A Double Entendre…

 

Idle No More …of course.

Before I get to predicting events for 2013, I cannot resist working in this one Blog about what is going on re our Natives – as per above, and in particular, the current hunger strike by Theresa Spence.

Spence:

– the Chief of Northern Ontario’s Attawapiskat First Nations.

- the one whose common law husband Manages the Reserve.

- the one who refused to open the Reserve’s Books to show how nearly $100 million had been spent over the last five (5) years.

- the one who refused a Government of Canada Manager / Auditor admission to the Reserve to get a handle on the apparent mismanagement.

Each year, the Feds ($18 m) and the Province of Ontario ($4.5 million) give approx. $22.5 million to Chief Spence to run her reserve.

That is roughly $16,500 per every man, woman and child.  That’s $66,000 per family of four (4).

Where does that money go? 

Who knows.

The Band also receives substantial revenues from mining interests in the area.

Where does that money go?

Who knows.

So here we have a secretive Chief and her bosom buddy Common Law Band Manager, overseeing millions and millions of dollars yearly, without being accountable to the Feds, to the Province, to the Canadian Taxpayer and not least, to her own poverty stricken band members.

You have to feel sorry for dear Chief Spence.

And, after not allowing Federal Management in to manage the disaster known as Attawapiskat, Chief Spence has the nerve to Blackmail Prime Minister Harper by going on a hunger strike to force a meeting with him.

Now That’s Chutzpah.

If I was the Prime Minister I would most certainly not meet with the dear woman.

She has offered in his stead, to meet with the Governor General and if the Gov Gen was so disposed, I would allow for that.  His is but a ceremonial role most of the time anyway.

The Gov Gen could spend a little time with the Chief passing the pipe and, if nothing else, it would make for a nice photo op.

Moreover from my perspective, Chief Spence is most unlikely to carry this hunger strike to the bitter end.  Simply stated, unlike her subjects up north, she has too much to lose.  She and her common law husband are living like royalty and she is not likely to give that life style up so cavalierly.

So there is Harper’s out, send in the Governor General.

Canada is in for a very difficult time with the activists natives and we need to send a strong message that their disruptive and often illegal antics will no longer be tolerated.

In that regard, we might just as well lbegin with Chief Spence … close down her Reserve and provide her members with some hope at last. 

As I see it…

‘K.D. Galagher’

 

  

 

It Is Time For Me To Eat…

 

Humble Pie…

To be more precise…my predictions for 2012.

To sum it up…I stunk the place out.

Last year, I broke my predictions down into five (5) separate headings beginning with what I consider to be my forte – ‘Politics’.

In that regard, I was 10 for 10 – all wrong – each and everyone.

I will summarize the section;

• The Republicans would beat Obama hands down in the November Presidential Election;
• Putin and David Cameron would be forced out of office;
• Bob Rae would become the permanent Liberal Leader, the Wild Rose would win in Alberta and Mulcair would fail in his bid to lead the NDP.
• North Korea would become more friendly and Pakistan would be taken over by its military.

Wrong, Wrong, Wrong !!

What can I say, …I will try harder (safer) for 2013.

I did a little better in the other four categories which I personally consider to be of lesser importance – not in their substance, but in ease of predicting.

Category 2 (Government) … I was 2 out of 3.

• governments of the West (Europe) will continue to slash their spending, even here in Canada.  It would not happen in the United States given it was an Election Year.

Not bad – all in all.

Category 3 (Civil Discourse)…again I rated 2 out of 3.

• riots to continue throughout Europe with some in Canada (e.g. the teachers protest);
• muted riots in the US – (which did not come about in any size).

Category 4 (Economy) …6 out of 7.

• Canada’s economy would continue to outpace the G-7 and our dollar would end higher than its US counterpart;
• Interest rates would stand pat, gold would continue to outperform;
• China’s role would diminish somewhat;
• The West was on the verge of financial collapse but would muddle through one more year;
• Where I was wrong was with respect to Oil continuing to cost over $100 per barrel.  It did not – rather it traded in the $85 to $90 range.

Category 5 (Foreign Affairs) …1 out of 2

• The Islamists will entrench themselves in power in the middle east and the Arab Spring would turn to the Arab Winter;
• Where I was wrong is that I predicted Iran “would meet its comeuppance” in 2012.  It did not.  2013?

So not too bad in categories 2 to 5 but that did not make up for my totalling blowing category 1.

Mark me a D.

My next Blog will include my predictions for 2013 and then I will get back to writing my book for which I have been procrastinating.

First let me do a bit of a dry run:

• those of us who survive to the end of 2013 will all have birthdays in the coming year;
• the liberal party of ontario will elect a new leader;
• Stephen Harper will continue to get bad press;
• Mike Harris will no longer be blamed for the ills of Ontario;
• George Bush will no longer be blamed for the ills of America.

As you can see, My Resolution for 2013, is to get 10 for 10 under the Politics Heading next year.

As I see it…

‘K.D. Galagher’ 

 

A Report ….

 

On the four (4) Politicians who most affect us here in our Nation’s Capital – Ottawa.

I will deal with the first two (2) together – first:

• The head occupants of the White House and Queen’s Park, whom I name, Hock and Spit.

Enough said.

The next is our City’s Mayor – Jim Watson.

• Although he is a Liberal, I have slowly become one of his fan’s – he has restored dignity to the Mayor’s Office and, not only that, he has been able to get worthwhile things done.  If he keeps this up, I can see myself voting for him in the next municipal election.  High Praise.

And finally, our Prime Minister, Stephen Harper.

• Simply stated, Mr. Harper is the best Prime Minister I can recall in my lifetime and that dates back to the 1950s and to Louis St. Laurent.
• I am once again proud to be a Canadian.
• That is not to say he would be my first choice to have a beer with – indeed, between he and the the two opposition leaders, I would probably rate Harper last in that category.
• But the guy is a thinker and a doer, he gets things done; in addition, he is not a crook but is a good family man. 
• We are fortunate to have him in office and when he is gone, he will be missed, even by many who now are quick to disparage him.

As I see it…

‘K.D. Galagher’

 

Don’t Worry … Be Happy

 

According to the United Nations’ World Happiness Report for 2012 the following nations placed in the top eleven:

1.  Denmark; 2. Finland; 3. Norway; 4. The Netherlands; 5. Canada; 6. Switzerland; 7. Sweden; 8. New Zealand; 9. Australia; 10. Ireland, and 11. USA.

Togo finished dead last.

With all the criticism surrounding the UN, maybe with this, it is on to something.

We in the West tend to focus on the annual GDP Rate – the nation’s Gross Domestic Product.  Two Quarters of negative GDP Growth signifies Recession; Three Quarters, a Depression.

Maybe – just maybe, we have been looking at the wrong indicator.

To me, what really matters in one’s life is whether you have your fair share of Happiness.

Your Goal should probably be to sustain happiness in the ups and downs of the GDP;  that is what I believe to be really important. 

But many appear to have lost their way. They tend  to be after The Big Car, The Big House, the Big Job …the Big (insert whatever you will).  While what is really important in life is Not Things but rather, Family, Friends and Health.

Many articles in the media of late, point to the 1950s and 60s as the time when this trend started to take root.  In particular, Women started to leave the home and join the workforce. Families found that financial success required both parents to work and the family unit began to unravel. In the decades since then, this trend has only increased.

And along with that, each successive generation is working harder and longer than the one before it. Workers in the private sector often now work 10 or more hours per day and added to that are atrocious commuting times.  Their children are the hidden casualties of this growing trend.

Workers themselves are burning out – depression and anxiety are running rampant.

As mentioned in earlier Blogs, faced with this, a very large segment of Society has opted out of today’s workforce. They would rather try to survive on subsistence welfare than participate in today’s economy. 

It was not that many years ago when talk of a ‘3 day work week’ made the rounds.  Now people are lucky to hold it to 6 days per week.  And retirement is being put off – often indefinitely.

We as a Society need to take control of this and the UN’s Happiness Index is probably as good a place to start as any.

If we were to give up Things and focused on what is truly of importance – we would all need less – considerably less.  No one should be expected to work longer than 8 hours per day, 40 hours per week and retirement should come no longer than after 30 years of work.  Indeed, I can envisage the  3 day work week plan and retirement 55 being ‘dusted off’ and eventually implemented.

