This is absolutely fantastic news for our Region, the incredible convenience of traveling out of our local Airport is unprecedented and now we’ll be able to go anywhere in the world. As most of you will be aware, O’Hare is an incredibly busy place, much of that is because everyone flies in and out of O’Hare. Almost smack dab in the middle of North America, it simply makes sense for us to make our connections there.

The Greater KW Chamber, Guelph Chamber, Stratford Chamber and of course the Cambridge Chamber have already met with American Airlines officials to talk about the synergies of working together to make this a huge success for them. Collectively, our Chamber’s will work hard to make AA’s flights out of the Region a success, because we know this is a strong element in our quest for a more aggressive approach to economic development. Here we go, flyin high in the Region of Waterloo once again!

Here is the latest, the Region of Waterloo has pushed for Go Transit for years, first in Cambridge and then in Kitchener. Oddly enough, even GO itself must have a bit of a loose screw because it chose Kitchener before Cambridge. You see, anyone living in Cambridge going to Toronto, is not going to make a 40 minute drive into downtown Kitchener, to hop on a train that will take 2 hours to get into Toronto. However, it may have made sense for Kitchener folks, to make their way down to the 401 (like they do now) and hop on a train in Cambridge that would take about an hour and 15 minutes to get into downtown Toronto. Obviously I’m missing something, because folks, if you just read that and understood it, I have to say 100% of you would have to agree with me. That being said, as much as I’m very reluctant to do so, I will give GO the benefit of the doubt, there must be a good reason for that decision. On second thought, forget it, I can’t, GO I will maybe say, you bowed to political pressure and made a decision that didn’t make sense.

Now speaking of things that don’t make sense, the Region has pushed and pushed for this, saying the ridership is there, people are screaming about the need, thousands of cars are blocking highway 8 trying to get to the 401 and they made the case that the trains would be bursting at the seams. YET, they have just decided to implement some incentives, to get riders on the train,  and here they are; if you take the bus (GRT) to the train station, you will only have to pay a 50 cent fare (the rest of the taxpayers not using GO will pay the rest) and if you drive to the train station, you can park FREE (the rest of the taxpayers will pay for the lot maintainance).  570 News ran an informal opinion poll today, which asked how many times per week you would take the GO Train and oddly enough 84% said ZERO, 11% said once or twice, and only 3% said 5 or more times. These numbers speak volumes, maybe that 3% is a lot of people, I’m not sure, but overall if 100% of the taxpayers are being asked to subsidize the 3%, for a service that is already subsidized by the taxpayer, because if they charged the real cost of public transportation, no one could afford to ride it, am I wrong in questioning the brilliance of all this? If the Region desperately wanted GO service because there were thousands who said they wanted it, why would that same Regional Government have to use incentives to get people to use it? I am completely perplexed by this whole notion.

Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great we have GO coming to the Region. Yes there are folks who will use it, we know that from our studies here in Cambridge. My real concern is, we have very desperate issues at all government levels. We heard this morning at our Annual Mayor’s Breakfast from our Mayor, Stratford’s Mayor and Woodstock’s Mayor, that funding local basic infrastructure is falling behind. This folks is core stuff, that we need for business to grow, create employment and drive our economy. We heard from them that upper tiers of government have spending control issues, we can’t have more taxation, we need less, but with fruitless spending sprees like this, we’ll not see the end of it, till we’re at the end of our ability to pay. I’m not sure about you, but I am very, very close to not having enough anymore and it simply must stop. Somehow, those who agree with me, need to stand up and tell them we’ve had enough of the political gamesmanship. I really would have thought, with the global political, and government indebtedness issues, our politicians would be putting more thought into their spending decisions, as my wife would say, Greg, you’re wrong again!

The Chamber runs North America’s #1 financial literacy program, Funny Money. Developed by International acclaimed Canadian Comedian James Cunningham. We’ve delivered James’ message to over 400,000 high school students in Canada, now he is embarking on taking it international because Funny Money was awarded the Worlds Best Unconventional Chamber Project this past year. The message is clear, the same one you use at home. Budget your money, understand where it comes from and where it has to go, manage your debt responsibly so your debt doesn’t manage you and make sure you always, always, always put some away for the future. We all know wise financial management is important, we know that because we simply can’t go to our employer and tell them to give us more because we’re short a few bucks. It seems funny that the Government is now pushing the need to educate our kids on strong financial literacy skills, when they are, simply said, the worst example there is. What gives them an edge over you and I is, they can go to their employers (us) and not just ask for more, they take it.  Am I the only one who thinks this is wrong?

You see, taxes have been steadily rising at a rate of more than twice as fast as incomes. In the past 50 years, household incomes have risen about 700% and over that same period taxes have risen over 1600%. If you put those two lines on a graph, at some point in the not too distant future the requirement of tax would be equal to our income. Obviously its hard to believe that will ever happen, but folks, over the last 50 years, that’s been the trend, based on facts not assumptions. Today Canadian families spent more on Taxes each year than on the necessities of life, about 35% on necessities, and well, we know Tax freedom day is sometime in late June or July, nearly half our income goes to ?????, all the things politicians want to get them re-elected. It’s not on their incomes, or the controversial holidays, or odd helicopter pickups, or dinners out or even the rides in a limo, these folks, are peanuts compared to the decisions they make everyday that would curl your hair (if it’s not already). Every ounce of wealth, at whatever level that may be, is generated by business activity. Governments print the paper version of money, business puts the value in it. So with that being said, if business can’t put the value in our currency how can we possibly hope to reverse the tide of having our tax requirement out pace our income requirement.

