Will it be a real horse race?

They're at the post ... they're off. Going into the first turn on Tuesday it's 2-1 favorite Tom Christensen of the Liberals by three lengths ... followed by 30-to-1 Juliette Cunningham of the NDP, 40-to-1 Colin Black of the Conservatives and trailing far behind the front-runners it's 100-to-1 Erin Nelson of the Greens, 100-to-l Michael Toponce of the Marijuana Party, 100-to-l Tibor Tusnady of the B.C. Patriot Party and not-rated Beetle Boom, aka loud and proud independent Gordon Campbell.
As anyone can tell, I spent too much of my ill-spent youth, following the ponies.
Did I ever tell you that I once co-owned (with about 30 other 'suckers') a nag named 'Irish Laird', who by last reports made a glue factory expand its facilities?
But back to Election 2005 in Okanagan-Vernon.
Just like your Daily Racing Form, the projections often outstrip (or outrun) the realities.
Take for instance, there's Christensen, referred to as Mr. Bobblehead by one unnamed contender, who must feel a little apprehensive considering the B.C. Liberals' less-than-stellar performance with YOUR money. His groom is none-other-than Mr. Hawaii T-shirt, The Other Gordon Campbell.
As Education Minister, he, himself, gets a 'D' in his report card, mainly because of the slice-and-dice methods of cutting services within at least 113 schools throughout the province. Cunningham last week took at major swipe at Christensen and the Libs by neighing (this is a horse race, folks): "The Liberals talk about what they have done for education, but really the bottom line is since the Liberals came in, they froze the education budget."
But Christensen, always one with the slick statistics, comes back with a more than a "oh, yeah," citing his government has "acted to bridge the digital divide" by promising to connect every community in B.C. to high-speed Internet by 2006.
Yeah, but, Tom, what's the connection between school closures and high-speed Internet?
But when we sat down to talk last week, he hauled out the fancy literature, which emphasized a plan to improve education over the next four years -- if he's elected.
These plans include:
* Nearly triple the funding for combined early childhood development (ECD) and autism intervention programs since 2001.
* Eliminate textbook shortages in schools with $150 million more this year for B.C.'s schools and $10 million in one-time funding in 2004 for schools to buy more than 285,000 textbooks.
* Provide $12 million over three years in new funding to strengthen B.C.'s libraries.
* Work with Literacy Now, a new $5 million community-based program, to improve literacy in concert with non-profit and volunteer-based organizations across the province.
* Increase funding for K-12 education by $253 million over the next three years.
* Complete all required seismic (earthquake) upgrading in B.C.'s schools within 15 years.
* Institute "zero tolerance" of bullying in B.C.'s schools.
And are you ready for this one, Bunky! Eliminate junk food in all public schools within the next four years.
What's the matter with you, Christensen, the Ol' Columnist lives on junk food. Pass me another jumbo helping of Sloppy Joe's.
Another concern has to be, in all of our conversation, there was not one mention of what he would do for the Okanagan-Vernon region.
But back to horse race.
Now, Miss Juliette is an optimistic. That's for certain. She thinks her party, the NDPers, will nail down 30 seats in the B.C. Legislature.
Hey, you smoking that stuff that Colin Toponce is promoting?
Cunningham said she's solidly behind her leader, Carol James, and the New Democrat plan of:
* End corporate and union donations to political parties.
* Honour contracts with business and labour, restore free collective bargaining, and foster collaboration and balance between workers and employers.
* Show respect for local governments by repealing Bill 75 -- the Significant Projects Streamlining Act.
* Support the work of the Auditor General; make sure taxpayers have the information they need to know their money is being spent wisely by supporting the work of the Auditor General .
* Will not accept new applications for gambling expansion; will shut down the secretly launched Internet gambling program; will improve programs that address gambling addiction.
Watch it, Juliette, you're stepping on some toes.
* Establish a public inquiry into the sale of B.C. Rail. About time.
* Stop the flow of personal medical information to private U.S. corporations subject to the USA Patriot Act. Another about time.
If the Ol' Columnist had a longshot pick, it would be the Conservatives' Colin Black. Not only is he a fine Christian genteman of the first order, but this postal letter-carrier would not be a "yes" man in the government.
A "people person" Black said he would have a free vote in the B.C. Legislature while the other top two are saddled by party conformity and must listen to their leaders, despite some neighing to the contrary.
Black is strongly behind the B.C. Conservative Party philosophy in believing the freedom of every individual and family to achieve their God-given potential and supports an agenda including:
1. Strengthening social safety nets for those in greatest need -- such as increasing the amount of low-coast housing to acommodate the homeless, senior citizens, mentally disabled, and the people of social assistance.
2. Implementing a constitutional limit on provincial taxation and borrowing (TAXCAP). Total taxation will be limited to a fixed precentage of the GDP.
3. Ensuring that the exploration, harvesting, and development of B.C.'s resources is done in an environmentally sound manner.
So at the wire it will be: 1. Christensen. 2. Cunningham. 3. Black.
Where are those other people? Up the track somewhere.