Harper's Pension Joke

But this one time, there were older kids up there, and they saw what I had, and they said they were going to throw my toad off the roof.  And they were, I knew it, and I also knew I couldn't let them do that.

To me.

So I did it myself. 

   - from Brian Azzarello's Joker graphic novel.

That's what popped into my mind when I read this:

Stephen Harper’s pettiness in trying to sabotage Ontario’s legitimate efforts to create a public pension for middle-income workers sets a new low in gamesmanship. It will only take money out of the pockets of workers, taxpayers and employers who will be forced to pay higher fees because of the federal intransigence.

Harper is an ideologue; he wants the world to confirm to his ideology.  Part of him feels he's smarter than anyone else and gets the dynamic of society better than anyone else.  In his world, destroying federalism means that it will cease to exist, and the provinces/people will live in competitive silos and that will be a good thing.

Trouble is, his model doesn't work - never has, never will.  The gap he's building at the centre of Canada's federation is increasingly being filled by the provinces, working together in various chunks, subverting Harper's will and ignoring the directions he's setting for the country.

Harper isn't one to admit defeat.

He would rather burn down the work of others than admit that maybe his approach was wrong.  

That's our PM, folks.