What Matters to You – More Alberta, that’s what they are asking for
digital art Powered by DALL·E 3The last time I had an article in the paper was August 25. I had touched on our "Alberta Culture" and that I was the legislator selected by CSG Midwest to take their legislative leadership training course held by the Bowhay Institute at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Time flies, it appears, so I'll...
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What Matters to You – Our Western Culture
digital art Powered by DALL·E 3I'm off again, heading down to the USA, Madison, Wisconsin, to take some training from the Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development. Quite the honor, as typically only one legislator is selected from the member states and provinces each year. With the Covid Craziness, we could not travel, and the courses were postponed. The Council...
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What Matters to You – What Have You Done for Me Lately?
digital art Powered by DALL·E 3Janet Jackson had a hot song with this title, and I hate to say it when I read some of the accusatory quips or demands on social media, that song runs through my head. It never fails to amaze me how folks who would not say boo in person are fearless and, many times, downright...
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What Matters to You – When Poor Policy Creates a Hazardous Reality
digital art Powered by DALL·E 3Dry wood burns hotter and faster than wet wood. More wood makes a more significant fire than one with less wood. If you put your combustible things too close to a big fire, they will also get burnt. Things live, things die, and the lifespans of some things are longer than others, even amongst types...
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What Matters to You – Decline of Common Sense and the Rise of the Robota
digital art Powered by DALL·E 3It's a strange title, but hear me out on this one. I believe we have reached a state where common sense is in such a state of decline and that far too many people have become dependent on their devices and apps to make it through everyday life. Perhaps it’s a generational thing, as I’m...
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What Matters to You – Fortress North America – Update on Economic Corridors
digital art Powered by DALL·E 3The first time I heard this, I believe, was back in 2010 when a retired USA Air Force Colonel discussed how the military regarded Alberta regarding energy security. I’ve taken that concept and expanded upon it as a way to present the concept of Economic Corridors not only to folks who call the Great White...
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What Matters to You – What Will You Give Up to Move Forward?
digital art Powered by DALL·E 3This may seem like a strange title, but please consider it for a moment. What would you be willing to give up to move forward? It is a tough lesson to learn, and at some point, a person may reach a level where they have all they want, are comfortable in their skin, know what...
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What Matters to You – Simple Questions: How Do You Know? & Then What?
I’m in a time crunch today. I missed my deadline last week to get an article in, and it will be by the skin of my teeth if I can make it in this week. The best-made plans of Mice and Men apparently are alive and well. This week’s topic has been in the back of my mind for a...
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What Matters to You – The Counter Narrative: Things are not adding up, and folks know it
Have you ever had that feeling that someone was pulling your leg? Did you realize it immediately, or did they give you a sign that something wasn't right and let you in on the joke? When it is a friend, family member or co-worker, the vast majority of the time, it is done in a good spirit, having fun because...
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What Matters to You – Trolls, Moose Ticks and Spring
I know the topic headline is a little strange, well stranger than usual, but a few things that became clear over the last while have helped me in conversations and put things in perspective. Thank you, God, for trolls! But... Trolls are not the most favourable mythical characters out there. They conjure up mental imagery of nasty beings living in...
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What Matters to You – Signs, Symbols, and Useful Idiots
There is a bit of art in understanding what makes people tick. Heck, people have degrees on the subject from institutions of higher learning, practice their whole lives in the field, and pass on what they know to the next generation, but we have not yet figured it all out. I don’t know many people who can honestly say they...
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What Matters to You – Boiling Frogs and a Cold Eye Review
It's been a while since I've put my fingers on the keyboard to reach out through our little local papers. Honestly, for whatever reason, things just seem to be getting in the way of me finding a half hour to sit down uninterrupted to be able to make it happen in time to make the cut-off for printing. Not this...
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What Matters to You – The Bare Necessities
It's been a while since I wrote a What Matters to You article. Heck, it was last year already! Ok, my 50-year-old Dad's humor is coming out, but I want to keep a positive tone for the first article in 2024. I hope everyone had a good Christmas and took advantage of the warm weather for New Year's. The danger...
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What Matters to You – Town Halls and Real Conversations
I have a superpower: apparently, it is invisibility! I discovered this ability a few weeks back when I heard in the house from the opposition members and the opposition party leader of the present that none of the UCP team would have real town halls to engage their constituents. I thought that was a fantastic phenomenon because when they were...
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What Matters to You – Economic Update
Alberta is open for business! Our province witnessed a week of economic success this past week, unlike anything we have seen in recent years, starting with a very positive second-quarter fiscal update. Solid Year for Alberta! According to the update, Alberta continues to be on a path of strong economic growth, with a projected surplus of $5.5 billion in 2023-24,...
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What Matters to You – The Real and the Surreal
Alberta's longest-standing premier said it best: when legislators stay too long in the House, they catch dome disease.If you're unfamiliar with dome disease, this illness is one where political figures forget the world outside of the Legislature: the real world, the people they serve, and where the rubber meets the road. The obvious remedy for this affliction is to get...
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What Matters to You – Sheep, Wolfs and the Supreme Court
It seems that these days Canada is governed by the Supreme Court of Canada: Ottawa has started ruling with unrealistic directions, and provinces have to reach the Supreme Court Court of Canada to cancel them. In this context, how much time and money is costing us, Canadians, to reverse the economically destructive ideology from Ottawa?! Two months, two Court decisions...
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What Matters to You – Refocusing Healthcare
While I spent some time working outdoors one evening this week on my rural property, I noticed one of two things: either the cool November air I felt, finally ushering in the Christmas season or it might have been the winds of change. Change is healthy. Not all change is necessary (some definitely are). Change is always a bit scary....
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What Matters to You – Selective Carbon Tax for No Measurable Gains
There is no crisis that a levy or a tax can’t fix. In fact, do you know that if you tax people on heating their homes north of the 49th parallel, you, in fact, can even change the weather outside, I mean measurable global impacts! It’s just a little more complex, however, and as the second largest country on the...
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What Matters to You – If it Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It!
This old saying has been passed down for generations with hopes of imparting some commonsense wisdom. It was true in the day of my Grandparents and will hold true in the days of my Great Grandkids. The nuance, however, is when to apply it and realize that the state of “Conventional Wisdom” may not always be wise. If you don’t...
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