Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Economic Survival Plan (ESP)
Simple, short and effective. Every Canadian Citizen, will, for the next twelve months, receive a $2000 monthly payment. If you make more than $35,000 per year, it will be progressively taxed to ensure it gets to those whom need it the most. Simple.
This programme will run for one year only. Short.
As the lower income earners all know, this money would enter the economy almost completely, as there is little or no room for most to squirrel away their money. People could spend this money to buy a car, thus bailing out the auto industry. Or they could choose to spend it on housing, thus bailing out the housing industry. Or they may decide to invest in more education and go back to school, thus bailing out the education sector. What matters here is that the PEOPLE would decide where to put OUR hard earned tax dollars. The politicians would then be able to see where we chose to put our money and they could then craft legislation to reflect these investment choices made by Canadians. Effective.
Karl Marx felt that the underclass, the majority, would need the direction of the Party during the first stages of the revolution. I have turned this on its head and called on the population to direct the Governments policy. Canadians would have to start thinking about their collective desires and dreams and engage in responsible political behavior, voting to start with, wise consumer choices to follow.
Fine print...this offer requires that in order to be eligible, Canadian Citizens would have to register to vote and include proof of this in their application for the programme.
follow a discussion here; forum
This programme will run for one year only. Short.
As the lower income earners all know, this money would enter the economy almost completely, as there is little or no room for most to squirrel away their money. People could spend this money to buy a car, thus bailing out the auto industry. Or they could choose to spend it on housing, thus bailing out the housing industry. Or they may decide to invest in more education and go back to school, thus bailing out the education sector. What matters here is that the PEOPLE would decide where to put OUR hard earned tax dollars. The politicians would then be able to see where we chose to put our money and they could then craft legislation to reflect these investment choices made by Canadians. Effective.
Karl Marx felt that the underclass, the majority, would need the direction of the Party during the first stages of the revolution. I have turned this on its head and called on the population to direct the Governments policy. Canadians would have to start thinking about their collective desires and dreams and engage in responsible political behavior, voting to start with, wise consumer choices to follow.
Fine print...this offer requires that in order to be eligible, Canadian Citizens would have to register to vote and include proof of this in their application for the programme.
follow a discussion here; forum
Monday, December 1, 2008
I am a coalitionist !
Democracy is very basic. Each person gets one vote. The people whom receive the majority of these votes, have the right to form a government and make laws and policies. If the individual voter is not satisfied with these decisions, they can vote for the people whom offer policies more to their liking.
When no one receives a majority of votes, the candidates work out agreements and policies, that will allow coalitions to form . These can be informal, such as Harper’s last minority Government, or formal, like the various coalition Governments found throughout Western Democratic history. Israel, Italy and Spain are a few recent examples.
For the Canadian Conservatives like Stephen Harper, to scream out the socialists are coming, or to call the formation of a coalition government an undemocratic power grab, is nonsense, pure and simple, not to mention hypocritical(see above). We must always work together using clear rules and procedures, which are pragmatic in their conception. Governments that show the ability to work with their opposition are exactly what we need to foster. These coalitions ensure all sides of the political democracy are given a platform to express their ideas and to contribute constructive criticisms, not cheap political shots.
Perhaps Steve should pick up the phone and call the leader of the Opposition to inquire whether he would be interested in forming a coalition. This might be the only way Harper can remain in power, at a time we need to concentrate on the economy ‘stupid’. Calling an election now or having Dion the non leader as PM are not realistic options.
Let the Cons work with the NDP and the Liberals, in a coalition, for the next while. The Liberals are having a helm change in May and the coalition could have a best before date sometime in 2010, after the Liberals have formulated policy under their new leader and the NDP has had a chance to show it can work within a coalition of opposites. Thus reducing the Cons favorite battle cry of “the commies are coming” to a more reasonable,
“social democrats are kinda just like a gentle and strong person, one that looks out for the rest of us.
When no one receives a majority of votes, the candidates work out agreements and policies, that will allow coalitions to form . These can be informal, such as Harper’s last minority Government, or formal, like the various coalition Governments found throughout Western Democratic history. Israel, Italy and Spain are a few recent examples.
For the Canadian Conservatives like Stephen Harper, to scream out the socialists are coming, or to call the formation of a coalition government an undemocratic power grab, is nonsense, pure and simple, not to mention hypocritical(see above). We must always work together using clear rules and procedures, which are pragmatic in their conception. Governments that show the ability to work with their opposition are exactly what we need to foster. These coalitions ensure all sides of the political democracy are given a platform to express their ideas and to contribute constructive criticisms, not cheap political shots.
Perhaps Steve should pick up the phone and call the leader of the Opposition to inquire whether he would be interested in forming a coalition. This might be the only way Harper can remain in power, at a time we need to concentrate on the economy ‘stupid’. Calling an election now or having Dion the non leader as PM are not realistic options.
Let the Cons work with the NDP and the Liberals, in a coalition, for the next while. The Liberals are having a helm change in May and the coalition could have a best before date sometime in 2010, after the Liberals have formulated policy under their new leader and the NDP has had a chance to show it can work within a coalition of opposites. Thus reducing the Cons favorite battle cry of “the commies are coming” to a more reasonable,
“social democrats are kinda just like a gentle and strong person, one that looks out for the rest of us.
Free the Train!
Trains for our City!
Here in Nanaimo, the time has come to seriously consider the implementation of a major transit policy directional change,. We are fortunate to have, running the entire length of our City, an accessible track system. Moreover, due to its present under utilization, we can easily establish a local green energy powered transit system that will benefit everyone in the City.
Today we could buy several used train coaches and put them into service, going from the north to the south and all stops in between. This would allow us to synchronize our road based transit, with these trains and it would reduce congestion on the busy north south road corridors of Nanaimo. Benefiting even those whom do not use public transit, by reducing the number of transit vehicles going north and south. These trains would be small, efficient and frequent. Future coaches, would be sourced on island, from the shipbuilding and heavy industry sectors, both presently underutilized and high motivated with an excellent workforce skill set..
To move people east and west, small, fuel efficient van type vehicles, like those in Vancouver, would be used. In areas and times of high peak travel, such as the Vancouver Island University routes, large conventional buses would continue to move large numbers of passengers. The trick here is to gather the rider ship data and carefully plan around the evident patterns that emerge.
I feel it is time we all came onboard to foster real discussion and initiatives. Low start up costs, we have the tracks, excellent benefits to the local and regional economies, more money available for other City projects as we realize the savings from our transit efficiency programs, are just a few of the benefits we could manifest. What do you think?
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