Party Politics

This election driving you to drink? Yeah, me too.

I tried the Coalition Drinking Game the other night. Every time the word "coalition" was mentioned, I took a drink. The last thing I remember, Peter Mansbridge was talking about an airstrike in Libya.

Anyway, I don't think it's fair that the politicians should have all the fun, and burger polls are so 2008, so let's put the party into party politics with Political Cocktails 2011.

For you Conservatives, we have the Jets and Jails Julep. Start with 1½ ounces of Alberta rye whisky (what else). Add a dash of day-old Tim Hortons coffee, black, to give it that bitter edge. In keeping with Stephen Harper's personality, the drink should be neither shaken nor stirred, but served over lots of ice. Makes one minority strength drink. Or try it majority strength: adding 3 more ounces of rye turns it into a Harper Hangover. But, be warned: try it and you'll be sorry.

Or, there's a Liberal libation called the True Grit for those in the mushy middle. You say you're not sure what's in it? Doesn't matter; you can put whatever you like into this drink and change the ingredients to suit your mood and the occasion. Just be sure to use a muddler (you do have a muddler, don't you?), so everything gets thoroughly, well, muddled. Usually served on the rocks.

How about a You Don't Know Jack? Everyone says this one sounds great, but few people are willing to try it. Its fans prefer it straight up.

Available only in Québec, the Bloc Buster is one distinctly differently cocktail. In a tall glass combine 1 ounce pique, 1 ounce insouciance, and a dash of je ne sais crois. Gilles Duceppe finds this one great for washing away the taste of humiliation every time he demands another tanker load of money from the rest of the country.

Green Party supporters can try the May-be Someday. To an ounce of wheat grass juice, add 4 ounces of water from a melting glacier. But since it doesn't contain any alcohol, I don't know why you'd bother.

Our first prime minister, John A. MacDonald was a noted drinker. One evening, while on the campaign trail, an over-refreshed MacDonald threw up on the platform. Responding to his opponent's scornful accusation of drunkenness, MacDonald told the audience, "I get sick sometimes not because of drink or any other cause, except that I am forced to listen to the ranting of my honourable opponent."

I know how he felt.

Why You Hate Politicians

If you aren't already disgusted, or at least slightly disenchanted, with our political leaders after only a few days of Election 2011, you just haven't been paying attention.

The accusations, justifications, oversimplifications, obfuscations, and outright lies are enough to make any sentient being who loves this country despair.

How did we get to this sad point? I have a theory about that (or course). Or rather, I used to have a theory; recently I had to revise and expand it.

For the last few decades there's been a steady drumbeat, generally from the corporate-owned, right wing media, aimed at what I'll call the less sophisticated citizen. Or in their own demographic terms, the Tim Hortons Nation. The message goes like this: all politicians are the same – venal, corrupt, untrustworthy liars concerned only with their own perks and pensions.

This is, in fact, a favourite theme of Conservative politicians. Remember Mike Harris and his Fewer Politicians Act? We were all going to be better served if we elected fewer people to represent us. The Reform Party's disdain for MP's pensions, conveniently forgotten once they got elected, only served to reinforce their own stereotype.

But the corporate and financial elites know this is nonsense. They know politics and politicians matter. They just don't want you to think so. It's simply the law of supply and demand: once you're out of the market, they can get their pet politicians elected and they can buy them on the cheap.

So in time politics comes to be dominated by political waterboys – people whose entire careers have been in the service of the elites (google the resumés of Stephen Harper or Tim Hudak, for examples, though they're far from unique). Ever wonder why the right thing, the good thing, the sensible thing never seems to get done by government? Now you know.

A corollary to my theory is that once politics becomes dominated by these pet poodles, good people, people with a desire for seeing that the public good is served, stay away from politics. The problem continues to get worse.

That, as I say, was my original theory: we've been told politics is a load of crap and politicians are all crooks so that we'll stay away. That way, the elites and their right wing lackeys are allowed free rein. And that's what's happened over the last thirty years.

And with predictable results. Canadians are so estranged from their own public debate that a record low of only 58.8% of voters cast a ballot in the last federal election in 2008. The turnout is expected to be even lower this time. And this constitutes a very grave danger.

We have a prime minister, Stephen Harper, who has not only deliberately degraded the reputation of politics and politicians, but has also demonstrated flagrant contempt for the very principles and institutions of Canadian democracy.

