It's been one of those normal days! Conflict and confusion without end. Amen.
President Obama tells us we must all encourage education, especially in technology. So, today, some splendid young woman was the first to get a degree in...Biology? Wrong! Battlefields of yore? Wrong again! BS without end? Meme chose! The academic subject is The Beatles! Seems the city of Liverpool sponsored her.
The Montreal Gazette also advised me in health club etiquettte; don't spit in the water fountain, while the Middle East continues to fall apart in a hurry.
Apparently, even voters lie when phoned by pollsters, so what is their real purpose, if any? I refer to both pollsters and the polled.
Will there be an election soon? Who cares? When do our MPs work, and at what? Who knows!
They scream at each other when Parliament is in session, to impress the voters. What they do interim remains one of the great mysteries of Canada. They left for Christmas on December 16th, 2010. They start yelling again on January 31st, 2011.
Michael Ignatieff's been taking drama lessons; "Yes! Yes! Yes!" Stephen remains hidden in the washroom while Jack is searching for a hair restorer. As for Ms. May, she is totally preoccupied with finding a famous name she can contest when/if the great day comes and she meets the same fate she did when she "battled" PeterMcKay last time. That woman loves a fight. Win or lose! If she won one, she would look better.
You people have a great day and try to keep a smile on your face. I know it ain't easy. But this brought a laugh - a sign we could put on the front door of Parliament perhaps?
________________________________
OUT TO LUNCH
IF NOT BACK BY 5 P.M.
THEN OUT TO DINNER TOO
__________________________
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Does Anyone Else Wonder?
Greetings to followers of Desperate Times. This week we feature a guest blogger who poses the question: "Does anyone else wonder?"
Thank you, Don. Following the convoluted trail of our federal government, what is the average citizen to think? Does anyone else wonder why Stephen Harper's minority government vowed recently to build more prisons? Although, according to Statistics Canada, the crime rate in our country is falling. One Conservative member mused thoughtfully on a recent CBC news show, "How can we measure crime?" Not through Statistics Canada it seems, as its statistics will no longer be credible in years to come, if Harper's government has its way. The mandate of Statistics Canada was threatened by the Conservative minority government in July 2010. Their premise was that the long census form constitutes an "invasion of privacy". Really? We all know that by commanding the resources of Revenue Canada, Amazon.ca and Facebook, the knowledge of our income, charitable donations, spending habits, and social networks will be manifest to all.
Speaking of spending - the federal government has started, rather than ended the year 2011 by acting as Scrooge, urging Canadians to reduce their consumer debt. Hmm...we have to wonder...who was using taxpayers' money last summer to build a lake in Toronto for journalists from around the world? The Conservative minority government claimed this was an opportunity to promote Canada for tourism purposes. Do you know how many lakes we have? Still, we had to build one for foreign journalists. How authentic.
Of course the Harper minority government supports women - in other countries - as long as they do not wish to engage in family planning. They have also brought shame to our once-proud nation by neglecting the environment. And there is so much more - but we are running out of paper - and time. Literally.
Thank you, Don. Following the convoluted trail of our federal government, what is the average citizen to think? Does anyone else wonder why Stephen Harper's minority government vowed recently to build more prisons? Although, according to Statistics Canada, the crime rate in our country is falling. One Conservative member mused thoughtfully on a recent CBC news show, "How can we measure crime?" Not through Statistics Canada it seems, as its statistics will no longer be credible in years to come, if Harper's government has its way. The mandate of Statistics Canada was threatened by the Conservative minority government in July 2010. Their premise was that the long census form constitutes an "invasion of privacy". Really? We all know that by commanding the resources of Revenue Canada, Amazon.ca and Facebook, the knowledge of our income, charitable donations, spending habits, and social networks will be manifest to all.
Speaking of spending - the federal government has started, rather than ended the year 2011 by acting as Scrooge, urging Canadians to reduce their consumer debt. Hmm...we have to wonder...who was using taxpayers' money last summer to build a lake in Toronto for journalists from around the world? The Conservative minority government claimed this was an opportunity to promote Canada for tourism purposes. Do you know how many lakes we have? Still, we had to build one for foreign journalists. How authentic.
Of course the Harper minority government supports women - in other countries - as long as they do not wish to engage in family planning. They have also brought shame to our once-proud nation by neglecting the environment. And there is so much more - but we are running out of paper - and time. Literally.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Praise to Caesar!
Why does Canada need a Senate? What use is it to the nation? How much does it cost? Via what route do the members gain access?
The only possible answer to question one is another question: Who knows? Number two? Not much. Question three you'll have to Google but today's information is, as it relates to Raymond Lavigne, more costly than we will ever know. Finally, gaining access? Well, it all relates to the political trough. Mr Lavigne was appointed by the Liberals. They suspended him but he continued to draw pretty high expenses. So far Stephen Harper has appointed thirty-seven senators since he "won" his minority government. That power is his alone. One just has to assume that receiving a job with a minimal job requirement (attending one session a year) with a salary of $132,300 per annum demands some allegiance to the giver. While I'm sure Larry Smith is a bright and reliable man, it is hard not to see a plan in his recent appointment. No sooner was he named a Senator than he announced his intention to run for the Tories in the next election, whenever that happens. He shouldn't need to take out any personal loans during that contest, thanks to his Senate salary. Should he win, has he been offered a ministerial job? In both situations, I'm sure he will love Caesar for such kindness.
