Right in the centre - Points to ponder

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Published on Friday, June 3, 2022

By Ken Waddell

Neepawa Banner & Press

On this overcast, windy and rainy Tuesday morning, when this column is being written, there is much to ponder.

Seemingly endless days of rain have hampered crop seeding to a near desperation point. Some crops have been seeded in the area, but there are many thousands of acres yet untouched. Manitoba Crop Insurance deadlines have been extended, but are looming ominous on our very grey horizon.

Over the past few years, overly dry conditions have hampered yields and water tables have been dropping. That would seem to be reversed now, as the fields are saturated at a level not seen for a long time. The aquifers should be recharged now and that is a very good thing in the long term. Not sure how the crops are going to be seeded. Hopefully the Colorado Low that came through with wild winds and rain Monday night will signal a major change in the weather.

It’s almost certain that man-caused climate change will be blamed for the weather patterns. The people, who claim that didn’t live through the 1950s when fields were saturated, crop seeding delayed and sometimes denied and wild winds and rains were a common experience. But then, of course in the 1950s, we didn’t have the Green movement to educate us as to how bad people are for the climate and the world. They forget that, without people, and lots of them, Manitoba would not be producing much food. You can only feed so many people on buffalo and berries. If that wasn’t the case, the population of Manitoba would have been much higher 200 years ago.

On the national stage, the federal Liberal party is well trained in the “never waste a crisis” methodology of politics. They have chosen a tragic moment in history, surrounding another school shooting on the U.S., to bring in more gun regulations. They are using the time-worn notion that if they pretend to control the sale of guns, that crazy people won’t find a gun and shoot other people and often themselves. I am not currently a gun owner. When I had farm and an acreage, I did own guns. I shot gophers, especially when they decided to move under my barn. I would have shot any animal that might have threatened to do harm to my family or my livestock. I shot the odd magpie or grackle, as I am of the philosophy that they can go live in the bush and leave the robins and other song birds alone in my yard.

All that said, banning any guns will not stop mass shootings. You don’t ban cars because they can be driven too fast. You get the picture. We don’t have a gun problem, we have a people attitude problem. The Liberals know that, but they also know they can pummel the Conservatives by escalating the debate about guns. They have no intention of banning guns. Most of them know gun bans gain votes, but not save lives.

The federal liberals will also use the ongoing debate in the United States around abortion rulings to beat up on the Conservatives. There is a huge patchwork of rules about abortion in the States. What most people don’t realize is that in Canada, there is NO law against abortion. A person can abort a baby right up until birthing, if they can get doctor to do the task. Most people are shocked when they hear that. It basically is not discussed enough. And that’s the problem with the abortion debate. There is not enough rational and informed discussion. Demonstrations for and against don’t shed light on the argument, they simply raise animosity on both sides. What is needed is a full and thorough discussion, ranging from conception to contraception to adoption and other alternatives. Abortion will never go away. I have pondered this issue for decades and there is no way it can be or should be banned. It should be much rarer than it is though, of that I am certain. We know of what we speak, as our family has faced the issue several times over the decades and if anybody wants to know what that experience has been, I can discuss it personally.

If we stand back from any issue, large or small, the general philosophy should be that governments need to be involved in some issues, but not in nearly as many as they are. If we are short of people in some industries, I can tell you where the workers are. They are stuffed into government offices doing tasks that are less than necessary and often harmful to the economy.

So as we ponder that the rain continues to fall in this part of the world and bombs fall in other parts, we need to take a deep breath and ask ourselves, how can we do things better? If we consult with God a bit more and depend on government a lot less, we would be better off, I think.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are the writer’s personal views and are not to be taken as being the view of the Banner & Press staff.