That is not to say any of this would be mandatory – if people want to work longer – that of course would be their privilege to do so – and hopefully they would find their own happiness in so doing.

But the norm would be as I have noted above.

It would include a return to more families having a stay at home parent and indeed this is happening much more than one would think.  People are more and more prepared to give up Things – for other people and along the way – they themselves greatly benefit.  For instance, a greater number of parents are educating their children at home.

And given the equality of the sexes this thankfully means that the stay at home parent can be either the father or the mother without any stigma attached.

“Galagher, have you gone Communist on us?”

Not in the least – I will always believe that Capitalism is the best economic system available and I am confident that it will continue to function quite well within these parameters.

The GDP numbers may not be so awesome but I would leave that to the economists to worry about. Let them suffer anxiety if they wish.

I grant that this Blog may seem to you a little unusual given that it is Christmas Day 2012 but dear reader, the fact that it is Christmas sparked me to write it.

2000 years ago a baby was born to us in a manger with hay for a bed.  He came in to nothing and he went out with nothing and yet throughout his young life here on earth he focused and made us focus on what was and continues to be of true importance.

As I see it…

‘K.D. Galagher’ 

 

AND THERE THEY GO… ONCE AGAIN,

 

The Superior Courts of Canada that is.

Three…now make that four, more Recent Wrong Decisions amply attest to that.  The first has been well publicized:

1.  The Niqab caper -

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled yesterday that in some circumstances, a muslim woman can keep her Niquab on while giving testimony against an accused in Criminal Court. It will be left to the lower courts to determine what those ‘circumstances’ might be.

We all know that it is a fundamental Rule of Law that an accused can face his or her accusers.  With this decision, the Court has opened the door to changing this fundamental right to read the right to confront a ‘covered face’.

The 2 Justices on the right of the Court not surprisingly believed correctly, that the accuser’s face needs be uncovered while giving testimony while left wing Justice, Rosalie Abella, not surprisingly sees nothing at all wrong with a Niqab clad witness – i.e. only her eyes are exposed – assuming they are female eyes that is – whose to know. I digress.

But what were the other 6 Jurists thinking?

Moreover, in such proceedings, the accused is to have the same rights as the accuser, so how long will it be before an accused comes to court ‘masked’.  I can here it now – “witness, can you pick out the accused in the body of this court?”  Dah.

I have nothing against the Niqab per se – I see women who wear it as being mere subjects of their male overseers – but that is their right to be stupid.  We are after all a free society – albeit less so as time goes on.

If they want to wear a Niqab on the beach or on the street or when shopping – please do.  But if they are driving, or getting government picture id docs – then no – take the Niqab off.  And that pertains to Legal Proceedings as well.  Cases are often resolved by lawyers / judges being able to ‘read’ faces – the Niqab simply stated prevents that from happening.

2.  Christine Blatchford wrote an interesting column yesterday concerning a court case that has been in the works for nearly 20 years.

It pertains to the right of native fishers to harvest salmon out of season for ‘Food, Social and Ceremonial’ purposes only.  You will notice the concept of ‘commercial’ is missing. 

A group of non native fishers has been fighting this discrimination on the basis that an estimated 90% of the native fishers’ catch is sold commercially. This not only competes unfairly with the professional fishery but it seriously jeopardizes the sustainability of the stock.

For those who live back several hundred years and are still grieving about the hard done natives I sympathize with their feelings even though I believe they are misguided.  That said, if our Society wants to continue to gnash its teeth regarding our ancestors’ historic wrongs – I suggest that laws be passed giving natives the right to do whatever they like – hunt, fish, pollute – whatever and whenever they wish as long as it is contained within their own reserves (i.e. not on crown land). 

But while we pretend one thing –that natives cannot run a commercial fishery outside of season and then condone just that, it only leads to contempt for the law as it exists and increases resentment between natives and non natives.

So what does this have to do with the Supreme Court of Canada – you ask?

On Thursday of this week, the SCC threw out this decades old action with just the following three words – ‘Dismissed without costs’.

-and, to round out the triumvirate;

3.  One of our distinguished citizens was caught in the United States transporting some 119 kilograms of cocaine.  America, as you know, frowns upon this type of activity and quickly sentenced the poor chap to 10 years in jail (as an aside, had he kept his car on this side of the border, he might have got off with 2 years less a day, likely spent in house arrest but that is mere speculation on my part.)

The fact is though, he got sentenced to 10 years in an American slammer and immediately applied to Canada for a transfer back to serve out his sentence here.

Public Service Minister, Vic Toews, of whom I am not an ardent admirer, rightfully, in my opinion, turned down the poor chap’s application.

Enters the Federal Court of Canada which just ruled that Toews has but 45 days to reverse his decision and okay the transfer.  The Court went on to classify Toews original decision as being ‘closed minded’.

It went on to note that ‘clear evidence existed which supported the transfer’.

I can just imagine what the ‘clear evidence’ might have been composed of – e.g. that he had cleaned up his life, had married, fathered a few kids, got a regular job and goes to church regularly.

Oh Yeah – I forgot, the guy has been in jail since his conviction.  So what dear reader what would entail ‘clear evidence’ in that circumstance?

We elect Governments to do our bidding and part of that is to keep society safe.  Toews from my perspective, was doing just that in denying re-entry.  The Court, in contrast, was stepping on turf where it has no business. 

and this one just in…

4. The Supreme Court of Canada just ruled in a case involving Prosecutors possibly ‘vetting’ juror selections, that “it was not serious enough to quash …conviction(s)’. (There were a number of other similar cases awaiting the Court’s decision.)

We all know that Justice must not only be done – it must also appear to be done, and in this case(s) it would be most difficult to say the second condition has been satisfied.

You can imagine if you were the defendant and attempted in any way to influence who would be on or not on your jury – you would be charged with contempt and likely jailed in the process.

So as for me, this all adds up to the Superior Courts going 0 for 4.

As I see it …

‘K.D. Galagher’

QUEUING

 

Long time readers will also know that I am not a great fan of standing in line to wait.

Indeed, I am the type who would rather drive an hour and 20 miles out of my way rather than spend 15 minutes going bumper to bumper.

That brings me to this morning.

The boss, my wife Anne, asked me if I would mind posting a few small packages at the local post office …7 in all and not that small, but don’t sweat the details.

I could not accept her offer quickly enough.

Just last week, I had stood in line to mail some out of Canada cards – at the same local post office, where the line had backed out into the street.  Just my kind of thing as you know.

Anyway, when approaching their main door this morning– my fears were quickly realized as a woman was standing patiently outside…

But wait, she was waiting for me to open said door given my Christmas package burden.  In I cruised.

And low and behold, there was no one inside save a lonely looking postal clerk.

Let me say that again – there were no customers inside – save for me and my seven (7) packages and it is only days from Christmas Day.

I rushed to the counter.

Since my ‘packages’ were gift wrapped, boxes were needed to complete the mailing process.  The kind sales lady pointed me to the adjoining wall which was filled with all kinds of boxes, envelopes and various packaging paraphernalia; but quickly saw that I was overcome with the immense selection.

She started to make recommendations and I started to bring various options to her like an obedient puppy dog.  By now, the non-existent line had filled in and reached back to the infamous main door.  I turned to the assembled and profusely apologized for keeping them waiting. They glared back in unison.  

The clerk and I fumbled trying to squeeze this sized gift into that sized box and for a while it looked like we were on the losing side of the fight.

Finally, the right sized boxes were found. Relief.

How much says I?  Where to says the clerk?

What do you mean says I?

“There are no addresses on your packages”.

I looked on stupefied.

The silent glaring line burst out with uncontrollable laugher.

My packages had names on them, but no addresses.

“I guess there might be more than one ‘Dear Maude’ in Canada” I meekly suggested.

The line was now in hysterics. 

I paid for the boxes, gather them up along with my 7 gift packages and marched – well, slinked out the door.

I’ll be back, I thought to myself, but what will be the chance of finding twice in a row, no line at the Post Office a few days before Christmas.

Not bloody likely.

As I see it…

‘K.D. Galagher’

 

There You Go Again…

 

So said the about to become President Ronald Reagan in a 1980 Presidential Election Debate with Jimmy - the Peanut Farmer – Carter.

But before I get into the substance of this morning’s Blog – first a quiz:

What Right or Freedom transcends all the rest?

