Federal Budget + NHL trade deadline = second Christmas!

Perhaps I'm just odd, but today is one of the most exciting days of the year. For me, anyway.

It's not my birthday or any normal holiday. Most people probably won't even notice the reason I'm excited. That's because we all live in our own little personal bubbles, oblivious to the world around us. But that is a whole other blog.

Today, the minority Conservative government lays out its budget. Who would have thought that a minority government would last this long? Well, it shouldn't be that surprising. After all, there really is no official opposition. It's not technically a minority government, because the Liberals don't want to force an election. The ruling party may only have a minority, but they act like there is no one else in the House.

What will that mean for today's budget? Not a lot. Mr. Flaherty has been downplaying and under promoting his plans. There shouldn't be anything to rock the boat. It's as if the Tories want to slide this budget in under the door of the House of Commons, then tip toe away to get on with the business of running the country.

The NDP will rant and rave (because that's what they are there to do) while the Bloc whine. And Stephane Dion will sit calmly in his seat, that same puzzled, pursed lip look he's been sporting since he was unexpectedly chosen as leader.

Hockey, on the other hand, has much more potential. After Ottawa's embarrassment yesterday at the hands of the Leafs, one might expect Glen Murray to go hunting.

The Leafs, who were the source of most of the trade deadline gossip in the past few weeks, (Forsberg excepted) will disappoint once again. Fletcher moved Wade Belak for a fifth round pick, but most of the players with value won't waive their ridiculous no-trade clauses. I don't expect much to happen there. The Leafs live to disappoint and underachieve.

Colorado has Forsberg. What will Atlanta, Vancouver, and Ottawa do? How about Philly? I can speculate about all kinds of things, but I'll tell you something that is certain. Wherever Marian Hossa ends up, I will still boo and hiss every time I see him. That's just how I roll.

What if we set up the House of Commons like the NHL? MPs would be paid based on performance, and hell yes there would be a salary cap. Enough people cross the floor on a regular basis that it's like NHL trades. However, you could also get rid of someone if you really wanted. "No, YOU guys take Belinda. We don't want her."

Most importantly, we could set up a playoff system leading up to the budget, the speech from the throne, and of course elections. The mediocre cabinet ministers relegated to the minors, ineffective backbenchers not allowed to run for re-election.

Actually, the systems have a lot of pre-existing parallels. It wouldn't take that much effort to change. However, the championship battle would have to be one-on-one. I want to have a say in who wears the PM on their jersey. It's about time we altered our election procedures so that Canadians can choose their damn captain.