Tuesday, September 14, 1999 (story 65)

Last Tuesday, September 7, I was stranded in Brandon, Manitoba, waiting for my car to be fixed after it broke down on the previous Sunday morning at 3:00AM about 70 km west of Winnipeg on Highway #1. I was on my way along with the family to see my son James in Grand Forks, North Dakota, when all of a sudden clouds of steam would rise from the hood. We all got scared, I thought at first that a fire was developing, then later, when I stopped the car, I realized that the coolant was leaking from somewhere near the battery. As we stopped the car, I noticed that a good Samaritan was looking after our whereabouts without any asking from us! It was 3:00 in the morning and as we were checking what was wrong with the car, a small station wagon stopped by and the driver, a young and affable man, asked us if we needed any help. I answered, without any expectation to be really helped, that I didn't know yet and that I would try to continue my trip. The young man replied that he would follow us on our way to Brandon and make sure that in case the car would not work again he would take us to a hotel in Brandon. The car broke down again, this time the spilled coolant shorted the battery and we couldn't start the car anymore. Our Samaritan was there, looking after our welfare. He was a disk jockey, his name Garnet, returning to Brandon after having attended and worked at a wedding party. Garnet rearranged his musical instruments in the back of the wagon to make some room for me and my daughter in law Chenoa, my wife Sharon took the front seat besides Garnet's, and eventually we were able to reach Brandon and find the comfort of a warm room in a motel.

It was Labour Day week-end and no repair shop was open until Tuesday, September 7. On Sunday morning, my son James rented a car in Grand Forks and came to see us in Brandon; our schedule was tight, Chenoa had to attend her first day of university classes on Tuesday in Regina, Sharon had to return to work in Nipawin on Tuesday and go to Saskatoon that same day, James had to attend his university classes on Tuesday in Grand Forks, I was the only one to have flex time and being able to wait for our car to be fixed until Tuesday. My other son Eric stayed in Nipawin to look after our dog Taly and our cat Booker and had to go back to his university residence in Saskatoon on Monday evening.

We decided the following: we would all drive with James' rented car to Regina on Monday morning, Eric would drive from Nipawin and meet us in Regina, Chenoa would be dropped at her house in Regina, Eric and Sharon would continue their trip to Saskatoon where Eric would be dropped at his university residence, and Sharon would continue her trip to Nipawin, James and I would drive back to Brandon where I would stay another day in a motel and wait for our car to be fixed, while James would proceed on for Grand Forks. The plan worked. Now it was Tuesday morning, and I was reading the Globe and Mail while waiting for my car to be fixed at the local Canadian Tire.

As I came across the article "Romanow: fighting battle of values(3)" I began to laugh. I just came out of a wonderful experience where I appreciated the spontaneous generosity of our Samaritan Garnet, now I was reading an article where our astute politician Mr. Romanow was quoted saying "...We're trying to define the Third Way, which embraces values of caring, sharing redistribution of wealth, making sure there's equality of opportunity for people to be the very, very best they can be..."

My mind went back to my recent working and business efforts to provide a relevant economic contribution for the province and to Mr. Romanow's Tin Pot Dictators(4) positioned across the province: last August job interview with representatives of the local Cumberland College when I was told that I was the strongest candidate but that the job was given to a candidate with a more recent teaching experience; my business letter dated March 9, 1998 directed to Valerie Mushinski, CEO of Cumberland Regional College, which was never answered; a business letter dated April 6, 1998 from Rayann Ulvick, previous CEO of Northeast Health District, in which she stated she would meet with me and she never did; a letter dated June 1, 1998 from the local Nipawin's lawyer Jim Taylor, Q.C., threatening legal actions against myself for having mutually agreed to meet with Ray Serack, a Nipawin's Chartered Accountant.

Mr. Romanow has shrank this province to greatness(5)(6), and as long as he continues to play the number game(7) and manage this province through his Tin Pot Dictators he will never embrace the Third Way in his heart, just in his words!

Endnotes

1. The author defines the Third Way as an economic and social direction reconciling the Knowledge/Internet Economy with the Ecological Economy. As such, the Third Way should not be the monopoly of any political party, be leftist or rightist. Refer to the following:

New Rules for the New Economy, by Kevin Kelly, http://www.wired.com/wired/5.09/newrules.html

Internet-based knowledge portal serving emerging knowledge needs of millions of worldwide senior executives, consultants, intrapreneurs, educators and researchers, by Dr. Yogesh Malhotra, http://www.brint.com/

Combustion in the RainForest: Ecology, Energy and Economy for a Sustainable Environment, by L. Klemas, http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/3621/REFER.HTM

2. Some leaders have been describing The Third Way as a yet to be defined socialistic direction between the dogmas of free-market capitalism and big-government regulation.

The Elusive 'Third Way', by Barry James, International Herald Tribune http://www.iht.com/IHT/BJ/98/bj092598.html

The New Progressive Declaration: A Political Philosophy for the Information Age, Executive Summary of the Democtratic Leadership Center DLC http://www.dlcppi.org/texts/pflib/progsum.htm

3. Romanow: fighting battle of values, by Martin O'Hanlon, of the Canadian Press Regina, The Globe and Mail, September 7, 1999

4. Saskatchewan Tin Pot Dictatorships: Lack of Integrity Is Lack of Leadership, by Mario deSantis, February 8, 1999. Published in The North Central Internet News

5. Premier Romanow has provided a provincial wide philosophy and leadership of downsizing everything; in fact, he has downsized health care, has downsized highways, has downsized crown corporations, has downsized agriculture, has downsized education, in conclusion he has put people out of work and out of the province. Refer to the latest downsizing blow to the City of Saskatoon, Downsizing and the City of Saskatoon, by Mario deSantis, August 21, 1999. Published in The North Central Internet News

6. The Circle of Innovation : You Can't Shrink Your Way to Greatness, by Tom Peters, Dean LeBaron http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN%3D0679757651/002-9316891-4017043

7. The Number Game, by Mario deSantis, April 1, 1999. Published in The North Central Internet News