I believe this is a deliberate strategy. Harper knows that Canada is not a conservative nation. His core constituency accounts for little more than a third of voters. But if he can rally his supporters with the kind of divisive issues that appeal to them, while turning off most of the rest of us, he could win a majority of seats in Parliament and accomplish his goal of transforming Canada in his own image.

So my theory boils down to this: If you're disgusted by the state of politics in this country, it's because you're supposed to be. If enough of us stop caring, and stay home on election day, Stephen Harper wins.

First Casualties

Truth is not only the first casualty of war, there's a great big bull's eye painted on its back during election campaigns as well.

The 2011 federal election campaign is only a few hours old, but already the baloney is being sliced thick and fast.

The Conservatives have been trying for a long time to demonize the idea of a coalition among the parties that represent the votes of nearly two-thirds of Canadians. Stephen Harper, in fact, kicked off his campaign by denying that he had been willing to enter into a coalition with the Bloc Québecois and New Democrats in 2004 when Paul Martin was Prime Minister. Here is the text of the letter that he, Gilles Duceppe, and Jack Layton sent to the Governor-General at the time. You be the judge.

He pretended to be gracious, retreating from his earlier position that a coalition would not be "legitimate" (he shut down Parliament to prevent the opposition parties from forming one in 2008). But, referring to the Bloc, he contended that it would not be "principled to have a party dedicated to the break up of our country having a hand in running the government."

He's onto to something here: Canadians outside Quebec are extremely uncomfortable with the notion of a coalition that includes the Bloc.

Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff promptly tried put the coalition issue to rest, going so far as to state, "We will not enter a coalition with other federalist parties."

In an election campaign, no one runs hoping to form a coalition. Both Harper and Ignatieff are hoping to gain a majority, but you can bet we haven't heard the last of coalitions from the Conservatives.

Another major theme of the Conservatives' campaign appears to be that the opposition is threatening the viability of the Canadian economy by defeating the government. They point to their stillborn budget as the blueprint that would have ensured prosperity for all.

But the Conservatives' own Economic Stimulus Program, on which they spent $26 million in public money to promote with an avalanche of advertising just this month, expires in five days. Their budget, a combination of corporate welfare aimed primarily at the big banks and oil companies and "boutique" tax cuts for select groups, was designed to push a few votes their way during the election campaign they knew it would provoke.

And in 2008, Harper was untroubled by the uncertainty an election would cause when he called an election just as the world economy was sliding into the Great Recession.

Canada survived that crisis better than most nations mainly because our banks (for once) didn't engage in the risky practices of their American and European counterparts, and because of the credibility of our central banker, Mark Carney. Harper and his finance minister, Jim Flaherty had to be forced kicking and screaming to adopt the Liberal and NDP measures that came to be called the Economic Stimulus Program.

Am I being more critical of Harper and the Conservatives than I am of the Liberals and NDP? Well, yes. But that's because Harper has a record in government for which he must be accountable. All we can do with Ignatieff and Layton is try to take their measure based on how credible they seem.

Harper would like you to ignore his record. That's why the Conservatives are trying so hard to smear their opponents. Hold on: this is going to be one dirty campaign.

The Blog is a Year Old

I wrote my first blog post just over a year ago, on March 3, 2010. This is my 67^th post, so I've been cranking them out at the rate of one every six days since then.

Some have been slightly shorter, some longer than 500 hundred words, but I try to stay close. This one is exactly 500 words.

I've written about politics, economics, travel, cocktails, daily life, Kurt Browning – anything that interested me and that I was just bursting to tell someone about. I've tried to inform, explain, persuade, praise, question, criticize, and ridicule. Sometimes I just needed to vent. Sometimes I tried to be funny.

Some posts have been easy to write, the work of half an hour. Others have taken days and many rewrites. Some I never published. One or two, I took down after posting them briefly. If you're thinking about writing your own blog, here's a tip: don't drink and blog.

I've know I've made some mistakes and I not every post was a winner, but there are a few that I particularly enjoyed writing and am proud of. I think I've improved as a writer, but you're a better judge of that than I am.

There have been nearly 3,000 visits to the blog, about 60 a week, and I know many of you are family and friends who return regularly. Thank you for your support and encouragement.

As you might expect, the majority (about 70%) of my readers are from Canada, with the U.S. taking the number 2 spot. After that, there are a few surprises: Germany, Russia, and the Netherlands round out the top 5, followed by the U.K., South Africa, Kuwait, China, and Taiwan. There have been visitors from Malaysia, India, Philippines, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Ghana, Slovenia, Venezuela, Brazil, and the United Arab Emirates. I don't know who you are, or how you found me, but thank you for dropping in. You're always welcome. And feel free to bring your friends; there's lots of room.

