Turmel’s Bloc Membership, So What.

Don’t we have better things to be dealing with, than worrying about what memberships an INTERIM leader had in her past?   Really, with the growing debt load, the slowing economy, and our lack of International Respect are just a couple off the top of my head, that should be more of a priority, than whether or not NDP Interim Leader Turmel had membership in the Bloc.

Funny, we can accept and support people who are racists, like Vic Toews of the Conservatives, or how about their illustrious leader of the past, Stockwell Day and Preston Manning?  Funny how they can be forgiven, even revered for their racist views, while someone who once held a Bloc membership is vilified.

• Vic Toews with his speech calling Homosexuals vile, evil, was objected to by many, but not our Prime Minister, who in fact defended Mr Toews. Hell he’s rewarded him by making him a Cabinet Minister.
• Stockwell Day a gun nut, who thinks everyone, including ten and eleven year old children should have access to firearms. Not only that, but he also believes that Jews will wander for eternity for crucifying Christ.

Yet Turmel had a membership in a Separatist group, that has come close to actually being the Official Opposition in Parliament, is vilified. Go figure, but you know, I’d have voted for Gilles Duceppe if I’d had a chance.

Does that make me want to break up Canada?  NO!

It simply makes me appreciate a plain speaking, honest politician, unlike the current one sitting at Sussex Drive.  Maybe we should worry more about that, than what kind of membership someone once held.

After all, isn’t that the same criteria we used to incarcerate thousands of Japanese Descent Canadian Citizens into internment camps, during WWII?   Took a long time to officially apologize for that bullshit, but here we are, using the same mentality again.

Quilt by Association.

Mail Strike Over, for now

Canada Post has said that mail delivery will resume on Tuesday, now that both Parliament and the Senate have passed back to work legislation.  Binding arbitration is forced on both parties, in this bill, but the Government didn’t allow one single amendment to be added, or passed.

Course, the real issue for me, was that why did we even have to have this strike? Okay, the union started it by going out on their rotating strikes, that frankly, were nothing but a minor inconvenience. It was Canada Post ( Harper’s in other words ) that sent the strike national, and stopped mail delivery everywhere.

Note to all those Whiners : The entire debacle of no mail, was by design, by Herr Harper, as a political stunt to make his majority government look competent. He needed something to shore up all the questioning that has begun.  So before you whining self centered people start blaming the Union & the NDP opposition for dragging this on, keep in mind, it was Harper & Canada Post that stopped national mail deliver, not the Union.

And while we are at it, let’s look at this stupid debate as well. The Government has had, for a long time, the ability to limit debate, and not allow things like this to drag on for long.  Funny thing is, the Harper Conservatives didn’t avail themselves of it, and more than that, a large number of Conservative MPs took their turn in dragging this debate on, to a record 58 hours.

So the question is, how come?

IF the Government truly was interested in ending the strike, why did they force it nationally, to begin with? Secondly, why did they then not act quicker to bring in back to work legislation? Thirdly, why did they add to the lengthy debate, by stuffing it with their own members commenting?

Let’s get real Canada, the truth is Stephen Harper doesn’t give a rat’s ass for us. Canada Post makes a profit, which makes it damn hard for him to sell it off to one of his campaign supporters, so he had to do something, to make it look less profitable.

What better way than have a national strike, get the workers upset and stupid, and then try to pin the blame for not settling the dispute quicker on the NDP Opposition. 

Give the Devil ( Stephen Harper ) his due, he is good at strategy, but the problem with that, is it hurts Canada.

Whopping 2 Per Cent Cut… in 3 years

In an attempt to have people support keeping the HST, Christie Clark is telling us that in 2014, she will cut the HST from today’s 12% rate, to a lower more economic friendly rate of just a measly TEN PER CENT.

What is with these Conservative types, who think they can bribe us on the never never plan?

Honestly, the HST is such bullshit, and yet the provinces bought into it, because well, Harper bribed them.  Course, not all got the same bribes, but hey, they can always ask for more, like Quebec has.  And since he got a bloody nose in Quebec, our Stevie Boy is going to give them about $2 Billion for a downpayment on more votes come the next election.

Fact is, that the Harper Stealing Tax ( HST = Harmonized Sales Tax ) has cost small business dearly. It has cost them customers, loss sales, and no, they don’t have a lot of money saved, by the unification of the Provincial & Federal sales taxes.   That is just more of Harper’s flim flam crap.

The cost to small business, to administer the Provincial Sales tax, was minimal. It may have cost the big boys a bit, but honestly today’s cash registers ( point of sales devices ) do most of the work for you.  All YOU needed to do, was enter the amount in your books, and at the end of each month, simply add up a few numbers, and write a cheque.

For many small business operators, the implementation of the Harper Stealing Tax actually cost them money. They had to re-program their Cash Registers, or whatever, and needed to adjust their books. That ain’t cheap, even if you use a good computer program for it.  The book keeper usually would do it, which means more cost, as they ain’t cheap these days.

