I’m currently working on

the Ontario PC Party campaign. We’re (some of us) raising funds for a bi-election in Kitchener/Waterloo riding (KW). The Liberals who are the minority Government (barely) thought that if they could get 1 riding it would push them over the edge from minority Government to a Majority. By doing this, they need a bi-election. What they did was pick a riding and “bought off” the current MPP of the riding. Nothing pisses people off more then their elected officials jumping ship for another party. Most people I’ve talked to said there ought to be a Law against this sort of thing. But the MPP left her post immediately after the election and “accepted” the job, essentially leaving that riding with no representation in the Ontario Provincial Legislature or “Queens Park.” So now, Elections Canada has to call a bi-election within 6 months. Said MPP left her post April 23rd. Almost a month ago. Most people in Ontario I talk to are concerned but they live in a Province with high unemployment thanks to the Liberals who have held 2 Majority terms and every term when an election is called, guess what? They rack up the debt every year they try to pass a budget. Most people I talk to about this are sympathetic but they‘re unemployed. If you have someone actually listening to you, chances are they‘re unemployed or a senior dangling the senior card in your face as if that‘s supposed to mean anything. It‘s like they‘re exempted from life or something. So call after call I carry on and maybe I‘ll get 2-3 sales in a 4 hour shift or about $100 on a week day, $250 on a mild day, $600 on a strong day. I get a lot of people saying: “I don’t live in that area so why are you calling me?” When I explain most of them understand but like most people in Ontario, they‘re broke and or they think that a political party has all the money or why don’t they have one of their $200 plate dinners and fundraise that way. My afternoons are good but the evenings suck because I have James and Warren watching hockey and laughing all the way to their bank with their $200 taps. The taps are harder to do because the Line Hour expectations are higher on politics then they are on cold calling which is what I‘m trying to do with OPC. If I‘m having a slow afternoon sales wise, management will put me on taps to make my day look half assed decent good.

Somebody/group won the Lotto Max $50 jackpot over this last weekend. Sure wasn’t me. I’ll get a quick pick for Wednesday’s draw which is worth $11M. If I won I’d show up to work only until I actually collect the prize. Then I’d say something like “After 12 years on the job, it’s time for me to retire. I’m collecting CPP and AISH and I’m going to say sayonara to the work force. I‘ll give them a weeks notice of course.

The sequel to the 2009 Star trek movie is in full swing but I haven’t heard much on Star Wars television series that was hinted at 7 years ago after the last movie. Star Wars is more concerned with animation projects like “Clone Wars.” Animation to me is for kids and not very credible. In the meantime, I‘m reading the Jedi series. Anyway, back to bed.

I didn’t get a lot out of that back to sleep for an hour and a half but I’m awake now. Looks like we got a bit of a drizzle of rain coming down. I’m about ready to tuck into a cup of coffee here.

On the news just about every night of the week we get to see pent up Quebec University students out there protesting the Provinces proposed tuition fees. By contrast a undergraduate full time study degree here in Alberta is the most expensive in the country at 5,318/year for this year according to stats Canada. In Quebec thanks to transfer payments by Alberta and BC Quebec university students pay now $2,175. Quebec Government wants to increase their fees an extra $1,625, over the next 5 years to a maximum of $3,800 even after that, the lowest in the country, which us an extra $325 more/year. Even after the hikes, Quebec will have the lowest University education fees in the country. What’s the matter with these people? They’ve got an 8% Unemployment rate, Ontario 7.4% and Alberta is the lowest with 4.9%. Most likely after Quebec University students graduate, they’ll come out west anyway.

I’ve got a full 8 hour day ahead of me here, not that I’m or anything. It’d be nice to know how many of us across the country are doing OPC. All our supervisors are able to tell us what the previous days line hour was. Last I checked I think the campaign was running at a $40 line hour and that was Saturday. Anyway, that’s about all I have for now.