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Yesterday I got a little carried away with family history and neglected to get to the item I wanted to discuss. For many years I have been critical of the US election system when I see the election of so many people into bureaucratic jobs, from sheriff to dog catcher to the CAO being elected in some form of popularity contest. How can you be a police chief if you have never been in law enforcement. (Remember that RCMP disaster)

Do you think some of our Town Hall staff would stand a snowballs chance in hell of being elected in Huntsville? I don’t think so. I could name a dozen local people including a few councillors who could match the skill set of our CAO and bury him at the polls. Maybe the US system has some merit after all. Here’s a couple of high end TV elected officials, DA’s from Law & order. Fred Thompson, on the right, was a US State Senator for eight years and ran for President in 2008. Here’s his Wiki link

Very electable Fred Thompson on the right

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Thompson

Continuing with our little Canadian History lesson here is a profile of Sir Charles Tupper, Tilley’s buddy from Nova Scotia. He was a founding member of the Huntsville Scotch Club.

Tupper read the Bible fully from cover to cover by the age of eight. His father Charles Tupper Senior, a prohibitionist, was one of the founding fathers of the fast-growing Maritime Baptist Churches. While training as a medical doctor in Edinburgh, Charles Jr discovered Scotch from which he never recovered. Tupper served as first president of the Canadian Medical Association.

In 1867 the Halifax Morning Chronicle had described Tupper as "the most despicable politician within the bounds of British North America." Throughout his career Tupper was variously described as "the Boodle Knight," the "Great Stretcher" (of the truth), "the old tramp," the "Arch-Corruptionist," and "the old wretch.".

Tupper has the distinction of being the shortest-serving Prime Minister in Canadian history, even beating out Joe Clark and Kim Campbell (67 days!). His marriage, despite allegations of philandering, lasted longer than any other Prime Minister: 66 years!

Tupper, the longest-surviving Father of Confederation, served in six federal cabinet portfolios. If there was something that was really difficult to get done, somebody who needed to be won over, Macdonald often said: ‘Call Tupper.’ Tupper could make things happen.

In 1883 a British Columbia contractor close to Tupper was awarded a two million dollar job though rivals submitted lower bids. The opposition suspected a payoff. Tupper faced a legal challenge and demands for a full inquiry. He promptly left his retirement home in Vancouver and sailed for London, far from the cry of scandal, to take a diplomatic posting.

Take Schiff's advice "Make a Deal"