As usual, I don't get it

After Stephen Harper moved out in 2015, no one has lived at 24 Sussex.  Why?  Because it is rodent-infested, dangerous and unfit for human habitation.  Built in 1867 by lumber baron Joseph Currier, this magnificent property on the Ottawa River remains the official home of Canadian prime ministers since its designation as such in 1950.

This is a disgrace.

The reason for the neglect is because after Harper, no prime minister wanted to appear profligate and frivolous upgrading it to code.  Can you imagine that?  Can you imagine the Americans letting their White House wither and slither into wrack and ruin?  You can't because it would never happen.  

But some untoward things do go on in the Excited States of America.  Take Biden's trip to Ireland today.  He's over there having a Ceilidh with his Irish relatives on the taxpayer dime.  Apparently, he didn't even take his secretary of state, just a bunch of family to visit cousins and other distant relatives.  Oh, he'll toss in a couple of meetings with officials to mark the 25th anniversary of the peace accord, but basically it's an excuse for a rousing kitchen party.  

Just a note about who engineered the Belfast De-commissioning Accord in 1998.  It was Canadian General John de Chastelain, a gentleman I had the honour of being seated next to at a dinner of the Royal Commonwealth Society (B was chair at the time and I made the request.  Granted.)  Google him, he is extremely accomplished and a wonderful and fascinating dinner companion, who gave me a behind-the-scenes look at the machinations that went into that historic agreement.

But back to official residences.  Remember a few years ago, when taxpayers poured $11 million into upgrading Harrington Lake to code?  His Majesty King Trudeau II demanded this.  He also decreed that a backup "cottage" be built next door to the tune of $2.5 million.  The official reason given was that he needed a place for official guests, but as I understand it, the only "official guest" who stays there is his wife.  Apparently, they are secretly separated and she demanded her own place, else she'd go public with the sorry state of their marriage.

This vanity project trumped 24 Sussex and that's just wrong.  Estimates are that re-building it would cost $41 million, so why not do it?  Why did we instead pay for Sophie Trudeau to have her own digs?  We shouldn't have, but we did and I put it down to votes.  Had Sophie spilled the marital beans, Trudeau would have skidded further down in the polls and that simply could not have been allowed to happen.

So, we upped Harrington and continue to shell out $20,000 a month there for security, upkeep, snow, ice and -- yes -- pest control.  Harrington Lake:

Anyone still voting for this scandal-ridden, multiple ethics-infractions man should hang their collective heads in shame.  But guess what?  He'll get in again because there are enough undiscerning people who will ignore it all and put an X beside their local Liberal candidate's name.

Sometimes it's hard to be married to an economist because you realize just how screwed Canadians are with this gang.