How one blogger saw my last political triumph.

Adrift in downtown Toronto, aloof and homeless in the canyons of the financial district, I found myself pushed by the crowd into a Starbucks. The promised land. Wi-fi.

As I sat amid the crumbs of a long-forgotten Cranberry-lemon-tofu muffin and updated comments to this blog, I was joined by a familiar face from my dark past. “Hey,” he said, and sat. It was one of the brightest star economists in the canyon’s monetary and fiscal firmament. He had come to talk politics.

“Heard you might be running again,” he barked over his fair trade decaf, as a toothless street person eyed him hungrily. “Mebbe,” I said. “It’s a thing I have for lost causes.’

Actually I reflected on how many people have told me I’m a fool for even considering a challenge in the next election – whenever that might be (and it looks closer). Former advisors, reporters, many old model-girlfriends, they all ask why I would even consider running when most Canadians are apathetic, when half of them no longer vote and when I live in a constituency so Conservative the victorious Tory MP spent less money on campaigning than the poor Green guy.

But I’ve heard this before. Hell, I once ran against Kim Campbell to be prime minister (that worked out well). And I’d probably still be an MP if I’d ever learn to shut up and kiss butt. Instead, I decided to make it clear to my political masters that I worked for the people first, and them second, and had no intention of going to Ottawa to be silent. That worked out well, too.

So why would I do this again – and in a riding where the existing MP demolished his nearest opponent with a 15,000 vote tsunami?

The simple answer is, the right thing to do is not always the easy thing. Standing up for principle isn’t a matter of a win or a loss.  If that’s the only motivation for a political career, you don’t deserve one.

You may know I’m not happy with the direction of the country’s finances. I worry about the long-term and harsh consequences of expedient actions being taken today. I’m concerned we’re diving into debt without a rescue line to get out – no roadmap for the coming years. I’ve warned here about the consequences on families of the higher rates and stiffer taxes which will arrive. My feeling is the current political class cares more about avoiding a depression on their watch than preventing one in the future.

Equally, I’m saddened at the lack of attention being given to a looming retirement crisis. Nobody can live on the CPP. Corporate pensions are disappearing and others face a funding crisis. Personal savings rates have cratered and governments are doing nothing that I can see to address this. Even calling a national retirement conference or appointing an investigative body would be a start. Strikes me that we need a ministry of long-term thinking, and less concern about building prisons in Kandahar.

Of course, we have a demographic wave to deal with as the biggest population group gets set to rearrange the economy. And what of the economic impacts of H1N1, or climate change? Until you understand some basics like the disintegration of the American empire, peak oil, the looming global food shortage or the dangers of an unbridled and unregulated OTC derivatives market, you probably don’t deserve to be running a country.

But all votes are personal. All elections are local. They’re about the people casting ballots. For them, the choice of an MP or a PM is about jobs, houses, incomes and security. And that’s exactly why they should, and do, care about more than we give them credit for. An enlightened government would allow families to income split, restore assets like income trusts, reduce tax on incomes and shift it lightly to consumption, use tax incentives to start a personal savings revolution, slash the financial barriers to college and university and solve some problems with tax-free bonds, not more taxpayer bondage.

Oh yeah, and maybe change a few things so people without money had a harder time buying houses. Just screws it up for everyone.

I thought such thoughts. But said little, as the economist leaned on his elbows and probed me with questions on where a new government might take the country.

“Wrong one to ask,” I offered. “I’m just a guy who doesn’t quit.”

He laughed and left. Incredulous.