One of our best and brightest has passed

Jack Layton, the leader of the NDP party in Canada, passed away this morning after losing a prolonged battle with cancer. For those of you not from Canada, the NDP party is what Americans would refer to as overt socialists. Those would be the polite Americans. European countries like Sweden would refer to them as 'the government currently in power'.

Jack Layton may not have had the support of every Canadian from a political standpoint, but he was probably the most admired and respected politician to serve Canada in the last few years. Just before he passed, he wrote a letter to the country and the last paragraph really hit home with me. So I feel the need to post it here (see below). If I had my way, it would become the mantra for our country and the ideal to strive for in the years to come.

So long Jack. You were passionate, down-to-earth, honest and always hopeful. We should all be like you.

"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world." ~Jack Layton