THE FAMILY CAR

Those three words fill me with warm and fuzzy memories of driving across the country with my brother and sister and mom and our big golden lab ‘Sheri’. Mom would always make the three kids sit in the back as she called the front passenger seat the “suicide seat”. In a 1969 Volkswagen station wagon, there was nothing between the front bumper and this seat except some air and a spare tire!

Thinking about the family car and it’s connection to the banking industry, car loans, and the oil industry, gasoline and lubricants I came up with a plan for today’s financial mess.

Instead of trying to steal more money from the workers of the world, why not have the Big Oil companies sit in the front seat, and the Banks sit squished beside them and then the Auto companies can drive along with no care or concern for the safety of their passengers. The can go as fast as they like with little or no concern for the environment, the communities they speed through can become madd max like obstacle courses and their wrath of destruction can be scored in a way more realistic way, then the stock markets or their performance bonuses ever have. Buckle up because it is going to get ugly !

Coalition Breeds Suspicion

We are a few days away from the demise of the minority Harper Government. There is still talk of a Coalition, but beware! Sure, the Nothing New Harper government are only supported by the Pretty Governor General (PGG) but they need more then a cute smile and a limp command of Parliamentary tradition to bring their broken pony over the finish line. They need the support of the majority of the elected House of Commons. Obviously their desperation to cling to power is showing as they have made appointments to various boards and the Senate all the while hiding behind a prorogued house. The very house they are afraid to stand up in front of and take direction from as a minority is about to swallow the neo-cons and spit out a very different manifestation of a coalition Government. Think about who is most like the Harperites..Not the NDP, Layton and his party represent the working class and unions, two groups that the Cons despise. The Bloc? Non! If anything the recent machinations by soft hands Harper have emboldened the Bloc and their platform for a social democratic government. The nonsense that the Bloc wants to rip apart the country is a lie that has been spewed forth by the Asper controlled media and the Liar Conservative party. So who remains? The Liberals! Yes I think we will see the formation of a Liberal Conservative coalition Government. Why you ask? The liberals are the closet party to the Conservatives. Their policies of destroying the social safety net, mirror the Cons policy of kicking the poor in the teeth. Their taking us to the slaughter house known as Afghanistan, a truly abysmal political decision, not to mention a morally reprehensible one, has been continued by the Cons. Using EI surpluses to bolster up a faulty economic programme are taken right out of the Liberal Red Book(s).





So using my trademark DogPoop Alignment Political Positioning System, I have only one truth to present. There will be a Coalition Government with the Liberals and the Conservative Parties running our country further into the ground until the population wake up and notice that more things change the more they remain the same. The spoils of this new found harmonious relationship between the two business licking parties will bring more of the same old trough sucking nepotistic insider secret style of Government!
Bend over because this is going to hurt!

What the Harper Government Said in their Own words

Now that Canada is a few days away from the presentation of the New budget, I thought it would be interesting to juxtapose their 2008 budget with the new two year plan which the Cons have said will cost some $64 Billion. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with running deficits in times of fiscal uncertainty, but to lie to the People of Canada as recently as December 2008 and say they will NOT run a deficit is disingenuous. I think the acronym LLPOF is appropriate here. Take a guess what LLPOF means...I will update in the afternoon.

How did they get elected? They lied....from their website..

The Conservative Record:


Lowest unemployment rate in 33 years.
More than 400,000 new jobs created since the end of 2006; Canadian job growth is overwhelmingly in high-quality, high-paying jobs like printing manufacturing, heavy and civil engineering construction, electrical equipment appliance manufacturing and mining.
More than $37 billion of the National Debt paid off.
Most solid economic fundamentals in the G7.
Canada has the most resilient economy in the G7. And we alone in the G7 have kept our budget in surplus”.
Second-highest real GDP growth in the G7 in 2007; OECD projections estimate that Canada will be back in first place by 2009.
The lowest tax burden in 40 years.
Reducing red tape for small businesses.
Liar liar pants on fire=LLPOF

Capitalism's Self-Inflicted Apocalypse

This article is well worth the read

Help Buy George W a new yacht!

If we all come together there is no reason we can't help George ease into retirement in a manner most fitting! Read the amazing story of how this boat came to market, HERE

YES, WE ALL CAN!!!!

PONZI NANAIMO STYLE

With all the recent revelations regarding the development company Millennium and their financing problems with regards to the Vancouver Olympic Athletes Village, I feel there must be not only a audit of the Vancouver deal, but close scrutiny has to be given to all of this companies dealings.

They have several projects in Southwestern BC that warrant further investigation. Both their project in West Vancouver behind the Park Royal Shopping Centre and their Nanaimo Hotel project must be studied. I predict that the results of any such investigation will show several things.

