tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30994626181376136122024-02-20T09:21:37.865-08:00The Daily TwiggJohn Twigghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18209883575318239876noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3099462618137613612.post-78160050718311740602016-04-14T14:25:00.000-07:002016-04-14T15:18:13.158-07:00B.C. Legislature debates TPP<h2>
B.C. Liberals bully and sneak through motion</h2>
<h2>
supporting proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership</h2>
<br />
<b>By John Twigg</b><br />
<br />
The B.C. Legislature today (Thursday April 14) voted 40 to 26 on a motion expressing the province's support for the proposed <b>Trans-Pacific Partnership</b> even though there have been no public hearings on the complex and contentious trade deal, and despite an amendment by the New Democrats appealing for public hearings before such a vote.<br />
<br />
Motion 11 was put on the Order Paper last October around the time of the federal election but was not introduced and called for debate until Premier <b>Christy Clark</b> somewhat suddenly did so on Wednesday (April 13) after Question Period, with the timing obviously related to exploiting the backlash against the federal New Democrats' convention in Edmonton having approved a call for party and public consultations on the so-called <b>Leap Manifesto</b>, an environmental initiative which contains numerous radical proposals against petroleum and pipeline developments in particular and industrial developments and job creation in general, apart from new "green" ones.<br />
<br />
My recent analysis of that Leap Manifesto debate can be viewed <a href="http://thedailytwigg.blogspot.ca/2016/04/ndp-leadership-change.html">here</a> .<br />
<br />
Clark's motion said: <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Be it resolved that this House, acknowledging the
importance of diversifying trade to create jobs for British Columbians,
supports the Trans-Pacific Partnership because: the Trans-Pacific
Partnership removes trade barriers and provides preferential market
access for B.C. goods and services from all sectors including forest
products, agrifoods, technology, fish and seafood, minerals and
industrial goods, and through the transition support will be available
to our supply-managed industries; the Trans-Pacific Partnership
provides more access for service providers in professional,
environmental, and research and development fields; and, ultimately,
the Trans-Pacific Partnership will increase investment and create new
jobs and opportunities for many British Columbians.</span><br />
<br />
That motion was quickly amended by NDP Opposition leader <b>John Horgan</b> with the suggestion that the Legislature's finance committee have a "robust and transparent discussion and public consultation" on the matter, which said:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">That Motion 11 be amended by deleting the
text after, “Be it resolved that this House, acknowledging the
importance of diversifying trade to create jobs for British Columbians,
supports” and substituting, “referral to the Select Standing Committee
on Finance and Government Services for robust and transparent
discussion and public consultation on the long-term job creation and
employment impacts for British Columbia of the Trans-Pacific
Partnership.”</span><br />
<br />
However the NDP amendment was defeated by a vote of 42 to 33 later on Wednesday afternoon after only a few speakers had spoken, suggesting that the New Democrats either were not prepared to filibuster against it and/or were strategically avoiding a prolonged fractious debate which would have caused themselves to become even more linked to the anti-jobs Leap Manifesto on which both Horgan and deputy leader <b>Carole James</b> had been excoriated over it at a <b>B.C. Building Trades</b> convention in Victoria (see Globe and Mail report <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/leap-manifesto-makes-no-sense-for-bc-ndp-leader-john-horgan-says/article29603376/">here</a> and Vaughn Palmer <a href="http://vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/b-c-building-trades-look-for-answers-about-resource-projects">here</a> ).<br />
<br />
Debate on the main motion was adjourned at 7 p.m. Wednesday but when it resumed Thursday morning after Question Period it continued only until just before noon, at which point the Opposition (including Green Party leader <b>Andrew Weaver</b>) let the final vote be taken, with the result being 40 for the government versus 26 for the Opposition (including Weaver) but Clark and Independent MLA <b>Vicki Huntington</b> were away as were about 20 other MLAs.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Health emergency smokescreen? </h3>
To further smokescreen the somewhat sneaky, bullied and flawed TPP motion the Liberal government also chose today to announce a health emergency regarding a skein of drug overdose deaths involving fentanyl, which obviously is a serious problem but which also has already been in the news for several weeks and the preparations for the declaration apparently were in the works for several days.<br />
<br />
Why would the Clark government want to smokescreen something supposedly as great as they claim the TPP is? Because it isn't great and actually it could become disastrous, maybe even worse than a few dozen drug deaths, because it could kill whole industries forever. Not to mention that the Liberals get many large donations from corporations that would benefit from the TPP.<br />
<br />
The few New Democrats who spoke against the motion and thus against the TPP too did a decent job of exposing some of the TPP's alleged flaws (except Horgan, who gave short shrift and departed) such as noting that it deals with the United States and several Asian "tigers" but does not include China and may well be an American device to isolate China.<br />
<br />
The gist is that the TPP will benefit mainly foreign interests doing developments in B.C., notably that they will be able to out-litigate local governments and regional districts on zoning issues, it will tend to encourage the export of jobs to low-wage jurisdictions [the same problem that <b>Donald Trump</b> is fighting and gaining huge support from in the U.S. Presidential primaries] and it generally would make Canada a safer haven for foreign capital and a tougher place for unionized and low-wage workers.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Weaver delivered key critiques </h3>
Instead it fell to Weaver to give a more detailed critique, which he did on the amendment Wednesday and the main motion Thursday, claiming it is "a cynical ploy to try to pin the
NDP in British Columbia to their federal counterparts who enacted a
study for two years about the Leap Manifesto."<br />
<br />
"In conclusion, this deal is a bad deal for British Columbia. This deal
is a bad deal for Canadians. This motion should not pass. This
government should be ashamed of itself for bringing this cynical motion
forward at a time when they hadn't even got the agreement to actually
explore the details of," said Weaver.<br />
<br />
Links to preliminary Hansard transcripts April 13 <a href="https://www.leg.bc.ca/documents-data/debate-transcripts/40th-parliament/5th-session/20160413pm-House-Blues">here</a> and today's April 14 <a href="https://www.leg.bc.ca/documents-data/debate-transcripts/40th-parliament/5th-session/20160414am-House-Blues">here</a> . <br />
<br />
Premier Clark and other defenders such as the former federal Conservative government of <b>Stephen Harper</b> argue that the TPP will improve access to foreign markets for B.C. products such as seafood and resources but what the overall net effect would be is difficult to determine, and which may or may not be revealed in whatever public consultations process the new federal Liberal government of Prime Minister <b>Justin Trudeau</b> eventually mandates pursuant to its recent preliminary sign-on to the document in principle. <br />
<br />
What will the TPP do to or for marketing boards? That isn't clear yet.<br />
<br />
What will it do to intellectual property, copyrights and technology industries? That isn't clear either, though Weaver - an accomplished academic - believes it will be negative.<br />
<br />
But what is clear is that it's a tough issue for the B.C. New Democrats, kind of damned if they do and damned if they don't, and the radical Leap Manifesto only makes that problem worse.<br />
<br />
It also could be a good issue for the Clark Liberals, positioning them on the side supporting investment, job creation and exports even if or when the net benefits are negative over time. What matters to them most of all is the outcome of the next election in May 2017.<br />
<br />
<br />
Hansard Blues excerpt April 13<br />
<br />
<div class="SubjectHeading">
MOTION 11 — TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP</div>
<div class="SpeakerBegins">
<b>Hon. C. Clark:</b> I rise today to
move a motion in support of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a motion
that asks and urges the federal government to implement it.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
There are voices across this country today —
we hear them loudly and clearly — that say no to all economic
development. They say no to creating jobs for working people. They say
no to deals like TPP. In the name of ideology, they claim that it's
time to dismantle our economic foundation. But what they are really
saying is no to working people, and they're saying no to jobs. If those
voices had their way, this would be the first generation of British
Columbians that left this province poorer than we found it.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
I know that we can always do better. We
always must strive as a government, and as a society, to do better. But
the answer isn't to disrupt the free flow of ideas and the free flow
of capital. It isn't to disrupt innovation and all of those things that
happen in a functioning, capitalist system, where trade deals mean
jobs.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
In British Columbia, we know that
international trade is the foundation of our prosperity. International
trade is what creates jobs for people across our province, and it
always has been. We are Canada's Pacific gateway, and our future is
linked more that any other province in the country with what's going on
in Asia.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
For over ten years, we have focused on
expanding our trade and investment ties in Asia, and it's worked. The
results are clear. We have seen more opportunities, we have seen more
wealth, and we have seen more jobs in every corner of this province —
72,000 jobs created over the last 12 months in British Columbia.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
We are number one in economic growth in
Canada, and that's as a result of the visionary work that the private
sector and government have done together in opening up new markets,
diversifying our customer base, diversifying the products that we sell
to them. Whether it's sawmills or software, mining or medical
technology, we benefit from trade. When I say we, I mean workers and
families in British Columbia.</div>
<div class="TimeLine">
[1450]</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
There are benefits to trade on both sides.
We export clean technology to China. China uses that clean technology
to make sure that they have less pollution, that they fight climate
change — the same with Korea, the same with Japan, the same with
countries around the world. The TPP is another great step</div>
<div class="Slug">
HSE - 20160413 PM 017/ebp/1450</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinuesNoFirstLineIndent">
to trade on both sides. We
export clean technology to China. China uses that clean technology to
make sure that they have less pollution, that they fight climate change
— the same with Korea; the same with Japan; the same with countries
around the world.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
The TPP is another great step in the right
direction for us — a level playing field for a market of 800 million
people, a total GDP of $28 trillion, a $235 million boost to British
Columbia's GDP, and thousands of jobs that go with that.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
We know what happens when provinces rely too
much on a single industry. We've avoided that in British Columbia by
creating one of the of the most diversified economies in North America.
And we know what happens when provinces and jurisdictions rely on just
one trading partner. We've also focused on making sure that we
diversify our markets. We know what happens when governments focus on
growing the size of government, rather than growing the size of the
economy.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
We need to create jobs in British Columbia.
We need to continue along that path if we want to leave our children
richer than even we have been. British Columbia and Canada need to keep
moving forward. We don't need to move backward. So let's encourage
Ottawa to do its consultations, as they promised in their platform.
Let's let them hear from Canadians. But at the end of that process,
let's encourage them and urge them to move quickly on passing TPP,
because it will be great for workers in British Columbia.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
With that in mind, I introduce the following motion:</div>
<div class="Motion">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">[Be it resolved that this House, acknowledging the
importance of diversifying trade to create jobs for British Columbians,
supports the Trans-Pacific Partnership because: the Trans-Pacific
Partnership removes trade barriers and provides preferential market
access for B.C. goods and services from all sectors including forest
products, agrifoods, technology, fish and seafood, minerals and
industrial goods, and through the transition support will be available
to our supply-managed industries; the Trans-Pacific Partnership
provides more access for service providers in professional,
environmental, and research and development fields; and, ultimately,
the Trans-Pacific Partnership will increase investment and create new
jobs and opportunities for many British Columbians.]</span></div>
<div class="SpeakerBegins">
<b>J. Horgan: </b>Once again, the
Premier has called her motion today, absolutely convinced that she
knows best. In this case, it's the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
The CEO of Ford of Canada has said: "There
will be no positive outcome for Canadian manufacturing." But the
Premier knows best. The former CEO of BlackBerry Canada said: "I
actually think this is the worst thing that the Harper government has
done for Canada." But the Premier knows best. The CEO of an investor in
a B.C. tech start-up said: "Potentially dangerous for several
innovative-driven sectors such as tech." But again the Premier knows
best.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
A Nobel Prize–winning economist has said:
"The deal was done in secret, and with corporate interests at the
table." Again the Premier knows best — which perhaps explains why the
Premier is so comfortable with this. It's because there is an expert
whose opinion she values more than all of these others, who said: "Ten
years from now, I predict with 100 percent certainty" — 100 percent
certainty — "that people are looking back, and they will say: 'This was
a great thing.'"</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
The Premier supports that. That, of course,
was Stephen Harper who said that some time ago. You might remember
Stephen Harper. He was the Prime Minister of Canada. The public
responded to his certainty by dispatching him to the opposition
benches, and I expect that that may well happen to the Premier as well.
But the Premier knows best — 100,000 jobs in LNG. Focusing all of her
energies on one sector, the Premier knew best. "Debt-free in British
Columbia" — the Premier knew best. A $100 billion….</div>
<div class="StyleLine">
Interjections.</div>
<div class="SpeakerBegins">
<b>Madame Speaker:</b> Members.</div>
<div class="TimeLine">
[1455]</div>
<div class="SpeakerBegins">
<b>J. Horgan:</b> Thank you, hon. Speaker.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
The Premier specializes in 100 percent
certainty. That's how she rolls. That's why we have a dead-in-the-air
prosperity fund that's being now populated by increases to MSP
premiums, not </div>
<div class="Slug">
HSE - 20160413 PM 018/cgl/1455</div>
<div class="SpeakerBegins">
<b>J. Horgan:</b> Thank you, hon. Speaker.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
The Premier specializes in 100 percent
certainty. That's how she rolls, and that's why we have a
dead-in-the-air prosperity fund that's being now populated by increases
to MSP premiums, not by revenues from LNG but from increased costs
year after year after year that have been brought in by this
government. Stephen Harper got his feedback on the TPP, and it was
pretty clear.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
On Monday in this province, the new federal
government will be in Vancouver as part of their public consultation
with Canadians to hear what we think about this important issue — what
regular people think about this important issue. Regular people —
people that the Premier doesn't spend having dinners at $10,000 a pop —
ordinary folks. They're going to have their say, and it would be nice
if the Premier agreed with that.</div>
<div class="StyleLine">
Interjections.</div>
<div class="SpeakerBegins">
<b>Madame Speaker:</b> Members. </div>
<div class="SpeakerBegins">
<b>J. Horgan:</b> Again, the Premier
is going to leave that to the federal government. She is absolutely
certain that she knows best about how we're going to grow our economy.
I've seen that from her for the past five years. [Applause.] </div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
I see almost all the seals are here today, and that was a resounding blast from those on the other side.</div>
<div class="StyleLine">
Interjections.</div>
<div class="SpeakerBegins">
<b>Madame Speaker:</b> Hon. members, parliamentary debate is characterized by moderation.</div>
<div class="SpeakerBegins">
<b>J. Horgan:</b> If the Premier
wants to carry forward her 100 percent certainty that she knows best
and that this is in the public interest, I'm proposing that she take the
opportunity to actually ask the public what they think — not to come
out of her private meetings and say: "This is going to be grand for
everyone."</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
I'm hopeful that she'll support the following motion. I will move:</div>
<div class="AmendmentLevel0">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">[That Motion 11 be amended by deleting the
text after, “Be it resolved that this House, acknowledging the
importance of diversifying trade to create jobs for British Columbians,
supports” and substituting, “referral to the Select Standing Committee
on Finance and Government Services for robust and transparent
discussion and public consultation on the long-term job creation and
employment impacts for British Columbia of the Trans-Pacific
Partnership.”]</span></div>
<div class="StyleLine">
On the amendment.</div>
<div class="SpeakerBegins">
<b>J. Horgan:</b> The motion speaks
for itself. The federal government, as I said, is going to be here on
Monday. They're having open hearings. They're going to talk to British
Columbians to see how they feel about the TPP and whether it's going to
be in the best interests of their sectors, of their communities, of
their jobs.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
The federal government understands that
people have concerns and questions, and they need to be addressed. The
certainty that the Premier has is not shared by the new government in
Ottawa. They're going to go out and consult and talk to the people of
British Columbia, the people of Alberta — right across the country —
and that's as it should be.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
A confident government would ask the people
what they thought. A confident government would not just say: "I know
best." A confident government would say to people: "What are your
views? What do you think? I appreciate we've been here languishing on
the government side for 15 years doing whatever the heck we want, but
now we've decided we want to talk to you. We want to talk to you about
how you feel about this motion."</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
When this motion was moved, I had a hope
that the Premier would recognize that this was an opportunity for her
and her colleagues to say to British Columbians: "We care about what
you think. We care about your concern that other trade deals in the
past have had a negative impact on job creation and a negative impact
on their jobs."</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
B.C. is a trading province. We all
understand that. There's great hope and potential and opportunity
across the Pacific Ocean. I agree with that statement. But I'm not
necessarily convinced that the CEOs, who sit down with the Premier and
tell her that she should be 100 percent certain that it's in their
interests, are speaking for the people of British Columbia.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
With that, I'm hopeful that other members of
this House will support this amendment and join with me in saying that
the people in B.C. should have a say in the TPP, not just the Premier
and the people she dines with.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
<br /></div>
John Twigghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18209883575318239876noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3099462618137613612.post-35793105934640465512016-04-11T18:00:00.000-07:002016-04-12T11:39:19.030-07:00NDP leadership change<h2>
Shocking ouster of Tom Mulcair</h2>
<h2>
reflects deep divisions inside NDP</h2>
<br />
<h3>
By John Twigg</h3>
<br />
It's an understatement to say the <b>federal New Democratic Party</b> reached a turning point Sunday at its convention in Edmonton with its ouster of <b>Tom Mulcair</b> as leader - it was more like an atom bomb.<br />
<br />
Mulcair will stay on as interim leader (and thereby keep his salary) for at least some of the period up to two years before there's a new leadership convention, which extra time (it's normally one year) the party backroomers gave themselves (slyly but also wisely) in an emergency motion rushed through soon after Mulcair's support vote came in unexpectedly low at only 48% from about 1,750 delegates from across Canada, whereas most observers including Mulcair supporters were expecting around 70%.<br />
<br />
That steep shortfall apparently included most of the disproportionate 365 delegates from Alberta where the party just elected its first NDP regime under Premier <b>Rachel Notley</b>, almost all of whom would have been annoyed to see Mulcair apparently endorsing the radical <b>Leap Manifesto</b> in an apparent cheap bid for votes at the expense of many thousands of jobs in Alberta (more below).<br />
<br />
However the divisions over energy and climate policies in the Leap Manifesto were on top of many other divisions and single-issue factions now more evident than ever in the NDP such as age, gender, region and employment or union status, among others (sexual orientations, language, race, culture)!<br />
<br />
Mulcair himself noted that problem right after his crushing loss in a much-repeated video clip; "Don't let this very divided vote divide us," he said, seeming to plea for common sense to somehow prevail.<br />
<br />
Thus the lengthy wait to get a new leader could become problematic in the party's Parliamentary caucus, where there also are divisions, but it may be a benefit to the party because it could enable the leadership vote to be scheduled for long after British Columbia's election in May 2017, which suggests the federal NDP leadership convention probably will be held in the summer or fall of 2017, maybe even in Vancouver since that's where much of its strength is now.<br />
<br />
But that delay also makes it more feasible for upstarts, newcomers and even outsiders to enter the contest and sign up supporters to try to kidnap the party and it gives more time for the same-old old-guards and power cliques to regroup and try to regain control and thereby hold sway in what becomes the party's next platform and campaign strategy - and candidate selections, hiring of consultants and specialists, advertising, social media messaging, donations-seeking etcetera, all of which they botched badly in 2015. [For those unaware, since I have international followers, the Mulcair NDP entered the 2015 federal election with high hopes of winning their first-ever majority but instead they blundered repeatedly in the campaign and instead fell to a low third place, an ignominious loss after such high expectations.]<br />
<br />
<h3>
Divisions over Leap Manifesto directions</h3>
Meanwhile the post mortems of what happened in Edmonton are revealing a party that is deeply divided about where the party's policy should be heading and how it proposes to get there, which seems to be its perennial existential challenge now made all the more obvious.<br />
<br />
Is it a semi-organized cabal of single-issue activists, or is it a machine of smart and well-meaning people working together as a team to develop, sell and hopefully implement a real pragmatic and popular strategy for how to make things better in Canada for as many people as possible, from top to bottom everywhere? <br />
<br />
The debate is particularly sharp over what the NDP should do with the radical <b>Leap Manifesto</b> that features a roster of drastic changes in energy policy as parts of an urgent attack on climate change but also has some less-reported social policy reforms such as improvements for aboriginal people, a universal basic annual income, local agriculture, home retrofits and so on which can be reviewed at this link <a href="https://leapmanifesto.org/en/the-leap-manifesto/">here</a> .<br />
<br />
The manifesto itself was neither approved nor rejected at the convention but instead delegates voted to refer it to constituency associations for local debates on it, including public meetings with non-members - which was a clever ploy by its backers because the sense was that that approval meant it is a done deal and foregone conclusion, and Mulcair's apparent support for that may have been part of his downfall.<br />
<br />
"Everyone knows there's no greater threat than climate change," Mulcair said (approximately) in a French portion of his final appeal speech to delegates on Sunday, which to me he seemed to not repeat in English and by which he seemed to be appealing for the Leap supporters to support him too, but probably in vain because heretofore Mulcair was among those advocating a business-like approach to governing which disastrously included his campaign stance in support of balancing the budget at any and all costs first [which by the way was the turning point in his election campaign downfall and not his malarkey about niqabs].<br />
<br />
Mulcair's mealy-mouthed support of the Leap Manifesto probably reflected that it had been constructed well in advance by a who's-who of the NDP establishment, notably <b>Avi Lewis</b>, son of <b>Stephen Lewis</b> and grandson of <b>David Lewis</b>, Avi's wife <b>Naomi Klein</b>, a noted climate campaigner in her own right, plus a cabal of fellow-travellers and a coterie of accomplished economists on its website who came up with a recipe of ideas on how to pay for it all. And when it was posted online they did so in 12 languages!<br />
<br />
<h3>
Notley opposed Leap Manifesto</h3>
But all that was in sharp contrast to a rousing speech by Notley on Saturday against the Leap, which according to a <b>Tyee</b> <a href="http://thetyee.ca/News/2016/04/09/Rachel-Notley-Pipelines-Convention/">report</a> was quite well-received by delegates and was acknowledged by Mulcair.<br />
<br />
"I am asking you to leave here more
persuaded than perhaps some of us have been that it is possible for
Canada to have a forestry industry, an agriculture industry, a mining
industry and -- yes -- an energy industry... while being world leaders
on the environment," said Notley, suggesting Alberta's path could be an
example of a pragmatic, progressive route the federal party could follow
in the future.<br />
<br />
But when Notley said Alberta still needs new pipeline construction projects now in order to get its energy products sold at fair market value only about half of the delegates stood and applauded and the other half sat even though she had explained that tens of thousands of jobs are at stake as well as government revenues needed to pay for health and social programs.<br />
<br />
When Vancouver Sun columnist <b>Vaughn Palmer</b> visited <b>Jon McComb</b> on <b>CKNW</b> this morning (April 11 6:45 a.m.) he mentioned that the problem is so serious that it might force the <b>Alberta New Democratic Party</b> to separate itself from the federal version, which is quite drastic but telling of how serious it is. <br />
<br />
<b>Michael Campbell</b>'s commentary this morning (April 11 8:25 a.m. on CKNW) also was on that conundrum and it was devastating against the folly of the majority of federal New Democrats who apparently want to shut down Alberta's energy industry for the sake of political optics and dubious climate science. His remarks can be heard <a href="http://www.cknw.com/money-talks/">here</a> . But the gist is that most New Democrats are clueless about the financial and economic realities of it all.<br />
<br />
However many New Democrats and other climate zealots such as in the <b>Green Party</b> probably will be willfully oblivious to such logic, perhaps some inclined to dismiss it as merely the blatherings of <b>Gordon Campbell</b>'s biased brother.<br />
<br />
But it's obvious that in this case - the NDP's energy policy - Michael Campbell is correct, and a series of disastrous election losses prove it, certainly including the <b>Adrian Dix</b> NDP loss in B.C. in 2013 (he weathervaned for and then against oil tankers), maybe a factor in the recent Saskatchewan NDP loss, and probably a goodly part of the federal NDP's loss under Mulcair in 2015. Perhaps also somewhat in Ontario, the Maritimes and maybe coming soon in Manitoba.<br />
<br />
Late insert: B.C. NDP leader John Horgan has come out against the Leap Manifesto; see Globe and Mail report from April 11 <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/leap-manifesto-makes-no-sense-for-bc-ndp-leader-john-horgan-says/article29603376/?cmpid=rss1&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter">here</a><br />
<br />
The always-bang-on Bill Tieleman took a similar tack in his analysis in the Tyee, viewable <a href="http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2016/04/12/Mulcair-Fatal-Wounds/">here</a> . <br />
<br />
In the Times-Colonist, columnist Lawrie McFarlane surmised that the federal NDP is taking a huge leap off a bridge <a href="http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/columnists/lawrie-mcfarlane-federal-ndp-takes-a-huge-leap-off-a-bridge-1.2228719">here</a> and Les Leyne said the NDP is headed to a permanent third place <a href="http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/columnists/les-leyne-ndp-s-messy-convention-guarantees-more-trouble-1.2228720">here</a> while reporter Cindy E. Harnett surveyed the reactions of Horgan and other Island New Democrats <a href="http://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/b-c-s-ndp-leader-says-he-would-have-supported-mulcair-1.2228338">here</a> . <br />
<h3>
Climate alarmism is exaggerated in Canada </h3>
Why the New Democrats want to climb aboard the Climate Alarm Train is weird, especially when they profess to want to win elections, but also because the supposed science of global warming and climate change is far from being settled despite what some other zealots claim and proclaim.<br />
<br />
First, there are few if any really serious climate crisises in Canada though there have been some manageable shifts needed, such as better forest fire suppression in B.C. recently, and plans to raise some dykes around Richmond even though sea levels have not yet risen anywhere near to what the alarmists warned of, and maybe some ocean acidification, but Tuvalu is still there, and winter Arctic ice is still impenetrable, and B.C.'s ski hills just had a great season, and the water reservoirs are mostly full.<br />
<br />
Which is not to say there haven't been any environmental problems in Canada because there have been, perhaps most notably how under-regulated fracking and general oil and gas drilling has polluted the groundwater in thousands of Alberta wells, and the similar pollution of drinking water around the tar sands, as well as Alberta's heavy (but not really damaging) emissions of CO2 from thermal power plants.<br />
<br />
But energy is a complex and highly variable industry from dirty to clean coal, undisposable nuclear fuel, abundant natural gas, too much diesel used in remote communities, a gamut of petroleum grades and B.C.'s remarkably clean and renewable hydro-electric power, not to mention IPPs, solar, thermal, tidal and more.<br />
<br />
While zealots may like a one-size-fits-all approach, the reality is that climate conditions can vary by location, situation, season and year, such as Australia being drier some years, the Arctic Ocean being more or less passable in different years, the El Nino and Blob effects being more or less pronounced, and all such variables being subject to irregular cycles related to a great many factors such as solar flares, the variations in Earth's orbit and tilt and lunar effects and factors science is only now discovering (such as a new discovery that there is a big valley on the surface of the sun, which appears to affect flaring).<br />
<br />
Meanwhile the human impacts are variously exaggerated both under and over but the climate alarmists' general allegation that there has been too much increase in carbon dioxide emissions is patent nonsense if or when one realizes that it's still miniscule at only 0.04% of the atmosphere (up roughly 0.01% since the industrial revolution), and only about half of that comes from human activities, it's far less than has been the case in previous eons, it has some positive effects too (it's good for plants, and a bit of warmth helps in cold countries like Canada), and CO2 is not the main culprit in greenhouse-gas caused global warming (it's methane).<br />
<br />
<h3>
Local climate issues do need action</h3>
However there are some local climate situations that do demand a more urgent approach, such as reducing Beijing's over-dependence on dirty coal for both heating and cooking, which at some times of year requires drastic shutdowns of commerce, and Los Angeles and other large cities in the U.S. would noticeably improve their air quality if/when there was/is more use of electric cars and less use of thermal power.<br />
<br />
In fact Vancouver is a good example of that because on a few days in summer the upper Fraser Valley has problems with inversions concentrating Vancouver's various emissions but most of the time there is no problem whatsoever yet the B.C. government and <b>B.C. Hydro</b> are still planning to shut down the gas-fired <b>Burrard Generating Station</b> in Burnaby for the sake of political appearances even though it provides an essential backup service to the whole provincial grid. Which would be irresponsible folly.<br />
<br />
But then there is Rio de Janeiro's huge problem with untreated sewage, which has little climate effect, but is disgusting and dangerous to health. And then there is Victoria's modest discharges of screened and pre-screened sewage far out into a salt-water tide rip that has no health and climate impacts but still for the sake of optics cause the taxpayers to pay about $1 billion for a superfluous costly tertiary treatment system. <br />
<br />
My point is that climate politics like many other environmental and economic issues is an area that needs to be treated with care and caution, not emotion and idealism, but the federal NDP and the B.C. NDP as well as the federal and provincial Green parties seem to have many members who believe as Mulcair claimed that urgent action against climate change should be the dominant issue now.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, if or when there are some climate issues that need to be addressed, such as say converting remote aboriginal villages from diesel power to clean renewable sources (such as Hartley Bay on B.C.'s coast as reported recently by the Victoria Times-Colonist), then those situations need to be addressed within a proper balance of all other problems.<br />
<br />
For example, Vancouver's iconic <b>Bruce Allen</b> on <b>CKNW</b> this morning noted that the world has a huge problem handling the trillions of non-recyclable cigarette butts now polluting cities all over the world, but little or nothing is being done about it.<br />
<br />
In fact there are a great many threats facing Canada and the world now but few of them are appreciated yet and fewer still are being addressed, while many issues that aren't really problems are getting huge subsidies from governments and businesses to work away on.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Stephen Lewis gives policy recipe </h3>
An excellent survey of those problems was given somewhat ironically at the same federal NDP convention by <b>Stephen Lewis</b> (Avi's father), who used his extensive experience in global problems via the United Nations to give delegates of sort of Top Six list, in a speech transcript available <a href="https://www.facebook.com/notes/the-ndp-and-the-leap-manifesto/stephen-lewis-speech-delivered-to-the-ndp-convention-edmonton-2016/1585145065132666">here</a> . <br />
<br />
Stephen Lewis said he was ebulliently optimistic because of progress being made by and for feminism and electoral reform, he opposed Bill C-51 (about a security clampdown), supported universal health care, cautioned against international trade agreements in general and the Trans Pacific Partnership in particular (because it would kill too many North American jobs for the benefit of corporate profits) and he railed against arms sales (especially Canada's recent sales to Saudi Arabia), among other such topics.<br />
<br />
In fact his elocution was so wise and learned that afterwards I suggested via Twitter that he (Stephen) should consider running to succeed Mulcair as leader, but only if he toned down the supposed urgency of addressing climate change and instead merely phase in the reforms in a more orderly manner (i.e. not throwing tens of thousands of Albertans out of work).<br />
<br />
I have had no reply yet to that suggestion but it wasn't tongue-in-cheek because Lewis clearly has gained a rare awareness of social, political and economic conditions around the world and the New Democrats easily could do far worse, and probably will.<br />
<br />
<h3>
U.S. preparing to bomb in Syria</h3>
Meanwhile we see the little-noticed news that the U.S. is sending B-52 bombers to Qatar apparently in preparation for a massive bombing campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, which move follows a recent warning to Americans in Damascus that they should leave the city as soon as possible.<br />
<br />
Do you understand the significance of that? Few do, yet, but it portends a possible fulfillment of the Bible prophecy in Isaiah 17 that predicts Damascus will become "a ruinous heap".<br />
<br />
Some parts of Damascus already are rubble but some are not but if or when it is demolished then it will be yet another sign that the dreaded World War 3 also known as Armageddon will soon be here and our focus on false problems like carbon emissions in Canada will be seen as the folly they really are, and maybe then mankind will turn to addressing the needs for mass improvements in how humans relate to each other.<br />
<br />
It's a question of balance and perspective; yes carbon pollution should be abated, but so should taxes on health care, and carbon taxes on low-income families and schools and hospitals, and subsidies to frackers and so many other false economies.<br />
<br />
And instead we need electoral reform, food production closer to home, a revived Bank of B.C. with its own new parallel currency, a new clean-fuel ferry from Gabriola to YVR, a universal income plan, universal child care and so many other good things such as outlined in <b>Guy Dauncey</b>'s book <b>Journey to the Future</b> which envisions numerous transitions to a greener and more sustainable economy ( <a href="http://www.journeytothefuture.ca/">more info here</a> ).<br />
<br />
The point is that many things could and should be done to make things better in Canada but will the federal New Democrats learn how to do that? Probably not, though now with Mulcair departing there is at least an open door to sunnier ways and sunny days.<br />
<br />
---<br />
<br />
By the way on the weekend I Tweeted that one of the NDP's problems was that it has too much of a polyglot problem; I meant that as both metaphorically and literally but I did so BEFORE I noticed that the Leap Manifesto had been posted in 12 languages! <br />
Here's what I posted: NDP has become a polyglot potpourri of diverse single-issue special interests, not a unified movement for socio-pol change<br />
<br />
-----<br />
<br />
<br />
Tyee summary of NDP convention<br />
http://thetyee.ca/News/2016/04/10/NDP-Choose-New-Leadership/<br />
<a href="http://thetyee.ca/News/2016/04/10/NDP-Choose-New-Leadership/">Tyee summary</a><br />
<br />
<br />
Tyee<br />
Notley defends pipelining<br />
http://thetyee.ca/News/2016/04/09/Rachel-Notley-Pipelines-Convention/<br />
<a href="http://thetyee.ca/News/2016/04/09/Rachel-Notley-Pipelines-Convention/">Notley defends </a><br />
<br />
<div class="first">
As New Democrat leader Tom Mulcair faces a leadership
review at the party's convention this weekend, his biggest competition
may be the premier of the host province. </div>
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley's speech to
convention Saturday galvanized a contingent of western New Democrats,
making the case that it's possible to have a thriving energy sector
while also taking a progressive approach to climate change.<br />
And she made a plea to New Democrats across the country not to turn their backs on her province's energy industry. <br />
"I am asking you to leave here more
persuaded than perhaps some of us have been that it is possible for
Canada to have a forestry industry, an agriculture industry, a mining
industry and -- yes -- an energy industry... while being world leaders
on the environment," Notley said.<br />
It was a rousing speech that echoed the
energy of Notley's momentous May 2015 win, and a change of pace
following a number of sombre and reflective sessions earlier in the
weekend on the party's dismal 2015 federal election results.<br />
In her speech, Notley framed Alberta as an
example of a pragmatic, progressive route the federal party could follow
in the future.<br />
She said the Alberta New Democrats campaigned on a progressive
platform and then implemented it after being elected, listing off the
change from a flat tax to progressive, the removal of corporate party
donations, and the investment of $34 billion into infrastructure. <br />
She reaffirmed her commitment to
implementing a $15 minimum wage and her dedication to public services,
health care and education by removing the $1.5 billion in cutbacks the
Conservatives had planned in the wake of a low price of oil. <br />
But the speech also delineated some clear tensions and challenges for the federal NDP ahead. <br />
"In electing a progressive NDP government
last spring, the people of Alberta took away one of your favourite
enemies," Notley said. "There's no climate-change denying,
science-muzzling, regressive Tory government here anymore."<br />
<b>A difficult debate</b><br />
The party is now caught in a difficult
debate over the energy sector and progressive climate solutions, with
the presence of 350 Alberta delegates at convention and a vocal
provincial New Democrat government caught with unemployed Albertans in
the resource sector. <br />
<br />
The challenge was demonstrated in the divided reaction from delegates when Notley uttered one word: pipelines.<br />
As the premier made her argument that her
province needs pipeline construction to put hard-luck Albertans back to
work, around half the delegates opted to sit, while others stood in
applause.<br />
It's a debate that has snaked its way into
this convention held in the heartland of Canada's resource sector.
Tomorrow, delegates will face the question of if and how to support the
Leap Manifesto, a sweeping strategy for climate action that Environment
Minister Shannon Phillips on Friday <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/alberta/alberta-minister-calls-federal-ndps-proposed-climate-plan-a-betrayal/article29577504/">called</a> a "betrayal" of Albertans who voted for Notley's New Democrats.<br />
The difficult situation that Alberta's NDP
government faces -- 60,000 people laid off in the resource sector in
2015, coupled with pressure to implement climate change solutions --
came as a surprise to some delegates from across the country. <br />
"As an Ontarian, coming here and learning
more about what's going on here in the prairies has been beneficial,"
said Ben Diaz, a delegate from Ottawa. <br />
Diaz said conversations with prairie
representatives on how the question of LEAP affects the Notley
government has given him pause on the manifesto he was ready to support.
<br />
"What happened here with now Premier Notley
has given the party an opportunity to reflect on the prairies and how
they fit in the larger party, and the voice they have on some of our
policies," Diaz said. <br />
Deputy Premier Sarah Hoffman said she's
hopeful the convention will show delegates the challenges that the
Notley government faces, and said that Edmonton is a good place to host
these discussions. <br />
"People east of Ontario don't necessarily
hear what we're doing out here in Alberta," Hoffman said. "Hopefully the
4.4 million people here are a little less strange" to New Democrats
across Canada, she said<br />
<br />
------<br />
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<span>12:36 PM - 10 Apr 2016</span>
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good analysis but it omitted sevral other key factions in divisive <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NDP?src=hash"><s>#</s><b>NDP</b></a> espy feminists, LGBTQ, pot legalizers, labor</div>
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<span class="at">@</span>BCLobbyist
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<div class="QuoteTweet-text tweet-text u-dir" data-aria-label-part="2" dir="ltr" lang="en">
From socialists to good-old-boys: A taxonomy of the NDP’s Edmonton factions <a class="twitter-timeline-link" data-expanded-url="http://natpo.st/22m8ZJc" dir="ltr" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="http://natpo.st/22m8ZJc"><span class="tco-ellipsis"></span><span class="invisible">http://</span><span class="js-display-url">natpo.st/22m8ZJc</span><span class="invisible"></span><span class="tco-ellipsis"><span class="invisible"> </span></span></a> via <a class="twitter-atreply pretty-link js-nav" data-mentioned-user-id="14216661" dir="ltr" href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><s>@</s><b>nationalpost</b></a> <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><s>#</s><b>cdnpoli</b></a></div>
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<a class="tweet-timestamp js-permalink js-nav js-tooltip" href="https://twitter.com/TwiggJohn/status/719047903411462149" title="11:22 PM - 9 Apr 2016"><span class="_timestamp js-short-timestamp js-relative-timestamp" data-long-form="true" data-time-ms="1460269354000" data-time="1460269354">16h</span><span class="u-hiddenVisually" data-aria-label-part="last">16 hours ago</span></a>
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This is a good sign that populist anger vs rich-get-richer cld soon be felt at ballot boxes all over the world</div>
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<b class="QuoteTweet-fullname u-linkComplex-target">James Laxer</b>
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Thousands of mostly young people protesting outside Number 10 to demand <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><s>#</s><b>Cameron</b></a>'s resignation. We've all had it w rich avoiding taxes.<a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><s>#</s><b>tax</b></a></div>
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<a class="twitter-atreply pretty-link js-nav" data-mentioned-user-id="215632349" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/CharlieAngusNDP"><s>@</s><b>CharlieAngusNDP</b></a> Oh no! Didnt you hear <a class="twitter-atreply pretty-link js-nav" data-mentioned-user-id="718999898998317056" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/StephenLewisNDP"><s>@</s><b>StephenLewisNDP</b></a> et al say that <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/climate?src=hash"><s>#</s><b>climate</b></a> is the most urgent issue now in <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cdnpoli?src=hash"><s>#</s><b>cdnpoli</b></a> <a class="twitter-atreply pretty-link js-nav" data-mentioned-user-id="46710447" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/MeganLeslieHFX"><s>@</s><b>MeganLeslieHFX</b></a></div>
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<a class="twitter-atreply pretty-link js-nav" data-mentioned-user-id="718999898998317056" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/StephenLewisNDP"><s>@</s><b>StephenLewisNDP</b></a> you shld consider running for <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NDP?src=hash"><s>#</s><b>NDP</b></a> leader but only if you tone down climate alarmism, phase in yes mad panic no <br />
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CBCTV just showed images of massive "hole" in surface of sun; another new proof that "solar variation" cld be main factor in <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/climatechange?src=hash"><s>#</s><b>climatechange</b></a>?<br />
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Feedback welcome at john@johntwigg.com John Twigghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18209883575318239876noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3099462618137613612.post-49299572426011041402016-04-06T02:53:00.001-07:002016-04-06T03:39:39.118-07:00Panama Papers DT16-020<h2>
Panama Papers prove inequalities</h2>
<h2>
are a worsening global problem</h2>
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
By John Twigg</h3>
<br />
These are dark days we are into now, and they're probably going to get darker.<br />
<br />
The latest proof of that is the so-called <b>Panama Papers</b>, which prove beyond a shadow of doubt that many very wealthy and influential political leaders and many corrupt business people and even criminals have been routinely hiding billions or maybe trillions of dollars worth of cash and securities in various tax havens, some of it legal but immoral and hypocritical, and some of it illegal tax-dodging and criminal money-laundering.<br />
<br />
The leak to journalists by unidentified sources of millions of pages of confidential documents from a heretofore obscure law firm in Panama (<b>Mossack Fonseca</b>) was quickly called "the biggest leak in the history of data journalism" by Wikileaker <b>Edward Snowden</b> whose 2013 dump of damning documents from the U.S. <b>National Security Agency</b> was the previous champion leak (see <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Snowden">biography</a> on Wikipedia).<br />
<br />
Why is that Panama leak a new proof of a darkening cloud in world affairs? Wouldn't its rays of sunshine be something to celebrate? Well no, because the incident reveals there has been and still is a great deal of corruption and deceit and hypocrisy among the very wealthiest elites in the world and that now-more-obvious truth will surely feed an even greater backlash against those elites than the ones we have already been seeing in various global movements and especially in the U.S. Presidential campaigns of Republican hopeful <b>Donald Trump</b> and Democrat <b>Bernie Sanders</b>, both of whom have been attacking the excessive self-serving actions of Wall Street corporate insiders and gaining votes by doing so.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, Sanders had warned against Panama specifically back in 2011, as seen in the Tweet of a <a href="https://youtu.be/7clvTWIKmB8">link</a> to a video about the Panama fiasco<a class="twitter-timeline-link" data-expanded-url="https://youtu.be/7clvTWIKmB8" dir="ltr" href="https://t.co/h3BatsAstL" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="https://youtu.be/7clvTWIKmB8"><span class="js-display-url"></span></a> and some Canadians such as Green Party leader <b>Elizabeth May</b> did so too (more below).<br />
<br />
<h3>
Leaks prove elites' corruption is widespread </h3>
Whereas Snowden's information proved that the United States government and its Five Eyes partners were routinely spying on all citizens, which ranges from defensible through questionable to plain wrong depending on the circumstances, the Panama Papers instead prove there was widespread willful wrongdoing by hypocritical leaders whose apparent tax evasions have deprived their home governments of huge sums of much-needed revenue. <br />
<br />
<br />
“This is not just about a few names, a few individuals. It’s about a system. It’s about how the wealthy and powerful use the
offshore system,” said <b>Michael Hudson</b>, senior editor at the <a href="https://www.icij.org/" target="_blank">International Consortium of Investigative Journalists</a> (ICIJ), which published the documents.<br />
<br />
The team of about a dozen staffers soon learned the papers shed light on an underground economy
in which powerful people were hiding cash in offshore havens around the
world, so they enlisted the help of more than 370 journalists in more
than 70 countries from more than 100 news organizations to dig through
the data, and used a double-password and encrypted website to
share documents and discuss findings.<br />
<br />
<br />
The information about a few world leaders that was leaked Sunday is only the beginning of what insiders say will be hundreds more examples of corruption and hypocrisy to be revealed in coming weeks and months including about some 300 Canadians now being researched by the CBC, which was an early participant in a long-clandestine exercise in investigative journalism, and apparently various taxation bodies including the Canada Revenue Agency also will be beginning probes.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Tax havens found around world </h3>
And Panama is only one of dozens or even hundreds of such tax havens around the world, many of them very old and established (e.g. Switzerland, British Virgin Islands) and many of them new and edgy or iffy, such as Panama, also known as a key conduit for cocaine and maybe other drugs and drug money from Colombia. (For a profile of such tax havens, see this Google search <a href="https://www.google.ca/?gws_rd=cr&ei=060EV92BIIi6jwOKo4lQ#q=leading+tax+havens+wiki">here</a> .)<br />
<br />
The Panama Papers quickly caused the resignation of <span class="st">Iceland's embattled prime minister, <b>Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson</b>, after it became apparent he had negotiated a government bailout of a bank while secretly owning shares in it, but there probably will be many more casualties, perhaps even British Prime Minister <b>David Cameron</b> whose family was found in the papers to have holdings in tax havens run through Panama though Cameron said he personally did not have any such holdings.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="st">While it should be acknowledged that shell companies and holding companies can be quite legal and acceptable, such as used by soccer star <b>Lionel Messi</b>, the new leaks reveal that many of the users of such funds involve corrupt people hiding money away from their governments' reaches, and that's a big problem for the world going forward.</span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="st">Leaks could influence Brexit vote </span></h3>
<span class="st">The case of the United Kingdom is especially relevant in part because PM Cameron is trying to persuade citizens to vote to stay in the European Union in a referendum scheduled for June (also known as Brexit) but now his already-dubious credibility has been further weakened and the voices of populist pro-exit leaders have been strengthened, which could destabilize world affairs and restructure who really runs Europe.</span><br />
<span class="st"><br /></span>
<span class="st">But much more than that is involved, especially that the Panama Papers example could fuel renewed calls to break down the so-called </span><span class="st"><a href="http://www.globalresearch.ca/money-laundering-and-the-city-of-londons-crime-scene-haven-of-tax-havens-for-the-mega-wealthy/5513335">City of London</a> which is a tax-free and under-regulated business district whose controversial autonomy goes back centuries and whose denizens have long been suspected of corruption. (see copy of profile at link above and bottom of this essay)</span><br />
<br />
<span class="st">That is more or less what the <b>www.AbelDanger.net</b> website on April 5 alleged are sordid betting games engaged in by members of <b>White's Club</b> inside the City and probably by other old-money interests in London and from around the world:</span><br />
<span class="st"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">.<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1459876018666_4715" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal;">
</span>Abel Danger (AD) claims that the late Ian (‘Panama
Papa’) Cameron taught his son David Cameron how to run a tax-haven money-laundering
service by providing death-pool bettors with the future times of death of victims or the weight of
carbon to be saved at mass-casualty events. </span><br />
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1459876018666_4717" style="text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">2.<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1459876018666_4718" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal;">
</span>AD alleges that in 1994, Ian Cameron – the former
Chairman of White’s Club – ordered his son to leave Treasury and help
Serco sell NPL cesium-fountain clock data on snuff-film or mass-casualty
events to shareholders including Saudi
Arabia and the Cameron drug-hub banker, HSBC.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">3.<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1459876018666_4721" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal;">
</span>AD claims that White’s uses Serco-mentored 8(a) clocks
and Clinton Foundation's donors including the government of Saudi Arabia, as a “cut
out” death-pool bookmaker to spot-fix the times and weight of carbon saved at mass-casualty
events and attribute attacks to ISIS. </span><span class="st"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span class="st">Snowden briefed SFU event</span></h3>
<span class="st">Coincidentally Snowden on Tuesday told a public meeting in Vancouver (done by Skype from Russia) that the key point in the Panama leaks is that they reveal a culture of corruption among world leaders. He participated in a 90-minute question-and-answer public meeting with a full audience in Vancouver's Queen Elizabeth Theatre which was organized and also video-streamed by <b>Simon Fraser University's </b></span><b>Public Square</b> program ( <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/SFUPublicSquare">info here</a> ) with the support of SFU president <b>Andrew Petter</b>.<br />
<br />
A similar theme was seen in remarks by SFU professor <b>Lindsay Meredith</b> on <b>GlobalBC TV</b> Tuesday morning ( <a href="http://globalnews.ca/video/2620013/canadians-implicated-in-massive-data-leak">viewable here</a> ), predicting that "things are going to heat up a whole bunch" and noting that the Panama case "is the tip of an iceberg" and that the problem is ubiquitous.<br />
<br />
"We're in a new trend of looking for jurisdictions where the 1% can hide money," said Meredith, an economist who frequently is quoted by Vancouver media, explaining that such people sometimes will hide money behind a double firewall, meaning that an account in Panama could lead to another one in BVI.<br />
<br />
Meredith also mocked the efforts of the Canada Revenue Agency, alleging the way it tracks down tax avoidance has become a joke after its staff was gutted by the Harper Conservatives a few years ago.<br />
<br />
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
Name withheld of offending bank</h3>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
That ties in with news that <b>FINTRAC</b>, the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, had just levied its first fine in 16 years against a Canadian bank, which it did not identify, for failing to report suspicious transactions; it levied a $1.1-million penalty for failing to report a suspicious transaction and various money
transfers.</div>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<br /></div>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
Though that was billed as a warning to
thousands of other businesses to be more vigilant against cash flows possibly linked
to terrorism, money laundering and other crimes, the failure to even name the institution raises the question of just who is being protected and suggests the government realizes that naming participants might also encourage even fewer voluntary disclosures from banks, insurance companies,
securities dealers, money service businesses, real estate brokers,
casinos and others under the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing
Act.</div>
<div class="text combinedtext parbase section">
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<div class="text combinedtext parbase section">
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“The reporting to us is absolutely critical. Without those reports, Fintrac is out of business,” spokesman Darren Gibb told the media on Tuesday, promising that FINTRAC will be extra-diligent going forward.</div>
</div>
<br />
<h3>
Backlashes of Biblical proportions?</h3>
There is more good background below, generally showing that this problem is not new, but what IS new is the proof that such tax avoidance is both real and widespread, and the backlashes against the wealthy could be vicious and eventually cause wealthy people to throw their gold and silver into the streets and thereby fullfil Bible prophecies in Lamentations 4:1, Ezekiel 7:19, Zephaniah 1:18, Zechariah 9:3 and James 5:3.<br />
<br />
As a longtime Bible student I had often wondered how such dire circumstances would come about and I presumed it would be because all forms of money would become worthless in a post-apocalypse world but now I realize it may become a defensive tactic by the rich to rid themselves of things sought by marauding hordes and thereby maybe save their own lives rather than die trying to protect their hoarded wealth.<br />
<br />
Would mobs of starving humans really become so animalistic? Maybe so, judging from a Tweet posted by Vancouver Sun religions writer <b>Doug Todd</b> noting that a survey done for The Association of Religion Data Archives or theARDA.com @ReligionData found that "Nearly two-thirds of Americans say <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/inequality?src=hash"><s>#</s><b>inequality</b></a> exists because it benefits the rich and powerful." <a class="twitter-timeline-link" data-expanded-url="http://bit.ly/1SNcplH" dir="ltr" href="https://t.co/HfC8dSolLM" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="http://bit.ly/1SNcplH"><span class="invisible">http://</span><span class="js-display-url">bit.ly/1SNcplH</span></a><br />
<br />
In other words, many ordinary people were already angry at the way the rich have been arranging things so they could keep getting richer while the rest struggle ever harder and now the Panama Papers probably will increase their anger.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Solution seen in creation of money</h3>
So what should be done instead?<br />
<br />
Senator Bernie Sanders recently Tweeted that "Americans
deserve a Federal Reserve that works for the middle class. To get
there, we must close the Wall Street-Washington revolving door." and while probably that would be helpful I don't think it addresses the root of the problem, namely that it wouldn't break the big-banks-and-old-money monopoly on the creation of currency, but that could be done in America by restoring the power of Congress to issue currency outside of the bankster-owned <b>Federal Reserve</b> system - something that President <b>Jack Kennedy</b> was in the process of doing until he was assassinated in Dallas.<br />
<br />
Canada interestingly is one of the very few nations in the world not controlled by the global banking cartel, because the <b>Bank of Canada</b> has the power to issue currency - except that former Prime Minister <b>Pierre Trudeau</b> agreed under pressure from those banks in about 1974 to cease issuing fiat currency and instead join the club of nations buying their money and their bonds from private-sector money-lenders and money creators.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Justin Trudeau eyes new bank for infrastrucure </h3>
That sounds like a simple enough fix but history teaches that anyone daring to challenge the global money cartel soon gives up or comes to a bitter end. Nonetheless Prime Minister <b>Justin Trudeau</b> - Pierre's son! - has been openly musing about reversing his father's mistake, perhaps initially by empowering the Bank of Canada to finance new infrastructure projects, which would be a great start and a good thing.<br />
<br />
And British Columbia on its own account could do a similar thing by reviving the <b>Bank of B.C.</b> and empowering it to issue a new parallel currency, which is something I have been advocating for years but which no political parties so far have had the courage to adopt.<br />
<br />
Perhaps some readers still here this far will still be skeptical of such seemingly outlandish claims but really it shouldn't seem strange because it is a very old problem that goes back hundreds and thousands of years, past the British imperialists selling drugs in Hong Kong and Shanghai in the 1800s and all the way back to Jesus overturning the tables of the money-changers in the Jerusalem temple about 2000 years ago, as reported in Matthew 21:12, Mark 11:15 and John 2:15.<br />
<br />
In fact the charging of interest or usury is anathema in The Bible, at least for lending between Israelites, as seen in Exodus 22:25, Lev. 25:35-37, Deut. 23:19-20, Psalm 112:5, Ezek. 18:8, Matt. 5:42 and Luke 6:34-38. But nowadays excessive interest costs are ubiquitous, the anger of the payers is rising and now they have the Panama Papers to prove that the problem is vile and wrong.<br />
<br />
Below is more background on this general theme:<br />
<br />
comments welcome below or in feedback to John@JohnTwigg.com<br />
<br />
------<br />
<h3>
Panama Papers Foretold</h3>
<br />
By Crawford Killian on The Tyee April 5<br />
<br />
But why bother to buy a scrapbook of ancient columns when you can read <i>Capital in the Twenty-First Century</i>? For one very good reason.<br />
<div class="block block-adspace-full">
<div class="block-inner">
<div class="adspace d300x250">
<div id="google_ads_div_Tyee_In_Story_BigBox_ad_wrapper">
<div id="google_ads_div_Tyee_In_Story_BigBox_ad_container" style="display: inline-block;">
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<div id="google_ads_div_Tyee_In_Story_BigBox_ad_wrapper">
<div id="google_ads_div_Tyee_In_Story_BigBox_ad_container" style="display: inline-block;">
<b>The world's greatest economic detective</b></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Because Thomas Piketty follows the money.
He goes into the tax archives of the last two centuries, and he has
become the greatest economic detective the world has ever known. He has
tracked the wealth of the rentier class since Napoleon -- the families
of the "independently wealthy" who live off the income paid them because
they own moneymaking enterprises and land.<br />
In one column, published five years ago on
April 5, 2011, Piketty offers what is almost a throw-away line: "... at
the world level, the net financial position is negative over-all, which
is logically impossible unless we assume that on average we're owned by
the planet Mars. More likely, this contradiction suggests that a
nonnegligible share of financial assets held in tax havens and by
nonresidents is not correctly reported as such."<br />
In other words, every country in the world
is losing money, and therefore losing tax revenue. The implication is
that every country is making up for the loss either by taxing its poorer
residents more than they should be, or by cutting social services. <br />
Five years later, almost to the day, the
Guardian and the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung broke a major
global scandal: the Panama Papers.<br />
<br />
<br />
( <a href="http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2016/04/05/Panama-Papers-Foretold/">Full article</a> )<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
By Don Melvin on CNN<br />
<br />
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
There may be one more victim of the
Panama Papers scandal -- the old order. Politicians like Labour leader
Jeremy Corbyn in the UK, and the U.S. presidential candidate Bernie
Sanders, among others, have been telling receptive audiences that the
system is rigged. It favors the wealthy, they say. </div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
The message is that what the wealthy are doing is not illegal, but it should be.</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
And it appears that the body politic, or
a significant portion of it, is boiling mad. Hearing that many rich
people take advantage of legal tax avoidance techniques that are not
available to the hoi polloi may not sit well</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
If
the revelations appear to confirm that the system is rigged, that it
unfairly benefits the wealthy, that anger could grow and the numbers of
disenchanted voters could increase. </div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
The
Independent newspaper in Britain ran an article Tuesday headlined, "The
Panama Papers could hand Bernie Sanders the keys to the White House."</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
That may seem fanciful, and Sanders is still a mighty long way from the Oval Office. </div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
But
the larger point is well taken: At least some people these days are fed
up with the old order. And these revelations will not make them any
happier.</div>
<br />
----<br />
<br />
From the BBC April 5:<br />
<br />
<a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MossackFonseca?src=hash"><s>#</s><b>MossackFonseca</b></a> The fallout starts: <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iceland?src=hash"><s>#</s><b>Iceland</b></a> <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PM?src=hash"><s>#</s><b>PM</b></a> Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/resigns?src=hash"><s>#</s><b>resigns</b></a> <a class="twitter-timeline-link" data-expanded-url="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35966412" dir="ltr" href="https://t.co/WWTElXJHkt" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35966412"><span class="invisible">http://www.</span><span class="js-display-url">bbc.com/news/world-eur</span><span class="invisible">ope-35966412</span><span class="tco-ellipsis"><span class="invisible"> </span>…</span></a> is this the first of many?<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
Icelandic
Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson resigned on Tuesday.
