For me the problem is that under our system of government MPs are the only ones able to decide how best to perform their official functions within very broad guidelines, that is a part of the same principles of Parliamentary supremacy we saw upheld by the Speaker on the documents issue a few weeks back. I get nervous when making changes to fundamental aspects of how our governing system works in a piecemeal manner, and things meant with the best of intentions can still have profound negative ripple effects and consequences down the road.

Consider for a moment having an AG who uses their power of value for money audit to advance a partisan agenda by declaring certain MP activities to be a bad value, how easily could an MP defend against that? We have to remember that we in our system send MPs to be our representatives to and for governing ourselves and that to mess around with the fundamental underpinnings of this could end up with some serious consequences not immediately obvious (in part because so many people think it is so good an idea they are not considering that it might have negative aspects to it, which I must say makes me nervous, there is a reason we have a cliche about the road to hell being paved with good intentions after all) to the health of our system.

I am not saying (yet) that I am utterly opposed to the notion, I am saying there is a valid argument against this move, and that it needs more serious consideration before too many people blindly jump on the short term thinking train about this. One of my personal philosophies is that when something seems to be utterly obvious that everyone agrees with it then it is even more important than usual to take a second look at it because those are the decisions that can really come back to haunt you down the road, especially where fundamental powers of government are concerned.

I know politically this is not a sexy argument, I know it is a bit of a contrarian perspective as well, but one of my core principles regarding politics is good government and process being as important as policy. Indeed most of my greatest concerns about Harper always rested in the process side more than the ideological policy side (not that I was too happy about that either, just that as bad as that was the process side was even worse IMHO). This is one of those times where I think the stampede to what on the surface seems like an obvious good thing politically may be on sober second thought and consideration more problematic and fraught with serious complication and consequences than is being considered. Hence why I am speaking up about it.

I will not be joining for the simple fact that the Canadian Taxpayers Federation is a pillar of the group. CTF opposes everything based on their reductionist economic model. The gun registry: bad on economic grounds. Health care: even worse. Their policy prescriptions have less to do with cost effectiveness than it does with providing efficient alternatives.

When a group so badly confuses “the economy” with “commerce” on environmental and social issues, I cannot get behind their rallies – even when they genuinely serve the public’s interest.

Lord only knows that the same people calling for an independent audit will go to bat for their republican overlords claiming that “the Liberals did it first/worse” when the smoke clears.

I think we want to know about things like marble super robotic toilets in their office restrooms (don’t laugh, Pauline Marois when she was finance minister did just that) or moats and castles and even porn as the Daily Telegraph may suggest in Britain.

WE hear things of cuts to health care; the Americanization of our health care; the scrapping of all those programs who did good work in favour of bible translators and youth conversions to Christian Evangelism, we hear of the usual 1000$ a plate rubber chicken and frozen pea dinners for some insipid candidate and/or obscure charity that only the rich or the political elite would know about anyway.

And yes, perhaps some lawsuits if they’re of the sexual harrassment type to satisfy our appetite for smut.