At the bottom of the post, you'll find an icon of an envelope with a right-pointing arrow. Click on that to forward to a friend (or enemy). There are other icons there, too, for doing social media-type things that I don't really understand, but if you do, go ahead.

I'd love it if you'd leave a comment. People seem to have no trouble doing so if they're a follower, but other comments don't seem to make it through unless posted anonymously. Keep trying.

A year ago, I invited you to be my audience, to give me 500 words to say what I had to say in the hope that you'd find it interesting. When I started, I had no idea how long I could keep it up, but it seems I haven't run out of things to say yet. I hope you'll stick around.

Yours sincerely,

Aeneas

In Other Words

This week may bring the fall of Stephen Harper's Conservative minority government and a possible federal general election in Canada. You can probably guess my opinion of the "Harper Government™". Here are some other voices.

"… Ignatieff, not a latter-day Nelson Mandela or Angela Merkel, is going to lead the Grits into the next election, whenever it comes. We owe it to ourselves finally to take him seriously."

"As Mr. Trudeau said when the press got on his case, 'Consider the alternative.' And so we thought of poor Bob Stanfield and Joe Clark. And Trudeau lost an election and won four, and served some 15 years as PM. As we should have given Harper his chance – and trust me, we've seen as good as it gets from this cold, mildly paranoid, mean-spirited and visionless man – the most viable alternative now deserves its chance."

"If Harper were kind and competent, there'd be no election talk." (David Olive, in his Everybody's Business blog for the Toronto Star)

"The Cons have laboured mightily to craft an Everyman persona for Stephen Harper. They've expended a few fortunes to convince you hockey rinks and Tim Hortons franchises are the summit of all Canuck wisdom — and it is Harper alone who loves it there.

Pardon me, but that's horsecrap. If anyone can produce a single undoctored photograph of Stephen Harper lined up for a double-double at a Tim Hortons prior to the 2004 election campaign, we'll happily post it in this space and issue the requisite mea culpa. But they can't. The Tim Hortons thing, like every other political affectation that preceded it, is the invention of boys in the backroom. It's BS. Ipso facto, he doesn't connect.

Ignatieff? To his credit, at least he doesn't pretend Timmys is the new Lourdes, with apparitions of Mackenzie King and Lester Pearson hovering above the doughnuts, imparting wisdom. He's John Kerry, and he knows it.

The question, then, isn't who will win the next election. It's this: Why is the choice between two men we feel don't know us, or even particularly like us?

Why is the choice between two men who don't connect?" (Warren Kinsella, in a column in the Ottawa Sun)

"While I guess while others may feel a bit squeamish about our PM ordering double-doubles and dipped donuts while the world, literally, moved on without him, I, for one, am grateful. The leader of our country has chosen to re-announce a three-month-old decision by a donut company instead of taking part in a conversation at the United Nations. In so doing, he's given me a whole bunch of fodder for research about how politicians see us now as shoppers/eaters now instead of educated citizens. Thanks, PM." (Susan Delacourt in her blog for the Toronto Star on the occasion of Stephen Harper passing up a United Nations conference to attend a Tim Hortons ribbon cutting)

Spring 2011 Travel and Points Offers

Lately there has been a raft of offers as the spring travel season approaches. Here are some of them.

Until December 31, you'll earn 100 bonus Aeroplan miles when you join Park 'n Fly Rewards. You'll also earn 50% more Aeroplan miles each time you use Park 'n Fly.

Most airline miles expire unless you have activity in the account every 12-24 months. Delta Airlines recently announced that it has eliminated mileage expiration. Good news for the casual traveler. And remember, you can earn up to 2,000 Delta miles for a three-night stay at most Hilton hotels until March 31. All the details are in my January 6 post.

And while I don't usually recommend exchanging miles using Points.com because of the steep commission they extract, it can be worthwhile, if for example you need to keep points in a program alive, need only a few points to reach an award level, or have points in an "orphan" program. Until March 31, exchanges for Delta SkyMiles get you 50% bonus miles, which makes the pain a little less. Some of the programs you can exchange with are Esso Extra, Hbc Rewards, and Priority Club.

You do intend to participate in Earth Hour don't you? This year, it's between 8:30-9:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 26. And you won't just turn off your lights, right? You'll put on a sweater (better yet, snuggle with a friend) and turn down the thermostat a degree or two? To reward you for your virtuous behaviour, Starwood Preferred Guest will give you 100 Starpoints.