Gunnlaugsson had been under pressure to step down since leaked documents
hacked from a Panamanian law firm revealed his links to an offshore
company, triggering protests.</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
Now the question who's is next? How far will the damage spread?</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
The
answer could be, quite far. This is the biggest leak in history -- one
that dwarfs the amount of data released by Wikileaks in 2010. Reports
say that 12 current or former heads of state are mentioned.</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
The
more than 11 million documents, which date back four decades, are
allegedly connected to Panama law firm Mossack Fonseca. The
International Consortium of Investigative Journalists reports that the
law firm helped establish secret shell companies and offshore accounts
for global power players.</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
A
second question is to what extent, in an era of rising middle-class
discontent, this will fuel further anger among those who see themselves
as carrying a disproportionate share of the burden in supporting a
system that seems to them unfair.</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
Among those who could be affected:</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
<h3>
British Prime Minister David Cameron</h3>
</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
Cameron
is already in a bit of trouble. His gambit about guaranteeing a
referendum in which voters could choose to leave the European Union has
split his Conservative Party, and he may yet wind up on the losing side
of that vote. </div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
And, in an ea of slim budgets and calls for ordinary people to tighten their belts, he is viewed by some as posh and privileged.</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
Now
come reports that, according to the ICIJ, Cameron's late father, Ian,
used the services of the Mossack Fonseca law firm to avoid having his
investment fund, Blairmore Holdings Inc., pay any UK taxes.</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
For
a leader who has called on ordinary people to tighten their belts
because government does not have the tax revenue delivery everything it
used to, the revelation -- while not including any allegation of
wrongdoing by the Prime Minister -- is unwelcome, to say the least.</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
When
asked about the reports, the Prime Minister said, "I own no shares, no
offshore trusts, no offshore funds, nothing like that. And so that, I
think, is a very clear description."</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
<h3>
Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko</h3>
</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
According
to the ICIJ, in August 2014, as Russian troops were rolling into
Eastern Ukraine, Poroshenko became the sole shareholder of Prime Asset
Partners Limited, which Mossack Fonseca set up in the British Virgin
Islands.</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
A Cyprus law firm
representing the newly acquired company described it as a "holding
company of Cyprus and Ukrainian companies of the Roshen Group, one of
the largest European manufacturers of confectionery products."</div>
<div class="el__leafmedia el__leafmedia--twitter">
<div class="el-embed-twitter" id="twembed">
</div>
</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
The previous president,
Viktor Yanukovych, was reviled for having used government money to build
a palace on 350 acres or riverfront land, complete with a shooting
range, an equestrian venue, a tennis court, and a pier for yachts. </div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
The
problem for Poroshenko potentially hiding his holdings and avoiding
taxes -- even if he did so legally -- is that when you replace a
kleptocrat you are supposed to be a man of the people.</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
Besides, Ukraine needs tax revenue; the country is perpetually asking other countries for financial help.</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
A
spokesman for Poroshenko said that creation of the trust and related
corporate structures had no relation to political and military events in
Ukraine. </div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
<h3>
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif</h3>
</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
Three
of the Prime Minister's children have been named in the documents as
linked to offshore companies that owned properties in London, according
to local news organizations.</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
Some
opposition leaders have called for Sharif to be investigated regardiing
his family's "wealth stashed abroad." The Pakistani newspaper The News
has reported that Sharif's sons Hussain and Hasan, and his daughter
Maryam, were linked to several offshore companies.</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
Hussain has said all the business affairs were legal.</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
But
legality may not be the point. For the leader of a country where the
average income is less than $5,000 a year -- a country that badly needs
inward investment -- having money stashed abroad probably sends the
wrong signal.</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
<h3>
Russian President Vladimir Putin</h3>
</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
The
Guardian newspaper in Britain is reporting that "a network of secret
offshore deals and vast loans worth $2 billion has laid a trail to
Russia's president, Vladimir Putin."</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
Although
Putin's name is not specifically mentioned, allegedly involved are many
members of his inner circle, who have become, the Guardian said,
"fabulously wealthy." And the documents suggest that the Putin's family
has benefited, the newspaper reported.</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
So is Putin in trouble? You must be kidding. He is exception that proves the rule. </div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
The
all-purpose, and generally effective, response has already be trotted
out: The Kremlin called the allegations "a series of fibs" aimed at
discrediting Putin ahead of elections.</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
"Putin,
Russia, our country, our stability and the upcoming elections are the
main target, specifically to destabilize the situation," said a Kremlin
spokesman, claiming many of the journalists involved in combing through
the Panama Papers are former officers from the U.S. State Department,
the CIA and special services.</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
<h3>
Celebrities, movie stars and sports heroes</h3>
</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
Those
caught up in the controversy include not only politicians but film and
sports stars, as well. Among those mentioned are soccer star Lionel
Messi, according to reports.</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
The European football club Barcelona has promised to give <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2016/04/05/football/lionel-messi-panama-papers-denies-claims/">Messi legal and financial support</a> as the Argentine international star considers whether to sue over the leak.</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
But
here -- more than for politicians -- the idea that nothing illegal has
been done may save the day. Politicians owe their countries. They ask
sacrifices of their citizens.</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
Star athletes over the years have frequently declared themselves residents of tax havens, without losing any popularity.</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
Many
tennis luminaries, for example, have declared themselves residents of
Monaco. One cannot help but wonder whether Monaco's lack of an income
tax plays a role.</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
Still, the high
incomes of top actors and sports starts are essentially a transfer of
wealth from from people of generally modest means, who buy tickets or
products endorsed by the stars, to people who are in general wealthier
than they are. It remains to be seen how much patience the public will
have for financial shenanigans, even legal ones.</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
<h3>
The old order</h3>
</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
There
may be one more victim of the Panama Papers scandal -- the old order.
Politicians like Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in the UK, and the U.S.
presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, among others, have been telling
receptive audiences that the system is rigged. It favors the wealthy,
they say. </div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
The message is that what the wealthy are doing is not illegal, but it should be.</div>
<div class="el__leafmedia el__leafmedia--twitter">
<div class="el-embed-twitter" id="twembed">
</div>
</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
And it appears that the body
politic, or a significant portion of it, is boiling mad. Hearing that
many rich people take advantage of legal tax avoidance techniques that
are not available to the hoi polloi may not sit well</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
If
the revelations appear to confirm that the system is rigged, that it
unfairly benefits the wealthy, that anger could grow and the numbers of
disenchanted voters could increase. </div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
The
Independent newspaper in Britain ran an article Tuesday headlined, "The
Panama Papers could hand Bernie Sanders the keys to the White House."</div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
That may seem fanciful, and Sanders is still a mighty long way from the Oval Office. </div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph">
But
the larger point is well taken: At least some people these days are fed
up with the old order. And these revelations will not make them any
happier.</div>
<br />
<br />
-------<br />
<br />
<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="14293310" href="https://twitter.com/TIME"><b class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" data-aria-label-part="">TIME.com</b>
<span class="username js-action-profile-name" data-aria-label-part=""><s>@</s><b>TIME</b></span>
</a>
<small class="time">
<a class="tweet-timestamp js-permalink js-nav js-tooltip" href="https://twitter.com/TIME/status/717469840294936576" title="2:51 PM - 5 Apr 2016"><span class="_timestamp js-short-timestamp js-relative-timestamp" data-long-form="true" data-time-ms="1459893114000" data-time="1459893114">21m</span><span class="u-hiddenVisually" data-aria-label-part="last">21 minutes ago</span></a>
</small>
<br />
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<a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PanamaPapers?src=hash"><s>#</s><b>PanamaPapers</b></a> revelations have only just begun, investigative editor says <a class="twitter-timeline-link" data-expanded-url="http://ti.me/1q4IETM" dir="ltr" href="https://t.co/0zCQUId90X" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="http://ti.me/1q4IETM"><span class="tco-ellipsis"></span><span class="invisible">http://</span><span class="js-display-url">ti.me/1q4IETM</span></a></div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
---------<br />
<br />
<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="57700707" href="https://twitter.com/dianefrancis1"><b class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" data-aria-label-part="">Diane Francis</b>
<span class="username js-action-profile-name" data-aria-label-part=""><s>@</s><b>dianefrancis1</b></span>
</a>
<small class="time">
<a class="tweet-timestamp js-permalink js-nav js-tooltip" href="https://twitter.com/dianefrancis1/status/717481969819500545" title="3:40 PM - 5 Apr 2016"><span class="_timestamp js-short-timestamp js-relative-timestamp" data-long-form="true" data-time-ms="1459896006000" data-time="1459896006">33m</span><span class="u-hiddenVisually" data-aria-label-part="last">33 minutes ago</span></a>
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<br />
<div class="js-tweet-text-container">
<div class="TweetTextSize js-tweet-text tweet-text" data-aria-label-part="0" lang="en">
Why Are We Letting Tax Cheats Rob Canada? <a class="twitter-timeline-link" data-expanded-url="http://ow.ly/10kFDP" dir="ltr" href="https://t.co/6EJuPC1gnZ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="http://ow.ly/10kFDP"><span class="tco-ellipsis"></span><span class="invisible">http://</span><span class="js-display-url">ow.ly/10kFDP</span></a></div>
</div>
<br />
<span class="js-retweet-text"><a class="pretty-link js-user-profile-link" data-user-id="57700707" href="https://twitter.com/dianefrancis1"><b>Diane Francis</b></a> Retweeted</span>
<br />
<div class="stream-item-header">
<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="592110789" href="https://twitter.com/VanObserver">
<b class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" data-aria-label-part="">Vancouver Observer</b>
<span class="username js-action-profile-name" data-aria-label-part=""><s>@</s><b>VanObserver</b></span>
</a>
<small class="time">
<a class="tweet-timestamp js-permalink js-nav js-tooltip" href="https://twitter.com/VanObserver/status/717093813785899009" title="1:57 PM - 4 Apr 2016"><span class="_timestamp js-short-timestamp " data-aria-label-part="last" data-long-form="true" data-time-ms="1459803462000" data-time="1459803462">Apr 4</span></a>
</small>
</div>
"Offshore and taxation lobby is the most powerful in this country”: <a class="twitter-atreply pretty-link js-nav" data-mentioned-user-id="57700707" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/dianefrancis1"><s>@</s><b>dianefrancis1</b></a> <a class="twitter-timeline-link" data-expanded-url="http://bit.ly/natobspanamap" dir="ltr" href="https://t.co/GFDsImGb4X" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="http://bit.ly/natobspanamap"><span class="tco-ellipsis"></span><span class="invisible">http://</span><span class="js-display-url">bit.ly/natobspanamap</span><span class="invisible"></span><span class="tco-ellipsis"><span class="invisible"> </span></span></a> <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cdnpoli?src=hash"><s>#</s><b>cdnpoli</b></a><br />
<br />
-------<br />
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<span>3:37 PM - 5 Apr 2016</span>
&middot; <a class="permalink-link js-permalink js-nav" href="/ChrisAikman2/status/717481203385765888" tabindex="-1">Details</a>
</span>
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" data-follows-you="true" data-has-parent-tweet="true" data-is-reply-to="true" data-item-id="717481203385765888" data-mentions="Raffi_RC" data-name="Chris Aikman" data-permalink-path="/ChrisAikman2/status/717481203385765888" data-screen-name="ChrisAikman2" data-tweet-id="717481203385765888" data-user-id="1195574418" data-you-block="false" data-you-follow="true">
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="268416076" href="https://twitter.com/Raffi_RC"><b class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" data-aria-label-part="">Raffi Cavoukian</b>
<span class="username js-action-profile-name" data-aria-label-part=""><s>@</s><b>Raffi_RC</b></span>
</a>
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<a class="tweet-timestamp js-permalink js-nav js-tooltip" data-original-title="3:27 PM - 5 Apr 2016" href="https://twitter.com/Raffi_RC/status/717478902176751620"><span class="_timestamp js-short-timestamp js-relative-timestamp" data-long-form="true" data-time-ms="1459895275000" data-time="1459895275">53m</span><span class="u-hiddenVisually" data-aria-label-part="last">53 minutes ago</span></a>
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on <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/panamapapers?src=hash"><s>#</s><b>panamapapers</b></a> fiasco:
Harper, Hillary were all for it.
Bernie warned against.
<a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FeelTheBern?src=hash"><s>#</s><b>FeelTheBern</b></a>
<a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WaveOfDemocracy?src=hash"><s>#</s><b>WaveOfDemocracy</b></a></div>
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<span>3:37 PM - 5 Apr 2016</span>
&middot; <a class="permalink-link js-permalink js-nav" href="/ChrisAikman2/status/717481203385765888" tabindex="-1">Details</a>
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" data-follows-you="true" data-has-parent-tweet="true" data-is-reply-to="true" data-item-id="717481203385765888" data-mentions="Raffi_RC" data-name="Chris Aikman" data-permalink-path="/ChrisAikman2/status/717481203385765888" data-screen-name="ChrisAikman2" data-tweet-id="717481203385765888" data-user-id="1195574418" data-you-block="false" data-you-follow="true">
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="1195574418" href="https://twitter.com/ChrisAikman2">
<b class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id">Chris Aikman</b>
<span class="username js-action-profile-name"><s>@</s><b>ChrisAikman2</b></span>
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<a class="tweet-timestamp js-permalink js-nav js-tooltip" href="https://twitter.com/ChrisAikman2/status/717481203385765888" title="3:37 PM - 5 Apr 2016"><span class="_timestamp js-short-timestamp js-relative-timestamp" data-long-form="true" data-time-ms="1459895823000" data-time="1459895823">44m</span><span class="u-hiddenVisually" data-aria-label-part="last">44 minutes ago</span></a>
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Chris Aikman Retweeted Green Party Canada</div>
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<a class="twitter-atreply pretty-link js-nav" data-mentioned-user-id="268416076" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/Raffi_RC"><s>@</s><b>Raffi_RC</b></a> Also Elzabeth May's warning:</div>
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Chris Aikman added,</div>
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<br />
<div class="QuoteTweet-innerContainer u-cf js-permalink js-media-container" data-item-id="717388769389772800" data-item-type="tweet" data-screen-name="CanadianGreens" data-user-id="28370071" href="https://twitter.com/CanadianGreens/status/717388769389772800" tabindex="0">
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<b class="QuoteTweet-fullname u-linkComplex-target">Green Party Canada</b>
<span class="QuoteTweet-screenname u-dir" dir="ltr">
<span class="at">@</span>CanadianGreens
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<div class="QuoteTweet-text tweet-text u-dir" data-aria-label-part="2" dir="ltr" lang="en">
Elizabeth May, raising a red flag on Panama as a tax haven… back in 2012. (2:20 mark)
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<div>
<a href="http://www.globalresearch.ca/money-laundering-and-the-city-of-londons-crime-scene-haven-of-tax-havens-for-the-mega-wealthy/5513335" moz-do-not-send="true">http://www.globalresearch.ca/money-laundering-and-the-city-of-londons-crime-scene-haven-of-tax-havens-for-the-mega-wealthy/5513335</a></div>
<div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Money Laundering and the City of London’s “Crime Scene”: Haven of Tax Havens for the Mega-Wealthy</b></span></div>
<div class="title">
<div class="meta">
<div class="post-info">
<div class="author">
By <a href="http://www.globalresearch.ca/author/graham-vanbergen" title="Posts by Graham Vanbergen">Graham Vanbergen</a></div>
<div class="grDate">
Global Research, April 05, 2016</div>
<div class="sourceDate">
<a href="http://truepublica.org.uk/united-kingdom/crime-scene-city-london-haven-havens/" target="_blank"> truepublica.org.uk</a></div>
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First published in March 2016<br />
<i>When it comes to The City of London, the term ‘tax haven’ is not
describing all that it should. It doesn’t just shield the mega-wealthy
from paying their fair dues it goes further and offers a departure from
the rule of law as you would know it. Secrecy is its raison d’être.
These secrecy laws do not benefit the local people living in its
jurisdiction but only those individuals and corporations with enough
money and with something to hide.</i><br />
The reality is that the City of London caters for those above the
law, it operates on the basis of bypassing democratic society as a
whole. This has come about over time where an extraordinary ‘gentlemens
agreement’ has stood the test of time. The head of state and
his/her governments have the need of large loans for wars and the like,
the City, in exchange for such commodity has extracted certain
privileges the rest of the population do not enjoy. The end result over
the centuries is that it now has its own financial jurisdiction to do
pretty much as it pleases.<br />
<br />
A ‘watchman’ sits at the high table of parliament and is its official
lobbyist sitting in seat of power right next to the Speaker of the
House who is “charged with maintaining and enhancing the City’s status
and ensuring that its established rights are safeguarded.” The job is to
maintain order and seek out political dissent against the City.<br />
The City of London has its own private funding and will ‘buy-off’ any
attempt to erode its powers; any scrutiny of its financial affairs are
put beyond external inspection or audit.<br />
For over a hundred years the Labour party tried in vain to abolish
the City of London and its accompanying financial corruption. In 1917,
Labour’s new rising star Herbert Morrison, the grandfather of Peter
Mandelson made a stand and failed, calling it the “devilry of modern
finance.” And although attempt after attempt was made throughout the
following decades, it was Margaret Thatcher who succeeded by abolishing
its opponent, the Greater London Council in 1986.<br />
Tony Blair went about it another way and offered to reform the City
of London in what turned out to be a gift from god. He effectively gave
the vote to corporations which swayed the balance of democratic power
away from residents and workers. It was received by its opponents as the
greatest retrograde step since the peace treaty of 1215, Magna Carta.
The City won its rights through debt financing in 1067, when William the
Conqueror acceded to it and ever since, governments have allowed the
continuation of its ancient rights above all others.<br />
The City effectively now stands as money launderer of the world, the
capital of global crime. It is the heart and engine of the offshore
haven, with Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man its european collection
centres, the caribbean and others hoovering up billions of American
dollars from all over the globe. Whilst there are good and legal reasons
for offshore accounts, It has a dark and shadowy client list;
terrorists, drug barons, arms dealers, politicians, corporations and
companies, millionaires, billionaires – most with something to hide.<br />
The Independent newspaper reported last July that The City of London
is the money-laundering centre of the world’s drug trade, according to
an internationally acclaimed crime expert. In addition, every notable
financial expert now agrees that due to incredibly lax financial laws by
the British government, the London property market is built largely on
the laundered money of crime from all over the world involving hidden
tax havens, most of which are British.<br />
Her Majesty’s British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies make up around <a href="https://www.rt.com/uk/268072-tax-avoidance-city-london/" target="_blank">25 per cent of the world’s tax havens</a>,
which are now blacklisted by the European Commission and now ranked as
the most important player in the financial secrecy world.<br />
Tax havens featured on the <a href="http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/economy-politics.120n" target="_blank">EC’s blacklist </a>of
June last year include Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands,
the Cayman Islands, Montserrat and the Turks and Caicos Islands to name
just a few and each is inextricably linked to the City of London’s crime
offices.<br />
The consequence of its operations is that money laundering is now at
such levels and so widespread that the authorities have recently
admitted defeat in its battle of attrition by stating openly it has
been completely overwhelmed and lost control. Keith Bristow
Director-General of the UK’s National Crime Agency <a href="http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/560-national-strategic-assessment-of-serious-and-organised-crime-2015/file" target="_blank">said just six months ago</a> that
the sheer scale of crime and its subsequent money laundering operations
was “a strategic threat” to the country’s economy and reputation and
that “high-end money laundering is a major risk”.<br />
In the meantime, the City of London remains politically immune and
acts with criminal impunity as it sucks up what is now understood to be
trillions in illicit and ill-gotten gains. Bankers and hedge-fund
operators dodge the authorities with particular skill sets honed over a
millennia, especially HMRC.<br />
It is of no coincidence that this small area of britian, just 1.2
square miles has the highest pay in the land and the third lowest
council tax for property anywhere in the United Kingdom. A £20 million
mansion costs less than £1,000 a year in council tax.<br />
At the last <a href="https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/business/economic-research-and-information/statistics/Pages/research-faqs.aspx" target="_blank">census</a>,
its population stood at just 7,325, its employees stand at 414,600,
nearly 40 per cent of them in financial services. Nearly 17,000
businesses are registered there, 2,700 are finance and insurance based
and just over 45 per cent are foreign owned entities. HSBC’s
organisation is the ninth largest bank in the world following four
Chinese and four American banks located down the road in Canary Wharf.<br />
This tiny island haven, with its own borders and police force sits
within the Isles of Britain as an international hub, the tax haven of
all tax havens. Make no mistake, the banks use offshore business
organisations to escape regulation and the grip these organisations have
over an ever weakened and corrupt political class is utterly
astounding. The Conservative party is literally <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/feb/05/conservatives-bankrolled-hedge-fund-managers" target="_blank">bankrolled</a> by
bankers and hedge funds. Half of the wealthiest hedge fund managers in
the land pay millions each year to the Tories – what do they expect back
from their investment? Perhaps the hundreds of millions of stamp duty
exemptions and taxes hedge funds no longer have to pay. This is just the
tip of the iceberg.<br />
This is neoliberalism out of control. The legislators have
capitulated to its power. Democracy is systematically deconstructed in
favour of the corporations. In the legislators place, people powered
organisations emerge such as Tax Justice Network, Democratic Audit, New
Economics Foundation to name a few who operate in an arena of social
justice in an attempt not to stifle capitalism, but to level the playing
field a bit.<br />
<i><b>Graham Vanbergen </b></i><br />
<div class="copyright">
The original source of this article is <a href="http://truepublica.org.uk/united-kingdom/crime-scene-city-london-haven-havens/" target="_blank"> truepublica.org.uk</a></div>
<div class="copyright">
Copyright © <a href="http://www.globalresearch.ca/author/graham-vanbergen" title="Posts by Graham Vanbergen">Graham Vanbergen</a>, <a href="http://truepublica.org.uk/united-kingdom/crime-scene-city-london-haven-havens/" target="_blank"> truepublica.org.uk</a>, 2016</div>
<br />John Twigghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18209883575318239876noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3099462618137613612.post-58598849789637427592016-03-30T23:42:00.000-07:002016-03-31T11:53:06.146-07:00Common sense #1 (politics)<h2>
Common sense is a complex topic</h2>
<h3>
By John Twigg</h3>
I've been working on a column about common sense in politics, governance and some Island issues for about five months and now it has finally come together, at least part one of what hopefully will soon be two parts.<br />
<br />
What took so long? Well it turns out that "common sense" is a complex topic and it is perhaps widely misunderstood too.<br />
<br />
But I can explain that with a litany of examples involving common sense in democracy, politics, media, society and social order (i.e. courts).<br />
<br />
First, common sense would say something like this: "If it can't be explained in 100 words or less then it's probably not worth saying," or not worth being written and read, and that pseudo aphorism probably is correct about 90 per cent of the time - but our complex society often requires certainty and accuracy 100 per cent of the time such as in judicial decisions, audited finances, medical diagnoses and even claims in legislatures, so we see that while most generalities about common sense may be true, some are still false.<br />
<br />
So how should we handle those 10 per cent of cases in which common sense is wrong, based on wrong assumptions or at least inadequate or inappropriate in the circumstances? Pretend they don't exist?? Or should we revise our thinking about them a bit.<br />
<br />
The answer depends on the situation and there are many variations but any rush to judgement is dangerous and especially so in complex cases with big risks at stake and especially when there are conflicting versions of what the truth is, which is quite often the actual situation.<br />
<br />
While more than a few politicians worship common sense as if it is a sort of Holy Grail ideal, the reality is that sometimes common sense - also known as public opinion - can become badly wrong, especially when it is based on false assumptions and is colored by emotions. <br />
<br />
<h3>
Ghomeshi decision provoked protesters</h3>
In Canada we just witnessed a prime example of that in the <b>Jian Ghomeshi</b> trial in which the former high-profile CBC broadcaster was acquitted on allegations of sexual abuse brought by three women after the judge found the testimony of the three accusers to have been flawed in numerous ways. So even though it's quite clear that Ghomeshi was guilty of some weird sexual behaviours with them the presumption of innocence and the benefit of reasonable doubt (i.e. that there may have been some consent, and that the allegations may have been exaggerated or flawed) meant that Ghomeshi had to be acquitted.<br />
<br />
(Note Ghomeshi also was not required to testify against himself, the appeal period is still pending at time of writing, and a separate trial looms with a fourth accuser.) <br />
<br />
Nonetheless that acquittal didn't stop throngs of feminist demonstrators and many others such as federal NDP leader <b>Tom Mulcair</b> from making comments suggesting that Ghomeshi was guilty and should have been convicted - allegations that suggest common sense should have taken precedence over the rule of law!<br />
<br />
That debate raged on for several days, with various voices calling for changes in favour of women making sexual assault allegations, until Ghomeshi's lawyer, <b>Marie Henein</b>, did a great interview (preliminary excerpt <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/thenational/mansbridge">here</a> ) with the CBC-TV's <b>Peter Mansbridge</b> to explain how the rule of law should take precedence over such common public opinions.<br />
<br />
"We have one of the greatest legal systems in the world," said Henein, a 25-year veteran, noting the accusers bear the burden of proof and the accused get the presumption of innocence so that wrongful convictions are minimized, but that defence lawyers face the over-resourced weight of the state and the finger of blame.<br />
<br />
<br />
Henein defended the right of people to hold opposing views and advocate a re-assessment of the presumption of innocence in sexual assault cases but she also said that conversation should be measured, informed and genuinely helpful to the community, not mere pandering for votes without having read the case documents or court transcripts. <br />
<br />
"We don't want to go straight to convictions (with) slam-dunk results," she said, noting decisions should be based on the balance of probabilities, the credibility of witnesses and the benefit of the doubt going to defendants - which runs counter to the views of many "common-sense" observers (my wording).<br />
<br />
After that Mulcair slightly backtracked in this Tweet, which is followed by two other related posts:<br />
<br />
<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="363997684" href="https://twitter.com/ThomasMulcair"><b class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" data-aria-label-part="">Tom Mulcair</b>
<span class="username js-action-profile-name" data-aria-label-part=""><s>@</s><b>ThomasMulcair</b></span>
</a>
<small class="time">
<a class="tweet-timestamp js-permalink js-nav js-tooltip" href="https://twitter.com/ThomasMulcair/status/715232808516640769" title="10:42 AM - 30 Mar 2016"><span class="_timestamp js-short-timestamp js-relative-timestamp" data-long-form="true" data-time-ms="1459359764000" data-time="1459359764">2h</span><span class="u-hiddenVisually" data-aria-label-part="last">2 hours ago</span></a>
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I believe strongly in the presumption of innocence and the right to a strong defence but I also believe survivors. <a class="twitter-timeline-link" data-expanded-url="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/jian-ghomeshi-lawyer-marie-henein-tom-mulcair-1.3512070" dir="ltr" href="https://t.co/KaoxUtpvX7" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/jian-ghomeshi-lawyer-marie-henein-tom-mulcair-1.3512070"><span class="tco-ellipsis"></span><span class="invisible">http://www.</span><span class="js-display-url">cbc.ca/news/politics/</span><span class="invisible">jian-ghomeshi-lawyer-marie-henein-tom-mulcair-1.3512070</span><span class="tco-ellipsis"><span class="invisible"> </span>…</span></a></div>
</div>
<br />
<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="37552089" href="https://twitter.com/suestroud"><b class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" data-aria-label-part="">Sue Stroud</b>
<span class="username js-action-profile-name" data-aria-label-part=""><s>@</s><b>suestroud</b></span>
</a>
<small class="time">
<a class="tweet-timestamp js-permalink js-nav js-tooltip" href="https://twitter.com/suestroud/status/715272682149912576" title="1:21 PM - 30 Mar 2016"><span class="_timestamp js-short-timestamp js-relative-timestamp" data-long-form="true" data-time-ms="1459369271000" data-time="1459369271">10m</span><span class="u-hiddenVisually" data-aria-label-part="last">10 minutes ago</span></a>
</small>
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Ghomeshi Judge's Son Works for Marie Henein's Brother <a class="twitter-timeline-link" data-expanded-url="http://ln.is/canadalandshow.com/a/Y3XJ7" dir="ltr" href="https://t.co/Ou80GP3YQC" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="http://ln.is/canadalandshow.com/a/Y3XJ7"><span class="tco-ellipsis"></span><span class="invisible">http://</span><span class="js-display-url">ln.is/canadalandshow</span><span class="invisible">.com/a/Y3XJ7</span><span class="tco-ellipsis"><span class="invisible"> </span>…</span></a> <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IBelieveSurvivors?src=hash"><s>#</s><b>IBelieveSurvivors</b></a> <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cdnpoli?src=hash"><s>#</s><b>cdnpoli</b></a> judge shld have recused himself</div>
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="18559001" href="https://twitter.com/charliesmithvcr">
<b class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" data-aria-label-part="">Charlie Smith</b>
<span class="username js-action-profile-name" data-aria-label-part=""><s>@</s><b>charliesmithvcr</b></span>
</a>
<small class="time">
<a class="tweet-timestamp js-permalink js-nav js-tooltip" href="https://twitter.com/charliesmithvcr/status/715272134050713600" title="1:19 PM - 30 Mar 2016"><span class="_timestamp js-short-timestamp js-relative-timestamp" data-long-form="true" data-time-ms="1459369140000" data-time="1459369140">17m</span><span class="u-hiddenVisually" data-aria-label-part="last">17 minutes ago</span></a>
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Jian <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ghomeshi?src=hash"><s>#</s><b>Ghomeshi</b></a> case continues to attract public interest <a class="twitter-timeline-link" data-expanded-url="http://www.straight.com/news/668716/jian-ghomeshi-case-continues-attract-public-interest" dir="ltr" href="https://t.co/Rjl3frkLE7" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="http://www.straight.com/news/668716/jian-ghomeshi-case-continues-attract-public-interest"><span class="tco-ellipsis"></span><span class="invisible">http://www.</span><span class="js-display-url">straight.com/news/668716/ji</span><span class="invisible">an-ghomeshi-case-continues-attract-public-interest</span><span class="tco-ellipsis"><span class="invisible"> </span>…</span></a> via <a class="twitter-atreply pretty-link js-nav" data-mentioned-user-id="14604658" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/georgiastraight"><s>@</s><b>georgiastraight</b></a> <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/vancouver?src=hash"><s>#</s><b>vancouver</b></a></div>
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<h3>
Trump rides tides of "common sense"</h3>
A similar example is evident now in the highly-charged campaigns to become the next President of the United States, with several candidates in both parties exploiting various tides of public opinion, especially Republican hopeful <b>Donald Trump</b> riding the widespread antipathies towards America's financial and political elites; he says he "loves the poorly-educated" and blatantly panders to public opinion such as by promising to build a fence all along the Mexican border to try to keep out criminals and illegal immigrants which many ethnic immigrants welcome as a means of eliminating unfair competition for jobs.<br />
<br />
The mainstream media and establishment pols have tried to derail Trump's train but they have barely dented his momentum in delegate-selection contests and public-opinion polls even when he has committed various verbal and tactical errors, the latest being some comments against abortion which he quickly amended.<br />
<br />
Indeed Trump's momentum has been so strong and his policy pronouncements so extreme that left-wing demonstrators have begun trying to invade and disrupt his rallies, with the demonstrators seemingly unaware that their actions are highly undemocratic and hypocritical, as if free speech is available only to those whose policy recipes are politically correct.<br />
<br />
So again we see some common sensibilities rushing to judgements even before the party members get a chance to vote, which is similar to the backlash against the Ghomeshi decision.<br />
<br />
Can any of the lefties consider how they would feel if gangs of right-wing bullies were to invade their meetings, try to take over microphones and generally suppress their movements? They'd be outraged, but of course common sense fits differently when it's on the other foot!<br />
<br />
Apparently Mulcair, who is facing a leadership review in a week or so, is one of those because he has been outspoken against Trump's campaign, even <a href="http://globalnews.ca/news/2608602/ndp-leader-tom-mulcair-calls-donald-trump-a-fascist/%20%E2%80%A6">here</a> calling him a fascist who should be banned from Canada!<br />
<br />
What a contrast that is from Justin Trudeau, who wisely worked hard to leave open a door in case Trump does win a mandate from American voters.<br />
<br />
But which stance is "common sense"? Maybe both of them!<br />
<br />
<h3>
Tyee columnist accuses Trump of "sewage"</h3>
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Meanwhile there's no doubt what <b>Steve Burgess</b>, a hyperbolic columnist for <b>The Tyee</b>, thinks of Trump in this <a href="http://thetyee.ca/Mediacheck/2016/03/30/Please-Advise-Trump-Trolls/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_content=033016-2&utm_campaign=editorial-0316%20%E2%80%A6">post</a> on March 30:<br />
<br />
"Enter Donald Trump. Whatever else he might be -- blowhard, buffoon,
Berlusconi West -- Trump has become a measuring stick. More than any
previous Republican fear monger, Trump has revealed that trafficking in
the very worst traditions of political debate can be a winning strategy,
at least in the primary stage of the election. In the process Trump has
raised the question of whether the Internet is truly a different world
than the one we live in. Could that constant flow of online sewage in
fact be an accurate gauge of American public opinion?" <br />
<br />
Online sewage??<br />
<br />
But Burgess continued:<br />
<br />
"Consider the Washington Post/ABC News <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-trump-vs-clinton-would-reshape-the-electoral-map/2016/03/19/783a834c-ed35-11e5-b0fd-073d5930a7b7_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-more-top-stories_swingstates-505pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory">poll</a>
from earlier this month. While Hillary Clinton led by nine points
overall, Trump held a 49 to 40 lead among white voters, a lead built
largely from the support of white men. Among those without college
degrees Donald "I love the poorly educated" Trump led by 24 points.<br />
Think about that a moment. Everything Trump
has done, everything he has said -- it all runs together into a
bubbling cesspool of hatred, idiocy and implied violence -- has left him
with a near majority of support among white American voters. Is it
really possible now to claim that the average online comment thread is
an aberration? Hasn't Trump demonstrated that the hateful, the
misogynistic, the racist, the willfully ignorant are in fact a winning
coalition in Republican politics? "<br />
<br />
Willfully ignorant?? By whose test? <br />
<br />
In other words, right-wing common sense is terrible, but centre-left common sense apparently is okay. Oh?<br />
<br />
Really what it teaches is that the common sense of Trump's supporters needs to be checked just as much as the common sense of his lefty opponents does, maybe moreso.<br />
<br />
And if you believe <b>Hillary Clinton</b> is a paragon of truth-telling and practical progressive wisdom you just haven't done enough research, you haven't read the transcripts, you've simply believed her when she claimed her campaign for the Democratic nomination "depends on small donations". Riiiight....<br />
<br />
In other words, the rising incidence of intolerance is on both left and right and in all genders and orientations and those politicians who try to ride the waves of what appears to them to be "common sense" should be cautious about doing so because it's quite possible that some of the underlying assumptions are flawed and some facts inside them may be simply wrong.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Another "sunny days" error</h3>
A small but local example of how important fact-checking can be in politics and public affairs is seen in the <b>Harry Sterling</b> op-ed column that appeared March 30 in the <b>Victoria Times-Colonist</b> under the erroneous headline "<span style="font-size: small;">Trudeau begins to face contentious issues".</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">That </span><span style="font-size: small;">headline must have been
written by someone at the end of a shift or someone who hasn't
been watching Canadian politics for the last six months or few
years because it's obvious from the recent federal budget that
the new Liberal government of Justin Trudeau has
been addressing the whole range of tough issues for about five months now and even is already acting on many of them (see the many
tweaks to tax policies, many of which are detailed in the previous issue of The Daily Twigg blog viewable <a href="http://thedailytwigg.blogspot.ca/2016/03/federal-budget-2016-analysis-2.html">here</a> .) </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Many other issues (such as what to do
with the National Energy Board) are being subjected to studies
before they're tinkered with, and that's wise too, even common-sensical.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
But more puzzling was why the T-C editors decided to publish a
column containing three somewhat derogatory references to
Trudeau's espousal of "sunny days" when anyone with a modicum of
knowledge about Canadian political history will know that the
correct phrase is "sunny ways" with a "w" and that that is a
quote from former Liberal Prime Minister <b>Sir Wilfrid Laurier</b>
which young Trudeau pointedly cited on the night of his election
win.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
For a more fulsome explanation of that "sunny ways" history see the first
edition this year of The Daily Twigg viewable at
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://thedailytwigg.blogspot.ca/2016/01/paradigm-shifts-needed-in-canadian.html">http://thedailytwigg.blogspot.ca/2016/01/paradigm-shifts-needed-in-canadian.html</a>
.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
There is a big difference between "sunny days" (which is most
widely known now as a song title and lyric by the Canadian rock group
<b>Lighthouse</b>) and "sunny ways", which is about a political
strategy in which people with divergent interests and opinions
can still find common ground on which to move forward - a
quintessentially Canadian trait that more people should try to
emulate.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
But it appears Mr. Sterling is following the examples of the
<b>Canadian Taxpayers Federation</b> and business commentator <b>Michael
Campbell</b> in unknowingly but still wrongly using the wrong phrase
to try to score some cheap political points at Mr. Trudeau's
expense, who fortunately and deservedly has so much positive
momentum going for him now that such smears probably won't slow him down one whit.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
Mr. Sterling's gist is that Trudeau's naive philosophy of
optimism will be unable to deal with "complex and sensitive"
foreign policy issues such as disputes in the Middle East or
with environmental disputes about greenhouse gas emissions from
proposed energy projects in B.C., but that sounds more like
verbiage to fill space than a serious contribution to the
serious policy challenges facing Canada.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
In a democracy like Canada's everyone is free to expound such
opinions but my question is why would the reputable
Times-Colonist waste space on it?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Did they think they were catering to "common sense" readers?</span><br />
<br />
<h3>
Online bullies attack columnists </h3>
<span style="font-size: small;">A similar example appeared March 30 in Vancouver's <b>24hours</b>
publication in which a column by its managing editor <b>Chris Campbell</b>
about efforts to help house homeless people in Maple Ridge was quickly
attacked by online bullies described <a href="http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/2016/03/29/the-insanity-behind-online-smears">here</a> which Campbell labelled "insanity".</span> <br />
<br />
The common thread is that some people who disagreed with some opinions felt they had a right to make nasty personal aspersions about him on his facebook page - another example of public opinion run amok.<br />
<br />
Should politicians feel entitled to pander to such base morals? Apparently some do.<br />
<br />
Indeed my online friend <b>Laila Yuile</b> recently had her whole website hacked and and all content destroyed, apparently because she dared to publish information about how some big-ticket public-sector construction projects and some other public projects have had a habit of running over budget and struggling with design flaws, and when she dared to complain about it to the RCMP she received a death threat, which you can read more about in another issue of The Daily Twigg <a href="http://thedailytwigg.blogspot.ca/2016/03/whats-good-about-good-friday.html">here</a> . Her content is now being recovered by WordPress tech and should be reposted soon.<br />
<br />
Apparently tolerance of dissent amongst both left and right activists is diminishing in this age of online media.<br />
<br />
<h3>
B.C. gov't steers public opinion</h3>
Unfortunately the challenge of truth-telling by the media seems to be becoming more difficult as the decline of budgets in the mainstream media outlets reduces voices there, which in turn puts more pressure on the new media to fill the voids, and goodness knows there seems to be ever more of that needed.<br />
<br />
An example of that is the B.C. government's claim that public consultations have found "strong support for the <b>George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project</b>" as <b>Transportation Minister Todd Stone</b> claimed in a Tweet coinciding with a public meeting in Richmond accompanied by this <a href="https://news.gov.bc.ca/10592">news release</a> .<br />
<br />
Well the consultations have been rushed, the multi-billion-dollar project is still contentious and its claimed purpose, to improve traffic flow by replacing the old Deas Island tunnel, is misleading because the real objective is to open the south arm of the Fraser River to new shipping docks for <b>Port Metro Vancouver</b>. Analysis by Vaughn Palmer viewable <a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/news/vaughn+palmer+liberals+claim+support+bridge+tolls/11819275/story.html">here</a> .<br />
<br />
That little information capsule is only a small part of a much larger propaganda strategy in which the B.C. government essentially is using taxpayer-funded information to steer public opinion into a position wherein the <b>B.C. Liberal Party</b> will have a much-improved prospect for re-election in May 2017 thanks to steering public opinion into a place that sounds like the common-sense solution.<br />
<br />
A prime example of that campaign is taxpayer-paid advertising now running in high rotation during major televised sporting events and newscasts claiming that B.C. has "the strongest economy in Canada" - which is true but only because the economies of all other provinces are quite weak right now and not because B.C. is booming due to provincial stimulus and great leadership.<br />
<br />
Indeed the B.C. Liberals under Premier <b>Christy Clark</b> seem well on their way to winning another mandate mainly because they're raising buckets of campaigns funds by selling special access to the Premier and they've structured the budget so they'll have oodles of cash to spend on buying votes in the pre-election period, which you can read more about in previous issues of The Daily Twigg <a href="http://thedailytwigg.blogspot.ca/2016/02/bc-budget-reveals-tawdry-mess.html">here</a> and <a href="http://thedailytwigg.blogspot.ca/2016/02/bc-budget-analysis.html">here</a> . <br />
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Is that how common sense works? Letting the government of the day use taxpayer-funded propaganda to manufacture consent?? Apparently so.<br />
<br />
I'll have more to say soon about common sense involving climate and environment issues in general and on Vancouver Island in particular, including Greater Victoria's sewage challenge (which features common sense versus science and facts), Greater Victoria's problems with wildlife (too many feral creatures), and others.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile here are some Tweets and links to more information on this general theme: <br />
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<br />
<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="455425961" href="https://twitter.com/SpaceWeather101"><b class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" data-aria-label-part="">Richard Windsor</b>
<span class="username js-action-profile-name" data-aria-label-part=""><s>@</s><b>SpaceWeather101</b></span>
</a>
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<a class="tweet-timestamp js-permalink js-nav js-tooltip" href="https://twitter.com/SpaceWeather101/status/715243596425863168" title="11:25 AM - 30 Mar 2016"><span class="_timestamp js-short-timestamp js-relative-timestamp" data-long-form="true" data-time-ms="1459362336000" data-time="1459362336">2h</span><span class="u-hiddenVisually" data-aria-label-part="last">2 hours ago</span></a>
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The work of science has nothing whatever to do with consensus. Consensus is the business of politics. - Michael Crichton<br />
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="455425961" href="https://twitter.com/SpaceWeather101">
<b class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" data-aria-label-part="">Richard Windsor</b>
<span class="username js-action-profile-name" data-aria-label-part=""><s>@</s><b>SpaceWeather101</b></span>
</a>
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<a class="tweet-timestamp js-permalink js-nav js-tooltip" href="https://twitter.com/SpaceWeather101/status/715273731455774721" title="1:25 PM - 30 Mar 2016"><span class="_timestamp js-short-timestamp js-relative-timestamp" data-long-form="true" data-time-ms="1459369521000" data-time="1459369521">15m</span><span class="u-hiddenVisually" data-aria-label-part="last">15 minutes ago</span></a>
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<span>1:25 PM - 30 Mar 2016</span>
&middot; <a class="permalink-link js-permalink js-nav" href="/SpaceWeather101/status/715273731455774721" tabindex="-1">Details</a>
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" data-follows-you="true" data-has-cards="true" data-item-id="715273731455774721" data-mentions="wattsupwiththat" data-name="Richard Windsor" data-permalink-path="/SpaceWeather101/status/715273731455774721" data-screen-name="SpaceWeather101" data-tweet-id="715273731455774721" data-user-id="455425961" data-you-block="false" data-you-follow="true">
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New AMS survey busts the 97% climate consensus claim <a class="twitter-timeline-link" data-expanded-url="http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/03/25/new-ams-survey-busts-the-97-climate-consenus-claim/" dir="ltr" href="https://t.co/SlXFzA7PKI" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="http://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/03/25/new-ams-survey-busts-the-97-climate-consenus-claim/"><span class="invisible">http://</span><span class="js-display-url">wattsupwiththat.com/2016/03/25/new</span><span class="invisible">-ams-survey-busts-the-97-climate-consenus-claim/</span><span class="tco-ellipsis"><span class="invisible"> </span>…</span></a> via <a class="twitter-atreply pretty-link js-nav" data-mentioned-user-id="71869296" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/wattsupwiththat"><s>@</s><b>wattsupwiththat</b></a></div>
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<br />
U of T students tyranny versus fossil fuel investments<br />
<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="592110789" href="https://twitter.com/NatObserver"><b class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" data-aria-label-part="">National Observer</b>
<span class="username js-action-profile-name" data-aria-label-part=""><s>@</s><b>NatObserver</b></span>
</a>
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<a class="tweet-timestamp js-permalink js-nav js-tooltip" href="https://twitter.com/NatObserver/status/715273896384208904" title="1:26 PM - 30 Mar 2016"><span class="_timestamp js-short-timestamp js-relative-timestamp" data-long-form="true" data-time-ms="1459369560000" data-time="1459369560">22m</span><span class="u-hiddenVisually" data-aria-label-part="last">22 minutes ago</span></a>
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University of <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Toronto?src=hash"><s>#</s><b>Toronto</b></a> rejects calls to dump holdings in <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/fossilfuel?src=hash"><s>#</s><b>fossilfuel</b></a> industry <a class="twitter-timeline-link" data-expanded-url="http://ow.ly/106mmV" dir="ltr" href="https://t.co/YufyUBLAK2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="http://ow.ly/106mmV"><span class="tco-ellipsis"></span><span class="invisible">http://</span><span class="js-display-url">ow.ly/106mmV</span><span class="invisible"></span><span class="tco-ellipsis"><span class="invisible"> </span></span></a> </div>
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="455425961" href="https://twitter.com/SpaceWeather101"><b class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" data-aria-label-part="">Richard Windsor</b>
<span class="username js-action-profile-name" data-aria-label-part=""><s>@</s><b>SpaceWeather101</b></span>
</a>
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<a class="tweet-timestamp js-permalink js-nav js-tooltip" href="https://twitter.com/SpaceWeather101/status/715234788332929024" title="10:50 AM - 30 Mar 2016"><span class="_timestamp js-short-timestamp js-relative-timestamp" data-long-form="true" data-time-ms="1459360236000" data-time="1459360236">2h</span><span class="u-hiddenVisually" data-aria-label-part="last">2 hours ago</span></a>
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“We are trying to prove ourselves wrong as quickly as possible, because only in that way can we find progress.” ― Richard P. Feynman<br />
<br />
<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="8161232" href="https://twitter.com/richardbranson"><b class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" data-aria-label-part="">Richard Branson</b>
<span class="username js-action-profile-name" data-aria-label-part=""><s>@</s><b>richardbranson</b></span>
</a>
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<a class="tweet-timestamp js-permalink js-nav js-tooltip" href="https://twitter.com/richardbranson/status/715291316649926656" title="2:35 PM - 30 Mar 2016"><span class="_timestamp js-short-timestamp js-relative-timestamp" data-long-form="true" data-time-ms="1459373714000" data-time="1459373714">19m</span><span class="u-hiddenVisually" data-aria-label-part="last">19 minutes ago</span></a>
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Instead of regarding each other as rivals, we should embrace each other as allies: <a class="twitter-timeline-link" data-expanded-url="http://virg.in/t1gg6" dir="ltr" href="https://t.co/WnmX9DrNBS" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="http://virg.in/t1gg6"><span class="tco-ellipsis"></span><span class="invisible">http://</span><span class="js-display-url">virg.in/t1gg6</span><span class="invisible"></span><span class="tco-ellipsis"><span class="invisible"> </span></span></a> </div>
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John Twigghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18209883575318239876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3099462618137613612.post-22077454570254916862016-03-29T01:06:00.001-07:002016-03-29T17:24:21.670-07:00Federal Budget 2016 Analysis #2<br />
<h2>
Trudeau hiked deficit rather than tax the rich</h2>
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<h3>
By John Twigg</h3>
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One of the more interesting features of the <b>Federal Budget 2016</b> is that a week after it was presented there was still a lively debate going on in mainstream and social media about just what is or isn't in it and whether those things are good or bad.<br />
<br />
One of the first insiders to analyze the budget was Quebec-based journalist <b>Chantal Hebert</b> in a special spot on <b>CBC-TV</b> with <b>Peter Mansbridge</b> and <b>Andrew Coyne</b> and she surmised that it was "one of those budgets that won't be able to be properly evaluated until years afterwards" and that has already proven to be quite true.<br />
<br />
Coyne's analysis was somewhat more political, quipping that it was/is a throwback to the 1970s and 1980s when of course <b>Prime Minister Justin Trudeau</b>'s father <b>Pierre Trudeau</b> was in power and beginning a spending spree on liberal Liberal programs like Opportunities for Youth (a job creation and work experience program that in that day was seen as radical and even a bit profligate - though it did yield some surprising benefits).<br />
<br />
As my first blog on this budget noted <a href="http://thedailytwigg.blogspot.ca/2016/03/federal-budget-2016.html">here</a> , the leaders of the two main Opposition parties both gave somewhat extremist and exaggeratedly-negative views of it, while Green Party leader <b>Elizabeth May</b> generally liked it, and since then the debate has raged on in headlines, op-ed pieces, social media, academia, business, lobby and policy groups and apparently quite a few other venues.<br />
<br />
Is there a consensus now? Was the budget good or bad? Too much wasteful spending such as on First Nations? Not enough on municipal infrastructure? More style and hype than numbers and substance?? <br />
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<h3>
Budget defended itself</h3>
The answer is seen in the reaction of Trudeau: he's not having to run around defending his first budget and putting out fires against it in boardrooms and editorial offices.<br />
<br />
It's a bit like how he said before and during the election campaign (the latter in Tory ads) that economic growth will enable the budget to "balance itself"; now we're seeing that the budget can defend itself too! <br />
<br />
Thus Trudeau instead has been busy on international relations and today (Tuesday March 29) he is making time to attend a conference in Calgary on <b>Employment Insurance</b> reforms. No sign of panic anywhere.<br />
<br />
First, it's clear now that the uptick in spending of about 1.5% is not going to bankrupt the government and over time will be quite manageable; that was the initial claim of rookie <b>Finance Minister Bill Morneau</b> and it was supported in a new analysis for Maclean's magazine by well-regarded Vancouver economist <b>Kevin Milligan</b>, viewable <a href="http://www.macleans.ca/economy/economicanalysis/we-are-not-heading-to-fiscal-crisis/">here</a>.<br />
<br />
"<span class="entry-content" itemprop="articleBody">So, the 2016 budget
does not put us on the road to 1995. We are not on the road. We are not
in the car. We have not even put on our shoes, had breakfast, or gotten
out of bed," wrote Milligan, offering long-term graphs to make his point that eventually growth will surpass the added debt and the ratio will flatten out.</span><br />
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<h3>
<span class="entry-content" itemprop="articleBody">Deficit misread jeopardizes Mulcair's job</span></h3>
<span class="entry-content" itemprop="articleBody"></span><br />
<span class="entry-content" itemprop="articleBody">Though the deficit of about $30 billion is about three times larger than what Trudeau promised during the election campaign it still is not outlandish and that is one reason why federal NDP leader <b>Tom Mulcair</b> is now leader of the third party in Parliament and is fighting for his political life at a leadership convention in Edmonton starting April 8, an excellent analysis of which by <b>Bill Tieleman</b> is on The Tyee <a href="http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2016/03/29/Tom-Mulcair-NDP-Mission-Impossible/">here</a> . (It's now widely seen that Mulcair blew it when he took a Harper-like fiscal-conservative approach against Trudeau's campaign promise of some deficit spending, with Trudeau revealing that he told his wife within hours of that event that they were going to win the election because of it.)</span><br />
<br />
Indeed the real flaw in Trudeau's budget may be that the increased spending will not be enough to stimulate growth and that even more new spending, especially on municipal infrastructure, may be needed in years ahead, and hopefully Trudeau's interest in employment reforms is a signal that more brave programs will ensue in years ahead, maybe even a new-century version of OFY, Katimavik and other "Trudeaupian" innovations (to borrow a cute label made up by <b>Mark Steyn</b> at http://www.steynonline.com/).<br />
<br />
That view - of insufficient funding for infrastructure - is advanced in a column by the Ottawa Citizen's <b>Tom Parkin</b> that was retweeted Monday by Andrew Coyne and viewable <a href="http://www.ottawasun.com/2016/03/27/deficit-not-funding-much-infrastructure-after-all">here</a> and of course that view is shared by big-city mayors such as <b>Gregor Robertson</b> of Vancouver who want more federal money for transit, and if they have to label that as an investment in green initiatives then they will do so and won't quibble.<br />
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<h3>
Feds boost share of public projects to 50%</h3>
Certainly one of the key things that emerged after a week of cogitation is that the Trudeau government's move to cost-share such projects up to 50% (raised from 33% under Conservative Stephen Harper) is a major psychological shift that also has real financial benefits too, maybe better enabling iffy projects such as Surrey's transit dreams, Port Metro Vancouver's wishes for a huge bridge to replace the Massey Tunnel and Robertson's hopes for a subway line towards the University of B.C., probably among many others possibly even Greater Victoria's long-troubled efforts to build a better sewage treatment system.<br />
<br />
I tend to agree that young Trudeau's first budget really was only a sort of opening statement that was amazingly well done in many ways, with new benefits here and there for almost all interest groups from young families with kids to seniors on pensions (who see the OAS start returned to age 65), and lots of shifts into better directions (see the many tweaks in the tax system, below), many more symbolic than substantive, but overall really well done for such a young regime full of novice politicians. Let's hope it continues!<br />
<br />
However numerous items were omitted too, such as lifetime pensions for injured military veterans, higher health transfers for provinces, action on housing (there's a study coming), and notably how there will not be adequate supervision of the approximately $8.4 billion dedicated over several years to improving water systems, housing and education on Indian Reserves where the Trudeau Liberals apparently will also back away from the Harper regime's requirement of transparency on all First Nations finances (which in my opinion probably is a mistake on Trudeau's part).<br />
<br />
There were several moves targetted at upper-income taxpayers, such as removing the income-splitting useful to high-income families, removing a tax exemption on properties donated to charities, and other moves reported <a href="http://business.financialpost.com/personal-finance/taxes/watch-out-the-liberals-federal-budget-is-shutting-down-two-favourable-tax-rules-for-investors">here</a> by the Financial Post and others by Business in Vancouver below. <br />
<br />
But what they didn't do was close a supposed loophole in which corporate executives can avoid some income taxes by taking some pay as stock options instead of cash. And nor did they make money available to hire a whole bunch more tax auditors to clamp down on evasions.<br />
<br />
One report suggested that the wealthiest 1% of taxpayers will see their taxes go up about 30% but that sounds like a bit too much of a generality, it doesn't say whether the starting base is large or small, and it may not account for the wealthier taxpayers' disproportionate abilities to purchase tax-avoidance schemes available only to sophisticated investors (e.g. flowing income through a life insurance filter).<br />
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<h3>
Trudeau hiked deficit instead of taxing the rich</h3>
In fact my research indicates that what Justin Trudeau really did in his first budget was decide to NOT tax the rich right away and instead to run up the deficit!<br />
<br />
Politically and administratively that probably was a smart move by Trudeau which will tend to keep taxpayers at home (apart from guys like billionaire Calgarian Murray Edwards who just evac'd to London <a href="http://natpo.st/1Uravu8">here</a> ), it avoids wars with forces he couldn't win against (old-money moguls, many based in London) and instead it shifts the policy debates towards where they really belong: how to grow the economy, boost the middle class and raise overall quality of life.<br />
<br />
And it shouldn't go unmentioned that Trudeau did a major restoration of funding to the CBC, he allocated $2 billion to lowering carbon emissions, he found new money for social infrastructure, he spoke in support of Bombardier (which is seeking another billion-dollar bailout), he restored tax credits for labour-sponsored investment funds, and he let Morneau tweak the tax treatment (tariffs) on foreign-made ferries that will save B.C. Ferries about $50 million.<br />
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<h3>
Trudeau regime are moderate centrists</h3>
There are many more such details that of course could be mentioned too but the key gist is that the Justin Trudeau Liberals have staked out the ground of moderate centrists trying to appeal to almost all corners, and after the Harper Conservatives' pandering to special slices of society that's a welcome change.<br />
<br />
Now we will see studies of complex topics such as abuses by foreign flippers in Vancouver's over-heated housing market, what should be done with the National Energy Board, how Canada's retirement policies could be improved and how the tax code could be - how shall we say it? - updated?<br />
<br />
I'm hoping that the new openness towards policy debates will open up issues such as redefining the money supply and the GDP to include unpaid work and underground industries, reviewing whether too much government work is being outsourced to private-sector consultants at inflated prices, and what better things could be done to increase work-experience and employment opportunities for low-income and low-skilled workers - especially on and for First Nations.<br />
<br />
The billions of new dollars going towards First Nations is a prime example: goodness knows the water, housing and education improvements are badly needed and overdue but how can that be done to maximum advantage when obviously writing blank cheques without accountability and transparency has been disastrous in the past, so is there a better way? Maybe with private-sector contractors required to also turn the projects into work-experience and skills-training opportunities for First Nations people?<br />
<br />
In other words, can good reforms be implemented in ways that work better and provide lasting dividends? We'll soon see.<br />
<br />
That's especially the case with marijuana policy, which was very present during the campaign (in which Trudeau again was more progressive and populist and brave than Mulcair) but it was absent from the Throne Speech and absent from the budget even though as a new industry it could generate billions of dollars in economic activity and tax remittances that formerly were underground and criminalized.<br />
<br />
But there is lots more like that which is yet to come too, e.g. energy policy, environment policy, water exports policy, science, governance, technology, food . . . but stylistically young Trudeau has made a brilliant start, much to the surprise of his many detractors.<br />
<br />
Now if we can just keep him out of the clutches of the old-money global monopolists and Wall Street sharks and get him to revive the Bank of Canada's power to issue its own money instead of buying it from the global banking cartel then we as a nation could really start becoming a great beacon to the world.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile here's the propaganda video from the Liberal Party of Canada: <a href="http://www.liberal.ca/watch-how-budget-2016-will-grow-the-middle-class/">Liberal Party video </a><br />
and then several items and links from <b>Business in Vancouver</b> regarding tax changes:<br />
<br />
feedback welcome in comments or by email to john@johntwigg.com<br />
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<h2>
Federal budget closes a tax loophole popular with high-net-worth Canadians</h2>
<h3>
Canadians will no longer be able to hold investment income, taxed at the small business rate, in a private corporation - BiV</h3>
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<a href="https://www.biv.com/article/2016/3/budget-closes-tax-loophole-popular-high-net-worth-/?utm_source=BIV+Newsletters&utm_campaign=ce5ee5524d-Daily_Thursday_March_24_20163_24_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6d3015fdef-ce5ee5524d-210828673">loophole</a><br />
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The Liberal budget will close a loophole many high-net-worth
Canadians had been using to get a much lower tax rate on investment
income.<br />
Canadian controlled private corporations (CCPCs) are often set up by
doctors, lawyers and other professionals. Under current rules, income
inside a CCPC is taxed at the small business tax rate of $10.5%. The
budget commits to "ensure that investment income derived from an
associated corporation’s active business is ineligible for the small
business deduction (and taxed at the general corporate income tax rate)
in certain circumstances."<br />
“Active versus passive [investment] income is an important area to
clamp down on,” said Lindsay Tedds, an economics professor at the
University of Victoria who studies taxation.<br />
“We should have been doing it a long time ago.”<br />
Tedds said it is unknown how common the practice of shielding
investment income inside CCPCs is, but “we know it’s significant enough
that it’s a budget item.”<br />
Another loophole that was not addressed in the budget is the practice
of designating spouses as shareholders, which means they are able to
receive funds they themselves didn’t generate, said Kevin Milligan, a
professor of economics at the University of British Columbia.<br />
“Doctors and dentists will make their spouse a shareholder, you can
pay them dividends of $40,000 a year before you pay taxes on it,” he
said. “There’s an estimate that it costs the government $500 million a
year.”<br />
The budget also promises to get rid of loopholes currently in the
system that allow CCPC owners to get the lower small business tax rate
on separate $500,000 batches of money (the revenue limit for the small
business rate), and another loophole that allows “private corporations
to use a life insurance policy to distribute amounts tax-free that would
otherwise be taxable.”<br />
Cracking down on taxation compliance goes along with the budget’s
emphasis on reducing income inequality. The restructured Child Tax
Benefit — which is estimated will lift a third of low-income families
with children out of poverty — and higher income tax rate for earners
who make over $200,000 are important planks in that strategy, Milligan
said.<br />
But as income inequality has risen across developed economies over
the past three decades, corporations and wealthy people have also become
increasingly adept at shielding income from taxation.<br />
The budget earmarks $444 million over five years for the CRA’s compliance and enforcement efforts.<br />
Tedds said there is more to be done in recovering tax revenues.
