Petty Little Principalities…

 

That’s what we’ll become if British Columbia’s attempt at Blackmail proves successful.

To get Alberta oil through to the West Coast – it must first travel by pipeline through BC and for that right – BC wants a Big Piece of the Action – much more than the 8% currently being offered. 

Remind you of something?

You’d be correct, if you guessed Quebec’s successful Blackmail of Newfoundland in 1969 when it forced Newfoundland into signing a 65 year contract to supply it with electrical power at a considerable discount.  Quebec did not have the legal authority to do this since the Federal Government has sole authority over the transmission of power across provincial borders, as it does in regard to the transmission of oil across interprovincial pipelines.

But the Feds remained quiet then and left Quebec to its wicked ways.  Will it do the same in regard to the Alberta Pipeline?  Hopefully not, but the odds are most certainly stacked against it, and against the 30% or so that Canada receives as its share of the oil royalties.

Right now, in addition to BC voicing its objection to the Pipeline we have numerous Indian Bands also declaring their opposition, even when their reserves are not on oil land. They are supported in their opposition by the Premiers of the two largest Provinces in Confederation – Ontario and Quebec.

It is nothing but a Recipe for Paralysis. And it would take a very brave National Government to go up against such great odds. It also flies in the face of economic reality.

The future is the Pacific Rim – that is where growth is taking place and that is the area in critical need of Canada’s Oil.  For the economic health of our country, we need to take advantage of our Western Coastline to the Pacific.  And that includes supplying China with our oil.

Many recoil at the thought, but their thinking is short-sighted.

Indeed, Chinese money is as good as American money – and given the debtor status of the USA – perhaps it is even better.

As an aside, their concern about China even pertains to its investing directly in the Oil Sands – failing to remember that Chinese Companies would continue to pay Our Royalties and would continue to hire thousands of Canadian Oil Workers.

And to partner with China would help that country economically which, I submit, would go a long way to assist China in its onward move toward democracy.  Once they have lots to lose materially, they will be much less likely to cause conflict. 

If Canada refuses once again to act for the benefit of all Canadians, as it did in the case of Newfoundland and Quebec so many years ago, we run the very real risk of splitting up into multiple trade entities. 

We already have too many rules and regulations that only serve to frustrate the movement of goods and service between the Provinces and the Territories- we do not need more and we certainly do not need the Provinces (or the Indian Bands) having veto power over the transmission of our power – be it electrical, gas or oil.

One final point.  If the Oil Pipeline does eventually go through the Province of BC to the coast, this in and of itself will create great wealth for that Province.  Terminals will need to be built – services developed for the tanker market and so on, and all of this new economic activity will serve as a stimulus for even greater development. 

As I see it …

‘K.D. Galagher’

 

Just Another Example of ….

 

Power Corrupting…. and this time, the Winner Is – Master Randy Hillier MPP.

He, of renown, for being the first President of the Ontario Landowners Association (OLA).

OLA was formed in 2006 and is dedicated to rolling back Governments’ ever growing proclivity to pass Laws; Regulations; and Policies designed to restrict and grossly interfere with what Landowners can do with their very own property: 

• lands deemed in need of environmental protection are taken without any compensation to the owner;
• saw mills shut down for creating pollution – the sawdust of course;  Gag
• cheese factories shut down for creating pollution – harmless cheese by-products;
• farmers told they can neither sell nor even give away meat butchered on their own farms.  This pertains to the farmers relatives living off the farm.  Recently police / food inspectors spent many hours / days hiding in a nearby tree to catch a farmer in the act of giving some beef to his brother-in-law;
• farms forbidden to sell pies or other bake-goods at their road side stands;
• the existence of snakes, birds, turtles, plants, aboriginal artefacts etc. can severely limit what a owner can do with his or her property;
• the list goes on and on.

Anyway, back to dear Randy – on the strength of his commitment to Property Owners and common sense, he was elected to the Provincial Legislature to represent the interests of the good folks in Lanark Frontenac. 

But as they say, that was then and this is now.

Seemingly, having enjoyed the perks which come with being an MPP, he has now come down with Toronto Fever – (similar symptoms to Ottawa Fever) where our politicians eventually jettison their morale cloak, once safely entrenched in office.

In short, Hillier announced a week or so ago that he was  distancing himself from his former organization saying that he could not support OLA’s recent assertion that Crown Patents trump Governments’ ability to legislate property restrictions.

