Last evening my wife and I were out for dinner with two other couples during which my wife mentioned to one of the fellows that I had started a Blog. His response, I think understandably, was 'a place for him to rant'.
My wife tried to assure him that I tried to avoid ranting but I suspect it fell on deaf ears.
That aside, my note today is pure, unadulterated rant.
In our local city paper today appears a column by one of its notorious left-wing loons. Today she wastes her space by villifying nuclear as a suitable power source. In so doing she mentally adds nuclear to the dustbin of history along with the fossil fuels as perveyors of power to heat and light our homes and run our industries.
What's left?
Well the usual suspects - solar, wind, and water, but of course these are nowhere near sufficient to meet the demand.
What would they have us do?
Reduce our 'greedy' need for power by spiking the cost of power to unimaginable heights.
And what would this accomplish?
Less employment and a severe reduction in our standard of living. In short, less enjoyment of life.
Indeed, I believe these Loons are not a very happy lot - the only thing they take pleasure in is making the rest as unhappy as they are.
WHAT SHOULD BE DONE?
Give the free market its head. If one source of power gets too expensive, market mechanisms will kick in to find affordable alternatives. This may or may not entail nuclear, but let the marker decide the proper route to go. This is how things have worked so well in the past and will continue to work unless the politically correct get to decide otherwise.
And Government has a very important role in this. It must ensure that any potential damage to our environment is kept to an absolute mininum.
Progress and protection of the environment are not mutually exclusive.
"Galagher"
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Eli - A Hard Working Politician
On a very positive note.
Last evening I attended a neighbourhood meeting in regard to concerns that a couple were offending the City's Zoning Bylaws with their establishment of a paint ball operation.
I won't get into the issues raised but suffice to say, the neighbours - especially those in close proximity of the p.b.o., were most upset.
Rather the point of today's Blog is to highlight the work ethic of our area's City Coucillor, Mr. Eli El-Chantiry.
Mr. El-Chantiry took time from his busy schedule to attend this evening meeting. Realize here that our city is cleaning up from torrential rains which flooded many its homes, some of which are located in this ward and accordingly, Mr. El-Chantiry is in very high demand. However he had made a promise to attend the meeting and he followed through on that promise.
Even though I have had lots of experience dealing with smaller town councils, I have had little contact with city councillors and in this regard was most impressed with how Eli conducted himself last evening. (I had heard by the grapevine that he was a hardworking councillor but this was my first hand experience in seeing him in action). He was thoughtful and most sympathetic to the concerns expressed to him. He was most knowledgeable on the issues surrounding this matter and was forthcoming in his assessment of what should be done. All present were visibly impressed with him, including the writer.
What amazed me even more was the fact that Eli could actively participate in the meeting all the while he kept fielding and sending messages on his blackberry. It made me wonder if this guy ever relaxed. He's a work-horse.
More to the point, Mr. El-Chantiry represents the very best in a politician. Too often we lump them together and say such things as they (politicians) are only in it for themselves. They lie, mislead, and obfuscate; and those are some of the nicer things said.
It is refreshing therefore to see that there are still politicians like Eli for whom service to their public is still very much their life's mission.
Bravo Eli.
"Galagher"
Last evening I attended a neighbourhood meeting in regard to concerns that a couple were offending the City's Zoning Bylaws with their establishment of a paint ball operation.
I won't get into the issues raised but suffice to say, the neighbours - especially those in close proximity of the p.b.o., were most upset.
Rather the point of today's Blog is to highlight the work ethic of our area's City Coucillor, Mr. Eli El-Chantiry.
Mr. El-Chantiry took time from his busy schedule to attend this evening meeting. Realize here that our city is cleaning up from torrential rains which flooded many its homes, some of which are located in this ward and accordingly, Mr. El-Chantiry is in very high demand. However he had made a promise to attend the meeting and he followed through on that promise.