Increasing third-party reporting — for instance, when a workers’
employer reports how much that worker makes to Canada Revenue Agency —
could be extended to areas like tips and rental income.<br />
She noted that there used to be a tax credit for renters, which
required the renter to state their address and the name of their
landlord, effectively letting CRA cross-check who should be reporting
rental income.<br />
“The [Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development] has been
saying this for a long time that Canada lags the world in the amount of
income subject to third party reporting and withholding,” she said.<br />
The government backed off a previous pledge to tax stock options
higher out of fear it would hurt the tech industry. But Milligan said
most stock options go to executives at large companies, not employees
who take a pay cut to work at a scrappy tech startup.<br />
“I don’t understand why you couldn't separate out the tech industry guys from the big established executive guys,” he said.<br />
Many economists have called for the removal of “boutique” tax
credits, often used to target specific consituents, but Tedds said the
budget doesn’t do very well on this front. While the Liberals have
removed the Children’s Fitness and Art Tax Credits, it introduced
another for teachers who buy school supplies.<br />
While the Liberals have promised a parliamentary review of the tax
system, Tedds said a complete overhaul done by an independent commission
is needed.<br />
“It’s 2016 – we have not overhauled our tax system in 60 years,” she said. “The world is different, our economy is different.”<br />
CORRECTION: <i>An earlier version of this story stated that income in
a CCPC would be taxed at the small business rate, compared to the
income tax rate. The budget states that the government will: "ensure
that investment income derived from an associated corporation’s active
business is ineligible for the small business deduction (and taxed at
the general corporate income tax rate) in certain circumstances."</i><br />
jstdenis@biv.com</div>
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<a href="http://biv.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=c8797b7fd2651a49bb9c02a0c&id=6d7f76cb30&e=db1220aa4b" style="-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; color: #6dc6dd; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="color: firebrick;">Budget 2016: Deficit comes in just shy of $30 billion for 2016</span></a></h3>
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<a href="http://biv.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c8797b7fd2651a49bb9c02a0c&id=48679d5bbe&e=db1220aa4b" style="-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; color: #6dc6dd; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="color: firebrick;">Budget 2016: Broken tax-cut promise hurts small business</span></a></h3>
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<a href="http://biv.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=c8797b7fd2651a49bb9c02a0c&id=bc751c400d&e=db1220aa4b" style="-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; color: #6dc6dd; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="color: firebrick;">Steady economic growth forecast for Canada in 2016: TD</span></a></h3>
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<a href="https://www.biv.com/article/2016/3/liberal-2016-federal-budget-more-countrys-middle-c/?utm_source=BIV+Newsletters&utm_campaign=717f38a7a7-Daily_Monday_March_28_20163_28_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6d3015fdef-717f38a7a7-210828673">BiV budget bits</a><br />
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Growing Canada's middle class, improving living standards on First
Nations reserves and investing in the clean economy are the main pillars
of the Justin Trudeau Liberal government’s first budget, which was
unveiled on March 22. <br />
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Highlights that will affect B.C. and its business community</h3>
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<b>Targeted funding</b></div>
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•$32 million over two years for
the Vancouver-based Centre for Drug Research and Development, a drug
development and commercialization centre that helps biotechs and
universities commercialize new drug discoveries.</div>
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•$212 million toward Metro
Vancouver’s $700 million Lions Gate Wastewater Treatment Plant. The
50-year-old primary treatment plant will be upgraded to provide
secondary treatment.</div>
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•$460 million for public transit infrastructure in B.C.</div>
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•$73 million for 57 community
infrastructure projects in the province, including drinking water and
waste-water treatment, recreation and culture projects, roads and
bridges and upgrades to the Smithers Regional Airport.</div>
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<b>Other spending that could trickle down to B.C.</b></div>
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•$1 billion over four years,
starting in 2017, to foster investment in clean technology in the
forestry, fisheries, mining, energy and agriculture sectors.</div>
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•$87 million over two years to support research in forestry, mining, earth sciences, mapping and energy technologies.</div>
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•$62.5 million over two years in
funding to Natural Resources Canada (NRC) to build more electric
vehicle, hydrogen and natural gas fuelling stations.</div>
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•$50 million to NRC for technology investments that reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the oil and gas sector.</div>
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•$2.9 billion over five years to
address climate change and pollution, including emissions reduction
initiatives in the energy sector and transportation.</div>
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•$237 million to Genome Canada,
an umbrella group for seven provincial centres, including Genome BC,
which provides genomics-based research funding.</div>
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•$130 million over five years to support clean-technology research development.</div>
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•$14 million over two years for
Mitacs’ Globalink program. Mitacs links business with universities,
allowing them to tap the scientific expertise of graduates. Globalink
provides </div>
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funding allowing researchers to travel and conduct research in other countries. </div>
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<b>Resource sector</b></div>
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The federal budget provides a
one-year extension of the mineral exploration tax credit, which was
slated to end this year. The tax credit allows exploration companies to
pass tax credits onto shareholders through flow-through shares. </div>
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<b>Tax reforms scrapped and restored</b></div>
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The 2015 Conservative budget
included a new income tax exemption on capital gains when the proceeds
from the sale of real estate or shares were donated to charity. That
exemption has been scrapped.</div>
A 15% tax credit for investment
in labour-sponsored venture capital corporations that allows small and
medium-sized business to access venture capital was to be phased out in
2016. The 2016 budget restores the tax credit. <span class="00QuioscoBullet">•</span><br />
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Reversing Conservative changes regarding citizenship for investor immigrants to make it easier for them again<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.asianpacificpost.com/article/7417-citizenship-revamp-new-canadians-no-longer-have-intend-live-canada.html">immigrant investors</a><br />
<br />
Easier rules for family reunification will add about 80,000 people to Canada's population<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.asianpacificpost.com/article/7419-liberal-government-reveals-immigration-levels-2016.html">more immigrants</a><br />
<br />
seems fair given Canada's open arms to 25,000 Syrian refugees<br />
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Changes needed inside National Energy Board<br />
<br />
http://www.nationalobserver.com/2016/03/24/news/bad-morale-rocked-canadas-pipeline-watchdog-then-came-murder<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.nationalobserver.com/2016/03/24/news/bad-morale-rocked-canadas-pipeline-watchdog-then-came-murder">NEB morale</a><br />
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<br />
<a href="http://www.nationalobserver.com/2016/03/24/news/bad-morale-rocked-canadas-pipeline-watchdog-then-came-murder">NEB media plan</a><br />
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-30-John Twigghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18209883575318239876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3099462618137613612.post-35448895677548287712016-03-25T16:23:00.000-07:002016-03-25T16:23:48.109-07:00What's good about "Good Friday"?<h2>
Death threat illustrates need for Good Friday</h2>
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<h3>
By John Twigg</h3>
<br />
So it's Good Friday eh, but what's "good" about it? It seems it brings a lot of distress.<br />
<br />
The first email message I received this morning was from my online friend <b>Laila Yuile</b> replying to my overnight query about her well-being after her website got hacked yesterday, but her news was bad: she's now become the subject of a death threat!<br />
<br />
Though the threat was made openly on Twitter, it is still serious and thus is being investigated by the RCMP who were already looking into the <a href="http://www.cknw.com/2016/03/24/165040/">hack</a> of her website, which could cause the loss of all of Yuile's work to date, and now her life is at stake too. <br />
<br />
I have never met Laila, and I've talked with her by phone only once or maybe twice, but over the last few years we have traded more than a few emails and become somewhat fellow-travellers with our online blogs and other independent journalism in #bcpoli and B.C. public affairs in which we are fellow travellers in an unformed club of about two dozen independent professional practitioners, with Laila being one of the most prominent with her former stint as a columnist for the Vancouver street paper 24 hours and with her long-running online commentaries in which she regularly questioned authority on a range of issues and especially regarding the too-frequent cost over-runs and design deficiencies in billion-dollar public-sector construction projects, far too many of which errors end up being paid for by B.C. taxpayers.<br />
<br />
So I not only like and respect Laila Yuile's work, I also like and admire her personally too because she's a strong and brave soul working hard to make a positive difference in an increasingly-troubled world. But now all her work may have been wiped out and she personally could be next!<br />
<br />
Is Canada part of the Third World now? In which Big Money interests run roughshod over citizen and community interests and make moves regardless of laws in place in order to further enrich themselves and entrench their hegemonies?<br />
<br />
Which is what Good Friday is supposed to be all about: getting rid of all the corruption in the world so we can have a fair chance to build a new and better society.<br />
<br />
Or as <b>Premier Christy Clark</b> worded it in a message sent out as a news release this morning:<br />
<br />
<pre>"This weekend, Christians throughout B.C. and the world will celebrate
Easter alongside their friends, family, and congregations.
"For many, Easter is a time to commemorate and reflect on the
crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christians believe God
sent His only son to Earth to redeem humanity's sins, but also to
deliver a message of hope - that acts of kindness and love have the
power to make the world a better place.
"No matter what your personal beliefs or faith may be, Easter weekend
is an opportunity to spend more time with friends and loved ones.
"I wish all British Columbians a happy Easter Weekend."</pre>
<br />
Indeed, and though personally I observe Passover and thus I work on Good Fridays and Easters I still respect why people like Premier Clark and hundreds of millions of others take a pause to give thanks to God and Jesus for delivering a plan by which humanity can be saved and society restructured and everyone who ever lived be given a second chance - thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus - to learn to live according to God's original intentions and instructions and thereby gain immortality.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Easter vs. Passover explained </h3>
And by the way that practise of observing Passover instead of Easter is done not only by Jews but also by millions of other good Christians and of course yes it IS Bible-based too: see Luke 21:17-20 in which Jesus said "this do in remembrance of me" and thereby He changed the sacrifice of a lamb in the original Passover (Exodus 12) to the sharing of wine and bread symbolic of Jesus's sacrifice of his blood and body as a substitute atonement for the sins of all mankind (or at least for those who choose to accept His sacrifice).<br />
<br />
But I also understand why so many more Christians now believe it is acceptable to re-interpret that instruction into the quite different symbology that blended into the Christian church about 190 AD and was formalized by the Roman Catholic Church after the Council of Nicea in 325 AD even though its origins trace back to a pagan Babylonian spring festival of fertility. (There are many sources for that history, a very detailed one of which can be found <a href="https://rcg.org/books/ttooe.html">here</a> .)<br />
<br />
The rationale for the liberalization of such instructions is found in scriptures such as Romans 7:6 that says "...now we are delivered from the law, that being dead (and now) we should serve in the newness of spirit and not in the oldness of the letter."<br />
<br />
That however was about how the New Testament modified the Old Testament and it was not about giving humans a right to further modify what Jesus instructed, though that IS what has happened. <br />
<br />
Similarly there is Romans 8:2 which says "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." And Romans 8:14 "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." - which suggests that good intent is more important than following rituals, but again it does not say we have gained the right to also change what Jesus taught.<br />
<br />
And finally (at least for this short exegesis) there is Colossians 2 in which there is a debate between literalism versus liberalism which apparently concludes in verse 16 that we should not let any man judge us in matters of food, drink, holy days, sabbath days, equinoxes and lunar days, but which actually concludes in verse 17 which (in the KJV) contains a bad mistranslation: " ... but the body is of Christ" in which the word "is" has been erroneously added and when it is removed the meaning becomes clear: that matters such as holy days (i.e. holidays) should be decided only by the body of Christ, i.e. the church, i.e. the church leaders/elders.<br />
<br />
<h3>
World problems worsening </h3>
Anyway, the key point is that for better or worse the vast majority of Christians and thus many other people around the world today are observing Good Friday as a key part of the Easter holidays, and the key gist of that holiday is to give thanks for Jesus sacrificing Himself for humanity's sake and for God and Jesus having a plan in which humanity will be saved from exterminating itself due to its ever-mounting wars and other evils.<br />
<br />
But meanwhile we are beset by worsening evils, some of which are striking rather too close to home and some of which - such as the latest bombings in Belgium - echo of Bible prophecies that say terrorism and wars will be worldwide shortly before the return of Jesus (Matthew 24:37 cites Genesis 6:11; also Leviticus 26:16 in which God threatens to send terrorists against sinful nations, and Daniel 11, amongst many others.)<br />
<br />
Sadly we also are beset by widespread incompetence and corruption in governments and economies all around the world, most especially now in the United States in which the very corrupt hegemony of Big Money is so desperate to maintain control of the government and its global system of central banks that it is intervening directly in the U.S. Presidential election by backing Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton against socialist candidate Bernie Sanders while Republican wild card candidate Donald Trump muddies the waters with over-the-top rhetoric attacking the establishment while himself being part of it.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Bombs in Belgium linked to 9/11 </h3>
And the second email message I got this morning also was quite disturbing; it was a new posting from <b>David Hawkins</b> of <b>http://www.AbelDanger.net</b> in which they allege that the U.K.-based public service contracting giant Serco may have been behind the bombings in Belgium:<br />
<br />
"<span style="font-size: x-small;">Abel Danger (AD) alleges that Serco’s European External Action Service<i class="" id="yui_3_16_0_ym18_1_1458913751475_8252"> </i>coordinated
the 22 March 2016 bomb attacks in Brussels as part of the UK's Brexit protection
racket where EU leaders will be forced to outsource EU security to
Serco and the UK Cabinet Office even if British voters decide to leave the EU.</span>" <br />
<br />
It's bad enough that radical Muslims bent on exporting their theology are now engaging in war and terrorist acts in various countries all around the world but the notion that some or much of that is being aided by Western capitalist interests is even more troubling, yet it has become obvious that there were some such false-flag interests behind the planning and execution of the massive 9/11 attack and several other subsequent ones, such as the 7/7 bombing of the London subway.<br />
<br />
Though it has not yet been widely reported by the mainstream media, the Belgium bomb nearest the offices of the European Union went off at exactly 9:11 a.m. local time, which probably was some kind of psychological warfare message as well as a sweet payoff for someone betting on it in the spot-fixing betting games alleged by Abel Danger. <br />
<br />
<h3>
Canadian budget needs second look </h3>
Here in Canada we have a new government that seems to have a lot of good intentions but deeper inspections of its new budget raise a lot of questions not only about a rising string of deficit budgets but also about the deliverability on rising expectations, and maybe a counterproductive attack on high-income taxpayers. We'll see.<br />
<br />
The next issue of The Daily Twigg hopefully will take a second look at the new Canadian budget, which had so many tweaks in it that it demands a deeper analysis, such as giving a billion-dollar bailout to Bombardier.<br />
<br />
Certainly the new style and tone of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are still looking good but some of the substance or lack thereof may be questionable. <br />
<br />
<h3>
B.C. faces corruption too </h3>
And here in B.C. we see that the Christy Clark regime is doing a great job of covering up the messes and scandals left by former Liberal Party premier Gordon Campbell, who departed before he was ousted for similar corruption and incompetence (e.g. the big project over-runs exposed by Yuile and others) and so was rewarded with the position as Canada's High Commissioner in London where he probably is now yet another minion servant of the old elite big money and the global cabal of central bankers.<br />
<br />
Still the link between donations to the B.C. Liberal Party and subsequent awards of government contracts to donors is becoming increasingly clear as in this recent <a href="http://www.integritybc.ca/?page_id=5940">column</a> by <b>Dermod Travis of Integrity B.C.</b>, which I reprinted in this blog recently, and my Tweet saying Travis deserves a Webster Award [a B.C. journalism thing] for it was widely retweeted including by @RealLailaYuile including a link to a facebook <a href="https://t.co/redirect?url=https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FY6XBgA2OaB%3Fcn%3DcmV0d2VldA%253D%253D&t=1&cn=cmV0d2VldA%3D%3D&sig=4afed56c13239c7e7c72f36bd4aee7a0cc894781&iid=db6d24c12a3243d6a826c2ff844c4e4f&uid=521637496&nid=6+276">posting</a> of it by fellow independent blogger Norm Farrell of http://northerninsights.blogspot.ca/ .<br />
<br />
Even B.C. NDP leader <b>John Horgan</b> seems to be belatedly joining the fray by posting a Tweet from @jjhorgan alleging that the Clark government has been lax in failing to clamp down on extensive money-laundering in B.C. real estate:<br />
<br />
"Christy Clark's govt ignores money laundering from same industries that
provide them billions in revenue. http://bit.ly/1UlgnFB #bcpoli "<br />
<br />So while British Columbia thankfully is still a rare outpost of sanity, peace and sort-of-okay government, it's also not immune to corruption and crime and yes even some terrorism (such as the attempted bombing of the B.C. Legislature on Canada Day 2013 by John Nuttall, a recovering drug addict, simpleton and novice Muslim who was both aided and then thwarted by agents of the RCMP and possibly Canada's CSIS).<br />
<br />
<h3>
Planet X threatens Earth? </h3>
What is the world coming to? Well in recent days a friend introduced me to the Planet X scare, in which a giant rogue planet named Nibiru is believed to be on a collision course with Earth as early as April or May this year or no later than next year, and there are theories that that was spoken of in the Third Secret of Fatima. But supposedly it is part of God's plan, which I for one highly doubt.<br />
<br />
Nonetheless a Google search will turn up oodles of theories about extraterrestrial races using dozens of names and whether you like it or not we must admit that the Bible also speaks of things like "war in space" in Daniel 10:12-14 and aliens or giants breeding with the daughters of men in Genesis 6:4 so the concept of alien life forms wanting to harm us should not be as strange as it now seems to most people.<br />
<br />
But an invisible planet suddenly wiping out Earth? No. No way.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Exegesis offers clues to time of Second Coming</h3>
<br />
I can say that because it has become apparent to me after about 40 years of intensive Bible studies that a great many Bible prophecies have already come true exactly as predicted (e.g. Isaiah 7:14 predicting the coming of Jesus and Isaiah 52:13 to 53:12 predicting his death, and Daniel's interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream accurately predicting a series of world empires in Daniel 2, and the return of the Jews and other Israelites to the land of Israel in Isaiah 11, Jeremiah 16:15, Ezekiel 20, 36 and 37, and Zechariah 12, 13 and 14).<br />
<br />
So the unerring record of those prophecies makes me confident that the remaining unfulfilled ones will come true soon too, notably the rebuilding of the Jewish synagogue in Jerusalem which is a necessary precursor to the prophesied war of Armageddon (in Daniel, Revelation and several other books).<br />
<br />
How can the future King of the North occupy the temple as in Dan. 11:31 and commit the abomination of desolation spoken of by Jesus the Prophet in Matthew 24:15 unless it is first re-built? The plans for it exist, and the site for it is sitting vacant only a stone's throw away from the Islamic Dome of the Rock, but the political will is not yet in place. <br />
<br />
The sudden rebirth of the nation of Israel, described as God's fig tree in Matthew 24:32 and several other places, happened suddenly in 1948 and right on the schedule in Daniel 9, for example, so it should follow that the rest of prophecy will be fulfilled on schedule too. When you see Jerusalem surrounded by hostile armies but occupied by a supposedly friendly foreign army you can know the return of Jesus is near.<br />
<br />
And to make a long story short, and though no man knows the day or hour, I have come to believe that the return of Jesus will happen 2,000 years or two prophetic days after either the baptism or crucifixion of Jesus Yeshua in about 32 AD, plus or minus about 4 years (for Herod's pogrom).<br />
<br />
Yes previous predictions by others of the return of Jesus have been quite wrong but I'm not daunted by that because it's so increasingly obvious now that the universe is unfolding exactly as it should and world affairs are unravelling exactly as warned of and predicted in The Holy Bible, so He will come on time and thereby save mankind from annihilating itself.<br />
<br />
God has given all of us free will so you are not required to agree with me on that or anything but if you do wish to earn an eternal soul then you probably do need to heed the instructions for attitudes towards others and towards God that are provided in detail in the Bible, though they do require some work to discern.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, have a Happy Easter, and if you decide to do Passover too, just to be safe, its date this year is on April 22. <br />
<br />John Twigghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18209883575318239876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3099462618137613612.post-72800198345861619552016-03-22T23:52:00.000-07:002016-03-22T23:56:30.784-07:00Federal Budget 2016<h2>
Trudeau Liberals chart a new direction</h2>
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
By John Twigg</h3>
<br />
With its new budget the Canadian federal government of Prime Minister <b>Justin Trudeau</b> has clearly embarked on a new direction that is sharply different from its predecessor's in many important policy areas.<br />
<br />
While it's sometimes dangerous to rely heavily on second-hand reports, it's clear from media coverage that the Trudeau Liberals really are charting significant new changes in taxes, spending and many other areas of governance including deficits and debt but perhaps most important of all is the new style, tone and focus - such as boosting the federal share of funding infrastructure projects to 50% from 33%.<br />
<br />
Opposition reactions to the budget were predictably negative, such as Conservative leader <b>Rona Ambrose</b> calling it a nightmare and NDP leader <b>Tom Mulcair</b> saying "it's not what they promised" [though it IS what Mulcair should have promised!] - but the gist of the budget moves seemed to have been widely welcomed by most observers and the complaints were mainly of the "more should be done sooner" variety.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Major new money for First Nations </h3>
<br />
Indeed several of the new Liberal directions were long overdue such as allocating $8.4 billion over five years to upgrade First Nations water, housing and infrastructure systems, which is one of the largest single allocations amongst a fairly long list of new initiatives in the budget and really illustrates how numerous policies of the former Conservative regime of Stephan Harper are now being completely reversed. <br />
<br />
While some commentators such as leading columnist and pundit <a href="http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadian-politics/andrew-coyne-federal-budget-2016-is-one-from-the-1970s-to-address-problems-of-1980s">Andrew Coyne</a> focussed on such things as broken election promises and dubious fiscal and economic forecasts, most people welcomed what Trudeau called "smart investments" in areas where it's most needed and can do the most good, and I for one think that is a positive and timely approach.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="quote text-center">
"My promise to middle class families, and
all families working hard to join the middle class, is that I will
invest now in long-term economic growth that helps you build a better
future," Trudeau
said in a party statement that also summarized what they seem to think are the main themes in the budget (text follows below).<br />
<br />
Thus the boutique tax credits from Harper for child fitness and education are gone and income-splitting for parents is gone but replacing them are a new means-tested Child Benefit, higher GIS payments for seniors and all sorts of other tweaks such as reducing the waiting-time to receive Employment Insurance benefits, returning the retirement age to 65 from 67 and deferring student-loan paybacks until the payee is earning at least $25,000 a year.<br />
<br />
There's also $11.9 billion over five years for investments in infrastructure including green energy, social and affordable housing, and transit, some of which is back-ended in the five-year plan and thus probably not of much help for B.C.'s several urgent transportation projects waiting in a queue (and that may be a blessing too because the proposed Massey Bridge and West Broadway subway are dubious in my opinion and could benefit from some better planning before shovels hit any dirt).<br />
<br />
So though it's all only a start, it's a good start, and a lot better than what many expected.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Green leader May supportive </h3>
One of the smarter responses came from Green Party leader <b>Elizabeth May</b>, who welcomed the major investments in First Nations needs and was "thrilled" to see the reopening of the Kitsilano Coast Guard base but was "sad" to see the absence of green measures such as home retrofits and "heartbroken" by what she said was a weakening of the federal environmental assessment process and generally disappointed with various energy-related matters.<br />
<br />
"We'll see how they do (in the years ahead on these and other issues)," she told GlobalTV Vancouver, noting she also had voted for the Liberals' Throne Speech because she supports the general direction of the new government.<br />
<br />
I have a similar feeling about it all too, welcoming the many good first steps in new directions but realizing that in coming years the details will be challenging on many issues, such as the environmental review three months from now on the $36-billion <b>Pacific NorthWest LNG project</b> proposed near Prince Rupert, when and how recreational marijuana will be legalized and taxed (the budget was silent on it), how climate, energy and transit issues will be handled, how the restoration of science and tourism promotion efforts will work in practice, how health transfers will be handled, how the economy will perform and whether new measures will be needed next year to boost job creation, whether the tax hikes on upper incomes will spark a flight of capital, and so on. Like electoral reform, federal-provincial relations and water - especially water, which is a provincial jurisdiction seen wrongly as a national treasure.<br />
<br />
If I had to give it all a grade I'd say high B or even low A. Pretty good, in other words, and in any case really a welcome turnaround from the bad old days of tyrant Harper.<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
<i>The summary below was circulated by the Liberal Party of Canada and appears here for information and not as a carte-blanche endorsement.</i><br />
<br />
<h2>
Federal Liberals summary of 2016 Budget </h2>
</div>
<div class="points">
<h3>
A LONG-TERM PLAN FOR GROWTH</h3>
<b>Help for the middle class</b><br />
A strong economy starts with a strong middle class. Budget
2016 introduces the new, fairer, tax-free Canada Child Benefit,
eliminates unfair tax breaks for the wealthy and creates the student
grant boost. These measures, combined with the new tax cut for the
middle class and a new tax bracket for those earning more than $200,000
per year, will give Canada’s middle class the help it needs to grow and
prosper.<br />
<b>Growth for the middle class</b><br />
To strengthen the middle class and deliver more inclusive
growth for more Canadians, Budget 2016 makes historic investments in
infrastructure and innovation. These investments will provide both
immediate help to Canada’s middle class and help expand opportunities
for those working hard to join it.<br />
<b>Historic investments in infrastructure</b><br />
Budget 2016 proposes to invest more than $120 billion in
public transit, green infrastructure and social infrastructure over 10
years. These investments will transform Canadian communities and
revitalize Canada’s economy. To help Canadian families and communities
right away, Phase 1 of the Government’s infrastructure plan will invest
$11.9 billion over five years, to modernize and upgrade public transit,
improve water and wastewater systems, expand affordable housing, and
protect infrastructure systems from the effects of climate change.<br />
<b>Help for young Canadians</b><br />
Budget 2016 will ensure no student graduating from college
or university has to start paying back their student loans until they
make at least $25,000 in annual income. Grants to low and middle-income
college and university students will be boosted by as much as $1000 per
year, putting more money in the pockets of 360,000 students a year. Our
plan also invests over $300 million (over three years) in the Canada
Summer Jobs program, creating 35,000 additional youth jobs each year.<br />
<b>A better future for Indigenous peoples</b><br />
It is time for a renewed relationship between Canada and
Indigenous peoples, one based on trust, respect and a true spirit of
cooperation. The investments in education, infrastructure, training, and
other programs contained in Budget 2016 will help to secure a better
quality of life for Indigenous peoples – and build a stronger, more
unified, and more prosperous Canada.<br />
<b>A clean growth economy</b><br />
A clean environment and a strong economy go hand in hand.
Budget 2016 recognizes this, making strategic investments in clean
technology and taking concrete steps to address the causes and effects
of climate change.<br />
<b>An inclusive and fair Canada</b><br />
Canada is at its best and most prosperous when all
Canadians have a real and fair chance at success. The investments in
Budget 2016 help to extend opportunities to more Canadians, and will
help to build a healthier, more creative, more generous and more just
Canada. Canadians understand that a country can’t cut its way to
prosperity. A new approach – one that includes smart investments and
fair choices – is needed.</div>
<br />John Twigghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18209883575318239876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3099462618137613612.post-73137081615563568062016-03-21T17:33:00.000-07:002016-03-21T18:36:29.148-07:00Quo Vadis MMXVI<h2>
A Look Behind the Malaise of the World</h2>
<br />
<h3>
Bu John Twigg</h3>
<br />
This morning as I began my workday the Latin phrase <b>Quo Vadis</b> came to mind but I wasn't quite sure what it meant so I looked it up on Google.<br />
<br />
I knew the phrase was a title on a book in my father's collection but if I had read it as a kid 50 years ago or so I had long since forgotten its details (welcome to aging, eh) but of course Google came through brilliantly: the book is a classic novel written in 1896 by Henryk Sienkiewicz and it was made into an epic American movie in 1951 by MGM, which cost $7.6 million to make and earned $21 million in box office sales.<br />
<br />
So what does it mean, and what was its appeal? It means "where are you going?" and according to Christian apocrypha it was spoken by the risen Jesus to Saint Peter as he was leaving Rome and who afterwards decided to return to Rome and thus be crucified upside down for the cause of Christ - but the rest of the Quo Vadis story is fascinating and quite probably contains some important lessons for the world today.<br />
<br />
The gist (since people want me to write shorter blogs) is that Roman Emperor Nero was campaigning against the rising tide of Christians then in Rome and so to make them look bad he started fires around the city and tried to make it look like the Christians had started them, leading to the crucifixion of Peter and many others.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Did Nero invent false-flagging?</h3>
How does that relate to today's world? Well that arsoning of Rome surely was one of the earliest examples of what we now call "false flag events" in which some interests - usually wealthy, powerful and privileged people like Nero was in his day - engineer catastrophes and mass-casualty events for financial and political gain and usually try to make it look like someone else did it, or certainly not the actual perpetrators.<br />
<br />
Another of the older examples came with the founding of insurance companies in the Middle Ages in London when start-up insurance firms began torching their rivals' insured properties to try to bankrupt them and give the remaining companies an oligopoly.<br />
<br />
Perpetraitors, maybe?<br />
<br />
Conspiracy theorists of course can cite dozens of false-flag events in recent years, of which the <b>9/11 attack on the Twin Towers</b> in 2001 is the most obvious because there is no way a small group of rag-tag quasi terrorists could have gained the flying skills needed to get three large jets to so precisely hit the targets where and when they did (so obviously they were aided by homing beacons and/or remote control of the planes' uninterruptible auto-pilots - probably both, according to the in-depth research published on the <b>Abel Danger</b> website over the years, one summary of which theory can be seen <a href="http://www.abeldanger.org/2609-sercos-sliney-911-waypoints-trump-organisation-clinton-foundation-twin-towers-cat-bond-tor/">here</a> ). [They also allege that the passenger planes were flown out to sea and replaced for the hits by droned dummy planes, which is maybe.]<br />
<br />
<h3>
Financial gains behind 9/11? </h3>
The objectives of the 9/11 attack apparently included a variety of gains for the perps including insurance payouts (some <a href="http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/silverstein.html">double insurance</a> had been placed on the Twin Towers shortly before they were torched), elimination of competition (e.g. removing the CO2e carbon-trading <a href="http://www.abeldanger.net/2010/04/specific-companies-in-world-trade.html">system</a> being developed by Carlton Bartels in the Cantor Fitzgerald offices atop the north tower, which greatly benefited a rival carbon trading system based in Chicago), elimination of troublesome litigation (e.g. U.S. government versus <a href="http://www.cabaltimes.com/2012/03/13/enron-911-link/">Enron</a> <a href="http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/wtc_documents_lost.html">and many others</a> lost when WTC 7 was "pulled down"), and causing stock-market gyrations that insiders could benefit from (e.g. 4,000 put options placed on two airline stocks in days before 9/11 <a href="http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/illegaltades.html">here</a> ).<br />
<br />
Even <b>Donald Trump</b> recently acknowledged in a media interview and later a campaign rally at Bluffton, South Carolina that the real perpetrators of 9/11 have yet to be identified and he further <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/02/donald-trump-suggests-the-saudis-did-911.html#">alleged</a> that the Saudis may have been behind it all, which is a bit ironic insofar as the Abel Danger group recently alleged in several <a href="http://www.abeldanger.net/">postings</a> that Trump and/or some his companies may have been involved with the actual 9/11 perps!<br />
<br />
<span class="" id="yui_3_16_0_ym18_1_1458577122785_2947" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span>"Abel Danger (AD) alleges that Trump
Shuttle Inc. used scabbed-up unions in the Boeing supply chain to launch a
death-pool service in 1988 where high rollers could bet on the times of death
of Boeing passengers and pilots while Trump's scabs destroyed evidence of murder for hire," they said in a new column not yet posted on their website.<br />
<br />
"<span class="" id="yui_3_16_0_ym18_1_1458577122785_2953" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span>AD claims that Trump Shuttle's bankers led by Citibank, hired Serco’s 8(a) companies to pimp children to <span style="font-size: small;"><span class="" id="yui_3_16_0_ym18_1_1458577122785_5994" style="text-indent: -24px;">Five Eyes' </span><span class="" id="yui_3_16_0_ym18_1_1458577122785_5997" style="text-indent: -18pt;">cabinet officials and extort the development of the mission-critical FADEC software needed to
support long-range death-pool services with modified Boeing aircraft," they alleged (as Abel Danger have been doing for many years now without a legal challenge).</span></span><br />
<br />
<h3>
Engineered attacks increasing? </h3>
But 9/11 was only one of many such events, some of which may involve insurance company interests sabotaging big accounts of their rival firms, such as alleged in the <b>Deepwater Horizon</b> well blow-out described by Abel Danger in a <a href="https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjQt4v2x9LLAhVCzWMKHcbmBqMQtwIILTAD&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DEKDZlCtT4L8&usg=AFQjCNHyCOVYGXMahCxpisNQ_8TGDLoJ2A&sig2=r-p2z1MoXAMye6DKcTR7Hg">video interview</a> and <a href="http://www.abeldanger.net/2010/05/sabotage-of-bp-deepwater-horizon.html">previous</a> <a href="http://www.abeldanger.net/2010/08/deepwater-horizon-sabotage-fraudulent.html">postings</a> , and such events seem to be continuing, such as <b>Malaysian Airways</b> losing <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/29/is-there-a-future-for-malaysia-airlines">two planes</a> only four months apart, amongst many others.<br />
<br />
Alas there are a growing number of social and political upheavals around now, such as the terrorist attack on a rock concert at the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34827497">Bataclan concert hall</a> in Paris on Nov. 13, 2015, killing 130 people, which may have been organized by so-far-unknown third parties, and the shootings in San Bernardino on Dec. 2, 2015 which killed 14 people and wounded 22, which <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_San_Bernardino_attack">reportedly</a> were inspired by but not directed by foreign terrorists.<br />
<br />
And then there are the civil and religious wars in and around Syria, which are clearly backed by outsider interests, the mob <a href="http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2016/01/07/muslim-male-refugees-are-raping-women-in-europe-n2100918">rapes</a> and <a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/article/429432/muslim-mobs-rape-europe">gropes</a> of European women by various Muslims [who enabled them to be there??], the waves of corruption and economic dysfunctions in Asia [too many to list, e.g. Japan resorting to negative interest rates, China jailing journalists], the inhumane horrors in Africa, rampant criminality in Latin America and so much more such as the impending breakup of the European Union.<br />
<br />
Yes the rather too much friends-and-insiders favours stuff is happening right here in B.C. too, not to mention the unsolved scandal of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and other First Nations problems as exposed by B.C.-based author <b>Kevin Annett</b> in his new book <a href="https://www.blogger.com/Murder%20by%20Decree:%20The%20Crime%20of%20Genocide%20in%20Canada%20-%20A%20Counter-Report%20to%20the%20'Truth%20and%20Reconciliation%20Commission'%20www.murderbydecree.com">Murder By Decree</a> - further information on that and another new book is available <a href="http://www.kevinannett.com/">here</a> ). His gist is remarkably similar to other conspiracy theories: children and girls are kidnapped for use in various sex trades, possibly including entrapment and blackmail of influential politicians, business leaders and maybe even some church and service-group leaders.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Carbon capping a smokescreen?</h3>
Indeed all these false-flag and other cover-ups of wrongdoing by wealthy elites and their minions are probably more widespread than even most of the most zealous conspiracy theorists suppose because they may include such things as using a false alarm about the supposed urgency of global warming being caused mainly by human emissions of CO2 in order to smokescreen (i.e. false-flag) the many other far more serious and more urgent threats to human well-being, not least being the rampant corruption amongst the one-per-centers who now own about 90 per cent of the world's wealth, as Sanders alleges and even Trump somewhat acknowledges as true too.<br />
<br />
In case my readers doubt that, please consider the pith and substance of the <b>Carbon Disclosure Project</b> ( <a href="https://www.cdp.net/en-US/Pages/HomePage.aspx">CDP</a> ), whose <a href="https://www.cdp.net/en-US/Programmes/Pages/Members-List.aspx">members</a> include some of the largest and wealthiest people and businesses in the world, and the assets of their members make it possibly the largest pool of capital in the world.<br />
<br />
As <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_Disclosure_Project">Wikipedia</a> reports, the collection of self-reported data from thousands of companies is
supported by 822 institutional investors with US$95 trillion under
management and the CDP has obtained backing from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_chip_%28stock_market%29" title="Blue chip (stock market)">blue chip</a> investors including <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HSBC" title="HSBC">HSBC</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JPMorgan_Chase" title="JPMorgan Chase">JPMorgan Chase</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_of_America" title="Bank of America">Bank of America</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merrill_Lynch" title="Merrill Lynch">Merrill Lynch</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldman_Sachs" title="Goldman Sachs">Goldman Sachs</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_International_Group" title="American International Group">American International Group</a>, and State Street Corp.<br />
<br />
And the CDP, which was <a href="http://www.abeldanger.net/2010/10/carbon-disclosure-project-harnessing.html">founded</a> in 2003 by the children and minions of the British upper class, is now growing globally by getting the investment dealers and big banks to refuse to make new placements into companies unless and until they adopt carbon mitigation strategies, i.e. more blackmail!<br />
<br />
Yes it's ostensibly a good thing to reduce carbon pollution but carbon monoxide and methane are far worse than carbon dioxide as pollutants and GHGs and reducing carbon pollution is or should be a far less urgent priority for mankind than say reducing diseases, poverty and usury, protecting and purifying water, ending civil wars and especially less important than finding a way to avoid the nuclear war that's prophesied in the Bible to take place between the very powers now encircling Jerusalem.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Turning points loom in politics </h3>
So what is to be done? And where is the world heading? Those are two questions coming to the fore now with the Canadian federal government of rookie Prime Minister <b>Justin Trudeau</b> delivering its first budget tomorrow, with British Columbia racing towards a provincial election in May 2017, and especially with the United States now gripped in a toxic campaign for the Presidential election in November this year.<br />
<br />
An excellent analysis of that latter challenge was published this morning on the <a href="http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2016/03/21/Trumps-Ugly-Campaign/">Tyee</a> by <b>Mitchell Anderson</b> which makes the point that the old establishment cabals in both the Republican and Democratic parties are now in danger of being supplanted by outsider populists (<b>Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders</b>), and that could be a good thing for the American public interest. But it also reinforces my point that old-money elites have been controlling and corrupting and false-flagging our politics and economics and news media for far too long now and in far too many ways too, most of which modes are unknown to most people who disdain any and all <a href="http://whatreallyhappened.com/category/cover-ups#axzz43Z0I5QIP">conspiracy theories</a> .<br />
<br />
"(Trump) plays the long list of wedge issues like a pipe organ, rousing
marginalized masses with an authentic cynicism unmatched by his
compromised challengers," wrote Anderson. "The Republican establishment can only watch in
horror as a machine of their own making is commandeered by an
opportunistic interloper beyond their control," - which makes the valid point that political parties and hence governments are controlled by machines run by cabals of friends and insiders.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Control by cabals is common </h3>
Control of things like courts and cops and cabinets by cabals of pals is not illegal unless and until that control reaches the point of abusing due process and beginning to favour those same pals and political donors moreso than non-pals, or even enriching those insiders while beggaring the outsiders, which seems to happen a lot all around the world, even in Western democracies.<br />
<br />
It's happening here in B.C. too even though it is being routinely exposed by <b>Dermod Travis</b> of <a href="http://www.integritybc.ca/">Integrity B.C.</a> , especially a report on political donations viewable <a href="http://www.integritybc.ca/?page_id=5940">here</a> which links dozens of donations to project awards, and it's allegedly in some websites mounted by <b>John Carten</b> such as the <b>Water War Crimes</b> viewable <a href="http://www.waterwarcrimes.com/">here</a> , and it's evident in several other messy court cases involving alleging misfeasance of B.C. land and resources.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately British Columbia probably is a small and relatively clean and fair player when it comes to graft and corruption, but it still does get caught up in it, which is evident in today's news that the environmental review of the $12-billion <b>Pacific Northwest LNG project</b> near Prince Rupert has been unexpectedly extended for three months by the federal government, ostensibly to provide more time to assess the plant's impacts on salmon fry using nearby beds of eelgrass but perhaps also because the main proponent, Petronas, has since become mired in a massive $1 billion political corruption scandal in its home base of Malaysia which is large enough to earn a <a href="http://www.wsj.com/specialcoverage/malaysia-controversy">special report</a> by the Wall Street Journal.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Dauncey book and other solutions </h3>
But there IS still some hope, such as in the optimistic vision in <b>Guy Dauncey</b>'s newly-published <a href="http://www.journeytothefuture.ca/">book</a> <b>Journey to the Future: A Better World is Possible</b>, which portrays what Vancouver, the world's greenest city, could look like in 2032, and happily Dauncey's policy recipes include a lot more ideas than merely capping CO2, such as moving towards proportional representation systems so that governments will be less able to devolve decisions to handfulls of backroom operatives as is the case now.<br />
<br />
More information about Dauncey's work is viewable at <cite class="_Rm">www.<b>earthfuture</b>.com/</cite> and video copies of two interviews I did with him can be viewed on YouTube at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7UrDe3Sc-Y">first</a> and <a href="https://youtu.be/ydPuAqc1Yc0">second</a><br />
<br />
Or as a friend told me this afternoon, "We must make things work better for working people" and that includes financially-successful people who work hard to earn their higher incomes and resent it all the more when their families are taxed heavily in order to finance political vote-buying redistribution systems.<br />
<br />
Indeed there do need to be sea changes in how people behave, from top to bottom of the social ladders, and there need to be incentives rather than penalties for those who succeed, to make the tax systems perceived by all to be fair to all.<br />
<br />
"The solution is not class warfare," he said, disdaining the platform rhetoric of Bernie Sanders and claiming that only inflames and clouds the minds of voters.<br />
<br />
"The middle class is being taxed out of business," my friend said, arguing there needs to be a better discussion of such issues.<br />
<br />
Indeed. And I have dozens or even hundreds of ideas about how B.C. could grow its economy with new clean and green industries but because they are novel and in some ways radical they have not yet been embraced by any political parties.<br />
<br />
Such as? Glad you asked: restarting the Bank of B.C. and enabling it to issue an honest home-grown currency, enabling bulk-water exports through a single-window sales agent for the Province [which BTW owns the water], legalizing and fairly taxing marijuana, adding a new green-energy ferry crossing from YVR to Gabriola, starting a full-employment program, adopting a universal income to supplant means-tested ones, and lots of other things like eliminating MSP premiums and strengthening health, settling native land claims bilaterally (without the feds) and yes - adopting some proportional-rep ideas but retaining the British Parliamentary tradition, etc etc.<br />
<br />
It's the beginning of Spring and that's a good time for a new day in human politics. <br />
<br />
feedback welcome to john@johntwigg.com .John Twigghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18209883575318239876noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3099462618137613612.post-32183801285310578852016-03-17T20:24:00.000-07:002016-03-17T20:24:17.751-07:00Eight insights into U.S. politics<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Primary results are turning U.S. politics </span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">into a Trump vs Hillary Clinton contest</span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Is Democrat-socialist Bernie Sanders the last hope</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">for sanity and good government in a decaying world?</span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>By John Twigg</b><br />
<br />
I'm working on what I hope will be a good and useful analysis of the malaises in world affairs that are being worsened by the tawdry and even poisonous politics in the current U.S. Presidential election process, but since that article isn't anywhere near ready yet I've decided to post below some links to and portions of eight interesting insights into that situation.<br />
<br />
They begin with an excellent overview of how we got into this distressing predicament, we meaning the whole world watching the apparent deconstruction of the wealthiest and most powerful nation on Earth.<br />
<br />
Next is an analysis by <b>Bill Moyers</b> (famous as the media whiz behind John F. Kennedy) and a colleague about how the fads of Republican anti-tax politics have been crippling many state governments.<br />
<br />
It's followed by a writeup and transcripted radio interview from the <b>CBC</b> in which <b>Anna Maria Tremonti </b>does an excellent interview with an author who has deep insights into what is making Trump so popular. Surprise! It's all about jobs and the economy!! (We've seen that over and over in British Columbia elections yet the B.C. New Democrats continue to fail to learn that lesson - maybe this will help them grasp it.)<br />
<br />
<br />
Next is a link to an hour-long video of the whole speech that <b>Bernie Sanders </b>gave on Super Tuesday March 15 in which he masterfully outlines his whole platform, but which almost all of the mainstream media ignored or refused to run. (I was watching CNN that night and I didn't see a single snippet of it.)<br />
<br />
Then there are two smear jobs on Trump posted by Canada's left-leaning <b>Observer</b> online news
service, which are included partly because they illustrate the kinds of
things various players have been trying to do to "stop Trump" - probably to no
avail and maybe even backfiring because it further angers people who
already are annoyed at the news media's obvious attempts to manipulate democracy. <br />
<br />
Finally there is an interesting profile of young Republican hopeful <b>Marco Rubio</b> from Florida who was vanquished by Trump on Super Tuesday but who before he left gave a heartfelt speech expressing his personal political, family and religious values. Its transcript is included for several reasons, including the idealism and theology, the likes of which are rarely if ever seen in Canada. Interestingly, Rubio today declined to be considered as a vice-presidential running-mate for Trump apparently due to ethical considerations.<br />
<br />
So if you care a lot about politics and have a few hours to spare, be my guest. RTs welcome too.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Democrats convene July 25-28</h3>
<br />
And by the way, while the situation may seem hopeless the delegate numbers and voting rules inside the Democratic Party mean that Bernie (#FeeltheBern) Sanders still has a fair chance to overcome Clinton because he has more than 400 delegates and while she has over 600 there's still about half to come.<br />
<br />
The problem is that Clinton also has about 400 so-called super-delegates signed up for her but I did hear one report mention that those party-insider delegates are legally able to change sides if they wish to at the Democrats' leadership convention beginning July 25 in Philadelphia, and more than a few of them could be keen to do so if the alternative media such as the grocery-store tabloids do deliver and publish what they're advertising as a lot of dirt they have about Hillary Clinton from lesbian sexcapades and using an illegal insecure private server when she was Secretary of State to selling state secrets to enemy nations.<br />
<br />
So stay tuned! If you think it's been quite interesting so far, it probably will become enthralling. At least for political junkies.<br />
<br />
Note - if some of the links below aren't colored or are not working<br />
you may have to copy and past their address lines into your browser / jt<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
From AlterNet news service March 17<br />
<br />
<div class="headline3" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px;">
<a href="http://act.alternet.org/go/69233?t=2&akid=14070.1141763.0piWUL">How Both Parties Have Nearly Abandoned Us to Clinton vs. Trump</a></div>
<div style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: italic;">
Jim Sleeper, AlterNet</div>
<br /><i>Editor's Note: This article is adapted from a <a href="http://www.salon.com/2016/03/10/our_politics_are_broken_and_toxic_how_both_party_elites_betrayed_our_trust_birthed_bernie_sanders_and_donald_trump/">Salon</a> piece that ran on March 10, 2016.</i><br />
<br />
As
Donald Trump swept four more states on March 17, he did something you
never see a presidential candidate do: He actually named huge
corporations — Apple, Pfizer and other wardens of our Silicon Valley and
Big Pharma cages — as ripe for discipline by government. Once again, he
upstaged both parties’ political establishments’ hypocrisies, without
any proof that he would or could actually curb offshore tax evasion and
outsourced jobs. What he has done is expose our political system’s
illegitimacy and unsustainability as no nominee has done since 1932.<br />
Many observers
of the 2012 Republican primary debates remarked that the cacophonous
chorus line of presidential hopefuls resembled a large troupe of clowns
piling out of a tiny car in the circus. Sure enough, once they’d mounted
the stage, Newt Gingrich proposed that Americans colonize the moon. The
late Ron Paul retorted that the only justification for such a venture
would be “to send all the politicians up there.” Most candidates really
did seem to have come from the moon as they prattled on about putting
people’s money back in their pockets and rewarding their heroism in Iraq
as many in the television audience faced declining incomes, home
foreclosures and the war’s lies and wounds, and the attendant
perversities erupting into American civic and social life.<br />
This
year, the Republican clown show became a freak show that may introduce
the horror show of Trump vs. Clinton. Trump has said he’ll be more
“presidential” after the primaries, but Nathan J. Robinson, editor of
the new Current Affairs magazine and Harvard doctoral student, believes
that only Bernie Sanders could restore both credibility and sanity to
Democrats and to the election itself. Robinson, who happens also to be a
brilliant mimic, imagines his way into Trump’s mind and mouth in a
confrontation with Clinton <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__static.currentaffairs.org_2016_02_unless-2Dthe-2Ddemocrats-2Dnominate-2Dsanders-2Da-2Dtrump-2Dnomination-2Dmeans-2Da-2Dtrump-2Dpresidency-2520-2520But&d=AwMFaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=nTkoE3YtEebE9f2jmjB7Zlw4RWz8yGc-2s6-FgpG8zw&m=qQwaNfVpPXH7s90o85LxFCRsU3O3DHzDWcc96YwvjfE&s=fpvQGmJVsvHyLQPns5yn5KwZKj_yMHwh-v3CxtsH5EU&e=" target="_blank">as follows:</a><br />
<blockquote>
“She
lies so much. Everything she says is a lie. I’ve never seen someone who
lies so much in my life. Let me tell you three lies she’s told. She <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.politifact.com_truth-2Do-2Dmeter_statements_2008_mar_25_hillary-2Dclinton_video-2Dshows-2Dtarmac-2Dwelcome-2Dno-2Dsnipers_&d=AwMFaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=nTkoE3YtEebE9f2jmjB7Zlw4RWz8yGc-2s6-FgpG8zw&m=qQwaNfVpPXH7s90o85LxFCRsU3O3DHzDWcc96YwvjfE&s=gEfZwqwue2a_apEoU1J0vh3r0pvy_sMwQt28ew-81Ho&e=" target="_blank">made up a story</a> about how she was ducking sniper fire! There was no sniper fire. She made it up! How do you forget a thing like that? She <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__nypost.com_2015_11_28_hillary-2Dclintons-2Dmillion-2Dlittle-2Dlies_&d=AwMFaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=nTkoE3YtEebE9f2jmjB7Zlw4RWz8yGc-2s6-FgpG8zw&m=qQwaNfVpPXH7s90o85LxFCRsU3O3DHzDWcc96YwvjfE&s=SOAmuaPZMDo4mtdAugDMwzAXqoVH3FygrXkHFkMLjFs&e=" target="_blank">said she was named</a> after Sir Edmund Hillary, the guy who climbed Mount Everest. He hadn’t even climbed it when she was born! Total lie! She <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__nypost.com_2015_08_16_hillary-2Dclintons-2D5-2De-2Dmail-2Dlies_&d=AwMFaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=nTkoE3YtEebE9f2jmjB7Zlw4RWz8yGc-2s6-FgpG8zw&m=qQwaNfVpPXH7s90o85LxFCRsU3O3DHzDWcc96YwvjfE&s=9xcr_g3lvlKaHoTaccdX8TXQ0487QKOnDcIwsP1p7rg&e=" target="_blank">lied about the emails</a>,
of course, as we all know, and is probably going to be indicted. You
know she said there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq! It was a
lie! Thousands of American soldiers are dead because of her. Not only
does she lie, her lies kill people. That’s four lies, I said I’d give
you three. You can’t even count them. You want to go on PolitiFact, see
how<a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.politifact.com_personalities_hillary-2Dclinton_statements_byruling_false_&d=AwMFaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=nTkoE3YtEebE9f2jmjB7Zlw4RWz8yGc-2s6-FgpG8zw&m=qQwaNfVpPXH7s90o85LxFCRsU3O3DHzDWcc96YwvjfE&s=jdYQHPLSzjXhs4Tl_LSdZN-b3jThaLQ8fJIiNQO6bkw&e=" target="_blank"> many lies</a> she has? It takes you an hour to read them all! In fact, they ask her, she doesn’t even say she hasn’t lied. They <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.washingtonpost.com_news_the-2Dfix_wp_2016_02_19_hillary-2Dclinton-2Dno-2Dgood-2Dvery-2Dbad-2Dterrible-2Danswer-2Don-2Dtelling-2Dthe-2Dtruth_&d=AwMFaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=nTkoE3YtEebE9f2jmjB7Zlw4RWz8yGc-2s6-FgpG8zw&m=qQwaNfVpPXH7s90o85LxFCRsU3O3DHzDWcc96YwvjfE&s=vzGBDCmVb5WldAfZ79-Q6wmzhPa_2sbmylNVRVSZuKg&e=" target="_blank">asked her straight up</a>,
she says she usually tries to tell the truth! Ooooh, she tries! Come
on! This is a person, every single word out of her mouth is a lie.
Nobody trusts her. Check the polls, nobody trusts her. Yuge liar.”</blockquote>
Never
mind that “When PolitiFact was choosing its ‘lie of the year,’ it found
that all its real contenders were Trump statements — so it collectively
awarded his many campaign misstatements the ‘lie of the year’ award,”
as Nicholas Kristof noted. The cumulative effect of Trump’s torrent of
accusations is The Big Lie technique perfected in modern times by Joseph
Goebbels, adapted in America by Joseph McCarthy.<br />
“I could stand
in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot someone and my supporters
wouldn’t leave me,” he has said, as if he were a 10-year-old playing
King of the Hill, and although he probably won’t shoot anyone, his
boasts and insults have shot new holes in the liberal democratic fabric
of dialogue and trust. He is separating words from deeds more brazenly
than most folkloric American political snake-oil salesmen and sleazy
senators ever did, leaving words more empty, deeds more brutal and those
of us who try to put words on things more breathless than ever before.<br />
Let’s
all try to catch our breath and look at what he’s doing to public
discourse; at how he has exposed a vacuum in what most Americans once
thought of as trustworthy political, cultural and civic-minded business
leadership; at how that leadership default has hurt Republican voters
whom it had thought was its base; and at how these voters’ loss of trust
is metastasizing into a syndrome of resentment as toxic as racism or
McCarthyism but more diffuse and free-floating, no longer confined to
old scapegoats, and unlikely to be repaired or put into remission, much
less reversed, even if Trump’s campaign implodes tomorrow and he’s
exiled to Corsica.<br />
<b>The Derangement of Democratic Discourse</b><br />
Trump’s
behavior has highlighted the difference between what children say and
do on playgrounds, where they rough out rules for civility and
cooperation, and what grown-ups are supposed to have learned and become
committed to do to make a society work. The difference between Trump’s
kind of free speech and kind that actually enhances freedom isn’t a
legal one but a psychological and cultural one: Adults understand that
what the Constitution rightly protects legally, civil society rightly
modulates and anyone who lowers adult public conversation to the level
of “So’s your Mom!” is dragging us all down.<br />
Trump’s brand of
discourse is even worse than that of the playground. When he said that
he could shoot someone without losing public support, he certainly
excited the roiling horde of “militia” members, authoritarian police,
enthusiasts of “Stand Your Ground” and “Concealed Carry” laws and border
walls, mass shooters (who in their derangement are sometimes attuned
more acutely to the subliminal signals a society is sending.<br />
Ranting
like his offends not only the decorously and well-organized rich but
also the more “liberal minded,” because he “cares nothing for reproaches
that he is a criminal or a guttersnipe…. Where [he] knifes his
opponents is by disarming them with a cynicism and stabbing them with a
morality, [H]e twists and turns, flatters and gibes, lulls and murders.
