On the Campbell government's Olympic-sized Cost Overruns "So far" is the really scary part
Headline: Add it all up, and you'll find the Olympics is going to cost us 6 Billion (so far, anyway)
"This is taxpayers' money, our money. We don't know exactly how much is being spent.
"But by our incomplete tally and with another year to go until the Games, it's about $6,000,000,000."
- Daphne Bramham (Vancouver Sun), Jan. 23, 2009
Campbell generously spreads the costs around
"The true cost of the Games--including such crucial items as security, as well as fast-tracked highway, rapid transit and infrastructure projects--defies calculation. The provincial government insists its Olympic budget remains at $600 million. Meanwhile, it has spread other Olympic-related spending across departments in such a Byzantine fashion that even the provincial auditor general can't find the true cost."
- Ken MacQueen (Maclean's), Jan. 21, 2009
The Easter Bunny is real and the Olympics are on budget
"Olympic fires are breaking out all over the place and Premier Gordon Campbell must be praying he can snuff them all out before the most important date on his Olympic calendar.
"No, I'm not talking about Feb. 12, 2010 -- the date of the opening ceremonies at B.C. Place.
"The date Olympic-watchers in Victoria are worried about most is May 12, 2009 -- the next provincial election...
"Meanwhile, at Finance Minister Colin Hansen's office, they're going ballistic over the exploding budget for 2010 security costs. Could it officially blow the government's $600-million budget for the Olympics -- a budget nobody but the government really believes?"
- Michael Smyth (Province), Jan. 23, 2009
On Gordon Campbell's sudden boredom with the 'environment issue' The Green Shift (...out of the premier's office)
"For a guy supposedly so concerned about global warming, Mr. Campbell is quick to back what causes it, like putting more vehicles on the road and revving up Alberta's tar sands production...
"Zig: Two years ago, Mr. Campbell vowed to cut greenhouse emissions by at least a third by 2020.
"Zag: On Monday, he downgraded the status of his climate-change secretariat, moving the job out of the Premier's office."
- David Beers (Globe and Mail), Jan. 22, 2009
It turns out the environment is dirty
"The environmental thing was supposed to be a legacy issue, that, you know, he's a great premier - look how he looked after our environment, but hey, not if it gets any mud on us."
- Dennis Pilon, Political Scientist (on CBC TV), Jan. 20, 2009
No million dollar ad program now?
"Last year I received a bunch of press releases from the government all about the green shift - explaining the carbon tax, promoting other initiatives - but the information about the change to the climate action team? Well that was information buried in some background notes..."
- Heather Robinson (CBC TV), Jan. 20, 2009
No comment necessary
"It's no surprise that Gordon Campbell has put his vaunted Green Plan on the back burner. A cursory look at his time in office shows he can't keep his attention on any file for more than a month or two...Remember when he was the Education Premier (thousands of oversized classes), the Health Premier (broken-down hospitals, thousands of mentally ill people on the streets), the First Nations Premier (millions wasted on stalled treaties), the Literacy Premier (closed school libraries), the Forestry Premier (thousands of forestry jobs lost), the Law and Order Premier (raid on the legislature still not in court), the Four Golden Goodies Premier (economy in the tank) and the Olympics Premier (billions of tax dollars wasted)? He should really be known as Attention Deficit Disorder Premier, our very own Premier Butterfly who flits from flower to flower, unaware of the destruction he leaves in his wake."
- Peter Hill (letter to Vancouver Sun), Jan. 21, 2009
On Gordon Campbell's courageous ongoing battle to fight democracy
Yaawwwnnn! I'm bored of the legislature alrea
"Gordon Campbell and the B.C. Liberals decided that this bill needed to be rammed through the legislature in an emergency session, limiting the usual three days of discussion and debate to only one.
"The real travesty, though, was that they couldn't even be bothered to participate. Campbell himself left the legislature shortly after noon on Saturday, and by evening there were only a handful of Liberals left...
"The NDP did an excellent job of trying to hold them accountable, but Campbell and his crew didn't seem to think that they owe any of us an explanation. I feel they do."
- Kaitlin Burnett (letter to Burnaby Now), Jan. 21, 2009
Shuffling right down the hall, through the doors and out of the legislature
"The shakeup this week at the top of the public service provides a strong clue as to Premier Gordon Campbell's intentions for the coming session of the legislature.
Mindful of the central importance of deputy ministers during a legislature session, I was surprised that so many of them would be changing jobs this close to estimates debate. Then one former deputy provided the explanation.
"Why was I assuming there would be a debate on estimates?
"But of course. Election year.
"The B.C. Liberals have no intention of permitting a lengthy session of the legislature in advance of the May 12 provincial vote.