Even though I have had lots of experience dealing with smaller town councils, I have had little contact with city councillors and in this regard was most impressed with how Eli conducted himself last evening. (I had heard by the grapevine that he was a hardworking councillor but this was my first hand experience in seeing him in action). He was thoughtful and most sympathetic to the concerns expressed to him. He was most knowledgeable on the issues surrounding this matter and was forthcoming in his assessment of what should be done. All present were visibly impressed with him, including the writer.
What amazed me even more was the fact that Eli could actively participate in the meeting all the while he kept fielding and sending messages on his blackberry. It made me wonder if this guy ever relaxed. He's a work-horse.
More to the point, Mr. El-Chantiry represents the very best in a politician. Too often we lump them together and say such things as they (politicians) are only in it for themselves. They lie, mislead, and obfuscate; and those are some of the nicer things said.
It is refreshing therefore to see that there are still politicians like Eli for whom service to their public is still very much their life's mission.
Bravo Eli.
"Galagher"
Monday, July 27, 2009
An Idea To Control Civil Servant Wages / Benefits
In former years, wages and benefits for bureaucrats were to be less than those of the private sector on the understanding that the civil servant had greater job security. Today, the government worker has the best of both worlds.
When I say "bureacrat", I am referring to everyone who is paid from the public purse, at all three levels of government: departmental employees; teachers; police / fire; nurses; armed forces; etc. etc.
It has reached the point where it has gotten totally out of hand and these wages / benefits are in desparate need of being reined in - if for no other reason than to help reduce the ever-increasing tax load. I could give lots of examples but we all know in our own lives how out of whack things have become.
In a very real sense, the only party not present when negotiations take place between the government and the employees is the taxpayer and he or she is the only one that has actual money on the line. The employees present their claim for an increase, the government replies, a settlement is eventually reached and the citizen is stuck with the bill.
No doubt many of you who fall into the civil servant class are squirming with this analysis however, I too am a civil servant but I see the unfairness of expecting the hapless taxpayer to always pay up.
So what's the answer?
I like things simple - so I have come up with a very simple approach:
More on this later.
When I say "bureacrat", I am referring to everyone who is paid from the public purse, at all three levels of government: departmental employees; teachers; police / fire; nurses; armed forces; etc. etc.
It has reached the point where it has gotten totally out of hand and these wages / benefits are in desparate need of being reined in - if for no other reason than to help reduce the ever-increasing tax load. I could give lots of examples but we all know in our own lives how out of whack things have become.
In a very real sense, the only party not present when negotiations take place between the government and the employees is the taxpayer and he or she is the only one that has actual money on the line. The employees present their claim for an increase, the government replies, a settlement is eventually reached and the citizen is stuck with the bill.
No doubt many of you who fall into the civil servant class are squirming with this analysis however, I too am a civil servant but I see the unfairness of expecting the hapless taxpayer to always pay up.
So what's the answer?
I like things simple - so I have come up with a very simple approach:
- Determine pay on the basis of multiples of the average mininum wage. New employees, summer students would receive pay at the first level - that is to say at minimum wage - say $9.00 per hour.
- Level 2 bureaucrats would receive 1.5 x the minimum wage or $13.50 per hour and this would continue until the Deputy Minister level - say level 11 where he or she would be paid 6 x the minimum wage or $54 which would total over $100,000 per year.
- There would be no more negotiations between two parties neither or whom have a stake in the outcome. As the minimum wage increased, so would the bureaucrats salary.
- Accordingly, Unions and various other Employee Associations would no longer be needed.
- Pensions would accrue in the same manner they do in the private sector. That is to say, Employees would be expected to contribute to their own RRSP and the government would match their contributions in accordance with the private sector standard.
- No more gold plated pensions that the humble taxpayer can only dream about and yet he is paying for it.
I was visiting friends in Belleville on the weekend - a chap I grew up with. His charming wife raised a very good question: "what happens when the government needs to hire professionals - such as lawyers or doctors, - they are going to expect more in remumeration?"
Good point, I countered - in such cases the need for such services would be tendered out on contract - just the same as if the government was buying pencils or toilet paper.
"Galagher"
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