….He raves about ‘the brutal and rude unscrupulousness of the
parliamentary panders.’ He calls them job-hunters scoundrels, villains,
rascals, criminals. He screams that ‘in comparison with these traitors
to the nation, every pimp is a gentleman.’”<br />
Not only that, “he
boasts of his tricks: ‘Take me or leave me, my object, the resurrection
of the … people, is so much more superb than any contrary principle that
to bridle me with morals or sentiment is to lose…”<br />
This plausible
elaboration of Trump’s slogan, “Make America Great Again!” could have
been written by any discerning observer of his methods. It wasn’t George
Will or Tom Friedman who wrote these particular words, however but the
writer Francis Hackett, in a forgotten but still-arresting book, “What
Mein Kampf Means to America,” which he published in April 1941, when
many Americans still excused The Leader’s demagogic vitality, vulgarity
and brutality and when many American businessmen even thought they could
still make deals with him.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
<a class="readmore" href="http://act.alternet.org/go/69233?t=3&akid=14070.1141763.0piWUL">READ MORE»</a> </div>
(scroll down once there to find where to pick up the spot in a long text) <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
-----<br />
<br />
From AlterNet news service March 17<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">U.S. Republican Party's anti-tax stances</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">are crippling state governments' finances</span></b><br />
<br />
<table style="width: 560px;"><tbody>
<tr><td valign="top" width="60"></td>
<td width="5"></td>
<td valign="top" width="475"><div class="headline3" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px;">
<a href="http://act.alternet.org/go/69238?t=12&akid=14070.1141763.0piWUL">Trump Is the Symptom Not the Disease</a></div>
<div style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: italic;">
By Bill Moyers and Michael Winship, BillMoyers.com</div>
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
GOP elites have only themselves to blame for the rise of Trump. <a class="readmore" href="http://act.alternet.org/go/69238?t=13&akid=14070.1141763.0piWUL">READ MORE»</a></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
-----<br />
<br />
From CBC radio website March 16<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">CBC Radio show segment explains</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">appeal of Trump's job protectionism</span></b><br />
<br />
CBC Radio host Anna Maria Tremonti interviews an author<br />
with strong insights into the appeal of the Trump campaign<br />
<br />
http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-march-16-2016-1.3493397/mar-16-2016-episode-transcript-1.3494613#segment2<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The spectacular rise of Donald Trump has been attributed to his
racism and bigotry, but could there be more to the man's popularity?<br />
<br />
Author and journalist <b><a href="http://www.tcfrank.com/" target="_blank">Thomas Frank</a> </b>says he knows the real reason behind Trump's success, and it's all about jobs.<br />
<blockquote class="pullquote">
<span class="pullquote-quotation">"If you read mainstream coverage of
Donald Trump, it's all focused on the bigotry and intolerance ... but
there is another element, which is [he] talks about trade and he talks
about it all the time."</span>
<cite class="pullquote-source">- Thomas Frank says Trump's success lies in his focus on jobs lost to free trade </cite>
</blockquote>
Frank — whose new book <i>Listen Liberal: Or, What Ever Happened to the Party of the People? </i>was
released yesterday — says Trump is a candidate of a "wave of outrage"
that's been building since the recession for those Americans still
feeling its effects.<br />
While it was Frank's recent piece for <i><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/mar/07/donald-trump-why-americans-support" target="_blank">The Guardian</a> </i>that pointed
to Trump's promise of jobs as the force behind his success, that
doesn't mean he believes in the Donald's ability to deliver.<br />
"I'm really sorry that [some Americans'] anger is being channeled behind a charlatan like Donald Trump," he adds.<br />
<i>This segment was produced by The Current's Howard Goldenthal. </i><br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Bernie Sanders becomes the last hope for good government</span></b><br /><br />
With Donald Trump likely to be too mercurial to handle stressful situations wisely<br />
and with Hillary Clinton carrying so much baggage from decades of corruption<br />
and mega millions of donations from dubious foreign and Wall Street sources <br />
<br />
it now appears the only hope for world peace and prosperity is Bernie Sanders<br />
<br />
<div class="headline3" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px;">
<a href="http://act.alternet.org/go/69242?t=20&akid=14070.1141763.0piWUL">Watch the Bernie Sanders Speech the Networks Won't Show You</a></div>
<div style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: italic;">
By Arturo Garcia, Raw Story</div>
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
This is what you might have seen if all the networks weren't carrying Trump. <a class="readmore" href="http://act.alternet.org/go/69242?t=21&akid=14070.1141763.0piWUL">READ MORE»</a></div>
<br />
----<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Smear jobs against Donald Trump</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">are popular on lib-left online media</span></b><br />
<br />
http://www.nationalobserver.com/2016/03/13/news/trump-threatens-have-supporters-disrupt-bernie-sanders<br />
<br />
Tweeted out on March 16 by Vancouver Observer though it was several days old and with a bad headline which misleadingly suggested that Trump was threatening to lead violent demonstrations when the text says Trump duly noted he would NOT lead any such things.<br />
<br />
<small class="time"><a class="tweet-timestamp js-permalink js-nav js-tooltip" href="https://twitter.com/VanObserver/status/710280828606087168" title="6:45 PM - 16 Mar 2016"><span class="u-hiddenVisually" data-aria-label-part="last"></span></a>
</small>
<br />
<div class="js-tweet-text-container">
<div class="TweetTextSize js-tweet-text tweet-text" data-aria-label-part="0" lang="en">
Tweet from Vancouver Observer @VanObserver : </div>
<div class="TweetTextSize js-tweet-text tweet-text" data-aria-label-part="0" lang="en">
'Be careful, Bernie': Trump threatens to send supporters to disrupt Sanders rallies <a class="twitter-timeline-link" data-expanded-url="http://bit.ly/natobsdtbs" dir="ltr" href="https://t.co/5lSWdB0dym" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="http://bit.ly/natobsdtbs"><span class="tco-ellipsis"></span><span class="invisible">http://</span><span class="js-display-url">bit.ly/natobsdtbs</span><span class="invisible"></span><span class="tco-ellipsis"><span class="invisible"> </span></span></a> </div>
</div>
<br />
----<br />
<br />
National Observer online news service<br />
posted this analysis of Trump on March 17<br />
<div class="page-header__inner">
<div class="page-header__content tmr-push-inner is-pushed animated">
<div class="article__meta">
<h1 class="article__title node__title" id="article-title">
<span style="font-size: large;">How will Trump's campaign end? Ask Canada.</span></h1>
<div class="byline byline--main">
<span class="byline__contributors">By <a href="http://www.nationalobserver.com/u/andrew-mitrovica">Andrew Mitrovica</a></span><span class="byline__terms"> in <a href="http://www.nationalobserver.com/opinion">Opinion</a>, <a href="http://www.nationalobserver.com/sections/us-news">US News</a></span><span class="byline__separator"> |</span>
<span class="date-display-single">March 14th 2016</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
http://www.nationalobserver.com/2016/03/14/opinion/how-will-trumps-campaign-end-ask-canada<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Young right-wing Republican Marco Rubio</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">stressed idealistic religious and family values </span></b><br />
<br />
Young Republican candidate Marco Rubio from Florida<br />
didn't come close to being competitive for the nomination<br />
but he did give an interesting speech as he bowed out<br />
after the votes were counted on March 15<br />
<br />
The following is a link to a good profile of Rubio<br />
and a speech transcript from Los Angeles Times <br />
<br />
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/03/marco-rubio-2016-wrong-predictions-213739<br />
<br />
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-prez-marco-rubio-speech-transcript-20160315-story.html<br />
<br />
<em>The following is the text of remarks made by Florida Sen. <a href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/politics-government/government/marco-rubio-PEPLT007456-topic.html" title="Marco Rubio">Marco Rubio</a> on March 15 in Miami. Rubio spoke to supporters after a <a href="http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-gop-primaries-20160315-story.html" target="_blank">second-place finish behind Donald Trump</a> in Florida and then <a href="http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-marco-rubio-suspend-20160315-story.html" target="_blank">suspended his presidential campaign</a>.</em>
<br />
MARCO
RUBIO: First of all, thank you all for everything. I want to begin — I
haven't had a chance to speak to him yet but I want to congratulate
Donald Trump on his victory, big victory in Florida. We live in a
republic and our voters make these decisions and we respect that very
much and it was a big win. I want to begin by thanking all of you here
today. And, I want you to know that I am the beneficiary of the best
group of supporters, the hardest working people I have ever been
associated with and I'm so grateful to you guys, thank you. Not just
here in Florida. Not just here in Florida, but around the country.<br />
I want you to know that you worked as hard, not just here, but all
over the country. I want to talk to people in Iowa and New Hampshire and
South Carolina and in the great state of Minnesota, where I won and
territory of Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. All over. We have a great
team.<br />
I'm so grateful for all the help that you guys have given
us. I just want you to know that there is nothing more that you could
have done. You worked as hard as anyone could have worked. I want you to
know, we worked as hard as we ever could.<br />
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</aside>
America is in the middle of a real political
storm, a real tsunami, and we should have seen this coming. Look, people
are angry, and people are very frustrated. It really began back in
2007, 2008 with this horrifying downturn. People are very frustrated
about the direction of our country. People are frustrated. In 2007 and
2008, there was a horrible downturn in our economy and these changes to
our economy that are happening are disrupting people's lives. And people
are very upset about it.<br />
<br />
And
they’re told that, you know, people are angry, they are frustrated,
they’re being left behind by this economy and then they are told, look,
if you’re against illegal immigration that makes you a bigot. And if you
see jobs and businesses leaving to other countries you have no right to
be frustrated. They see America involved in the world and Americans
spending money and losing their lives and they see that there is very
little gratitude for all the sacrifice America makes. And quite frankly,
there’s millions of people in this country that are tired of being
looked down upon. Tired of being told by these self-proclaimed elitists
that they don't know what they are talking about and they need to
instead listen to the so-called smart people.
And I know all these
issues firsthand. I’ve lived paycheck to paycheck. I grew up paycheck
to paycheck. I know what it's like to have to figure out how to find the
money to fix the air conditioner that broke last night. I know my
parents struggled and I know millions of people that are doing that.<br />
I
know immigration in America is broken. No one understands this issue
better than I do. My parents are immigrants. My grandparents were
immigrants. Jennette's parents were immigrants. I live in a community of
immigrants. I’ve seen the good, and the bad, and the ugly. I’ve battled
my whole life against the so-called elites, the people who think that,
you know, I needed to wait my turn or wait in line or it wasn't our
chance or wasn't our time. So, I understand all of these frustrations.<br />
And
yet, when I decide to do run for president, I decided to run a campaign
that was realistic about all of these challenges. But, also one that
was -- one that was optimistic about what lies ahead for our country. I
know that we have a right to enforce our immigration laws, but we also
have to have a realistic approach to fix it. I know that we are living
through this extraordinary economic transformation that is really
disruptive in people's lives. Machines are replacing them, their pay is
not enough. I know it's disruptive. But, I also know this new economy
has incredible opportunity. I know America can't solve all of the
world's problems. But I also know that when America doesn't lead, it
leaves behind a vacuum and that vacuum leads to chaos. And most of all, I
know firsthand that ours is a special nation because where you come
from here doesn't decide where you get to go. That's how a 44-year-old
son of a bartender and a maid, that's how I decide that, in fact, I too
can run for president of the United States of America.<br />
So,
from a political standpoint, the easiest thing to have done in this
campaign is to jump on all those anxieties I just talked about, to make
people angrier, make people more frustrated. But I chose a different
route and I'm proud of that.<br />
That would have been -- in a year
like this, that would have been the easiest way to win. But that is not
what's best for America. The politics of resentment against other people
will not just leave us a fractured party, they are going to leave us a
fractured nation.<br />
They are going to leave us as a nation where people literally hate each other because they have different political opinions.<br />
That
we find ourselves at this point is not surprising, for the warning
signs have been here for close to a decade. In 2010, the t<a href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/politics-government/tea-party-movement-ORCIG000068-topic.html" title="Tea Party Movement">ea party</a> wave carried me and others into office because not enough was happening and that <a href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/politics-government/tea-party-movement-ORCIG000068-topic.html" title="Tea Party Movement">tea party</a>
wave gave Republicans a majority in the House, but nothing changed. In
2014, those same voters gave Republicans a majority in the Senate and,
still, nothing changed. And I blame some of that on the conservative
movement, a movement that is supposed to be about our principles and our
ideas. But I blame most of it on our political establishment.<br />
<div class="trb_ar_page" data-content-page="2" data-role="pagination_page" data-state="pagination_viewed">
A political establishment that for far too
long has looked down at conservatives, looked down at conservatives, as
simple-minded people. Looked down at conservatives as simply
bomb-throwers. A political establishment that for far too long has taken
the votes of conservatives for granted, and a political establishment
that has grown to confuse cronyism for capitalism, and big business for
free enterprise. I endeavored over the last 11 months to bridge this
divide within our party and within our country because I know that after
eight years of Barack Obama this nation needs a vibrant and growing
conservative movement and it needs a strong Republican Party to change
the direction now of this country or many of the things that are going
wrong in America will become permanent, and many of the things makes us a
special country will be gone. America needs a vibrant conservative
movement, but one that’s built on principles and ideas, not on fear, not
on anger, not on preying on people’s frustrations.<br />
A conservative
movement that believes in the principles of our Constitution, that
protects our rights and limits the power of government. A conservative
movement committed to the cause of free enterprise, the only economic
model where everyone can climb without anyone falling. A conservative
movement that believes in a strong national defense and a conservative
movement that believes in the strong Judeo-Christian values that are the
formation of our nation.<br />
But
we also need a new political establishment in our party, not one that
looks down on people that live outside of the District of Columbia, not
one that tells young people that they need to wait their turn and wait
in line, and not one that's more interested in winning elections than it
is in solving problems or standing by principles.<br />
And this is the
campaign we’ve run, a campaign that is realistic about the challenges
we face but optimistic about the opportunities before us. A campaign
that recognizes the difficulties we face, but also one that believes
that we truly are on the verge of a new American century. And a campaign
to be president, a campaign to be a president that would love all of
the American people, even the ones that don't love you back.<br />
This
is the right way forward for our party. This is the right way forward
for our country. But after tonight it is clear that while we are on the
right side, this year, we will not be on the winning side. I take great
comfort in the ancient words which teaches us that in their hearts
humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. And so
yet, while this may not have been the year for a hopeful and optimistic
message about our future, I still remain hopeful and optimistic about
America.<br />
And how can I not? How can I not? My mother was one of
seven girls born to a poor family. Her father was disabled as a child.
He struggled to provide for them his entire life. My mother told us a
few years ago she never went to bed hungry growing up, but she knows her
parents did, so they wouldn't have to. She came to this country in 1956
with little education, no money, no connections. My parents struggled
their first years here. They were discouraged. They even thought about
going back to Cuba at one point, but they persevered. They never became
rich. I didn't inherit any money from my parents. They never became
famous. You never would have heard about them if I had never run for
office. And yet I consider my parents to be very successful people.
Because in this country, working hard as a bartender and a maid, they
owned a home and they retired with dignity. In this country, they lived
to see all four of their children live better off than themselves. And
in this country, on this day, my mother, who is now 85 years old, was
able to cast a ballot for her son to be the president of the United
States of America.<br />
<br />
And so while it is not God's plan that I be president in 2016
or maybe ever, and while today my campaign is suspended, the fact that I
have even come this far is evidence of how special America truly is,
and all the reason more why we must do all we can to ensure that this
nation remains a special place.<br />
I ask the American people: Do not
give in to the fear. Do not give in to the frustration. We can disagree
about public policy, we can disagree about it vibrantly, passionately.
But we are a hopeful people, and we have every right to be hopeful. For
we in this nation are the descendants of go-getters. In our veins runs
the blood of people who gave it all up so we would have the chances they
never did. We are all the descendants of someone who made our future
the purpose of their lives. We are the descendants of pilgrims. We are
the descendants of settlers. We are the descendants of men and women
that headed westward in the Great Plains not knowing what awaited them.
We are the descendants of slaves who overcame that horrible institution
to stake their claim in the American Dream. We are the descendants of
immigrants and exiles who knew and believed that they were destined for
more, and that there was only one place on earth where that was
possible. This is who we are, and let us fight to ensure that this is
who we remain. For if we lose that about our country, we will still be
rich and we will still be powerful, but we will no longer be special.<br />
And
so I am grateful to all of you that have worked so hard for me. I truly
am. I am grateful to my family, to my wife, Jeanette, who has been
phenomenal in this campaign. To my four kids who have been extraordinary
in this campaign. And I want you to know that I will continue every
single day to search for ways for me to repay some of this extraordinary
debt that I owe this great country. And I want to leave with an
expression of gratitude to God in whose hands all things lie. He has a
plan for every one of our lives. Everything that comes from God is good.
God is perfect. God makes no mistakes. And he has things planned for
all of us. And we await eagerly to see what lies ahead. And so I leave
tonight with one final prayer, and I use the words of King David because
I remain grateful to God:<br />
“Yours O Lord is the greatness and the
power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything
that is in the heavens and the earth. Yours is the dominion, O Lord, and
you exalt yourself as head overall. Both riches and honor come from you
and you rule over all. And in your hand is power and might and it lies
in your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone.”<br />
May God
strengthen our people. May God strengthen our nation. May God strengthen
the conservative movement. May God strengthen the Republican Party. May
God strengthen our eventual nominee. And may God always bless and
strengthen this great nation, the United States of America. Thank you
and God bless you all. Thank you very much.</div>
<br />
feedback welcome to john@johntwigg.comJohn Twigghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18209883575318239876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3099462618137613612.post-71632108516598706562016-03-14T22:18:00.000-07:002016-03-15T11:06:02.340-07:00A pivotal Primary night<h2>
Media's massages miss messages of Trump</h2>
<br />
<b>By John Twigg</b><br />
<br />
As the hours tick down to a handful of pivotal Primaries in the U.S. Presidential election process today (March 15) it becomes increasingly frustrating to see how the mainstream news media are still struggling to understand the messages behind the upstart campaign of Republican hopeful <b>Donald Trump</b>, so let me try to help....<br />
<br />
On Sunday (March 13) I was watching a bit of CNN coverage and the newsreader, a black woman, was casually reading a script about how Trump's combative remarks supposedly were provoking people to violence such as at his rally in Chicago, which Trump chose to cancel, supposedly needlessly, while CNN's screen showed images of the supposed near-riot over and over and over again.<br />
<br />
The engineered spin is that Trump is an ignorant jerk who shouldn't even be in the race because he is merely a populist blusterer with no genuine substance, and worse, that he's a racist baiter, a crook, a womanizer, a sexist pig, merely a huckster with a TV show and a bit of money, a guy who stirs up controversy in order to keep his name in the headlines, as a young white female analyst recently opined on Global TV.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Protesters vs Trump were imposters</h3>
<br />
But while the CNN news-reader was finishing her script they cut briefly to Trump's opening remarks to another large rally, this time in Florida, in which he defended his handling of the rally in Chicago (to shut it down rather than risk injury) and alleged (albeit wrongly) that the demonstrators had been sent in by supporters of Democratic Party candidate Bernie Sanders, which was a fair supposition insofar as many of them were carrying Sanders signs, though other sources were already reporting that some of the agents-provocateurs were actually affiliated with moveon.org, an outfit backed by billionaire George Soros and affiliated with the Hillary Clinton camp!<br />
<br />
I was a bit disappointed that Trump wasn't already aware of that false-flag trick but thanks to the mainstream media's surficial facile coverage of American politics that embarrassing little truth might never reach into mainstream consciousness, though you can see it <a href="http://www.infowars.com/soros-funded-moveon-org-takes-credit-for-violence-in-chicago/">here</a>.<br />
<br />
But moments later I was very annoyed at CNN when they suddenly cut away from what Trump was saying at the very moment he claimed that the attempts to destabilize his campaign were all part of the machinations by the big money manipulators! Oh??<br />
<br />
Yes the knock on Trump is that he has no coherent substance but the truth is that he has a lot of policy substance like that that the masters of the mainstream media just do not want people to even hear about let alone persuade them into voting him into power.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Trump will exit bad trade deals</h3>
For example, Trump noted he is getting a lot of support in a state like Ohio because it has been hit heavily with new property taxes and its representatives in Congress supported the North American Free Trade Agreement and now are supporting the TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership) which he said will be "even worse than NAFTA" at exporting jobs to low-wage places like Mexico (due to NAFTA) and China (due to pending TPP) - which Trump says is all part of "monetary manipulation" that hurts American interests.<br />
<br />
Trump has been explaining that many ordinary people including even the poorly-educated (who he says he loves) realize that Trump is proposing a bunch of protectionist trade policies that would limit the ability of illegal immigrants to enter and take away even their low-end jobs and he wants to pass laws to prevent manufacturing companies like Apple from moving their factories out of the U.S.A.<br />
<br />
<br />
The pundits in the liberal media and other left-side politicos have difficulty comprehending the powerful appeal of Trump's stances, e.g. building a proper wall along the Mexican border to stop illegal traffic and cracking down on tax-avoiding billionaires, but average voters, ordinary taxpayers and even small-business operators seem to understand his messages well because they've seen the harm of it all themselves; they're fed up and they're not going to take it anymore.<br />
<br />
"We're going to take our country back and we're going to make our country great again," shouts Trump, promising to "stop the nonsense" and negotiate harder against China to defend American interests, which generates waves of supportive applause from people who widely believe their interests have been forgotten by the many mainstream party politicians they've sent to Washington.<br />
<br />
And yes there IS a lot of substance in Trump's platform, albeit perhaps poorly explained by him on the hustings, such as a placard he held up recently supposedly supporting a drive to make the U.S. self-sufficient in energy (which I presume includes continuing to get a major portion of its oil supplies from friendly Canada because the present reality is that the U.S. gets about 25% of its oil from foreign sources of which 37% is from Canada and 35% from Saudi Arabia).<br />
<br />
<h3>
Trump has lots of real policies</h3>
The Washington Post recently compiled a list of 76 <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/01/22/here-are-76-of-donald-trumps-many-campaign-promises/">promises</a> by Trump, his own campaign <a href="https://www.donaldjtrump.com/">website</a> has statements on six major policy <a href="https://www.donaldjtrump.com/positions">positions</a> and it posts hundreds of news <a href="https://www.donaldjtrump.com/press-releases">releases</a> on various topics such as one from October 2015 in which he calls for rival politicians to disclose and return their "dark money" <a href="https://www.donaldjtrump.com/press-releases/donald-j.-trump-calls-on-all-presidential-candidates-to-return-dark-money">donations</a> - and a Google search yields a trove more such populist policies from Trump.<br />
<br />
So the problem self-styled progressive people seem to be having with Trump is not his lack of policies but rather it's with the substance in them!<br />
<br />
Though most mainstream American journalists may not be aware of it, that protest that Trump is leading against self-serving centrist powers is also a world-wide movement in which incumbent regimes are falling like flies and upstart populist protest movements are gaining power; that certainly happened in Canada last year with Justin Trudeau (he came from third place to supplant a right-wing tyrant), it happened to some degree yesterday in Germany (an anti-immigrant party gained some new seats), in <a href="http://bbc.in/1TZ2SLL">Brazil</a> recently (a popular revolt against a corrupt President) and we may soon see more (e.g. the coming U.K. vote about its membership in the European Union).<br />
<br />
Meanwhile many central banks and finance ministers are struggling to cope with loss of confidence and deflating cash flows, with underfunded pension plans, negative interest rates and rising unemployment, with waves of economic migrants - and Trump being the only candidate tapping in to that angst, though of course Hillary Clinton is hypocritically claiming that she is the only firm hand around able to tame the global turmoil which regrettably was caused in large part by the monetary manipulations of the very powers backing her, namely the billionaire class on Wall Street, as detailed <a href="http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/clintons-93-million-romance-wall-street?akid=14061.1141763.DoIFOY&rd=1&src=newsletter1052558&t=2">here via Alternet</a> .<br />
<br />
Whether it's voters in Greece or Germany or bankers in London and Paris or peons in Rio and mad bombers seemingly everywhere, the world is increasingly nervous that too many things are going awry now, that governments are becoming powerless or worse - and now along comes Trump promising that he as President could insulate Americans from all that mess by isolating their economy from it - and compared with the iffy alternatives the voters might just give him a chance to try.<br />
<br />
We'll get a much better view of that when the votes come in tonight. Any bets?<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;">Money manipulation is a major problem</span></h3>
<br />
That said, I want to rant a bit about the money-manipulation issue, namely that there has been far too much artificial exploitation of interest rates and currency exchange rates, and excessive speculation on financial instruments in general, including stocks and commodities, but especially the huge sums of financial futures routinely traded in micro-seconds by a few handfuls of major financial houses using massive computing power to speculate on vast sums of money, mainly in New York and London but also some in Paris and in a few other major capitals of capital - including by the governments of Russia, China and Saudi Arabia.<br />
<br />
Such markets are increasingly seen to be rigged, such as seen in who survived and how out of the debacle of 2008 on Wall Street (in which most of the big bad bullies got bailed out by U.S. taxpayers via lackey politicians), but really the problem is wider and deeper, including such things as massive insurance payouts on criminal sabotage conspiracies of which 9/11 is the prime example (double insurance on the towers!) but also things like engineered plane crashes with heavy insurance payouts, well blowouts with massive payouts and of course the banks' laundering of massive amounts of money from illegal drugs and other criminality.<br />
<br />
We are in a sick sick world now in which the very rich are getting ever richer (as documented by The Economist in <a href="http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2013/09/daily-chart-8">2013</a> ) and the rest are getting angry because way too much of all that is being done by criminal conspirators.<br />
<br />
Recently Russia and China have been trying to protect themselves by hoarding physical gold but meanwhile the commodity markets have been keeping its price relatively low, at least in U.S. dollars, but that's another story too, in which America has no hope of ever paying off its bond debts to China unless the exchange rates are greatly adjusted.<br />
<br />
But how can America manage its money supply when it is dependent on buying currency from the cabal of privately-owned banks? It can't unless the politicians use Congress to give themselves the power to create fiat money (like some other nations do) and the last guy who tried that, John F. Kennedy, was assassinated for trying to do so.<br />
<br />
This money monopoly game has been going on for ages, of course, maybe even since before Noah's Flood, and the Bible specifically instructs against the charging of interest to neighbours in Exodus 22:24, Leviticus 25:36-37, Deuteronomy 23:20 and several other places.<br />
<br />
But it goes beyond that into charging or giving of unfair exchange rates between currencies too, which is seen in Mark 11:17 and John 2:15 in which Jesus calls the merchants and money-changers in the temple in Jerusalem a "den of thieves" and violently turns over their tables!<br />
<br />
Though it isn't widely discussed or taught, that could be a prophecy of what things will be like when Jesus returns: if there is still a form of money in use then its cost to acquire and borrow will be free among friends and relatives and its exchange rates fair to all.<br />
<br />
<br />
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John Twigghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18209883575318239876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3099462618137613612.post-90313615311388105062016-03-11T14:41:00.000-08:002016-03-12T14:42:38.145-08:00A climate for big changes<h2>
Climate column hit home, pleased few</h2>
<br />
<b>By John Twigg</b><br />
<br />
My previous blog on climate policies didn't get many retweets, probably because it wasn't popular with either side in that polarized debate, but it did hit home, it got lots of pageviews and it did get some notable likes on Twitter (e.g. from Unifor president Jerry Dias and ex-Greenpeace founder Patrick Moore).<br />
<br />
I've long since learned that when you're fighting for truth and justice or fairness and equity you often must be satisfied with small victories, at least at first in on-going campaigns, but hopefully in the end the main thing that emerges is truth, and that's what I was and still am aiming for here.<br />
<br />
Happily my predictions about the summit between Prime Minister <b>Justin Trudeau</b> and President <b>Barack Obama </b>mostly came true, especially their agreement to have both nations move forward on reducing methane emissions, which could be a hugely important move far beyond any affects on greenhouse gases, but also generally that Trudeau is doing a good job of liberallizing Canadian politics and federal-provincial and international relations after a dark decade of Stephen Harper's dictates (e.g. Harper unilaterally cancelled the previous planned Canada-U.S. summit, albeit for some rational reasons regarding trade issues at the time).<br />
<br />
As Obama cleverly noted, "It's about time, eh." Meaning that Canada and the United States should have been happier fellow-travellers long before now.<br />
<br />
The trip would have been a success for Trudeau if he got nothing other than Obama's promise to "get it done" on negotiating a renewed<b> softwood lumber agreement</b>, an item of such major good news for British Columbia that Premier <b>Christy Clark</b> rightly called it "fantastic" - perhaps unwittingly echoing the rhetoric of former premier <b>Bill Vander Zalm</b>.<br />
<br />
Of course it remains to be seen how that commitment by Obama will work out with the American Congress in an election year but having the President on-side and coming to Canada to speak in Ottawa in June could give further impetus to a timely renewal of good trade relations that would be of benefit to B.C. lumber producers.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Methane moves portend continental energy strategy</h3>
<br />
Meanwhile the agreement to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas industries in both countries by 40 to 45% by 2025 could be even more important, not because it might slow global warming (which is debatable because that warming is part of a cycle driven by a multitude of complex man-made and natural factors) but moreso because it portends something that few if any other analysts have noted yet and that's that it presages a North American energy strategy!<br />
<br />
As I listened to Obama and Trudeau explain their agreement <a href="http://bit.ly/1UW2GM6">(text viewable here)</a> to the media I got the sense that the Americans felt they could not afford to proceed unilaterally on cutting methane emissions because then the Canadian oil and gas producers would have some cost advantages on sales into the U.S. market which under NAFTA can enter more or less duty-free, but now that Trudeau has assured them that Canada will play along on methane emission cuts now they both can proceed apace - and that's a good thing even if you're a climate-change denier because methane is a much worse greenhouse gas than CO2.<br />
<br />
But step back a moment and think about what a continental energy strategy will mean for global trade and international relations: it means the U.S. will no longer be so dependent on imports of offshore oil and gas!<br />
<br />
The U.S. at present happens to be a net exporter of energy, due to fracking and low prices and other factors, but moving forward the U.S. and Canada can be and probably will be self-sufficient in oil and gas (backstopped by the massive tarsands) and that in turn means the Americans will be less obliged to be militarily active in the oil-rich Middle East, such as keeping open the Straits of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Strait of Malacca for oil tankers.<br />
<br />
So what? Well that means the Americans can stop being the world's policeman and that job will fall by default to . . . the European Union led by Germany, which is/are a major oil and gas importer, and that is precisely what is predicted in Bible prophecy! (e.g. "oil shall be carried through Egypt" in Hosea 12:1).<br />
<br />
To make it clear for those who have difficulty with strange concepts, the modern-day Israelite or Anglophone nations (aka the "Five Eyes" of USA, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) are barely mentioned in the context of Armageddon and instead we read that a "Prince of Meshach, Tubal and Rosh" (i.e. Russia) will go down into the Middle East (where the Russians under Vladimir Putin already are active propping up Syria) and begin threatening the residents of Jerusalem until a "King of the North" comes to protect them and briefly drive the Russians back into Siberia - with that King of the North probably being the North Atlantic Treaty Organization almost certainly to be led then by Germany and possibly minus the U.S. and U.K. and Canada (or with those three in diminished roles). And then of course the "Kings of the East" agree to help the Russians, they cross over the dried-up Euphrates River and are just about to invade Jerusalem when Jesus returns and miraculously prevents mankind from exterminating itself.<br />
<br />
[I have previously given the Bible scriptures for all of those mentions but if you're keen to study them yourself they're easy to find now via Google searches, or send me a note at john@johntwigg.com .]<br />
<br />
Anyway, the Canada-U.S. pact on reducing methane emissions is a big deal for several reasons:<br />
<br />
1. it may do a bit to help slow climate change,<br />
2. the appearance that the U.S. and Canada are acting on the recent Paris agreement on climate change will send a message to the world that responsible rich nations ARE trying to do some things beneficial to the whole world (thereby shaming China into action?) and maybe shielding themselves from Third World and eco-activist complaints that rich Western nations should be doing more and doing it faster,<br />
3. smokescreening the existence of some really serious other problems, which I wrote about previously,<br />
4. it portends a continental energy strategy.<br />
<br />
Of course there are many more details, such as the goal to phase out diesel use for power in Arctic communities, but the bigger picture is more significant, with young Trudeau wisely telling CBC-TV's Rosemary Barton at the end of his visit that the depth and complexity of Canada-U.S. relations goes beyond any two personalities - meaning that will continue regardless of who wins the next U.S. Presidency. <br />
<br />
And that's a good thing.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Water went unmentioned in summit announcements</h3>
<br />
Strangely another very big issue - a continental water strategy - went unmentioned in the summit but I suspect it will be raised anew behind the scenes when Obama visits Ottawa in June because it is becoming increasingly obvious that several states in the American southwest - especially California - are becoming increasingly desperate to get more new supplies of water, to the point that several more hugely-expensive desalination plants are being considered <a href="http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article49468770.html">there</a> but even if they're built they will meet only small proportions of the needs.<br />
<br />
That reality leads to a renewed consideration of the long-standing <b>North American Water and Power Alliance</b> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Water_and_Power_Alliance">(NAWAPA)</a> which is a highly-contentious plan to collect water in Canada (mainly in northern B.C. such as the proposed <b>Site C dam</b> on which construction is just now beginning) and run and pump it all the way down to southern California (which the elevation change makes feasible)<br />
<br />
The notion of B.C. and/or Canada exporting water has long been contentious, as well-described on the Water War Crimes <a href="http://www.waterwarcrimes.com/">website www.waterwarcrimes.com/</a> , but may be becoming inevitable, probably after Obama is gone as President though it's also likely he will move into some kind of one-world-government role, maybe even leader of the United Nations.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Trump gets endorsement from Carson</h3>
<br />
Meanwhile it's looking more and more like the next U.S. President will be business mogul <b>Donald Trump</b> who today (March 11) got an endorsement from Dr. <b>Ben Carson</b>, the only black person in the contest to be the nominee for the Republican Party.<br />
<br />
That's important for several reasons, not just that Carson is Afro-American but also because he is seen to have a high level of integrity, he is not an extreme right-winger and he is a strong student of the Bible - which are all key factors for the American electorate.<br />
<br />
Some people speculate that a Trump-Carson ticket could prove to be quite effective in the coming election but Trump himself was talking about Carson as a potential Secretary of Education (because of his background as a top teaching surgeon?). In any case the clamour about the supposed divisions in and imminent breakdown of the Republican Party seems to by calming down. <br />
<br />
Nonetheless Trump will still have a difficult time defeating Hillary Clinton, for whom the Democrat fix is in, though it's still possible that Bernie Sanders could emerge as the Democrats' candidate, but Trump does have massive momentum, he seems to be learning to tone down his outlandish rants and now he has the backing of a moderate stalwart in Carson.<br />
<br />
So kudos again to Justin Trudeau for avoiding the pitfall of prattling against Trump's demagoguery because a year from now we could be watching Trump hosting Trudeau anew at another gala summit.<br />
<br />
Talk about changes, eh. <br />
<br />
<h3>
Vander Zalm makes radical comments in new video</h3>
<br />
And by the way, the above-mentioned <b>Bill Vander Zalm</b> is still around and still kicking some butt too, as seen <a href="http://fb.me/7ZcuiEuJM"> here</a> in a video interview in which he reviews his history in politics and his struggles to implement reforms against the interests of bureaucrats, socialists, the HST, smart meters and various elitists - and then rants about how it's all moving towards a one-world global government! He even now supports the legalization of marijuana.John Twigghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18209883575318239876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3099462618137613612.post-37571657040687586232016-03-09T21:04:00.000-08:002016-03-10T14:39:47.574-08:00Climate crisis is a smokescreen<h2>
<b>Climate change is only one of many concerns</b></h2>
<br />
<b>By John Twigg</b><br />
<br />
As I sat down to write this there were about a dozen issues I could have expounded on, from what it feels like to turn 67 or what Victoria should do with its sewage to what B.C.'s Auditor-General thinks of the reporting of contingent liabilities in the B.C. Public Accounts or attempt to put the so-called climate crisis into the context of international politics, amongst other topics.<br />
<br />
For example, I really like what <b>Bernie Sanders</b> is doing in the contest against <b>Hillary Clinton</b> for the Democratic Party's nomination in the U.S. Presidential election in November this year, such as his impromptu comment last night (March 8) after unexpectedly topping the poll in Michigan that his campaign is growing nationally because it's a populist backlash against the Clinton campaign being "funded by Wall Street and the billionaire class" - which surely is a life-changing issue, but I'm afraid nothing I could write here would do much to change the pre-rigged outcome for the corrupt Clinton machine. Except maybe prayers to God.<br />
<br />
Turning 67 at first was more depressing than I expected it would be but soon I was cheered by a quite-unexpected flood of best wishes via facebook, which medium I rarely participate in (though I'm heavy on Twitter via @TwiggJohn), and so thank you to all who sent kind regards - especially to those who I haven't seen in a while.<br />
<br />
Indeed the increase of that feedback is itself a telling insight into our changing online environments: it is becoming so much easier to reach out and communicate with more and more people via social media even while the traditional mainstream print media fall into decline and morph into online entities; it soon could reach a point where everyone alive who wants to will be able to watch one live event simultaneously.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Climate change is real</h3>
<br />
But instead I'll celebrate my modest milestone by writing about the most important issue that affects the most people, at least in the current context of world affairs, and that issue is Climate Change.<br />
<br />
Note that I did not say "climate crisis" because despite all the well-meaning alarmism the reality is that the changes taking place in our air, land and water are still gradual, incremental and manageable for the vast majority of humanity.<br />
<br />
However I am acknowledging the reality that increasingly noticeable changes have been taking place in things like average seasonal air temperatures, storm frequencies and scopes, snow-melts and droughts, ice-cap changes and many other atmospheric and hydrologic indicators such as percentage of CO2 in the atmosphere and acidity in the oceans, and greenhouse gases, human pollution and many other signs of our changing times (like more plastics and fewer fish in the oceans) - some of which have been exaggerated such as possibly the rate of ice-cap and glacier retreats.<br />
<br />
What a horror it would be to have to swim in the sewage-polluted waters off of Rio de Janeiro in order to compete in the <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/sports/2016/02/19/3750836/rio-olympics-mess/">summer Olympics </a> this year, and I hasten to note that the bodily emissions of 6.3 million people in Rio dwarf those of the 100,000 or so people in Victoria B.C. where they are merely emitting screened sewage through outfalls that reach far out into the Juan de Fuca Strait where the massive tide rip provides a natural and free dispersal of emissions with zero negative health or environment effects, a fact attested to by a variety of health officers <a href="http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/op-ed/comment-crd-should-seek-waiver-of-federal-sewage-rules-1.2038020">here</a> and by other knowledgeable <a href="http://aresst.ca/">people</a> including former federal environment minister David Anderson.<br />
<br />
The reality is that Victoria's sewage emissions are like a drop in a firehose and that many of the toxins in Victoria wastes such as medical items are being removed at source but nonetheless some environmental bullies are still trying to force Victoria taxpayers to spend about a billion dollars to fix a problem that really doesn't exist except in the symbolic and cosmetic realms.<br />
<br />
Similarly it must be horrific to become pregnant in a region rife with the new Zika virus, or to be poor in a remote aboriginal community, or to be trapped in a refugee camp trying to flee the uncivil war in Syria, or in a jail in North Korea, or an interrogation unit on Diego Garcia.<br />
<br />
Did you catch the drift of where I'm going with this narrative? Did any of the code words or lack thereof provoke a call to arms or a run to flight?<br />
<br />
The key gist is that nowadays it's a growing challenge to keep in balance and proper perspective the many different problems and other issues we collectively face as humans and Canadians, and that includes dealing wisely with the challenges in climate change, which are not yet a real crisis.<br />
<br />
Some of those issues entail positive options too, like using climate challenges as opportunities to develop strategies towards full employment, and really it doesn't help when extremists from either end try to unilaterally impose dubious positions prematurely, which also tend to be overly costly too, and with the biggest payoffs in them often going mainly to insiders.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Trudeau found a climate compromise </h3>
<br />
Thus I was quite heartened to see the win-win compromises in what <b>Prime Minister Justin Trudeau</b> did at the recent <b>First Ministers conference</b> in Vancouver on climate issues in which a disparate group of Premiers emerged with a consensus on climate policy that each province would begin collecting ideas for ways to reduce carbon emissions (and presumably reduce other pollutants too) in means most appropriate to their respective jurisdictions, which is a wonderfully Canadian muddle-through not seen in many decades.<br />
<br />
For British Columbia that means getting federal help to build a bridge across the river where the Massey Tunnel now is, in order to reduce energy-wasting traffic jams, getting federal help to build a transmission line from Peace River into Alberta, in order to replace coal-fired power, and federal help to develop LNG exports in order to replace coal-fired power plants in Asia. Amongst other ideas of course, hopefully tweaking the province's pioneering carbon tax in order to remove some regressive features.<br />
<br />
Those moves may be difficult for environmental purists to accept as truly green but nonetheless it means that the Premiers have agreed to begin studying ways they each could do that, then they'll meet again in October to begin planning how to plan for implementing such improvements.<br />
<br />
In other words there was no rush to thwart a false crisis, there was no one-size-fits-all top-down solution imposed by a tyrant like Stephen Harper, there was no denial that some climate-related things do need to be done and there even was acknowledgement by Trudeau and the Premiers de facto of the practical reality that some new carbon-based projects including new pipelines might still proceed too (e.g. Energy East), depending on their individual merits - because as Trudeau and Alberta NDP Premier Rachel Notley duly noted the economic and financial realities are still very important too. And as they and other experts point out, the world will still need lots of petrochemicals for many decades to come even if the availability of green energy was to soar.<br />
<br />
So Canada's First Ministers had a meeting, with a brief look-in by First Nations leaders, to decide on how they would plan to plan a plan of action, which may sound silly but is actually wise and appropriate in the circumstances.<br />
<br />
One of the first steps was a commitment to remove the heavy dependence of northern communities on diesel-powered electrical generators as soon as possible, partly because of a fear that all the soot coming from them is accelerating the snow melt. So that would be a good thing, but how? Maybe it could become a new market for B.C.'s mythical and evaporating LNG industry??<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Climate top topic in Washington summit </h3>
<br />
The backstory was that Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall was about to call a provincial election, now set for April 4, and Trudeau was about to hold a three-day summit with President Barack Obama in Washington, now on my TV as I write this, and Obama and the eco-maniacs around him want and need Trudeau to bring with him an apparent success story on U.S. climate diplomacy with which to play some media games for national and world consumption.<br />
<br />
One obvious goal is to modify the world's perception of the reality that the U.S. and China are by far the largest emitters of carbon-based pollutants and really they should be doing more to mitigate that, but really their main purpose is to smokescreen the reality that the world economy is in grave danger of another great crash if the 7 billion people alive today were to see their leaders in a panic over exchange rates and/or going to war and/or failing to deal effectively with issues like climate change which in some arid regions are making day-to-day life ever more hardscrabble.<br />
<br />
"Crisis? What crisis? Everything's fine, and look see the great progress we're making with things like solar power systems, wind turbines and Tesla electric cars. See the progress we're making with Canada! We can do this," they seem to be saying without mentioning that multi millions of people are underemployed, impoverished, sick and socially desperate even in the U.S. and Canada.<br />
<br />
Really the politicians are like magicians tricking you into watching the distraction while they slip a card up their sleeve. Just don't ask them about those deficit levels, the mounting debts, untold contractual obligations and contingent liabilities that nowadays plague the balance sheets of governments the world over and leave them unable to help generate sufficient jobs and revenues.<br />
<br />
Not to mention the graft and bribes and paybacks to partisan donors that rarely get revealed, such as seen now in <a href="http://www.wsj.com/specialcoverage/malaysia-controversy">Malaysia</a>. And that's all too evident in the United States too because some of its largest financial houses are implicated in the Malaysian scandal (see previous link) and it even touches down here in B.C. because the same Malaysian interests also are <a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Malaysia+Petronas+threatening+abandon+project+over+climate+change+rules/11770408/story.html?__lsa=57c9-6d92">proponents</a> of one of B.C.'s largest proposed LNG plants and now are claiming Trudeau's new environmental policies could derail that project.<br />
<br />
Cancellation of some LNG projects in B.C. no doubt would be welcomed by many environmental activists and some First Nations activists too but it would be a bitter loss to many other business and financial interests and of course it would be a huge political football to be kicked around in next year's B.C. election too. But for the global climate the impact would be negligible or minimal either way.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Climate smokescreens world-war threats </h3>
<br />
Nonetheless the dominance of the climate issue as a political priority is expected to be highlighted in the somewhat-rare three-day state visit to Washington D.C. that Trudeau is making at the invitation of Obama but really that will be a smokescreen to the reality that many other problem issues are more pressing and unaddressable such as the wars in the Middle East, the coming break-up of Europe and break-downs of some members, global financial deflation, spreading diseases and droughts and over-plundering of the oceans and you fill in anything you think I missed.<br />
<br />
Really what Obama and Trudeau will be doing for a few days is feeding the mainstream media with easy content and offering soothing words to placate the many eco-maniacs who have become convinced that the climate is crashing faster than the economy is - which is a highly debatable paradigm despite some militant environmentalists such as David Suzuki saying that jailing should be the punishment for anyone who dares to deny the gospel dogma that only massive immediate changes in human social, communal, political and economic behaviours can avert a climate crisis.<br />
<br />
It's true that the precautionary principle teaches that it would be prudent to reduce polluting effects of human behaviour, but the cost-benefits of such things as say pre-building dykes around Richmond should be weighed against the cost-benefits of doing other things such as say building new housing for mental patients who became homeless due to a former B.C. government's heartless closure and non-replacement of its Riverview sanitorium facility.<br />
<br />
Here in B.C. we sometimes hear calls for the immediate closure and tear-down of the <b>Burrard Thermal Generating Station</b> in Port Moody which was built in 1962 and when used burns large volumes of natural gas to drive turbines that produce large volumes of electricity for Greater Vancouver and the whole B.C. power grid as well as help "shape" B.C. power exports to the U.S. so those exports will earn higher prices.<br />
<br />
Environmental extremists of course believe that emissions from such plants are major contributors to global warming but that's not wholly true because other power plants are much worse than Burrard, especially the thousands of coal-fired power plants in China, many burning dirty coal, and the hundreds more thermal generating stations now coming on stream in China for many years ahead despite that country having recently promised to cap its carbon emissions by 2030.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Burrard plant provides power backup </h3>
<br />
Meanwhile the Burrard power plant provides excellent security of power for the four million or so B.C.ers who now depend on a handful of very long power transmission lines from hydroelectric generating stations in far northern and eastern B.C. locations - lines that are highly vulnerable to damage from earthquakes, ice-storms and other interruptions such as due to human actions from target-shooters taking out insulators to terrorists blowing out footings (both of which have already happened). Not to mention the threats from computer hackers.<br />
<br />
So shutting down the Burrard Generating Station would be akin to the folly of shutting down the Riverview sanitorium - we might need it some day! Badly!! But nonetheless the well-meaning but naive eco-militants want it torn down. And some bureaucratic bean-counters wanting to save a thimbleful of money in the contingent-liabilities footnote of the B.C. budget are now supporting them. Shame.<br />
<br />
My main point is that making progress on climate issues is a good thing but the campaign and plans to do so do not need to be done in a panic but instead can and should be done in a reasoned and sensible manner that prioritizes the worst threats and uses the others to gradually shift from negative to positive effects.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Vancouver's sewage is an asset </h3>
<br />
A good example can be seen in Metro Vancouver's growing challenge to deal with its sewage, the amount of which is growing with the population and soon will exceed the capacity of existing treatment plants. Obviously new plants will be needed, but where and what type?<br />
<br />
My suggestion is that a new facility be built near the existing Iona outfall on the southwest side of Vancouver and in the outflow of the north arm of the Fraser River, very near Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and also near the narrowest part of Georgia Strait.<br />
<br />
So not only could we build a sewage treatment plant to not only capture the methane and other flammable gases from the sewage but also to process it in a way that could make it a useable fuel for a new ferry crossing that would connect a new dock near YVR to a new dock on nearby Gabriola Island, which can easily be connected to Vancouver Island via a small pair of bridges via Bligh Island on the west side of Gabriola.<br />
<br />
The crossing would be shorter and thus faster and the ferry or ferries could be designed to maximize space for trucks and foot passengers, thus easing pressures on other terminals.<br />
<br />
That's a good win-win idea regardless of what fuel would be used, even low-grade Bunker C, but it would be even better if it used waste fuel from a nearby source.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Dauncey book offers innovations </h3>
<br />
But there could be many other examples of new technologies like that, more than a few of which are cited in <b>Guy Dauncey</b>'s optimistic new book titled <b>Journey To The Future: A Better World Is Possible</b>, published by Agio and discussed in an interview Dauncey did with me on my TV show<b> Talk About </b>on <b>Shaw TV North Island</b> viewable <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7UrDe3Sc-Y">here</a> and more information is at www.journeytothefuture.ca and www.earthfuture.com .<br />
<br />
While Dauncey like many others believes that climate change is a problem needing to be addressed urgently and strongly he's also a pragmatist who believes new solutions can be found to lots of old problems, with expansion of "public banking" being one of about 500 innovations and "co-operative self-organization" and "syntropy" being key concepts in a new paradigm.<br />
<br />
The book imagines a young man time-travelling to Vancouver, the world's greenest city, in 2032 and learning about the many good things they're doing, such as urban agriculture and energy conservation but also many social, economic and political reforms.<br />
<br />
That's all good stuff, but how urgent is it?<br />
<br />
<h3>
CO<span style="font-size: x-small;">2</span> levels are still miniscule </h3>
<br />
The current fixation is on CO2 which is rising and supposedly passing the tipping point of 400 parts per billion but another way to express that is that the trace levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in the last few decades have gone from about 0.035% to 0.040% which is obviously not a cataclysm and still far below levels in previous Earth ages, and to some extent the increase may also be a benefit insofar as more carbon in a warmer atmosphere helps plants grow bigger faster.<br />
<br />
Now we know other compounds such as water and methane are greenhouse gases worse than CO2 for trapping heat in the atmosphere and yes of course human activities contribute too such as with aerosols but really is a bit of warming such a bad thing? A lot depends on which region you're in but in my opinion overall it's a benefit, so far, such as warmer weather reducing winter heating bills here in coastal B.C.<br />
<br />
Ocean acidification from higher CO2? Yes maybe that will prove to be a serious problem but so far I'm not convinced it's the crisis some zealots are so quick to claim it is.<br />
<br />
And anyway just how much of climate change is due to human impacts and how much is due to natural cycles and other variations? Some people claim the science is settled on that but I'm not one of them.<br />
<br />
People who want to denigrate humanity and deny there is a creator are quick to blame human greed for environmental changes but there still are many other natural forces that modern science is only now beginning to study, such as variations in sunspots and solar flairs, subtle shifts in planet Earth's tilt, wobble and oval orbit, and probably other things we do not yet comprehend.<br />
<br />
I expect we all will learn more about such things in the years ahead, and if there does become apparent a need for more urgent actions then we will still have the time and resources to do so, but meanwhile the so-called climate crisis is dwarfed by humanity's social, political and economic problems even though many political leaders would rather have us focus on the climate smokescreens.<br />
<br />
<br />
So should we panic about carbon emissions? Should we obsess over political theatrics? Should we retreat into spiritual nihilism? Or should we do what we can to improve what we can and gain the wisdom to live with the things we cannot fix?<br />
<br />
Probably the correct answer is to do whatever we can to make better the things that can be improved, not get too stressed about things beyond our control and seek the wisdom needed to know the differences.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />John Twigghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18209883575318239876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3099462618137613612.post-58325778750473495552016-03-04T16:22:00.004-08:002016-03-04T16:27:01.009-08:00Analysis of Romney vs Trump vs Hillary Clinton<h4 class="date-header">
</h4>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="7133188029110334296"></a>
<br />
<div class="post-header">
</div>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">An odyssey to who knows where</span></h2>
<br />
<b>By John Twigg </b><br />
<br />
Near the end of the movie <b>Apocalypse Now</b>, the Colonel Kurtz
character played by Marlon Brando is heard to utter the phrase "The
horror, the horror..." as he is about to be assassinated with a machete
by a secret service agent played by Martin Sheen prior to the American
Air Force fire-bombing the rebel refuge community Kurtz had built in the
Cambodian jungle after abandoning the American side in the Vietnam war.<br />
<br />
The movie directed by Francis Ford Coppola and released in 1979 is
reputed to be one of the greatest films ever made and it still resonates
with meaning; ostensibly it's a remake of the Joseph Conrad novel Heart
of Darkness but it's also a metaphor for the predicament facing all of
humanity, namely that billions of people could soon be burned alive in a
nuclear world war and environmental cataclysm.<br />
<br />
The growing imminence of that predicament is epitomized in the
sensational war of words yesterday (March 3) between Republican
Presidential hopeful <b>Donald Trump</b> and former Republican candidate <b>Mitt Romney</b>, in which Romney gave a 17-minute special <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhfdF9bA-lg">speech</a>
in which he alleged that an election of Trump would be a disaster
because he's so dishonest, corrupt, impulsive and ignorant that his
actions as President could trigger a nuclear war and threaten the fate
of all humanity (which is my interpretation of his gist).<br />
<br />
Then Trump <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lybr4EPkZRE">replied</a>
with a series of dismissive insults of Romney, that he's a lightweight
loser not worth listening to and a hypocrite because (as Trump alleged)
Romney previously was so desperate to get Trump's endorsement and money
that Romney would have gotten down on his knees and presumably performed
fellatio on Trump in order to get it [if you go to see a video of it
you can scroll around to find or avoid that passage, and a wire story
summary of it all is at the bottom of this file].<br />
<br />
Can public discourse on live national television get any worse than
that? Well maybe yes, because the real scandals behind it all could be
even worse [think of the Pickton pig farm], though the mainstream news
media were soon turning their attention to other items such as the news
that police may have found O.J. Simpson's murder weapon. [You can see
echoes of that media distraction technique in B.C. politics in how SPCA
news popped up three times in recent weeks including on the day after
the new B.C. budget was released.]<br />
<br />
Romney claimed in his speech that if Trump wins the nomination then <b>Hillary Clinton</b>,
the likely nominee of the Democratic Party, will more easily win the
Presidential election
(in November) and Romney said that would be a disaster because she too
is too unethical (to choose one word to summarize a litany of details)
and that she as President generally would be a danger to the country and
the world.<br />
<br />
But then it occurred to me that that is exactly how this global cabal of money-changers works!<br />
<br />
They really don't care who wins the next U.S. Presidential election
because both top choices are already their captives!! [Which is a
syndrome we've also seen in Canadian politics prior to the last
election.]<br />
<br />
Indeed it's quite possible that the outfit behind Hillary, <b>Serco</b>,
is helping to engineer Trump's win of the Republican nomination so that
she can more assuredly become President because she would win almost by
default! [Big money investing in vote-splitting and other such
dirty-trick ploys like misleading robocalls have been seen in B.C. and
Canadian politics too.]<br />
<br />
But if Trump does win the Presidency that would still be okay for Serco
because Trump's businesses also are in Serco's network (e.g. hotels and
casinos) and anyway Serco's many tentacles are so strong and
far-reaching that it/they probably can control events even if a hostile
person got elected President.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Serco the unknown silent giant</h3>
Serco? If you've never heard of them that's just the way they like, but
they're huge; they began modestly as a public-sector services contractor
in the United Kingdom but they soon became privatized and diversified
and entrenched all around the world, controlling entities such as
prisons and airport control towers, and they are now closely allied with
the big money financial houses in first London and now New York.<br />
<br />
Their empire reaches back to the founding of disaster insurance and
fire-fighting forces against arson in the dark ages and they went global
at the beginning of the 1800s when Great Britain established naval
bases, trade routes, Colonial Offices and trading houses all around the
world (of which HSBC Hongkong and Shanghai Bank was one of the first and
their outpost in British Columbia in 1849 was their last), eventually
all becoming parts of the British Commonwealth.<br />
<br />
They were and still are arguably the most powerful cabal in the world,
stronger than the Italian, Chicago and other mafias (which
Serco-connected entities may occasionally work with), stronger than the
Roman Catholic church - and stronger even than the U.S. government
inside which they have many cells of power right up to the Oval Office
(notably via the Small Business (8A) Administration).<br />
<br />
If you Google "Serco" or at least read the Wikipedia summary <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serco">here</a> you will find a seemingly innocuous service provider but for a more fulsome exposee of Serco you should see and search the <b>Abel Danger</b> website <a href="http://www.abeldanger.net/">http://www.abeldanger.net/</a>
and scroll through the archives section in the lower right which
contain numerous references to how Serco and its major shareholders and
other associated players including Trump and the Clintons have
engineered or participated in and/or benefited from a series of events
and calamities including 9/11 [their uninterruptible autopilots steered
the planes], MH370 [it went to Diego Garcia!], Katrina [they sabotaged
the dykes], Deepwater Horizon [they sabotaged the drill rig] and many
more (especially see newsletter issues 2605, 2581 and 2568).<br />
<br />
For a list of Serco's subsidiaries watch this video which was posted recently by an American political activist:<br />
<div class="qtdSeparateBR" dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457069142272_2964">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncj9tg1WD1I" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457069142272_3006">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncj9tg1WD1I</a></div>
<div class="qtdSeparateBR" dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457069142272_2964">
(note that exiting this video may not return you to this site)<br />
<br /></div>
The music behind that video is the song <b>My Own Prison</b> by the famous alt-rock group <b>Creed</b>, for which the full-length original music video from 1997 can be viewed <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBBqjGd3fHQ">here</a> and has these lyrics:<br />
<br />
<b>"My Own Prison"</b><br />
A court is in session, a verdict is in<br />
<div>
No appeal on the docket today<br />
Just my own sin<br />
The walls are cold and pale<br />
The cage made of steel<br />
Screams fill the room<br />
Alone I drop and kneel<br />
Silence now the sound<br />
My breath the only motion around<br />
Demons cluttering around<br />
My face showing no emotion<br />
Shackled by my sentence<br />
Expecting no return<br />
Here there is no penance<br />
My skin begins to burn<br />
<br />
(And I said oh) So I held my head up high<br />
Hiding hate that burns inside<br />
Which only fuels their selfish pride<br />
(And I said oh) We're held captive<br />
Out from the sun<br />
A sun that shines on only some<br />
We the meek are all in one<br />
<br />
I hear a thunder in the distance<br />
See a vision of a cross<br />
I feel the pain that was given<br />
On that sad day of loss<br />
A lion roars in the darkness<br />
Only he holds the key<br />
A light to free me from my burden<br />
And grant me life eternally<br />
<br />
Should have been dead<br />
On a Sunday morning<br />
Banging my head<br />
No time for mourning<br />
Ain't got no time<br />
<br />
(And I said oh) So I held my head up high<br />
Hiding hate that burns inside<br />
Which only fuels their selfish pride<br />
(And I said oh) We're held captive<br />
Out from the sun<br />
A sun that shines on only some<br />
We the meek are all in one<br />
<br />
<i>[Guitar break]</i><br />
<br />
I cry out to God<br />
Seeking only his decision<br />
Gabriel stands and confirms<br />
I've created my own prison<br />
I cry out to God<br />
Seeking only his decision<br />
Gabriel stands and confirms<br />
I've created my own prison<br />
<br />
(And I said oh) So I held my head up high<br />
Hiding hate that burns inside<br />
Which only fuels their selfish pride<br />
(And I said oh) We're held captive<br />
Out from the sun<br />
A sun that shines on only some<br />
We the meek are all in one<br />
<br />
(And I said oh) So I held my head up high<br />
Hiding hate that burns inside<br />
Which only fuels their selfish pride<br />
(And I said oh) We're held captive<br />
Out from the sun<br />
A sun that shines on only some<br />
We the meek are all in one<br />
<br />
Should've been dead on a Sunday morning<br />
banging my head<br />
No time for mourning<br />
Ain't got no time
</div>
<br />
<br />
It should be evident even to someone with only a rudimentary awareness
of The Holy Bible that those lyrics are Bible-based, such as the
references to the cross and the angel Gabriel, and certainly the
singer/songwriter is writing about facing his own demons, but the lyrics
overall could also be <b>a metaphor for how all of humanity is facing the choices presented in the Bible</b>,
which is suggested by the lines about a lion roaring (Amos 3:8) and a
light delivering eternal life, amongst several others including the
appeals to God.<br />
<br />
Yes I am well aware that many people dislike being presented with
evidences from the Bible but really the examples are becoming so obvious
now - with the prospect of Donald Trump getting his hands on the
nuclear missile codes - that the warnings about that in the Bible should
not be dismissed. [No I am not suggesting that Trump personally is in
Bible prophecy, only that the human predicament that he's a growing part
of is in there clearly and that that predicament includes a foolish
(Anglophone) nation becoming controlled by greedy false leaders who tell
people with itching ears the things they want to hear.]<br />
<br />
And the notion that Hillary would be a better choice actually could be
even more dangerous than Trump would be because the track records that
she and husband Bill Clinton have had in office are truly dreadful, with
sexcapades, murders, bribes, lies, military failures (Benghazi),
security failures (using an insecure private email server as Secretary
of State), social and economic failures and worse: a Google search of
"Bill and Hillary Clinton corruption" turns up hundreds of hits
including many articles in reputable mainstream publications.<br />
<br />
The evil deeds done by this Serco-Wall Street et al cabal could even include the murder of <b>JonBenet Ramsey</b>,
which I believe may have been done or at least aided and abetted by
convicted Canadian serial sex murderer Col. Russell Williams who at the
time of JonBenet's murder in 1996 could have been piloting the annual
NORAD Santa Claus jet flight that originates in Ottawa and terminates in
Boulder, Colo. - so he had the break-in skills and sex-pervert motives
and maybe the opportunity.<br />
<br />
Anyway, the Trump-Clinton conundrum doesn't look like it will be going
away anytime soon, and so nor will the world's financial, economic and
political dangers, which BTW dwarf the environmental concerns.<br />
<br />
<h3>
European Union in spreading disarray</h3>
We see a good example of that now in Europe where the head of the
European Union held a news event in Greece to tell migrants from the
Middle East to just stay home, implying they are merely economic
migrants and not refugees from war and religious persecutions.<br />
<br />
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“I want to appeal to all potential illegal economic migrants, wherever
you are from — do not come to Europe,” European Council president Donald
Tusk said in Athens. “Do not risk your lives and your money. It is all
for nothing. Greece, (and) any other European country, will no longer be
a transit country.”
