Senate Reform a la Harper

So, he’s moving quickly it seems, before anyone can actually look closely enough at his proposals. Like his plan to reform the Canadian Senate.

Limiting the terms is one of the proposals, which on the surface isn’t such a bad idea. ( shocked aren’t you, but by itself, a limit on terms isn’t necessarily a bad thing. )

Then we have the ‘elected component’ of the whole thing, which frankly, combined with the limited terms, makes this a true joke, and nothing more than a way to further co-opt our Government by big business.  ( didn’t take me long to switch, did it? lol)

To begin with, if you were appointing the members, I’d go along with limiting terms. Electing them with one time shot, is just a popularity gimmick, costing taxpayers millions of dollars. It does allow for business to buy itself some more solid supporters, such as perhaps when Harper gets thrown out of office, they can get him elected to the Senate.

The other aspect that I don’t like, about term limits, is that if someone is doing a good job, gets the support of the people, why should they be forced to stop serving, simply because they have served for X number of years?

Now I know the argument is that when in power, they have too much of an advantage, in campaign fund raising, than some newcomer. It is true too, but the answer isn’t in term limits, but in campaign funding reform.  Something Herr Harper will never accept, because then he wouldn’t have such full coffers.

Personally, a limit should be set on an election campaign, and it should be 100% funded from the public treasury. No contributions by anyone, should be tax deductible, or allowed. Any contributions by people, should go to a pool, that is shared among ALL parties.  And those parties, should be any who are running candidates in at least 90% of the ridings.

New political parties should be allowed to raise private funds, but every penny needs to be fully accounted for. In other words, if a new party pops up, with a ten million dollar war chest, every penny of that money needs to be verified. EVERY PENNY!   Anyone listed as contributing, needs to be contacted, and have their donation verified, nor should it be tax deductible.

The other aspect of the Senate reform, is that it doesn’t set any standards. Many complain that today’s Senate only conduct business for a few weeks. Want bang for your buck, then make them sit more often, make them actually work at their job, define it, and enforce it. Oh, and using public money, to travel and promote a political party, isn’t what I’d call part of the job, even though Herr Harper and his Senate compatriots thought so in the last election.

The reform package introduced by Herr Harper, is not reform, but simply a way to further corrupt our political system. But hey, what the fuck do I know, I am Just a Canadian

How Much for the Fighter Jet in the Window

It really is a bit more than just a ‘he said, she said’ type of issue too. It is about Fiscal Accountability, and shouldn’t that be important to any real Conservative?

Even the DND is saying its gonna cost more than estimated, for the F-35

Now contrary to the Harper claim, that anyone questioning his defence purchase as being Un Patriotic, I would argue that wanting to know the actual price of something, goes to the very heart of what a REAL CONSERVATIVE IS.

Honestly, how many real Conservatives out there, aren’t looking to insure they get value for their buck?  Do you really just spend money, without even knowing how much?

It is like, hey, lets go shopping today because the kids need new clothes, dad needs a new barbeque, and mom needs some new shoes.    And off to the Mega Mall we all go, rush into stores, grab whatever tickles our fancy, and come home.

We don’t pay for it, because, well, they’ll bill us later.

Months later, the bill comes in, and oh oh, that nice new barbeque daddy bought, well, while it is nice, doesn’t grill the burgers great but okay, cost a whopping $1800.00.

The kids clothes, all out of fashion now, were like well, $275 for the jeans, $300 for the name brand sneakers, and don’t even ask how much the bill was for all those Blouses little Suzy bought.

Mom’s shoes, well hell, they were a steal, at only $450 per shoe.  Hey, it is for those who have different sized feet, so they marked up the price per shoe, not for the pair.

And that lovely bit of roast you stopped off and got at the grocery store, well hell, it was a bit tough, but tasty. So what if it cost $85 a pound.

Tell me again, why not knowing the actual cost of something, like a Fighter Jet, isn’t important?

