real jerk who thought that you could make news by asking the President of the United States, Hey, are you senile? You're not going to make news on that. And the president did the right thing, which was to say, I dont know what you're talking about. Let's move on,'" Heilemann said.

President Biden listens to a question during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

"But the best answer was, Hey, if you think Im senile, and I'm doddering, you get up here and try and do an hour and 45 minutes in front of you and your colleagues and not screw up. He didn't. I thought it was the best demonstration of the fact that the president's mind is perfectly fine," he added.

Heilemann's obsequious remarks came after Biden drew criticism for suggesting Russia could make a "minor incursion" into Ukraine and cast doubt on the 2022 elections, which both drew criticism and required walkbacks.

TRUMP ON BIDEN'S FIRST YEAR, SAYS HE HAD NO IDEA THE COUNTRY COULD GO DOWN SO BADLY AND SO QUICKLY

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow guessed Biden was trying to show Russian President Vladimir Putin a sign of his own stamina with the lengthy conference.

Left-wing MSNBC correspondent Yamiche Alcindor fawned over Biden's press conference in tweets applauding him for pushing back on his critics and taking responsibility for his mistakes. Like others, she framed Biden's performance against Trump, with whom she often sparred, gushing it was "quite the change."

Trump was known for pushing back heavily on media in hostile exchanges with liberal reporters like Alcindor and CNN's Jim Acosta.

Former President Trump and President Biden (James Devaney/GC Images | Alex Wong/Getty Images)

"Pres Biden, in the longest news conference in presidential history, made news, pushed back on critics, called out lies, took responsibility for mistakes he believes he made, expressed surprise at GOP, talked foreign policy and didn't lash out on reporters. Quite the change," Alcindor wrote.

BIDEN APPEARS TO LOSE HIS COOL AFTER REPORTER'S QUESTION ON DIVISIVENESS: GO BACK AND READ WHAT I SAID

Left-wing MSNBC producer Kyle Griffin criticized Trump more directly as he commended Biden.

"President Biden did not praise or defend Putin during his press conference. President Biden did not tout unproven treatments for COVID during his press conference. President Biden did not insult journalists during his press conference. President Biden did not lie about the 2020 election during his press conference," he tweeted.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Other reliable Biden boosters like Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin, journalist Brian Karem, and commentator Tom Nichols also fawned over him afterward; Karem proclaimed, "He never once tried to belittle us."

The rest is here:

Liberal media members heap praise on Biden following first solo press conference in months: 'Quite the change' - Fox News

Tiley’s plan to ride out the Open storm – Daily Liberal

Craig Tiley plans on riding out the storm and staying on as both Australian Open boss and Tennis Australia chief executive. Despite having the backing of the TA board, Tiley has come under intense pressure to step down following the Novak Djokovic visa scandal that has engulfed the Australian Open. But as the blame game drags on and fingers continue to be pointed at Tiley, TA, the Victorian and federal governments, Australian Border Force and Djokovic himself, the long-standing tournament director refuses to be drawn on who is ultimately responsible for the saga. "It's fair to say that everyone was committed to doing the right thing to get the event up and running - and that includes all forms of government, ourselves," Tiley told AAP at Melbourne Park. "Yes, it has been a distraction for the players and of course there's going to be lessons to be learned. "But we've bounced back and delivered a great event so far. "It's proof again that the Australian Open is bigger than anybody and anything." And, to many, too big an event for someone to control while doubling as TA chief executive and the demanding day-to-day duties involved with that enormous gig. "No, not at all," Tiley said when asked if it was unreasonable for anyone to juggle the twin commitments. "It's the same job. To be clear on that - it's one job. "It's one job because you're running the company." Tiley's dual role is in stark contrast to the situation at the other three grand slams, none of which are run by people who also double as the CEO of their national tennis federations. While refusing to accept any responsibility for the Djokovic drama, which came to a head when the world No.1 and nine-times champion was sensationally deported on the eve of his title defence, Tiley did admit to one big regret of TA's handling of the affair. That the locker rooms inside the one-time "Happy Slam" aren't so happy. "The regret I have is (we have) 256 main-draw players, 256 qualifying players and the feedback we're getting from them is that the environment here at the time was a distraction for them," Tiley said. "And also not just for the players but everyone. "So, yeah, that's the regret I have." Despite the Djokovic saga straining relations between the Serbian and Australian governments and drawing global attention, Tiley didn't necessarily agree that running the 2022 Open was any more challenging than other years. "We've had four years of pretty challenging times - from heat to smoke haze to the beginning of COVID," he said. "Remember COVID hit the 2020 event, at the end of it, and then 2021 - 14 days of quarantine (for overseas players). "This year all the variables we've put into it. I'm lucky we've got a great team and they've done an unbelievable job delivering what they have.". Asked if Djokovic deserved an apology from anyone after being led to believe he'd been granted the necessary paperwork - in the form of a medical exemption - to enter the country and the Australian Open, Tiley only wished to "talk from TA's point of view". "There'll be some lessons in this for us and probably starting from Tuesday of next week, we'll definitely review everything that we've done, like we do every year," he said. "What have we done well? What didn't we do well and then set it up for 2023. "So looking at the future, we'll make an assessment at the right time. "But at this point in time we're focused on getting on with the event and not be drawn into what happened." Australian Associated Press

