Danny Williams: The hypocrisy of Canada's Left

[August1991]

From Bob Rae to Danny Williams, from Jean Chretien to Jack Layton, from Buzz Hargrove to Justin Trudeau, we are told to act as citizens of the world. We are all in the same boat.

And yet, when members of this elite must choose for themselves, they act differently: Jack Layton goes to a private health clinic. Pauline Marois has a large mansion near Montreal. Danny Williams flies to Miami. And all of these people travel at public expense.

Danny Williams created nothing new. He earned his millions through government largesse: he became rich through federal government cable TV rights. IOW, Danny Williams is a sophisticated rent-seeker. Danny Williams is a bully, and the fearful pliant CRTC made him rich by giving him federal money.

Rene Levesque understood this well, could have played that card, but chose to be honest. Danny Williams is a gangster. Rene Levesque was an honest politician.

----

More broadly, will Danny Williams' decision to have an operation in Miami show him to be the coward that he is?

[Bonam]

More broadly, will Danny Williams' decision to have an operation in Miami show him to be the coward that he is?

No, it shows him to be intelligent and pragmatic. A politician may pontificate about the virtues of public health care if it is to their political advantage, but when it comes to one's own health and life, an intelligent individual will do what they can to get the best possible care for themselves. He is no coward. A hypocrite, yes, but not a coward. It is not cowardice to seek superior service.

As for affecting the debate in Canada. What debate is there to affect? The position of mandatory public health care is firmly entrenched.

Edited February 24, 2010 by Bonam

[Smallc]

Danny Williams can waste his money if he wants to:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/02/23/williams-surgery023.html

Oh, and there's actually no proof that Chretien ever went to Mayo (though he may have). There is proof he had heart surgery in Montreal. Jack Layton said he didn't know he was treated at a private facility (it was obviously operating within the public system, so no harm there) and he's getting cancer treatment at a public hospital.

[August1991]

No, it shows him to be intelligent and pragmatic.

On the contray, Danny Williams is a coward.

The Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan believe in something. Danny Williams believes in nothing. His previous idea of risk was to gain the confidence of a federal bureaucracy (the CRTC).

When Danny Williams faced true risk, he ran off to Miami.

IMV, Danny Williams is a fool - and Newfoundlanders have too often fallen afoul of such charlatans.

Edited February 24, 2010 by August1991

[Bugs]

Danny Williams can waste his money if he wants to...

I don't think that's the issue, is it? What's at stake is the respect that Williams gets from his electorate.

Danny Williams presided over a health system that was derelict, to the point of misdiagnosing hundreds of women suspected of having breast cancer. Some women lost breasts unnecessarily, and other women died because their cancers weren't discovered. When insiders saw the numbers, he stifled their efforts, and didn't react until it was public. Even then, he did nothing for awhile, and in his usual grandiose style, suddenly began making a lot of noise and acting as if he was cleaning house ...

And when it's his turn to use the public system, he goes to Miami. If I were part of his flock, it would seem to me that he might pull up his sox, and do an adequate job, if he had to pay another price to go 'away'.

It's the Bolshevik tendency that runs all through the political elites ... you know, the Communists who had private dachas on the Black Sea ... in the same way, our political class has its own healthcare, as the previous poster noted. Maybe they wouldn't be so cavalier with our health care if they used it.

[Who's Doing What?]

I don't think that's the issue, is it? What's at stake is the respect that Williams gets from his electorate.

Danny Williams presided over a health system that was derelict, to the point of misdiagnosing hundreds of women suspected of having breast cancer. Some women lost breasts unnecessarily, and other women died because their cancers weren't discovered. When insiders saw the numbers, he stifled their efforts, and didn't react until it was public. Even then, he did nothing for awhile, and in his usual grandiose style, suddenly began making a lot of noise and acting as if he was cleaning house ...

And when it's his turn to use the public system, he goes to Miami. If I were part of his flock, it would seem to me that he might pull up his sox, and do an adequate job, if he had to pay another price to go 'away'.

It's the Bolshevik tendency that runs all through the political elites ... you know, the Communists who had private dachas on the Black Sea ... in the same way, our political class has its own healthcare, as the previous poster noted. Maybe they wouldn't be so cavalier with our health care if they used it.

