What's Next?

With the death of popular NDP leader Jack Layton, one can't but wonder what will be next for the Loyal Opposition in the House of Commons.

With a gang of little known MP's riding around, it's hard to say what the new focus will be. Stay strong in Quebec? Strengthen ties out West? Try to make headway in vote-rich Ontario?

Whoa, slow down.

There's no reason for these folks to rush things. And they shouldn't.

Right now, the NDP without Jack Layton are a little like the NFL's Indianapolis Colts without Payton Manning. With him, they are perennial Superbowl contenders, but without him, they are merely a bunch of role players without common direction.

My suggestion? Take a page from sports marketing guru's. When your favourite team isn't doing well, you market one player (someone who's under contract, and is palatable to consumers) and you sell the fans on their past glory.

The NDP should select a leader who is palatable to consumers, er voters, and sell them everything Jack said in the past.

Think that's preposterous, or morbid?

The NDP have been quoting Tommy Douglas ad nauseum for years. And he's been dead since 1986.

As far as who the leader should be, I don't really know. I mean, I couldn't pick Nycole Turmel out of a lineup if I tried. Thomas Mulcair is equally as qualified and easily as forgettable.

But don't get discouraged New Democrats, you have 3-and-a-half years to find someone who is as likeable and has as much clout as Jack Layton had.

Should be easy enough. Ask the Liberals.

Dire Straits (Money For Nothing-Literally This Time)

'A-Rod had it all wrong. Highstakes gambling is in the stock market.'

I read this on a friends' facebook page before the market opened Monday, and chuckled. That was before the market took a nose dive, and then it wasn't funny at all.

Millions of faces around the world looking on, as the earths' most stable economy (so we're told) crumbled. Their president telling them there is nothing to fear, quoting investors saying regardless of what some people say, they're still a AAA-rated country.

No, you're not. And investors proved it.

President Barack Obama told the world investors still believe America is worthy of investment. In response, the market shrunk below 11,000 points for the first time in 9 months. The S&P Index lost 6% on the one day.

You know who else lost 6% in one day? Stock markets in Greece. Yes, THAT Greece, the one that is taking bailouts from the international community in order to avoid defaulting on their loans.

Obama blamed partisan politics, saying the downgrade in credit rating only happened because the good folks in Washington took their sweet time.

Truth is, people in Washington HAD to take their sweet time. So do folks in Canada, Australia, Greece, England and around the globe.

In 2008, we came as close to a market crash as i've ever seen. Now, in 2011, some investors say we may be on the brink of another. It's time to rethink how business is done globally. This antiquated version of business hasn't changed significantly since people were trying to keep up with the Dow's and the Joneses.

How to fix it? I have no idea. But there are those out there with smarter business minds than mine, that do.

It's time the 'great' powers of this world paid attention to them. Before they can no longer be considered to be 'great' or 'powers.'