Permit some explanation:

When the Crown first conveys land to a private citizen it is done by way of a Crown Grant.  Large blocks of land remain to this day and owned by Canada, are called Crown Lands – but those conveyed over the years to the private sector are done by way of a Crown Grant Deed.

Some of these conveyances contain reservations  – e.g. for instance in the early 1800s it was common to see White Pine remain in the ownership of the Crown since it was then a valuable asset used in British Shipbuilding.  But other than for such Reservations – the Lands became the absolute property of the private owner.

So how is it then that the Government can charge a private owner annual realty taxes?  Good Question – the Ontario Landowners argue it can’t, using the simple logic that once the Government deeds absolute title to a private land holder, it cannot cannot charge him or her a yearly rent – i.e. realty taxes.

It is a novel argument and has, in my opinion, as a student of law - much merit.  It will be up to the Courts though to determine if the argument holds water and/or what limitations it may be subject to.  A case supported by OLA is currently making its way up the court line and will eventually reach the Supreme Court of Canada. It will be most interesting to see what the SCC eventually Rules.

So here we have the Ontario Land Owners continuing to stick up for the rights of property owners and its founding member and first President turns his back on them.  Who’da thought.

But Hillier is not the first nor sadly the last politician to put their self interest ahead of their Constituents.  Just prior to Hillier, Elizabeth Witmer showed us all what she was truly made of when she – a long time top tory – traded her Kitchener seat for the Chairmanship of the Ontario Workers’ Comp Board.

There are hundreds of other examples – but I cannot resist pointing out 2 in particular – Deborah Grey and Preston Manning.  They, as you may recall, were the leading lights of the brand new Reform Party, a Party supposedly of the People  – these guys would do things differently – no outrageous perks – no more back room deals.  But once elected…

In Grey’s case she rode into power most critical of the MP’s golden plate pension and vowed that she would never ever partake in it.  That lasted until she was about to retire and it is a wonder she did not break her snoot – I mean nose, when she dove vigoursly into the pork.

Manning was going to use neither a car/driver nor the Stornaway digs when he became Her Majesty’s Official Opposition Leader.  His principled stance lasted mere weeks.  He was also on record as saying he would not abuse party funds for his own use – but then used those same funds for his clothing expense.  This is the same Preston Manning who was most critical of one Brian Mulroney for taking Thousands of Dollars from the PC Party of Canada for clothing – including Gucci Shoes – and other frivolous and distasteful expenditures.

For a short time I even joined the Reform Party trying to believe in their platform that MPs could be recalled and that the grass roots would have the final say on policy.  It was a disappointing period for me watching the Party’s Leadership twist and turn trying to get around the very noble foundations upon which the Reform Party was built.

So what does one conclude in all of this?

Ten times out of Ten – Politicians will opt to protect what they see as their own self interest and to hell with the hindmost.

Hillier has now joined the ranks of this most non-exclusive and ignoble club.  

Until voters get really and truly involved, nothing will change but with voter apathy more and more apparent, the Hilliers of this world will continue to disappoint. 

As I see it ..

‘K.D. Galagher’

 

BLACK DAY IN JULY

 

My apologies to Gordon Lightfoot who wrote and began singing this song in 1968 concerning the Black Race Riots in Detroit of the previous year.

Today his song would be simply be called …

                           DAY IN JULY.

The term ‘Black’ now being verboten.

I write this Blog in the aftermath of the shooting in Toronto where 23 people were shot and 2 killed by two black opposing gang members.

The Media would have you believe that these shootings were committed by a “certain ethnic group” living in “ghetto areas” and in “single parent families” (read single mother) - sadly this cowardly language is being used even by some of the commentators on Sun T.V. which prides itself on ‘calling it like it is’.

The Sun Lady I was watching did such a job of tying herself in knots - avoiding the use of the word ‘Black’ - I thought she was going to do serious injury to herself.

And do you know what else, at the end of her piece she declared that the cause of the shooting, as well as of the 3 or 4 other recent Toronto shootings, was the Weather. ‘It is just so hot these days …it brings out the worst in these gang members’.

Makes one sick to the stomach.

Even Ottawa’s CFRA morning call in host, who too has a bit of a reputation of telling it like it is, said today that he did not like it when ‘Colour’ was mentioned in regard to these shootings since he believed that to be “a non-issue”. 

Actually dear sir, it is the only issue.