"Rather, they will follow the pattern they established before the last election in 2005. They convened the house and let it sit for 18 days, spread over five weeks. "
- Vaughn Palmer (Vancouver Sun), Jan. 23, 2009
Campbell is just upset Ontario beat him again
"When the B.C. Liberals came to power in 2001 they promised to bring in the most open and most accountable government in B.C. history. Since then, there is a growing body of critics out there who say the Liberals have been anything but open on any number of fronts...
"Earlier this month, there was an audit done by the Canadian Newspaper Association that ranked the provinces when it came to granting access to information requests - B.C. ranks second worst in the entire country, second only to Ontario."
- Keith Baldrey (Global TV), Jan. 22, 2009
On the Campbell government's abandonment of Northern B.C. Pulling up a chair and watching projects fail
"I've lived through the eager anticipation of BC Hydro's phase one call for clean power using biomass fuel such as mill residue, roadside wood waste, and 'dead' pines stands; and sat through the bitterness and disappointment after all three local projects were turned down, while the premier and his cabinet, and the two local MLA's, sat on their hands."
-Don Perdue (Burns Lake District News), Jan. 20, 2009
Trickle down economics
"Last summer the B.C. Liberals sold a record $2.7 billion in oil and gas rights in northeastern B.C. with few environmental safeguards and zero chance of reinvestment back into northern communities.
"If billions of tax dollars were permanently taken out the Lower Mainland, it would be a huge contentious issue, to put it mildly.
"Prince George and many other northern communities have all the hallmarks of Victoria sucking huge amounts of resource tax dollars out, while giving little in return."
- Mark Clements (letter to Prince George Citizen), Jan. 22, 2009
On the Campbell government's pathetic forest policy
"Wow! Seventy per cent stumpage cuts and off to the feds to ask them for handouts for workers in the forest industry. What has got into you Gordon Campbell?
"Never mind answering, I know, and so do most of the people in the forest industry. Election, that's what coming! Never mind that Campbell hasn't heard or cared about forest workers as mills closed, and contractors went broke, companies got smaller, and people exited our province during the past ten years."
- Brent Browning (letter to Cowichan News Leader), Jan. 22, 2009
Source: BCNDP Newswire and various news outlets and persons mentioned in each item.
5 comments:
See-Saw-ing government handouts are about to begin, again, just like it happened in the real estate credit crunch of 1982/1985.
It was during that time that the "shenanigans" happened whereby the worker was left to bounce between the politically motivated economic platform initiatives that were put in place to buy votes, at taxpayers expense.
You see, the Provincial Government is responsible for Welfare; the Feds EI. Each tries their damnest not to be the ones carrying the costs of an underemployed workforce.
Ohhh to be retired, sell the house, buy into GIC's at 6.5% and ........ draw a monthly income.... and go to the best place on earth to live where dial-up to the internet is the norm.
Is there any property for rent up where you live?
It was twenty-five years ago this April, Anon 8:41 that I realized I was in a go nowhere situation in Vancouver. I owned my own business and the cost of living was killing me. I couldn't afford to buy a home because the interest rate and prices were just out of reach. I swore I wasn't going to be in that situation when I retired so I started looking around.
I found a nice little half acre lot and bought it for $2500. I used it as my summer place, improving on it slightly every year. Folded my business four years later and went to work for someone else at a good rate of pay.
Payed into a union pension and retired at 60. That union pension now allows me to be able to afford to live a modest lifestyle today.
Retiring at 60 I had to take a cut in my CPP I think it is. But the union pension more that makes up for that cut.
Now, you won't find a property for that price today but there are some fairly cheap out there. Look anywhere in the Cariboo and Chilcotins and east and west of Prince George. Be prepared to haul your own water at first and use a wood stove forever. Make sure whatever you buy has hydro because if they have to put it in from any distance it's $2500 per pole. Best to get them in a slow work year and then you only have to pay for the pole and meter on your property.
I am in the process of building a new home and will be going on satellite internet. As well I will be using solar power. It's a good life.
Out of curiousity Gary, I've never seen an upside down yellow triangle (only visible on my monitor) indicator, in this particular case its described as being a "page error".
It happens when I put my mouse over top of one of your links eg. "Gordon Campbell wants you to just shut up". The link shows up as:
http://www.justshutbc.com/
but it deadends..... broken link... because the site is really called justshutUPbc
Capital lettering not required.
Best Wishes,
Dave
NVG, Thanks for the information. I took quite a bit of time to check out your suggestion of a "page error". Although I have seen this caution sign before before on other sites it usually has something to do with my security and I could not make it happen on mine. That link was copied from the original site and pasted along with the website link. I'm not sure how it happened that the site address came out wrong.
Maybe others can suggest something I could try or they know what is happening.
NVG got it wrong, well almost write except for a typo.
If you run your mouse over the Just Shut Up BC and then look down at the bottom right hand of your screen, you'll see the link........
In your case Gary E, it reads "justshutbc" where it should be "justshutupbc"
If you go into your Edit feature of your blog you can correct the typo there and all of the page errors should disappear.
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