/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-feed-data/f8b4f9af-77be-4ff9-ac39-0b24efc2a526.jpg/r0_74_800_526_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg

Craig Tiley plans on riding out the storm and staying on as both Australian Open boss and Tennis Australia chief executive.

Despite having the backing of the TA board, Tiley has come under intense pressure to step down following the Novak Djokovic visa scandal that has engulfed the Australian Open.

But as the blame game drags on and fingers continue to be pointed at Tiley, TA, the Victorian and federal governments, Australian Border Force and Djokovic himself, the long-standing tournament director refuses to be drawn on who is ultimately responsible for the saga.

"It's fair to say that everyone was committed to doing the right thing to get the event up and running - and that includes all forms of government, ourselves," Tiley told AAP at Melbourne Park.

"Yes, it has been a distraction for the players and of course there's going to be lessons to be learned.

"But we've bounced back and delivered a great event so far.

"It's proof again that the Australian Open is bigger than anybody and anything."

And, to many, too big an event for someone to control while doubling as TA chief executive and the demanding day-to-day duties involved with that enormous gig.

"No, not at all," Tiley said when asked if it was unreasonable for anyone to juggle the twin commitments.

"It's the same job. To be clear on that - it's one job.

"It's one job because you're running the company."

Tiley's dual role is in stark contrast to the situation at the other three grand slams, none of which are run by people who also double as the CEO of their national tennis federations.

While refusing to accept any responsibility for the Djokovic drama, which came to a head when the world No.1 and nine-times champion was sensationally deported on the eve of his title defence, Tiley did admit to one big regret of TA's handling of the affair.

That the locker rooms inside the one-time "Happy Slam" aren't so happy.

"The regret I have is (we have) 256 main-draw players, 256 qualifying players and the feedback we're getting from them is that the environment here at the time was a distraction for them," Tiley said.

"And also not just for the players but everyone.

"So, yeah, that's the regret I have."

Despite the Djokovic saga straining relations between the Serbian and Australian governments and drawing global attention, Tiley didn't necessarily agree that running the 2022 Open was any more challenging than other years.

"We've had four years of pretty challenging times - from heat to smoke haze to the beginning of COVID," he said.

"Remember COVID hit the 2020 event, at the end of it, and then 2021 - 14 days of quarantine (for overseas players).

"This year all the variables we've put into it. I'm lucky we've got a great team and they've done an unbelievable job delivering what they have.".

Asked if Djokovic deserved an apology from anyone after being led to believe he'd been granted the necessary paperwork - in the form of a medical exemption - to enter the country and the Australian Open, Tiley only wished to "talk from TA's point of view".

"There'll be some lessons in this for us and probably starting from Tuesday of next week, we'll definitely review everything that we've done, like we do every year," he said.

"What have we done well? What didn't we do well and then set it up for 2023.

"So looking at the future, we'll make an assessment at the right time.

"But at this point in time we're focused on getting on with the event and not be drawn into what happened."