The rich have it better. Always have, always will.

I know if I had the money for a heart procedure I needed, I would pay to get the first available operating table.

[August1991]

Danny Williams presided over a health system that was derelict, to the point of misdiagnosing hundreds of women suspected of having breast cancer. Some women lost breasts unnecessarily, and other women died because their cancers weren't discovered. When insiders saw the numbers, he stifled their efforts, and didn't react until it was public. Even then, he did nothing for awhile, and in his usual grandiose style, suddenly began making a lot of noise and acting as if he was cleaning house ...

Maybe such testimony will awake Newfoundlanders:

Dr. Robert Deane sighs heavily as he recounts his wife Peggy's last years of life. "With cancer, it's just bad news, after bad news, after bad news." His dark assessment of Peggy's losing battle with the disease came during his testimony before the Commission of Inquiry into Hormone Receptor Testing, a provincial inquiry that is tearing Newfoundland apart and probably not doing much for the confidence of cancer patients right across the country.

CBC

Lord knows that they knew Danny Williams hypocrisy before. But I think that he may have pushed the envelope a bit too far.

====

Danny Williams' ability to push the envelope is one thing; using other people's money is another.

IOW, the great error was to use other people's money obtained through taxes, coercion. This made Williams a coward.

True Newfoundlanders are independent people.

Edited February 24, 2010 by August1991

[Topaz]

This topic was discussed on CBC and this is what came of it. One, Williams was told that his own province didn't do that surgery and that in Canada, they don't do heart surgery without cracking the bone(?). In the US, they have the tech know how to avoid cracking bones and going under them, which is why he's up and walking around. He supposely used his own money for the surgery and he needed it pronto. I see no problem but i could be wrong.

[dizzy]

Just a couple of points of clarification: Danny Williams is the head of the Progressive Conservative Party so, not a representative of Canada's left. Jack Layton went to a privately-run, non-profit hospital that serves all Canadians under OHIP and other provincial insurance programs, except for semi-private room fees, just like all hospitals...

http://www.shouldice.com/admin.htm

no issue there.

Edited February 24, 2010 by dizzy

[eyeball]

This isn't a left-right issue, this is an up-down issue. This should be insulting to every Canadian that lives under governance.

It was probably spite that made me lean more towards anarchy in the beginning but now I see it more as a necessity. Human societies are like ecosystems that depend on a periodic disturbance regime, like fires, floods or revolutions to keep them functional.

[M.Dancer]

I think it is a non issue in the big picture, a minor issue when it comes to Newfoundland politics.

Personally I think if someone want to foot the bill on their own for a service already offered here, then more power to them. As such it doesn't affect anybody else in the least.

[ToadBrother]

On the contray, Danny Williams is a coward.

The Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan believe in something. Danny Williams believes in nothing. His previous idea of risk was to gain the confidence of a federal bureaucracy (the CRTC).

When Danny Williams faced true risk, he ran off to Miami.

IMV, Danny Williams is a fool - and Newfoundlanders have too often fallen afoul of such charlatans.

No kidding. The worst being Joey Smallwood.

[Shady]

Of course he's a hypocrite. Danny Williams and his ilk, are the primary reason why our healthcare system has remained stagnant, unable to enact basic common sense reforms. It's these Leftist elites that continue to promote the broken system that us serfs have no choice but to live with, while they have the option of flying around the world to bypass the very problems they champion. It's pretty disgusting.

[fellowtraveller]

Williams will come home tanned and fit, full of bullshit and bombast, blame it all on Stephen Harper, and Newfoundlanders will love it.

In other words, no change to the status quo.

[Shady]

Williams will come home tanned and fit, full of bullshit and bombast, blame it all on Stephen Harper, and Newfoundlanders will love it.

In other words, no change to the status quo.

Exactly. The Danny Williams motto, "socialized medicine for thee, but not for me."

[bloodyminded]

Danny Williams is not a "leftist elite."

[Michael Hardner]

When we refuse to pay attention to the problems of healthcare, then we bring blame upon ourselves for the stagnancy of the system.