And this in Ottawa where there have been 27 shootings already this year – that averages one per week and most committed by gangs with members originating from North Africa.

As an aside, the police came out to say they needed stricter handgun controls even though we have had very strict controls since the 1930s.  They also said – get this – gangs get 50% of their handguns smuggled in from the States and the other 50% are stolen from private collections here in Canada.  Merde de Torro.

A recent access to information request shows that less than 3% of handguns are stolen from collectors and that most of that 3% are stolen from police and military sources themselves. Even the police had to eventually acknowledge that their ‘50% assertion’ was merely a guesstimate. But it is much easier for the authorities – police & politicians, to blame guns, than it is to actually address the underlying problem.

And that is precisely why I believe race needs to be divulged in these cases.

It is the only way in which to begin protecting the Black Community who live in these ghettos; since it is they who are most often the victims of such gun and gang violence and it is they who live life in constant fear.  The two dead in Toronto were both Black – a young girl of 14 and a young man in his 20s; both innocent victims who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

So if there is racism attached to all of this – it is Society’s failure to get involved and take steps necessary to stamp out the problem.

And Dear Reader – it can be stamped out if there is the Collective Will.

So what to do:  First lock up the gang members.

We in Canada have the power now under the Criminal Code to lock up Gang Members for up to 14 years.  We need though, in the case of the Urban Gangs, to make it a mandatory 5 year sentence – not to a jail but to a reformatory where they can be taught the skills needed to integrate into society – skills that have alluded them all to date.

In the case of Toronto, the Police say they already know who the members of such gangs are and that  they total some 2,000.  Gather them all up and send them to an isolated area for Reform.  Teach them how to respect themselves and others and provide them with education and work skills.  It will be expensive and time consuming – but overall, Society and the Minority Societies in particular, will benefit greatly.

The second prong is to then go into the Minority Communities and work with the parents and their children to insure they get the life skills necessary to become contributing members of Society at Large.  With the Gangsters out of the Way – it will produce a Receptive Environment for this Message.  Again the costs will be high but not as high as the loss of such large numbers of people from contributing society. 

Plus, the bottom-line here is that it is the right and human thing to do.

This approach will in the end work – I have no doubt; but at the same time, I very much doubt that our Leaders will have either the foresight or the courage necessary to do it.

As I see it…

‘K.D. Galagher’

 

TIMING IS EVERYTHING …

 

This just in: – earlier this evening Ambassador Horace Bullwinkle – our man in Topongo, was killed by a 25 foot crocodile while swimming in the Topongo River.  Details are few at this time…

Next Day: – we now have more on Ambassador Bullwinkle’s tragic passing, apparently he was with a non-swimming aide at the time of his death and the aide had seen the crocodile leave the river bank and head in the direction of where his Ambassador was swimming.

But folks this is where it gets interesting.  The Aide had along his trusty Blackberry and managed to fire off a message to Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird minutes before the attack actually occurred.

This leads to naturally to the question, ‘What Did Minister Baird Do When He Received The Pre-Attack Message?’  In other words, could Ambassador Bullwinkle have been saved if Baird had reacted more promptly?

We turn now to Opposition Leader Thomas Mulcair for comment:

“This is just another in a series of recent tragic events where senior Government officials have had knowledge of impending trouble and have blatantly failed to act quickly enough to resolve them”. 

“We are all aware that the Government knew about the shenanigans going on at the Iranian Embassy a week or two before it became public.  And then we have a senior official in Premier Clark’s bureaucracy being advised 2 or 3 hours in advance of a potential avalanche, and now this”.

“Clearly Our Senior Government Officials- from the Prime Minister down - are no longer in control”, blustered Mulcair.

In closing his piece, the announcer did allow that the Aide was asked why he had not dialled 411 to which he responded, “I thought of that, but knew they could not get there in time to save my Ambassador”

Of course.

As I see it …

‘K. D. Galagher’

 

Great Minds Think Alike …

 

Or Do They ?

This past weekend, while sitting under a sun umbrella trying to escape the oppressive heat, a family member casually mentioned to me that our Premier – the renowned Dalton McGuinty, deserved a lot of credit.  “How so” I naively asked?

‘Well we have gone through multiple plus 30 degree days recently and not one blackout nor even a brownout has occurred.’

“And why do you think that is” I responded?

‘It is due to Green Energy of course’. 

And with that statement, he and I were in total agreement – as we usually are on most of life’s great issues.