And let us not forget that many items, like restaurant meals, NOW are taxed, something they weren’t before. An entire industry was hit hard, by that increase, and still is today. I know I eat out less, because to begin with, the prices aren’t cheap, and adding 12% just put it over the edge of affordability.

ELIMINATE THE BLASTED TAX, then you might get some votes, but nah, you can’t do that, can you Premier Christie Clark, just like your NDP namesake ( Glen Clark ) couldn’t keep the cost of those useless fast ferries on budget.  It just isn’t your nature to actually do what you all were elected to do.

And honestly, the sop of giving the low income a paltry $175 to cover the cost of the HST, is insulting. Oh I’ll take it, like everyone else will, but the truth is, it costs the average person over $700 in added costs, per year, since this tax was added.   When you have limited disposable income, that isn’t something to sneeze at, but then, you high & mightly leaders, you don’t have to worry.

You have high paying jobs, nice pension & health plans, so why worry if the majority of the electorate are looking at making hard choices, simply because the provincial Liberal Party caved in to the Dictator, Harper.

You don’t have to pay for it, just us peons do.

Bob Rae Liberal Interim Leader

So does that mean that he’s it for the next 18 to 24 months?

How effective of a leader will he be for the Liberal Party, but perhaps more importantly, how will he bring the Liberals back from extinction?  Can they be competitive in the next Federal Election, or will they be the party that disappears, as Harper pushes us towards a two party system?

The arguement of not funding the political parties, publicly, is that it will allow the people to choose which party is worthy of their cash, but that is theory.  Reality is, a political party not publicly funded, will need to align itself with some special interest group, that has the money to bankroll their efforts.

That simply doesn’t bode well for people. It transfers power from us, to special interest groups, and let’s be honest. Those groups will support a party, providing they get what they want. In short, it is a SELL OFF.  It doesn’t weaken the political parties, but strengthens big business interests. It weakens, the ability of those disadvantaged, from having a clear voice.

It does weaken the system, not enhance it.

Bob Rae, a former NDP Premier, has his job cut out for him. He has to provide a public face, to a party in disarray, that has left its roots over the last five or so years. Paul Martin did a huge disservice to the Liberal Party, by being its leader.

The Liberal Party was a blend of business and people. It was a middle of the road Party, that appealed to many Canadians, not because it was only for this, or opposed to that, but because it was willing to reach a middle ground.  It was that spirit that gave us National Health, and that alone has helped set this country apart, from our giant neighbour to the south.

We are facing tough economic times ahead, and the so called Global Market concept, endorsed by our Prime Minister and his mentor Brian Mulroney, and his hero George W. Bush, is not working. It has led to several world recessions, that is far from over.

Both Bob Rae and Jack Layton have a huge task ahead of them. There is little that can keep Harper in check now, which means that in four years or so, we will be facing a totally different Country, than we have had since Confederation. Our rights, as individuals are already being trampled on, and it will only get worse, so what will Bob Rae do?

Or does it even matter?

The die has been cast, so does it really matter what us poor folks, us Middle Class people think, as we have lost the war against Corporate Control? Are we moving to a society like depicted in the Dune Series, where Corporate Rule dominated the Galaxies?

Prices are rising, and our Government has no problem with that. To Harper, the Market determines the price, and if we can’t afford it, well, we are just shit out of luck. Can Bob Rae bring any leverage to bear, to curtail or slow down the Conservative Agenda?

Be interesting to see, as well it be interesting to see who steps up, to try and take the golden ring, and become the Next Liberal Permanent Leader?   Justin Trudeau? Someone else? Ken Dryden?

BC Liberals Should Change Their Party Name

Frankly, it isn’t just them. The political parties today have blurred the lines so much, who knows what a party actually stands for anymore.  The BC Liberals are a case in point.  Under Wilson, they offered a viable alternative to both the Social Credit & the NDP.   They gave us a THIRD OPTION.  ( sound familiar? )

Problem is, Wilson fooled around, got himself kicked out and the Conservative wing moved in lock, stock, and barrel.  They stole the Liberal Party, being dissatisified Social Credit folks, Conservative Folks, and took advantage of a crooked NDP government.

The result was a landslide win for them, but they were still being perceived as the Liberals, as Wilson portrayed them.  BOY WERE WE WRONG!

Now we have Stockwell Day, a true hater of all things Democratic, a real narrow minded bigot who is also a gun nut, supporting the BC Liberals. I mean talk about having an albatross around your neck, huh?

The BC Liberals should be renamed, to the Alliance Party.  So too should the federal Conservatives be renamed to that, given that is exactly what they are.

An Unholy Alliance of right wing nut jobs, who preach one thing, but do their worst to not accomplish any of it, but pocket big bucks for themselves, and for Godless Big Business.   They are, in fact, an alliance of religious zealots, who want US ALL to believe as they do, in every aspect of our lives. They support only one law, that of the Law of the Jungle…. where only the fit survive.

This is how party lines have been blurred, when sleazy slime take over a political party. Harper did it to the Conservatives,  Gordon Campbell to the BC Liberals.

Time for a real Name Change…