Category Archives: The Issues

Federal, Media

Another Big Business Bailout

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Obviously Canadians are wrong in thinking the role of the CRTC is to support Canadian radio and television, protect the interests of Canadians and to make decisions that benefit Canadian viewers and listeners?

But then, how were Canadians to know the CRTC’s role had changed to protecting the interests and survival of the broadcast media conglomerates until the commission’s actions revealed this change? Actions that continue the deterioration of Canadian television and the destruction of the local in local television.

The CRTC imposed a new tax on Canadians in order to fund a bailout of large corporate media conglomerates, saving them from their own bad management decisions; decisions that had the conglomerates failing to make payments on (some) loans and teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.

Apparently the media conglomerates slick advertising campaign to have the CRTC impose a new tax on Canadians and bail out the conglomerates was successful.

A campaign that a federal government that was protecting Canadian citizens, rather than the interests of big corporate media, would have charged the media conglomerates with misleading advertising for running.

The failure of the federal government to protect Canadians from this deceptive campaign and the decision to impose a new media tax on Canadian consumers to bail out the media conglomerates is hardly surprising, given the Conservative governments record of making decisions favouring big business and the wealthy, over the needs of average, hardworking Canadians.

After all, would it be reasonable to expect the Conservatives to resist the lure of the media access and gentle treatment on issues and Conservative government actions, merely to act in the best interests of Canadians and Canada?

Evidently the Conservatives found the expectation that they act in the best interests of Canada and Canadians unreasonable; choosing to act instead in the best interests of the media conglomerates.

The Conservative decision to force Canadians to bail out the corporate media conglomerates demonstrates that the Conservatives are capitalists only when it suits them or benefits big business, the wealthy or the Conservative Party.

When letting the marketplace decide the fate of the media conglomerates would result in the bankruptcy of the media conglomerates and thus return control and ownership of local media outlets to local interests, suddenly the Conservatives are all for government intervention in the marketplace.

What is the next step for these market interventionist, interfere in the marketplace Conservatives? A tax on the internet to bail out the media conglomerates print assets?

If, as I do, you support local media and media freedom then contact you local MP and the leaders of all the federal political parties to tell them this support of the interests of the big media conglomerates over the interests of Canadians and Canada is unacceptable.

Tell them that this market intervention to bail out the media conglomerates is unacceptable.

Tell them you support true local television, radio and newspapers; that you are well aware that media conglomerate ownership of local media does not qualify as local media, is detrimental to the health of local media and the health and diversity of media in Canada as a whole.

Tell them: I support local television; I do not support bailing out media conglomerates.

Tell them: I strongly oppose forcing Canadians to bail out the media conglomerates, rescuing them from their own bad business decisions. Particularly in light of the media conglomerates blatantly deceptive ‘Save local television’ campaign, the goal of which was clearly the imposition of a tax on cable customers and the use of the revenue from such a tax to bail out the media conglomerates.

Tell them to let the marketplace decide the fate, the existence or non-existence, of the media conglomerates.

Tell the federal Conservatives that the federal government is suppose to be looking after the interests of Canadians and Canada, not the best interests of the Conservative’s media sycophants.

Provincial

Forgot the economic boom Mr. Premier?

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And you Gordon Campbell had 7 years of unprecedented worldwide economic boom.

That was the thought that crossed my mind as I watched Gordon Campbell as he sought to misdirect attention from his governments glaring economic errors and mismanagement by calling up the ghost of NDP governments past.

Of course, given the performance of the Liberal government during its two terms in office, it is hardly surprising that Mr. Campbell does not want voters to examine this record of ineffectiveness; preferring to run against an insubstantial bogeyman conjured out of shadowy memories of NDP governments past.

Seven years of worldwide economic boom during which Mr Campbell and his Liberals managed to increased the numbers of homeless; increased the numbers of those living in poverty; maintained BC’s damning distinction of having more children living in poverty six years in a row; increased the numbers of full time working poor who cannot afford to live in the city’s they work in.

When the Liberals became the government BC had the highest minimum wage; BC now has the lowest minimum wage in Canada and the highest cost of living.

The wealthy however made out like bandits thanks to Mr. Campbell whose government oversaw a transfer of wealth to the wealthy from all other British Columbians as Mr. Campbell decreased progressive taxes and replaced them with regressive taxes.

Mr. Campbell and his merry band of Liberals: Robbing from the poor to give to the rich.

Mr. Campbell has overseen the continued deterioration, begun under the NDP, of the public school system. Universities in BC are forced to test incoming high school graduates to see what level of remedial classes are required to bring students up to an acceptable level of competency.

And in an apparent attempt to ensure the continuation of the Liberal government the Liberals have acted to maximize the number of BC voters who lack the literacy skills to read and understand the government’s actions and the actual state the province is in by attacking Public Libraries by withholding funding.