Australian Associated Press

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Tiley's plan to ride out the Open storm - Daily Liberal

The liberal justices lies reveal the lefts addiction to virus fears – New York Post

Democrats, Big Tech social-media companies and the mainstream liberal media have spent two years raging about the spread of coronavirus misinformation, pointing their fingers at conservatives resisting government efforts to curb the diseases spread via lockdowns, mask requirements and vaccine mandates.

But it turns out the source of some of the worst pandemic myths wasnt right-wing podcasters booted from Twitter for the sin of disagreeing with Dr. Anthony Fauci.

They came from liberal Supreme Court justices.

On Friday, the high court heard oral arguments about the Biden administrations push to impose vaccine mandates on private employers. The case involves a dubious effort to twist Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations meant to prevent health hazards specific to the workplace to include diseases that can be caught anywhere. But this problematic expansion of government power over the private sector and the rights of individuals to govern what is put into their bodies the mantra of My body, my choice apparently only applies to abortions was not the main takeaway.

Instead, it was the whoppers about the COVID threat from the three members of the courts liberal faction.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor falsely asserted that COVID deaths are at an all-time high and the Omicron variant, which produces mild symptoms, is as deadly as Delta. Most egregiously she claimed, We have over 100,000 children, which weve never had before, in serious condition, and many on ventilators.

As even CDC chief Rochelle Walensky later conceded, fewer than 5,000 children are in hospitals with COVID. Many, if not most, were not hospitalized for COVID but merely tested positive on admission for another ailment. And children are, as they have been throughout the pandemic, the least affected by the virus.

The same is true for hospitalized adults, with Walensky admitting that at least 40 percent of all cases counted as COVID are not people who required hospitalization because of the virus. Most of those who have died have had up to four comorbidities that were responsible for their plight.

Sotomayor was not alone in spreading misinformation.

Justice Elena Kagan claimed vaccines and masks prevent the spread of the disease: Workers, she said, have to get vaccinated so that youre not transmitting the disease that can kill elderly Medicare patients, that can kill sick Medicaid patients. I mean, that seems like a pretty basic infection-prevention measure.

Unfortunately, this isnt true. The vaccine reduces the seriousness of COVID in those afflicted, but it doesnt stop the vaccinated from catching or spreading it.

Justice Stephen Breyer also falsely asserted that the vaccine prevents infection, hospitals are overflowing with COVID patients at deaths door and the country reported 750 million new cases the day before though Americas total population is around 330 million.

Its fair to ask how three of the people who are supposedly among the smartest in the land could be so poorly informed. But it also speaks volumes about the way the mainstream media has helped spread COVID dishonesty intended to fuel the kind of fear of the disease that lies behind these fibs.

Misinformation has come from those who dwell in the fever swamps of the far right and the far left. But some of the worst of the fallacies about the pandemic have come from public-health officials and their dutiful enablers in the mainstream media.

Bent on scaring people into compliance with arbitrary rules that have changed continuously as theyve reacted to a crisis for which they were unprepared, the experts have often encouraged the kind of exaggerations and mistakes that the three Supreme Court liberals repeated.

The high-court hearing wasnt just fodder for a fact check that earned liberal judges scorn. It should be a wake-up call for the rest of us to understand that the real problem here isnt a disease. Its the way those who ought to know better have gone along with fearmongering intended to quash opposition to the most heavy-handed COVID regulations regardless of the truth.

Jonathan S. Tobin is editor in chief of JNS.org.

Twitter: @jonathans_tobin

Excerpt from:

The liberal justices lies reveal the lefts addiction to virus fears - New York Post

B.C. Liberal party insists its vetting process will catch fraudulent memberships – Vancouver Sun

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Five of the seven leadership campaign teams wrote to the party on Jan. 5 alleging they found memberships that appear to contravene the rules.

Author of the article:

Top B.C. Liberal party brass insist their internal auditing process will address concerns raised in a scathing letter signed last week by a number of leadership hopefuls warning that up to half of new party memberships may be fraudulent and could cause catastrophic reputational damage to the party if not properly investigated.

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Five of the seven Liberal leadership campaign teams wrote to the party on Jan. 5 alleging they found membership documents that appear to contravene the rules, and they suggested that the partys current audit process is not robust enough to properly investigate their claims. A separate but similar letter was sent by a sixth leadership campaign team.