Country inns and Suites by Carlson has a Spring Getaway offer good until April 30 at participating hotels in Canada and the U.S. Stay two or more nights and receive a certificate code provided via email post-stay to redeem online for a US$30 Amazon Gift Card* or a C$30 Amazon.ca gift certificate, a T.G.I. Friday's offer (US hotels only), and 3,000 bonus Gold Points.

Choice Hotels' offer to triple your points after the second stay continues until April 13. Find the details here.

Best Western has been on the move lately. Though the world’s largest hotel chain, it lacked a clear image in many travelers’ minds because, unlike all other major chains, there was no way to differentiate among different quality levels of its properties. That’s all changed. Best Western has now rebranded itself into three quality tiers: Best Western, Best Western Plus, and Best Western Premier.

Not a member of Best Western Rewards? Join by April 11 via this link and get 250 American Airline AAdvantage miles when you set your earnings preference to AA. Then earn up to 1,000 AA AAdvantage miles per stay. There’s a similar offer for Aeroplan members here. Or, register and stay three times by April 11 at any Best Western in Canada or the U.S. and earn a free night with this offer.

You can also earn Best Western Rewards with a no annual fee MasterCard from MBNA. You may need to quote the code CJ4A to get a 20,000 sign up bonus. You can apply here.

And finally, need a way to keep track of all your points and loyalty programs in one place? I use Award Wallet. The basic service is free, and it securely tracks all your program balances and will even warn you about point expiry for the first three programs. For a small fee, it will monitor the expiration dates of all your programs. It even creates a trip itinerary for you by linking the numbers of your airline, hotel, and car rental loyalty programs. Very neat.

Happy trails.

Praising Arizona, Part 4

While we were planning our Arizona adventure, I had seen info in the Scottsdale tourist guide on "shooting experiences". One operator offered to take you out into the desert and instruct you in the firing of a Glock and an AK-47. This seemed so surreal to me, that I just had to check it out. Unfortunately, when I contacted them, they were not offering an outing until the middle of the week. So, instead, I called the Scottsdale Gun Club. I told them I had never fired a handgun before, and they were happy to have me come over and give it a try.

So, on my last morning in Arizona, I was up bright and early and at the gun club a few minutes before it opened. A few other people were waiting to get in, mostly men in their 60's. They could have been dressed for golf, except they had come to shoot.

I explained why I was there to a young man at the counter and he took me into a side area where I watched an eight-minute safety video (which made me even more nervous than I already was), and signed a two-page waiver, basically saying any harm that came to me, anyone else, or the furniture was my fault.

I went back to the counter to select my weapon. I asked what might be appropriate for a first-time shooter, and was set up with a Smith and Wesson .38 revolver. I was shown how to load and fire it, and how to eject the spent casings; given a box of 50 bullets, ear protection and a lanyard with my lane number on it; told to select three paper targets and how to set them at the appropriate distance; and sent out to the range.

Even with the hearing protection, the noise was terrific. To my immediate right, a man was firing a large calibre handgun, while farther to his right I could hear the sounds of machine guns firing. To my left was a young woman in gym rat clothes, maybe law enforcement, firing a large handgun with a laser sight.

I attached my target, sent it out 15 feet (I'd been advised to start at a distance of 12-15 feet), loaded my weapon, aimed and fired.

The kick was about what I expected and I remembered all that stuff from TV shows and books about squeezing the trigger and not letting the recoil pull it up off the target. I didn't do too bad. I continued firing until the cylinder was empty, ejected the spent casings, reloaded, and picked up the gun. That's when the range safety officer tapped me on the shoulder. I had broken one of the cardinal safety rules: I had picked up the weapon with my finger inside the trigger guard.

He was very nice about it though, and when I told him it was my first time shooting, he gave me some pointers, including suggesting I try cocking the trigger so it would fire on one pull. The Smith and Wesson fires on two pulls: a strong pull on the trigger cocks the gun, and a second, lighter pull fires it. Though the double action is more likely to pull a shooter off target, I found the lightness of the single action a bit too sensitive, given all the adrenaline flowing through me.

I continued firing and reloading, moving the second and third targets out to twenty feet, and finished the box of ammunition. Trembling slightly from the adrenaline and the noise, I returned the gun to the counter, and declined the offer to try a semi-automatic Glock. Range time, gun rental, ammo, targets, ear protection, and tax cost me $50.

Am I glad I tried it? Yes. Would I do it again? Probably not. Like driving a very powerful car on a slippery road. it was an intense, exciting experience, but it didn't give me a rush of power; if anything it scared me.