<br />
<br />
Though North Americans generally don't see or hear a lot of what is
going in Europe, those who do follow such things as debt structures,
unemployment and social unrest know the European Union is a ticking time
bomb waiting to explode.<br />
<br />
One of the more urgent and imminent challenges to the EU's future will
be a referendum on June 23 in the United Kingdom about whether they
should stay in or leave the union, but even if the UK stays in the EU it
quite likely will deconstruct after the next elections for the German
parliament (Bundestag) which will take place no sooner than Aug. 27 and
no later than Oct. 22 but in any case probably will see the ouster of
Angela Merkel as Chancellor because she and her colleagues have badly
mishandled the sudden mass in-migration of more than a million Muslims
and others from the Middle East and North Africa. <br />
<br />
Meanwhile in Rome the Vatican was fending off more charges of failing to
act on old allegations of systemic child sex abuse, in which Cardinal
George Pell gave video-link
testimony to an Australian Royal Commission
investigating how the Catholic Church and other institutions mishandled
abuse of children over many decades - a phenomenon also seen in Canada
and only now beginning to be addressed.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Movies help tell the story </h3>
</div>
</div>
The prevalence of that problem also is seen in the recent Hollywood
Oscars awards in which the best picture was deemed to be the movie <b>Spotlight</b>, which follows the Boston Globe "Spotlight" team's investigation of widespread and systemic <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_abuse_scandal_in_the_Catholic_archdiocese_of_Boston" title="Sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic archdiocese of Boston">child sex abuse in the Boston area</a> by numerous <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholic" title="Roman Catholic">Roman Catholic</a> priests.<br />
<br />
Coincidentally I happened to catch a screening of the new movie <b>Risen</b>,
which is a Bible-based epic about a Roman soldier's search for the body
of Jesus following His crucifixion and resurrection, which is presented
quite effectively and accurately even though it was a relatively
low-budget effort filmed in Spain and Malta. If you get a chance to see
it, you should because it offers some important insights into the basic
plausibility of the whole Bible story, which again I stress involves all
of mankind facing a terrible crisis in the end times unless they
repent, which repentance is quite unlikely given the politics of Trump
vs. Clinton et al, so the fall-back position is to make defensive plans
for survivalism in British Columbia and Canada.<br />
<br />
And if you still doubt that a crisis of corruption is coming, you probably should see another movie opening soon called <b>Money Monster</b>, starring George Clooney and Julia Roberts and directed by Jody Foster, which from its promotional trailer <a href="https://www.google.ca/?gws_rd=cr&ei=EwvaVqWJOILcjAOOyJD4BQ#q=money+monster+trailer">here</a> appears to be a look at the corruption inherent behind the doors of Wall Street. A profile from Hollywood Reporter can be seen <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/george-clooney-julia-roberts-take-855210">here</a> prior to its May 13 release. <br />
<br />
Yes folks, whether you like it or not, this period we are in is - as Jim Morrison of The Doors sang and wrote - The End.<br />
<br />
It's a period mentioned hundreds of times in the Bible, from the
beginning in Genesis 6:13 ("the end of all flesh") through Matthew 24:14
("and then shall the end come") to the literal end in Revelation 22:13
("I am ... the beginning and the end").<br />
<br />
Or as the famous Chinese curse says, "May you live in interesting times." <br />
<br />
--------<br />
<br />
Below is reprinted for background use only <br />
<ul class="art-meta">
<li>4 Mar 2016 The Vancouver Sun</li>
<li>MICHAEL C. BENDER AND JENNIFER OLDHAM</li>
<li>BLOOMBERG
with files from The Associated Press</li>
</ul>
<h3>
Trump and Romney exchange tirades
</h3>
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<h4>
Clash between front-runner, former candidate shows widening Republican rift</h4>
<div class="art-annotation">
“I could’ve said, ‘Mitt, drop to your knees ,’ he would have dropped to his knees.<br />
DONALD TRUMP REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE</div>
<br />
WASHINGTON — Attacked by the previous Republican nominee for president
as a vulgar, sexually debased bully unfit for the presidency, Donald
Trump responded hours later with a furious string of insults.<br />
<span class="art-object art-mainimage" id="artObjectWrap" style="height: 28.8em;"><i> </i></span></div>
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<span class="art-object art-mainimage" id="artObjectWrap" style="height: 28.8em;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><i> </i></a></span><span class="art-imagetext">Speaking
Thursday at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, former Republican
nominee Mitt Romney says if Republicans choose Donald Trump as their
nominee, ‘the prospects for a safe and prosperous future are greatly
diminished.’</span>
The billionaire front-runner called Mitt Romney a “failed candidate” who
“let us down” after running a “horrible campaign,” and also recalled
meeting with Romney during the U.S. presidential campaign four years
ago. He said Romney begged for his backing.
<br />
“I could’ve said, ‘Mitt, drop to your knees,’ he would have dropped to
his knees,” Trump said at a rally in Maine on Thursday, adding, “If
somebody hits me, I’m going to hit them back harder.”
<br />
Indeed, Romney’s extraordinary broadside was a hard hit, too.
<br />
“Let me put it plainly, if we Republicans choose Donald Trump as our
nominee, the prospects for a safe and prosperous future are greatly
diminished,” Romney said Thursday in Salt Lake City. “Dishonesty is
Donald Trump’s hallmark.”
<br />
Calling Trump a bully who is motivated by greed, Romney asked voters to
imagine their children and grandchildren acting like the outspoken
former TV reality show host.
<br />
Romney said Trump’s plan to let Russia lead the fight against the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant was “the most ridiculous and
dangerous idea of the entire campaign season,” and urged voters to back
any other candidate they believed had the best chance of beating the New
York businessman.
<br />
“If Donald Trump’s plans were ever implemented, the country would sink into a prolonged recession,” Romney said.
<br />
Romney’s speech at the University of Utah comes as many in the party
fear that Trump can essentially end the contest if he pulls out
victories in Ohio and Florida, two large, battleground states that hold
primaries on March 15.
<br />
Romney offered a litany of reasons Trump would be bad for the U.S.:
Trump’s tariffs would touch off a trade war and kill export jobs; his
tax plan would balloon the deficit and national debt; and his plans
overall “would be very bad for American workers and for American
families.
<br />
“After all, this is an individual who mocked a disabled reporter, who
attributed a reporter’s questions to her menstrual cycle, who mocked a
brilliant rival (over) her appearance, who bragged about his marital
affairs, and who laces his public speeches with vulgarity,” Romney said.
<br />
“There is dark irony in his boasts of his sexual exploits during the
Vietnam War while (Arizona Sen.) John McCain, whom he has mocked, was
imprisoned and tortured.”
<br />
Nick Clayson, 21, was one of hundreds of people who lined up two hours early to hear Romney speak.
<br />
“One of the most disgusting things to me is (Trump’s) refusal to
denounce the KKK,” said Clayson, a political science student at Utah
State University and registered Republican. “That’s a huge issue for me.
If it came down to Clinton or Trump I would want a third-party
candidate to enter the race.”
</div>
<div class="art-layout-b" id="testArtCol_b">
Others in the queue flew in from out of town.
<br />
“For the first time in my life I might vote for a Democrat if it
comes down to Trump,” said Rachel Walston, 37, a financial adviser from
North Carolina and registered Republican.
<br />
As the party’s 2012 nominee, Romney is the most significant figure
in an intensifying effort from the Republican establishment to take
down Trump after his primary victories Tuesday, the single biggest day
of voting in the Republican race.
<br />
Romney said he was not announcing his own candidacy and would not endorse any single candidate.
<br />
Instead, he named all three of Trump’s remaining rivals: Florida
Sen. Marco Rubio, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich
<br />
The back-and-forth between Romney and Trump created the spectacle
of the Republican party’s identity crisis playing out in full view.
Trump can rightly say his unorthodox candidacy has brought new voters to
the polls for the primaries, attracted to his tough talk and promise to
“make America great again.”
<br />
Romney is viewed as a protector of a Republican establishment that
many of Trump’s voters would say has lost touch with their day-to-day
concerns. Romney’s own run against U.S. President Barack Obama in 2012
failed, in part, because Romney was painted as a wealthy elitist who
benefited from Wall Street ways — the very thing voters in both parties
are rebelling against this year.
<br />
Romney wasn’t alone Thursday in attacking Trump. Dozens of
conservative national security experts warned that Trump was unfit to be
commander in chief.
<br />
Former Homeland Security secretary Michael Chertoff and more than
70 others called Trump’s “embrace of the expansive use of torture”
inexcusable. They also object to what they say is Trump’s “hateful,
anti-Muslim rhetoric.”
<br />
Meanwhile, former Republican candidate Chris Christie, who has
thrown his support behind Trump, defended his shellshocked expression as
he stood behind the Republican frontrunner on Super Tuesday.
<br />
“No, I wasn’t being held hostage. No, I wasn’t sitting up there
thinking, ‘Oh, my God, what have I done?’ ” Christie said Thursday in
New Jersey. “I don’t know what I was supposed to be doing. All these
armchair psychiatrists should give it a break.”
<br />
Despite Trump’s strong showing Tuesday, he was not yet on track to
claim the nomination before the party’s national gathering. He has won
46 per cent of the delegates awarded so far, and he would have to
increase that to 51 per cent in the remaining primaries.
<br />
Trump has 316 delegates so far, Texas Sen. Cruz 226 and Florida
Sen. Rubio, 106. It takes 1,237 delegates to win the party nomination.
<br />
On the Democratic side, Clinton was drawing broad support from voters and her party’s leaders.
<br />
Rival Bernie Sanders vowed to keep up the fight, though his path
to the nomination has narrowed. So far, Clinton has at least 1,005
delegates, Sanders 373. It takes 2,383 Democratic delegates to win.
</div>
</div>
John Twigghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18209883575318239876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3099462618137613612.post-90698683622090705282016-03-02T13:35:00.000-08:002016-03-03T11:24:58.230-08:00Republican contest update<h2>
Carson suspends leadership bid</h2>
<br />
<b>By John Twigg</b><br />
<br />
Though Republican Presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson said he would stay in the contest to the end, on the day after Super Tuesday he's now changing his tune.<br />
<br />
Carson failed to emerge as a force in the voting in 11 states and so this morning (March 2) he announced he was "suspending" his campaign and would not participate in a forthcoming leadership debate.<br />
<br />
That falls short of withdrawing and leaves open the possibility of some kind of draft but as Carson himself noted he now sees no path to victory.<br />
<br />
That's a shame because as I noted in the previous blog he (viewable below) has a lot of admirable qualities and was developing an attractive platform, but he lacks charisma and chutzpah and thus is a marked contrast to front-runner Donald Trump, who clearly won the night and now has about 60 per cent of the delegates chosen so far.<br />
<br />
Now it appears the Republican Party old guard are marshalling their forces for a final stop-Trump coalition since neither Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, John Kasich or Carson showed any signs of serious momentum, and longtime party stalwart and former nominee Mitt Romney was planning to make a major statement about the future of the party.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile pundits were remarking on Trump's new tone, somewhat more measured and even moderate; he even was claiming to be a unifier though clearly many of his supporters see him as an outsider challenging the hegemony of the GOP's entrenched insiders.<br />
<br />
On the Democrat side Hillary Clinton was a big winner even though rival Bernie Sanders won in four states; she slyly turned her attacks towards Trump as if to show it's already a two-way contest between her and Trump, a contest she and others including many Republicans believe she could win.<br />
<br />
As my blog yesterday pointed out, either one could become a disaster for world affairs. If you haven't read that blog yet please do so now by scrolling down to it.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile Bernie Sanders is staying in the chase and the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/sanders-clinton-white-voters_us">upcoming state contests </a>look good for him because they're almost all in states with relatively high proportions of white voters. John Twigghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18209883575318239876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3099462618137613612.post-89631208597460267182016-03-01T19:02:00.002-08:002016-03-01T19:08:36.755-08:00Global outlook scary <h2>
Soaring debt bodes ill for all</h2>
<br />
<b>By John Twigg</b><br />
<br />
It's "Super Tuesday" in the U.S.A. today and that's a good opportunity to take a glimpse of where we're at regarding the security of British Columbia in an increasingly turbulent world.<br />
<br />
Does it really matter who wins the nominations for the Democratic and Republican parties? Well of course it does, because the various candidates have such a wide range of policy platforms and other orientations, even some extremist ones of both left and right, but on the other hand it may be too late for any new President to first save the U.S. from another financial crash and/or second to save the world from a third world war that if or when it happens is likely to fulfill the prophecies of Armageddon.<br />
<br />
Many liberal-minded people of course are increasingly panicked by the prospects of billionaire <b>Donald Trump</b> winning the Republican nomination and then becoming President because he is such a loose cannon both verbally and literally that he is quite likely to go to war militarily, but on the other hand he's a populist who probably would do some good things too such as trying to stop all the crime that's entering from Mexico and trying to slow the spread of ISIS out of Iran but it's unlikely he would clean up Wall Street.<br />
<br />
But let's remember that the U.S.A. is a tri-cameral democracy with lots of checks and balances so even a Trump Presidency would be somewhat constrained. Indeed the U.S. may now be ungovernable, especially given how so many state and local governments have become dysfunctional and overly indebted.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile many conservative-minded people are fearful that Democrat <b>Hillary Clinton</b> could win her party's nomination and go on to be a formidable campaigner even against populist Trump, and if she won that contest she could prove to be an even greater terror because she'd probably be able to control and cajole Congress and of course she'd be beholden to the financial moguls of Wall Street and other influence-peddlars who have <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.php?cid=N00000019&cycle=Career">donated</a> literally billions of dollars to her various past campaigns and appear to be doing so <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/11/19/the-top-20-donors-who-have-given-the-most-to-support-hillary-clintons-political-runs/">again </a>.<br />
<br />
While critics are quick to criticize Trump's rather thin list of policy changes he'd make, Clinton has been getting a free pass from the liberal media on the many scary things she might try to do too, such as pandering to trade unions and expanding quotas for minorities, but what she will not do is clean up Wall Street and nor would she get around to properly investigating the mounting evidence that it was not only a cabal of crazy jihadis who pulled off such an intricate and massive scam as 9/11 (as is evident from the list of parties who enabled and benefitted from the 9/11 event, notably defendants in some corporate crime cases who saw their cases abandoned in the ashes of pulled-down WTC-7).<br />
<br />
Indeed a Trump versus Clinton election campaign later this year would be quite entertaining for the media and pundits, selling lots of ads on TV news and maybe even help sell a few extra newspapers and magazines, but for political scientists and other well-meaning players it would be a nightmare of extremes with perhaps no one emerging as a real winner.<br />
<br />
In fact while this was being written Trump let loose with a devastating smash at Clinton, alleging she's too weak to negotiate with the Chinese and anyway her corrupt past actions should disqualify her from running.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Sanders, Carson both viable alternatives</h3>
Ironically both the Democrat and Republican parties have at least one candidate each who appear to be honest, smart and likely to govern well in the broad public interest if they were to get a chance, which is one reason why I and many others will be closely watching the results of Super Tuesday and subsequent delegate-selection meetings.<br />
<br />
For the Democrats, <b>Bernie Sanders</b> is a great hope, a genuinely <a href="http://www.biography.com/people/bernie-sanders">likeable guy</a> who's also an anti-war activist, long-time independent and self-described democratic socialist. Even though he'll turn 75 in September he appears to have enough <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Sanders">energy</a> and populist money to run a strong campaign.<br />
<br />
For the Republicans, <b>Dr. Ben Carson</b> also is a great hope, a retired <a href="http://www.biography.com/people/ben-carson-475422">neurosurgeon</a> who rose from the depths of poverty to become a highly-regarded author and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Carson">community leader</a> with a lengthy and detailed list of policy platforms. He will turn 65 in September and meanwhile has been working hard to get up to speed on policy areas such as foreign affairs.<br />
<br />
Though Carson, a Bible-reading Christian, is at only 10% among Republicans he is promising to stay in the contest until the end, which he explained in an eloquent <a href="https://www.bencarson.com/news/news-updates/why-i-intend-to-stay-in-the-gop-presidential-race-fox-news">essay</a> for Fox news that is available via his website <a href="https://www.bencarson.com/">https://www.bencarson.com/</a> , and thus might emerge as the best alternative to Trump, which could be a lucky spot for him or anyone to be in if or when Trump self-destructs. <br />
<br />
If neither Sanders nor Carson emerges from the primaries as a viable candidate the odds increase that an independent candidate will come forward as a moderate, particularly popular former New York City mayor <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/michael-bloomberg-mulling-run-for-president-as-an-independent-1453568255">Michael Bloomberg</a> who at age 73 apparently also still has plenty of energy to run and like Trump he's an independently-wealthy billionaire and so not as beholden to influence-buyers as the Clintons are (who have become merely multi-millionaires from speaking fees and other <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/02/29/clinton-foundation-discloses-40-million-in-wall-street-donations/">kickbacks</a> to their <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/301235528/CF-Finance-Donors-Table">Foundation</a> ).<br />
<br />
<h3>
Mounting debt problem </h3>
However it may not matter who wins the race to become the next POTUS because the U.S. has such mounting debt and many other structural problems such as underfunded pension plans and chronic inner-city crime, not to mention all the graft and corruption, that it may already be beyond repair. <br />
<br />
Indeed the various <a href="https://www.google.ca/search?q=U.S.+debt+graphs&biw=1183&bih=634&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjGqN6r1KDLAhUC32MKHajcBVcQsAQIJQ&dpr=1">graphs</a> of U.S. indebtedness show an alarmingly steep jump in recent years regardless of whether it's gross or net debt or percentage of GNP. <br />
<br />
This year the <a href="http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/federal_debt_chart.html">Federal debt</a> will increase by more than $1 trillion to $19.4 trillion, an amount so large it is beyond comprehension<br />
<br />
As the usgovernmentspending.com website notes, "Viewed as percent of GDP the increase in federal debt is not so startling. But federal debt
has still increased from 60 percent of GDP to over 100 percent of GDP in ten years." <br />
<br />
As bad as the Americans' situation is, the recent shifts in exchange rates suggest that conditions are even worse in almost all other countries, such as China trying to use exchange controls to limit its capital outflows (as rich insiders race to grab real estate in safe havens like Vancouver), Japan resorting to negative interest rates and Europe such a mess of contradictory impulses that Germany is being over-run with migrants and the United Kingdom will soon vote on whether to stay in or leave the European Union, with France, Spain, Italy and Greece all hamstrung by mounting deficits and debt.<br />
<br />
And then of course there's the war in the Middle East, temporarily in a peace pause in Syria but riven with revolts and religious clashes in dozens of other countries from Pakistan to Libya - all with Russian President Vladimir Putin entrenching his military bases in Crimea and Syria.<br />
<br />
As a column in the Gold-Eagle Newsletter recently <a href="http://news.gold-eagle.com/article/exponential-craziness-almost-seems-normal/76">observed</a>, we are witnessing "exponential craziness" including the sharp rise in the U.S. debt.<br />
<br />
Or as awarding-winning investment analyst <b>Mark Leibovit</b> told Michael Campbell on Money Talks on CKNW on Jan. 30 this year, "We're dealing with rigged markets worldwide." The item is no longer on CKNW's audio vault but it can be found <a href="http://moneytalks.net/article-and-commentary/michael-campbell/mikes-interview-of-the-week.html">here</a> by going to the Jan. 30 editorial and scrolling to 12:30 .<br />
<br />
While that brief interview didn't get into too much detail about just how the world's investment markets are "rigged" it is unfortunately fairly well-known by lots of smart people like Bloomberg and the backers of Hillary Clinton and yes probably Donald Trump too, who has learned well how to use the bankruptcy laws.<br />
<br />
But it's not only the cabals of very large private financial institutions that rig things and use super-fast computerized trading programs to profit from massive trades in currencies and commodities, it's also the privately-controlled central banks that manipulate money supplies and interest rates - with little or none of it to the advantage of small-fry players.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Global conspiracies abound</h3>
Indeed there are global conspiracies even beyond the scope of James Bond movies like Spectre, in which cabals of wealthy and vested interests use systematic blackmail and other ploys to manipulate public policy and who/which enrich themselves by betting on the outcomes of murderous conspiracies, several of which are alleged on the website <a href="http://www.abeldanger.net/">www.AbelDanger.net</a> .<br />
<br />
A frequent tactic is to entrap targetted figures in cooked-up sex scandals, which is how French banker Dominique Strauss-Kahn was ousted. As Wikipedia reports, "At the time of the alleged attack, Strauss-Kahn was the head of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Monetary_Fund" title="International Monetary Fund">International Monetary Fund</a> (IMF) and considered to be a leading candidate for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_presidential_election,_2012" title="French presidential election, 2012">2012 French Presidency</a>.
Four days after his arrest, he voluntarily resigned his post at the
IMF. There was widespread speculation in France after his arrest that he
was the victim of a <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspiracy_%28crime%29" title="Conspiracy (crime)">conspiracy</a>."<br />
<br />
One of the more amazing theories of who did 9/11 and how is detailed in a recent issue of <b>Abel Danger</b>'s newsletter viewable <a href="http://www.abeldanger.net/2016/03/2608-sliney-herndon-and-trump-shat.html">here</a> - which is especially interesting because it alleges that both the Clinton and Trump camps were in some ways complicit! However many others may have been more involved.<br />
<br />
I am of course well aware that many people, even regular readers of my columns, are dismissive of any and all conspiracy theories and especially of such seemingly outlandish ones, but like a voice crying in the wilderness I hereby warn you to not dismiss something you haven't fully researched yourself. I've been following the works of these folks, <b>David Hawkins</b> and <b>Field McConnell</b>, for about 20 years now so I know they rarely get their facts wrong and have never been successfully sued for libel. Further info <a href="http://www.abeldanger.net/2010/01/source-hawkscafe.html">here</a> . <br />
<br />
And now I'll take a step even further and point out that 9/11 is well described in several Bible prophecies, notably Revelation 18, especially verses 16 to 19:<br />
<br />
Revelation 18<br />
<a href="http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Revelation-18-16/" title="View more info for Revelation 18:16"><span class="versehover" id="18">16 </span></a>And
saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen,
and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and
pearls!<br />
<div class="highlight">
<a href="http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Revelation-18-17/" title="View more info for Revelation 18:17"><span class="versehover" id="19">17 </span></a>For
in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster,
and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea,
stood afar off,</div>
<a href="http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Revelation-18-18/" title="View more info for Revelation 18:18"><span class="versehover" id="20">18 </span></a>And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What <i>city is</i> like unto this great city!<br />
<a href="http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Revelation-18-19/" title="View more info for Revelation 18:19"><span class="versehover" id="21">19 </span></a>And
they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying,
Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships
in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made
desolate.<br />
<br />
How could something written 2,000 years ago be so accurately prescient? Certainly not by random chance.<br />
<br />
And that's not all! An even older explanation of why it happened can be seen in Daniel 9:11 (the Israelites abandoned God's commandments) and another allusion to it is in Amos 7:9 ("the high places of Isaac shall be desolate"). [It helps to understand that if you realize the Americans and other Anglophones are the main modern-day inheritors of the birthright promises made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob/Israel in Genesis 48:16.] <br />
And finally (at least for this list) the whole situation is summarized again in Amos 9:9-11 [notice the numbers!] which say:<br />
<br />
Amos 9 <br />
<div class="highlight">
<a href="http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Amos-9-9/" title="View more info for Amos 9:9"><span class="versehover" id="11">9 </span></a>For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as <i>corn</i> is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.</div>
<a href="http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Amos-9-10/" title="View more info for Amos 9:10"><span class="versehover" id="12">10 </span></a>All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.<br />
<a href="http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Amos-9-11/" title="View more info for Amos 9:11"><span class="versehover" id="13">11 </span></a>In
that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and
close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will
build it as in the days of old:<br />
<br />
<h3>
B.C. should boost self-sufficiency </h3>
So in that troubled milieu the best thing British Columbia can do (after repenting towards God and accepting Jesus as saviour) is to enhance its self-sufficiency in central and essential goods and services and provincial social stability - regardless of whether or not each person chooses to accept or reject the Bible stuff (and by the way The Bible teaches that each human has the gift of free will, including the right to be irreligious, although The Bible suggests that could have negative consequences in the long run!).<br />
<br />
For B.C. that should include a revival of "public banking" or in other words restarting the Bank of B.C. and enabling it to issue a currency that would enable citizens to maintain commercial activities even if or when the madness of the world leads to a wave of financial and economic and currency collapses and a renewed rise of wars which are so clearly foretold in Ezekiel 38 and 39, Daniel 9 and 11 [there's those numbers again!] and Revelation 9, 11, 12, 13 and 16 ("Armageddon") - among many other scriptures, of course.<br />
<br />
But there's so much else that B.C. could and should do but so far isn't, which has been discussed in previous issues of this blog and will be discussed anew in months ahead leading to the truly pivotal election of 2017. <br />
<br />
As this was being finished it was looking like a good night for Donald Trump, who was promising to stop Nabisco from moving to Mexico and stop other corporations from moving elsewhere by lowering taxes, and to make Apple return its manufacturing from China, and he was doing so in a quite calm and reasoned manner.<br />
<br />
It also was a strong night for Hillary Clinton who gave a rhetoric-laden speech that used all the best buzz words to pander to all the lefty cliques, even hypocritically promising to "hold accountable all the people and corporations who rip off taxpayers" - but some of the also-rans in both parties also won enough votes to maybe stay around a while longer.<br />
<br />
But now it's looking like the world will face a months-long war of words between Trump and Clinton, one of whom probably will become President.<br />
<br />
God help us. And God bless British Columbia with peace, order and good government.<br />
<br />John Twigghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18209883575318239876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3099462618137613612.post-18224045269829182862016-02-23T02:01:00.000-08:002016-03-03T11:21:23.175-08:00B.C. budget reveals a tawdry mess<i>BC Budget analysis #2</i><br />
<h2>
B.C. budget intended to cover up govt's ugly scandals</h2>
<br />
<b>By John Twigg</b><br />
<br />
It took a while but now the word is getting out about exactly what was in the B.C. government's latest budget, namely a bunch of ploys designed mainly to help the <b>B.C. Liberal Party</b> regime get re-elected and only minimally to help more people live better lives.<br />
<br />
Some outrages against some budget moves arose towards the end of last week and over the weekend, as groups with negative impacts went public about them (e.g. handicapped people losing free bus passes) and more came out this week as the leading pundits and Opposition politicians put the many flaws in the budget into a clear pattern, namely that the government was saying one thing while doing another, giving with one hand while taking with the other, doing far too much fiddling around with phony funds and various other fiscal gimmicks, and generally doing dis-services to the broad public interest.<br />
<br />
One of the best critiques of the parsimonious inequalities in the budget was by <b>Paul Willcocks</b> on the Tyee on Feb. 19, viewable <a href="http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2016/02/19/Christy-Clark-Inequality-Budget/">here</a> . <br />
<br />
Sun columnist <b>Vaughn Palmer</b> skewered the government on Saturday (Feb. 20) for how it is deferring action on a series of issues until pre-election time next year, viewable <a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Vaughn+Palmer+budget+work+progress/11731737/story.html?__lsa=5cd2-eabf">here</a> .<br />
<br />
Another good overview of the budget's moves was by the Tyee's <b>Andrew MacLeod</b>, who on Feb. 19 showed how low-income people in B.C. are worse off than similar people in other provinces, viewable <a href="http://thetyee.ca/News/2016/02/19/Poor-BC-Families-Pay-Twice-the-Tax/">here</a>. <br />
Also see "Disability rates won't alleviate poverty," by UVic scholar <b>Michael J. Prince</b> in the Feb. 19 Times-Colonist.<br />
<br />
A scathing and detailed analysis of that shockingly cold approach of the B.C. Liberals' government's abuse of disabled people appeared this morning on the Tyee by pundit <b>Bill Tieleman</b>, viewable <a href="http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2016/02/23/BC-Liberals-Disability-Transit-Rates/">here</a> . The gist is that tens of thousands of disabled people have been knowingly impoverished by the Campbell-Clark Liberals for about 10 years now and that this has been happening even though the province supposedly can now afford a so-called Prosperity Fund (those are my words based on Tieleman's facts and stats).<br />
<br />
And "Budget an insult to vulnerable people of B.C." by <b>Rick FitzZaland</b>, executive director of the Federation of Community Social Services of B.C., in the Times-Colonist on Feb. 20.<br />
<br />
Or "Budget shows Clark is out of touch" by NDP finance critic <b>Carole James</b> in the Vancouver Sun on Feb. 19 (adapted from her speech in the Legislature).<br />
<br />
And finally, IntegrityBC's <b>Dermod Travis</b> put out an excellent commentary that highlighted some of the billion-dollar boondoggles in the budget as well as many smaller peccadilloes. It is appended below because it has not yet been posted online. <br />
<br />
So when I declare that the latest budget from Premier <b>Christy Clark</b> is an atrociously-partisan political scam I have lots of company, and the above collection of citations could have been much longer by including Globe and Mail reporter <b>Justine Hunter</b>'s pre-budget scoop on the flim-flam <b>Prosperity Fund</b> coming back, a neat letter on the mounting gross debt from former Newfoundland Premier <b>Brian Peckford</b>, and many others. By Tuesday mid-day it was becoming a cacophony of protests, and rightly so.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
BC Liberals' budget creates pre-election slush fund </h3>
There are several ways of describing exactly what Finance Minister <b>Mike de Jong</b> did, but one gist that stood out (aided by pushes from the NDP caucus) was that most of the best tax breaks are going to the upper two per cent of income earners and precious little new money is going to low-income people of various kinds and meanwhile some $4 billion of spending power is being socked away to prepare for next year's pre-election vote-buying season.<br />
<br />
In B.C. that strategy shouldn't be a surprise to anyone because the Social Credit regimes and their successor vehicle now called B.C. Liberals have been using it since the 1950s but it still rankles those of us who see it used anew so self-servingly because really it is tawdry politics verging on a perversion of democracy.<br />
<br />
Not to worry though because those protests against that blatant pork-barrel politics probably will prove to be insufficient to derail the Liberals' fiscal flim-flam plan because Premier Clark and her colleagues will monopolize the news agendas with diversions and in other ways minimize the times she and her cabinet colleagues have to answer any really tough questions about the despicable ethics and blatant abuses of power exemplified in the budget.<br />
<br />
But it gets worse: those ploys are being done to try to keep a lid on perhaps dozens of billion-dollar scandals and horrific cases of mismanagement, incompetence and perhaps even misfeasance in a variety of industries, business venues and social service areas as well as pending lawsuits - several of which I cited in the previous issue of this blog and more which I'll detail below.<br />
<br />
<h3>
SPCA event was deliberate smokescreen of budget scams </h3>
<br />
That smokescreen strategy was crystal clear on Monday morning (Feb. 22) when Clark pulled off a classic media diversion ploy: going to the SPCA shelter in Vancouver to announce a crackdown on breeders of dogs and cats, which was the third time this month that SPCA-related news has entered the political news, which suggests it was intended to do so, and of course it gave Clark an excuse to not make it over to Victoria in time to participate in that day's question period and thus saved her from having to face some sharpened barbs from New Democratic Party leader John Horgan and other NDP critics - a job that was left to Deputy Premier Rich Coleman, who arrogantly sloughed the questions off as mere nonsense from a party that merely says no to all progress.<br />
<br />
Clark avowed that "irresponsible breeders are not welcome in British Columbia" - as if saving a few dozen cats and dogs is more important than taking bus passes away from special-needs people, and as if coming down hard on a few dozen animal breeders is more important than say getting the Health Ministry to clamp down on slum landlords renting out hundreds or thousands of bug-infested SROs.<br />
<br />
Sure enough the SPCA event gave the mainstream news media some video and audio clips to use in their newscasts and Clark was saved from answering more important questions in the legislature such as how she could justify plunking $100 million of play money into a badly-misnamed <b>Prosperity Fund</b>. (It began as a repository for revenues from liquefied natural gas projects but since no plants have begun they have tried to save some face by filling it with revenue from an increase in Medical Service Plan premiums aka taxes.)<br />
<br />
Some readers may scoff that a government would go to such lengths to manipulate media messaging but in fact the Clark Liberals government is spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year on "communications" and the central strategy agency [which ironically I urged the creation of when I was Premier Dave Barrett's press secretary from 1972 to 1975] alone spends about $35 million a year on such things, according to the report below by Integrity BC's Dermod Travis.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Federal election used to smokescreen damning report on child death </h3>
<br />
And now this morning we have new graphic proof of how Premier Clark uses that agency to control the news that the B.C. government releases each day and thus also what the mainstream media consumes and regurgitates in larger or lesser amounts, thanks to another scoop exposee from independent journalist Bob Mackin [@BobMakcin] in today's online Tyee, as I thus Tweeted:<br />
<br />
Media manip in <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23bcpoli" role="presentation"><s>#</s>bcpoli</a> Fedelxn used to smokescreen report on BC govt negligence in a child-in-care death <a class="twitter-timeline-link" href="http://bit.ly/1WGP9qf" role="presentation">http://bit.ly/1WGP9qf</a> <a class="twitter-atreply pretty-link" href="https://twitter.com/bobmackin" role="presentation"><s>@</s>bobmackin</a> <br />
<br />
Or as the Tyee's photo caption put it, "The BC government took months to prepare
its response to a report on the 2013 death of Paige Gauchier, finally
releasing it at 3 p.m. on Oct. 19 -- election day."<br />
<br />
An excerpt from the Tyee story and a link to the full version is appended at the bottom of this blog; it contains the names of contents of emails between government communications staffers which clearly show that the smokescreen was designed in the Premier's Office.<br />
<br />
Needless to say, Child and Youth Representative <b>Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond</b> was livid to hear that news and talked about it with talkshow host Simi Sara, a copy of which was rerun shortly after 10:30 a.m. and can be heard via CKNW's audio-vault archives.<br />
<br />
Listen especially to NW's news report at 10:00 a.m., Jill Bennett and Gord Macdonald discussing it at 10:05 a.m. and then the interview with Turpel-Lafond after 10:30 at http://www.cknw.com/audio-vault/ . It is or should be a shocking indictment of the governing Liberals even worthy of their removal from office.<br />
<br />
And when Children and Family Development Minister Stephanie Cadieux declined a previous commitment to discuss the matter on-air at 1:10 p.m. the station re-ran the Turpel-Lafond remarks and excerpts of Cadieux in today's Question Period.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Clark decries new book from Willie Pickton</h3>
Back at the SPCA event, the Premier did take a few questions from the media at the animal shelter but none of the questions struck home about her basic and generally poor stewardship of many many government files, such as say the huge cost overruns and operating losses on the Port Mann bridge, the massive overruns on bungled information technology projects, and many other boondoggles.<br />
<br />
Instead the top story out of the event became her responses to the stunning news that convicted serial murderer <b>Robert Willie Pickton</b> had managed to secretly write a book in Kent Prison near Agassiz and smuggle it out to a writer and publisher in the U.S. whereupon it was posted for sale on Amazon, on both Canada and U.S. versions, until public outrage and political comments by Clark and federal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale more or less bullied Amazon into taking it down - a de facto censorship of a legal act that while emotionally understandable is nonetheless another dangerous step towards state censorship.<br />
<br />
"I don't understand why anyone would want to buy the book," said Clark, ironically standing behind a lectern with the words "Respect Animals, Prevent Abuse" on it while she either ignorantly or knowingly overlooked the reported gist of the 144-page book, namely Pickton's shocking allegations that he was really being scapegoated alone for things other people had participated in.<br />
<br />
Oh?<br />
<br />
<br />
That's a really really weird coincidence, at least to me, because only a few days before in my Daily Twigg blog I had lamented that among the budget's failings was yet another failure to fund a proper investigation of the many scams going on in and around this (and other) governments, such as failing to extract the full truth behind the misnamed Truth and Reconciliation Commission and <u><b>failing to investigate who else must have been at least aware of Willie Pickton's sordid activities</b></u> since he claimed to have murdered some 49 women, far too many to have acted alone and many of whom fit one typology: drug-addicted prostitutes whose bodies were disposed of by being fed to pigs - but he was convicted on only six cases.<br />
<br />
And then suddenly Willie puts out a book about that very thing? I had no idea it was coming. And then the governments rush to successfully suppress it the same day, aided by a storm of outrage in the mainstream media, said fury fueled by feelings from such as Clark that it would be truly heinous for anyone to profit from such a book, and that that loophole allowing prisoners to write things should be closed as fast as possible.<br />
<br />
<br />
A motive of Profit? From selling a few thousand copies of a 144-page book written by a near-illiterate simpleton?? By a guy who was a millionaire landowner facing a lifetime in jail and having no kids? I don't think so.<br />
<br />
No, profit is not the issue or motive here, and nor is the issue the new emotional hurts inflicted on hundreds of relatives and thousands of other people whose hearts bleed whether the victims are real people caught in the sex and drug trades or merely animals locked in cages.<br />
<br />
No, the real story should have been that Willie Pickton is revealing or at least alleging anew - in a book text I have not read yet - that there were collaborators and other knowing participants in his awful unlawful machinations, and that some of the participants may have been high-up people, even politicians and other publicans.<br />
<br />
Indeed the gist of rumours about the so-called pig farm is that influential people from various fields of interest were invited to attend parties at <b>Piggy's Palace</b>, a converted barn in Port Coquitlam, which at least initially was ostensibly a healthy happy part of a charity supporting sports teams, with great dances to live bands, but once visitors got there or maybe went back there for a second or third time then some of those influential people may have been entrapped with photos taken in compromising situations in side rooms, and then maybe they were blackmailed, such as with threats to inform a spouse or maybe to spread some word that the victim had just eaten some pork that came from a pig that had eaten human flesh....<br />
<br />
In fact questions about the Pickton story have persisted long after Willie was jailed and even have become part of repeated allegations on the <b>Abel Danger website</b> that he and/or Piggy's Palace may have been part of an international conspiracy in which implications of gross sexual depravities are routinely used to coerce politicians and other powerful people such as bankers into doing the bidding of powerful interests; the most recent of dozens of Abel Danger posts to mention that alleged pig farm connection can be seen <a href="http://www.abeldanger.net/2016/01/2574-serco-resilient-long-range-loan.html">here</a> .<br />
<br />
Why hasn't the B.C. government taken further steps to probe the circumstances behind that horror? That's a good but unanswered question.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Oppal inquiry failed to find full story behind Pickton murders</h3>
Which politicians or publicans may have been entrapped and compromised in that? A proper inquiry might find out, but it would have to be an inquiry better than the sham run by former judge and former Liberal politician <b>Wally Oppal</b> for then-Premier <b>Gordon Campbell</b> that reportedly was hampered by a narrow terms of reference that prevented Oppal from looking into activities when the same Gordon Campbell was chair of the Vancouver Police Commission when it was assumed to be unlikely that some serial killer was behind a then-growing string of missing-women cases in the Downtown Eastside. Oppal's report is viewable <a href="http://www.missingwomeninquiry.ca/obtain-report/">here</a> . Campbell now is Canada's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, a position he obtained after the Clark regime broke the rules and hastily awarded him an Order of B.C. medal. <br />
<br />
The problems in Vancouver's low-end sex trade and its possible association with the Pickton pig farm is an ugly topic that mainstream media hate to touch, partly because it runs up their bills for legal opinions, but it's also a topic that Premier Christy Clark clearly does not want to pry open either. <br />
<br />
Why not? Well because it could lead to even worse scenarios, such as that the missing and murdered women associated with the Pickton pig farm and Piggy's Palace also could be related to the missing and murdered indigenous women along B.C.'s Highway of Tears that the B.C. Liberals also have been covering up for years and even related to the soon-coming federal inquiry into <b>Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women</b> soon to be launched by the federal Liberal government under Prime Minister <b>Justin Trudeau</b> and supervised by new Justice Minister <b>Jody Wilson-Raybould</b>, a lawyer and B.C. First Nations woman who for now at least seems to be determined to at last get to the truth of the sordid matter.<br />
<h3>
Annett alleges systemic coverup of crimes against humans</h3>
How sordid is it? One of the leading experts of that is <b>Kevin Annett</b>, a former Anglican minister in Port Alberni who encountered evidence of such wrong-doing first hand, found more in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside and then nationally, and undertook what is now a 20-years-long international campaign for justice, which has brought him death threats, vilification and few plaudits - though his imminent publication of two new books covering the whole saga could change some opinions - assuming the mainstream media and other forces don't censor and ban his books the way they've just done to Pickton.<br />
<br />
When Annett heard about the new Willie Pickton book he was moved to write a damning indictment of the continuing coverups in the former federal Conservative government's mis-named Truth and Reconciliation Commission and before that the Oppal inquiry, a copy of which can be read at <a href="http://kevinannett.com/">http://kevinannett.com/ </a>.<br />
Annett quite rightly argues that the issue is not whether Pickton should be allowed to publish and/or profit from prison but it is that Pickton is alleging his actions were part of a conspiracy that should be exposed.<br />
<br />
<h3>
B.C. sex and human abuse crimes part of global financial conspiracies?</h3>
<br />
Sadly the conspiracy theories about systemic sex and drug abuses of mainly aboriginal women in B.C. are accompanied by allegations and evidence of unpunished and uninvestigated conspiracies of many other sorts, such as the pernicious drug trades and ethnic gang crimes in Metro Vancouver, the systemic tax-avoidance in multi-million-dollar real estate flipping scams, the lax supervision and sweetheart support of various resource industries that give kickback donations to the B.C. Liberals, the giveaways of assets to global capitalists such as Campbell's giveaway of BC Rail, the chronic budget overruns on megaprojects and endemic kickbacks to friends and insiders of the governing party, the rising influence of lobbyists, the papering-over of scandals, the manipulations of the media . . . and more.<br />
<br />
One particularly suspicious case involves the English family's large waterfront <b>Pacific Rim Resort</b> property near Tofino, which former owner John (Jack) English is alleging in court was partially and possibly wholly stolen from him by agents allegedly working surreptitiously for B.C. Investment Management Corp., the huge public-sector pensions manager based in Victoria that now owns part of the property through a subsidiary, as well as allegedly agents of B.C. Hydro and other government officials, who may have been assisting the B.C. government to obtain the property at below-market value for land-claims and treaty settlements and/or to become part of a regional tourism strategy.<br />
<br />
The case has some of the earmarks of other B.C. scandals, including arson, sabotage, intimidation and allegedly attempted murders, and it too has been featured in the Abel Danger postings. A summary of English's claims can be seen <a href="http://cuabcimc.blogspot.ca/">here</a> at http://cuabcimc.blogspot.ca/ .<br />
<br />
Even larger is the alleged "<b>water war crimes</b>" conspiracy put forth by former lawyer <b>John Carten</b> at the www.waterwarcrimes.com <a href="http://www.waterwarcrimes.com/">website</a>. He has acted for some water export proponents and
notably filed a US$10.5-billion damages suit against the province on
behalf of an American proponent, Sun Belt Water, whose Canadian partner
won a modest payout from former NDP Premier Glen Clark's government
while the U.S. partner got nothing. Carten, who also has since become a
personal friend of the writer, also alleges that government lawyers
abused the Family Maintenance Enforcement Program and the Law Society of B.C. in order to hamper his
legal work and end his career as an active lawyer because he had reported and continued to report instances of lawyer fraud and judicial misconduct related to the Sun Belt Water case to the police and other authorities. <br />
<br />
<br />
One of the most notable water cases involves a 30-year battle by <b>Rain Coast Water Corp.</b> of West Vancouver, previously called Aquasource Ltd. and incorporated in 1983 as Coast Mountain Aquasource Ltd., one of the original bidders for B.C. water export licenses in the 1980s. Its trial began in October 2012 in B.C. Supreme Court before Mr. Justice Peter Leask, with the company alleging that the B.C. government wrongfully impaired its ability to do business, and the company seeking damages that so far have not been quantified. Written submissions were completed in June 2015.<br />
<br />
It's especially interesting from a political perspective because it has involved a number of political figures including former premier <b>Bill Vander Zalm</b> as a defendant, but especially insofar as they include two of Clark's most key advisers, longtime lobbyist and political strategist <b>Patrick Kinsella</b> who aided the leading rival water export company [he is neither a defendant or participant in the Rain Coast case], and longtime government lawyer <b>Doug Eastwood</b> who at times defended the government in the Rain Coast case - and both Kinsella and Eastwood, who worked together on B.C.'s role in the 2010 Winter Olympics, were co-chairs of Christy Clark's leadership campaign, after which she appointed Eastwood to head B.C.'s Justice Institute. <br />
<br />
The water cases and all the other political machinations would make you wonder if B.C. is some tin-pot dictatorship in Central America or Africa, but no: this is supposedly beautiful British Columbia.<br />
<br />
Yes the landscapes are awesome, and the natural resources are still great albeit threatened, but the politics stink, and the incumbent provincial government is showing no signs of wanting to do a genuine cleanup.<br />
The cynicism in its latest budget proves that is true. <br />
<br />
So will Christy Clark admit that her regime has been a disastrous grand deceit and repent before the next election? Or will she suddenly resign like Gordon Campbell and Bill Bennett did before they were likely to be defeated and let someone else with cleaner hands and a fresher image take over?<br />
<br />
Or will she push forward with bravado, chutzpah and a many-million-dollars-worth media campaign using taxpayer dollars that will snow the voters once again and condemn B.C. to four more years of bad government?<br />
<br />
We'll see. Other politicians have resigned for less disgraces. And we didn't even mention the many peccadilloes involving her various present and former aides.<br />
<br />
--------------------<br />
<h2>
<b></b></h2>
<h2>
<b>One hand giveth...</b></h2>
Feb. 22, 2016<br />
<div>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">By
Dermod Travis</span></span></b></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> Petty.