The campaigns said they found some new members whose addresses were recorded as being in ridings where they do not live. In other instances, some addresses were not residences, but businesses and in one case, a forest service road. They reported that follow-up phone calls found that some people listed as new members had no idea they had been signed up, while others had never heard of the B.C. Liberal party.

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We are collectively concerned about the potential for voter fraud, the current audit process, and the risk of catastrophic reputational damage to the party, party staff, (the leadership committee), the executive and all of us if this race is perceived as anything less than free and fair, said the letter to the Liberal Election Organizing Committee.

Postmedia made several requests for interviews with the party executive and its election organizing committee chairs, Colin Hansen and Roxanne Helme.

Instead, the partys director of communications, David Wasyluk, provided a written statement expressing confidence in the audit process.

This system identified some members who need additional follow up to meet our audit standards. Our registration and voting systems are designed to ensure that members who do not satisfy our audit standards will not be able to cast ballots, it said.

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The statement did not answer whether it will audit 20,000 memberships as requested by the campaign teams. It also did not confirm how many memberships are under review.

Wasyluk said the party does not rely on telephone alone to confirm the identity and addresses of its members.

The party uses multiple methods to confirm member information including but not limited to direct communication via phone and email. This includes cross referencing information from publicly available sources.

Kevin Falcons leadership team is the only one that did not sign the letter or express concerns over potentially fraudulent memberships.

Falcon, a former minister under both former premiers Gordon Campbell and Christy Clark, is considered by some to be the frontrunner in the leadership race. Last month, his campaign manager, Kareem Allam, tweeted the Falcon campaign signed up the most new party members.

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On Monday, Allam told Postmedia he is satisfied with assurances by party brass that it has not found abuse in the membership process.

We have been assured by the party that the things those other campaigns have alleged, have not occurred, he said. We have seen individual errors, like typos or the wrong postal codes. Weve seen a case where a community that was flooded, a lot of members are in the same hotel and have the same address, so it may raise a red flag, but these are not fraudulent memberships.

The issue of residency could play a decisive role in who will become the next Liberal leader.

Under the partys voting rules, each electoral district is awarded 100 points, which are divided among the candidates according to how many votes they get in each electoral district. That means it takes fewer votes to win in districts where there are fewer Liberal memberships, so campaign teams may target new memberships in districts where they need fewer votes to win.

The letters from the campaign teams for Michael Lee, Gavin Dew, Renee Merrifield, Ellis Ross, Stan Sipos, and Val Litwin cast doubt on how many new members live in the ridings where they are signed up and whether the partys audit system is able to catch that.

B.C. Liberals are set to vote for a new leader on Feb. 5, but the campaign teams have asked that registration for the vote be delayed until the concerns can be adequately addressed and mitigated.

The party has not answered questions about any possible delays to the registration process.

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B.C. Liberal party insists its vetting process will catch fraudulent memberships - Vancouver Sun

The New York Times is a reminder: good liberals often oppose unions – The Guardian

One of the most useful qualities of labor unions is their ability to force Good Liberals to actually demonstrate their principles in a tangible way. It is easy for a self-proclaimed progressive business owner to say all the nice things about how they believe in equality and fair wages and worker rights but when their employees unionize and come to claim those rights, those nice bosses must stop talking about how nice they are, and prove it. For limousine liberals, dealing with unions is where the rubber hits the road.

Needless to say, many Good Liberals turn out to be charlatans. There is a saying in the union world: A boss is a boss. This is a more pithy way of saying: A boss is kind of a greedy jerk, no matter how many Nevertheless, she persisted bumper stickers they have plastered on their Volvos.

The New York Times is one of Americas most vital totems of mainstream liberalism, right up there with expensive coffee and defensive explanations for sending your kids to private school. The New York Times is also, it turns out, one of Americas very best examples of how a boss is a boss. Because even as the paper pontificates about the dangers of inequality and gives sympathetic coverage to major union drives, the leaders of the companys business side are busily trying to undermine their own unions.

Last April, 650 tech employees at the New York Times announced that they were unionizing. Rather than applauding them and proceeding to negotiate a contract, the company instead refused to voluntarily recognize the union. This is despite its own editorial board supporting a bill that would have made it legally binding for employers to voluntarily accept union requests when they are backed by a majority of the staff.

