On Corporate Welfare

If any of you think that Corporations don't get a form of welfare just have a look at the following response by in the online Media, The Tyee.

An article in The Tyee on turning the tables from big business welfare to investing in the poor and unemployed produced the following from a commentor named Fiat lux. And when he posts he knows of what he speaks.




Fiat lux

8 hours ago

Rupert Murdoch's speech.......

Getting the public ready for microchip implants ?

Interesting that the world's governments have just bailed out, or at least are attempting to, the bankrupt "free market" system, to the tune of some 5 trillion, that would have put food on the table of all the starving for years to come, but their propagandists are still demanding less and smaller governments.

And, of course, our politicians are jumping to their demands.

Ed Deak.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24590176-662,00.html

======================================

To: sunrise
Subject: Goldman Sachs at work

Forwarded without comment,

Ed,
===============================================================

http://www.dailymail.co.uk

Goldman Sachs is on course to pay its top City bankers multimillion-pound bonuses - despite asking the U.S. government for an emergency bail-out.

The struggling Wall Street bank has set aside £7billion [approximately $14 billion] for salaries and 2008 year-end bonuses, it emerged yesterday.

Each of the firm's 443 partners is on course to pocket an average Christmas bonus of more than £3million [$6 million].

The size of that pay pool comfortably dwarfs the £6.1billion [$12 billion] lifeline which the U.S. government is throwing to Goldman as part of its £430 billion bail-out.

As Washington pours money into the bank, that cash will immediately be channelled to Goldman's already well-heeled employees.

END EXCERPT

Yes, you read that right. Four hundred and forty three top executives in a firm that is receiving 6.1 billion dollars in emergency aid from American taxpayers are EACH being rewarded with THREE MILLION DOLLAR Christmas bonuses!

Another commentor writes that this could be why 300 million Americans don't get one Million dollars each. It will be very interesting to see what Barrack Obama does when he is elected the next President of the U.S.A.

the url for the herald sun is screwed up but you should be able to copy and paste it. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Two Rons get it Right

Following are two comments I thought were rather poignant on Campbells' Use of the Media and his hype to the party convention at Whistler. I pulled them from comments on an article in the mainstream media 3 weeks ago


Ron R # 1
Sat, Nov 1, 08 at 05:45 PM
Campbell gives with one hand, then taxes in another area!!! We are homeowners in Port Coquitlam and used Premier Gordon Campbell's and BC Hydro's pleas to help reduce greenhouse emissions. We have used this plea in our (and I'm sure many other households') decision to go green by installing a high efficiency gas furnace, instant electric water heater and heat pump in our residence. This has been a considerable expense on our part, using the premier's and industries' comments that we would enjoy 50 percent or more savings on our expenses for heating our home and water. These savings have now vanished! This has helped with our BC Gas bill, but BC Hydro has taken those savings away by charging a higher, Step 2 rate for most or all of the heat pump and instant water heater's usage, as our electric bill has now at least tripled due to these new appliances. We believe that BC Hydro has figured this out and is now capitalizing on this fact to now charge this Step 2 rate. We believe this unfairly penalizes consumers who have taken the step to go green not knowing that BC Hydro has changed the rates.
There is no possible way to stay under their Step 2 plan when our heat pump and instant water heater has used up the Step 1 rate alone in the September and October monthly billing times. This will only escalate as the weather gets colder, the heat pump's usage greatly increases, and we find that most or all of that usage will be at the greater, Step 2 rate.
This will help with greenhouse gases, but how does that help us, one of us a senior on a fixed disability pension budget? There will be no savings there, even with our now greater expense of paying for the heat pump, instant water heater and furnace installation.
We understand that BC Hydro has to upgrade its infrastructure (not at the expense of Private Power and an Alcan payout, along with his big business tax cuts!!!), but believe there is a better way to recoup their costs than to unfairly penalize consumers who have taken steps to address the Premier's and BC Hydro's pleas to go green.
We wish you would look at BC Hydro's plan to capitalize on consumers' green plans and seriously consider Campbell's green plan. It Will Cost You More!!!!.
I would also like to know why, in his speech on television, he forgot to mention how much of a hand out to big business was going to cost us taxpayers, even though he mentioned all the other program costs?
Another note: We have still not received the BC Government's rebates that were promised when we originally installed our furnace, instant water heater and heat pump 6 months ago, even though the Federal Government has sent their rebate.
Nice green plan, Gordon Campbell.