(( I am on a roll, lol so bear with me ))

Now let’s say you want one of those fancy new plasma televisions. Your father in law, who is a real brain, a top notch executive in his field, tells you that he’ll get you one, for well $250.   It is one of the newest on the market, hell it isn’t even in production yet, but he’ll get it for that price.  Now you really trust the guy, and well, you’ve been shopping around. YOU see that in the stores, that brand of television is going for about $500 but hey, that’s yesterday’s model.  The new one, coming out in a few years, is really super hot, but hey, the stores all say it’ll be around the $1,000.00 price range.

How come your Father In Law, can say he can get it for $250.00 but uh, he won’t let you see the price quote he got, from the same store that told you they can put you on the waiting list, but the price tag is $1.000.00.

It isn’t about being Anti Military, wanting to know exactly how much these planes are going to cost.   IT IS BEING A RESPONSIBLE CONSERVATIVE PERSON.

So IF Stephen Harper is a Conservative, WHY ISN’T HE ASKING THE SAME QUESTION?      HOW MUCH FOR THE FIGHTER JET IN THE WINDOW?

Rising Unemployment

The Harper Government continues to show its inability to grasp some key elements, in what it means, to be a Government. Mind you, Big Business is not much different, in that it has forgotten, how they became a giant corporation.

Unemployment in Canada has risen to an eleven year high of 8.4%, and many claim it could top 10% before beginning a downwards trend. Now that isn’t healthy, but there is also the untold aspect of all this.

To begin with, jobs lost are measured against jobs gained. However, it is like saying, how many fruit trees had fruit, versus how many didn’t. Not all fruit trees blossom at the same time, nor does it take into account, the different type of fruit trees. Just as the unemployment statistics don’t take into account, the numbers by sector.

Sure, within the figures are individual stats, for manufacturing, construction, etc. but not in the overall numbers given to the public, or at least reported by the biased media.

While part time jobs were increased, it doesn’t say at what rate of pay. So while those numbers help offset the jobs lost, it isn’t a true picture of the job market.

Fact is, we are losing jobs in the sectors that PAYS ABOVE  minimum wage.

We are gaining jobs, in the sector that PAYS AT  minimum wage.

Now, I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that the more who earn minimum wage, the less one’s buying power becomes. The less likely are those going to buy new cars, new washing machines, new homes. How can they, when they can barely afford food?

All this talk about how so many in Canada have become ‘self employed’ is just a way for the Harper Regime to claim it is doing a good job, managing an ailing economy. Truth is, if one takes into account the number of job losses in high paying jobs, and the number of high paying jobs being created, we’d see a lot higher rate, and we’d also see, just how incompetent the Harper Government is.

We’d also see why it makes no sense to pour billions of taxpayer money into the corporate coffers of  companies like GM or Chrysler.  The result of all that money, is that workers in some other country will benefit ( being employed ) while we’ll be putting our workers, in the unemployment line, or in minimum wage jobs.

THAT IS SIMPLY STUPID.

Bailouts, Rip off or Solution?

Billions of taxpayer cash has been doled out, with more to be spent, and I wonder, are we getting any results for our buck? Now in the USA they have poured HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS into Corporate Coffers, and it seems like it hasn’t done much there.  However, that is there, and here is here.

With Chrysler filing for Bankruptcy protection can GM be far behind? And how does that impact the money given to them, by our so called leaders?

 Has Harpernomics finally found a way to hold onto power, pay off campaign debts to big business, while screwing the average citizen?

Has the pressure put on the CAW by Harper, given these corporations the necessary cuts, to add to their bonuses and perks, while seeking court protection?

Unemployment rose again, the economy shrank again, but Harper continues to claim that we are in good shape. The Bank of Canada revised its economic outlook, but one wonders, were they forced to do so, or are the indicators, they looked at, really worsening?

