Luca's Christmas rant

Tomorrow I'm off for a holiday away from everything remotely stressful. I'd like, therefore, to wrap up the year by sharing some thoughts and beliefs I've come to harbor.

First and foremost, efficient and honest governmental offices can occur under virtually any administration. Immigration-Quebec has been exceedingly honest in their dealings with me, and I am glad to be called for a selection interview late next month. No frustration, no surprises, no additional screw-you-over rules pulled out from under the carpet.

Second my contempt for mediocrity and herd mentality has trebled in intensity. This year saw a peak in stupidity and short-sightedness not seen since 1917 and 1918, when a revolution and a peace conference set in motion the events that would lead to three of the most atrocious massacres in human history. Today we risk no similar fate, but the pettiness of the coalition debacle, the sheer opportunism of the environmentalist bandwagon and the efforts by all world governments to try and salvage a broken economic status quo are warning signs to all sentient being: Einstein was right!

"The two most abundant things in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity. And I'm not too sure about the first"

Thirdly, continuing from my previous point, I'd like to expound a bit on the economic crisis. It is solely the consequence of people believing that money grows on trees. No darn economics needed. I have been taught from an early age that if I can't afford something, I can't have it. Why have some dumb bankers forgotten that key economic rule? Who gave them their job? Or their economics-related degrees for that matter? This serves to prove that:

a degree does not an intelligent person make

I am a saver. Today I did some last-minute Christmas shopping. Today, I helped pay someone's wage. Today I helped someone stay in business. People like you and me, people who make sacrifices during the year, putting away the pennies in the change jar and rejoicing at a good account balance will haul this economy's backside out of the rut again. And we'll get our backsides kicked as thanks: I can seriously be jobless on graduation, when I go abroad I'm screwed by the exchange rate, my savings earn barely any interest and if I'll want to buy a house no-one will give me credit. All because of stupid people asking for stupid credit and stupid bankers stupidly saying "Yes". Cheap petrol, manufacturers having to sell off their cars for cheap, real estate being sold for pennies, slight deflation? I'm banking on it!

Savers like it when spenders get it

But let's look at the politics. Minority governments fall all the time and elections are won with good campaigns staffed with the brightest people. Since both lessons were not learned I'm not surprised we're about to be plunged into an election again. The constitutional duty of any high-ranking official is to make sure everything runs smoothly. The Senate must be full in order to operate with legitimacy, and the Governor General follows the PM's advice. Constitutional experts sprouted like mushrooms after a storm in virgin woodland, lending advice left and right. I'm no expert, but tell myself that it could be worse. So let's all take a big chill pill.

Government is the right of no-one, so be thankful for every day you have it

Talking politics, Obama got it. He'll tax the investors out of the US and turn the country into a socialist utopia? When it all goes pete-tong Americans will suddenly all know that Canada has a Prime Minister, they will care about what the PM from the Shizzle North Of Hizzle has to say, because we'll have taken a lot of their potential. And they'll probably be thankful for the opportunity to exact transit fees through the Northwest Passage after Canada's pressure will have ensured it's treated as territorial waters. Oh, and did I mention Obama's in only until 2016?

But of course if you got suckered in by Obama's empty rhetoric (instead of voting for him just because the GOP deserved a massive drubbing) you'll definitely know that in 2012 we're all gonna die because the Mayas said so with their calendars. Well, if global warming gets to you so will virtually anything.

What begins as a demise can end up as a triumph

'Tis was a good year for political correctness, and a bad year for HRCs. There hasn't been a paradigm shift in Canada yet, and many are still to be persuaded that limiting free speech is somehow for the common good. I say we continue the fight, without thinking we can cut through stupidity with a scalpel. Abolishing the HRCs will be a struggle, and I believe that without Canadians realising how dangerous they can be we'll face the same problem within the next ten years. We need a really popular figure, someone who is universally loved, to be attacked by the free speech police. Only then will the average Canadian figure out how they've been suckered.

Only when they take away your loved ones will you know their evil

I should wrap it up, shouldn't I? So here it is: this world ain't going to the dogs anytime soon. We should get fired up when things we care about are tampered with, but without turning it into a death match. If the Coalition takes over Canadians will be immunized from lefties for a generation. If Obama destroys the US economy (can it get any worse?) he'll bury Keynesianism for good. If the HRC's are not abolished there's always the Supreme Court and Parliament. And if the bailouts don't work the economy will just sink until it hits the rocky bottom. Then we can begin to build a true civilization on that rock. Christianity wasn't built on sand, and neither should the economy.

So rejoice everyone, and don't let the worldly troubles spoil your festive spirit. We've seen worse, and in fifteen years' time we'll still be here.