While in Arizona, I gained an appreciation that firearms, like horses and cowboys, are an integral part of the history, tradition, and culture. And while the gun club did seem to be a place where safety was paramount, gun fetishism is still incomprehensible to me.

After we checked out of our hotel, we spent our last day in downtown Scottsdale. We had lunch by the water, rode the free trolley, shopped, and explored the park and arts precinct.

Then it was off to Sky Harbor airport to return our Ford Escape and catch the redeye for home.

Arizona captivated us with its natural beauty and historical and cultural attractions. We hope to return.

Praising Arizona, Part 3

On our way back to the Phoenix area from Sedona we stopped at the outlet mall at Anthem. I mention this only because the mall had the nicest public washrooms we've ever seen. All dark wood, marble, and tile, they would not be out of place in an upscale hotel. We had lunch, my wife bought some clothes, and we headed for the Desert Botanical Gardens in the southeast corner of Phoenix.

If you think deserts are just sand, you'll be amazed at the more than 50,000 plants growing in the 145 acres of Sonoran environment. There are also wildflower, butterfly, and herb gardens, as well as special events and exhibits. The trails are easy to walk and volunteers provide guided tours. Bring water, sunscreen, and a hat.

Afterwards, we checked into our room at the Holiday Inn Express Scottsdale North. Scottsdale is an affluent suburb to the northeast of Phoenix, and features some very expensive resorts, but there are also mid-priced properties at the north end, such as the one we stayed at. We had dinner about a block away at Romano's Macaroni Grill. We enjoyed the atmosphere, food, and service so much, we returned the following evening.

The next morning, I dropped my wife off at the Musical Instrument Museum in northwest Scottsdale. Open less than a year, it features examples of musical instruments from around the world, as well as significant individual pieces such as the piano John Lennon used to compose Imagine. There are also plenty of opportunities to hear and play the instruments.

While she was there, I headed to Salt River Fields at Talking Stick to take in a spring training baseball game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Texas Rangers. Built on the Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, the new spring training home of the D-backs and the Colorado Rockies had been open only a week. It features an 11,000 seat stadium as well as 12 practice fields. You can get a beer and a dog of course, but also a margarita and a burrito, if you wish. Or chocolate dipped strawberries on a stick. They were very popular with the kids and the ladies. Fifteen major league teams train in Arizona now, and the advantage over Florida is that they are all in the greater-Phoenix area.

Sunday, we drove east of Phoenix to the town of Apache Junction, the beginning of the Apache Trail. We stopped at Goldfield ghost town. Home to a gold mine in the 1890's, you can tour the old mine and museum, or ride the narrow gauge railway. There are shops and restaurants and even a small church. We had to wait until the service was over before the "bounty hunters" from Tucson could attempt to arrest a couple of local miscreants. Gunfire ensued and the bounty hunters were in turn shot by the local sheriff and his deputy. The scene resembled the final act of Hamlet. Hokey for sure, but lots of fun.

We continued on the winding Apache Trail, climbing to the town of Tortilla Flat, where we turned back. The road continues another 60 kilometres or so to the Roosevelt Dam, but is unpaved. We had lunch in Canyon Lake, overlooking, yep, Canyon Lake. Seemed strange to see a lake in the middle of the desert, but this one had been formed by damming a river.

On the way back to our hotel we stopped at Fry's supermarket. Sure it has a pharmacy, floral shop, bank, and prepared food section; but also a Starbucks, a bookstore, a cooking school, and a beer and wine bar. The beer, wine, and liquor section was larger than most LCBO's and contained a climate controlled Vintages-like section. There was valet parking, and they would even wash your car while you shopped.

I'll conclude our adventures with the tale of me and the Smith and Wesson .38 in Part 4.

Praising Arizona, Part 2

The next day, we picked up our rental car, a Ford Escape. That's a small SUV, and while not what we'd reserved (we'd booked a Hyundai Sonata, but Thrifty didn't have any available), it turned out to be ideal. It was good on gas, using about 8.5 litres per 100 kilometres in a mix of driving that included 2,500 metre mountains, 120 km./hr. Interstates, and stop and go city driving. It had plenty of room for our stuff and excellent manoeuvrability and outward visibility.

We headed to Jerome, two hours north of Phoenix. Jerome was once a copper mining town of 15,000, but is now an artists' colony of about 400. It sits at 1,600 metres on the side of a mountain overlooking the Verde Valley in Central Arizona. Some of the buildings have been salvaged or restored and are homes to galleries, shops, and restaurants.