I believe that both the West Van and Nanaimo projects were used by Millennium to finance the Olympic Village Project. In the case of Nanaimo, Millennium received land valued in the millions of dollars from the City for the paltry sum of $10 bucks. Furthermore the ponzi game was supported by the City of Nanaimo by paying management fees to Millennium for non-existent work. Sure the Nanaimo politicians claim that they have the right to get back any monies advanced if the deal does not go forward. But one must ask, “...do they actually have any money of their own?” Chances are no!

I think the old adage that if the price seems too good it probably is not a prudent investment applies here. There has to be an end to the continued corporate schemes where all the profits are private and all the risk is public. We have to demand complete transparency in all projects where the taxpayer is used as collateral. If these types of deals cannot be made transparent, I think the obvious is clear. The deal is crooked from inception and the public pays the price. A price that results in the further erosion of the social safety net, as monies for much needed programmes are diverted to cover bad financial decisions, as well as the continued loss of public confidence in the entire political process. A process that smells more rotten with each passing day.

An Excellent Idea..

HERE and as the NYTime's THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN says...

“Ladies and gentlemen, this crisis started with you, the bankers, engaging in reckless practices, and it will only end when we clean up your mess and start afresh. The banking system is the heart of our economy. It pumps blood to our industrial muscles, and right now it’s not pumping. We all know that in the past six months you’ve gone from one extreme to another. You’ve gone from lending money to anyone who could fog up a knife to now treating all potential borrowers, no matter how healthy, as bankrupt until proven innocent. And, therefore, you’re either not lending to them or lending under such onerous terms that the economy can’t get any liftoff. No amount of stimulus will work without a healthy banking system.

“So here’s what we’re going to do: we’re going to unclog the arteries. My banking experts have analyzed each of your balance sheets. You will tell us if we’re right. Those of you who are insolvent, we will nationalize and shut down. We will auction off your viable assets and will hold the toxic ones in a government reconstruction fund and sell them later when the market rebounds. Those of you who are weak will be merged. And those of you who are strong will receive added capital for your balance sheets, after you write down all your remaining toxic waste. I am not going to continue rewarding the losers and dimwits amongst you with handouts.”

or read the whole article here..

Survey says...

And what does the public think?

Are the rising costs making you have second thoughts about Vancouver hosting the 2010 Olympics?

Yes, the Olympics are costing more than expected.
(326) 19%
No, it's a great honour to be chosen to host.
(305) 18%
I always thought hosting the games was a bad idea.
(1083) 63%
Total Votes: 1714

