How about down the middle?

No other issue I know speaks to the difference between the three main parties (yes three, not two) better than the great East / West / Center of the Lake debate.

Center of the Lake...? A third option? Who threw that out there?

Oh, yeah. The third Party.

(Hey Green's, no disrespect, but I think of you as the fourth Party right now. And that's just for now, so keep up the hard work ok? Oh, and uh... check your policies over a bit, please? I read them, think about the impact on the economy if implemented all at once, and shudder one of those deep, down-to-your-bowels shudders. But that's just my gut reaction, and who am I after all, right? But do me a solid, and run some economic modeling based on those directives, ok?)

So, about this third option.

Fishies and algae don't launch lawsuits. Apparently they would have no need anyhow, because the environmental impact of the watery option is so darned low, the judge would likely just throw out the suit as frivolous.

Run an underwater cable and send power down it? Who does that, I can hear you say...

Right. Who does that, indeed.

I'm not a confirmed expert on underwater cables, and I won't try to convince you that I am. I do have the sense to listen to such experts, though, and they say this is do-able. Including the experts at Hydro, yes? Yes.

Now, imagine if Ian Rabb were to put up a billboard (just saying...) promoting Manitoba as a world leader in Hydro power lines (now that's using your powers for good.) Imagine this tag line:

'Manitoba: World Leader in Underwater Power Transmission Technology'

Mmm... I like that. Sounds good, and I'll bet Ian would have a great image to go along with it. Seriously, I'll bet he would. There is a lot going on in underwater cable, and it just might be a trend that gains momentum. Remember the railway boom back in the day? Read 'Devil Take the Hindmost', and tell me what you think of underwater cable's potential. Its a great book.

So let's jump over to an alternate Universe... maybe the NDP's Earth II... and imagine their poster. Something like this:

'Manitoba: Spirited-Energy-Running-Down-Other-People's-Property-Management-Experts'

Well... ok, I guess there is some export potential there. Its a crazy world, right? Someone must need these skills, somewhere.

Now, zooming off to Planet PC:

'Manitoba: Doing a Great Job Setting Up Public Utilities For Privatization, Without All Those Nasty Lawsuits From Indigenous Peoples Looming Over Your Head'

Now we know there is an export market for that. Tempting... but what sort of international company do we want to keep in our export diversification efforts? And how many right-wing governments could we sell this to, anyhow... ummm... ok, maybe there is some serious potential there. Kinda stinky, but it all spends the same, right?

This Left / Center / Right of the lake debate bears scrutiny for its utility in describing the general state of the difference between the PC's, NDP, and Liberals. We are talking about three very different Manitobas. On one extreme side, seems we have a mess, but we know that going in, so we manage. On the other extreme is another mess, just with different implications and different.... stakeholders. Once again, we manage.

But down the middle, honest to goodness, it seems like things will work out fine.

I know, you'll say, 'but hey Rod Rouge, who could possibly pull off such an effort? What kind of Premiere would we need to pull off an innovation involving crazy distances and complexity and cable...?'

Bone up a bit on your history, kids. Then answer this question: Which of the three candidates to be your next Premier has hands-on Ministerial experience with huge distances and innovative cabling.

Double bonus points if you answer both questions at once.

PC's, NDP'ers, lets do something crazy, ok? Let's pretend for a moment that we have to choose the best option for Manitoba, and not just for anyone's own stakeholders and strategic aims. In this alternate universe where all of Manitoba comes first, tell me which poster you will be putting up, please?

(... if you want, we can do it secretly, so no-one knows what you really think.)

In the middle, the NDP gets to keep their beautiful parklands (Love it!) The PC business minds could get to work leveraging our newly acquired skill set on the world market (folks, them thar' are potential mega-contracts!!) And the rest of us can get out of this stupid debate.

I'm not going up on a stump to beat the Manitoba Liberal drum. I don't have to. Dr. Gerrard is doing fine by representing all Manitobans, and not just a select few.

Golly, what would happen if all Manitobans represented him this October?

Well, ok, not all, but enough.

I'm thinking... the worst we would face in that case would be frivolous lawsuits from fish. Even still, they'd likely look up and say, 'hey, whoa, that's Gerrard... he's been going to bat for us, let's give the guy a break' and just swim away, fairly happy.

Blue Rod, have no fear. You are included in 'all Manitobans' under a Liberal government, natch.

(...but don't tell anyone at those fundraisers, eh?)