Why Freedom of Speech of course.  Without Freedom of Speech, all other Freedoms are simply academic, that is to say, they exist on paper only and not in reality.

Some of you may be aware that the Township of Russell – just east of Ottawa, passed a Bylaw requiring all businesses to advertise their business in both official languages given the significant Francophone presence in its jurisdiction,

Sounds reasonable – n’est pas?

And indeed, if I was to own a business where two or more significant languages existed, I would like to think that I would voluntarily advertise in both of those languages be they French / English or Dutch / Chinese.

But the problem here is that the Businesses have been forced by law to do so – and that my dear friend offends the Right of Freedom of Speech.

So what does this have to do with President Reagan’s famous quote you ask?

Well dear reader, the Supreme Court has done it again.  It has failed to uphold a court challenge against this discriminatory and unconstitutional bylaw.

When you look to the Court to act – such as in this case – it does not – and when you want the Court to refrain from ruling – such as in the case of gay marriage – it does.  Gay marriage whether or not you agree with it – was such a fundamental change for our society that the matter should have rested solely with Parliament.

In the case at hand, two gentlemen spent their own recourses challenging the Township Bylaw in the Courts – one was a Francophone by the name of Jean Serge Brisson and the other, an Anglophone by the name of Howard Galganov.  One wanted to retain the right to advertise in French, the other in English.  Hypothetically, had a third joined – who was say, Chinese, that person might well have wanted to advertise just in Mandarin. 

Regardless, the Claimants were told they were wrong, at every level of the judicial process.

You cannot be a little bit pregnant, nor can you have a little bit of free speech.  You are either pregnant or you have free speech in all of its manifestations.

Today, as a result of this case, our right to Freedom of Speech, has been a little bit impaired thanks to the Courts who are expected to protect free speech as a result of the Charter and as a result of the English Common Law.

In the case of the Russell Township Sign Bylaw – the Courts have let us all down.

As I see it…

‘K.D. Galagher’

The F35s…One More Time…

 

And most likely, not for the last time.

Most Everyone, appears to be up in arms about the Tory Government’s handling of the F35 purchase; even though no purchase has been made – just a proposal to purchase and one that is now in the process of being withdrawn by the same Tory Government most everyone is complaining about.

So where is the Beef?

You have got me?

Had it been a Liberal Government, a deal would have long ago been signed, sealed and delivered and some conglomerate based in la Belle Province would already have pocketed the money. 

But that is so yesterday.

Now the denizens bitch about what might have been – but wasn’t.

To all of them I say – “get a life’.

But I digress.

The issue here is not What the Tories did – since they did not do all that much.

Rather, the issue is Why our military chose this particular plane in the first place.

And simply stated, they did not choose it either.  Rather NATO did in which admittedly our Military plays a role – albeit a minor one.

So Why did NATO pick the F35? 

Readers – I have no idea whatsoever – all I know is that it did.  And that is good enough for me.

As an side, had the United Nations recommended the purchase, I would have been opposed for that reason alone.

With Tensions on the rise throughout the world and with China beginning to flex its enormous muscles – we in the Western World need a vibrant, fully functioning NATO for the next 100 years and more.  Sadly, to date, it has acted as such in the exception rather than in the norm.

Instead, we have relied upon the United States and before that – Great Britain for our collective defence. But as I have consistently pointed out in previous Blogs, the United States of America is now broke.

Sooner – rather than later, America is going to have to seriously reduce its military spending.  It simply cannot continue to fund its out of control debt/deficit, its expanded Health Care, the needs of a growing elderly population, and its 1 in 3 who are content to live on Welfare while continuing to spend nearly 50% of its budget on Defence.

The Western World via NATO will have to pick up the slack, despite the financial challenges that many of its Members Nations also face.  It must come down to collective pain if we have any hope of preserving our way of life.

It is then simply nonsense for the Government’s critics to call for Tendering the jet purchase process.

It would be like you or I wishing to buy a car X which the Consumers’ Report cites as the best deal on the market.  But in comes your neighbour, who demands that you tender out your purchase. Heaven knows what you would end up with.

That said, there is still a vital role for Western Governments to take into account their own unique situation and needs.  In Canada’s case, I would argue that with such an extensive coastline, we should focus on Ships and Subs.  And when it comes to NATO, we could offer to take a leading role in this important aspect of NATO Defence.

Again, if our Military believes a Ship or Sub is available which will meet their needs and can be purchased ‘off the shelf’  - then that is what should be done.  Not only will it also be cheaper than building our own, it will be available far faster. 

Plus I would rather put my faith in our Military deciding what best suits its needs, than a government procurer.

As I see it…

‘K.D. Galagher’

Suffer The Little Children …

 

Words are insufficient to describe one’s feelings surrounding yesterday’s massacre of little children at the Sandy Hill Elementary School in Newtown Connecticut, so I won’t even attempt to do so.

I cannot though stop thinking of the terror those little folks felt during their slaughter.

What I want to focus on this morning is the message the President gave which I found to be very moving:

• “Our hearts are broken today”, he said with tears in his eyes and then went on to say, “the majority of those who died were children – beautiful little kids between the ages of five and 10 years old”.
• In regard to America’s corrosive gun culture, he called for “meaningful action” to prevent such shootings from occurring in the future; and regarding the young victims, he had this to say,  
• “They had their entire lives ahead of them – birthdays, graduations, weddings, kids of their own”.

Profound words all.

Regarding his pledge to “take meaningful action” against their corrosive gun culture, I wish him luck but doubt that too much of significance can be done given that the ‘right to bear arms’ is protected in their Constitution. A constitution that was written well over 200 years ago with things changing a little bit since then.

But that said, the time has long past when the average citizen needs to be ‘packing’. Guns should only be available to farmers and to legitimate hunters – i.e.  those who have taken gun possession courses, and hunter safety courses, and have a valid annual hunting licence.  And only then as it relates to hunting rifles and not to handguns nor automatic weapons on any kind.

If any good can come out of this terrible event, serious gun control would be it and I wish the President success on this.

I take a somewhat different view on his statement about what these tiny victims losing out on – birthdays, weddings and the like. Not because I take exception to his statement – not at all – it is a very moving commentary and all of it too true.  But it causes me to focus on the millions of Americans each year that are subject to this self same statement – that is to say, those poor souls who are needlessly aborted for convenience purposes.  Why does the President fail to speak for them as well?

I can tell you why – he is a big proponent of unrestricted abortion.

Yesterday some 20 young children died needlessly at the hands of a pistol carrying madman.  They are truly deserving of our thoughts, prayers and tears.

But so are the countless numbers of healthy aborted babies around the world who also will not be around to celebrate their “birthdays, graduations, weddings, (or) have kids of their own”. 

It is all a great tragedy and one that each of us must live with until the youngest and most defenseless are save to survive.

As I see it…

‘K.D. Galagher’

The Sky Is Falling ...

So sayeth Chicken Little ?

No, So sayeth the 8 year occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

And, as was the case with C.L., his scare tactics come down to a lot of clucking and no substance.

Why so Galagher?

America is well on its way to a $17 Trillion Dollar Debt or some 100% of its annual GDP.  Moreover, its annual deficit - since the time the Democrats took over the White House, has totalled in the Trillions and continues to rise.  With the advent of their new Health Care in a matter of weeks - these numbers can be expected to climb exponentially.

So what does America need to do and fast - that's right, 'raise taxes and dramatically reduce spending'.

So what does the Fiscal Cliff do - you got it - it 'raises taxes and dramatically reduces spending'.

So what are we missing?  Not a thing - the sooner America falls off that cliff, the better.

Even the Republicans - had they won the recent Presidential Election - were in for a big surprise.  They kept saying they were opposed to more taxes but continually failed to acknowledge the deep hole the US has dug itself into and that cuts alone will not be enough.  Higher taxes are needed in concert with those cuts.

The Dems fearless leader wants tax increases - but just on the rich.  Makes a great sell given that the vast majority of Americans - 95+ % do not find themselves in that exclusive category.  But it won't work - there are not enough rich to make much of a difference.  Plus, that small percentage - the rich - create wealth through the creation of jobs.  Do you seriously think they will hang around and let themselves be the only ones taxed  higher?  In that regard, keep an eye on France where a 75% income tax has been imposed.  Great for Germany and the UK. 