updated here

70 questions for the BC Liberals from Leonard Krog

1. Will the government hold a public inquiry into the sell-off of BC Rail as soon as the criminal proceedings conclude so that B.C. taxpayers can finally get the answers they deserve?
2. When did the government first learn that the BC Rail deal was the target of an in-depth RCMP investigation?
3. When will the government release all documents — including documents which may not be directly linked to the charges — that relate to government policies or decisions regarding BC Rail?
4. Has the investigation into the sale of BC Rail uncovered evidence that other government policies or decisions may have been illegally or inappropriately affected? If yes, will the government release all such documents — including documents which may not be directly related to the charges?
5. Did the BC Rail Steering Committee discuss the potential for the BC Rail deal to collapse if only one bidder remained in the bidding process?
6. Will the government release all minutes for meetings of the BC Rail Steering Committee?
7. Will the government release all documents produced for the BC Rail Steering Committee?
8. Did members of the Steering Committee or other members of the government caucus meet with or communicate with any of the proponents or their representatives during the process to sell BC Rail?
9. Did the Premier or any of his staff meet with or communicate with any of the proponents or their representatives during the process to sell BC Rail?
10. Can the government explain why then-Solicitor General Rich Coleman briefed the Premier before the search warrants were executed?
11. Can the government explain why then-Solicitor General Rich Coleman briefed the Premier’s Chief of Staff Martyn Brown immediately after the warrants were executed and before alerting the public?
12. Why was Martyn Brown given the go-ahead to fire Dave Basi immediately, prior to any charges being laid?
13. How can the government defend the propriety of the Solicitor General’s actions against the charge that in briefing the Premier and his top political staffer, this government put its political interests ahead of the public interest?
14. Why was provincial government staff allowed to organize for the federal Liberals in the Legislature using taxpayer resources?
15. What steps did the Premier take to ensure that the BC Liberal Party did not benefit from illegal activities by staff?
16. Will the government release the tapes and/or transcripts of phone conversations between the Premier and government ministers that were gathered during the criminal investigation into the sale of BC Rail?
17. Given the government’s own forecasts for significant coal mining activity, why were projections based on coal export growth deliberately left out of revenue calculations for the BC Rail line?
18. Did the government consider cancelling the sale of the BC Rail freight division?
19. Will the government release any and all correspondence with the RCMP and BC Rail about rescinding the sale of the BC Rail freight division?
20. If the government considered cancelling the sale of the BC Rail freight division, was compensation considered for any proponents?
21. What discussions took place concerning the issue of whether CN Rail had paid too much or too little for the BC Rail freight division?
22. What was the estimated value of former BC Rail assets in 2003, before they were sold? What is the estimated value of those former BC Rails assets now?
23. Did CP Rail express concerns about the clear breach of fairness in the process to sell BC Rail prior to their letter of Nov. 21, 2003?
24. Did the government — including any and all government ministers, the BC Rail steering committee, the government caucus and/or its advisors or technical specialists — ever discuss the consequences of OmniTRAX dropping out of the bidding process prior to or following the withdrawal of CP Rail?
25. Did the government consider the potential consequences of a small number of proponents or a single proponent during the sale of BC Rail for its goal of “maximizing value to the province”?
26. Did the government consider the potential negative political ramifications of a small number of proponents or a single proponent during the sale of BC Rail?
27. What was discussed at the Dec. 12, 2003, meeting held at Vancouver restaurant Villa del Lupo between the Minister of Finance and senior executives from OmniTRAX, the second-place finisher in the bidding process for the government-owned BC Rail?
28. Will the government ensure that tapes and transcripts resulting from the surveillance of the Minister of Finance’s meeting with OmniTRAX officials are made public?
29. Did the Minister of Finance meet with other proponents during the transaction process?
30. Was it the Minister of Finance who ordered confidential government information to be leaked to a lobby firm representing OmniTRAX?
31. If it was not the Minister of Finance who ordered confidential government information to be leaked to a lobby firm representing OmniTRAX, was the Premier’s Office or any other government official responsible for this order?
32. Will the government release the “meeting minutes, presentations and other documents” referred to in the Charles River Associates report on the BC Rail bidding process?
33. Did Charles River Associates review meetings, conversations or communications outside the official process — particularly those including ministers and ministerial aides — in their analysis of the fairness of the BC Rail transaction process?
34. Will the government release all documents including emails, reports, interview transcripts relating to the two information leaks referenced in the Charles River Associates report?
35. Can the government provide concrete evidence for their claim that the information leaks referenced in the Charles River Associates report did not materially affect the sale of BC Rail?
36. Will the government provide the full list of files and issues in the purview of or involving David Basi, Aneal Basi and Bob Virk between June 2001 and December 2003?
37. Did the government order an internal investigation into every file that Mr. Basi touched while he worked as a top political aide to the Minister of Finance — and if not, why not?
38. Did the government order an internal investigation into every file that Mr. Virk touched while he worked as a top political aide to the Minister of Transportation — and if not, why not?
39. Will the government provide an explanation as to why Dave Basi was fired immediately — prior to any charges — while Bob Virk was only suspended?
40. Can the government provide assurances and evidence of the statement made by the then-Finance Minister in December 2003 that Dave Basi “was not involved in the budget process, never has been” and “was not involved in the drafting of legislation or policy development.”
41. Will the government conduct a review of every decision made to remove land from the ALR while Mr. Basi worked in the Campbell administration?
42. Will the government provide a full enumeration of all government activities and files that involved Dave Basi and/or Bob Virk and the principals and staff of Pilothouse Public Affairs?
43. Is the government aware of any other potential or ongoing investigations that involve Basi, Virk, or Pilothouse and any other minister, ministry or public body — and if so, what are they?
44. Will the government provide a full enumeration of the roles played in this investigation — or any other related investigation — by Mark Marissen, husband of then Deputy Premier Christy Clark, and Bruce Clark, the brother of the then-Deputy Premier?
45. What materials did the Special Prosecutor withhold from the defence that were the subject of the February 27, 2007 defence application?
46. Will the government provide a full enumeration of all government activities associated with Pilothouse Public Affairs?
47. Will the government provide a full enumeration of all government activities associated with K&E Public Affairs?
48. Does the government believe that lobbyists involved in criminal proceedings related to their lobbying activities should be permitted to continue those activities?
49. Why won’t the BC Liberal government allow an all-party review of the Lobbyists Registration Act in order to have greater accountability over who is influencing government and how?
50. Why did the BC Liberal Party continue to accept money in 2004 from lobbyists named in the original warrants, long after the raids on the Legislature?
51. Why did the Premier declare immediately and before the criminal investigation had even begun that the Legislature raid was not about government but “about outside of government”?
52. Why did the Premier — before even returning home to BC from Maui — state categorically that none of his ministers were “in any way touched by this investigation”?
53. When did the Attorney General and Premier first become aware that the lead RCMP inspector was the brother-in-law of Kelly Reichert, Executive Director of the BC Liberal Party?
54. How did Kelly Reichert learn that Erik Bornman had been granted immunity in exchange for providing information about David Basi and Bob Virk?
55. When did the Attorney General and Premier first become aware that information related to the investigation was leaked to Kelly Reichert and was subsequently leaked by Mr. Reichert to principals in the investigation?
56. Does the Attorney General agree that the actions of Mr. Reichert risked compromising the investigation?
57. Why does Mr. Reichert continue to serve as the Executive Director of the BC Liberal Party?
58. Given that one of the government’s objectives for the BC Rail transaction was “ensuring integrated North American access to preferred markets and carriers for interline rail shipments”, why would the government attempt to sell the Roberts Bank Spur line separately, following the withdrawal of CP Rail?
59. Is it true that in November 2003, Dave Basi advised OmniTRAX that the then-Minister of Finance had authorized a consolation prize for OmniTRAX in exchange for that company staying in the bidding process?
60. Was this consolation prize the BC Rail spur line?
61. How much was the consolation prize valued at?
62. Was OmniTRAX offered any Delta ALR lands for expansion of the port as part of this consolation prize?
63. If it were not for the alleged criminal actions of high-ranking aides, would the government have proceeded with the sale of the BC Rail spur line?
64. Does $900,000 represent the total cost to taxpayers of cancelling the sale of the spur line, or did the final tab come in even higher than that? What was the final tab?
65. What was the estimated value of the spur line in 2004, when the sale was put on hold?
66. What was the estimated value of the spur line when the sale was totally cancelled in February 2006?
67. What is the estimated value of the spur line now?
68. Why won’t the government exercise its rights under article 10.2 of the Revitalization Agreement to inspect all of CN’s maintenance records for the former BC Rail line?
69. When will the government investigate the rash of tragic derailments since 2004 in order to shed light on this safety scandal?
70. Why has the government refused to provide evidence for its claim that the government discussed safety and maintenance with the proponents during the negotiations to sell BC Rail?