There is something not right, about the solution being placed before us. These giant loans to business, are supposed to help keep the companies viable, to protect existing jobs. And yet, in order to meet the Government conditions for the bailout money, jobs and wages have to be cut. Now, I am not a rocket scientist, but how is that protecting jobs?

I am certainly not an economist either, but I know that throwing good money after bad, is just simply, throwing money away.  If these giant industries, like GM & Chrysler are incapable of managing their affairs, of competing with the other industries, giving them billions isn’t going to change that, now is it?

Come to think of it, wasn’t that exactly their problem back in the 1970′s?

Seems to me, they haven’t learned from that era much. They still produce gas guzzlers, and still produce sub par cars. If they had bothered to learn from the Oil Crisis of the 1970′s, then maybe they’d not be in the dire straits they are today?

And I don’t know about you, but to me, it seems that if we are needed to help boost our economy, should we not be looking at those areas that produce the most jobs, that deliver the most revenue to our treasury? I mean GM & Chrysler certainly don’t create the number of jobs that smaller operations do. Nor do they keep all their revenue in this country.

I mean hell, Chrysler owes over a BILLION IN BACK TAXES, so uh, why did they get special treatment over the small logging outfit in BC? How about the smaller auto parts makers, that could maybe switch into building parts for some other mechanical industry? Why are they being left to hang?

Perhaps instead of tax cuts to businesses that aren’t paying taxes, which isnt such a good plan,  instead, we should be helping smaller industries achieve stability, and new markets. Instead of arranging for free trade deals, that allow the bigger boys to ship their plants abroad, and cut jobs in Canada, we should improve the domestic markets?

Just an idea, but hey, if we are going to spend the money, MY MONEY, I kind of think it should be spent on companies that will help grow our economy, not further cut it down.

Unemployment Continues to Rise

Protectionismis a naughty word in the United States & Canada. For some reason, wanting to protect Ono’s own is somehow, wrong, somehow unacceptable on a global stage.  HOW?

With Unemployment hitting record highs in Canada, one has to wonder about Globalization and the inability of National Governments, or Regional, to protect our jobs. Take the Billions being given just to General Motors. 60% of GM hourly wage earners in Canada are about to be put on the unemployment lines, and the drain on our resources will only grow.

Canada’s unemployment rate in March climbed to a seven-year high of eight per cent as the economy shed another 61,300 jobs. ( source – CBC News )

It is a double edged sword, because it is taxpayers who are paying for those billions to GM, and it is taxpayers who are paying for the EI benefits these out of work auto employees will be drawing on.  And that is rapidly becoming a dwindling pool as well. After all, those losing their jobs, are the one’s who have been paying into the fund, along with the companies.

Makes you wonder too, at how we can import migrant farm workers, when more and more people are losing their jobs?

Then too, we are so wrapped up in bailing out companies like GM, we aren’t providing enough resources to the very industries that actually create long term employment, which is small business.  I think we are too enamored with the big dollars, versus the small but steady income from smaller operations.

The Auto Industry employs a large number of people, which is true, but you know, the collective number employed by small business is dramatically more, and if we started protecting our smaller industries, we would have a lot more higher paying jobs being created, than lost.

You know, the ancillary industries provide more jobs than the auto industry, so wouldn’t it make more sense to beef up their business, to help them diversify, than to pour the billions into just the one aspect, hoping for a trickle down effect?

Giant Conglomerates have one concern, their bottom line. Smaller business, is also about making money, but isn’t so rigid about how much it must make, unlike companies like GM or Chrysler. Yet Government continues to IGNORE those smaller industries.

Makes you wonder a bit. If we put the 4 Billion we are giving to GM, and spread it out among several much smaller operations, would our unemployment be at 8% or would we even be in an economic recession? After all, isn’t the cause of this entire economic mess, due to the globalization impact of the Oil Industry & the Financial Markets in the USA?

Something to consider, as we see more job losses happen in the sector we are pouring billions of our money into, supposedly to protect those very jobs, that are now being lost.