Even the Clff and falling over of same, will not be nearly enough to reverse their debt / deficit buildup:  estimates put the savings from doing so at a mere half Trillion Dollars.  The new costs associated with the Health Care implementation of 2013 itself will exceed those savings.

So what does America need - it needs a few more Cliffs to fall off.

The only reason America has not already been deemed a basket case by the world's investors is the fact that many of those same investors are using the States as a refuge from even greater financial troubles in the EU.  The day is quickly coming when even they will see America for what it is - a sinking life raft.

For now, America's only hope, in the short term, is to take the plunge from the Cliff.

Just don't bet on it happening though, since both the Donkey and the Elephant continue to live in a world of their own - in the Zoo.


As I see it...

'K.D. Galagher'

I am entitled to my entitlements …

 

Not Again !!

Long time readers will know what I think about Canada’s Senate – but for those of you who may be of a more recent vintage …

I view the Senate of Canada as a somnambulistic warehouse full of Hacks, Flacks and Ne’er Do Wells.

Take Tory Senator Mike Duffy for instance and Liberal Senators Mac Harb and Patrick Brazeau and countless others no doubt.

These gentlemen and I use the term loosely, all have resided for years in and around Ottawa but since their appointments to the August Institution have been charging Taxpayers 10s of thousands of dollars each year for ‘living away’ …here in Ottawa.

And let’s be clear here – the rules of the Senate – not surprisingly, do not specifically prohibit such claims, but the spirit of those rules certainly do.  In other words, it is left to the individual Senator to look to his or her own conscience to determine whether such a claim is appropriate under the circumstances. And obviously, for the three distinguished selves above, they have a questionable inner guide.

Sometimes you hear that “there are some Senators that do good work” and indeed there are.  To them, I would say, join a Think Tank and do your unelected good work off the Taxpayer’s teat and on your own merits.

Then the are several other distinguished Senators who have joined a Speakers’ Bureau – including ‘the Duffy’ as Mike Duffy so affectionately likes to refer to himself as.  For the paltry sum of $8- 10 K these denizens of Canada will deign attend your private event and share with you some of their great Senatorial Wisdom.

In this case, the Senate Rules rightfully prohibit such a practice but even if the rules did approve – it would be wrong for anyone in Parliament – paid by the public purse, being able to cash in on their public persona.  Once retired – go nuts and charge the moon and that is what I would suggest all Honourable Senators do – retire.

Finally, just a quick word about an Elected Senate – Triple E or whatever.  Don’t do it.  It would be just another expensive layer – even more expensive than the current double R Senate – Rotten and Redundant.  An Elected Senate would continue to be just as Redundant and we would end up with the impasses witnessed below the 49th Parallel. 

As I see it…

‘K.D. Galagher’

His Heart Was In The Right Place …

 

But Baird (and Harper) was wrong to oppose observer status for the Palestinians at this week’s UN Vote.

For the past several years, Canada has prided itself on being Israel’s best friend – and rightfully so, since America, under Obama, dithers trying to appease the Islamists. But you have to know what fights are worth having and in that regard, Canada’s vote this week should have been in favour of Palestinian recognition, not against it.

‘Everyone in the know’ seems to agree that nothing much will change as a result of the vote; that is to say, true peace will not come about until the two sides hammer out a deal at the negotiation table.  So there was little or nothing to be lost, from casting a favourable vote.

The main thing that would have been gained, however, is a greater sense of self worth amongst the Palestinians themselves. 

That said, some fear, that voting for the motion,  would encourage the Palestinians to become even more militant and thereby would delay the day for a mutually acceptable peace.

Perhaps, but given the turbulent history of this area, dating back millennia, it is most doubtful that any UN motion could make things worse.  In fact, I would argue, the successful motion helps place the Palestinians on a more equal footing with their Israeli counterparts and through that, it could enhance the possibility of genuine peace.

What is not at all helpful though, is Netanyahu’s petulant response to the vote which was to announce more housing development for the West Bank. This is guaranteed to incite the Arab Community and could very well cause a new round of violence.  Western nations should condemn this, in no uncertain terms.

I began this blog by saying Canada needs to understand what fights are worth having when it comes to our support of Israel.  And, rest assured, there will be lots of “worthwhile” occasions on the horizon; Canada’s UN Vote this week, was not one of them.

As I see it…

‘K. D. Galagher’

 

The National Post Has It Right …

 

There was a Big Winner and a Big Loser in the News Yesterday – so says the National Post on its front page today.

The only problem with their story today is that it Mixed the Two Up.

As the Post sees it – the Winner is the Governor of the Bank of Canada, Mark Carney and the Loser is Toronto Mayor, Rob Ford.

I would argue the reverse – a decline for Carney and a rise for Ford.

Let’s look at Mayor Ford first:

Yesterday, an Ontario Court Judge ruled that Ford had breeched conflict of interest laws and therefore ordered his removal from office.

Ford had been actively involved with a $3k grant to support his football team for disadvantaged teens.  Imagine – he gets judicially censured for trying to help the disadvantaged while other politicians, who will remain nameless, get off scot free for wasting (funnelling?) billions.

But that aside, the Judge was correct in his ruling – Ford should have refrained from actively taking part in Council’s decision – regardless of how noble the cause.

Indeed, that said, it is refreshing to see a Judge impose the law as it exists rather than inventing it from the ether. It would be interesting though to speculate whether the Judge would have been so conservative in his ruling had the alleged offender been of the Liberal or NDP persuasion.

So Ford caused his own downfall and the Court refused to bail him out.

But by so doing, the Court has made Ford a Hero.  Here was a guy who, up until now, had virtually botched the job of being Mayor and – all of a sudden – he is the recipient of our sympathies and best wishes.

The Guy has come out of all of this a Winner.

Okay, now Carney:

If you believe the press clippings, Carney is the best thing since the invention of sliced bread.  He and he alone saved Canada’s Banking System during his time in office.

I beg to differ.

There are really three saviours here (and none are named Carney);  Paul Martin, David Dodge and Jean Chretien – as much as I would like to think otherwise.

When those three took over the helm of Canada’s finances in 1993 – they inherited a whopping $40+ billion dollar deficit and an out of control debt - from Mulroney and his fellow Conservatives.

Martin did the policy work, Dodge did the implementation and Chretien, to his credit, allowed it to happen.

Martin even stood firm against our Banks demands that they be allowed to merge with one another.  Thank heavens they did not or they most likely would have been up to their respective ears in the fallout experienced south of the border.  As luck would have it – only one of our Banks – the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce got in over its head by investing in these caustic instruments. Even I, at the time, thought that the merger request made sense.  I know better now. 

Thank you Paul Martin.

But the point in all of this is that Carney was not the key player in this – he was though most fortunate to inherit good books as a result of the three above-noteds.

Carney was appointed by one Stephen Harper -
Conservative.  The same PM and Team which saw our deficit climb to heights not even contemplated by their fellow Tory – Brian Mulroney.

In recent years, we have looked good in comparison to the rest for the simple fact that the other western nations did worse than we did during and post the American financial meltdown beginning in 2008.  And we were able to do so – because of the successive Liberal Governments from 1993 to 2005. 

So is Carney a dud?  Who knows since, from my perspective, he succeeded on the sterling efforts of those who came before him.

Will he succeed as Governor of the Bank of England?  Again – who knows, but if I was a betting man – and I am – I would not bet the farm on his doing so.

As I see it …

‘K.D. Galagher’

 

 

As Columbo Would Say…

 

Just One More Thing.

Well Maybe Two …

The New Motto For The United States of America that has been bandied about since Tuesday’s Election:

• Ask Not What You Can Do For Your Country…Ask What Your Country Can Do For You.

Plus Flora MacDonald is famous for saying it is passing strange…

I find it passing strange that now that the Election is over – all of the media has suddenly focused on how bad the American Economy is – the fiscal cliff etc etc . Where were they a week ago?

Oh and one more thing..

In the lead up to the Election I naively thought that America was split more or less 50/50 between the Givers and the Takers – when in reality, like here in Canada and Europe – the Takers now obviously compose the majority. 

After 4 more years of Taking – the chances of the US returning to some form of sanity – is very remote indeed.

As I see it …

‘K.D. Galagher’

Let The Games Begin …Again.

 

OBama has won another 4 more years !!