One word that springs to mind after last week's B.C. budget. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> At
best, it's a lip service budget. Tweak here, tweak there, but devoid
of any real purpose.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> To
be sure, some were tossed a chicken wing.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> But
you can almost hear the minions in the backroom: “just make sure it
doesn't cost us anything, the rubes will never catch on.”</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> Make
believe money for the most hurting. One minute it's there, then poof.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> After
the canned budgetary spin, there's a host of other insights worth
sharing from last week's fiscal plan.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> Since
2010/11 – Premier Christy Clark's inheritance year – total
government revenue is up $7.4 billion or 18.15 per cent, nearly twice
the rate of inflation. Average weekly earnings in B.C. are up 11.4
per cent.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> In
the “other revenue” category – things such as tuition fees and
motor vehicle licences – the government has pencilled in $3.4
billion, an increase of $793 million over 2010/11 or $170 more per
capita.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> Six-years
ago, B.C. Hydro coughed up $591 million. In 2016/17, $692 million or
$52 more per household. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> In
2001, the B.C. Liberal party promised to “stop the expansion of
gambling that has increased gambling addiction and put new strains on
families.”</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> That
was back when provincial revenue from the B.C. Lottery Corporation
was $444 million. This year: $1.2 billion.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> In
the white elephant department: the Transportation Investment
Corporation (TIC) continues to bleed red ink. TIC operates the Port
Mann bridge and not particularly well.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> Its
losses have overshot forecasts by 67 per cent and now total $442
million. They're estimated at a further $207 million for 2017 and
2018. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> All
in, that's enough to buy three fast ferries.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> How
one government's boondoggle excuses another government's boondoggle
remains a mystery to this day.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> TIC's
debt stands at $3.4 billion, more than the government's original $3
billion estimate for the entire Gateway plan, which included a $300
million contingency fund.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> And
the government is at it again.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> The
opening bid on the proposed Massey Tunnel replacement is $3.5 billion
and that's for a bridge one-kilometer longer than the Port Mann.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> They
say, practice makes perfect.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> Not
all departments were left to scrounge petty cash. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> In
the political spin department, the Communications and Public
Engagement Office's budget is up 43.3 per cent over 2010/11 to $37.9
million</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> Perhaps
health minister Dr. Terry Lake can explain that one to 82-year-old
Francis Flann who had to recover from cancer surgery in a homeless
shelter this month.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The office's overall budget isn't the only
thing that's gone up in the spin cycle. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">In 2010/11, Gordon
Campbell’s press secretary made $80,153. Last year, Clark's took
home $108,655, a difference of 35.5 per cent.</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> Likely
wasn't a stress-free job in Campbell's final year either. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> The
Ministry of Natural Gas Development is on track to spending $2.58
billion (2013/14 to 2018/19). Natural gas royalties are on track to
bring in $1.65 billion over the same period.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> Prosperity,
B.C. is just around the bend.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> On
January 1, MSP premiums rose 4.1 per cent. In the first 9 months of
2015, the average hourly wage in B.C. fell 5.0 per cent. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> Even
with the government's so-called premium relief, total MSP premium
revenue is set to increase $124 million this year to $2.55 billion.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> Back
in 2010/11, it brought in $1.79 billion. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> Going
into the budget, 800,000 residents paid “no premiums at all,”
according to the government's talking point on the issue dating to
2011.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> No
word yet on how many more won't be paying as a result of the
government's plan to reduce the impact of MSP premiums, while
increasing total revenue by $124 million over last year.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> The
government did issue a news release last week targeting seniors with
the question “Medical Services Plan premium assistance: Do you
qualify?”</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> Here's
a wild idea: instead of a news release, how about getting information
to every senior in B.C. that qualifies? Revenue Canada can help in
that regard.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">But then that might blow a hole in the budget.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> One
company makes money out of B.C.'s health care system. Since 2010/11,
US-based MAXIMUS has billed the government $307 million to administer
MSP services. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> Its
CEO – Richard Montoni – made $6.2 million US last year. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> B.C.
may have some of Canada's lowest tax burdens for high-income earners,
not so much for the poor or middle-class.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> According
to the budget, a single individual earning $80,000 in B.C. pays
$7,828 in provincial taxes. In Alberta, they would pay $8,106,
Ontario ($12,354) and Quebec ($19,911).</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"> A two-income family of four
earning $30,000 in B.C. pays $2,687. In Alberta, it would be $871,
Ontario ($2,381) and Quebec ($650).</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> God
help them if they get a $1 raise, because the full MSP hit will
kick-in.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> Like
any government that just increased the budget for its
communications's office, it's expected they'll do inter-provincial
tax comparisons most favourable to their political spin. Other
provinces do the same.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> So
let's see how B.C. stacks up in Manitoba's analysis. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> A
single-parent earning $30,000 would have paid $802 in provincial
taxes last year in B.C. In Alberta, they would have received $329
from the government, in Ontario paid $31 and in Quebec they'd get
back $2,071.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> A
two-income family of five earning $75,000 would have paid $4,409 in
B.C., Alberta ($460), Ontario ($3,577) and Quebec ($7,161).</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> At
least British Columbians can take comfort in the knowledge that
there's $100 million sitting doing nothing in B.C.'s newfangled
Prosperity Fund.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> Back
in 2013, when the idea was announced, Clark's advisor –
Pamela Martin – tweeted: "what would you do with a trillion
dollars? A Once-in-a-generation bonanza (sic).”</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> Only
$999 billion, 900 million more to find out.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Dermod
Travis is the executive director of IntegrityBC. <a href="http://www.integritybc.ca/">www.integritybc.ca</a></span></span><br />
<br />
----------<br />
<br />
<h3 class="title">
How the Premier's Office Buried a Scandal on Federal Election Day</h3>
<div class="tagline">
<b>Clark's office pushed to release response to young woman's death on day of vote.</b></div>
<div class="tagline">
<br /></div>
<div class="meta">
By <a class="contrib-link" href="http://thetyee.ca/Bios/Bob_Mackin/" title="Bio page for Bob Mackin">Bob Mackin</a>, Today,
TheTyee.ca</div>
<div class="meta">
<br /></div>
<div class="photo-caption" style="width: 300px;">
When the B.C. government
released its response to a damning report on the death of a young woman
who grew up in government care on federal election day, it was clear
someone wanted the news buried.</div>
The Tyee has learned the direction came
from the premier's office, which overruled ministry communications staff
who wanted to release the report before or after election day.<br />
Children and Youth Representative Mary
Ellen Turpel-Lafond's report on the life and death of Paige Gauchier
shocked British Columbians. The title -- "Paige's Story: Abuse,
Indifference and a Young Life Discarded" -- summed up her scathing
findings.<br />
full version at http://thetyee.ca/News/2016/02/23/BC-Premier-Office-Buried-Scandal/
<br />
<div class="block block-article_related">
<div class="block-inner">
<h2 class="title">
<img alt="Related" src="http://thetyee.ca/ui/img/hdr_relatedtyeestories.png" height="8" width="156" /></h2>
<div class="content">
<ul>
<li>
<h3>
<a href="http://thetyee.ca/News/2015/10/21/Horgan-Child-Services/">Horgan Responds to Child Ministry's Election Day Announcement</a></h3>
NDP leader welcomes improvements to at-risk youth care, questions timing.<br />
</li>
<li>
<h3>
<a href="http://thetyee.ca/News/2015/10/20/BC-Child-Services-Improvement-Plan/">BC Gov't Plan to Improve Child Services 'Huge': Watchdog</a></h3>
Ministry responds to scathing report on death of 19-year-old Paige.<br />
</li>
<li>
<h3>
<a href="http://thetyee.ca/News/2015/05/30/Paige-Story-Who-Checks-When-Students-Check-Out/">Paige's Story: Who Checks In When Students Check Out? </a></h3>
Children's watchdog finds BC school attendance policies lack teeth. <br />
</li>
<li>Read more: <a href="http://thetyee.ca/Topic/BC-Politics/">BC Politics</a> </li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
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John Twigghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18209883575318239876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3099462618137613612.post-76804228011246171692016-02-19T16:13:00.000-08:002016-02-19T16:13:11.711-08:00B.C. budget analysis<h2>
Budget merely a ploy for preserving the hegemony of power</h2>
<br />
<b>By John Twigg</b><br />
<br />
It took me longer than I had hoped and when I finally did fully figure out what is going on in the latest provincial budget from <b>B.C. Liberal Party Premier Christy Clark</b> I was all the more disappointed because sadly it's a tawdry little tale that should have been obvious to me from the outset.<br />
To make a long story short, once again we see a self-serving political regime setting the table to help it win the next provincial election which will happen next year (on May 9, 2017), rather than fully addressing the urgent needs this year of people, communities, industries and businesses in the province.<br />
Though that pattern is time-worn, I noted in retrospect that only a few critics got it quickly and spread it from the outset and so it took a few days for that truth to set in and arguably it still has NOT been perceived yet by the vast majority of B.C. citizens, namely this truth:<br />
- the latest budget from the B.C. government (for 2016-17) is merely one more step in preserving the long hegemony of the business and moneyed classes in B.C. who unite and tolerate bad governments in order to prevent what they see as an even worse regime from ever taking power again, namely the B.C. New Democrats.<br />
The main critics who first pointed out that thesis are interesting: the first was NDP leader <b>John Horgan</b>, whose first line in reacting to the budget on Tuesday was that it shows "the Premier is in it for herself" but strangely neither he nor many of his colleagues kept pressing that line and instead they switched to criticizing specific issues or policy areas.<br />
And arguably the second was Vancouver Sun columnist <b>Vaughn Palmer</b> who ended his front-page column Wednesday by noting that Budget 2016-17 "will carry the Liberals into the next provincial election" because it "socked away about $4 billion in forecast allowances, contingencies and projected surpluses .... (as) a way of funding election promises . . . .", - a theme that neither he nor his colleagues kept pressing.<br />
To be fair some other pundits and critics did also quickly pick up on that cynical partisan theme, notably media mavens <b>Keith Baldrey </b>and <b>Mike Smyth</b> and tough-minded NDP MLAs <b>Norm Macdonald</b> and <b>David Eby</b>, but generally the public did not see or hear the main central idea that the latest B.C. budget overall is merely yet another self-serving sham by political opportunists masquerading as do-gooders moreso than it is a budget actually doing good, and that their basic motive really is to do whatever it takes simply to keep the socialists out of office (which seems to be a global phenomenon lo these many years too).<br />
That point also was stated sharply by <b>Green Party leader Andrew Weaver</b> when he finally got to speak in the House on Thursday and noted the Clark government "says whatever it takes to get
through lunchtime."<br />
Certainly there is ample evidence in the budget that that is what the Clark Liberals mainly are doing in their latest budget, creating illusions of giving new money now to worthy and needy causes while in fact withholding aid so that it will have more such money to deliver next year.<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Budget gives and takes back </b></span></h3>
On budget day there was an amusing example of that cited by Palmer in which Finance Minister <b>Mike de Jong </b>apparently was unaware that his supposed gift of $70 million to families no longer being required to pay <b>Medical Services Plan</b> "premiums" for children was in fact dwarfed by premium rate increases generating $147 million.<br />
So in the MSP case the government gives with one hand and takes even more away with the other hand.<br />
Another example that only became evident on this Friday morning is the changes in <b>bus passes</b> for persons with disabilities: those PWDs are getting an "extra" $77 a month under de Jong's budget but meanwhile they also are losing their free bus passes worth some $60 a month.<br />
I don't know the full cost of those line items (probably in a range similar to the MSP example) but what really matters is the pattern: the government is being both deceitful and parsimonious. And worse, it is doing so for partisan political purposes: to create a scenario in which they will be better able to steal another improbable win in the next provincial election.<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>BC Liberals win despite flaws </b></span></h3>
Improbable? Yes, because the Clark Liberal regime like the Gordon Campbell Liberal regime before it has been a poor government when it comes to actually fairly delivering programs and services to people in so many areas, from underfunded health, education and social-program services to overly-generous incentives for so-called free-enterprise pursuits involving very large investments by very rich and powerful players in the economy, many of whom donate multi millions of dollars towards keeping the Liberals in power, or let me rephrase that: keeping the New Democrats out of power.<br />
In other words, mental patients lose bus passes while very large private-sector consulting firms keep getting contracts into the billions of dollars (think Site C for LNG) and more than a few of which go badly awry at costs in hundreds of millions of dollars.<br />
But on top of that mismanagement, the Clark Liberals regime like the Campbell one before it also has been touched by some personal scandals, though so far they have been remarkably successful at containing the damage and suppressing the outrage in mainstream media.<br />
Though the government's many mis-steps would seemingly give the Horgan New Democrats lots of material to work with, for various reasons they have been reluctant or unable to do so, perhaps intimidated after MLA Rob Fleming made some libellous comments about one of Clark's closest advisors and had to apologize and eat some hefty legal bills that apparently the party paid for and not taxpayers.<br />
So far the Clark Liberals are holding on to power firmly, though of course the NDP wins in the two recent by-elections could be some kind of harbinger of change.<br />
<h3>
Clark Liberals mismanage many big files </h3>
Prime examples abound of the government's vulnerability to allegations of mismanagement such as in the government's information technology projects, some energy megaprojects (eg power lines), public facilities and highways, among others. (See the work of <b>Integrity B.C.'s Dermod Travis</b> <a href="http://www.integritybc.ca/?page_id=5696">on construction projects</a> and <a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/major+government+projects+over+budget+missing+features/11583978/story.html?__lsa=5cd2-eabf">Vancouver Sun</a> on information technology.) <br />
Yes, a majority of voting British Columbians now tend to vote for and financially support the B.C. Liberals even when it means holding your nose and looking aside not only from the blatant waste and incompetence but also overlooking deceits and dirty tricks, apparent conflicts of interest (e.g. Campbell's sale of BC Rail) and yes even overlooking more than a few cases of proven criminality.<br />
One such case that did get reported involved <b>Boss Power Corp.</b>, in which the B.C. Liberal government caused taxpayers to have to pay out $30 million in 2011 because certain Liberal politicians took some inappropriate actions against it in the run-up to an election campaign. (see <a href="http://www.integritybc.ca/?page_id=73">Integritybc.ca here</a> ) but that was relatively minor compared with numerous other cases both settled and pending.<br />
Indeed several far worse cases are alleged and pending but so far have received little or no coverage in the mainstream media nor any sympathy from Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition.<br />
<br />
For example, there is a hornet's nest of allegations and lawsuits involving alleged <b>international water conspiracies</b> that are best summarized on the www.waterwarcrimes.com <a href="http://www.waterwarcrimes.com/">website</a> put up brilliantly for many years now by <b>John Carten</b>, a former lawyer who has acted for some water export proponents and notably filed a US$10.5-billion damages suit against the province on behalf of an American proponent, Sun Belt Water, whose Canadian partner won a modest payout from former NDP Premier Glen Clark's government while the U.S. partner got nothing. Carten, who also has since become a personal friend of the writer, also alleges that government lawyers abused the Family Maintenance Enforcement Program in order to hamper his legal work and end his career as an active lawyer. <br />
But those cases are just the tip of a much-bigger iceberg of cases in which systemic wrongdoing or negligence has been or still is alleged against various wings of the B.C. government, such as the Environment employee who "went postal" and murdered some people in the Williams Lake and Kamloops offices because he felt they were shirking their public duties, or the government's alleged failure to properly inspect the safety measures in the Burns Lake sawmill in which a dust explosion and fire killed two workers.<br />
<h3>
B.C. will participate in inquiry coming on Missing Women </h3>
Unfortunately the B.C. government has a history of failing to adequately investigate its own wrongdoings or negligence, such as the Province's abject failure to this day to fully and properly <a href="http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/brian-hutchinson-on-the-pickton-inquiry-whole-story-still-untold">probe</a> the evils in, around and behind the notorious Pickton pig farm and <b>Piggy's Palace </b><a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/rcmp-was-monitoring-club-frequented-by-pickton-probe-told/article4210591/">party barn</a> in Port Coquitlam.<br />
That's unfortunate because it is rumoured that some politicians, police, lawyers and maybe even judges were attending parties there and thus perhaps being entrapped and blackmailed such as for having eaten pork from pigs that had eaten the bodies of drug-addicted prostitutes from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside (i.e. the "missing" women), and/or for having become drunk or drugged and then photographed in compromising positions, perhaps sometimes even while having sex with children.<br />
But of course we should instead believe the blandishments of former Premier Gordon Campbell who as one of his last acts appointed his political colleague and former judge Wally Oppal to conduct an inquiry but set the <a href="http://www.straight.com/article-350975/vancouver/wally-oppal-says-missing-women-commission-will-hear-community-not-robert-pickton">terms of reference</a> to exclude the time when Campbell was Mayor of Vancouver and chair of the Vancouver Police Commission and when local police <a href="http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/brian-hutchinson-on-the-pickton-inquiry-whole-story-still-untold">allegedly</a> were slow to investigate the mounting number of missing women, then around 30.<br />
<br />
More recently the Abel Danger website <a href="http://www.abeldanger.net/2016/02/2595-bernies-luddite-pimps-flew-pig.html">alleged</a> that powerful people were secretly flown in to the Fraser Valley just so they could attend and maybe watch the making of sicko porn videos sold all over the world.<br />
No doubt that all will be hard to believe even for some of my regular readers but really the scenario is quite similar to and may even become directly related to the federal government's coming inquiry into #MMIW the <b>Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women</b> in which an undetermined thousands of women and children across Canada but especially in the western provinces were kidnapped for use in sex trades and never seen again unless their bodies were found dead.<br />
The B.C. component of that, or at least part of it, became known as the <b>Highway of Tears</b>, for the perhaps dozens of mainly aboriginal women who went missing in recent years while travelling (often hitchhiking) between Prince Rupert and Prince George, but what did the Campbell and Clark Liberal regimes do about it? Virtually nothing until the federal Trudeau Liberals came along, and then B.C. merely offered a measly belated bus service they want local communities to help pay for, and now more recently they've said a few words such as in the <a href="http://engage.gov.bc.ca/thronespeech/transcript/">Throne Speech</a> promising to co-operate with the federal probe.<br />
"Your government will work with its partners in Ottawa on the Inquiry
into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and also work with local
communities and First Nations to move forward with its five point action
plan for safe transportation options along Highway 16," it said in a prime example of its double-talk. <br />
<br />
If any readers still doubt such notions, take a look at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_William_Ramsay">case</a> of former (now late) judge David William Ramsay of Prince George, who was jailed after having been found to have been having sex with young Indian girls. But if he was doing that, who was supplying the girls to him? Could it be true as hinted that there is or was a network of gangs in northern B.C. who routinely traffick children into the sicko sex trade?<br />
One would think Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition in Victoria would be clamoring for more action from the Province on such stuff but strangely it has been reticent.<br />
<h3>
Land scam alleged near Tofino </h3>
<br />
<br />
But it gets even worse, or at least larger and wider. I've also become aware of numerous other alleged perversions of justice that Carten and his colleagues have become aware of, such as the strange case of <b>John (Jack) English</b>, whose family bought a large waterfront campground south of Tofino in 1984 but then saw it allegedly usurped by dubious lawyers acting possibly in cahoots with B.C. Investment Management Corp., B.C. Hydro, provincial tourism and economic development officials and the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation who appear to have been trying to get the land so it could be given to the local Tla-o-qui-aht <a href="http://www.tla-o-qui-aht.org/">First Nation</a> as part of a land claim and treaty settlement package and part of a new regional tourism promotion strategy.<br />
That's a more or less normal business practice around B.C. nowadays, and quite similar to a property transfer <a href="http://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/huu-ay-aht-land-deal-gives-new-life-to-bamfield-1.2156655">deal</a> recently announced for Bamfield, but in the English case near Tofino it allegedly may have involved arsons, intimidations, destruction of property and/or corruptions of lawyers and other officials in and around 2010, the preliminary detailed allegations of which are summarized on a public website <a href="http://cuabcimc.blogspot.ca/">here</a> . <br />
Whether or not such and other allegations are true or false, the point is that the Clark government could and should be asked some tough questions about such things, especially in the budget process, but so far there has been no sign that such allegations of mismanagement and corruption will be raised in budget debate.<br />
<h3>
Many areas deserve more questions </h3>
In fact there are many other such areas where questions also are needed, such as in the works of Integrity BC's Dermod Travis as above, the many fine works of independent journalist <b>Bob Mackin</b>, the works of bloggers such as <b>Laila Yuille</b> and <b>Rafe Mair</b>, the Common Sense of <b>Damien Gillis</b>, and quite a few others such as blogger <b>@Norm_Farrell</b>, National Post's <b>Bruce Hutchinson</b>, and others including Georgia Straight's <b>Charlie Smith</b>, <b>TheTyee</b> website, <b>Vancouver Observer </b>etc etc.<br />
Especially important to be probed are the several resources <b>megaprojects</b> such as Site C and LNG which have such huge price tags and government stakes, several monopolistic Crown corporations and especially <b>Insurance Corp. of B.C.</b>, and various real estate developments that are being bulldozed forward over the objections of numerous interested parties from First Nations and environmental groups to economists and accountants and pundits who rightly question the projects' timing, efficacy and cost-benefits.<br />
We are of course aware that government borrowing for megaprojects and incentives for private-sector investments can be useful tools for growing the economy, and that's true too for mid-sized and smaller endeavours - especially for such good things as bolstering the local-food movement, which the Clark government spouted about in its Throne Speech, but at some point there has to be a bottom line or top end.<br />
For example, provincial incentives to the <b>film industry</b> are shooting up to about $500 million in the coming fiscal year, roughly double the level of previous years, and Premier Clark also "found" $15 million to boost the local music recording industry whose work was being poached by an Ontario tax credit - which move earned Clark some high-profile play in the media - but is that a prime priority when many other social goods and needs are going wanting, such as closures of schools and shortages of social housing?<br />
Again we don't have hard numbers at hand but what matters more is the pattern.<br />
<h3>
Family programs short-changed </h3>
There was a lot of attention given to the government's belated lift in funding for the <b>Ministry of Children and Family Development</b>, enough to hire about 100 more social workers, but did you hear of any massive new spending on child care? Or more policing in Surrey? Or transit? Not much. At least not this year, but maybe in next year's budget we'll finally see a few more sops to the truly needy, no doubt including seniors housing and maybe hopefully more and better home care too (because keeping seniors out of care facilities saves money as well as making people happier).<br />
In fact the Vancouver Sun on Wednesday had excellent reports by Tracy Sherlock and Lori Culbert on MSP and MCFD which reveal what is really an appalling situation of chronic underfunding of needs and gouging of taxpayers. While veteran political hack bureaucrat Bob Plecas called the new funding "brilliant" because it reflects some of his recent recommendations, <b>Children and Youth Representative Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond</b> said the changes were "few" and need to be implemented right away because the ministry has been suffering for years from too many "penny-wise and pound-foolish" decisions.<br />
There seems to have been a similar pattern in <b>real estate and housing</b>, in which the government tinkered with a few things to make it appear as though the government cares and is on top of things (e.g. removing the Property Purchase Tax on new houses up to $750,000 and boosting the tax from 2 to 3% on properties over $2 million) but really what it did was put on some cosmetics while leaving real estate speculators and vultures - who also tend to be strong supporters of the B.C. Liberals - free to keep doing their profiteering games (i.e. not closing the tax-evading loophole on bare-title transfers or flips).<br />
So <b>Community Living B.C</b>. got a nice $36-million "boost" in the budget to help it deal with its caseload of some 19,000 clients with mental and physical challenges, though only $12 million of that was "new" money and really it's still inadequate compared with the growing needs, particularly teenagers becoming young adults ready to leave home and adults requiring assistance losing their elderly parents.<br />
Meanwhile we know from news reports and from seeing urban streets that there are many large, serious and growing needs for better social services in B.C. but instead we are getting from the Clark Liberals some policy tweaks that are "very miserly and ill-conceived" as a caller to CKNW said this morning, adding that "people with disabilities know they're not better off" regarding the loss of free bus passes.<br />
But of course the main priority of Clark and her backers and minions is to win the next election, which means saving up cash for vote-buying measures closer to the vote.<br />
<h3>
Liberals make B.C. safe for global capital </h3>
And they're not doing that just for themselves, though the pay, perks and pensions certainly are nice enough, but they're also doing it for a higher purpose: keeping B.C. safe and hospitable for global capital.<br />
Perhaps even some of my regular readers will doubt that claim but the new budget proves it over and over, from soft and under-staffed safety and regulatory controls of resource industries to the continued open season for international speculators in B.C. real estate not only in urban housing but also in rural estates and yes even farm and ranching lands.<br />
Yes it's dangerous to diddle with property rights - legally, financially and politically - but on the other hand look at the harm being done from houses sitting vacant and driving up prices to the point that employers in Vancouver can't find workers willing to live there, or while foreign speculators ostensibly do house renovations so they can claim it as a principal residence and thereby avoid paying capital gains taxes when it's flipped. And what is the Clark regime doing? Letting the real estate industry investigate itself to see if it can find a few token bad-apple Realtors.<br />
<h3>
Many good moves should be done now </h3>
The really sad thing, at least to me and a few others, is that so much more could be done NOW to begin making British Columbia a much better place, but neither the Liberals nor the New Democrats are seriously espousing such things - such as reviving the Bank of B.C. and enabling it to issue a new currency in the gamut of forms from metal and paper to bar-code and bits - in order to help finance a massive program of economic development and job creation featuring a panoply of new industries and services, from legalized marijuana and other agriculture and food industries to bulk water exports through a single-window auction and a new ferry crossing from YVR to Gabriola, among many others.<br />
But where is the debate?? The incumbent government is doing merely the minimum to forestall a citizens revolt and really is NOT working overtime to repair a flawed and in some ways a very sick society that is rapidly getting worse.<br />
I acknowledge that most MLAs mean well, even the Liberals, but only a very few see the big picture and even fewer would admit that British Columbia is riven with systemic endemic corruption that turns a blind eye or even helps cover up blatant wrongdoings, from east-end street crimes to Howe Street scams and even some politicians and other high-level figures getting entrapped in a variety of shady places. But was there ever a proper inquiry of all that, such as what's behind the crime in Surrey? Of course not. This after all is "Beautiful British Columbia" where the politicians and bureaucrats have virtually no meangingful checks and balances.<br />
By the way, did you hear that John Horgan just shuffled his caucus critics? And so who is where now? And does it make a difference? QED.<br />
<h3>
Weaver skewers Liberal hypocrisy </h3>
I will give some credit to Green MLA <b>Andrew Weaver</b>, whose whole budget speech Thursday at about 3 p.m. is well worth reading in <a href="https://www.leg.bc.ca/documents-data/debate-transcripts/40th-parliament/5th-session/20160218pm-House-Blues">Hansard</a> , but this snippet captures the essence:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
"Despite the changes to MSP premiums
announced on Tuesday, we still have a system that doesn't work,
however, for most British Columbians. To use the Premier's words, as
the opposition did so well earlier today in question period, it's a
system that is "antiquated…old, and the way people pay for it generally
doesn't make a whole ton of sense." Those are the Premier's words. I
agree. The opposition agrees. But somehow the government doesn't agree
with itself. I'm not sure what's going on.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
"Hundreds of thousands of people in this
province are currently behind in their MSP payments. That's a ton of
bureaucracy, needlessly employed in enforcing an antiquated, old
system. That's what the Premier said. I agree. Bureaucracy — dare I say
that's red tape?</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
"Shame if it is, because of course we know
that the government doesn't like red tape and in fact has gone so far
that we now have red-tape-reduction day, making us truly a laughing
stock across Canada. Every, single person that I have actually raised
this to and mentioned that red-tape-reduction day is now on the same
par as Terry Fox Day, Holocaust Memorial Day, Douglas Day, B.C. Day and
Family Day looks at me and says: "What?" They couldn't believe it.
This government believes it, but it says whatever it takes to get
through lunchtime."</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
<br /></div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
Yes, the Christy Clark regime and the Campbell regime before it are in the habit of saying "whatever it takes to get
through lunchtime."</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
So they say one thing and do another, and because the NDP Opposition also doesn't really have its act together yet, or maybe because the NDP believe they should hold their powder until next spring, the Liberals get away with it again and again.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
So far there is still no better alternative.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
I despair for my home province, where my forebears on both sides have lived since the late 1800s.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
The world is in even far worse shape than British Columbia is in - and British Columbia is even the best-performing province in Canada right now, judging from economic growth, population migration, climate, environment and economic structures - but the global trends are truly troubling, no less than Bible prophecies coming true apace now and World War 3 looming just as predicted, and what are we doing to prepare for all that? Precious little, or virtually nothing.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
Yes other places are much much worse off, but what we have here and now in B.C. could and should be much much better.</div>
<h3 class="SpeakerContinues">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>NDP's James lamented budget gaps</b></span></h3>
NDP finance critic <b>Carole James</b> (yes she was re-appointed - who knew?) did touch on that in her response to the budget on Wednesday, in which she mainly seemed to be reading a script prepared by caucus staffers, and here's an excerpt from her ending:<br />
<br />
"I like to sometimes imagine, what it would
be like if British Columbia had a government that actually respected
and worked with the people in this province, a government that actually
took on the challenges that are facing us, a government that actually
worked to unite and not divide our province, a Premier that actually
didn't call people out when they disagreed with her, a government and a
Premier that didn't call people names when they had a difference of
opinion but actually looked and explored and listened to those
differences of opinion and tried to find common ground to benefit all
British Columbians.<br />
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
"Imagine what we would be able to do in
British Columbia if we had that kind of leadership, if we had a
government that, instead of throwing money into some kind of fantasy
fund, decided to actually support hard-working British Columbians and
that actually gave families a break as the top priority, instead of
their own political interests; a government that actually invested in
what I see as opportunity — education and training and child care,
support for the most vulnerable; a government that looked at long-term
planning, instead of one-time funding that was great for a photo op but
did nothing to actually support communities long term.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
"It's very clear from this Budget 2016 that
those actions are not part of this Liberal government agenda. They
certainly are not this government's direction. I look forward to the
day when we're able to say that we have a government that is going to
put people first once again in this province."</div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>BC-CCPA sees shortfalls</b></span></h3>
The <b>B.C. branch of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives</b> took a similar line regretting that the moves taken were too few and too small but not really suggesting some positive alternatives:<br />
"Our overall assessment of the budget, as Iglika Ivanova said in an
interview for <a href="http://www.ccpabc.ca/r?u=http%3A%2F%2Fthetyee.ca%2FNews%2F2016%2F02%2F16%2FDe-Jong-Presents-Budget-2016%2F&e=64fbb69551c661ba7ad3c99e798d9b1a&utm_source=ccpabc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=160217supporter&n=3" target="_blank" title="The Tyee re Budget 2016">The Tyee</a>, is that instead of comprehensive action
on job creation, poverty reduction, housing affordability or other
pressing issues, the government presented a collection of small,
ineffective measures that won't make much difference for most British
Columbians. For example:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>After a nine-year freeze, disability benefits are increasing by a
measly $77 a month. But as Iglika notes, "We need to have
increases that actually reflect the cost of living in our province.
Leading the country shouldn't just be in GDP growth, it should be
about how we treat the most vulnerable among us."
</li>
<li>The budget for K-12 education is practically frozen for the
next 3 years.</li>
<li>There are a few small measures on housing, but they are
entirely aimed at home buyers.</li>
<li>The government committed a small amount of funding for child
care centres, essentially ignoring the child care affordability
crisis.</li>
</ul>
Read more of Iglika's analysis here: <a href="http://www.ccpabc.ca/r?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.policynote.ca%2Fwhat-you-need-to-know-about-bc-budget-2016%2F&e=64fbb69551c661ba7ad3c99e798d9b1a&utm_source=ccpabc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=160217supporter&n=4" target="_blank" title="What you need to know
about BC Budget 2016">What you need to know about BC Budget 2016</a>, Marc
Lee's analysis of housing measures here: <a href="http://www.ccpabc.ca/r?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.policynote.ca%2Fhousing-budget-not-so-much%2F&e=64fbb69551c661ba7ad3c99e798d9b1a&utm_source=ccpabc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=160217supporter&n=5" target="_blank" title="Housing budget? Not
so much.">Housing budget? Not so much</a>, and Keith Reynold's
assessment of tax collection and spending here: <a href="http://www.ccpabc.ca/r?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.policynote.ca%2Fbudget-2016-less-money-collected-as-taxes-and-spent-on-health-and-education%2F&e=64fbb69551c661ba7ad3c99e798d9b1a&utm_source=ccpabc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=160217supporter&n=6" target="_blank" title="Less money
collected and spent">Less money collected as taxes and spent on health and
education</a>.<br />
<br />
So where's the rage against the machine? Nowhere.<br />
Maybe next year will be better.<br />
<br />John Twigghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18209883575318239876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3099462618137613612.post-77447501668970488662016-02-16T16:27:00.003-08:002016-02-16T17:19:10.648-08:00Financial squeezes apply from hockey to B.C. politics<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Squeeze on Canucks reflects squeeze in B.C. budget</b></span><br />
<b>By John Twigg</b><br />
Anyone familiar with the <b>Vancouver Canucks</b> hockey team will know these are tough times for the organization, both on and off the ice, but I wonder how many people realize a similar squeeze is being faced by the B.C. Liberal Party government in Victoria?<br />
The Canucks hit a nadir on Saturday, losing badly at home to the lowly Toronto Maple Leafs in a nationally-televised game, and then last night they lost another stinker to the Minnesota team, also one of the worst in the league.<br />
The poor performance by the Canucks on the ice is being reflected in empty seats at the rink, unheard of in years past when total sellouts were the norm in Vancouver, and it was seen on Twitter on Monday afternoon when the team had a promotion at a downtown juice stand that was giving away tickets to that night's game.<br />
The causes of the hockey team's malaise are a combination of factors from having too many aging veterans and too many raw rookies to too many players having no-trade clauses that enable them to luxuriate in Vancouver's ambience for years on end regardless of how the team does, and it did appear that some players seemed to be playing so poorly that no team would want them in the approaching trade deadline.<br />
In recent games it looked to me like coach <b>Willie Desjardins</b> was being told by management to showcase some of those weaker and/or more costly players that the team is hoping to trade away - for which the coach was excoriated by media analysts (notably in an off-camera session that inadvertantly was heard via a left-open microphone) - but the players' poor efforts seemed designed to thwart that plan too. <br />
Off-ice the team faces rising costs from several directions such as for labour and operations and player and management salaries, and especially that the low exchange rate of the Canadian dollar makes their player salary and travel costs even more burdensome.<br />
So the hockey franchise might like to be a buyer in the coming trade window but the squeeze from the business side suggests they can afford to be only a seller, quite possibly to little demand.<br />
The exception would be if the team owners, the Aquilini family, decided to invest further millions into the business to buy some better players, but one wonders whether they'll be willing to do so in the current tight fiscal and economic climate. <br />
<br />
And that difficult choice is also seen in the affairs of the B.C. government via its new budget for 2016-17.<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B.C. budget "not immune" - de Jong</b></span></h3>
As this article was first being written, the Legislature was hearing a new budget speech from Finance Minister <b>Mike de Jong</b>, and while much was expected to be made of British Columbia's relatively strong financial and economic conditions that's only in comparison to other provinces that generally are seriously struggling.<br />
Though de Jong as expected was able to pass around a few goodies from an apparent surplus of income, the reality is that the Province still cannot afford such moves as say a major attack on poverty or say the total elimination of Medical Service Plan "premiums" still regressively charged by B.C. direct to B.C. citizens whereas most other provinces use a means-tested system through income tax.<br />
"We are on track to meet our budgetary forecasts, but we are not immune from the challenges facing the world economy," de Jong said near the beginning of his speech, a preliminary transcript of which is available from B.C.'s <a href="https://www.leg.bc.ca/documents-data/debate-transcripts/40th-parliament/5th-session/20160216pm-House-Blues">Hansard House-Blues</a>.<br />
<br />
The inability or unwillingness of the B.C. Liberals under Premier Christy Clark to aggressively address the poverty problem was described well in a column this morning by pundit <b>Bill Tieleman</b> in The Tyee online news site, viewable <a href="http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2016/02/16/When-Do-Needy-Enjoy-BC/">here</a> and a larger excerpt below.<br />
"Today is B.C. budget day, but don't count on Clark to deliver because it's simply not her priority," he wrote, noting 20 per cent of B.C. children live in poverty, according to advocacy group First Call's <a href="http://www.campaign2000.ca/reportCards/2015RepCards/2015-BC-Child-Poverty-Report-Card-FirstCall-Web-2015-11.pdf">analysis</a> of Statistics Canada figures, and people with disabilities haven't had an increase in <a href="http://www.merrittherald.com/are-persons-with-disabilities-allowances-still-too-low/">benefits</a>
since 2007 and are expected to live on just $906 a month.<br />
In fact the government did make some moves to help low-income families, such as expanding exemptions from MSP premiums, but de Jong admitted the government was not able to do as much as was hoped.<br />
"For British Columbia's most vulnerable citizens, the strength and
flexibility of our social safety net is vital to health, happiness and
even survival. That's why Budget 2016 is providing an additional $673
million over the next three years to the Ministry of Children and Family
Development and the Ministry of Social Development and Social
Innovation to support families and individuals most in need," said de Jong, which over three years is not a huge lift. <br />
That was a point quickly made after his speech by NDP finance critic <b>Carole James</b>, who contrasted that with other more generous new spending in other areas and then adjourned debate for a more fulsome critique tomorrow afternoon.<br />
"Budgets are all about choices," she said, claiming the new budget shows the true character of the Clark L:iberals because it gives tax breaks for the wealthy but little for families.<br />
She noted the government is spending more on liquor store renovations than on housing.<br />
B.C. NDP leader John Horgan also issued a caucus news release making similar criticisms, which is viewable <a href="http://bcndpcaucus.ca/news/christy-clark-creates-slush-fund-with-msp-tax-hikes/">here.</a> <br />
The always-useful analysis by Bill Tieleman is <a href="https://t.co/bJwsfYKxNm">here</a> <br />
And the astute analysis of the National Post's Brian Hutchinson is at "Spendthrift but balanced B.C. budget a classic case of give-and-take" <a class="twitter-timeline-link" data-expanded-url="http://natpo.st/1mGndq5" dir="ltr" href="https://t.co/qcX16icKys" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="http://natpo.st/1mGndq5"><span class="tco-ellipsis"></span><span class="invisible">http://</span><span class="js-display-url">natpo.st/1mGndq5</span><span class="invisible"></span><span class="tco-ellipsis"><span class="invisible"> </span></span></a> <br />
<br />
It certainly is true that British Columbia's diversified economy is performing remarkably well compared with other provinces, as was noted in an op-ed piece in this morning's Vancouver Sun by <b>Jock Finlayson</b> and <b>Ken Peacock</b> of the <b>B.C. Business Council</b> viewable <a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/opinion/op-ed/british+columbia+performing+most+other+provinces/11721222/story.html">here.</a> <br />
"Against the backdrop of slumping commodity markets and tepid global growth British Columbia near-term economic prospects are surprisingly positive creating a largely favourable backdrop for this week's provincial budget," they wrote, citing particularly a surge in in-migration and population growth.<br />
Of course there are many factors in the mix, such as the low C$ enabling sales of B.C. commodities even into depressed markets, and the low C$ being likely to encourage tourism into B.C. this coming summer, and heavy snow having helped the ski resorts this winter, but on the other hand the lower prices for oil and gas and the depressed demand for energy may kill B.C.'s hopes for a liquefied natural gas industry even before any plants are built - which would greatly undermine the Clark Liberals' economic and fiscal plans.<br />
So it's far too early to celebrate B.C.'s successes even though de Jong insists the province's plans are "on track" and really there are many serious challenges still waiting to be addressed, such as homelessness and rising costs of housing and struggling small businesses.<br />
Meanwhile there are many other strategies that could be pursued but are not for various reasons, such as allowing bulk water exports, reviving the Bank of B.C. so it can issue a new currency and help finance business growth and job creation, encouraging renewable resource industries, expanding job creation for low-skilled workers and many more good things (e.g. a new ferry crossing from YVR to Gabriola) that the budget overlooked.<br />
I'll probably have more to say in coming days as more details become apparent.<br />
Below are the government's news release, more of Tieleman's column and a link to an interesting perspective on budget-making in B.C. by the Victoria Times-Colonist's Les Leyne.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b>Government news release and Minister's quotes</b></h3>
<pre>Minister of Finance Michael de Jong -
"We've been following a prudent plan that includes a focus on paying down
our direct operating debt, which is projected to be at its lowest point
since 1984-85 if we stay on course."
"B.C. families know that working hard to pay off their credit card debt
means they will save money on interest payments, and the same is true of
government. A reduction in the operating debt means almost $500 million that
would have gone to interest payments can instead be invested in priority
programs for British Columbians."
"With a track record of successive balanced budgets, B.C. remains in a
fiscal position envied by many jurisdictions around the world. We are
forecast to lead Canadian provinces in economic growth this year and are
continuing to make fiscal decisions that further strengthen our economy,
create jobs and make life more affordable for British Columbians."
For more details on Budget 2016, visit: <a href="http://bcbudget.gov.bc.ca/">http://bcbudget.gov.bc.ca</a>
</pre>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<pre>Ministry of Finance NEWS RELEASE</pre>
<pre> </pre>
<pre><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Fiscal discipline and new investments support B.C. families, jobs and
communities</b></span>
VICTORIA - British Columbia's continued fiscal discipline and steady
economic growth are providing the means for new and increased funding for
services, helping families with the cost of living, and taking new steps to
help promote home ownership, Finance Minister Michael de Jong announced
today.
Balanced Budget 2016 invests $1.6 billion in new and increased spending over
three years on core services in addition to annual 3% increases in the
health ministry budget, almost $500 million of which is funded by lower
interest costs due to the retirement of operating debt.
Government will once again balance its budget in 2015-16, and in each year
of the three-year fiscal plan. Within the balanced budget, new and increased
investments in government programs and services include:
* $3.2 billion over three years added to the Ministry of Health compared to
2015-16.
* $673 million in additional support for children, families and individuals
in need over three years, including $217 million for the Ministry of
Children and Family Development to support vulnerable youth and their
families, and $456 million for the Ministry of Social Development and
Social Innovation to support those in need and to increase monthly
disability income assistance rates.
* $143 million over three years to enhance key areas of the B.C. economy
that support jobs in communities, including the new $75-million Rural
Dividend Program to help small communities strengthen and diversify their
economies, additional support for youth trades training, building the B.C.
wood brand in India, and additional BC Transit funding.
Changes to Medical Services Plan (MSP) premiums and enhanced premium
assistance effective Jan. 1, 2017, will help lower-income families,
individuals, and seniors with the cost of living. All children will be
exempted from MSP premiums, directly benefiting about 70,000 single-parent
families. By making children free and expanding premium assistance, an
additional 335,000 people will see their premiums reduced and an additional
45,000 people will no longer pay MSP premiums at all. With these changes,
for example, a single-parent with two children would save up to $1,224 each
year, and a senior couple earning up to $51,000 may now qualify for reduced
premiums. Once the changes are implemented, nearly two million British
Columbians will pay no premiums at all.
Government is acting to help the housing market respond to high demand for
homes, which is resulting in rapidly rising prices, particularly among
single-family homes in the Lower Mainland. Budget 2016 introduces a new full
exemption from the property transfer tax on newly constructed homes
(including condominiums) priced up to $750,000. This exemption will save
purchasers up to $13,000 on a newly constructed home and is estimated to
provide approximately $75 million in property transfer tax relief for new
construction in 2016-17. The cost of this measure will be offset by adding a
third tier to the property transfer tax rate, increasing the rate to 3% from
2% on the fair market value of property above $2 million.
Proposed changes to the Property Transfer Tax Act will authorize government
to collect new information from owners when they register their property.
The government will resume collecting data that specifically identifies
foreign purchasers. Beginning this summer, individuals who purchase property
will need to disclose if they are citizens or permanent residents of Canada,
and, if they are not, their citizenship and country of residence.
Government is also investing capital funding of $355 million over the next
five years for construction and renovation of affordable housing for people
with low to moderate incomes.
A portion of the dividend derived from the government's strengthening
economy, fiscal discipline, and reduction in operating debt will be used to
establish the B.C. Prosperity Fund. Budget 2016 applies an inaugural
commitment of $100 million from the forecast 2015-16 surplus to establish
this long-term legacy intended to:
* Help eliminate the Province's debt over time.
* Invest in health care, education, transportation, family supports and
other priorities that provide future benefits to British Columbia.
* Preserve a share of today's prosperity for future generations.
Government has identified its lead priority for the B.C. Prosperity Fund as
reducing taxpayer-supported debt. Government will allocate a minimum of 50%
of each year's allocation to the fund to debt retirement, and a minimum of
25% will be saved to accumulate earnings. The remainder will be available
for core government priorities that provide long-term benefits to British
Columbia. In addition, future government surpluses including LNG revenues
will help grow the fund over time.
Budget 2016 continues to invest in new and upgraded infrastructure to
support services and jobs. Taxpayer-supported infrastructure spending will
inject $12 billion into the economy over the next three years, build new
projects, and expand and sustain existing infrastructure. This includes:
* $3.1 billion in total transportation infrastructure investment, including
highway upgrades and transit infrastructure.
* $2.9 billion for new major health-care projects and upgrades to health
facilities, including the new Centre for Mental Health and Addictions.
* $2.5 billion for post-secondary facilities, including building capacity
and helping meet the province's future workforce needs in key sectors, as
set out in the B.C. Skills for Jobs Blueprint.
* $1.7 billion to maintain, replace, renovate, expand and seismically
upgrade K-12 school facilities, including new school space to accommodate
increasing enrolment.
The surplus forecast in each year of the fiscal plan helps keep taxpayer-
supported debt affordable. By the end of 2015-16, the direct operating debt
will be reduced by $2.2 billion since government resumed balancing its
budget. Under the current fiscal plan, with continued fiscal discipline,
there will be an opportunity for B.C. to be free of operating debt as early
as 2020 - the first time in 45 years the Province would not be carrying the
burden of operating debt.
The independent British Columbia Economic Forecast Council is projecting
provincial real GDP growth to be 2.7% in 2016, 2.6% in 2017, and an average
of 2.4% over 2018-20. Government's economic growth forecast remains prudent
relative to the Economic Forecast....</pre>
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<br />
<h2 class="header-section-ag header-section-opinion" id="header-opinion">
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When Do the Needy Get to Enjoy 'Bright Spot' BC?</h2>
<div class="tagline">
We'll find out with today's budget. My forecast? More crumbs for the struggling.</div>
<div class="meta">
By <a class="contrib-link" href="http://thetyee.ca/Bios/Bill_Tieleman/" title="Bio page for Bill Tieleman">Bill Tieleman</a>, Today,
TheTyee.ca
</div>
</div>
</div>
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</div>
</div>
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2016/02/16/When-Do-Needy-Enjoy-BC/<br />
<br />
<div class="first">
<i>''Let them eat cake!''</i> -- Attributed to French Queen Marie Antoinette, 1755-93, in response to the poor not having bread</div>
British Columbia has the best economy in
Canada -- something that BC Liberal Premier Christy Clark is constantly
boasting about, <a href="http://www.timescolonist.com/clark-says-b-c-s-economic-engine-needs-cash-from-ottawa-to-continue-at-top-spot-1.2166785#sthash.NcwAzDVX.dpuf">calling it</a> the country's only ''bright spot.''<br />
And that's great news, but when do people in need start seeing any of the benefits? <br />
Today is B.C. budget day, but don't count on Clark to deliver because it's simply not her priority.<br />
B.C. has Canada's leading economy, yet 20 per cent of our children live in poverty, according to advocacy group First Call's <a href="http://www.campaign2000.ca/reportCards/2015RepCards/2015-BC-Child-Poverty-Report-Card-FirstCall-Web-2015-11.pdf">analysis</a> of Statistics Canada figures.<br />
People with disabilities haven't had an increase in <a href="http://www.merrittherald.com/are-persons-with-disabilities-allowances-still-too-low/">benefits</a>
since 2007 and are expected to live on just $906 a month, including
food and shelter costs for a single person. Try that in Metro Vancouver.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Les Leyne re BC budget</b></span><br />
http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/columnists/les-leyne-past-budgets-show-how-ideas-can-fail-1.2173243<br />
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
"Life
has to be more meaningful for people,” finance minister Dave Barrett
observed at the outset of his first budget speech in 1973.<br />
Injecting “meaning” into people’s lives is a pretty ambitious goal for a
government budget. Most finance ministers just try to cover as many
bases as they can and hope for the best. Barrett was premier as well, of
course, so he had a lot more leeway in writing the speech.<br />
As the annual public-accounts geekfest known as the budget lockup gets
underway this morning, it’s a good time to review budgets of years gone
by. Some of them give clues to how bright ideas can go sideways, or turn
to gold.<br />
- See more at:
http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/columnists/les-leyne-past-budgets-show-how-ideas-can-fail-1.2173243#sthash.aIBzR1B7.dpuf</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />John Twigghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18209883575318239876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3099462618137613612.post-36910189197438661832016-02-15T15:37:00.002-08:002016-02-15T15:37:28.069-08:00Issues that should be priorities in #bcpoliParties should look beyond narrow interests<br />
<br />
By John Twigg<br />
<br />
This article below from the B.C. Centre for Policy Alternatives is
left-oriented but it makes a good point about what other policy
alternatives are available and being overlooked in the current few
debates about B.C. public policy, and what could or should be in the
B.C. budget due to be presented tomorrow (Feb. 16).<br />
<br />
My tweet to them that is reproduced below adds one of them: a revived Bank of B.C. to help finance job creation, but there could be many others, such as more community gardens, whole new industries such as bulk water exports and legalized marijuana, and whole new enablers such as universal child care to help reduce poverty.<br />
<br />
The point is that political parties developing platforms for the next
election need to look beyond their own narrow focusses - of which all
parties are guilty.<br />
<br />
For example on a recent Voice of B.C. show former health ministers Paul
Ramsey and George Abbott spoke with host Vaughn Palmer and batted around
about a dozen issues that made a nice list of what really are the top
policy issues in B.C. politics today.<br />
<br />
Those issues included MSP premiums (a de facto tax with about $500
million unpaid now!!), funding of health care, home care (putting it in
Health to get federal cost-sharing), child care, government finances,
forest policy, voting reform, treaties and land claims unsettled,
regulating lobbyists, housing and real estate regulation, and several
others I didn't make note of. Certainly B.C. Hydro projects and costs,
LNG and many other industrial issues, notably food self-sufficiency.<br />
<br />
So while the B.C. Green Party will go hard on greenhouse gas emissions,
the B.C. Conservative Party will go hard against personal income taxes
and the New Democrats will promise protection for union and worker
rights and the B.C. Liberals will pander to multinational resource
corporations, the real needs of the people of the province are really
what should be the top priorities.<br />
<br />
Here's the twitter exchange and then the BCCPA article that triggered it. <br />
<br />
<br />
<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="329294962" href="https://twitter.com/SethDKlein"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" data-aria-label-part="">Seth Klein</strong>
<span></span><span class="username js-action-profile-name" data-aria-label-part=""><s>@</s><b>SethDKlein</b></span>
</a>
<small class="time">
<a class="tweet-timestamp js-permalink js-nav js-tooltip" href="https://twitter.com/SethDKlein/status/699365069520396288" title="2:50 PM - 15 Feb 2016"><span class="_timestamp js-short-timestamp js-relative-timestamp" data-long-form="true" data-time-ms="1455576600000" data-time="1455576600">13m</span><span class="u-hiddenVisually" data-aria-label-part="last">13 minutes ago</span></a> tweeted</small>
<br />
<div class="js-tweet-text-container">
<div class="TweetTextSize js-tweet-text tweet-text" data-aria-label-part="0" lang="en">
7 things that should be in the BC Budget but were missing from the Throne Speech - <a class="twitter-timeline-link" data-expanded-url="http://www.policynote.ca/7-things-that-should-be-in-the-bc-budget-but-were-missing-from-the-throne-speech/" dir="ltr" href="https://t.co/Dm3BDRLKdG" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="http://www.policynote.ca/7-things-that-should-be-in-the-bc-budget-but-were-missing-from-the-throne-speech/"><span class="tco-ellipsis"></span><span class="invisible">http://www.</span><span class="js-display-url">policynote.ca/7-things-that-</span><span class="invisible">should-be-in-the-bc-budget-but-were-missing-from-the-throne-speech/</span><span class="tco-ellipsis"><span class="invisible"> </span>…</span></a></div>
</div>
JT tweeted<br />
<a class="twitter-atreply pretty-link" href="https://twitter.com/SethDKlein" role="presentation"><s>@</s>SethDKlein</a> Good stuff but there could be 70 more such things better for <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23bcpoli" role="presentation"><s>#</s>bcpoli</a>, eg restarting BankofBC to issue currency for job creation<br />
<br />
<h2>
7 things that should be in the BC Budget but were missing from the Throne Speech</h2>
<h4>
February 15th, 2016 · <a href="http://www.policynote.ca/author/iglika-ivanova/" rel="author" title="Posts by Iglika Ivanova">Iglika Ivanova</a> · <a href="http://www.policynote.ca/7-things-that-should-be-in-the-bc-budget-but-were-missing-from-the-throne-speech/#comments">1 Comment</a> · <a href="http://www.policynote.ca/category/children-youth/" rel="category tag">Children & youth</a>, <a href="http://www.policynote.ca/category/climate-change-energy-policy/" rel="category tag">Climate change & energy policy</a>, <a href="http://www.policynote.ca/category/economy/" rel="category tag">Economy</a>, <a href="http://www.policynote.ca/category/education/" rel="category tag">Education</a>, <a href="http://www.policynote.ca/category/employment-labour/" rel="category tag">Employment & labour</a>, <a href="http://www.policynote.ca/category/poverty-inequality-welfare/" rel="category tag">Poverty, inequality & welfare</a>, <a href="http://www.policynote.ca/category/provincial-budget-finance/" rel="category tag">Provincial budget & finance</a> </h4>
BC Budget 2016 will be tabled tomorrow but we already know it will include <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-msp-premiums-1.3421475">a break on MSP premiums</a> for some single parents, <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/affordable-housing-b-c-christy-clark-1.3446071">$50 million for new affordable housing initiatives</a> this year (with funding also committed in each of the next four years), help for first-time home buyers, <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/throne-speech-christy-clark-liberals-1.3440286">more resources</a> for
the long neglected BC child welfare system, some mental health
initiatives (not specified yet), and a tax credit for farmers who donate
food to non-profits (for example, food banks, soup kitchens and school
lunch programs).<br />
It’s typical for the provincial government to pre-announce many of
its new initiatives before Budget Day. What concerns me is that some of
the big challenges facing BC are entirely missing from the pre-budget
conversations this year. Here are 7 initiatives BC Budget 2016
should include if the premier is serious about making sure that all
British Columbians “<a href="http://www.policynote.ca/bc-throne-speech-rhetoric-doesnt-match-reality/">share in the benefits of a growing economy</a>“.<br />
<br />
<strong>1. Funding for the implementation of the widely-endorsed $10 a Day Child Care Plan</strong><br />
BC families are facing an affordability crisis with child care. Fees
can run upwards of $10,000 per year — higher than university tuition —
and regulated spaces are available for only 27 per cent of BC children
under five. Add to this inconsistent quality and it becomes clear that
the status quo fails to meet the needs of BC families.<br />
BC and Canada are laggards by international standards, investing far
less than what is required to ensure all children can thrive. Small
enhancements to the status quo (like the BC Early Years Strategy) are
just not cutting it — we need a change in priorities.<br />
The call to increase public investment in quality, affordable child
care is neither new, nor controversial. In each of the last three
years, the bipartisan (and government-dominated) committee of MLAs
conducing the BC budget consultation unanimously recommended that BC “<a href="https://www.leg.bc.ca/content/CommitteeDocuments/40th-parliament/4th-session/fgs/reports/PDF/Rpt-FGS-40-4-Report-on-Budget-2016-Consultations-2015-NOV-13.pdf">provide funding and support for the development and implementation of an affordable child care plan</a>.”<br />
So far this recommendation has been ignored but the time has come for BC to adopt the widely-endorsed <a href="http://www.10aday.ca/">$10 a Day Plan</a>. The change in federal government presents a unique opportunity for action. Trudeau campaigned on a <a href="http://www.policynote.ca/child-care-and-the-federal-election-where-have-the-parties-landed/">commitment to a national childcare program</a>,
at least in principle, so Budget 2016 should include provincial
investment to get the $10 a Day plan going and the BC government should
work together with its federal counterparts to secure federal
support for the BC child care plan.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>2. A comprehensive poverty reduction plan, including immediate increases in disability benefits and welfare rates</strong><br />
For years, the BC government has insisted that its economic
development measures would automatically take care of poverty. This has
not happened.<br />
The BC economy has been growing steadily since the recession but this
has not reduced the need for food banks. On the contrary, food bank use
is on the rise. More than 100,000 British Columbians needed food banks
last year. One third of them received social assistance. Another third
received disability benefits.<br />
The fact that two-thirds of food bank users receive government income
support is alarming. It means social assistance for people with
disabilities and those who have fallen on hard times are pitifully
inadequate.<br />
And how could they be adequate when rates have not increased for
eight and a half years? Over this period the price of food rose by 23%
and the price of rent by 12% (according to Statistics Canada’s Consumer
Prices Index for BC) but social assistance rates did not increase by
even 1 cent.<br />
Offering tax credits to farmers who donate food to non-profits is not
a solution to hunger. We need policy change that would reduce the need
for food banks in the first place.<br />
When the province released its disability strategy a year and a half ago, the premier <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/bc-premier-hints-support-for-disabled-people-is-linked-to-gas/article19192516/">acknowledged that disability supports should be increased</a> and said this was one of her priority areas for new spending “when we can afford it.”<br />
BC is projected to have the strongest economic growth in the country
in 2016. We can clearly afford to support those in need and Budget 2016
should include boost disability benefits and welfare rates to levels
that reflect the real costs of living in our province.<br />
Social assistance is only one piece of the solution. BC must follow
the lead of other provinces and adopt a comprehensive poverty reduction <a href="https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/poverty-reduction-plan-bc">plan</a>.
This is another budget consultation recommendation the BC government
has chosen to ignore for the last two years and I hope it won’t be
ignored again.<br />
Investments in child care, as noted above, are also consistent with
poverty reduction measures. Other priority investments include
increasing the stock of BC’s affordable housing, making mental health
services more accessible to British Columbians who need them, supporting
community-based health initiatives focused on prevention, and enhancing
seniors care services.<br />
The BC government is already planning to fund initiatives in a number
of these areas. Having an integrated strategy with targets and
timelines and a Minister responsible for the file would greatly increase
the individual measures’ effectiveness.<br />
<br />
<strong>3. Infrastructure investments for municipalities, including transit investments</strong><br />
The failure of the recent transit referendum should not be used as an
excuse to continue with business as usual. With a growing population,
expanding transit infrastructure and improving service levels are
essential to Metro Vancouver’s economy.<br />
It’s not a good sign that the only mention of transit in the Throne
Speech was a reference to the Evergreen line, a project that has been in
the works for close to a decade and is expected to finally open in
2017.<br />
Budget 2016 must provide funding to address the urgent need for rapid
transit investment in Surrey and Vancouver, and related infrastructure
deficits facing BC municipalities. BC needs to work with the federal
government (which campaigned on promises to quadruple federal investment
in transit) and develop a long-term infrastructure investment plan to
ensure that all communities have access to viable transportation
options.<br />
<br />
<strong>4. Carbon tax increase and reform of the Low-Income Climate Action Credit</strong><br />
BC’s renewed interest in climate action in the lead up to the Paris
conference in December is welcome. An increase in the provincial carbon
tax is one step the government could take immediately towards meaningful
climate action.<br />
<a href="https://www.policyalternatives.ca/climate-leadership">We’ve long recommended</a>
that BC should increase the carbon tax to $40 per tonne, and
reinstitute the carbon tax annual increases of $5 per tonne, which were
in place for the first four years after the introduction of the tax.
This would take the current carbon tax to $60 per tonne by
2020—equivalent to 13 cents per litre of gasoline.<br />
Budget 2016 can do this. There’s no need to wait until the Climate
Leadership Team releases its plan. We know it needs to be done and with
the current low energy prices, it will be less noticeable at the pump.<br />
The carbon tax increase needs to be paired with an expansion in
the Low-Income Climate Action Credit to improve the fairness of the tax.<br />
The Throne Speech made it clear that the province has no intention
to break with the revenue neutrality requirement of the carbon tax
regime. This is a mistake. The tax cuts put in place to ensure revenue
neutrality now exceed the revenues raised. By a lot. In 2017/18, the
carbon tax is projected to give out tax cuts amounting to 130% of
revenues.<br />
The funds raised by the carbon tax would be much better used to support a new provincial climate action plan.<br />
<br />
<strong>5. Adequate funding for education programs at all levels</strong><br />
A year and a half after the teachers’ strike ended, our schools still <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/education/parents-resort-to-pulling-special-needs-children-from-resource-starved-schools/article28541670/">don’t have the resources to support children with special needs</a>. The much touted $75 million Education Fund was too small and <a href="http://www.policynote.ca/one-year-after-the-bc-teachers-strike-whats-happening-for-kids-with-special-needs/">only prevented further cuts</a>.
This leaves families the impossible choice between “paying their bills
and the deteriorating mental and emotional health of their child” (as <a href="https://equitableaccesstoeducation.wordpress.com/full-forced-out-survey-report/" target="_blank">a recent report from the BC Parents of Special Needs Children</a> highlights).<br />
Budget 2016 should make the necessary investments in our public
schools to ensure that students with learning disabilities, ESL, or
other special needs receive the support they need to reach their full
potential. This means education funding that does more than keep up with
expected inflation, which is all that’s currently budgeted.<br />
Budget 2016 should also restore funding for tuition-free adult basic education. The BC government’s <a href="https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/commentary/cuts-adult-basic-education-would-make-it-harder-escape-poverty">decision</a>
to allow colleges and universities to charge tuition for high-school
level courses has seriously undermined access to education.<br />
The one-time reinstatement of $6.9 million as transition funding for
2015/16 is a bandaid, not a solution. The new adult upgrading grant that
is supposed to assist low-income students is not enough. The full
funding should be permanently reinstated in Budget 2016.<br />
The vast majority of basic education students are low-income earners
who enroll because their high-school marks or courses do not qualify
them for entry into trades or other college and university programs,
programs which allow them to get jobs that pay a living wage.<br />
<br />
<strong>6. </strong><strong>Tax fairness reform, including replacing MSP premiums with taxes based on income and restoring the tax bracket for high earners</strong><br />
BC’s tax system has become remarkably regressive since the turn of the century, as we’ve documented <a href="https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/commentary/decade-eroding-tax-fairness-bc">here</a>. There’s no shortage of ideas for how to make our tax system more fair. One of the most obvious is getting rid of MSP premiums.<br />
No amount of tinkering around the edges will solve the fundamental problem with MSP premiums: they are an unfair tax.<br />
MSP premiums are a significant expense of the income for a two-parent
family of four living on $40,000 per year, amounting to 4.5% of income.