Public money for the public

What do the people really want? I am feeling a little dizzy these days when I hear politicians talking about billion dollar bailouts for Corporations. I think about my life in the 1980’s, fresh out of high school, and our elected officials were recklessly slashing the student aid programmes to ensure fiscal prudence. Jump forward to today, and these same voices that were calling for more free market and less government interference, are the first in line to collect state handouts, commonly known as the taxpayers money. Just as there are conditions put on the poor when they have to turn to the state for assistance, it seems only logical that there be conditions in place to ensure the Corporations are not receiving benefits that they are not entitled to.

If you apply for a student loan in BC and you have ever declared bankruptcy, you are ineligible. So it should also be for any government assistance to any company. If the company or it’s directors have ever declared bankruptcy, they should be ineligible. Fair is fair. Although I feel that the idea of preventing people from receiving further education due to their economic history is unreasonable, I think it should apply homogenously to all those wishing to access government funds.

I look forward to the day when all of the worlds citizens can enjoy the prospect of higher education based on desire not financial ability. I look forward to the day when sexual orientation is a deeply private matter and society can show all people respect for and admiration of personal values. Looking forward is all we have in times like these.

BC and the Millennium Ponzi fiasco

With all the recent revelations regarding the development company Millennium and their financing problems with regards to the Vancouver Olympic Athletes Village, I feel there must be not only a audit of the Vancouver deal, but close scrutiny has to be given to all of this companies dealings.

They have several projects in Southwestern BC that warrant further investigation. Both their project in West Vancouver behind the Park Royal Shopping Centre and their Nanaimo Hotel project must be studied. I predict that the results of any such investigation will show several things.

I believe that both the West Van and Nanaimo projects were used by Millennium to finance the Olympic Village Project. In the case of Nanaimo, Millennium received land valued in the millions of dollars from the City for the paltry sum of $10 bucks. Furthermore the ponzi game was supported by the City of Nanaimo by paying management fees to Millennium for non-existent work. Sure the Nanaimo politicians claim that they have the right to get back any monies advanced if the deal does not go forward. But one must ask, “...do they actually have any money of their own?” Chances are no!

I think the old adage that if the price seems too good it probably is not a prudent investment applies here. There has to be an end to the continued corporate schemes where all the profits are private and all the risk is public. We have to demand complete transparency in all projects where the taxpayer is used as collateral. If these types of deals cannot be made transparent, I think the obvious is clear. The deal is crooked from inception and the public pays the price. A price that results in the further erosion of the social safety net, as monies for much needed programmes are diverted to cover bad financial decisions, as well as the continued loss of public confidence in the entire political process. A process that smells more rotten with each passing day.

There are other limits to growth..

I have always been suspicous of the mantra of growth. I had a feeling that no one wanted to address the fact we cannot continue to fill up the planet with people and garbage and toxic emmisions. I am happy to say I am not alone.