And unlike his poor imitation here in Ontario, thankfully, Obama will not be able to run and hide from his win.

Given that, the ‘Why’ he won is not important; we can leave that to the Historians to determine.

Moreover, ‘What’ it means for the United States and the World generally, is not an issue either, because the Dye has been Cast.

The main thing here is that the American Voter got what he or she wanted, as did Canadians …if we’d had been able to vote, that is.  Indeed, in our case, a recent poll showed that only 9% of us would have voted Romney.

For the record, Count me among the 9.

That said, the next four (4) years will be most interesting.

In fact, Too Interesting.

And as is the case with McGuinty, I do not plan to talk about the re-elected President in my future Blogs, rather I will let the events to unfold, do the all the speaking.

‘K.D. Galagher’

 

A Mirror Reflection …

 

Of The First Debate.

By that I mean I scored Romney 2:1 over Obama in the first debate and now I score Obama 2:1 over Romney in last night’s final debate.

I thought that given all the ammunition he had, Romney would have wiped the floor with Obama – so to speak.  I was wrong.

Last night’s debate was supposed to have been about Foreign Policy, but it drifted into domestic affairs.  Had it stayed with its original purpose – here are some of the factors Romney had going for him:

• The Middle East is burning;
• Iran is on the cusp of being able to deploy Nuclear Weapons;
• Israel has been cut adrift;
• North Africa is quickly descending into Al Qaeda Hell;
• The Taliban is on the verge of retaking Afghanistan and is now only awaiting the 2014 pull out of American Troops;
• Iraq is falling apart;
• Pakistan is becoming more instable by the day and it has Nuclear Weapons;
• Nuclear China is threatening both Japan and Taiwan;
• North Korea is threatening the South with imminent attack and it too has a nuclear capacity;
• Europe is raging with mass protests and the EU is on the verge of collapse;
• Hugo Chavez of Venezuela – our favourite communist this side of the pond, just won another long term in office;
• Castro sadly is still kicking.

So where are Obama’s successes?  Oh yes – he killed Osama.

If Romney could not upstage Obama with all this going on – I despair and I say this bearing in mind that the other field in which Obama has failed in is with respect to his Country’s Economy and he is doing even worse there.

So where does that leave us?

Certainly the Election next month will be even closer than it should otherwise have been.

I still predict a Romney win but this is no longer assured.   I still honestly believe that America will be better off with Romney – much better off in fact, but not as well off as it should be.

In other words – Romney is flawed but not as flawed as the current guy.

Where are the FDRs and the Churchill’s when you need them and believe me – the US needs them as do we all.

As I see it…

‘K. D. Galagher’ 

 

 

 

Who Was Flim-Flamming Who ??

 

Note:  Before I go into the details, I want to let you know that I am going to cut back on the number of Blogs I have been churning out of late and focus more on the Book I have been working on – off and on – in regard to Investing.  I will certainly do a Blog in regard to the final Presidential Debate and then of course, one on the Day after the November 6th US Election.  G.

Now For The Flim-Flam:

I received a telephone call the other morning and it went something along the following lines:

Ring, Ring

Hello?  (me)

Caller – “Sir I am pleased to tell you that you have won $3.5 million dollars.

Me – “That is indeed great news – how so?”

Caller – “Your 6/49 win.”

Me – “That is even better news since I do not play 6/49.”

Caller – “Well you won anyway.”

Me – “Great, where do I pick up my $3.5 million?”

Caller – “Not to worry, we will deliver it to you”

Me – “That’s even better – when?”

Caller – “Later Today”

Me – “Why this is great service – what time later today can I expect you?”

Caller – “An hour or so after you send us $75, we need this money to cover the cost of the delivery.”

Me – “Well that is most reasonable, are you sure $75 is enough for all your trouble – I could pay more if you want.”

Caller – “No, $75 is fine”

Me – “Okay, I have that much on me right now so I look forward to seeing you in an hour or so".”

Caller – “You do not pay the delivery person directly, rather you need to get a Money Gramm and send it to the name and address I am going to give you in Sault Ste. Morie.

Me – “Sault Ste. Morie?”

Caller – “Yes Sault Ste. Morie.”

Me – “Just confirming.”

Caller then gives me a name and address in Sault Ste. Morie.

Caller – “How long will it take for you to send the money gramm?”

Me – “Could be a problem – I live in a rural area and do not know where the nearest money gramm centre is”.

Caller – “Go to your nearest Post Office”

Me – “Good idea – there in one close to where I live, so it should only take me 30 minutes - 45 at the most”.

Caller – “That’s great, I will call you back in about an hour to confirm it has been sent”.

Me – “And then I can expect to receive the 3.5?”

Caller – “Absolutely.

I then immediately call the Ottawa Police to let them know this transaction was going down – so to speak.

Ottawa Police – “We really do not get into this type of fraud – you need to call the Province’s Special Fraud Squad Office”  - (I am given their number).

I then place a call to Ontario’ Special Fraud Squad Office (OSFSO) – it is a minute past noon, and I get the following recording: “we have all gone to lunch, call back after one p.m.”  I guess they expect fraud to take time off for lunch as well.

I call back at a minute after 1 p.m. – (the 6/49 fellow had yet to call be back).  I get the following recording “all of our secret* agents are on the phone with others like you who are being scammed…your call is important to us …”   (Note * I confess the word ‘secret’ is my own).

Anyway, I wait, and I wait and wait, 45 minutes go by and no secret agent has been available to take my pressing call – all the while – every 20 seconds or so a recording triggers advising me of all of the fraud cases that the OSFSO does not deal with (e.g. employment fraud).

Finally, my call gets answered.

I explain to the nice chap what has transpired and when I finish, he tells me that there is nothing they can do – other than to document my complaint.  He does suggest I might want to let the Money Gramm folks know about their service being abused.

I tell the dear chap if he believes Money Gramm needs to hear from someone – it best be him and not me.  (I figured at this point I had done my duty).

Before I hang up though he explains briefly to me how the scam works – Victim buys the money gramm and sends it off to the name and address provided him, – the scammers then go into their nearest money gramm office and intercept the payment. 

The agent then tells me – by the bye – that the scammer is physically located in Jamaica.  The agent knows this because he recognizes the exchange of the telephone number I have provided to him.

I thank him and await the Scammers call.

As if on cue, the phone rings – Scammer “did you send the money gramm?”

Me – “well I got to the Post Office and they did not have money gramms – so I sent a money order.

Scammer – “where did you send it”

Me – “to the name and address you provided to me”

A Pause

And then this …

“You LyAAAAR” …”You –(blank) - LYYAAAAR”

Me – “Does this mean I should not expect the $3.5 million”

Scammer – “Yes”

Me – Oh, by the way, how is the weather there in Jamaica.

Scammer – “Not too bad”.

I hang up.

As I saw it …

‘K. D. Galagher’

 

 

ELVIS Has Left The Building …

 

Or at least, our esteemed leader Dalton McGuinty has and, like Elvis, he left by the Back Door.

You dear reader can well imagine that I am not surprised by this cowardly act, but I am most disappointed.

McGuinty, as I have categorized on numerous occasions, has single headedly brought this once Proud Province to its knees.  That he now sneaks off into the sunset with his healthy Premier’s Pension in tact, is a slap in the face to all those who put their trust in him.

When the time came for him to face up to his misguided and costly initiatives, he caved. 

Some Leader.

Moreover, with his Prorogation of the Legislature, he has effectively neutered the Opposition in its attempts to cast light on his many scandals, most notably the recent one involving the shutting down of the Two Power Plants days prior to the last Election.

The fact is, the Tories and NDP were getting too close on this important file; talk had begun about the need to call in the Cops.

The Voters of this Province, on three separate occasions, voted McGuinty in – so I am not overly concerned about their welfare.  They are reaping what they sowed.  And the fallout will continue for some time to come, regardless of who becomes the new Lib Leader or which Party wins the next election.

I am just saddened by the fact that the guy who created the mess will not be around to witness, first hand, the extent of the damage.

As I see it …

‘K.D. Galagher’

 

 

 

The Most Important Freedom We Have …

 

IS THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH… all the other freedoms pale in comparison.

But Sadly, we in Canada do not have it.

This week past, saw a supposed pastor, Terry Jones, denied entry into our country because he has a tendency to burn Korans.  Not a nice person, but not so un-nice that we can be denied our right to hear what he says, whether we agree with him or not. 