And then Ron#2 writes

Ron #2

Sat, Nov 1, 08 at 10:30 PM

The tax assessment relief is all blather. It won't do anything. Another smoke screen by this joke we call the Premier of our province. And to bring attacks on the NDP into his speech is blatant US politics that any Canadian worth his salt will see right through (the NDP's no better, instead of facing the facts and taking responsibility).
We'll see how the stock market helps him in his run up to the election. If the BC economy is in the dumps at election time along with the rest of North America like the predictions are, we will know he is worthless and it's just economics and nothing he did changed anything.
The man's made himself a bundle off the working man's backs and nothing but scams have followed him right from the start (raises, no answer on BC Rail, how much is this costing the taxpayer for his lawyers?) and oh yeah, how much property does he and/or his wife or buddies have on the new Sea to Sky Highway, the previously stated BC Hydro-LiveSmart scam).
The only thing that would ever change my mind about Campbell is if he pushed back his and his ministers' wages to the public sector hikes he illegally forced upon the working people that run this province and take care of our sick, instead of the 70 percent hikes they gave themselves in the last 8 years.
That, and releasing the amount of tax break money he has given to his big business buddies that he so sneakily omitted from his television speech. Those monies are surely to be 10 times more than the 20 million here, 40 million there that he was spouting in that speech...We taxpayers paid for the TV time also (Electioneering on the public purse).
Disgraceful !!!! To quote a Led Zeppelin song: "Lying, Cheatin', Hurtin', that's all you seem to do"........Yeah, Your Time Is Gonna Come, Mr. Premier......Enough said.......

Harvey Oberfeld and the MSM

I think most people in BC if not Canada know of Harvey Oberfeld. Back in the day when I watched TV Harvey was a reporter for the CTV network. I don't remember seeing him anywhere else. But he was good. Always asking the right questions, he seemed to know what was on the common peoples' mind.



Well HO has retired now but he now runs a blog . Now you might wonder why I am writing about a fellow retiree. Well here's the thing. Harvey, being a former reporter has the knowledge of the workings of the Mainstream Media. You know. That news place that in BC is about 90% owned by Global and Can West. Or Can West and Global or whatever. He knows what questions should be asked. And he sees the problems today.



Now it seems that Harvey has taken the MSM to task over (I allege) their blatant Bias use of the Electronic and print media. Biased in that they will give free air time to Premier Campbell in the midst of the Newscast but not give the opposition equal time and space to rebut.
Not only that but the Bill Good Show dedicated 6 hours (an extended show) basiclly to Campbell economic statements. Good mentions Harveys misgivings and immediately attacks the messenger.



Not only did Campbell manupilate the Corporate media, he used the Legislature Broadcast system to get his message out. Now, this may seem wrong, but they claim to have done that to cover the message on the cable networks. Fair enough. In Paul Willcocks blog Paul is reporting that Ms James will get equal time to discuss the economy. Fair enough again but the house speaker had no choice but to allow this after granting Campbell the air time.

So in Pauls' blog I asked what about the MSM? When will she get equal time and space there?

Then I read Harveys blog and saw what he has to say on this farce. I was so impressed that I had to write something here. If for no other reason than to point the few observers to Harveys' blog. It is a must read for those of you who feel we are being manipulated by the Manistream Media in this country. I certainly do.

Legislature Recalled For Nov. 20,2008

The sitting premier in the province of British Columbia manipulated the news media on Wednesday in the province to get free air time for some election stumping. Initially BCTV was not biting but when it came down to the wire they devoted at least 12 minutes to this free pre-election boondoggle. CBC was the only network to cover it only after they could get some answers.

Among other things he announced they would reduce Ferry Fares for December and January. As it turned out this move was totally unknown to the CEO of the now privatized Ferry system. So why would the Premier do that?

Well the spin doctors have been working overtime all day with every excuse in the book. But I allege that this move was only the biggest sham of the governments campaign kickoff.

So now we come to the title of this piece. Legislature recall for November 20, 2008. A recall that would have been totally unnecessary had this premier had a fall session to answer the many questions that we have for him. I am asking "why is he waiting a month?" But this sitting premier appears (in this instance) to be no fool.
Timing is everything. First, there will be a months grace in which he hopes that the smoke will clear. He's so out of touch that he doesn't realize that we the electorate are past being pissed off totally with him. They are absolutely outraged.
Second: the recall as far as I can see will only give them five days to mull over this farce. No time again to bring in proper legislation. And I will say it here now. He will invoke closure to ram it through.
Third and most important. Given the fact that the BC Ferries CEO was shut out of a process of government interference in a Private company, this was nothing but another political grandstand photo-op by this premier. Just for example, look how Ontario handled their take on what was going on in this country and around the world. The Ontario Finance Minister stood in the Legislature and delivered the bad news. Not the premier. It is the job of the provincial and federal finance ministers to deliver this news. And when they deliver it they have done their homework and give specifics not generalities like this premier.
So, the month delay, I allege is for all the pertinent ministers to scramble, make sense, and give us specifics.
No wonder he gave them big raises. But given the way he is running things I can't for the life of me figure out why he gave himself one.

