Once Upon a Time I was Conservative

I was informed by a little bird that I started a contretemps when I made a comment on someone's blog about conservatives. I don't know what I said, but I am not going back to find out, thus avoiding the possibility of becoming embroiled. I do imagine that I stereotyped conservatives on the basis of what I see from the worst of them. While one shouldn't really do that, for surely there are still moderate conservatives left in the world, the image that the worst of them project is close to deplorable..

Ironically, I voted conservative for a long time –  up until the mid-nineties, really. There was a major party in Canada called the Progressive Conservatives. I liked the concept of being progressive but in a controlled way. I wanted to advance but measuredly and rationally.

Then, just like their American counterparts, Canadian conservatives took a pretty abrupt shift to the right although not quite as drastically. Federally, the Progressive Conservative Party was taken over by a party that called themselves Reform. It wasn't about reform the way that it is meant to be thought of but more like reforming the progress that had already been made. Many Reformers want the death penalty, but not abortion or women's rights. They are not on the side of dying with dignity, or of banning gay conversion therapy and so on and so forth. They will be quick to aid the rich but slow to aid the poor. These are not my values.

The Reformers were smart enough to ditch their moniker and rename themselves the Conservative Party of Canada. This fools some voters, but it doesn't fool me. Provincially, the party has kept the old name, Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, but they are progressive no longer. For example: when they took power in 2019, they stopped the scheduled minimum wage hike from $14 to $15 that would have gone into effect. To their credit, probably because we are nearing an election, they will raise it to $15 in 2022 – three years later. If we assume a 40 hour week for 50 weeks a year for 3 years, the cost to minimum wage earners was $6000 (40x50x3). That's a lot money for hard-working people living on the edge.

Federally, the Liberal Party is now in power, but the former Conservative (aka Reform) government had a sneaky plan to extend the age to qualify for what we commonly call the old age pension from 65 to 67. Trickily, they grandfathered it to start for those born after 1958 so it didn't seem so bad, but it would have been a massive hit of roughly $12000 to those retirees (assuming $500/mo x12mo x2 years) or $24000 for a couple. The Liberals were quick to rescind it when they regained control.

So yes, I may have gotten carried away in a comment, but modern conservatism annoys me. It can be harsh, uncaring, and socially regressive. Never mind that in the USA they have been taken over by whackjobs* that would love to see a perpetual Trump presidency (aka dictator) in charge: someone who they hope would promote Christian Nationalism** because that is what many want are are willing to become militaristic in order to achieve that blessed state of perpetual holy happiness.

* Having written whackjobs, I have a vague recollection of, perhaps, having used the word, whackadoodle on that other blog. Just perhaps, mind you.

** If you need proof of my Christian nation claim here is a direct quote from Michael Flynn: "If we are going to have one nation under God, which we must, we have to have one religion. One nation under God and one religion under God ..." Newsweek

*** This tweet contains a video clip of Flynn saying that. For some reason, it will take you an extra click to get there, but it is safe.