This is what Democracy is based upon.

The only time a person should be thwarted in his or her efforts to speak and be heard, is if they are directly calling for death or injury to someone or some group.  For instance, “all Martians should be burned in the street.”

And dear reader, we have laws that deal specifically with those types of situations, they are adequately – indeed perhaps too adequately, encompassed in our country’s criminal code.

What we do not need are Kangaroo Courts a.k.a Human Rights Tribunals, stamping out Freedom of Speech in their Zeal to Cleanse the Mouths and Minds of Society.  The right to say and hear what other people think is the fundamental thing that separates Democracy from Dictatorship.

Recently, we saw and heard the spectacle of the President of Iran delivering his annual address to the United Nations. His rants, said more about how  vile he and his administration is, than his silence could ever portray.  This, then, is the value of retaining the United Nations – but I digress.

But now here in Canada, we have a guy denied entry into our country for burning books.

I could try to pull at your heart strings and tell you about the thousands of our soldiers who have died for our Freedoms and indeed they did, but in the scheme of the things that is not the issue here.  True, those dead soldiers made it possible for us to Live in Freedom, but it is up to Those Of Us Among The Living to see that our Freedom Survives.

So What To Do?

First, in the case of Terry Jones, we need to know who exactly made the decision to turn him back at the border and on what supposed authority. Given the importance of this, once it is known, I would send the bureaucrat or politician packing.

Second, we should demand that the Human Rights Tribunals be all disbanded.

Third, we need to tell our fellow citizens that if they are not prepared to think for themselves, then sooner or later, someone will step and do their thinking for them.  

In Canada, and indeed around the Western World, this can already be seen happening.

As I see it…

‘K.D. Galagher’

Biden for Prez….

 

Last eve was the one and only Vice Presidential Debate and I scored it 3:1 for Joe Biden.

That is even higher than the 2:1 I gave Romney over Obama – 2:1.

Biden’s style may not have been the best, but he played with Ryan throughout like a cat plays with a doomed mouse.

It did not have to be so.

Throughout, Ryan let Biden have his way with him.  For instance, Biden continually smiled and smirked when Ryan was speaking – all Ryan had to do was to publicly notice Biden’s disrespectful antics and say something along the following lines:

Mr. Vice President, you seem to find all this very funny – the fact is it is not funny at all – more American’s than ever before are out of work, the deficit is running at over a $Trillion Dollars a year,  the Middle East is burning …and you have the nerve to sit there and laugh – shame on you.

That is all it would have taken.

But sadly, Ryan did not do that.

I predict that his failure will cost the Republicans’ 1 to 2% points in popular support. These numbers would have been even greater had it been the Presidential Candidates slugging it out.

Now the spotlight returns to the 2 main Presidential events left – the Town Hall Session next week and the Debate on Foreign Affairs the week after that. The pressure will be on Romney to win both making it a 3-pete.

But as for last night – Obama owes Biden …Big Time.

As I see it…

‘K. D. Galagher’

It takes a 14 year old girl…

 

The Taliban put a bullet into the brain of a 14 year old child because the young girl was defying them by wanting to keep going to school.

Her name is Malala Yousufzai.

This young lady has more courage than the the rest of us put together.  She knew this ugly sect was out to get her, but that did not deter her from the goal of getting an education.

The Taliban has vowed to kill her yet and has placed the young girl’s family on their death list as well. 

As I have mentioned in recent Blogs, the Middle East and Northern Africa have been lost to the Radical Islamists and once the Americans pull out of Afghanistan, it too will quickly revert to Taliban Rule.

This will be viewed as a failure but no so.  The West showed these groups of violent men that it would no longer tolerate their acts of violence and once out of these Regions – the West will be able to continue to wreck vengeance on them from the air with impunity. 

What the West also did by confronting this evil was give the Muslim People an opportunity to stand up against the Islamists.  The fact that Muslims were not able to do so, is probably understandable given the situation they confront i.e. a society that for all intents and purposes is still mired in the middle ages. 

But there was a Arab Spring and for the first time came hope and I predict that the Spring will eventually come to stay despite the best efforts of the Extremist to see it otherwise.  Time is against these fanatics but it won’t happen over night.

The real and only solution then is for the Ordinary People of the Middle East and North Africa to stand up against Islamic Tyranny.  

They will, since a Young Girl by the name of Malala has shown them the way.

As I see it …

‘K.D. Galagher’

Is It Just Me, Or Do You Too Believe …

 

That Canada has a Big ‘P’ on its forehead for ‘Patsy’.

In Today’s Liberal Organ, a.k.a. The Ottawa Citizen, Hugh Adami writes a column entitled ‘Canada Shrugs As Immigration Rulings Fracture A Family’.

Sounds awful … doesn’t it, but let’s dig a little deeper into the facts:

Mrs. age 69, was born and raised in the Soviet Union; Mr. age 70, in Cuba.  They subsequently married and lived together in Cuba.

Last year, they made application to Canada’s Refugee Board both claiming Refugee Status and both were rightfully turned down.

Before I go further, you need to understand what is entailed in a Refugee Claim.  Most immigrants coming to Canada come via the standard immigration application, that is to say, they apply in their home country to move and live in Canada for numerous reasons – to be with family, to better themselves economically etc. 

But there is a tiny exception to the rule; a person who has a genuine fear of Persecution in their Home Country can apply within other Countries for Protection under the United Nations Convention for Refugees – that is to say, they can prove they will be Persecuted for Reasons of Race, Religion, Political Opinion and so on. Surprisingly, about 40,000 people per year make such a claim within Canada’s borders.

I worked for the Refugee Board and I suspect less than only 5% of claimants have a genuine claim – it is probably closer to 1 or 2%.  The remainder are ‘cue jumpers’ – rather than apply the normal way to become an immigrant to Canada, they use the short-circuited route of making up false claims for Refugee Status. 

This is what Mrs. and Mr. did in the case at hand.  The Refugee Board correctly dismissed their claims and ordered them both deported – Mrs. to Russia since that is the citizenship she holds and Mr. back to Cuba – he being a citizen of that country.

Now the bleeding hearts.

Cuba arbitrarily refused to take Mr. back so we in Canada are stuck with him.  If I were Harper, I would say to the Brothers Castro – you take back your life long citizen or we in Canada cease playing tourist on your beaches.  I suspect that they would have him back on the next plane out.

But the Adami Article article really focuses on the Mrs. – the Russian Citizen.  Russia will take her back but according to the family she no longer has any ties in that country.  I wonder if that statement could withstand scrutiny but say it is true – so what?  He is Cuban and she is Russian and neither are entitled Refugee Status.  To compound the issue is the fact that Mrs. is in poor health and I need not point out to you that our Health System is now collapsing under its own weight.

The Bottom-line here is why is it Canada’s responsibility to step forward and be the boy scout in this sad but all too frequent a situation?

We always seem to be cast as such.

In the Mahar case, the United States sent him to Syria where he was allegedly tortured but Canada coughed up a cool $10 million dollars for his pain and suffering.

In the current Kahdr case, he cowardly killed a US Medic who left behind a widow and 2 orphans.  And yet, it is Canada he sues and if history repeats itself, he too will likely hit the $million dollar Canadian Jackpot.

So dear reader, I leave it to you to decide what is the right thing to do in regard to Mrs. Russia and Mr. Cuba.

As for me, I would probably reluctantly give in and let them both stay here. But it does make you, as a Canadian, feel used.

I would also like to think that some of our left wing papers would at least be a little more balanced when reporting on such cases – they treat each case like it was the only one – i.e. no big deal – but it is a big deal since, as I said in the beginning, 10s of thousands are making similar requests yearly without the facts to support their claims. The columnists should drop their inflammatory words and admit that the issue is not so cut and dry.

In the end, if we say let them all stay regardless of the facts – then at least shut down the Refugee Board to save a few quid. We’ll need the money.

As I see it…

‘K.D. Galagher’

The Great Presidential Debates …

 

Have Begun.