But they are inconsequential to a family making $400,000 per year.
Plus, many people in jobs with good benefit plans (jobs that typically
pay higher than average wages) have their premiums paid by their
employers, while workers in precarious jobs with no benefits are left
paying out of pocket. This makes the tax even more unfair.<br />
In a 2013 <a href="http://www.policyalternatives.ca/bc-tax-options">report</a>
on tax fairness, Seth Klein and I modelled one way to replace the
revenues lost from eliminating MSP with a progressive income tax. There
are many others.<br />
For example, when Ontario got rid of its health premium in Budget
1989, they replaced it with a combination of a personal income tax
increase and a payroll tax (called the Employer Health Levy).<br />
Budget 2016 should also reinstate the top tax bracket of 16.8% for
individual income over $150,000, which expired in December 2015. Making
this tax bracket permanent would raise an additional $235 million per
year. It would also tackle the growing income disparities in BC.<br />
BC has the lowest income taxes in Canada for individuals earning up
to $122,000, the lowest corporate income tax rate and the third-lowest
small business tax rate (after Manitoba and Saskatchewan). If instead BC
charged taxes closer to the average for other Canadian provinces, we
would easily create the budgetary room to implement the types of
investments I’ve outlined here.<br />
<br />
<strong>7. Natural resource royalties reform</strong><br />
The resource industry has been hit hard by low energy prices.
However, even when it was booming, BC was not receiving a fair share of
the proceeds of natural gas development. The LNG Income Tax was supposed
to capture more of these, but the lowering of the tax to only 3.5%
means any LNG projects that eventually go ahead will pay a pittance to
the BC Treasury. In spite of record production levels, royalty revenues
were well short of historical levels when production was much lower.<br />
Budget 2016 should end the costly royalty credits that serve as a subsidy to fracking operations.<br />
BC should consider a shift to a gas royalty regime that ensures a
minimum royalty to the province for each unit extracted, rather than the
current approach, which only pays reasonable royalties when market
prices are very high.<br />
Alberta’s recent fiscal crunch is a cautionary tale not of government
overspending (as the Throne Speech suggested), but of government too
reliant on resource revenues to pay for ongoing programs and services.
Rents from non-renewable resources should be invested in a Norway-style
Heritage Fund for future generations instead of being rolled into
general revenues and used to cover current operating spending.<br />
BC’s finances are in good shape and we can afford to borrow a little
more to make these key public investments. With sufficient revenue
reform — items 6 and 7 — they can be achieved without running a large
fiscal deficit (examples in this 2013 <a href="https://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/BC%20Office/2013/01/CCPA-BC-Tax-Options_0.pdf">report</a>).<br />
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John Twigghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18209883575318239876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3099462618137613612.post-79739768019191723952016-02-10T16:20:00.000-08:002016-02-10T16:20:11.173-08:00Remembering BC Premier Bill Bennett<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Former Premier Bill Bennett did some good things too</b></span><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>By John Twigg</b><br />
<br />
Yesterday while critiquing the B.C. Liberal government's latest Throne Speech I made some passing remarks about former B.C. Premier Bill Bennett that were less than flattering to him, which I've reproduced below, and I'm writing now to add some balance and depth to those passing remarks.<br />
First I did know Bennett personally and in a way all too well. I remember when he was the Opposition Leader and I was then Premier Dave Barrett's then very young Press Secretary sitting behind my boss inside the Legislature chamber in the staff seats, and I still vividly remember Bennett staring daggers at me. He was an unusually tough guy.<br />
Soon the Barrett NDP lost an election to Bennett's Socreds (in 1975) and I went off to a sojourn in Saskatchewan but I returned to Victoria in 1987 as a journalist with a membership in the Legislature's Press Gallery as an independent freelancer (where I stayed for about 15 years), and in that role I helped accelerate Mr. Bennett's premature departure from politics.<br />
So yes I DO know quite a lot about Mr. Bennett, enough to realize that my passing remarks yesterday need to be clarified today with my acknowledgement that yes he did do some good things too, even lots of good things, albeit mainly in the realm of province-building, such as Expo 86 (which I visited) and various bridges and various Crown corporation initiatives.<br />
But that said I don't want to downplay or disavow my statements that he was widely and deservedly hated for various reasons too, especially his anti-union stances and his miserliness towards the poor, which one could argue in retrospect were fiscally necessary at the time - but that's debatable.<br />
Anyway I don't have time now for a long dissertation about Bill Bennett and how his record pales beside that of his father but I do want to share the tweet I recently sent and to include the full transcripts from the Hansard Blues - note that they are the preliminary unofficial transcript version, which I am NOT in the habit of publishing - of what first Premier Christy Clark and then Opposition Leader John Horgan said today in the Legislature about Bennett's recent passing, because they are both eloquent and fairly balanced commentaries of his record.<br />
R.I.P. Bill, I admit you too were a great British Columbian despite being one whose policies I usually disagreed with strongly ! ; )<br />
<br />
<b>My Tweet</b><br />
<br />
Must admit <a class="twitter-atreply pretty-link js-nav" data-mentioned-user-id="19240337" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/christyclarkbc"><s>@</s><b>christyclarkbc</b></a> and <a class="twitter-atreply pretty-link js-nav" data-mentioned-user-id="232427887" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/jjhorgan"><s>@</s><b>jjhorgan</b></a> made eloquent fitting speeches today Feb10 re passing of former <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/bcpoli?src=hash"><s>#</s><b>bcpoli</b></a> Premier Bill Bennett <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/bcleg?src=hash"><s>#</s><b>bcleg</b></a><br />
<br />
My comment in yesterday's Daily Twigg blog<br />
Finally, in 2015 we lost <b>Bill Bennett</b>, the 27th Premier of British Columbia.<br />
For nearly 10 years, Bill Bennett served our province with
distinction. We stand on the legacy he built every day, from the sites
and facilities of Expo 86, to the Coquihalla Highway, and the expansion
of our mining and clean hydro industries. Bill Bennett will be
remembered for his achievements but also for the strength of his
character, his principles, and an unflinching sense of duty to his
fellow citizens.<br />
<i>[That was Christy Clark - the real author of the speech - sucking up
to the Bennett family, who rescued her political career, by presenting a
very one-sided version of Bill Bennett's mixed history when the truth
is he was divisive, widely hated and driven from office in some disgrace
before he would have been defeated. Yes it is politically incorrect to
speak negatively of the dead but Clark's overly-selective history errs
in the opposite direction.] </i><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Excerpt from Hansard Blues</b><br />
<div class="ProceduralHeading">
Ministerial Statements</div>
<div class="SubjectHeading">
BILL BENNETT</div>
<div class="SpeakerBegins">
<strong>Hon. C. Clark:</strong> Last year, we
lost British Columbia's 27th Premier. I didn't have the honour of
knowing him well personally, but I know very well the example he set
for his office and for this Legislature.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
I was 11 years old when he became a
Premier, and I was on the cusp of 21 when he retired from public life.
He very much set my understanding of what a leader looks like in the
time that he was the Premier of British Columbia. I became attached to
him as my Premier in the way that you can only become attached to a
Premier before you realize that they come and go at a pretty quick pace
in British Columbia.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
He left us a vast legacy of cultural and
economic touchstones — the Alex Fraser Bridge, Coquihalla Highway, B.C.
Place, Expo 86, the SkyTrain. They did the initial work on Site C,
which we are now in the process of completing. But Bill Bennett's
impact on British Columbia and, I think, on British Columbians was so
much more than just the physical legacies that he left for us.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
The great social reformer Jane Addams once
said that when we think of great men, it is easy to think only of their
great deeds and not think enough about their great spirit. That's what I
think about, when I think about Bill Bennett and his service to our
province.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
The stories of his cabinet's loyalty…. I've
heard it said that his cabinet ministers didn't just feel respect for
him but that they loved him. He let them do their jobs, let them take
credit for their victories, and he commanded that respect from them
because he gave it.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
He had such a fierce strength in his
beliefs. We all saw that. He stood up to make government smaller, not
bigger. He stood up to make sure that government spent less, not more.
He was attacked for it vigorously, and he never wavered from those
beliefs, because he had courage.</div>
<div class="TimeLine">
[1345]</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
He had an apparently endless reservoir of
will to do what he believed was right. So when all of Canada was
hurting, when it became clear that in British Columbia government was
just too big and the economy was just too small, Bill Bennett decided
that it was time to take it on. In one day, he tabled 26 bills in this
Legislature and stepped outside to confront the biggest labour </div>
<div class="Slug">
HSE - 20160210 PM 004/cgl/1345</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinuesNoFirstLineIndent">
do what he believed was
right. So when all of Canada was hurting, when it became clear that in
British Columbia government was just too big and the economy was just
too small, Bill Bennett decided it was time to take it on. In one day,
he tabled 26 bills in this Legislature and stepped outside to confront
the biggest labour disruption in this province's history. He was asking
our public servants, it's notable to say, to accept 14 percent and 8
percent increases over two years.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
He loved this province, and he had a
tremendous desire to improve it. He wanted to leave it better for the
next generation, and he did that. He left us with bridges and he left
us highways. He left us a world fair, but more important, I think, was
the example that he set of the tremendous courage that he always exuded
in everything that he did. Those are the qualities of character that
are the real legacies that Bill Bennett has left, I think, for British
Columbians. Those are the things that have etched him forever into the
memory of our province.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
We are honoured by his love for this place.
He didn't just make our province better, he made all of us better, and
he proved that leaders will never be remembered for doing the easy
things. Leaders are distinguished by their willingness to do the hard
things.</div>
<div class="SpeakerBegins">
<strong>J. Horgan:</strong> I, on behalf of
the official opposition, want to join with the Premier and all of her
colleagues in commemorating the passing of William Bennett, Premier of
British Columbia, distinguished public servant and someone who gave
much of his life to his devotion to this province and its people.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
That career paralleled another giant in our
political history, Dave Barrett, and despite their absolute
differences, the two will always be joined as giant shadows cast over
this jurisdiction, this institution, but also the province.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
My political awakening, like the Premier's,
happened on Mr. Bennett's watch. I remember it vividly. I got an
envelope in the mail, and I said: "Hey, mom, what's this?" She said:
"They're your BCRIC shares. I'll give you 35 bucks for them." I
pocketed that money, and I thanked Bill Bennett for it.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
Years later, I found myself on the lawns of
this Legislature, on one of my first political protests that led me
taking $5 of those $35 and joining the B.C. NDP as a result of the
policies — no, seriously — that the Premier references. But as a young
man, as someone who did not at that time see himself in a political
role, I did not understand the magnitude of his premiership and his
time served for all of us here, regardless of our political stripe.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
It was later as a member of this
Legislature that a second personal moment with Bill Bennett came
forward. I was giving a tour, as I often do, of the buildings, and I
always take school groups to the library, which in my opinion is the
most important room in this facility. One of the kids from Sooke
Elementary asked me if there was a comic book in the vast collection of
the library. I quickly said, "No," to be corrected by the reference
librarian, who said there is one: <em>Betty and Veronica go to Expo</em>.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
So Mr. Bennett did not just have an impact
in 1986 by bringing the world to Vancouver, he also brought to the good
citizens, the good students of Sooke Elementary, the knowledge — and
every student that has come since — that in the library here at the
Legislature <em>Betty and Veronica went to Expo</em> because of Bill Bennett.</div>
<div class="SpeakerContinues">
I want to also add to the great list that
the Premier provided of Mr. Bennett's great accomplishments, B.C. Hydro
was certainly a component part of that, building Revelstoke was a
massive achievement, and also creating the B.C. Utilities Commission to
protect us from ourselves. Great achievements, a great man. He'll be
missed.</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /> https://www.leg.bc.ca/documents-data/debate-transcripts/40th-parliament/5th-session/20160210pm-House-Blues <br />
<br />
<br />John Twigghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18209883575318239876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3099462618137613612.post-85059172947320840452016-02-09T23:49:00.000-08:002016-02-09T23:49:03.115-08:00B.C. Throne Speech full of distortions<span style="font-size: large;"><b>B.C. Liberals' message a disgraceful display of prevarications</b></span><br />
<br />
<b>By John Twigg</b><br />
<br />
The Throne Speech delivered Tuesday Feb. 9 in the B.C. Legislative Assembly by the B.C. Liberal Party government of <b>Premier Christy Clark</b> was a tawdry list of terrible distortions and other flaws and errors which hopefully signal that this regime's days in power are drawing near to an end, probably in the provincial election in May 2017 - unless the Opposition New Democrats once again blow a winning hand.<br />
The speech read by Lieutenant-Governor Judith Guichon was such a pathetically poor effort that I have pasted in the <b>whole text below</b> and <b>inserted <i>my commentaries</i></b> where needed to point out some of the worst errors in policy as well as some of the other flaws such as mis-spelling the name of the late Norman Levi, who was Minister of Human Resources in the Dave Barrett NDP government of 1972-75.<br />
<b>Media coverage overshadowed by puppy mill bust </b><br />
But as bad as the speech content was, the overall circumstances were even worse, such as media coverage of its flaws being conveniently overshadowed by side issues, notably the B.C. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals choosing Tuesday to provide details to the major media of their bust of a horrific puppy mill in Langley last Thursday that on Throne Speech day had CKNW's open line shows roaring with outrage not at the cynical Clark Liberals but at the little-known puppy mill operators - who reportedly had been on the SPCA's radar since 2009 - and so relatively little media attention was given to the government's political problems such as the revelations of abuses by Realtors in Vancouver's over-heated housing market.<br />
To its credit the market-leading Global TV newscast at 6 p.m. did lead with the housing scandal, usefully reporting that B.C. has no controls or taxes on foreign buyers of housing while Hong Kong and Sydney, Australia do have such controls, and not giving much credence to the Clark government's move to get the <b>B.C. Real Estate Council</b> to investigate its own bailiwick. (Later Tuesday she did concede that if the BCREC does fail to do a proper job then the province will step in, but really she should do so immediately.)<br />
But generally the mainstream news media have merely been regurgitating the pablum fed them by the Clark Liberals' massive propaganda machine and the people who suffer from that are the citizens and businesses and voters and families in B.C. who must live and work in a badly underachieving province.<br />
Problems? What problems? There's no problems here in B.C., the best place in the world with the best economy in Canada - which is the gist of the Throne Speech that you can read for yourself below.<br />
Meanwhile as I'm writing this I've listened to U.S. Democratic Party Presidential candidate <b>Bernie Sanders</b> make a brilliant and amazing speech about how he intends to massively reform the whole U.S. economy and political system, and right afterwards Republican candidate <b>Donald Trump</b> spoke about how he too wants to make radical changes to the status quo, which quo is corrupt and dysfunctional beyond belief.<br />
Whether you like or hate both or either of those candidates is beside the point because what they both represent is a broad recognition that radical reforms are needed now to address mounting problems in an increasingly unstable world, including that big-moneyed and self-serving special interests have captured the levers of power (e.g. via Hillary Clinton) - which is the stark opposite of the all's-well blandishments of the Clark Liberals in B.C. and the still-somewhat-milquetoast criticisms from the B.C. New Democrats now led nominally by <b>John Horgan </b>but still dominated by politically-correct apparatchiks who apparently persuaded Horgan to <b>not</b> go ballistic on Throne Speech day - i.e. using the same play-it-safe strategy that recently sunk federal NDP leader Tom Mulcair in the Canadian federal election.<br />
So the world is going to hell in a handcart and Europe and the Middle East are teetering on the edge of a world war to end all wars and Canada is entering a myriad of policy turn-arounds under new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau but meanwhile we're supposed to think the most important challenge is to reduce the amount of CO<span style="font-size: x-small;">2</span> in the atmosphere and here in B.C. the top priority is merely to stay the course and make a few safe tweaks in policy and shuffle around a few of Clark's senior staffers (which she also did Tuesday).<br />
No, the truth is that B.C. is in big trouble like every other place in the world, such as the global moves towards negative interest rates that business analyst Michael Campbell spoke about this morning at 8:35 a.m. on CKNW, but the policy recipes being presented by all of the parties in B.C. are bereft of solutions.<br />
If you don't believe me, you can read it for yourself below: <br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Speech from the Throne</span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Honourable Judith Guichon, OBC<br />
Lieutenant-Governor</span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><i>at the</i></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Opening of the Fifth Session,<br />
Fortieth Parliament</span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><i>of the</i></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Province of British Columbia</span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: medium;">February 9, 2016</span></div>
Members of the Legislative Assembly, and fellow British Columbians.<br />
It is a pleasure and privilege to serve the people of British Columbia – and to welcome you back to the people’s house.<br />
I would like to acknowledge the wisdom, culture, and traditions of
the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations on whose traditional lands we
are gathered today.<br />
Some of the newest British Columbians are here with us today in the
legislature. I speak for everyone in this house, when I say: you are
welcome here. <i>[Should be L Legislature and H House]</i><br />
So many cultures are represented in British Columbia, but today quite
auspiciously is the second day of the Lunar New Year. To those
celebrating, we wish you a joyous and prosperous new year.<br />
<h5 class="smallcaps">
Tributes</h5>
Since the chamber <i>[C]</i> was last addressed from the throne <i>[T]</i>, we should take a
moment to reflect on some of the extraordinary British Columbians we
have mourned.<br />
They include those who represented British Columbia at our finest,
like Ted Harrison, Lorne Davies, Victor Spencer, Martha Farrell, Stuart
Hodgson, and Dal Richards. <span style="color: magenta;">[why no bios?]</span><br />
Media figures Fred Latremouille <span style="color: magenta;">[mispronounced]</span>, Ben Meisner, and Art Finley, and
community leaders like Allen Hustwick, Thomas Baker, and Chief Clarence
Jules. <span style="color: magenta;">[no bios?]</span><br />
In 2015, we mourned a former member of parliament <i>[M P]</i>, Lyle Kristiansen,
and five former members of this legislature <i>[L]</i>, Peter Dueck, Ivan Messmer,
Anita Hagen, Norman Levy <i>[Levi]</i> and John Slater.<span style="color: magenta;">[bios?]</span><br />
We owe a special debt to the brave search and rescue professionals
and volunteers who rallied to the scene of tragedy, from the wildfires
across our province, to Tofino and McBride. To keep us safe, they put
themselves in harm’s way – and sometimes pay the ultimate price. We all
mourn John Phare, the first-ever recipient of the Medal of Good
Citizenship.<br />
Finally, in 2015 we lost <b>Bill Bennett</b>, the 27th Premier of British Columbia.<br />
For nearly 10 years, Bill Bennett served our province with
distinction. We stand on the legacy he built every day, from the sites
and facilities of Expo 86, to the Coquihalla Highway, and the expansion
of our mining and clean hydro industries. Bill Bennett will be
remembered for his achievements but also for the strength of his
character, his principles, and an unflinching sense of duty to his
fellow citizens.<br />
<i>[That was Christy Clark - the real author of the speech - sucking up to the Bennett family, who rescued her political career, by presenting a very one-sided version of Bill Bennett's mixed history when the truth is he was divisive, widely hated and driven from office in some disgrace before he would have been defeated. Yes it is politically incorrect to speak negatively of the dead but Clark's overly-selective history errs in the opposite direction.] </i> <br />
<h5 class="smallcaps">
B.C.’s Distinctiveness In Today’s World</h5>
Steadfast, resilient, and the courage to get to yes. That’s the spirit of who we are as British Columbians.<br />
<br />
<i>[Empty rhetoric, selective and not-subtly partisan with that get-to-yes tripe.] </i><br />
<br />
Nothing is a greater demonstration of that spirit than the Great Bear
Rainforest Agreement. <i>[Debatable.] </i> One of the greatest acts of conservation in our
country. One that establishes the certainty required for economic
development. <i>[Debatable; may be premature.]</i> An agreement that enshrines human well-being and an
opportunity for First Nations to benefit. <i>[Wishful, TBA.]</i><br />
To the leaders from our Coastal First Nations and the Nanwakolas, the
public service, our forestry industry, and the environmental
organizations whose hard work and determination helped achieve this
agreement, you have demonstrated how British Columbians can come
together around our shared values and show the world how we do business:
with respect for where we live and for each other. <i>[Like hasn't been done since B.C. joined Canada in 1871... and still doesn't.]</i><br />
It is part of the story of what makes B.C. unique. <i>[trite]</i><br />
British Columbia’s economy leads Canada. <i>[Debatable depending on how you choose to define the race, so far it's only briefly, and it's mainly because all of the other provinces have tanked, not because B.C. is surging forward on a strong burst of new and healthy energy from a brilliant plan broadly supported by citizenry.]</i><br />
We have the opportunity to eliminate the operating debt in just four
years, <i>[we also have an opportunity to crash in ignominy, especially if say the LNG balloon pops or Site C has to be delayed or if exchange rate shifts kill our exports, etc. - and note she's talking only about the government's "operating" debt and hiding the fact that Crown corporation debts are soaring - some of which has been used to inflate the main government's revenues! True!!]</i> paving the path towards a debt-free B.C. <i>[what a bald-faced lark of a partisan political lie - how does she have the balls to make such a claim? Only because it's "a path towards" an impossible and impractical dream - unless other measures are added such as reviving the Bank of B.C. and empowering it to create a new currency.]</i><br />
<i>[new paragraph inserted here - this following quite important line was tagged on to the end of the previous paragraph as if it was an afterthought, but probably to help hide it too.] </i><br />
In 2015, we led Canada
by creating more than 50,000 new jobs. <i>[Oh where to start? Leading another race of turtles? Not mentioning that last year's numbers were buoyed by a federal election. Not describing which types of jobs were involved, or what other related indicators say, or how or where they were created. This is such an important issue - arguably the single most important issue in B.C. politics - one would hope for a bit more detail - so you see how they do with it:]</i><br />
This happened because of hard work and determination, a commitment to
controlling government spending, balanced budgets, and a focus on
building a strong, diverse, and growing economy that creates jobs and
prosperity. <i>[Sounds like mere high-school rhetoric to me, and several dubious claims especially that budgets have been balanced when really they were achieved with above-mentioned sleights of off-budget ledgers and other fiscal trickeries.]</i><br />
Your government remains focused on the long-term goals set out in the
BC Jobs Plan. Currently, 14 of the 19 targets have been met – and
progress continues to be made on the remaining five targets. <i>[Ho hum, of course we all know what those 14, 5 and 19 items are . . . not! Really it's hot-air propaganda.]</i><br />
But these accomplishments – and the prosperity that British Columbians are working so hard to achieve – are at risk. <i>[True.]</i><br />
The global economy is fragile. Oil and gas and commodity prices have
fallen drastically. And our country faces immense economic challenges. <i>[All true.]</i><br />
Consider our neighbours in Alberta – a province of similar size, and also blessed with natural resources. <i>[Actually the resource arrays and economies of B.C. and Alberta are very different and not easily comparable, but the writer - Clark - clearly is hell-bent on scoring some cheap political points...]</i><br />
Over the decades, Alberta lost its focus. They expected their
resource boom never to end, failed to diversify their economy and lost
control of government spending. <i>[All debatable.]</i><br />
So today, with the price of oil at historic lows, global markets
shutting down, and the Canadian dollar falling, it has never been more
important to stay vigilant. <i>[Hogwash! It's always important to be vigilant!]</i><br />
To protect British Columbia from global trends – we must continue to
work hard with determination <i>[oh? when did it start?]</i>, and resist the temptation to spend our way
into trouble <i>[hypocritical nonsense]</i>.<br />
<h5 class="smallcaps">
Strong Diverse Economy</h5>
Our island of prosperity <i>[gross exaggeration - look at the homeless camps!]</i> is a collective accomplishment <i>[hogwash]</i> that we can
all take pride in. <i>[Wishful partisan posturing]</i> Because we built it together, brick by brick. <i>[What about exchange rates? Aiding anti-union businesses?]</i> <br />
For example, about 80 per cent of B.C.’s unionized public sector
employees are covered by agreements negotiated under the Economic
Stability Mandate. <i>[No mention of the teachers' debacle going to the Supreme Court of Canada...]</i><br />
This happened because 250,000 hardworking men and women said yes, and gave themselves a stake in growing the economy. <i>[Clark deserves some credit for being more collaborative than Gordon Campbell towards unions but that's not saying much.]</i><br />
This is crucial. To grow and diversify our economy, we must have the courage to say yes. <i>[Well yes, but B.C. needs a lot more than mere rhetoric, it needs vision and leadership in many fields eg local food and ,low-skill job creation that generally Clark has NOT been providing.]</i><br />
Yes to recognizing that economic development and environmental protection go hand in hand. <i>[True.]</i><br />
Yes to planning for future growth and creating a climate where job-creating businesses can thrive. <i>[True.]</i><br />
Because a growing economy is not an accomplishment for its own sake. <i>[Trite.]</i><br />
It’s the only way to sustain, much less expand, critical services for a growing and ageing <i>[sp]</i> population.<br />
It’s the only way to make investments in infrastructure, schools, and hospitals. <i>[Not true, debt has worked well too, but revenues from economic growth IS a good way.]</i><br />
It’s the only way to create real opportunities for families. <i>[Again "only" is not true, but it is helpful.]</i><br />
Your government’s strategy to increase international trade continues to pay real dividends. <i>[Yes, but this has been the case since before B.C. joined Confederation - and it's not something the Campbell-Clark Liberals invented, indeed they arguably could and should be doing more of it than they have been, e.g. selling surplus water in bulk, e.g. promoting more in-bound tourism, etc.]</i><br />
Total exports from B.C. are worth over $35 billion per year – an
increase of 41 per cent since 2009. In that same time, exports to China
have increased 116 per cent. Exports to India have increased 660 per
cent. <i>[It's a cheap trick to start a stat from a small base and omit the dollar figures, omit the context, etc.]</i><br />
A major part of that success has been increasing the number of trade
and investment representatives abroad. <i>[Yeah but we probably wouldn't get much detail if we tried to FoI their names, qualifications and salaries, plus the budgets for consultants and insiders, and the partisan donations of trade-mission members, etc.] </i>That number will increase again
in 2016 with a new trade office in the Philippines. <i>[News!!]</i><br />
Of the 8 key sectors of the BC Jobs Plan, the fastest-growing is
tech. It’s already employing more than 86,000 British Columbians, at
wages 60 per cent higher than the industrial average. <i>[Good, but it's not something the Clark regime engineered.]</i><br />
Your government’s new BC Tech Strategy will attract and reward investment, create jobs, and provide more training. <i>[This is one nugget that does deserve more details in the weeks ahead.]</i><br />
<br />
One of the products B.C. is known around the world for is agriculture.<i> [True since the era of the Spanish explorers who preceded the British, and thank goodness Dave Barrett brought in the Agricultural Land Reserve and public opinion forced a series of private-sector regimes to more or less keep it.]</i><br />
B.C.’s precious coasts have long been known for their abundant and
sustainable seafood – and they represent our most significant
opportunity to address world hunger. <i>[Whoa! What's some vision doing in here?? This is true, but few people understand its importance; it's also true for bulk water, an industry the Campbell-Clark Liberals have studiously avoided touching while some scandalous litigation against alleged misfeasance by the B.C. government is awaiting a judicial decision.]</i><br />
Last year, at $3 billion, was the highest ever sales of B.C. food and
beverage products. This year, your government will continue its work to
increase provincial revenues in agrifoods and seafoods to $15 billion a
year by 2020. <i>[That's a laudable and very ambitious goal - but 500% in about five years? How??]</i><br />
Climate change <i>[debatable]</i> and increasing demands on water <i>[elsewhere than in B.C.]</i> are challenging global
agricultural production, in particular in the US <i>[U.S.]</i> and Mexico <i>[actually the water shortages are worse in Third World places]</i> where much
of our fresh produce is grown <i>[grammar error]</i>. Combined with the current low Canadian
dollar, this creates rising food prices, which are putting a strain on
B.C. families. <i>[Trite, and a bit stale-dated, and somewhat of a blessing in disguise if more costly food imports make local in-B.C. food production more financially viable.]</i><br />
Part of the solution to that challenge is reflected in the success B.C. agriculture is experiencing. <i>[True.]</i><br />
Already, your government has grown the size of Agricultural Land
Reserve and modernized the operations of the Agricultural Land
Commission. <i>[Well this is debatable too; the Liberals' record on ALR is iffy.]</i><br />
This year, your government will build on those successes by
increasing its financial support for the Commission and moving forward
with a tax credit for farmers that donate food to non-profits. And in
November, the first ever provincial agrifoods conference will be held in
Kelowna, focusing on food supply security for B.C. <i>[This is truly good news and hopefully the start of better things, eg connect this with work experience, job creation and local food promotions.]</i><br />
British Columbians recognize the value of our agricultural sector in
ensuring our food supply security, and this is supported through the Buy
Local program. <i>[They could and should be doing ten times more.]</i><br />
Your government will expand on these efforts by piloting work with
industry, local governments, and community organizations to encourage
and support British Columbians to Buy Local, Grow Local. This work will
get more British Columbians engaged in growing food at home and in their
communities. It will provide another source of fresh fruits and
vegetables, and further strengthen the connections between British
Columbians, our communities, and our agricultural sector. <i>[Good but too long overdue, and inadequate.]</i><br />
<br />
Red tape restricts growth, impedes flexibility, and makes life more
complicated for families. That is why your government extended its
commitment to a net zero increase in regulatory requirements to 2019.<br />
Since 2001, there has been a 43 per cent total reduction in
requirements – 155,000 needless rules removed, with more than 1,700 in
2015 alone.<br />
More than 5,900 British Columbians have submitted their ideas on
reducing red tape. Over the coming months, many of those will become
reality. Right now, more than 200 red tape reduction projects are
underway or completed. <i>[Yawn - the red tape thing is a smokescreen; of course red tape needs trimming but meanwhile what about the gross waste in so many other areas, like literally billions of dollars lost on dysfunctional projects for computerization aka information technology? In fact the Campbell-Clark Liberals are guilty of numerous costly boondoggles so their zeal to fight red tape is gross hypocrisy.] </i><br />
<br />
A major component of your government’s plan for a growing and diverse economy is the opportunity presented by LNG. <i>[Here it comes - a tsunami of misleading claims to try to justify keeping the impossible promises that Clark resorted to in order to steal a win in the 2013 election.]</i><br />
There are 20 active projects at various stages of development. Over
30 investment partners are involved, and between them, they have
invested some $20 billion. <i>[Let's see the list.]</i><br />
There is no question that unforeseen <i>[oh?? by whom?]</i> global conditions are posing new
challenges. Low global prices will have an impact on your government’s
initial timelines. <i>[No kidding...]</i><br />
But government has done everything it set out to do to attract
investment for the cleanest LNG in the world. As companies consider
their best opportunities to reach final investment decisions, your
government will continue to work to bring home the opportunity of LNG to
B.C. <i>[They have no other choice now, but some expert analysts (David Bond, David Austin) are convinced it's already hopeless so really what's happening here is Christy is desperately hoping to keep her little pony alive at least long enough for her to ride it again in the 2017 election.]</i><br />
Success is not for quitters. Success demands steadfast attention, and resiliency in the face of global challenges. <i>[Empty rhetoric, desperate politics. Disgusting.]</i><br />
It is not a choice between keeping B.C.’s natural gas industry stable
or deciding to grow it. We must begin to export, or the 13,000 people
who depend on this industry today will be out of work. <i>[Nonsense, there's still demand for B.C. gas in the U.S. but to get faster payoffs the industry producers - many of whom are major donors to the Christy Liberals - want in to lucrative Asian markets asap.] </i><br />
As the world’s cleanest-burning fossil fuel, demand for LNG will increase, and with it, the price. <i>[Hoping.]</i><br />
And your government will ensure there is equity for future
generations of British Columbians by establishing a Prosperity Fund, to
leave an endowment for future generations, to pay down and eliminate the
debt, and to invest in the services and infrastructure that British
Columbians rely on to get ahead. <i>[Dream on, it's bogus politics, but to try to achieve it the Clark regime is forcing B.C. Hydro customers to subsidize the Site C dam construction so Hydro will be able to provide cheap power to the LNG plants if/when they're built, not to mention capturing more water for provision to the NAWAPA project, which would help irrigate the above-mentioned drought areas in Californian and Mexican that grow the greens and other foods that we now consume in large volumes.]</i><br />
<h5 class="smallcaps">
Climate</h5>
As part of B.C.’s innovative clean energy and tech sector, LNG has a vital contribution to make in the world.<br />
There is a lesson to draw from the UN climate conference in Paris:
the world is changing. Developing and growing economies in countries
like China and India are looking for cleaner energy to power their
future.<br />
B.C. has the potential to be a clean energy superpower, helping
others reduce emissions – whether by replacing coal-fired plants with
LNG overseas, or by supplying hydroelectric power to Alberta.<br />
Being a vital supplier of the things our neighbours and trading
partners need is exactly how we are succeeding today. It is equally the
plan for tomorrow.<br />
It means more jobs in B.C., and it means reducing global emissions.<br />
B.C. was one of the first jurisdictions in North America to not only
set a price on carbon, but to use that revenue to cut your taxes at
home. <i>[Actually the structure of B.C.'s carbon tax is full of flaws and holes, such as taxing schools and hospitals, and providing subsidies to companies doing fracking, but it still plays well politically and at least provides subsidies to low-income taxpayers - but it is bogus too.]</i><br />
This is a truly revenue-neutral tax – not an opportunistic reach into taxpayers’ wallets. <i>[Debatable.]</i><br />
Your government will continue consulting with you before releasing a final Climate Leadership Plan later this year. <i>[Oh yeah, sure, we've heard this before; it's a scam and will become a partisan political ploy with planks designed to squeeze the Liberals' partisan opponents moreso than actually doing real leading in substance, which is the opposite of the high-minded claims at the top of the speech. So really it's merely more hypocrisy. Shameful. Playing cheap politics with climate policy. Disgusting.]</i><br />
<h5 class="smallcaps">
First Nations</h5>
For over a hundred years, British Columbians have successfully
created strong, vibrant industries, particularly in the resource sector.<br />
But we have too often failed to ensure First Nations received their share of the benefits of a modern economy. <i>[Ya think??]</i><br />
We are now moving in the right direction. <i>[Well not very fast and not very far, with lots of errors.]</i><br />
In just seven years the Tsawwassen First Nation has planned
residential, commercial, and industrial projects with the potential to
inject over $1 billion in investment, and create thousands of new jobs. <i>[Why no mention of the Massey Bridge over the south arm of the Fraser River? Strange.]</i><br />
Since 2011, your government has invested in clean energy projects in
116 Aboriginal communities, like the geothermal heating and cooling
system at Senkulmen Business Park on Osoyoos Indian Band land. <i>[But so much more needs to be done, and the feds are nowhere to be seen.]</i><br />
This year, your government will convene the third annual gathering of
Cabinet with First Nations leaders from every corner of the province. <i>[A taxpayer subsidized photo opp for a pre-election Premier.]</i><br />
Your government will work with its partners in Ottawa on the Inquiry
into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and also work with local
communities and First Nations to move forward with its five point action
plan for safe transportation options along Highway 16. <i>[This is more classic Liberal rhetoric that glosses over a lot of dirty stuff, e.g. police inaction and corruption enabling horrific sex abuses involving organized crime gangs, that a genuine government in Victoria would have ended decades ago long before a bad-apple judge got a token conviction and incarceration. And why did the B.C. Liberals delay the new bus service for so many years and then finally deliver only a meagre service that local communities are required to pay for? It's another disgusting deceit by an unconscionable regime.]</i><br />
<h5 class="smallcaps">
Housing</h5>
All British Columbians deserve to share in the benefits of a growing economy. <i>[Trite.]</i><br />
This month, your government will take steps to ease the pressures of cost of living increases. <i>[Oh?]</i><br />
Your government will look into any allegations of improper behaviour
in the housing market, and where appropriate, government will take
action. <i>[A late insertion due to a news media story a few days beforehand, and apparently just enough of a sop to dissuade the New Democrats from trying for an emergency debate, but make no mistake: the integrity of Vancouver's real estate market is in grave doubt and the Clark Liberals are doing nothing but trying to cover it up by assigning the broker foxes to investigate their own henhouses and delaying the report for a ridiculous 60 days and likely longer.]</i><br />
Your government will also work to give British Columbians a better
opportunity to enter the housing market, and encourage more housing
supply. <i>[Watch for some vote-buying gimmicks in the budget.]</i><br />
There is no single solution, and no one level of government can do this on its own. <i>[But B.C. has lots of levers, especially the property purchase tax and Realtor licences and suggesting it needs help from Ottawa is a cynical ploy that amounts to passing the buck.]</i><br />
Your government will work with municipalities to reduce the hidden
costs in home purchases, and to make those hidden costs clear and
transparent to the homebuyer. <i>[More misleading deceits, probably presaging a provincial attack on the development cost charges levied by responsible municipal governments.]</i><br />
Your government will work carefully to protect the savings and equity
that existing homeowners have painstakingly placed in their homes. <i>[Which suggests that heretofore they haven't been doing so.]</i><br />
<h5 class="smallcaps">
Thriving Communities</h5>
For communities to truly thrive, we must care for those among us who need it. [Trite.]<br />
British Columbia’s dedicated social workers work hard in the most
difficult circumstances, touching the lives of thousands of people. <i>[So why were so many of their offices badly understaffed??]</i><br />
In the past year, 274 children were placed for adoption, more than
28,000 clients seen by Child and Youth Mental Health Services, and more
than 111,000 licensed child care spaces funded. <i>[Numbers without context is a form of distorting propaganda.]</i><br />
The Ministry of Children and Family Development has begun the work of responding to the Plecas Report.<br />
That work must begin with ending the culture of blame that exists for those public servants with the most difficult role. <i>[Make me puke; they're back-handedly blaming the workers they're supposedly trying to defend; the truth is that counter-productive budget cuts have harmed thousands of children.]</i><br />
As Mr. Plecas said, “if we could walk a mile in the front line social
worker’s shoes, to drive five hours to a remote community only to be
denied access…or attend at a home of a neighbour and have to remove
their child because of violent threats – all the while fearing for their
own personal safety – we might begin to understand the job.”
Besides cultural changes, your government is committed to maintaining
the stability Mr. Plecas deemed crucial, and hiring even more social
workers than recommended. <i>[Too little too late and blatant cynical damage control, probably designed mainly to dodge lawsuits for government negligence, but also to try to bury a scandal so the NDP can't use it in the next election.]</i><br />
In the coming weeks, your government will announce more measures to
further support both at-risk children, and our social workers. <i>[Oh please, have they no shame?]</i><br />
<h5 class="smallcaps">
Safe Streets</h5>
In the Lower Mainland, there are too many sad stories – too many parents mourning children who didn’t come home.<br />
Your government is taking action. The anti-gang unit has significant
resources on the ground, working with Surrey and Delta police, with
integrated teams and new police officers on the ground.<br />
This is progress, but we need to do more. Your government will
continue to work with its federal counterparts to secure more RCMP
resources and officers. <i>[How low can they go? Just awful. Organized crime has gone more or less unchallenged since before and after the atrocious Robert Pickton and Piggies Palace scandal and now to see this rhetoric?? They have no shame.]</i><br />
<h5 class="smallcaps">
Public Servants</h5>
To ensure tomorrow’s leaders are ready for tomorrow’s economy and
opportunities, your government has worked with teachers to develop a new
curriculum, new supports, and the training teachers need to bring it to
life. <i>[That's an exaggeration, it's actually overdue but first they chose to fight the BCTF.]</i><br />
That is in addition to investments to address class composition, hire
more teachers, and continue the work of seismically upgrading B.C.
schools. <i>[More untruths and phony spin.]</i><br />
With 80 per cent of all unionized employees in B.C. under long-term
labour agreements, including the longest period of labour peace ever
achieved with B.C.’s teachers, British Columbians can count on
uninterrupted service. <i>[Unless the BCTF wins in Supreme Court; hopefully sanity will prevail if/when they do win.]</i><br />
<i>[new paragraph inserted here; Health is arguably the single most important issue in government, competing with job creation IMO, but here they've buried it underneath education and lumped it in with labour relations, so why would they do that; the answer is easy to deduce and it's not flattering: they're playing cheap partisan politics again with peoples' lives.] </i><br />
In the coming months, your government will work with the men and
women on the front lines of health care, and reach a negotiated
settlement with B.C.’s hardworking nurses. <i>[Recently they suddenly hired about 1,500 nurses to fill what obviously were far too many vacancies in B.C. hospitals - but why?]</i><br />
The service that most defines us as Canadians is health care. And
despite a growing, ageing <i>[sp]</i> population – B.C. boasts some of the best
outcomes in the world. <i>[True - due especially to people.]</i><br />
In 2016, your government will continue to invest in patient care and
shifting needs, and continue its four-year plan to add 65,000 more MRI
scans per year in B.C. <i>[i.e. playing catch-up with false economies.]</i><br />
Not all afflictions are visible. This year, the cabinet working group
on mental health will take action to improve access and supports for
British Columbians struggling with mental illness. <i>[also overdue]</i><br />
In the coming weeks, your government will also introduce legislation to modernize community care and assisted living. <i>[Okay, we'll look at it when it comes; does this mean private-sector care homes that have been squeezing their employees will be forced to maintain better minimum standards? Hope so.]</i><br />
<h5 class="smallcaps">
New British Columbians</h5>
As we continue to grow and diversify the economy, and as we continue
to give British Columbians the skills they need through the Skills for
Jobs Blueprint, they will be first in line for the jobs that are already
being created. <i>[Another promise that's long overdue.]</i><br />
But we should also remember immigration built this province. With the
exception of our First Nations, every one of us is descended from
immigrants. <i>[Watch for more cheap imported temporary foreign workers.]</i><br />
Today, British Columbia and Canada are proof positive that people
from different cultures and traditions can live in peace and build
vibrant, thriving communities. <i>[Wishful thinking but not really true - there are thousands of First Nations people in B.C. still living impoverished lives in Third World housing.]</i><br />
That is why your government is working with Ottawa and individual
sponsors not just to resettle more refugees from Syria – but to welcome
them. <i>[First Nations should demand equal treatment.]</i><br />
<h5 class="smallcaps">
Standing Up For B.C.</h5>
My fellow British Columbians, these are uncertain times for the global economy. <i>[Ya think??]</i><br />
Your government will continue to stand up for B.C., for British
Columbians, and for the communities and industries that not only built
this province, but sustain our prosperity. <i>[False rhetoric.]</i><br />
Forestry is a crucial industry for British Columbia, and the <i>[many many]</i> thousands of men and women who depend on it.<br />
And while the industry continues to thrive <i>[oh? not everywhere, and mills are still closing]</i>, there are serious
disagreements with our largest trading partner: the expired softwood
lumber agreement, and the unfair US Department of Commerce ruling on
Catalyst.<br />
Both present a real risk to jobs. <i>[Yep.]</i><br />
Your government will work with its federal counterparts to renew the
softwood agreement, and press for a full investigation of Catalyst to
confirm they have received no government subsidies. <i>[So much more could and should be said about what once was B.C. most important industry, but it's not here.]</i><br />
The men and women who depend on B.C.’s mining sector are under threat
from low prices for copper and coal – but they are also under threat
from internal critics looking for an opportunity to see the industry
closed. <i>[And suddenly we jump to mining, another once-major but now-troubled industry.]</i><br />
To those among us <i>[oh, like who? your partisan opponents??]</i> who look down on mining, I would say this: every
consumer electronics product you own, every transmission line that
connects the world to clean solar or hydro power – each is only possible
with materials mined in British Columbia. <i>[Quick Christy, grab that hardhat again eh, but about those transmission lines - how much were they over budget??]</i><br />
Your government has introduced several measures to help the men,
women, and entire communities who depend on B.C.’s mining sector. <i>[Not to mention the mine owners who routinely donate millions of dollars to the Liberals or any cabal with the best chance of keeping the New Democrats out of power, and not to mention some particular captains of industry who have been especially close to Clark.]</i><br />
Your government will also keep working towards securing the Trans
Pacific Partnership agreement, which will create enormous new
opportunities for British Columbia, and work with all members of this
legislature to ensure we speak with one voice. <i>[Oh sure - they can't even spell its name properly - there should be a hyphen in Trans-Pacific - but they're already trying to bully the Opposition into supporting it, let alone allow the people of B.C. to see for themselves what's in it before the government decides it's such a good deal, and many analysts believe it's a really bad sellout to global capitalists bent on forcing workers and local and provincial governments into a race-to-the-bottom on workplace standards and wages, etc., so for Clark to express such support beforehand is really unconscionable.]</i><br />
Getting to yes on economic development does not mean cutting corners, or bowing to external pressure. <i>[Methinks she doth protest too much and that's exactly what the Liberals have been doing.]</i><br />
In the province that invented the concept of social license <i>[really? when and by whom??]</i>, it means
working with communities to ensure their concerns are addressed [hypocrisy to the n<span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span> degree] – and
with proponents to help address them. <i>[Sure, and I've got a bridge for sale....]</i><br />
That is why your government will continue to stand up for B.C. with
the Five Conditions for heavy oil pipelines – to ensure that any
proposal achieves regulatory approvals, to ensure we have world-leading
spill response on our coast and on our land, to make sure First Nations
are participants, and to make sure B.C. receives our fair share. <i>[Okay, that's more or less what most B.C.ers want, but not all. And it's a lot easier to say than it is to actually deliver, and may become hypothetical anyway - and not to mention that sending upgraded crude by rail from Edmonton to Prince Rupert - without dangerous and costly diluent and without costly risky new pipelines - is a much more practical solution.]</i><br />
<h5 class="smallcaps">
Infrastructure</h5>
Controlling spending does not mean failing to invest in the future.