As the papers own editorial explained: Under current law, an employer can reject the majoritys signatures and insist on a secret ballot. But in a disturbingly high number of cases, the employer uses the time before the vote to pressure employees to rethink their decision to unionize. Now, this is what the New York Times company is accused of doing to its own employees.

Since last year, the Times has been accused of trying to scare workers into changing their minds to sow division among the employees, divide the unit, and erode support for organized labor. Last week, federal labor regulators claimed that the company had broken the law by telling large swaths of employees that they were actually managers, and that they were therefore prohibited from publicly supporting the union. (A hearing is scheduled for this March. A spokesperson for the Times said they strongly disagree with the unions allegations.)

If you find this sort of anti-union behavior from the New York Times surprising, remember that another unit of unionized workers at the paper, those who worked for the product review section Wirecutter, had to go on strike during the busy Black Friday shopping weekend in order to secure a minimally fair contract. So while most of the editorial employees at the Times have been unionized for decades, the company is still exhibiting a chesty commitment to doing everything possible to keep any more of its workers from securing the same sort of benefits.

I dont want to get caught up here in the details of labor regulations and lose sight of the big picture. Which is this: the New York Times Company, which makes its money by branding itself as the foremost defender of liberal American values, is fighting against its own workers pursuing their right to organize a union and bargain collectively.

To me, that makes the New York Times an anti-union company. I can say this with no qualms. Companies that are not anti-union will honor a formal request from their employees for voluntary union recognition; they will bargain fair contracts that include pay equity for all; and they will certainly not run internal messaging campaigns trying to convince their employees that unionizing is a bad idea.

The New York Times has done all of these things, quite recently. This means that it can stand proudly with its dishonorable peers across corporate America in that regard. While its writers editorialize against the deep political and economic problems plaguing our country, its management is very much a part of those problems.

The New York Times gets away with a lot. They are the journalism equivalent of the supreme court. They offer prestige, big budgets and job stability at a time when those things are in short supply in this industry. The half of our country terrified by Trump sees them as an army of truth, and everyone in media wants to work there. (Call me!) But lets be honest: the people who control the New York Times company are acting like real weasels.

Its not just that they are hypocritical, yammering about the public good while acting from pure selfishness its that they want to have it both ways. While more outwardly evil media bosses like Rupert Murdoch may be proud to embrace their Ayn Randian reputation, those who lead the Times want to be accepted as good people on the Brooklyn-brownstone cocktail party circuit, even as they quietly try to stop those who work for them from having an equal seat at their tastefully appointed table. Screw that.

I have covered hundreds of anti-union campaigns. No matter where they happen, they are all based on lies and fear. Whether they happen at an Amazon warehouse or at the New York Times, they are a demonstration of contempt for the idea that an employee may deserve to be treated as someone whose humanity is just as real as that of an employer.

Respectable people dont engage in union-busting. People who run anti-union campaigns are not Good Liberals. Hundreds of workers raising their voices have not been enough to convince the New York Times executives to act right. Maybe its time to stop inviting them to the cocktail parties.

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The New York Times is a reminder: good liberals often oppose unions - The Guardian

Conservative, liberal female figures weigh in on VP Harris report that her race and gender affect headlines – Fox News

Conservative and liberal female figures came to varying conclusions on the validity of Vice President Kamala Harris' reported belief that she's treated worse by the press because of her race and gender.

A recent report by The New York Times suggested Harris, who is the first Black, South Asian or female vice president, has been privately complaining to her allies that the media's coverage of her would be better if she were any of her 48 White, male predecessors.

"Ms. Harris has privately told her allies that the news coverage of her would be different if she were any of her 48 predecessors, all of whom were white and male," the report read.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Tribal Nations Summit in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus, Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

NY TIMES: KAMALA HARRIS GRIPES HER MEDIA COVERAGE WOULD BE BETTER IF SHE WAS WHITE MAN

Liberal radio host and Fox News contributor Leslie Marshall found truth in those claims, arguing that race and gender likely leave the VP vulnerable to "extra scrutiny."

