In this edition of Just Right, we delved into the perennial surrender of freedom in exchange for an illusion of security, exposing how easily people trade their liberties for empty promises of safety. From London’s absurd anti-idling bylaws—designed to “educate” drivers with fines while exempting the very conditions where pollution matters most—to Canada’s no-fly list and post-9/11 restrictions that inconvenience innocents while achieving little against real threats, the pattern is clear: government overreach thrives on misplaced fears and misjudged risks.
We then turned to the Ontario provincial election circus, where Liberals and Progressive Conservatives alike peddle massive spending sprees—subsidies for “energy-efficient big cars,” billions for transit boondoggles, and John Tory’s push to fund religious schools at taxpayer expense—all while robbing Peter to pay Paul under the guise of compassion and progress. Add in school boards conjuring surpluses through creative accounting to avoid accountability for declining enrollments, and the fiscal irresponsibility becomes undeniable.
Guest Anthony Verberckmoes of Indymedia joined us to promote the Regional Social Forum, sparking a spirited debate on war, terrorism, and Western interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq—where one side sees self-defense against tyrannical regimes, and the other views imperial hypocrisy driven by oil and power.
Understanding these connections between personal freedom, government intrusion, electoral vote-buying, and the justifications for war is Just Right.