Okay,we're back

No thanks to Telus

Most people don't know that I live in a semi-remote area of BC. And in doing so, I have given up some of the things that people in more populated areas such as Vancouver, Victoria, Prince George or other urban centers take for granted.
One thing has been Television. I haven't missed it. Another is Newspapers on a daily basis. I haven't missed that either.

Until this year I have been getting my water from a cistern. Rainwater. And it actually tastes better than any I ever consumed in the city or the burbs. I also use an outhouse and have wood heat.

But recently (in May) I was given the greatest gift I could think of in my (early) retirement. A Daughter.
I have another family which is all grown up and in raising them I went wrong somewhere. Two of the three grown children have gone horribly astray. I tried everything I could think of to prevent what I saw happening short of locking them up, to no avail.
So now I have been given another chance. And in doing so I found that some profound changes must occur in my daily workings. One of those changes is to increase my living space . But as winter approaches construction has stalled and we have had to move into other digs for the next 6 months. Did I mention that the area where I live is as high as the top of Grouse Mountain? And being away from the heat generated by the city we get considerably more snow. Three to five feet every year.

Another of those things is cabled internet such as Shaw or Rogers. Very fast. We don't have cable out here. We do have Wireless, but on a fixed income the cost is prohibitive. So my only option available to keep in touch with what is going on in the outside world is the internet. Through Telus. Or in other words using the phone line. The dreaded dial-up.

And I blame Telus for the incompetence in not having the phone at the new digs set up in a timely manner.

You must understand that living in a remote area you can't just call them up and have the phone put in today. Even if all they do is throw a switch. So while they were setting up the new line somebody screwed up.
A line was connected but this phone wasn't. Apparently the lines were crossed and it kept going to somebody elses answering machine. Which I found out later was a line that was apparently left open while they tried to chase the guy down for non-payment of his bill. Guess they were trying to pad the bill.
So the bride stays home all day the day the phone was to be set up. Nothing. I phoned from the construction site and from the in-laws. Kept going into this guys voice mail. Then when I get home the bride informs me that a Telus bucket truck (the one they use to repair overhead problems instead of the old fashioned way of getting exercise by climbing the pole) pulls into the driveway. The bride sees them and motions them to come to the door. She's feeding a four month old child and won't leave her. They sit there for a couple of minutes smiling while she is motioning them to come to the door. When all of a sudden they start the truck and pull out of the driveway. Gone.

So we phone the Telus Customer Service line to find out what is going on. They bucket truck it seems are not the ones who throw the switch. And I assume they don't have, or are not allowed to have any contact with the customer. All this after waiting a week for the phone to be set up. We were told that they only come to this area ONCE a week on Thursday. Okay, but we still don't have a phone that they indicated we would have that day and we have a baby that has Medical appointments. Sorry, but the next available day is in one week on Thursday.

Now I would probably have accepted this and not have written about it if it were not for one small discrepancy. I have found out they are scheduled for this area TWICE a week. Tuesdays and Thursdays. So in the largest communications company in Canada they are NOT COMMUNICATING neither with their customers nor with themselves.

Their are other things wrong here, none of which alters the nature of the complaint, but I will go into them with Telus and the CRTC. I am involving the CRTC because if they are notified then Telus will have to acknowledge the complaint. Even if they deny any wrongdoing.

I'm quite sure that if I had had a lack of communication like this in my working days, my career would have been shortened considerably. But being a little more laid back after 4 years of retirement I don't want someones job. What I do want is for the Communications company to communicate.

Get Out and Vote October 14 in Canada

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead

You, the citizens of this country are the ones who will determine which party will lead us for the next few years. You are the ones who vote. All the Millions of (now Shrinking) dollars supplied to the Conservative or Liberal parties will not determine the outcome. Only your vote will count in the end.

Who are you going to vote for? It's your decision but weigh the facts. And the biggest fact is that Harper has not given us one shred of evidence that he will help you and I. He has been dodging questions from the western media. His party is consistantly a no-show in the all party forums. And if you read Harv Oberfeld's blog at Keeping it real, you will see just how bad this man is at communicating his with media.

Harvey also suggests that you might vote for the party that has the best chance at defeating the Harper dictatorship. Not a bad Idea. The party in my riding that can do this is the one I would vote for anyway.

But whomever you vote for it's your decision. It's your life.

Comments may be a day or so late due to the mess that Telus is in. More on that on or after the 16th. If they ever get their crap together.