There is currently more than $7 billion dollars’ worth of ongoing
infrastructure projects. This economic stimulus is happening right now –
without pushing B.C. into deficit. <i>[That's because they're doing the capital projects outside the operating budget - which is simply a normal and proper way to do such things, but also a sort of gimmick.] </i><br />
In addition to creating thousands of jobs, projects like the South
Fraser Perimeter Road, Evergreen Line, and George Massey Tunnel
Replacement <i>[oh there it is! aka the Massey Bridge boondoggle]</i> will reduce time spent in traffic burning fuel, get our
goods to market, and people home to their families faster.<br />
Not only are these projects an investment in our growing province – they are creating 150,000 jobs over the next 10 years. <i>[Good, and there probably should be more of them, and better ones too.]</i><br />
That is in addition to the significant investments underway at BC
Hydro – $2.4 billion dollars every year for the next 10 years. That
includes Site C, which will provide clean energy for our growing economy
<i> [actually that's debatable because experts believe it will be surplus power]</i> – ensuring future demands can be met without increasing emissions. <i>[Really it's part of NAWAPA - a longstanding conspiracy to irrigate the southwest United States with water collected anew in Canada.]</i><br />
<i>[Interesting how the big-ticket controversies were inserted at the end and not the beginning. And I haven't had time yet to determine which issues were glaringly omitted - maybe triple-delete repairs? Freedom of Information? Income tax tweaks? Lottery revenues? Transit? There's lots left unsaid.] </i><br />
<h5 class="smallcaps">
Conclusion</h5>
My fellow British Columbians, as we work to protect and strengthen
our island of prosperity <i>[oh good grief, how often must we hear this deceit?]</i>, we owe it to our children to remember we are
the envy of the world because of choices made by the men and women who
left the province in our care.<br />
Steadfast. Resilient. And the courage to get to yes. <i>[Oh good grief, again...]</i><br />
We have the same responsibility.<br />
To choose to stand up for B.C. <i>[Only in photo opps?]</i><br />
To choose hard work and determination.<br />
To choose to keep our focus in the face of growing global uncertainty. <i>[More should be done.]</i><br />
To choose to create opportunity. <i>[Much more could be done.]</i><br />
To choose to give ourselves the ability to intervene in times of crisis. <i>[What??!]</i><br />
British Columbia is entering Canada’s 150th birthday as leaders in Confederation. <i>[Not true.]</i><br />
Let us continue to make the right choices today [not true] for a stronger, more secure tomorrow.<br />
Thank you.<br />
<br />
<i> [So it's another nadir in the history of B.C. politics. The rhetoric may sound good but the substance is full of holes and flaws, lacking in some areas and overstated in others. It's essentially more of a partisan political ploy than truly a blueprint for a positive new direction in making B.C. stronger and better. There is so much more that can and should be done, especially launching a new made-in-B.C. currency, enabling a new ferry crossing between Gabriola Island and Vancouver International Airport, adding a pontoon crossing near the Massey Tunnel, creating many thousands of entry-level and work-experience jobs, reforming tax structures to really help families, pushing local food, selling surplus water, offering universal child care, building more facilities for aging seniors, training more kids to be technologists, cracking down on polluters, settling treaties unilaterally with First Nations because Ottawa won't, promoting more tourism, advancing clean energy, reforesting.... etc.]</i>John Twigghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18209883575318239876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3099462618137613612.post-59491360515695802282016-02-05T14:35:00.000-08:002016-02-05T16:09:39.132-08:00B.C. health and dental care depend on economic growth<b>Some thoughts to ponder on B.C. Family Day weekend </b><br />
<b>By John Twigg</b><br />
Not that anyone complained, but there are some good reasons why my journalistic output waned a bit in recent days: unexpected health and dental issues.<br />
Not that I was ever at risk, only inconvenienced briefly and reminded anew how fortunate we are in British Columbia to generally have ready affordable access to professional care that's as world-class as it gets.<br />
Not that I'm always going to begin my columns with "not" - indeed it may be the first time in my now-long career as a journalistic writer, mainly in politics and business but also in sports and arts and culture and food and... life. Oh, and we can't forget spirituality, religion, theology, prophecy and some bigger words. But not today, not right here, not right now. (That's a subtle reference to the song Right Here, Right Now by the group Jesus Jones, which contains this brilliant lyric: "Watching the world wake up from history.")<br />
No, the topic today is how I recently got a great stitch job to a bad cut on my nose that I incurred while trying to disassemble a large set of plastic shelving - a self-inflicted wound that sliced open my left nostril and caused lots of blood to flow, and then only a week or so later I had to have two broken molars extracted (unrelated to the encounter with plastic shelving).<br />
In the first instance the doctor on duty in the Campbell River hospital emergency department was Dr. Shannon Hammersly, an emergency room specialist who happened to also be trained as a plastic surgeon, and he did such a great job that my wound was virtually invisible when I appeared on my local television show about 10 days later (Talk About on Shaw TV North Island - latest show re SD72 budget is <a href="http://www.shaw.ca/ShawTV/Comox/">here</a> ).<br />
But apart from the doctor's talent there also was Medicare, which made my access relatively fast and very affordable, i.e. free! I was told a similar surgery in the U.S. would have cost several thousands of dollars.<br />
And then this week I was referred to Dr. Bruce Woermke, a local specialist in dental surgery, for two difficult tooth extractions, and again he did it promptly and with amazing talent, albeit not for free but still well worth it, and it reminded me that politically I would like to see universal dental care available soon too.<br />
Those events were in a way blessings helping me to have a better appreciation for the superb quality of life most people enjoy in British Columbia, which is something we can all hopefully meditate on a bit come Monday on the new Christy Liberal - created Family Day, a statutory provincial holiday.<br />
And that reminded me of me how we all need to be much more mindful of the importance of maintaining a healthy political economy that enables more businesses and individuals to prosper in a place where the rule of law does rule and fairness and equal opportunities generally do prevail so businesses can be profitable, employ lots of people and pay a fair level of taxes to governments plural so that they can deliver the basic services everyone needs regardless of their varying abilities to pay, not just in health and welfare but also in housing and education and all the basics of life.<br />
<b>Policy ramifications of paying for needed services </b><br />
I am a generally left-leaning but not really radical fellow in my politics, supporting the redistribution of wealth for those very such things as social, personal and economic health, but I'm also a pragmatist who realizes how badly we need a healthier economy with more jobs and more surplus value to share around, so I get annoyed when some ecological idealists so blithely advocate leaving resources in the ground because they might emit a bit of carbon, and other such nimby attitudes in various industries, all with different sets of pros and cons (both negatives and scams).<br />
Of course we do not promote pollution or extinction of species or contamination of aquifers, and nor should we support subsidies to big businesses because they make timely substantial donations only to the politicians of their favour, but we DO need to grow our economic pies so there will be more to share all around.<br />
<b>Economic growth needed to pay for social services </b><br />
In the short term it includes letting mines postpone their power bills to B.C. Hydro, as B.C. Premier Christy Clark has just done, and which other B.C. regimes have done in decades past, but that's a slippery slope that has some dangers too, such as exposing B.C. to complaints that it is unfairly subsidizing exports, which could violate the FTA, NAFTA, GATT and maybe (probably) the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership deal too.<br />
No, what we really need are better long-term strategies to bolster and grow the B.C. economy, especially to make it more self-reliant in central and essential services, and getting B.C. residential, governmental and business consumers of electricity to pay inflated prices to B.C. Hydro in order to finance the Site C boondoggle to in turn subsidize the dubious export LNG golden goose is NOT one of those better strategies. But there should be and are better ways to accomplish similar ends, and not just pie-in-the-sky mass conversions to massive solar-panelled plains or vast vistas of windmills or other supposed environmental panaceas like plug-in cars for urban use now on the verge of viability (as <a href="https://t.co/redirect?url=https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2F7IudkVXUL5%3Fcn%3DZmxleGlibGVfcmVjc18y&t=1&cn=ZmxleGlibGVfcmVjc18y&sig=54894d94e23f4f70f25b96b2db2b2ba6c450d4fc&iid=1706e9d21dce4d1abbc3277c92217cae&uid=521637496&nid=244+288">John Horgan</a> recently intimated). <br />
Those innovations can and will help if and when they become economically viable to mass markets but meanwhile we need more new things NOW to bolster and grow the B.C. economy, and probably what we'll see in the coming federal and provincial budgets will make some welcome but still essentially inadequate steps in that direction.<br />
The challenge here is with the structure of the economy, like what is counted in the GDP, what industries are kept underground, which human services are deemed to be priceless or valueless to the economists calculating inflation and productivity, and just which types of work should be paid at which levels. And which kinds of new services should be mandated, from better care of parks to better care of people, especially for those forced to tent in them! <br />
<b>Creating new currency could shelter B.C. </b><br />
This leads to another key debate that's a bit esoteric about the various ways to achieve the creation of money, which is an increasingly important solution to just how we can or should inject more capital into the economy; I'll try to deal with it more in a subsequent blog post but essentially it is that both the (if-revived) Bank of B.C. and the Bank of Canada have the power to create new currency without first borrowing it from oligopolists - but they're too afraid to do it!<br />
The U.S. government is in the same predicament and eventually they'll probably have to create fiat money to pay their huge overhanging debts to pension plans with unfunded liabilities, and to the Peoples Republic of China to which the U.S. now has an unrepayable debt.<br />
The latest gyrations in exchange rates is giving the U.S. a brief opportunity to knock down some megadebts to China but if the U.S. has been doing so it has not yet become apparent, at least to me.<br />
In such an unstable world surely it behooves British Columbia to develop its own stable currency for internal use so that its citizens on Family Day 2017 would be able to buy groceries with made-in-B.C. bucks. <br />
<br />
<br />John Twigghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18209883575318239876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3099462618137613612.post-3240960183412606882016-02-03T02:20:00.003-08:002016-02-03T02:25:04.128-08:00Byelection results foretell competitive B.C. election im 2017<b>By John Twigg</b><br />
Though B.C. political history teaches that we should not read too much into B.C. byelections, the results from the two held yesterday (Feb. 2) still provide some important clues to what will play out in the provincial election due to be held in May 2017 - only about a year away if you include the usual busy run-up to the official writ drop in April.<br />
That the B.C. New Democrats handily won both byelection contests and the way they won them are strong indications that the 2017 campaign will be waged much differently and much more aggressively under NDP leader <b>John Horgan</b> than they did under former leaders Adrian Dix and Carole James in 2013 and 2009 respectively.<br />
<b>Horgan New Democrats went negative </b><br />
During and before the byelection campaigns - in Vancouver-Mount Pleasant and Coquitlam-Burke Mountain - Horgan was telling the media and more importantly telling his party cadres that running "positive" campaigns [my wording throughout] in those campaigns was a grave mistake and that henceforth he and the party would be pointedly critical of the many real and apparent flaws in the policies and performance of B.C. Liberal Party Premier <b>Christy Clark</b>, who took advantage of some inept campaigning by the NDP to win 49 seats in B.C.'s 85-seat <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legislative_Assembly_of_British_Columbia#Current_party_standings">Legislature</a> in 2013.<br />
But now it's looking more and more like Clark, 50, will be facing a bit of an uphill climb if she as expected stays to try for what would be her second win as Premier (she won the Liberal Party leadership shortly before the 2013 vote).<br />
<b>Land use deal didn't help Liberals </b><br />
Clark of course has proven to be a formidable campaigner which was attested to on Monday when she obviously arranged to announce a major or "landmark" new <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/great-bear-rainforest-bc-agreement-1.3426034">land use agreement</a> in the so-called Great Bear Rainforest which predictably made front-page news and top-billing in hot media reports - just the kind of good news a Premier is able to manufacture in order to curry votes or - perhaps more importantly nowadays - to persuade some of her antagonists to simply stay home rather than show up and vote against her.<br />
But look what it got her this time: a quite resounding repudiation!<br />
<b>Premier Clark was biggest loser </b><br />
If there were simplistic winners and losers in yesterday's byelections, and there were, then Christy Clark clearly was a big loser. Make that the biggest loser. Like a writing-is-on-the-wall fat-lady-singing loser.<br />
In B.C.'s volatile politics one can never say never but on the other hand the numbers speak volumes, starting with the paltry turnouts, the numbers for which I don't have yet, but what really matter are the proportions.<br />
In <b>Vancouver-Mount Pleasant</b>, which is one of the strongest strongholds in Canadian politics, NDP candidate <b>Melanie Mark</b> polled an eye-popping 61% but then look who finished second: Green Party candidate Pete Fry with a pretty good 26% ! Meanwhile Liberal Gavin Dew, a party minion, drew only 11% and two other candidates drew only 1% each - Libertarian Bonnie Boya Hu and Your Political Party maverick Jeremy Gustafson.<br />
It helped that Mark, a First Nations woman who has worked with the Child and Youth Advocate office, appears to be an MLA able to get right to work, and it's a nice touch that she'll also be the first First Nations woman in the Legislature, though I surmise that some other female MLAs may have been part native and I note that longtime Atlin MLA Frank Calder was First Nations too, and a cabinet minister. <br />
What those numbers show is that voters - at least those caring about the byelection - were not interested in flirting around with boutique alternatives, they were going with the best horse to beat the Liberal - which sentiment also was evoked in the recent federal election against, ahem: Stephen Harper.<br />
<b>Liberal finished third behind Green </b><br />
And the perhaps-imminent demise of the Liberals in a manner similar to the Vander Zalm Socreds can be seen clearly in the fact that their candidate finished third behind the Green Party candidate! A distant third!!<br />
It's still too early to say "Say goodnight, Christy" but if she or other pro-business apologists are quick to say "Ah but that was only a byelection in Mount Pleasant which the socialists have held since almost forever" then have a look at the debacle in the other seat which has been Liberal or non-CCF/NDP almost since forever too, and certainly since the 1975 election when then-NDP Premier Dave Barrett lost his own seat around there.<br />
In <b>Coquitlam-Burke Mountain</b> the winner was NDP candidate <b>Jodie Wickens</b> with a convincing 46% followed be dedicated Liberal Joan Isaacs at 38% - which is quite a gap in the B.C. milieu though it's also the kind of gap that tightens up a lot when a general election is at issue, as the New Democrats learned the hard out in Chilliwack in 2013.<br />
Why did the largely-unknown Wickens win? It helped that <a href="http://www.jodiewickens.bcndp.ca/">Wickens</a> is a parent activist experienced at organizing for family interests, but the key was that the NDP was able to build a good campaign around her.<br />
<br />
So as is always the case now in B.C. politics the 2017 provincial election will again be hard-fought mainly by only two forces - the somewhat mushy polyglot progressives on the left and the business-oriented anybody-but-the-socialists crowd on the centre-right - with a few Greens and other mavericks floating around in a few ridings and occasionally being supported enough to split off a few votes or even win a seat or two.<br />
<b>Keithley ran a poor third for Greens </b><br />
And that's where the Coquitlam result is most interesting, because high-profile Green candidate <b>Joe Keithley</b> finished a weak third with only 14% and a Libertarian had 2%.<br />
Keithley, who is media savvy and generally well-informed, is more widely known as Joey Shithead, leader of the rock band DOA, and he seemed to have a golden opportunity to score some points in Coquitlam but he failed to do so, and so why? Probably because the voters were determined to "Stop Christy" or at least "send her a message".<br />
For now I'll leave it to pundits, pollsters and other experts to post-mortem precisely which issues were at play on the Coquitlam doorsteps, and you can bet that both the Liberals and New Democrats will be studying that too, but it's pretty clear people want better performance on things like transit and housing and they don't like being gouged by Crown corporations.<br />
And note there were no B.C. Conservative Party candidates in the contests to siphon off a few votes from the Liberals the way the Greens so often do from the New Democrats.<br />
Perhaps the pollsters will learn how many "greenies" went to Christy because she is proving well able to play environment policy cards in her political gamesmanship, such as on (against unless...) pipeline projects, the carbon tax and other examples that in my opinion are largely gimmicks anyway - but she does play the game of getting votes very well.<br />
One could say that Stephen Harper also for a while played that game well, as did Gordon Campbell, but where are they now? More or less gone, though personally they're not hurting much, if at all. But politically they're gone. Done. Finis. Kaput.<br />
<b>Premier Clark surrounded by scandals</b> <br />
Will Christy Clark be the next to join them? Will she pull a Vander Zalm and suddenly resign under the weight of so many scandals (quick-wins, triple-deletes, billion-dollar boondoggles, etc.) and leave her party with too little time to rebuild?<br />
From my perspective there are so many scandals swirling around the Old Christy Liberals (see <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/sarah-miller2/christy-clark-scandal_b_8984182.html">here</a> and other lists) that her days were already numbered but I'm also aware there are more scandals coming, a few I'm aware of personally and others I only know are there by deducing that they are out there - like the big planet beyond Pluto that astronomers haven't spotted yet but which mathematicians have learned is there.<br />
The economic and fiscal trends are always major drivers of voting behaviour in B.C. politics and for example I'm hearing rumblings from parents that they're not too happy about what's going on in B.C.'s schools, with too many being closed; and likewise in health care where recently the OCLs had to suddenly hire hundreds of nurses to fill vacancies in hospitals; and in yesterday's news a very senior judge in Victoria was excoriating the government for failing to supply enough court clerks - and there's lots more like that, such as in social services (aka children, youth, families, First Nations and other euphemisms that free-enterprisers like to use to cover over the reality that the government must invest in human resources for the public good).<br />
<b>Voters signal dissatisfaction with Clark </b><br />
Anyway, the B.C. public interest can take some heart from yesterday's byelections because they demonstrate that a majority of B.C. voters are now fed up with the shoddy performance of this latest version of the various free-enterprise regimes that have been running the province with its gamish posturing and billion-dollar sinkholes and tent cities and tawdry ethics and . . . you get the point.<br />
It still remains to be seen whether Horgan can assemble a team of people with enough talent to be able to form a decent cabinet that could actually manage the affairs of state astutely, and the experiment next door in Alberta may inform or color that assessment, but it does look like the Horgan New Democrats now will be given every fair opportunity to do so - because it now seems B.C. voters - judging from the byelections plus opinion polls and media trends - have grown tired of the Clark Liberals.<br />
Though Clark has a few competent ministers in her cabinet, most of them are non-stars unknown to most taxpayers, and Clark herself of late has been getting a little too much dirt on her own hands too as aides around her keep getting mired in peccadilloes and falling like flies, so her days seem now to be numbered.<br />
But ah B.C. politics, you never know when a new storm will float in and blow away all the old assumptions, or if the New Democrat apparatchiks will blunder away another sure win.<br />
John Twigghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18209883575318239876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3099462618137613612.post-39698566916876265362016-01-31T22:41:00.002-08:002016-01-31T22:44:22.519-08:00Paradigm shifts needed in Canadian politics<b>By John Twigg</b><br />
While preparing for my local television show last week I encountered some new information that indicated I needed a paradigm shift in some of my thinking, in that case about videography, and then in subsequent days I had several more such revelations on other and bigger issues all the way from websites design to politics and yes religion too.<br />
Since the message involves so much media and human relations, or as Marshall McLuhan so famously said, the media IS the message, I've decided to share it, and to "damn the torpedoes" if some people don't like it because, frankly, the whole world <u>does</u> need a lot of paradigm shifts in a lot of areas and ways too, as I'll point out below.<br />
For example, just as I first typed this, news was coming over TV that ISIS has done a major new bombing in Damascus, a car bomb and then two suicide bombers at a bus depot killed about 50 people, obviously done to influence the outset of so-called peace talks getting underway in Geneva to try to end the awful war in Syria, with the bombs signalling that such talks probably are hopeless and futile unless there are some massive paradigm shifts.<br />
But that's getting ahead of how I planned to write this thesis, so let's go back to the beginning.<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Elk Falls video vertical </b></span><br />
On Jan. 19 I went out to Elk Falls on a cold rainy day to get some photos from the great new suspension bridge of the falls running at 10 times normal because B.C. Hydro, which manages a power station nearby, was draining some floating trash away from the station's intakes.<br />
The whole scene was spectacular, hundreds of people went out even though it entails a bit of a hike, the local paper put the story and photo on its front page and video on its website, at least two TV stations from Victoria sent videographers up for it - and I got some pretty good photos despite the rain and mist.<br />
But as I was leaving I thought it wouldn't hurt to try to get some audio-video too from a different outlook because my camera is able to do that, though I rarely use it for that purpose because it eats up so much data space; but when I got back home the results were amazing: such a roar, and so much water!<br />
So two weeks later when I was preparing a TV show on tourism I shared the unedited video with my show's producer but there was a problem: I had shot the video in vertical mode while the television format prefers horizontal. So I needed a paradigm shift in my thinking about videography (I'm an old print journalist, one of the last to work in so-called hot metal and pre-electric typewriters, let alone pre-computers!).<br />
Yes my video could have been edited and yes we could have used it anyway as-is but we already had a great video of the falls and bridge from another source (though not at high flow), so we ended up not using my amateur video.<br />
But I learned that henceforth when I do take some video I need a paradigm shift in how I do it.<br />
That's not a big deal in itself but I soon realized it was a metaphor for other bigger issues.<br />
<b>CRNV website horizontal </b><br />
Another example soon came when I was discussing a revamp of my local website (Campbell River News and Views) with a fellow who is expert in website designs; he pointed out that my site was laid out horizontally to look like a newspaper but nowadays in the momentous age of cellphones and iPads such websites should be designed vertically!<br />
So there was another paradigm shift I needed to make in my thinking! Just as video should by horizontal not vertical, websites should be vertical not horizontal! It makes sense once you think about it.<br />
But of course the point of this post goes beyond that, because the metaphor also applies to the whole world, which clearly needs to shift the way humanity thinks in many ways and many areas, not just geographically but also mentally, and yes including spiritually.<br />
<b>Trudeau's "Sunny ways" </b><br />
A great example of that is the "Sunny ways" metaphor used frequently and with great success by <b>Prime Minister Justin Trudeau</b> in the recent Canadian federal election (with "Canadian" tossed in there for the benefit of those foreign readers which this blog's stats show are there - which is another paradigm shift).<br />
Indeed "Sunny ways" were among the first words Trudeau spoke in his election night victory speech, which clearly proves it is a concept very important to him, though sadly lots of important critics still do not understand it:<br />
"<span class="entry-content" itemprop="articleBody">Sunny ways, my
friends, sunny ways. This is what positive politics can do. This is what
a causative, hopeful – a hopeful vision and a platform and a team
together can make happen. Canadians – Canadians from all across this
great country sent a clear message tonight. It’s time for a change in
this country, my friends, a real change," he said, after a paragraph in French in which he attributed it to Sir Wilfred Laurier.<a href="http://www.macleans.ca/politics/ottawa/justin-trudeau-for-the-record-we-beat-fear-with-hope/">(see transcript here)</a></span><br />
Though students of Canadian politics and history know or can easily learn in a Google search [more new paradigms], that phrase "Sunny ways" has a special or "peculiar" meaning: it goes back to 1886 when Liberal Prime Minister Wilfred Laurier (later Sir Wilfred) saved Canada from a constitutional crisis over the now-named <b>Manitoba schools question</b> by delaying a confrontation and giving time to find a win-win compromise solution for both sides.<br />
In other words, it was a paradigm shift! A new way of thinking about old challenges, using new information and hopefully new and better attitudes too.<br />
And so Laurier is still a hero to many Liberals and other Canadian liberals to this day, including former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and now his son Justin too. It's a Canadian thing, and a good thing.<br />
It's a better way to think around problems; instead of a winner-take-all war, it's a more civilized amelioration of differences so that both sides can move on to other challenges.<br />
<b>New approach to deficit budgets</b><br />
Perhaps the biggest such shift was Trudeau's promise during the election campaign to afterwards run a few deficit budgets totaling up to $10 billion in order to bolster and stimulate the Canadian economy, which the Harper Conservatives predictably excoriated as irresponsible and which even NDP leader Tom Mulcair opposed, apparently because he and his strategists lusted so strongly for power that they didn't dare dream of a better way and said only those things that they hoped would help them surreptitiously win a majority for the first time nationally in Canada for a socialist regime.<br />
Nonetheless the voters discerned that some deficit spending and expansions of infrastructure would be good in the circumstances (Canada's debt burden is relatively low) and they vaulted the Liberals from third place with only 36 seats to a clear majority with 184 seats - the largest turnaround in Canadian history. And the New Democrats fell ignobly to third place - and deservedly so because they botched several other issues too, such as opposing the legalization of marijuana. <br />
<b>Sunny ways pitched at Davos </b><br />
Since young Justin became Prime Minister late last year he has to his credit done "Sunny ways" in dozens of important areas and ways, including his being the hit of the party with his speech at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland (see numerous versions online - it's where he rapped former prime minister Stephen Harper for focussing too much on selling resources instead of promoting the resourcefulness of Canadians, i.e. a paradigm shift!). <br />
A prominent and important example of that is in how Trudeau is changing <b>Canada's role in the Middle East</b> wars: not suddenly withdrawing Canada's not-meagre presence there, notably the NATO-prescribed selective bombing by Canadian warplanes of radical Islamic forces trying to overthrow the corrupt regime in Syria and the weak regime in Iraq, but instead making arrangements to withdraw such action in an orderly manner that will not greatly inconvenience and annoy Canada's allies in NATO and planning to (paradigm) shift Canada's efforts into different areas that still will be helpful, apparently helping more to bolster Lebanon and Jordan, two of the few remaining outposts of sanity, tolerance and human decency in the region - so that will be a good thing.<br />
But Trudeau has already done similar policy shifts in an amazing list of difficult issues in Canadian politics, such as the impending <b>legalization of recreational marijuana</b> (which affects many millions of people and could have huge social and economic and financial benefits). Amusingly, the cabinet minister in charge of it now is Bill Blair, the former police chief of Toronto who now as an MP is Parliamentary Secretary to the Justice Minister.<br />
And <b>Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould</b> also is a paradigm shift in several ways and areas too: she's a First Nations woman from B.C. who is the first First Nations person to be Justice Minister, and she's part of the first cabinet in Canadian history to be 50% female ("because it's 2015," Trudeau quipped), and she's in charge of (among many other things) a long-overdue inquiry into Canada's dirty past regarding "Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women" - hopefully ending an institutional cover-up of serial murders.<br />
Wilson-Raybould also is responsible for cleaning up the mess left by the previous government's badly-mishandled (worse than merely botched)<b> Truth and Reconciliation Commission</b> (which has not yet made many major payouts of damages to victims due to an ugly dispute between the federal government and Regina-based lawyer Tony Merchant over his allegedly grossly-inflated legal fees for his successful class-action lawsuit supposedly on behalf of First Nations children forced to attend "residential schools" where many were sexually abused, mistreated and some even murdered, and where native languages and cultural traditions were more or less destroyed forever).<br />
Similarly Trudeau declared well before the election that his government would be "resolutely pro-choice" on <b>abortion</b>, which was a bit of a paradigm shift for the Liberals but a significant difference from the then-governing Harper Conservatives who were bent on pandering to those extreme fundamentalist Christians who oppose abortion regardless of court findings that it is or should be a human right.<br />
Trudeau also may be applying "Sunny ways" to the <b>Trans-Pacific Partnership</b>, a massive draft trade agreement that could help Canadian exporters better penetrate American and Asian markets but which also could undermine business standards in Canada by reducing the powers of local and provincial governments to regulate businesses and commerce, make the nation much more litigious, undermine labour standards and generally put Canada into a race-to-the-bottom contest.<br />
Some union and socialist interests immediately decried Trudeau's announcement that Canada would sign the TPP deal but he said that was only for enabling a proper debate to take place on it in public before Parliament votes to either ratify or reject it, which is what Trudeau promised during the campaign, and arguably is the proper thing to do anyway (i.e. let people see it and debate it), and which is a marked departure or "paradigm shift" from Harper's apparent plans to use a parliamentary majority to ram through a pro-business package whether the public liked it or not.<br />
<b>Pipeline proposals set back </b><br />
More recently Trudeau moved away from Harper's push for more pipelines by imposing new time extensions on National Energy Board reviews of pipeline proposals by Kinder-Morgan in B.C. and Trans-Canada's Energy East project, plus he added new parameters to assess their greenhouse gas emissions, both downstream and upstream - which is a huge paradigm shift and another example of "Sunny ways" too: more time to find better alternatives.<br />
Similarly Trudeau has moved to impose a ban on <b>oil tankers</b> on B.C.'s coast, which he promised during the election, though it's still not clear how that will be done, let alone whether it should be done, because really there are major financial and economic stakes involved and existing tanker movements so far have been done safely, though there are fair questions about future plans such as the proposal to plunk an LNG terminal atop Lelu Island and thereby endanger habitat for young salmon from the Skeena River near Prince Rupert.<br />
For the record, I generally support tanker and other ship movements along the B.C. coast, which have a fairly long history of generally safe operations enabling a lot of important commerce, but my support is conditional on those projects being done safely, which is why I also oppose the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline route to Kitimat: it involves too many stream crossings and too many dangerous ship movements in Douglas Channel, and its pipeline would need too much dangerous and costly diluent in a twinned two-way system.<br />
Meanwhile, in a symbol of how "Sunny ways" plays to both sides, the Trudeau government also announced plans to <b>re-open the Coast Guard base in Vancouver</b>, which the Harper Conservatives had closed as an apparent display of cost-cutting but which locals decried as a foolish risk to human and environmental safety (though Harper may have had secret plans to sell the valuable lands involved to parties unknown).<br />
Similarly Trudeau reportedly has removed Harper's muzzle of federal scientists so that they now are again able to speak directly to the media, which is a small but still literally telling example of a new "sunny way" of doing things.<br />
Likewise the Trudeau regime recently called off the witchhunt by the Canada Revenue Agency against charitable societies that were politicking against Harperisms, such as the David Suzuki Foundation.<br />
And in a paradigm shift seen and welcomed seemingly by the whole world, the federal government is no longer an obstinate denier of climate change - which the Trudeau regime signalled at the Paris climate summit and reinforced in Trudeau's speech in Davos, followed by the above-mentioned shift regarding pipelines. <br />
<b>Governance reforms coming </b> <br />
Indeed structural reforms of governance are getting sunny ways too, with promises of Senate reform and electoral reform in the offing, and renewed dialogue with municipal governments, and dialogues with the provinces on funding for health programs that the Harper regime was planning to cut or even slash unilaterally, albeit with a few years' notice.<br />
There also seems to be a new approach coming on funding of infrastructure, in which major projects such as bridges or major services such as ferries often need help from the federal government because it is the one with "the power of the purse" in Canada's system of government. We can look forward to more details in the coming federal budget, and not look at it with trepidation as became the case under Harper.<br />
Changes also are already happening to the governance of Canada's security, police and spy agencies (CSIS, CSEC, SIRC etc.) that under Harper's Bill C-51 and his Privy Council minions were on a path towards a Hitlerian centrist political control that chose to not prosecute dirty tricks such as "robocalls" during elections by minions of the governing party, nor to dig deeper into the two murders and many sexual crimes and perhaps other misdeeds of Col. Russell Williams, the former Canadian top-gun pilot and Trenton base commander who piloted Harper's Challenger jet.<br />
One can also question the handling of the case involving sex crimes against children by a guy who played drums in Harper's rock music band - the drummer guy was charged before the election but not convicted until afterwards. Not to mention other gossip about Harper family matters.<br />
<b>Scandals buried under Harper regime </b><br />
And I'll just mention in passing that under Harper the bottom of probings never was reached in the so-called Truth and Reconciliation Commission investigation of abuses at Indian residential schools (more sex abuse and murder - see the writings of Kevin Annett), the truth never came out about allegations that kidnappings for the sex trade were part of the Highway of Tears scandal (in which a judge was peripherally convicted in Prince George), and nor was a bottom reached regarding the notorious Pickton pig farm aka Piggy's Palace in Coquitlam in which it is believed by knowledgeable insiders that politicians, lawyers and maybe even judges were systematically entrapped and blackmailed such as by being photographed in compromising positions and/or being fed barbecued pork from pigs that had eaten the bodies of drug-addicted prostitutes.<br />
Sunny ways? It would have been almost impossible to get any darker. And small wonder that voters felt it was time for a major change.<br />
<b>"Sunny days" is a misquote or misnomer</b><br />
Nonetheless there are still quite a few seemingly knowledgeable observers who still do just not get it, who simply do not understand that Canada needed and still needs a major paradigm shift in its politics and government - a shift away from negative, parsimonious and narrow-minded policies and practices to a positive, generous and enlightened approach that seeks win-win solutions for everyone's benefit.<br />
Those critics include several people and publications who should know better but who still mock the supposed "sunny days" promised by Justin Trudeau apparently because they just don't realize it's a bad misquote.<br />
Perhaps some such misconstruers are merely such strong tax-hating small and large-C conservatives that they have chosen maybe for health reasons to remain ignorant of Liberal Party ideologies but still one would think that people publishing opinions would do a bit of research first or at least do a Google search of a phrase used so repeatedly by a new Prime Minister, where if they did they would find several good writeups such as by the <a href="http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/sunny-ways-my-friends-sunny-ways-lessons-of-wilfrid-laurier-not-lost-on-trudeau-115-years-later">National Post sunny ways</a> and <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/ns-prof-trudeau-sunny-ways-1.3280693">CBC sunny ways</a> but the newest is this one by the Liberal Party of Canada <a href="https://www.liberal.ca/the-sunny-way/">Liberal Party version</a> . Also see Wilfred Laurier's biog on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilfrid_Laurier">Wiki Laurier</a> .<br />
<b>Cdn. Taxpayers Fed used wrong idiom </b><br />
The worst offender so far is the influential <b>Canadian Taxpayers Federation</b> which rushed out the Fall 2015 issue of its magazine "the taxpayer" with a picture of the new Prime Minister beside big letters saying "Sunny Days" - with a D - and inside was a four-page detailed analysis of good and bad ramifications of the expected changes in government tax and fiscal policies, written by Aaron Wudrick, a CTF director.<br />
The analysis actually was quite good in terms of actual policy content but regrettably the mistaken "Sunny Days" metaphor was repeated in the headline "Sunny or Dark Days Ahead for Canada?" and then again in the subheds the lists of policy (paradigm) shifts were divided into Sunny, Cloudy and Dark though Wudrick's text actually did not use those words and instead cited "good news" and "most troubling news".<br />
I'd be happy to provide a link to that text so you could read it for yourself online but unfortunately I can't because the magazine is available in print and/or online only to those sponsors who donate at least $105 per year to the CTF. However I can provide a link to the <a href="http://www.taxpayer.com/about/">CTF about us </a>writeup which actually is admirably forthcoming about a group that I've known well and have supported at least journalistically since its outset in Saskatchewan in the 1980s. <br />
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That suggests the Sunny versus Dark Days idiom was imposed by the magazine's publisher <b>Troy Lanigan</b>, who also is the CTF's president, CEO and founder, which surmise is supported by his column at the front of the same issue, the gist of which was about which of the CTF's Top 15 policy priorities before the federal election would be adopted or rejected by the new Trudeau regime, and his article also took the triunal format of welcome, questionable or folly.<br />
But the coup de grace is found in Lanigan's conclusion: he did a word scan of the Liberals' 88-page platform and found "euphemisms for spending" appeared 554 times while "euphemisms for saving" appeared only 85 times - as if that's somehow tellingly abnormal in an election campaign document.<br />
"...there are scant few pages that don't present an ill or injustice that could be fixed with a few million tax dollars tossed at it," wrote Lanigan, scoffing at the Liberals' promise to "help families make better food choices". [So is the CTF against community gardens and urban farming, or removing harmful chemicals from foods??] <br />
<b>CTF mentality is too negative </b><br />
No, the mentality of the CTF and many other individuals and groups has become far too negative towards all government spending, and perhaps for some good reasons, for as Lanigan also duly notes: "In just under a decade, the Harper ''Conservatives'' increased the size of the government by 48%" - but really the key issue is not the gross size of government but whether or not it is providing good or bad governance and whether it's cost-effective value-for-many (and the CTF does deserve kudos for exposing all sorts of waste).<br />
And arguably the Harper Conservatives had become a quite bad regime for many many reasons, such as a certain former cabinet minister having impregnated a 17-year-old girl, such as a certain Senator having been manipulated into using taxpayer dollars for party fund-raising, such as robocalls used to pervert voting in close ridings, such as many bad tax, fiscal and economic moves like downloading health costs onto provinces, selling out to foreign corporations, kowtowing to China, and on and on - until the voters spoke.<br />
So it should have been no surprise that an attractive young pol coming along with a positive message of reforms in the public interest would win a huge victory against a corrupted incompetent incumbent and a pack of socialist NDP wolves salivating for a chance to feed at the public trough.<br />
Though the Trudeau Liberals won only 39.5 per cent of the popular vote (see election results <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_federal_election,_2015">(Wiki summary here)</a> that number was depressed a bit by the Liberals' strategy to focus on winnable ridings and let others (like Vancouver Island North) fend for themselves, and now what's more important and more interesting is that Trudeau's approval rating in recent polls has shot up to 57% and in one poll it even reached 66% and some outlets reported that approval as "almost 70 per cent".<br />
In other words, the vast majority of Canadians - about two out of three - now support the Trudeau Liberals' switch to a new and better style of governing that is epitomized in the "Sunny ways" phrase.<br />
And this is something that people like Lanigan and many others need to learn: what's going on here is not just a change in political directions, it's also a change in attitudes, about how people relate to each other with respect and a willingness to find win-win compromises.<br />
<b>Lanigan tax policy claims debunked </b><br />
Note what Lanigan said in his final paragraph: "If I could impart just one piece of wisdom to the world it would be this: government doesn't have any money of its own; government can't provide anything to us they don't take from us first. And so it is, our work at the CTF continues."<br />
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Well sorry Troy but no, that is wrong in several ways and on several points, though it does pander well to the also-wrong shibboleth that "there's only one taxpayer" - and frankly it annoys me when supposedly smart people peddle false tripe like that to their minions and to the masses of voters who don't have the education needed to discern when such claims are patently false, not to mention self-serving. (The CTF pulls in about $5 million a year of not-tax-deductible donations in part by stoking the anger of over-taxed citizens.)<br />
Yes government does have money of its own, lots of it. It earns income not only from taxes but also from selling services, selling assets, operating utilities, collecting royalties, speculating in currencies, running the Bank of Canada, doing deals with other governments, collecting penalties, charging tolls, obtaining and selling patents, recovering proceeds of crime [which it does far too little of, especially from tax-evaders using illegal offshore accounts], and more.<br />
<b>Governments CAN issue currency </b><br />
But governments, or at least some of them including Canada and the provinces, also have powers to issue new currency, though the Canadian government promised the private bankers and global capitalists in 1974 that it would voluntarily cease that practice though it would at least retain the power to do so - and the Prime Minister who did that was Pierre Elliott Trudeau, and litigation to defend and revive that power to create new money is now underway, I was told recently by famous author and futurist Guy Dauncey.<br />
This is a very very very important point regarding the future well-being of both Canada and British Columbia: good governments can and should have the right and power to issue new currency as and when needed, and they should not be forced to get money by borrowing it from private banks and private investors. And being able to issue new currency is not the same as calling for the debasement of currency - like in "Sunny ways" that too should be done in moderation and with common sense.<br />
And Lanigan's line that "government can't provide anything to us they don't take from us first" is plain nonsense; redistributing wealth has been a normal role of government since the era of Biblical kingdoms, and creating currency to enable commerce is equally ancient.<br />
Yes governments should not overtax, and yes the public sector should not waste money, and I tend to agree that First Nations receiving massive sums each month from federal coffers probably should be required to have open books (that's another Harper move that Trudeau is reversing) - but the issue here is not only bean-counting to discern who are relative winners or losers, and fighting over the sizes of the slices we get from a finite pie, but rather it is developing strategies so that the pie can be enlarged and everyone can live better lives, with more "peace, order and good government."<br />
[For foreign readers, that's a quaint old Canadian phrase that refers to a very fundamental concept in what passes for Canada's wonky Constitution and Confederation - wonky because there are gross dysfunctions in the divisions of powers and finances between the powerful federal government and the disparate provinces and territories - e.g. British Columbia being the only province where the federal government to this day has failed to negotiate proper treaties with aboriginals, which really skews B.C.'s finances and economics in peculiar ways; and e.g. francophone Quebec benefiting disproportionately from so-called "equalization" transfers].<br />
Unfortunately the CTF and many others simply fail to understand or comprehend that "Sunny ways" entails a new way of thinking and a new way of finding solutions to challenges that are win-win for both sides, and not dog-eat-dog one-winner-takes-all.<br />
<b>CTF rapped as too simplistic </b><br />
Chief among those offenders are the Canadian Taxpayers Federation which too often gets caught taking cheap shots, such as the Victoria Times-Colonist editorial of Dec. 23, 2015 chastizing the CTF for putting the City of Victoria council into the bad side of a "naughty or nice" list that the paper said was unfair and too simplistic.<br />
That followed a column on Oct. 24, 2015 by the CTF's Jordan Bateman that decried "special interest groups" having asked the B.C. legislature's finance committee for $18.6 billion in new spending, which Bateman likened to children asking Santa Claus for gifts, and he warned that any such spending would drive up the government's deficit and debt and send interest expense soaring.<br />
But again the CTF misses the point: the government gave the public opportunities for input into where government should invest new funds, and no one expected that every ask would be met with yes, not to mention that low single-digit interest rates make it less likely that interest payments would soar.<br />
Now it happens that I was a relatively strong fellow-traveller with Bateman's campaign against proposed fare and tax increases to pay for transit expansion in Greater Vancouver, partly because I felt B.C. Transit was dysfunctional and being badly managed (eg re information technology contracts - the late and over-budget Compass cards), and I also fought hard against the Gordon Campbell government's proposed Harmonized Sales Tax, - both successfully defeated by populist uprisings - but that doesn't make me a penny-pinching curmudgeon, and really what I want is smart government, not big government or tiny government but governances that give good service to true public interests.<br />
But I've gone on at great lengths about this (about 12 hours at the keyboard) because when misinformation is spread by groups like the CTF they should know that its wrong information will get rebroadcast by others, such as in an op-ed piece in the Times-Colonist on Dec. 11 by Alan Cahoon, president and vice-chancellor of Royal Roads University, which also used the "sunny days" metaphor to question the content of the new federal government's then-fresh Throne Speech and of course "sunny days?" made it into the headline too, not "sunny ways".<br />
This idea of assessing and choosing winners and losers in government spending decisions is pervasive, sadly, but it is wrong, and the good news is that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau seems determined to get beyond it.<br />
<b>Michael Campbell a repeat offender </b><br />
But perhaps the worst offender of all is Michael Campbell, the brother of former B.C. premier Gordon Campbell and a widely-known commentator on investments and finances in his own right.<br />
In Michael Campbell's commentary broadcast on CKNW on Jan. 30 from his World Outlook Conference in Vancouver he ranted on about the supposed stupidity of the Trudeau government's supposedly naive espousing of "sunny days" to come when really governments around the world and even in Canada are so heavily indebted and getting moreso that sooner rather than later the whole house of cards will collapse.<br />
That latter part may well prove to be true, even in the United States where so many governments have growing unfunded liabilities in their pension plans [which by the way they may have to try to cover by issuing new currency] but the trouble with Campbell's rant was that it wrongly repeated the "sunny days" metaphor and failed to use the quite different "sunny ways" message. (Listen to <a href="http://www.cknw.com/audio-vault/">CKNW audio vault</a> from 8:34 to 8:37 a.m. on Jan. 30.).<br />
After ranting about unions now under Trudeau no longer being forced to disclose their expenses (as they were under Harper), and public-sector workers having higher use of sick days than private-sector and self-employed workers, and governments being generally self-serving and wasting millions of dollars, Campbell ended by saying "But who cares? It's sunny days. Canada's back, along with its political class."<br />
Yes that was "sunny days" with a D.<br />
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Did Michael pick up that line from the cover of the CTF's taxpayer magazine? Quite possibly yes because it wasn't used in many other places.<br />
If it was just one incident I wouldn't mention it but unfortunately Michael Campbell (much like his brother) is a serial offender at smearing people and parties he doesn't agree with, and purporting that any and all public-sector spending is inherently inefficient and bad and too prone to abuse.<br />
That was seen a few years ago when an audit of the <b>Portland Hotel Society</b> found that the now-former husband of NDP MLA Jenny Kwan had taken her and their child on a holiday to Disneyland and that later he billed the expenses to the provincially-funded society, unknown to Kwan at the time, who ended up reimbursing the society for it.<br />
Yes that's not a good thing for him to have done but Campbell ranted against it dozens of times in his weekday mornings commentaries on CKNW and almost always he referred derisively to the "Portland Housing Society" which is not its proper name and which like "sunny days" actually misrepresents what the society does, namely providing troubled street people with a range of supports while they struggle to rebuild their lives. And he kept doing it even after I and others pointed out the mistake to his bosses at CKNW.<br />
Yes the Portland Hotel Society provides housing but in the spirit of "sunny ways" it also provides much more than that, including food, but especially it provides counselling and work experience so that people recovering from addictions or coping with mental illnesses can somehow escape their troubled pasts and become independent functioning contributors to society.<br />
Kwan's husband apparently was a talented counsellor in that facility (a converted old hotel near Vancouver's Downtown Eastside), and the difficult work was rewarded by the society's managers in ways that were sometimes unconventional and occasionally unethical or irregular, but the provincial government managers still felt the work was so valuable that they continued funding it even after the supposed scandal (really more of an accounting failure than a blatant waste of large sums like say in some of the government's billion-dollar boondoggles in information technology contracts), and the politicians of the day - notably Housing Minister Rich Coleman - still defended it.<br />
But that didn't stop Michael Campbell from continuing to rant against it, though he did eventually learn to use the proper name, and that's important because it shows that he too is clueless about the attitude changes that are needed on all sides if our province is to somehow rise above and progress to a better future.<br />
In other words, and in summary, what we need is a paradigm shift in our societal attitudes towards governance, political change and social progress.<br />
We need better alternatives, not race-to-the-bottom conflicts in which the rich keep getting richer and the poor get poorer and more numerous.<br />
That is what Justin Trudeau is trying to address when he says "Sunny ways" and it was part of his theme when he addressed the World Economic Forum recently in Davos, in a speech that made him a darling of the world's progressive media.<br />
Yes Justin Trudeau will make some mistakes and no doubt he already has but the important thing is that he wants to lift everyone's boats with a higher tide, not just give a few people bigger boats and maybe toss a few lifejackets to others such as saying the Syrians trying to flee to Turkey.<br />
Though Campbell is not shy to mention how much charity work he does, such as helping with youth sports, the content in his commentaries and in his admittedly excellent radio shows on financial trends show that he like his brother Gordon is an arrogant hypocrite - which is reflected in the name of one of his show's weekly features: "The Top Three Stories That Smart People Are Talking About" .<br />
Yes Michael IS smart, but his heart is cold and his mind is hard.<br />
He hears "sunny days" and he thinks it means prosperity - he doesn't hear "sunny ways" and realize it means a new and better way of caring and sharing.<br />
<b>New book promotes a Better World</b> <br />
Interestingly that meme also is a key theme in the new book by Island author <b>Guy Dauncey</b>, titled Journey to the Future, subtitled <i>A Better World is Possible</i>, and labelled "brilliant" by David Suzuki. Its website is www.journeytothefuture.ca and an excellent review of it is available from <a href="http://bcbooklook.com/2015/12/22/a-better-world-is-possible-2/"> bcbooklook.com</a> and another review is here <a href="http://focusonline.ca/?q=node/971"> focusonline.ca</a> .<br />
Dauncey is scheduled to be a guest on my Campbell River TV show <b>Talk About</b> on Shaw TV North Island towards the end of February and he'll also be doing some public events in Campbell River on Feb. 24.<br />
When I told Dauncey about Michael Campbell's misuse of "sunny days" instead of "sunny ways" Dauncey expressed no surprise and noted sadly that many elitist people tend to be uncharitable towards others.<br />
That all echoes a quote from famed football coach Vince Lombardi that found its way into Dauncey's new book (his tenth): "People who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses, or the problems of modern society." Indeed.<br />
It's also reflected in a relatively new book by Victoria journalist <b>Andrew McLeod</b>, who works for The Tyee online news service in the Legislative Press Gallery and wrote "<i>A Better Place on Earth: The Search for Fairness in Super Unequal British Columbia</i>" published by Harbour Publishing in 2015.<br />
I haven't read that book myself yet but it got excellent reviews and an inclusion in Dauncey's bibliography and obviously from the title it also fits well into the theme or meme of "Sunny ways".<br />
<b>Sunny ways vs Armageddon </b><br />
So the good news is that many people from the new Prime Minister on down are now seeking ways for our society to progress towards new and better ways of running things, but the bad news is that too many people still prefer the old dog-eat-dog ways that have led the world to a great disparity of wealth in which the richest 62 people have assets equivalent to the poorest 3.5 billion people.<br />
Meanwhile we keep getting closer to the brink of Armageddon - a global war in which 50% to two-thirds of humans will die and 90% of the Israelites (anglophones, not merely Jews) will die, according to Bible prophecies that not many churches dare to teach about (Isaiah 6:13, Ezek. 5:12, Amos 5:3, Zech. 13:8, Matt. 24:22, Luke 21, Rev. 6:8,9:15).<br />
Regular readers (are there any still here?) will know that lately I have been more focussed on ways to somehow save the world from destroying itself (as per Ezekiel 33), especially now when so many Bible prophecies are coming true (viz the latest bombings in Damascus help to fulfill Isaiah 17) - but failing that maybe we can somehow turn British Columbia into a caring and sharing haven of Revelation 12:14, and in that regard "Sunny ways" could help.<br />
Just as I was finishing this (after about 12 hours at the keyboard) Prime Minister Trudeau was on CBC-TV in a feature in which a number of ordinary citizens were able to have one-on-one conversations with Trudeau and the first one was a young mother (who happened to be a visible minority) and her first issue was that it has been becoming increasingly difficult for Canadian families to make ends meet financially, and Trudeau was able to note that lower taxes for families and a better child tax credit are coming soon - which he called "real money". And then he got into an intelligent discussion with news host Peter Mansbridge on the difficult mechanics of bringing in a national child care program.<br />
The other participants had similar attitudes on different issues, but Trudeau was able to talk knowledgeably on all of them and perhaps more importantly he was able to project empathy too.<br />
That's a welcome radical change from Harper, who had the heart of a mannequin.<br />
Maybe there IS hope.<br />
Constructive suggestions are welcome at john@johntwigg.com .<br />
Thanks for reading. Sharing is welcome.<br />
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<br />John Twigghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18209883575318239876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3099462618137613612.post-60881976664517761012016-01-27T00:14:00.001-08:002016-01-27T00:14:29.941-08:00Site C for LNG a ruse for water exports?<b>By John Twigg</b><b><br />
</b><br />
Is British Columbia's nascent LNG industry going to be a saviour of
B.C.'s economy, a still-born pipedream of some political opportunists or
a mercifully-aborted miscarriage of commerce, as both the markets and
many political opponents seem to be portending? Or something else in
between?<br />
That language may seem a bit extreme but no less than Premier Christy
Clark has promised the former (an economic boon to the economy and to
government finances) and she more or less won an election on it in 2013
and now she is staking her political future on it by trying to force it
forward perhaps before the demand is really there.<br />
Clark's colleagues and many pro-industry supporters also now paint the
LNG prospect as a life-or-death issue for B.C.'s economy, and B.C. Hydro
and Power Corp. has been ordered to charge ahead on the huge (and
hugely contentious) Site C hydroelectric dam project that among other
features would provide large volumes of reliable though not cheap power
to liquefy vast volumes of natural gas (i.e. making LNG) from B.C.'s
apparently vast reserves.<br />
Meanwhile First Nations people and environmentalists are fighting on the
ground in northern B.C. and in the courts to both thwart the Site C
project and slow down the pace and scope of natural gas exploratory
drilling, and they're being aided by a somewhat steep and sudden drop in
world oil prices and hence in energy prices in general [triggered by
Middle East political and religious feuds, which is a separate story],
which in turn has exacerbated economic slowdowns in China and globally
which have driven down commodity and resources prices and thus further
undermined energy prices, kind of like a compounding problem.<br />
Technological questions about "fracking" and signs of inadequate
monitoring by safety and regulatory authorities further undermine the
short-term prospects for LNG in B.C. and now we see in the news that
there are new questions about the economics of the hugely costly LNG
export terminals being proposed in several B.C. locations, of which only
one has received approval and none have yet begun construction.<br />
Below are links to two excellent background articles on B.C.'s LNG
decision, or maybe call it a dilemma, first by the widely-esteemed
Andrew Nikiforuk in The Tyee and second by Seth Klein of the B.C. Centre
for Policy Alternatives, and they're followed by a column broadcast by
the David Suzuki Foundation about the long-term big-picture evolution of
human and environmental rights - of which LNG development in B.C. is
now a prominent symptom.<br />
<b><big>Twigg's personal view:</big></b><br />
Where do I stand personally? I have long been a proponent of natural gas
exploration and development in B.C., and indeed of economic growth in
general, but that is not a carte blanche endorsement because I also have
a pre-requisite that any such development be done safely and
responsibly and with fair sharing of the benefits given that we citizens
are sharing a lot of the risks too.<br />
But lately we have been learning more about flaws in the natural gas
exploration part of the deal, which is somewhat apart from the
cost-benefit of LNG for export at tidewater, and those flaws relate
especially to fracking, a very common practice that has been quite
rightly excoriated by Nikiforuk in his latest book "Slick Water"
published by Greystone Books and the David Suzuki Institute.<br />
Though fracking has a long and mostly clean and safe history in B.C.,
experiences in other jurisdictions such as Alberta and Pennsylvania (and
many others such as Quebec) suggest fracking is almost inherently
incompatible with environmental safety, especially the pollution of
water formations at shallow depths (as Alberta resident Jessica Ernst
has been bravely proving in an epic legal battle described in
Nikiforuk's excellent book).<br />
My problem with it in B.C. is that in recent years the number of
exploratory wells has soared while the number of safety and regulatory
inspectors was capped and even reduced under successive waves of
false-economy spending restraint by first the Gordon Campbell and then
Christy Clark Liberal regimes; they may try to claim their oversight is
still adequate but I have become increasingly skeptical of both that and
the safety of the fracking technology (which uses a lot of toxic
chemicals) not to mention situations that are potentially explosive.<br />
And then there are the economics; the world prices of energy have been
crashing, yes, but meanwhile what will be the real final cost of the
Site C dam and generating station that is just now beginning
construction? The Clark government has given out various figures but
they sound like best guesses, and anyway my question is why should B.C.
Hydro, its existing customers and B.C. taxpayers be forced to pay now
for Site C when some expert analysts suggest the consumer need for its
"extra" power is still several decades away?<br />
In fact many people would feel better about all this if the B.C.
Utilities Commission would be allowed to do its statutory duty and
examine the situation in an independent and professional manner. But
don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen.<br />
<b><big>LNG a ruse for water exports</big></b><br />
I suspect the Site C project is not only an enabler of LNG and the
fracking needed to supply it but it also will be a collector and seller
of water to the United States and really the added power supposedly for
domestic B.C. consumers of electricity is a ruse, and an excuse to put
B.C. taxpayers on the hook for the massive costs, when really the main
payers should be the natural gas frackers and LNG manufacturers plus the
Americans who will get the added water via transmission systems already
designed decades ago in the<b> NAWAPA</b> plan, the<b> North America Water and Power Alliance</b>
- see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Water_and_Power_Alliance
and http://www.waterwarcrimes.com/ and especially
http://www.waterwarcrimes.com/the-big-picture---grand-plan-to-steal-canadas-water-resource-wealth---the-traitors-within.html
, which contains this pivotal paragraph:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="color: black;">"The body of water featured here is <strong>Williston Lake, British Columbia</strong>,
the largest lake, a man made lake, in British Columbia. This lake
re-fills itself from falling snow and rain every 2 years. By contrast, <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Superior,</strong> one of the Great Lakes, re-charges itself every 180 years and <strong>Lake Okanagan</strong>,
in the dry region of south central British Columbia, has a re-charge
period of 80 years. Williston Lake sits at an elevation of 2200 feet
above sea level (671 m). A properly constructed aqueduct would permit
water to flow down hill to <strong>California</strong> without the aid
of expensive energy consuming pumping stations.Ten feet of water, taken
from the surface, every year, would provide approximately 4 million acre
feet, annually, with minimal environmental impact in Canada. This is
some of the purest, cleanest water in the world. If a fraction of the
outflow of <strong>Williston Lake</strong>, 4 million acre feet, were
diverted and sold in southern California for $1,000 per acre foot the
annual revenue would be $4 billion." </span></span></span><br />
<br />
In other words, the real main purpose of the Site C project is NOT to
provide power to the nascent LNG industry and nor is it to provide new
power to B.C.'s already over-supplied domestic consumers (who now are
paying for Gordon Campbell's disastrous foray into subsidizing and
sweetheart dealing with a few dozen (private-sector) Independent Power
Producers already with excess capacity).<br />
Instead the real purpose of Site C is to provide WATER! Lots of cheap
water to the increasingly drought-stricken U.S. consumers!!<br />
Now I can debate both the merits and drawbacks of that NAWAPA
arrangement, and its risks and rewards for B.C., and conceivably if such
a deal was properly structured it could be win-win for both sides.<br />
And we can and should make similar arguments in favour of bulk water
exports from the dozens of locations along B.C.'s long long coastlines
where there are many great sources of large volumes of <u>surplus</u>
water - again provided that the projects are done safely, the benefits
are shared fairly and the government ensures that the sales prices and
contract terms do not expose the province to NAFTA's rules regarding
fulfillments in long-term contracts (which could be accomplished quite
easily by using an auction system and/or a single-window sales system as
now done in the potash industry and/or a constraint against long-term
contracts).<br />
No doubt some readers - if they get this far in reading - will argue
that "hey what about all that lost farmland in the Peace River valley??"
and that IS a fair question too, but my own view is that while it's
regrettable that Site C will flood a lot of land it still leaves the
province with vast areas of farmable land (not to mention the huge
potential in urban agriculture).<br />
But my main argument against Site C and hence against fracking for LNG
is not only with the environmental risks but moreso it is with the
economic costs and benefits.<br />
To word it bluntly, why should B.C. citizens carry most of the costs and
risks of fracking and LNG when the beneficiaries of those are mainly a
few large corporate investors and a great many foreign consumers of both
gas and water? In fact they shouldn't.<br />
To state my thesis simply, the whole Site C and LNG concept should be
slowed and restructured so that the risks and rewards can be studied
independently by the BCUC and then if they proceed the costs and
benefits will be shared more fairly and more efficiently.<br />
Or to be really blunt: make the users pay, not B.C. taxpayers.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Background on LNG </span></b><br />
<br />
From http://thetyee.ca/News/2016/01/22/Renewables-Outcompete-LNG/ <br />
<b><big><span style="font-size: small;"><big>Renewables Could Outcompete Costly, Risky LNG, Investors Warned</big></span></big></b><br />
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<b>Industry report finds declining costs of wind and solar a viable threat to North American product</b></div>
<div class="meta">
By <a class="contrib-link" href="http://thetyee.ca/Bios/Andrew_Nikiforuk/" title="Bio page for Andrew Nikiforuk">Andrew Nikiforuk</a>, Today,
TheTyee.ca </div>
<div class="first">
A new industry <a href="http://www.brattle.com/system/publications/pdfs/000/005/249/original/LNG_and_Renewable_Power_-_Risk_and_Opportunity_in_a_Changing_World.pdf?1452804455" target="_blank">report</a> warns
investors, governments and regulators that renewable forms of energy
could outcompete high-cost and high-risk liquefied natural gas
projects. </div>
The sheer volume of shale gas in North
America has blinded many of its key promoters to an important dynamic:
"Namely the fast progress of renewable energy technologies capable of
providing an alternative to one or more of the major sources of demand
for LNG, electricity production and in the future perhaps heating," the
report found.<br />
The report was prepared by the <a href="http://www.brattle.com/about" target="_blank">Brattle Group</a>,
an independent firm that "answers complex economic, regulatory, and
financial questions for corporations, law firms, and governments around
the world."<br />
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Join The Tyee and acclaimed energy
journalist and author Andrew Nikiforuk for a special evening on
fracking. Nikiforuk will survey the latest energy battleground and
discuss his new book, <em>Slick Water</em>, which centres around Jessica
Ernst's landmark case. The event takes place Jan. 28 in Vancouver. Find
further details and ticket information <a href="http://thetyee.ca/Presents/2016/01/11/Slick-Water/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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The fate of 20 proposed LNG projects in
British Columbia has become increasingly uncertain as oil prices have
collapsed, the Chinese economy has faltered and Asian demand for natural
gas has slumped, while Australian exports of methane have swamped the
global market. ...<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>John Twigg's view</b>: Yes the clean and renewable energy
industries are growing quickly as nations around the world try to reduce
their emissions of pollutants, but the latest graphs show CO2 still
rising while temperatures have sort of plateaued (see links in my
Twitter feed and at @EcoSenseNow (Patrick Moore) but it will be many
decades yet before fossil fuels can be replaced in long-distance
transportation (airplanes, trucks etc.) and in many many other
industrial and commercial applications (ferries, plastics, steel-making,
remote logging shows), so at some point trying to displace carbon fuels
becomes counter-productive. A lot depends on the applications, and for
example clean transportation in urban areas is a great one for electric
cars and buses.<br />
<br />
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From BCCPA <br />
<h3>
<strong>Time to face the truth: BC’s LNG pipe dream is
over</strong></h3>
At the end of December, in the wake of the Paris climate talks,
<b>Seth Klein</b> shared his thoughts on the <a href="https://ccpabc.nationbuilder.com/r?u=http%3A%2F%2Fthetyee.ca%2FOpinion%2F2015%2F12%2F28%2FPost-Paris-Truths%2F&e=64fbb69551c661ba7ad3c99e798d9b1a&utm_source=ccpabc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=160121newsltr&n=2">future
of liquefied natural gas in BC</a> in an article for the Tyee, and he
didn’t beat around the bush:<br />
<blockquote>
<div style="color: #908783;">
It's time for the provincial government to
admit that its LNG project is over, and for the new federal government
to clearly state that there is no room in our future for new fossil
fuel development of this sort.</div>
</blockquote>
Seth’s message resonated with readers across the province,
including more than 7,000 who shared the article on social media (In
fact, this was the most widely shared article on the Tyee the week it
was published).<br />
Unfortunately, the BC government continues to pursue LNG
development despite the mounting evidence that this is a bad move,
both environmentally and economically. We’re keeping a close eye on
this file, and you can expect more analysis from Seth, Ben Parfitt and
Marc Lee in the weeks to come. ...<br />
<br />
and finally . . .<br />
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<small><span class="mktEditable" id="mainHeadingH1">Environmental rights are human rights</span></small>
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<b>By David Suzuki </b>(from the David Suzuki Foundation)<br />
Jan. 22, 2016<br />
My grandparents came here
from Japan at the beginning of the 20th century. Although it would be a
one-way trip, the perilous journey across the Pacific was worth the
risk. They left behind extreme poverty for a wealth of opportunity.<br />
But Canada was different then, a racist country built on policies of
colonization, assimilation and extermination of the land's original
peoples. My grandparents and Canadian-born parents, like indigenous
people and others of "colour", couldn't vote, buy property in many
places or enter most professions. During the Second World War, my
parents, sisters and I were <a href="http://go.davidsuzuki.org/r50H0U0d0Dz4C0V8S00F0N0" style="color: #26797f; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">deprived of rights and property and incarcerated</a> in the B.C. Interior, even though Canada was the only home we'd ever known.<br />
<a href="http://go.davidsuzuki.org/o00I000Ad008SV05CUDNF40" style="color: #26797f; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A lot has changed</a>
since my grandparents arrived, and since I was born in 1936. Women were
not considered "persons" with full democratic rights until 1929. People
of African or Asian descent, including those born and raised here,
couldn't vote until 1948, and indigenous people didn't get to vote until
1960. <a href="http://go.davidsuzuki.org/JD04VF0J8U00BdC0NS00050" style="color: #26797f; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Homosexuality was illegal</a> until 1969!<br />
In 1960, John Diefenbaker's Progressive Conservative government enacted <a href="http://go.davidsuzuki.org/m0000C0050FN84SCDdK0VU0" style="color: #26797f; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Canada's Bill of Rights</a>,
and in 1982, Pierre Trudeau's Liberals brought us the Charter of Rights
and Freedoms, with equality rights strengthened in 1985.<br />
We should celebrate those hard-won rights. I'm happy to have
witnessed much of the progress my country has made. But there's room for
improvement. And in some ways Canada has gone backward.<br />
When I was a boy, we drank water from lakes and streams without a
thought. I never imagined that one day we would buy water in bottles for
more than we pay for gasoline. Canada has more fresh water per capita
than any nation, but <a href="http://go.davidsuzuki.org/gL0C5040F008DU0NV000DdS" style="color: #26797f; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">many indigenous communities don't have access to clean drinking water</a>.<br />When
I was growing up in Vancouver, Dad would take me fishing for halibut
off Spanish Banks, sturgeon on the Fraser River and salmon in English
Bay. Today I can't take my grandchildren fishing in those places because
the fish are gone.<br />
As a boy, I never heard of <a href="http://go.davidsuzuki.org/e00CMU00000DVd0F58E4S0N" style="color: #26797f; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">asthma</a>. Today, childhood asthma is as common as red hair. And half of all Canadians live in places with unacceptable air pollution.<br />
I also remember when all food was organic. I never thought we'd have
to pay more not to have chemicals in our food. Today we can't avoid the
toxic consequences of our industrial and agricultural activities. We all
have dozens of toxic pollutants incorporated into our bodies.<br />
We may think the highest rate of deforestation is in the Amazon but in 2014 <a href="http://go.davidsuzuki.org/uN0000CD540N0F00dSFVU80" style="color: #26797f; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Canada became the world leader in loss of pristine forests</a>.<br />
Surely, in a nation with so much natural wealth, we should expect
better appreciation, treatment and protection of the air, water, soil
and rich biological diversity that our health, prosperity and happiness
depend on.<br />
The right to live in a healthy environment is recognized by more than
110 nations — but not Canada. That inspired the David Suzuki Foundation
and <a href="http://go.davidsuzuki.org/ldDFG00048CS0U0N5000O0V" style="color: #26797f; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Ecojustice </a>to launch the <a href="http://go.davidsuzuki.org/ldDFH00048CS0U0N5000P0V" style="color: #26797f; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Blue Dot movement</a> a little over a year ago.<br />
It's exceeded our expectations, with more than 100 municipalities
passing environmental rights declarations and a number of provinces
considering or committing to the idea. The next step is to take it to
the federal level, by calling for an environmental bill of rights and,
ultimately, an amendment to the <a href="http://go.davidsuzuki.org/ldDFI00048CS0U0N5000Q0V" style="color: #26797f; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Charter of Rights and Freedoms</a>.<br />
The environmental rights campaign is also about human rights and
social justice — something recognized by the United Nations, which has
appointed a <a href="http://go.davidsuzuki.org/O0d0S5FU00000V4R0J0N8CD" style="color: #26797f; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">special rapporteur on human rights and the environment</a>.
A country and its values are measured not by the number of extremely
wealthy people but by the state of its poorest and most vulnerable. Many
environmental problems are tied to societal inequities — hunger and
poverty, chronic unemployment, absence of social services, inadequate
public transit and often conflicting priorities of corporations and the
public interest — as people at the lower end of the socioeconomic scale
are disproportionately affected by environmental hazards and toxic
pollution.<br />
Canada has come a long way, but we can't be complacent. We must work
to maintain and strengthen the rights of all Canadians, to build an even
better Canada. That means giving all Canadians the right to a healthy
environment.<br />
<em>By David Suzuki with contributions from David Suzuki Foundation Senior Editor Ian Hanington.</em><br />
<a href="http://go.davidsuzuki.org/XN40SKD00000Ud5CF008VS0" style="color: #26797f; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><strong>Learn more about how DSF’s Blue Dot movement is fighting for Canadians’ environmental rights.</strong></a></div>
<br />
John Twigghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18209883575318239876noreply@blogger.com0