I have been saying that the upcoming US Election is one of the most important in the history of the United States and indeed in the history of the West and permit me to briefly recap why:

• America’s Debt now exceeds its entire annual GDP – $16 Trillion and counting;
• It’s true Unemployment Rate is above 40% (that is to say, the percentage of those of working age who do not have a job);
• 50 Million – 1 in 6, are on food stamps;
• 100 Million – 1 in 3, are on government assistance;
• The Fed is printing money like its confetti;
• Europe is floundering, riots are occurring daily and the EU may well disintegrate;
• The Middle East in on fire and is ready to explode;
• Iran has the Bomb and is now perfecting its delivery capability;
• Israel is its nearby target whom the Islamists have declared to drive out into the sea;
• China has begun to flex its military might against Japan.

So unless things turn around dramatically, the United States will collapse in on its own weight at a time when the world is in great need of its leadership.

Obama has contributed mightily to this sad state of affairs.  His domestic policies have not staunched the red ink – they have greatly added to the flow.  His foreign policies have not brought about greater stability – just opposite.  And yet…

With an Election but a month away – he should be down in the single digits of support.  He is not –most polls (all?) up to last night’s debate, show him holding a lead over his Republican Rival.

(Even here in Ontario, at least the electorate has finally awoken and now places McGuinty and Company in the low 20s in support – but not so the electorate south of the border).

And there is a lot more at stake there, than here.

So back to last evening. Romney out shone Obama 2:1.  Thank Heavens.

And this being the first of three debates, I believe it to have been the most important one.  Within a few days I predict the polls will reflect better for the Republicans.  Not dramatically, because America is split right down the centre as Romney so aptly put it: ‘47%, the takers, are going to support Obama regardless of his disastrous policies’.  But my friends, the needle is about to move in Romney’s favour.

I have said from the very beginning that Romney will win on November 6th and I am standing by that.  Not just because I am conservative in my philosophy but because we collectively are not strong enough to endure another 4 years of a President who does not have a sweet clue as to the damage he is doing to us all.

 As I see it…

‘K.D. Galagher’

 

 

Part 3 … A Retraction.

 

Post Script Note:  I am going to keep track, under this note, of the other costs that come to light in view of Dalton McGuinty’s Liberal cancellation of the 2 Power Plants days before the recent Provincial Election – included will be costs related to their misguided Green Energy Program:

• While this is heating up, our esteemed leader is heading out on a trade mission to China;  i.e. leaving his Energy Minister Chris Bentley to Twist in the Wind.  Some Leader.  Would you do that knowing Bentley was covering up on your order to do so?
• first, I should have mentioned below that the Province of Ontario – although paying up to 82 cents per kwh – to Solar producers – it must sell “surplus” power each year to other jurisdictions such as New York ‘for a penny or two per kwh or often for free’  In 2011 this cost Ontario $420 Million Dollars.
• $200 Million for constructing power lines from Napanee back to Mississauga where the genuine need for power existed before the Election and exists to this very day.
• $210 Million being the cost of the Province’s purchase of one of the Contractors gas turbines.  Likely the result of the Province buying off a law suit for wrongful cancellation of the pre election contract.
• $167 Million is what TransCanada Power will be paid annually – for 20 years - for operating the new Power Plant at Napanee even if it produces not one kwh of power over those 2 decades.  It is becoming more apparent that a host of other Power Plants – up to 19 throughout the Province – are in receipt of the same deal.

---------

The numbers are beginning to clarify in regard to the McGuinty Liberals’ cancellation of the two Power Plants in Oakville and Mississauga days before the recent Provincial Election.

In my first part, I had indicated that the cost of these cancellations was $1.5 Billion Dollars despite the fact that McGuinty pegged them at only $40 million.  

Now I find out that the $1.5 Billion figure I used was incorrect and now must retract that figure.

You may have already guessed it– the cost is actually much higher…more than $4 Billion Dollars to be more precise.  And I expect before the dust settles on all of this – it will go even higher – much higher.

Let’s recap:

• McGuinty offered the first Contractor – TransCanada Power, in writing, about $750 Million Dollars if it would refrain from suing for breach of Contract;
• In lieu of this payment,TransCanada was given a new Contract, this one in regard to the Construction of a new Power Plant in Napanee Ontario.  The new plant is to be located directly beside an existing Power Plant which has more or less been shuddered for lack of need – i.e. it produces only 1 to 2 % of its generating ability per annum.  (presumably the $750 million payout will be recouped by TransCanada as part of the construction cost;
• Added to that, the Province entered into a 20 year Contract with TransCanada to operate the new unneeded facility guaranteeing TransCanada some $3.3 Billion Dollars over  the 20 years irrespective of whether or not the new Plant generates even 1 kwh of power.
• The Second Contractor, an American Hedge Fund group by the name of EIG Management was in turn offered by McGuinty $82.3 Million Dollars but it turned him down and is now suing the Province for $300 Million for its losses incurred due to the hasty and unexpected cancellation of their contract.
• And added to all this is the fact that in total some 19 new Power Plants have been built by the McGuinty Government – most (all) operating well below capacity and most (all) likely protected by the 20 year sweet heart deal enjoyed by TransCanada. When more details are released with respect to this I will let you know but this is where the numbers can climb much higher.

Our Liberal Paper – the Ottawa Citizen finally deigned to give some coverage to this important issue in today’s paper – it allowed that the Government’s Officially stated cost of $40 million dollars may be somewhat understated and suggested that $240 Million would be more i keeping with reality.  As if.

So we have today the Minister of Energy, Chris Bentley, being censured by the Legislature for Contempt – the first time this has occurred in the history of Ontario.  Bentley – dear reader – could end up in jail while McGuinty is in full backpedal mode.

And speaking of McGuinty – I believe it is now apparent to all and sundry that he will never again lead the Liberal Party of Ontario in another General Election.  As you know, I am saddened by this since this one person has single headedly ruined our once great Province.

In his 9 years in power he has brought Ontario to its knees fiscally speaking – mainly because of his disastrous Green Energy Program.

And with his 20 year contracts noted above and similar ones given to generators of Wind and Solar – the damage will keep on building for two decades to come.

I can’t help but feel that this is so unfair; i.e. that McGuinty will walk away away from the mess and damage he has created, with a very large Public Pension to boot.  

Those who come in behind him, will be stuck with an unmanageable situation as well as stuck with the Lion’s Share of the Blame. 

As I see it…

‘K. D. Galagher’

 

McGinty …Part 2

I would like to begin this second segment by recalling McGuinty’s first major lie prior to his being elected Premier in 2003.

No …not his promise to not raise taxes – that was his Second Major Lie.

The Lie I am writing about is his promise to Parents with Autistic Children to provide funding for IBI – Intensive Behavioural Intervention - for their Children over 6 years of age.

During the Election Campaign of 2003, Dalton McGuinty wrote to their parents and confirmed that one of the first things his Government would do – if Elected – was extend funding to their children over 6 years of age and at that time he noted, most sympathetically, that autism was on the rise and that “it is affecting the lives of an increasing number of Ontario Families.” 

He went on to say that the failure of past governments to grant funding for IBI for those over 6 years – was both “unfair and discriminatory”.

Once Elected, one of the first things his new Government did was to fight these same parents in the Courts to deny them his promised extended IBI coverage.  What a man.

It is in that context then that I would like to review some of his most egregious wastes of money – your tax dollars and mine down the drain:

1. First, let’s start with Dalton’s Green Energy Plan – the plan is approaching a cost to Ontarians of over $8 Billion dollars, according to the independent Auditor General.

• The AG also notes that for every job created in the green energy field – 2 to 4 jobs are lost in the private sector.  And accordingly, the Province is headed into “Bankruptcy”.
• Solar suppliers paid up to 82 cents per kwh while the cost of producing power from conventional sources averages but 6 cents.

2.  Next, the $1.5 Billion wasted on the cancellation of two power plants to Save Two Ridings for the Grits in the recent Election.

3.  Then there was Orange, another $Billion dollars wasted for the benefit of Grit Cronies – Helicopters purchased that could not hold stretchers, the President’s Ski Instructor hired to become a V.P. etc. 

4.  Plus don’t forget E-Health – another $Billion more or less.

5.  And the Health Premium he snuck in right after his first election where he promised in writing not to raise taxes.  That was nearly 10 years ago and we are still paying it. 

I checked on line before starting this Blog and discovered over 30 such examples of his duplicity but the above are what I believe to be the most outrageous examples.

Now think what could usefully be done with that wasted money?

Certainly a small portion of it could be used to address the very real concerns of parents trying to cope with raising an autistic child.