"Yes. I do believe thatWomen are definitely held to a different standard," Marshall said in an interview with Fox News Digital. "I dont think its whether youre a Democrat or a Republican, though I think it happens whether youre a Democrat or a Republican. So when you have the first woman, and the first woman of color also, who happens to be the vice president, I do think that those thingslead toextra scrutiny."

Yet conservative female leaders all pointed to policy. TheNew York Times report read that Harris had been reaching out to her predecessors about "the difficulties she is facing with the intractable issues in her portfolio, such as voting rights and the root causes of migration."

Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., argued it was that latter assignment, as Biden's border czar, that can account for any untoward media representations about the vice president, and less about her background or appearance. Last year, it took Harris 90 days to make a trip to the U.S.-Mexico border since being appointed as lead on the border crisis. Tens of thousands of migrants, including thousands of unaccompanied minors, have streamed across the border in recent months. When NBC's Lester Holtpressed Harris about the delay and why she had never been to the border as vice president, Harris laughed and responded, "I haven't been to Europe."

"There is nothing sexist or racist stating the fact that Kamala Harris has been an absolute disaster on every policy issue in her portfolio - especially the border crisis," Stefanik told Fox News Digital. "There is nothing sexist or racist about the fact that if you put Kamala Harris on the congressional ballot in any district across America, she would lose because she cant conduct a basic interview without embarrassing herself and Joe Biden."

Harris has also faced historic low approval ratings in recent months, numbers which liberal late-night host Jimmy Kimmel first and foremost blamed on "sexism and racism." But like Stefanik, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., evoked Harris' failure to secure the border as a likely reason for any negative coverage or poor approval ratings.

"Conservative women trailblazers have been mocked and maligned by the liberal press for years," Blackburn said. "You learn to deal with it and not make excuses. When Vice President Kamala Harris took office, she knew she was charting a new path and would have to prove herself at every step along the way. She could have used her platform to protect the women and girls in Afghanistan, secure the southern border, or reduce crime in our cities. Instead, she tossed aside the historic opportunity she had been given to criticize the tough media environment conservative women have been successfully navigating for decades."

Democratic U.S. vice presidential nominee Senator Kamala Harris tours the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) training facility in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Sept. 7, 2020. (REUTERS/Alex Wroblewski)

Her gender, Blackburn added, "is no excuse for her disastrous performance."

Felecia Killings, founder and CEO of FeleciaKillings.org and the Conscious Conservative Movement, also expressed her disappointment in how Harris has responded to any perceived challenges. Killings said it would be "reckless" to think that women from all backgrounds do not experience hardships throughout their careers - something she says she knows from personal experience. But it's how women respond to those challenges, she suggested, that matters just as much.

"Many women have taken these challenges and converted these obstacles into stepping stones towards greatness," Killings told Fox News Digital. "In other words, our results speak for themselves. Vice President Harris, like any other politician, has something to prove to the American people. She is not exempt from any scrutiny. Her work must align with the bill of goods she sold to her voters."

"Citizens have every right to hold her accountable," she added. "If she's not doing her job, it has nothing to do with her race or gender. It has everything to do with her ineptitude."

MSNBC GUEST CLAIMS OFF THE CHARTS CRITICISM OF VP HARRIS ON BORDER FROM LEFT AND RIGHT IS SEXIST AND RACIST

Other critics have taken issue with Harris' reported complaint to argue that she has received much better media treatment than some of her predecessors or conservative female lawmakers. She had been placed on the cover of Vogue Magazine and sometimes enjoyed an assist from the press in fueling the narrative that Harris' naysayers are sexist and racist.

NBC's Peter Alexander was criticized for asking Harris' husband, Doug Emhoff, if race and gender had played into criticism of the vice president.

"Youre a husband. When you see the attacks, when you see the criticism, what do you think?" Alexander asked.

"As the first woman, Black, South Asian vice president, do you think that your wife is treated differently because shes a woman and a woman of color?" he asked in a follow-up.

A person holds a sign as others celebrate after media announced that Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Joe Biden has won the 2020 U.S. presidential election, on Times Square in New York City, Nov. 7, 2020. (REUTERS/Carlo Allegri)

Journalist Anushay Hossain penned a USA Today piece defending Harris, writing, "as the first black and first Asian and first woman to hold the second most powerful job in the country, she can't keep anybody happy. It's not possible."She expanded on that assumption during an appearance on MSNBC.