It’s as obvious as the noses on our faces that BIG BOLD leadership is required, it’s as plain as day that we need out of the box action and the only ones that seem to understand that are the ones not sitting in the legislatures of our communities, province or country, it is us, the average everyday folks. The one thing everyone knows, even those with their heads buried in the sand is, bold leadership will happen, because it has to. Politicians will have to make the difficult decisions, they’ll be forced to listen and act accordingly, look at Europe, they’ll be dragged kicking and screaming, but they have to make those choices, they’re in survival mode right now. We are not there yet, but if we don’t have that big bold idea leadership now, we’ll get there sooner rather than later. The Chamber will continue to press for Big Bold New Idea Leadership and encouraging those who want to make us a stronger, more vibrant and prosperous community, that and only that is what is good for our communities social fabric. Lemme hear ya, who’s up for Big Bold New Idea Leadership?

Folks, lets not kid ourselves, there isn’t a politician that doesn’t know what has to be done, there is no leader on the planet that is really sitting in a state of confusion. Every single one of them knows that we have abused the financial resources available to us. I guess, the silver lining for Canadian’s is that we have a stable, regulated and controlled financial banking system, but that will only carry us so far. Change doesn’t just have to happen in the US and Europe, it has to happen here as well, the problem is we seem to have elected weak knee politicians who favour relection over doing what’s right. Plain and simply put, taxes are bad! Taxes cripple businesses ability to invest in themselves which is the single most important action to take in order to increase productivity, which creates opportunity, which creates jobs, which generates wealth, which builds vibrant and caring communities. Taxes cripple the consumers ability to buy, which as we all know is about 70 to 80% of the total economy.

So, why does the government need all the taxes they take from our earnings? The simple answer is, we can’t be trusted to do the right thing with our wealth, we can’t be trusted to be our brothers keeper, we can’t be trusted to ensure our communities are caring, safe and compassionate, “we” won’t do the right thing, but government will? Government/Politics is the only industry where you can do a bad job and still make money, it’s the only industry that can have virtually no customer satisfaction at all and still prosper. The choices always seem to be painful, do you want surgery, a car accident or fall off a ladder, no matter what the choice its going to hurt, we just hope the surgery is minor, the accident is a fender bender or the fall is off a step-ladder not an extension ladder.

I have often tried to rationalize the actions of government/politicians, but I’ve come to the conclusion that they can’t be rationalized because they simply aren’t rational. I follow politics everywhere, I’m a political junkie I guess. One guy I like a lot is Congressman Ron Paul of Texas, now vying for the Republican Presidential Candidate nomination. I’m not sure it’s all just his age, because he’s been shooting from the hip for years, he gets lots of support, but I think in the end people figure he’s just too rational to be President, his knees aren’t weak, he is just too “matter of fact” and for whatever reason people can’t figure out if he’d be major surgery or a sliver extraction, a ten car pileup or bump of a door in a parking lot, or slipping off the top rung or just missing that first rung. What I think everyone concludes though, he’d make some dramatic changes on how government/politics works.

So the result? We are to blame for the lack of leadership, we are terrified of change, would a flat tax be good for us? What about private/public healthcare? What about having a little trust in the people to do the right thing, and put more of their hard-earned money back in their pockets and cash registers through tax cuts and lets see how caring and compassionate we can be. I am not sure about any of these, are they right, wrong, I’m not sure, but they are big bold ideas that have surfaced before, only to get diminished by you and I content with being happy 20% of the time. I’m not certain what the right thing is, but I think we can all agree, change must happen and it is big bold idea time.

My friend Dave is absolutely correct, he continues to say in the same column, “What is missing is the need for bold moves and policy platforms that will grow our economic pie to generate the tax revenues to properly invest in priorities. It’s easy to spend money, especially when it’s not your own, to garner support. Real leaders, however, know that greater priority must be placed on policies and initiatives that will lead to growth.” Here, here Mr. Angus, that is exactly what “we” the people are looking for.

Bold ideas, relevant to the times, with exciting initiatives is what we are all looking at. I believe that this is what fell the PC campaign in Ontario. If I recall correctly, Mr. Hudak and the Ontario PC’s enjoyed a 10 or 12 point lead in the polls in July or so. The real problem as I see it was that the new and bold ideas, if there were any, got lost in the rhetoric of the “taxman” messaging or the “we can’t afford 4 more years” statement over and over. I’m no expert, but I thought marketing 101 says don’t mention your competition, it’s just free advertising. The only one who really had a platform was the incumbent who simply continued to rely on his record over the last 8 years, and as far as the NDP, I am certain they were hoping the surge in their Federal counterparts would engulf their campaign as well. That little success story of the spring certainly wasn’t the NDP”s doing, it was all about Jack Layton, he made that happen all on his own.

In any event folks, we’ll get exactly what we want out of this election, that is still the beauty of democracy. I’m still getting excited about election night, like I always do. I understand that Mr. Hudak is still optimistic about what the outcome will be, I’m sure the Premier is sitting comfortably with his expected outcome and Ms. Horwath most certainly will gain some points this time around, she’s proved herself to be leader for the Ontario NDP.

You won’t get any predictions from me, not at all sure what the most important poll will say (the Vote), either way folks I can guarantee you one thing. Tomorrow, the sun will rise in the east and set in the west, we’ll have to head to work, to school or wherever you’ve planned your day, nothing will really change, no matter who is elected as there were no bold new ideas anywhere. So vote with your head and your heart working together, consider all your options, have confidence like I do that they are all honourable people, just wanting to make Ontario and our communities better places to live, work and raise a family. None of the three leaders or parties are to be feared, they are all good people wanting to give of their talents. Be a little optimistic like I am, in the end We the People hold the balance of the power with our pen in our hand. So demonstrate that power and get out and vote, you will feel better you did.