We ate at the Flatiron Cafe. This tiny place (it holds about a dozen people and the washrooms are at the artists' cooperative across the street) has an award-winning menu. The bread pudding is not to be missed, but get there early, because it sells out by 12:30.

We wandered around for a few hours before heading for the condo we had booked at Sedona Summit Resort in Sedona, about a half an hour northeast of Jerome. This is a timeshare property, but we had found and booked it online. It is also listed in the AAA tourbook, so can be booked, like a hotel, by anyone. We had to fend off several offers to attend a timeshare presentation, but all the resort's facilities were available to us. There were free activities during the day, and concerts and lectures in the evening. Our one-bedroom suite had a full kitchen, bath with whirlpool tub and shower stall, gas fireplace, wireless internet, king bed, and balcony with a view of those famous Sedona rocks.

Sedona is Red Rock Country and it is the most spectacular natural setting I have ever experienced. Founded by T. C. Schnebly in 1902, he named it for his wife, Sedona. Five million people visit annually, many seeking healing or renewal and it is a centre of New Age spirituality. One wonders if it would have the same New Age cachet if it were called Schneblyville.

Over the next few days, we took in the local sights, attending a Taizé sevice at the Chapel of the Holy Cross, hiking at Bell Rock, visiting the site of a pre-historic Sinagua pueblo at Tuzigoot National Monument, seeking the vortex on Airport Mesa, shopping and dining at Tlaquepaque arts and crafts village.

We spent a day at the Grand Canyon, about two hours north of Sedona. The forty-kilometre drive through Oak Creek Canyon north from Sedona to Flagstaff twists along a narrow road that climbs more than 1,000 metres and is not for the nervous, but is a drive you'll never forget. While the Grand Canyon is justly celebrated as one of the wonders of the natural world, I found the towering rock formations around Sedona to be even more awe-inspiring.

After four days in Sedona, we headed south again, this time to the Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale.

Praising Arizona, Part 1

Just got back from a week and a half in Arizona. The Southwest is a place I've long wanted to see and not only were our expectations exceeded, but a lot of our preconceptions overturned.

Because light snow in Toronto delayed our departure, we had only twenty minutes to make our connection in Minneapolis. We arrived at concourse A and had to leave from concourse G. It's a good thing Minnesota is flat, because it felt like we ran halfway across it. We made our flight to Phoenix, only to discover at 1:30 am in the deserted terminal in Phoenix that our baggage hadn't. Delta said they'd try to get it to our hotel by the next afternoon, and off we headed (in the pouring rain – in Phoenix?) to the Crowne Plaza Phoenix Airport. A shout out to Nicole, who took pity on us and upgraded us to a suite (sweet!).

The next morning we headed to the Heard Museum. The Heard is outstanding. We spent the entire day there and received a solid orientation in the history, culture, and arts of the native peoples of Arizona. You can explore it for yourself by clicking on the link above.

How we got there will be of interest to people in Toronto: by light rail. There was a stop in front of our hotel and another a block from the Heard.

Phoenix has recently constructed a light rail system about thirty-five kilometres long, running from northern Phoenix, south into the downtown, and then east past the airport to the suburbs of Tempe and Mesa. The trains run down the middle of the street and seem to have signal priority, because we never stopped at a red light. We seemed to travel at 50-60 kilometres per hour and stations were about a kilometre apart.

Each train consists of two cars, though the station platforms are long enough for three-car trains. Each car is articulated, and has four doors on each side. The entry is low to enable wheelchair access.

Tickets are $1.75 a ride or $3.50 for a one-day pass, and are purchased with a credit or debit card on the station platforms. The cars were full, but not crowded on the Sunday morning and afternoon we rode, and people were proud and eager to talk about their new rail and how it was reviving Phoenix's downtown, where projects like Chase Field, the retractable roof ballpark, have recently been built. When the airport SkyTrain is completed, it will link to the light rail and mean a trip to downtown will take 15 minutes and cost $1.75.

We wanted to buy Bob and Doug tickets to Phoenix so they could see that light rail does not mean streetcars getting in the way of cars. This system seems tailor-made for arterial roads like Sheppard and Finch. We saw a lot of other things in Arizona that would scare the Ford twins, like roundabouts and bicycle lanes. These guys really need to get out more.

When we got back to our hotel, our bags were there. We watched the Oscars right to the end (the two hour time difference meant they were over just after 10:00), and got ready to head to Sedona the next day.