"Women and men aren't assessed through the same lens, and that's one thing we have to keep in mind whenever we're talking about the vice president," Houssain said, later adding, "But because she is a woman and a woman of color, the level of scrutiny that she is getting from both the left and the right is really off the charts."

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Harris' political allies have also suggested she's been victim of a double standard.

"I know, and we all knew, that she would have a difficult time because anytime youre a first, you do," Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif.,said. "And to be the first woman vice president, to be the first Black, Asian woman, thats a triple. So we knew it was going to be rough, but it has been relentless, and I think extremely unfair."

Harris has not only been burdened with poor polling numbers. In recent weeks, high- profile members of her staff have announced their departures, fueling speculation that the vice president oversees a toxic work environment.

Originally posted here:

Conservative, liberal female figures weigh in on VP Harris report that her race and gender affect headlines - Fox News

During 1992-2015 the question whether the PPP/C was practicing liberal democracy never arose – Stabroek News

Dear Editor,

In an editorial published in its September 12, 2021 edition, Stabroek News challenged the PPP/Cs commitment, or non-commitment, to the fundamentals of a liberal democracy. The lengthy editorial was rather weighty on contemporary ideological issues, something that is rare for SN. The thrust of the editorial was to juxtapose authoritarian rule versus liberal democracy. Subliminally, the editorial suggested that given its structure and penchant for control the PPP is more inclined to autocratic rule but that it is constrained to do so because the social circumstances do not provide fertile ground for anything encompassing. Some examples were given to justify its observations, claiming that globally, liberal democracy had trumped authoritarianism and that the PPP/Cs actions are at variance with liberal democracy. Anyone acquainted with world history, would not have any difficulty recognizing the similarities in language, in some sections of the editorial, to be reminiscent of the Cold War era. That aside, historical experience shows that the social circumstances referred to, never existed in British Guiana, nor Guyana, for the establishment of a communist or sustained autocratic rule of any kind. And if it did, it was just the figment of the imagination of those who plotted and planned to keep the PPP out of government. Political developments, over the past year or two in the bastions of liberal democracy, as well as experiments with liberal democracy in a number of developing countries, demand that the issues raised in the SN editorial be revisited.

Contrary to the notion that it is the PPP/Cs failure to commit to a liberal democracy that is a cause for concern, it was the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement in the US, and the assault at the Capitol in Washington DC, that should be a cause for concern as regards the real meaning and efficacy of liberal democracy in todays world. Thirty years ago, the PPP/C came to power against the backdrop of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the socialist countries in Eastern Europe. Those epochal developments were followed by regime change in a number of countries, including Guyana. At that time, liberal democracy and neo-liberalism were viewed by many as panacea and models not to be followed, save and except by governments in some countries who chose a different path not consistent with the right to self-determination. For its part, the new PPP/C administration, and successive ones thereafter, supported by friendly and successive administrations in the US, Canada, the UK and the EU, declared in favour of, and embarked on, a path of national democracy. The PPP/Cs model of democracy for Guyana envisaged the establishment of a National Democratic State. SNs editorial claimed that Rohee does not flesh out exactly what he means by National Democratic nor do the old hands see this (Guyana) as an open society reflecting liberal values and that it is uncertain what exactly they intend The editorial further declared that: The social policy referred to by Messrs Ramotar and Rohee is important, but that is a content issue and does not in and of itself say anything about formal provisions which go to make up the framework of the state. For the avoidance of doubt, and since the editorial seemed concerned more about form than content, it is important to point out that the National Democratic States mission envisaged representation of the interests of all classes, groups and social strata. Further, it envisaged an inclusive state with a multi-ethnic, multi-class and plural government whose task is to prevent foreign domination of any kind and to preserve the full democratic rights of all Guyanese.

