"Money For Nothing" The Increasingly Sad Case of Alison Redford

I actually find myself feeling sorry for this woman, maybe I shouldn't, but I do. When she first won the leadership of the Progressive Conservatives, I was disappointed, but what could I do, it wasn't my call. When, in an a general election campaign, and contrary to the predictions of most pollsters, she succeeded in winning a comfortable majority at the expense of my favourites, Danielle Smith and the Wild rose Party, I was outraged. I had felt that Albertans had somehow betrayed their well-deserved reputation for fierce independence from big government nanny statism and high taxes. I had known from the beginning that the smarmy, entitlement obsessed, U.N. alumnus, Redford, was a terrible choice as leader but after the election and knowing that we would have to put up with her for at least four more years, was for me an untenable situation. That she quickly lived up to and soon exceeded my worst expectations of her came as both a confirmation of my instincts about her but equally fired up my outrage. When, however, she took the coward’s way out and resigned as leader over misuse of taxpayer's money, after initially refusing to pay back the money she had frivolously spent on herself and her daughter; only to be hounded by the press and public opinion into reversing her poorly advised decision, I was strangely disappointed. I confess that after she agreed to pay back the misspent money that I did not want to see her resign. I had thought, okay, this is a learning moment for Redford. This was an opportunity for this overly proud and intractable woman to show some real humility, apologize to the voters of Alberta and live with the consequences of their disapproval. She could have provided the voters of Alberta the opportunity to forgive her and likewise have the opportunity to forgive herself and equally double down and become a much better leader. That she failed to weather the storm and chose to sit as an ordinary MLA, without even a portfolio was sad enough, but now, not even demonstrating the self-discipline and integrity necessary to show up to work and earn the over one hundred grand a year she makes as an MLA, suggests to me a broken spirit or perhaps merely a fundamentally larcenous spirit. Either way, clearly, the God’s of sound character are not smiling down upon Alison Redford. http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/04/24/former-premier-alison-redford-asks-to-collect-pay-while-absent-from-alberta-legislature/