Oh wow, Belinda Stronach says she'll work for free

[HEyHEY]

http://www.canoe.ca/CalgaryNews/cs.cs-01-24-0010.html

When you are incapable of doing a job. How do you get it? WORK FOR FREE!

I really don't think she should have such an important internship.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

1. This is handing Stephen Harper a great line.

All he needs to say is 'I can't work for free. I'm a regular Canadian with a mortgage, not a multi-millionaire ingenue'. Bad move Belinda.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

2. Here's Heather Mallick from today's Globe and Mail on Belinda

http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040124/MALLICK24/Columnists/Columnist?author=Heather+Mallick


Just like Junior, she can't add. And just like Junior, she can't speak English. She wants "to bake a bigger economic pie to give Canadians tools," she says. That's either a metaphor so mixed it would embarrass Junior or it's a pie full of sacks of hammers and loose screws. Belinda, as a working woman, I've done well with blueberries. Or try butter tarts.

She doesn't speak French either. But Quebeckers will be glad to know that she considers them "vibrant and vital" and "necessary" to Canada -- the kind of patronizing remark sportscasters make at the Special Olympics.

What also eats at me is what she offers as a "fresh" view. She launched her campaign this week in Smalltown, Ont., talking about "motherhood" values, as though two divorces spells a fresh view of traditional motherhood. She "has met a payroll." With a bucket of accountants to work the abacus and a personal salary of $9-million a year, this is a fresh view of what appears to be a simple task at Magna.

[HEyHEY]

5. ....

"the kind of patronizing remark sportscasters make at the Special Olympics."



BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

Nice work :-)

[Wonk]

3. "Calgary Northeast Conservative MP Art Hanger...." Art Hanger? LOLOL

[Minstrel Boy]

4. From today's National Post: "Belinda's resume is thin"

Ask yourself, how many women or for that matter men with no university or college education and very few years of experience and accomplishment are hired by multinational, multi-billion dollar corporations as CEOs or presidents? Famous CEOs like Bill Gates of Microsoft and Larry Ellison of ORACLE built their companies from zero to $multi-billion firms with their own wits and imagination, although they did not possess university degrees. Being daddy's little girl seems to be Belinda's only credential leading to her appointment to the illustrious role of CEO of Magna International and now her bid for the leadership of the new Federal Conservative Party of Canada.

I am the CEO of a privately-owned, multi-million dollar technology company that I built from scratch with not one penny from anyone -- banks, friends, or relatives. So when I read about Ms. Stronach's bid for the Conservative leadership, I feared, as do most Canadians now, that credentials, experience, service, and vision mean nothing in this country. Basically, power can be purchased at any price, if someone like Ms. Stronach can run,or God forbid, win the Conservative leadership. When smug Canadians claim how different we are from Americans, in that we don't buy political leadership and the power that comes with it (like George W. Bush), we are lying to ourselves. If we give Ms. Stronach any attention or credibility, we will be no different than our American relatives -- where $millions are a pre-requisite for political office.

In my career, I have had to interview thousands of candidates. If I looked at Ms. Stronach's resume, my analysis would be as follows: no university education, no political experience, no demonstrable community service, no vision (plagiarizing former Ontario premier Mike Harris's political platforms doesn't count), no ability to comprehend what it is like to put in the time, sweat, and tears to build experience, knowledge, and mastery of one's talents. No empathy or ability to stand in the common man or woman's shoes (calling herself a working woman is akin to calling Queen Elizabeth a working mother). No speaking ability in French (a pre-requisite for Federal office), even with the elegant privilege of summering in the South of France. In short, I would throw her political resume straight into the garbage.

I am quite sure that the NDP's Jack Layton, Ed Broadbent and Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin are delighted that Ms. Stronach is running for office, because if by chance she wins the Conservative leadership race, Mr. Martin's win is a guaranteed slam dunk, and the NDP will also gain ground as the only real opposition. The fact that Conservatives would even allow someone like Ms. Stronach to run for leadership makes one think that this party espouses the same values: That money buys power implicitly and explicitly in this country and real sweat of your brow accomplishment means nothing.

Mary-Ann Massad Johnson, CEO and President, Knowsys Group Ltd, Richmond Hill, Ont.
http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/comment/story.html?id=fb32ee21-ed0a-49d2-8330-e5f25f4425e4

[CHIMO]

6. Good Comment

Have you put a thought to what might also be happening. Paul C keeps on kicking. The right joins. People are pushed to the left by a reaction to outside forces. The center is split to the left and right.
Voila! Magna has implemented a takeover.

We have a party that has no constitution, where people are running around on deciding who the president should be of the party. Where is all the money coming from for this exercise?

[iverglas]

7. make the pie higher

Remember Preston Manning's vow not to occupy Stornoway? (the official residence of the Leader of the <Her Majesty's Loyal> Opposition, provided rent-free)

The fact is that the role of Leader of the Opposition is an important one in Canadian parliamentary democracy, and it wasn't up to Preston to decide what recognition it should get. His personal feelings were irrelevant; as opposition leader, he needed to uphold that office. He eventually saw the light.

Whatever it is that Stronach is offering to do for free (be the PM, I assume -- I couldn't access the article), it's not up to her to decide what the holder of the office should be paid. And certainly offering to do something for free that people are normally paid a certain amount for doing is pretty contrary to a lot of principles.

We don't let employers find people willing to work for lunch money to replace union employees. And we up here don't let people offer to pay for, say, healthcare, even if they say they're doing it so that there'll be more for the next guy.

We're pretty committed to universality in a lot of ways, after all. We don't like "means tests" for basic services. And I don't think many of us would like this kind of "means test" for our Prime Minister: give me the job because it won't cost you anything!

Yeah, right. It'll only cost us good government, and probably peace and order too. ("Peace, order and good government" play the role of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" in our constitution ;) )

Not to mention how we'd look to all the neighbours with that one as head of government. Quelle embarrassment, eh?

.

[Lisa]

8. you get what you pay for!

What's her usual day job, again?