The PPP/Cs model of national democracy, save for a few mild passing turbulences, was never viewed by successive friendly governments in the US, Canada, the UK nor the EU as antagonistic, nor contradictory to liberal democracy practiced in those countries. Suffice it to say, at the domestic level, there will always be Gordian knots between democracy and good governance just as there will be with politics and economics. Incidentally, not all Gordian knots can be untied in the same way. The editorial went on to state that One might have hoped that the PPP/C would be proceeding more deliberately towards a society reflecting the character of a liberal democracy with its associated values. With that in mind, it is important to point out that liberal democratic tenets including; representative democracy, a recognition of civil and human rights, freedom of speech, the press and religion, an independent judiciary, a market economy and the need for the rule of law, are not at variance with, nor in contradiction to, the principles of national democracy that includes: good governance, democracy in all its aspects political, economic, industrial, social and cultural; empowerment of people at all levels; the fullest exercise of human rights civil and political as well as economic, social and cultural in keeping with the UN Covenant on Human Rights; economic growth with social and ecological justice; a mixed economy; balanced agricultural/ industrial and rural development and multi-culturalism unity in diversity. Throughout the 1992 to 2015 period, questions as to whether liberal democracy was being practiced in Guyana never arose. Now, after twenty three years in office, and its return to government, the SN editorial has put the matter on the agenda. The editorial claimed that the PPP/Cs commitment to liberal democracy would have been clear had it implemented the following sprawling measures: dismantled its party structure; loosened its penchant for control; met with the opposition; relinquished its dominance of local government bodies; discussed constitutional reform and appointed a permanent Chief Justice and Chancellor.

There is no gainsaying that these are topical issues indeed, however, bold and quick actions on these matters will not see the APNU+AFC backing off from confrontation politics, nor will they bring about a resolution of bigger economic and political questions facing the nation. Practical elements associated with a liberal democracy should not be confused with larger questions, the answers to which would, cumulatively, lay the basis for a new social order in which the threat for electoral subversion and profound internal divisions could be removed or reduced significantly. Big ticket issues such as: implementation of the mechanism for the use of the countrys oil wealth; the preservation and consolidation of the fragile democracy we live in, pursued within the meaning of One Guyana with a view to facilitating the rapid and balanced agricultural and industrial development of our countrys huge potential is where our focus should be. The domestic considerations apart, what the editorial failed to recognize is that the very survival of liberal democracy is now at issue in the light of political developments in the US and elsewhere. The threat to liberal democracy is so grave that President Biden recently declared that, Those who stormed this Capitol and those who called on them to do so held a dagger at the throat of America and American democracy. Compounding the situation is the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic that has brought the efficacy of liberal democracy into bolder relief as manifested in many European countries, where their citizenries have responded hugely and angrily against lock-downs and tougher measures. The call to uphold the values of liberal democracy comes at a time when, on the one hand, liberal democracy itself is on trial globally, and, on the other, there is a failure to recognize the efforts being made on the domestic front by the PPP/C to create a more meaningful and vibrant national democracy with its complex tapestry and imperfections.

Sincerely,

Clement J. Rohee

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During 1992-2015 the question whether the PPP/C was practicing liberal democracy never arose - Stabroek News

Letter to the editor: Have suspicions of the liberal agenda? – The Winchester Star

Suspicious of the liberal agenda? Good for you! After all, in 1776, they started a treasonous revolt against the king in the name of natural rights, not the least of which was the freedom for people to choose their own leaders.

Then they saddled the country with freedom of religion, freedom of the press, the freedom of people to speak out against authority without fear of punishment quite radical things at the time!

They coddled evil-doers with the 4th-8th Amendments!

They ended slavery, supported racial integration, supported voting rights for all citizens (in a democratic republic), and equal protection for all under the law (14th Amendment).

Theyve been terribly anti-business, getting the eight-hour workday, weekends (Saturday used to be a workday for all), overtime pay, paid sick leave, family medical leave, the end of child labor, equal pay regardless of race or gender, wages beyond hand-to-mouth bare subsistence, and direct aid should one become too ill or physically unable to work.

They push regulations for clean air and clean water and have been responsible for purity laws for food, drugs, and other forms of consumer protection (bad for profits).

They slapped us with free public education and financial aid for people who wish to improve themselves via a college degree. Yes, nefarious agenda indeed! Truly nasty, nasty people. How dare they try to make the country a better place for everyone? Thats not the American way!

Jay Gillispie

Stephens City

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Letter to the editor: Have suspicions of the liberal agenda? - The Winchester Star