In the area of Health, we would have MRIs galore and Class Sizes , in our schools, could really become manageable.

And there would still be lots left over to reduce the growing Debt / Deficit which if left unchecked, will be our undoing.

In summing up, I could forgive McGuinty for breaking his initial promise Not To Raise Taxes – he is after all a Politician – but to have turned his back on Autistic Children – goes beyond the Pale.

As I see it …

‘K. D. Galagher’

   

McGuinty …. I lied.

 

The “I” here is me – Galagher.

In an earlier Blog, I promised not to write any more about our Premier – but I just can’t help myself though.  I feel a bit like Ebenezer Scrooge when he realized he had not missed Christmas Day.

What fun watching and writing about dear Dalton.

He, the champion of the Teachers and Ontario’s Civil Service …and now their whipping boy.  Indeed, he owes his job to the Teacher’s Union which spent $millions of dollars in the recent Election ensuring the defeat of Hudak and his fellow Tories.

And now, to see him force contracts on the Former and Wage Freezes on the Latter.  It doesn’t get much better than this.  Word is even starting to spread that some Grits have had enough of their Top Dog and hope soon to dump him, but I truly hope that this does not turn out to be the case; I, as you know, want McGuinty to face the music for what he has done to this once proud Province.

His Green Energy Plan alone has reduced us to Have-Not Status.  If I was Premier, I’d tell the Feds to keep their Transfer Handouts – ‘we’ll get by on our own, as we did for the first 140 years of Confederation’ …but I digress.

But permit me to digress a little bit further: speaking of Teaching, the Esteemed Toronto Board of Education has mandated that its students be taught about twisted sex suggesting that the kids give all forms of sex a try before settling on one or more type(s).  This education includes how to safely shove things up one’s anus.  All without the knowledge nor approval of the parents.  I would like to see something sharp shoved up the collective anus of the Toronto Board.

Okay, enough digressing; let me now get to the reason for today’s Blog. As you know, days prior to the last Election, McGuinty saw fit to cancel ongoing construction of two Power Plants in the Toronto Region.  He cancelled them, not because they were not needed – they most certainly were, but because they were not popular in the two ridings they were being placed in and he desperately wanted to keep those two ridings in the Grit Win Column.

After the Election, McGuinty allowed that the cost to the Taxpayer for shutting down construction totalled a measly $40 million dollars. The Opposition Parties have been fighting ever since for documentary proof of the Premier’s low estimate having to go so far as to charge the Minister of Energy, Chris Bentley with contempt of the Legislature in order to force the release of this information.

This information has finally been disclosed and it shows that the true cost of the cancellations was a whopping $1.5 Billion Dollars – some $750 million for each salvaged Riding.

Why that is more than enough money to have kept the Teachers and Bureaucrats onside for a few more years.  Maybe even until the next election, if one was not worried about the growing Provincial Debt / Deficit and things called Credit Agencies.

But the story gets even better – get your blood pressure pills out.

McGuinty is going to build these two plants elsewhere – one in this area – at Napanee – right beside a current plant that has been shut down for lack of need.  That Plant has been kept operable – all one need do is turn on the switch and there is power galore.  But to save face, McGuinty is building a redundant plant right beside it.  Does the man have no conscience?  Is there not a Taxpayer Dollar that he would refrain from spending!   

So dear Reader – another Day another $Billion Dollar Boondoggle.

Part 2 to follow.

As I see it…

‘K. D. Galagher’

No Place For The Mob…

 

Government Has Come To Town; they are now in the business of establishing Gambling Casinos – Big Time. 

The Mob been pushed aside.

This development is a relatively recent one since not that long ago gambling was a highly illegal activity. And, this recent trend does not limit itself to Ontario but it is here that I would like to direct my focus.

Our Provincial Government is in the process of shuddering Para Mutual Horse Racing and replacing it with Big Casinos – slots, tables and all. 

There is big money in it, as the Mob can attest.

I personally find government’s action repulsive since it plays on one of man’s many addictions; it leaves many gamblers broken, families destitute and too often, leads to suicide.  All for the almighty dollar.

Simply stated, Government has no business raising money on the backs of human frailty.  Full Stop.

And this dear reader applies to the excessive taxes on things like alcohol and cigarettes.

Government is for all the people and all the people should contribute equally from the same income sources - to the best of their financial ability.  That is to say, from income tax, value added tax, capital gains and the like.  Just because one likes oranges and another apples – is no excuse for the government to tax oranges higher than apples.  It is simply discriminatory and in the case of gambling, it is also amoral.

As for alcohol and cigarettes, the Government plays Big Brother by saying it is taxing these items so high in order to decrease demand.  Well quite frankly, Government has no business doing this – it is up to the individual (or should be up to the individual) to make up his or her own mind on what they will / will not consume.

But what is true in all these activities is the fact that Government has invaded these fields to raise money – too often to spend on frivolities – for example; green energy that creates neither sufficient energy or nor jobs. (You might well ask here – ‘why does government never find ways to reduce its spending, rather than ways to always increase it?’  - Good question.)

But it is with respect to Gambling that I have an especial distaste for government involvement.

“So Galagher, you would ban all Casinos?”

‘Well actually no, the horse is out of the barn – so to speak.’

I was listening to a call-in show the other day and the Casino issue was being discussed.  Most of the callers – 80%+ were older women who just love to gamble – for the social, for the good food, for the entertainment, and yes, for the gambling.  To ban casino gambling now would be most unfair to such a distinguished group of citizens and to others who can gamble without becoming addicted. So no, I would not ban them – but I would get Government out of the business. 

I would treat Casinos as I would a Pizzeria – both would pay realty taxes to the City and Corporate Taxes to the Provinces and Feds etc. – but Government would no longer get a piece (%) of the action.

I would also regulate Casinos to ensure that the odds of winning tilted more in the gambler’s favour – e.g.  49% for the gambler //  51% in favour of the Casino.

I would hold Casinos responsible for reimbursing Addicted Gamblers for their losses.

Permit me to provide you with an example:

A woman friend of ours had a gambling problem – she and her husband have 2 children and he makes less than $25k per year.  She is a stay at home mother.  At one point she used their joint credit card to rack up over $13,000 in gambling debts. It took her poor husband over five years to pay off the debt and to do that, the kids often had to go without.

I would hold the Casino responsible for her debt – i.e. and have this lady send her chargex bill directly to the Casino at issue and demand that it pay the full amount plus outstanding interest.  I would then demand that the Casino ban this addict for life from their premises.

You would not have to do that too many times before you got the attention of the gambling establishment.  The Casino would soon add this cost to their overall cost of doing business.  Addicts would be banned, and regular folks who could gamble and control their impulses, would be welcome.

Government – other than for regulations – would be entirely out of the picture.

As I see it….

‘K. D. Galagher’ 

 

Embassies, the new Group Homes

 

Lots in the Press of late concerning Canada’s and the UK’s agreement to share Embassy Buildings in some countries as a cost saving initiative.

I like the idea of saving costs but I do not like the appearance of what is happening here; sort of in the vane of Justice must not only be done, but must be seen to be done.

So too, Canada’s diplomatic independence must not only happen, it must be seen to happen. Unless of course that no longer becomes our objective.

Ergo, I am not too keen about our Government’s recent decision.

It also provides Quebec’s Separatists with a stick to hit Federalist over the head with; i.e. Canada is still tied to England’s apron strings.  Not true, but quite convenient for the PQ to use against us. 

Not that I care a twiddle about the PQ – I am just stating the fact that this will be used by them in their ongoing attempt to undermine Confederation.

That said, I am not opposed to co-located embassies, indeed and as you know, I would like to see a Coalition of Democratic States established (CDS) and would readily approve of CDS co-locating in Embassies across the world.  It would show unification of spirit and would send a strong message to those who may wish to harm us.  And by the bye it would also save money.

The trouble with sharing a building with another nation (England) or a handful of other nations – e.g. the Commonwealth, for the sole purpose of saving money is that it lends itself to the suggestion that our dependence has been compromised without the benefit of obtaining a truly strategic alliance.

So through the CDS approach, we would be declaring, in fact, to all and sundry that our independence has been compromised and that we, as Canadians, are fully supportive of that given its benefits to all fair minded peoples.

As I see it…

‘K.D. Galagher’