Case in point is eHealth in Ontario. That has been mismanaged for years, and has achieved nothing. Ontarians only sat up and took notice when a tabloid-style issue (a consultant charged the province for tea) hit the papers. Since then, there hasn't been a peep about eHealth.

What is the message to the McGuinty government here ? Simple: do NOTHING and you will not get burned by the electorate on election day.

I have been posting on this topic for years. It's dull, so it gets scant interest - even on MLW.

[Moonbox]

No. He's just a loudmouthed moron.

I don't blame him for going to USA for surgery. I would have. It does, however, make him a giant hypocrite and highlights problems that Canadian politicians refuse to deal with.

[Guest American Woman]

...there's actually no proof that Chretien ever went to Mayo (though he may have).

It sounds as if there's no "proof" because it was orchestrated that way.

According to Ezra Levant, and I admit I don't know how reliable he is,* there was an elaborate cover-up but....air force log books aren't subject to political cleanups: they show that Chretien wasn't in Vancouver on Feb. 8, 1999. At 7:55 a.m., he flew to Minnesota, and stayed there until 4:50 p.m., when he returned to Ottawa. link

*I have read that Levant is a lawyer, a conservative, and a political activist, but beyond that don't know if he's a Rush Limbaugh type or what.

[msj]

Count me in as not thinking Danny Williams is a hypocrite, nor left wingish.

I do think that August is demonstrating an interesting streak of jealously where he is so jealous and angry at Danny that he must call him all sorts of names, link him to all sorts of unrelated/barely related other incidents/people, and then call him a coward for good measure.

If you've got more money than me (and I'd wager that at least 1% of you do )¹ I have no problem with you paying your own way to the US of A.

In fact, I don't even mind you putting that $80,000 bill on your Canadian tax return and getting a nice big medical expense tax credit in the amount of, oh, let's estimate it to be about $15,600 in tax savings (I'm familiar with BC tax rates and not so much with NFLD tax rates).

You've paid your taxes (net of the medical tax credit), its a free country, and the US is willing to accept your money. BFD.

¹ It's not that I'm wealthy - it's just that so many of you come off as being unemployable.

Edited February 24, 2010 by msj

[ToadBrother]

It sounds as if there's no "proof" because it was orchestrated that way.

According to Ezra Levant, and I admit I don't know how reliable he is,* there was an elaborate cover-up but....air force log books aren't subject to political cleanups: they show that Chretien wasn't in Vancouver on Feb. 8, 1999. At 7:55 a.m., he flew to Minnesota, and stayed there until 4:50 p.m., when he returned to Ottawa. link

*I have read that Levant is a lawyer, a conservative, and a political activist, but beyond that don't know if he's a Rush Limbaugh type or what.

Levant's a bit of an extremist, to the point where most of his Conservative pals have distanced themselves. He's the one that claimed Chuck Cadman was to blame for the Cadman affair. He's a strange duck.

[Shakeyhands]

Of course he's a hypocrite. Danny Williams and his ilk, are the primary reason why our healthcare system has remained stagnant, unable to enact basic common sense reforms. It's these Leftist elites that continue to promote the broken system that us serfs have no choice but to live with, while they have the option of flying around the world to bypass the very problems they champion. It's pretty disgusting.

I didn't know that PC's were leftists... wow.

[Guest American Woman]

Levant's a bit of an extremist, to the point where most of his Conservative pals have distanced themselves. He's the one that claimed Chuck Cadman was to blame for the Cadman affair. He's a strange duck.

I had the feeling he may be a bit over the edge, but he seems to have quoted very specific information regarding the air force log books.

While there isn't any proof that Chretien was at Mayo, evidently there's no proof that he was in BC skiing either, right? Which seems a bit odd.

[Shady]

Levant's a bit of an extremist, to the point where most of his Conservative pals have distanced themselves. He's the one that claimed Chuck Cadman was to blame for the Cadman affair. He's a strange duck.

All of that is false. All of it.

[Battletoads]

I think some federal conservatives see anyone who disagrees with them as a hypocritical liberal, even if their are the head of the PCs.

Atleast they can make up their minds what to call someone unlike the "He a socialist/communist/fascist/dictator" republicans