Back to Senator Lavigne, the non-sitting (since 2007) Senator who is under investigation on charges of fraud and breach of public trust, yet continues to use his "SenmasterCard" (courtesy of Canadian taxpayers) to pay his bills. e.g. September 1-November 30, 2010:
office expenses: $17,700
travel: $8,000
cost-of-living in Ottawa: $4,500
Scamming the public?
Priceless!
"There's nothing money can't buy. For everything, there's SenmasterCard."
The only possible answer to question one is another question: Who knows? Number two? Not much. Question three you'll have to Google but today's information is, as it relates to Raymond Lavigne, more costly than we will ever know. Finally, gaining access? Well, it all relates to the political trough. Mr Lavigne was appointed by the Liberals. They suspended him but he continued to draw pretty high expenses. So far Stephen Harper has appointed thirty-seven senators since he "won" his minority government. That power is his alone. One just has to assume that receiving a job with a minimal job requirement (attending one session a year) with a salary of $132,300 per annum demands some allegiance to the giver. While I'm sure Larry Smith is a bright and reliable man, it is hard not to see a plan in his recent appointment. No sooner was he named a Senator than he announced his intention to run for the Tories in the next election, whenever that happens. He shouldn't need to take out any personal loans during that contest, thanks to his Senate salary. Should he win, has he been offered a ministerial job? In both situations, I'm sure he will love Caesar for such kindness.
Back to Senator Lavigne, the non-sitting (since 2007) Senator who is under investigation on charges of fraud and breach of public trust, yet continues to use his "SenmasterCard" (courtesy of Canadian taxpayers) to pay his bills. e.g. September 1-November 30, 2010:
office expenses: $17,700
travel: $8,000
cost-of-living in Ottawa: $4,500
Scamming the public?
Priceless!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Happy Phew! Year
Well, may I first wish a Happy New Year to all three of our readers!
In Friday's Montreal Gazette column, Mark Abley printed a United States Parish Hall weekly programme : Monday: Alcoholics Anonymous; Tuesday: Abused Spouses; Wednesday: Eating disorders; Thursday: Say No to Drugs; Friday: Teen Suicide Watch; Saturday: Soup Kitchen; Sunday Sermon: America's Joyous Future. The future can't get much better than that!
To lower the bar a tad, have you noticed the people of Somalia described as "pirates"? For some time, boats from all over the globe have been robbing the seas around Somalia of their livelihood, i.e. fish. Secondly, those same countries have been disposing of nuclear, and other, wastes in the waters around the Somali beaches. When their fishermen got a little upset and finally started to grab anything, or anyone, they could and hold them to ransom as a last desperate attempt to halt this travesty, the United Nations, and many other nations, censured Somalia for this "crime" of piracy. How would you react if the USA started dumping their garbage into Canada? More than they already do, I mean. NIMB! (Not In My Backyard!)
Finally, our experts have looked into our trust of professionals. Most categories are in decline except for Canadian soldiers. They have improved in our trust level by 11%. Pharmacists are down 25%; airline pilots down 19%. Accountants, at 47%, are still more trusted than church leaders, and national politicians, at 25% trust, are only ahead of car salespeople by 5%. Accountants more reliable than politicians, you say? Perhaps if the conscientious Auditor-General Sheila Fraser became Prime Minister and Amazon.ca ran the civil service, maybe...just maybe...we could have a trustworthy and efficient democracy!
In Friday's Montreal Gazette column, Mark Abley printed a United States Parish Hall weekly programme : Monday: Alcoholics Anonymous; Tuesday: Abused Spouses; Wednesday: Eating disorders; Thursday: Say No to Drugs; Friday: Teen Suicide Watch; Saturday: Soup Kitchen; Sunday Sermon: America's Joyous Future. The future can't get much better than that!
To lower the bar a tad, have you noticed the people of Somalia described as "pirates"? For some time, boats from all over the globe have been robbing the seas around Somalia of their livelihood, i.e. fish. Secondly, those same countries have been disposing of nuclear, and other, wastes in the waters around the Somali beaches. When their fishermen got a little upset and finally started to grab anything, or anyone, they could and hold them to ransom as a last desperate attempt to halt this travesty, the United Nations, and many other nations, censured Somalia for this "crime" of piracy. How would you react if the USA started dumping their garbage into Canada? More than they already do, I mean. NIMB! (Not In My Backyard!)
Finally, our experts have looked into our trust of professionals. Most categories are in decline except for Canadian soldiers. They have improved in our trust level by 11%. Pharmacists are down 25%; airline pilots down 19%. Accountants, at 47%, are still more trusted than church leaders, and national politicians, at 25% trust, are only ahead of car salespeople by 5%. Accountants more reliable than politicians, you say? Perhaps if the conscientious Auditor-General Sheila Fraser became Prime Minister and Amazon.ca ran the civil service, maybe...just maybe...we could have a trustworthy and efficient democracy!
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