Flaherty, rump melon of the week.

Hypocrite, fink and all around dumb-ass Jim Flaherty's head continues to bob in the lap of deceit. This would be our New Conservative New Government's New Minister of New Finance, champion of the unfettered free market, pressuring retailers to fix their prices to suit his political advantage. Golly gosh, he cries, all of those naughty business people are making hay while the sun shines. The dollar has jumped and prices didn't plummet, so this minister of the government that believes in the self correcting magnificence of the free market is suddenly pressuring retailers. What a freaking douchebag.

To make things even better, the slimy wretch uses Harry Potter to make his point. Why, shouldn't a gawd fearing, conswervative, lick spittle like Flaherty be denouncing the wicked and depraved books? They are, after all, turning the kiddies into devil worshipping witches'n'wizards and let's not forget teh gay. I do declare, Mr. Flaherty, how could you betray the real women of New Canada by helping to unleash the gay making might of Dumbledore on the unsuspecting populace? Have you no shame, sir? Next you know, all the poor impressionable boy folk will be working away on their laptops and bookmarking Dust My Big O'l Broomstick.

Of course, since Flaherty is a con, both by art and affiliation, he fucks things up. His pissing and moaning about retailers, especially in the publishing sector, is flat out wrong. Prices are set by the publishers as much as a year in advance. That being noted, some retailers are actually cutting their prices and thus their margins without the market interference of Jimmy's little crusade. But he wouldn't know that, he is just a simple con on the job.

The following is from the Globe & Mail:

"Mr. Flaherty might want to work on his shopping skills, because the book is available to Ottawa consumers for less than the U.S. price he quoted.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is selling for $23.69 (Canadian) at Costco in Ottawa, or $22.50 at Amazon.ca, before a $3.95 shipping charge.

Diane Brisebois, president of the Retail Council of Canada, said it was "very unfortunate" the minister didn't bother to look for a better price at home.
She noted that Mr. Flaherty himself had implored consumers to hunt for the best prices as a way of keeping retailers competitive.

"He should take his own advice and shop around," Ms. Brisebois said in an interview. "There's an Ottawa independent bookseller who will sell you the book at the U.S. price. He could have just walked down from his office and supported a Canadian business and, more importantly, an independent retailer.

Collected Works, an Ottawa bookstore which is now giving customers the choice of buying books at the U.S. or Canadian sticker price, sells the latest Harry Potter book for $29.95, just 21 cents more than the Washington, D.C. price Mr. Flaherty quoted."

Jim Flaherty, making things happen. Stupid things.