In keeping with their less government ideology the Liberals have turned the BC medical system into a bureaucratic quagmire into which billions of dollars, along with a growing list of medical services, have disappear. Mr. Campbell’s “leadership” has resulted in a medical delivery system that is unsustainable and that, without raising billions in new tax dollars to feed its voracious appetite, will be forced to continue to shed programs and services to balance its budgets.

Massive cost overruns (the convention centre); going with the flashy and most expensive options rather than the most cost effective (Sky Train rather than light rail); decisions made on ideology rather than the best long term interests of the province (sale of BC Rail); salary levels in government and government corporations that are overly generous and out of line with results achieved by those receiving these extravagant wages – at the same time the government strives to hold down wage levels for working BC citizens.

Given the lack of integrity and judgement repeatedly demonstrated by Mr. Campbell’s Liberal government it is hardly surprising that the government is focused on serving the needs of those who have, will or could contribute to their winning re-election, rather than the needs of those British Columbians who truly need help just to survive.

If they cannot contribute to the Liberals continuing in power, why should the Liberal Party make any effort to understand the reality of life in BC, not only for the addicted, mentally ill, homeless and poor BC citizens, but for the increasing numbers of citizens who are scrambling to avoid joining the ranks of homeless and poor?

Be very clear – when Mr. Campbell says we do not have the funds or cannot afford to address the social issues and ills in BC what he is truly saying is that these are not a priority for him; unlike his own salary and gold-plated retirement plan.

Ironically, despite Mr. Campbell’s finger pointing, the NDP government left the province’s finances in better shape heading into the last economic downturn than the Liberal government left the province’s finances heading into the current economic downturn.

The true irony and insult to integrity is that Mr. Campbell and the Liberals began their government complaining about the NDP withholding information and misleading voters about the true state of affairs in BC. The outpouring of bad news since the recent provincial election shows that when it comes to withholding information and misleading voters the difference between Mr. Campbell’s government and the NDP is that the Liberals covered-up well enough to get re-elected.

And isn’t that the hallmark of a successful politician theses days?

Municipal, Snafu

Lavish $alaries Unearned, Undeserved

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So one day the mayor, city council and city staff woke up and realized that there were roads in Abbotsford and, Gasp!, these roads need maintenance?

Was council and staff’s apparent sudden awareness that Abbotsford has roads needing maintenance so unsettling and bewildering that they had to hire EBA Consulting to tell them that a) Abbotsford’s roads were in terrible condition and b) Abbotsford needed to spend more money on maintenance?

Was hiring a consulting firm to tell them what any citizen who drives in Abbotsford could have told them just council squandering taxpayer’s money, that is to say business as usual for council?

Or was hiring EBA Consulting an attempt to cover up council and staff’s culpability for the sad and dangerous state of Abbotsford’s roads: “It’s so easy for councils to get into postponing roads as a way to balance budgets” he (Mayor Peary) said; and to help sell the gas tax so that council can bamboozle and victimize citizens once more by covering up the true state of affairs in Abbotsford to protect their jobs: “There would be outrage and all of us (at city hall) would soon be seeking other daytime jobs,’ predicted the mayor. “Nine percent isn’t going to fly.”?

And just how much did the city pay to be enlightened to the fact that the roads in Abbotsford need more maintenance?

Just as an aside: if 1% = $860,000 then $5,000,000 ≈ 6% and $6,000,000 ≈ 7%, not 5%. But then what is a few hundred thousand dollars here or there to council?

The citizens of Abbotsford were assured by city council and staff, when asked about the city’s infrastructure such as roads, water, and waste treatment during the Plan A debate, that council and staff were on top of the infrastructure needs of Abbotsford and that everything was fine with the city’s infrastructure – then and into the future.

Further city council and staff assured citizens as part of the Plan A debate, that Abbotsford’s finances were in excellent shape; that Abbotsford could afford to spend the large sums of money involved on vanity projects without putting at risk the city’s infrastructure needs or the financial health of the city and taxpayers.

These assurances were reiterated during the November 2009 civic election.

Unfolding events since the election have revealed just how lacking in accuracy, reality and veracity such claims, statements and promises were.

If we need to find extra funds for road maintenance I suggest we start with the salaries of the mayor, city council and city staff since they are clearly not earning what they are paid. Indeed given what we are learning about the state of the city’s affairs they owe taxpayers a large reimbursement.

Might I suggest we also put an end to the wallet fattening exercise of paying an honorarium to councillors for every committee they sit on or chair? Perhaps if councillors were not so busy running from committee to committee, in order to maximize the amount of monies going into their pockets, they would have been a little more focused on taking care of the City of Abbotsford’s business.

Realistically it is no surprise that those responsible for this mess are hanging onto their jobs rather than acting with honour and integrity and resigning.

Given what they have wrought in Abbotsford and the financial burdens inflicted on the taxpayers of Abbotsford they are highly unlikely to find anyone foolish enough to hire and overpay them as events have exposed they are grossly overpaid by the City of Abbotsford.