But as you can imagine dear reader, in this particular instance, we agree for diametrically opposed reasons.

He, like millions of others, has bought into McGuinty’s claim that Green Power has been one of his signature successes when, in actual fact, it has been an outright failure.

But that said, we have indeed been spared from power disruptions during this ongoing extended heat wave and it is indeed due in great measure to Green Energy. 

The money wasted on Green Energy and the meagre amount of energy it has produced – about 2% of the total - has resulted in skyrocketing energy costs.  Businesses have flown out of our Province in search of cheaper power jurisdictions.  For instance, with all the charges imposed on our monthly power bills, we are paying over .20 cents per k.w.h. whereas, just across the border in Quebec and New York, users pay about 6 cents per.  Triple the cost and rising.

Individuals too have changed their power usage habits – the poor – those on fixed incomes etc., are using less since it often comes down for them to using power or having enough to eat. 

As a result – power usage is way down in Ontario and we have Green Energy to thank for it.  Not because it has been such a spectacular success, rather, because it has been such a spectacular failure.

Today, we are using 15% less power than we did seven years ago despite the fact that our population has increased over that same period by about the same per centage.

Not all of the problem can be laid at the feet of Green Energy but a great deal of it can.  Seven years ago we were heading into Recession – so usage of power was bound to go down.  But what is surprising is that it has not recovered to those pre 2005 / 06 year levels.

If the Province had focused on supplying cheaper energy sources rather than spending .80 cents per kwh for Solar Power – think how much cheaper our power would be for us all – businesses and individuals alike.

So there you have it – Green Energy has kept our electricity usage down – has avoided the dreaded Blackout and we have dear Mr. McGuinty to thank for it.

The guy’s a genius.

As I see it ..

‘K.D. Galagher’

 

Another Day….

 

Another Editorial.

The other day I commented negatively on Marni Soupcoup’s editorial critical of the Tory’s recent initiative to stop innocent women coming into Canada to be enslaved into a life of stripping and prostitution.

It is now David Brooks’ turn.  Mr. Brooks, writing in the National Post, implores Americans ‘Not To Whine’ over Chief Justice’s John Roberts Jr. bizarre ruling giving the Court’s proponents a 5:4 victory for Obama’s Health Care Law.

Some background.

Last year, Obama passed universal health care which contained a very contentious clause compelling Americans to purchase health care coverage whether they wanted it our not.  Rather like forcing non-drivers to buy car insurance.

Not surprisingly, this did not sit well with many States, as well as individuals.  They viewed this particular measure unconstitutional since, to that point, citizens were deemed to be free from such an arbitrary demand on the part of their government.

There were a couple of other reasons why the majority of Americans did not and do not like the law, namely that with a $15 Trillion Dollar Debt, they believed their country could not afford it at this time and second, with universal health care would come a poorly functioning system such as we experience in Canada.

But let’s forget those two latter concerns and focus on the government’s attempt to force Americans to buy health care whether they want it our not. 

The President and his legal advisors relied upon the Commerce Clause in the Constitution to give them this power.  The majority of American Legal Scholars disagreed with Obama and said that this clause could not be used to make the purchase of health care obligatory and the Supreme Court was left to make a final determination.

In the lead-up to its decision, the smart money was  on the forced purchase of insurance being deemed unconstitutional for both legal and practical considerations.  Legal because this measure is truly unconstitutional and practically speaking, since the Court is divided 5 to 4 in favour of Conservative Thought.

And indeed the Court did rule 5 to 4 however it was in favour of Obama Care in all its aspects.

What happened?

Simply stated, Chief Justice John Roberts voted with the minority liberal element of the Court. 

A well known conservative, Roberts was appointed by the “evil conservative” George W. Bush.

But even Roberts could not find that the Commerce Clause enabled the Federal Government to legislate mandatory health insurance coverage.  He tapped danced around the issue by declaring in his Majority Judgment that what the Feds had really done was to enact a health care tax – when the Feds had not not argued this before his Court and to this day, vehemently deny that a tax was levied.

So what’s with John Roberts Jr. ?

To me he is a Sell-Out – a Pretend Conservative; a lover of Big Government.  And even worse from my perspective, a Non-Libertarian. 

But before I continue permit me to insert my usual disclaimer:

I am not opposed to the extension of health care coverage to those who cannot afford it, indeed I welcome it – but I would rather see the new health care law directed to include the 30 or so million disadvantaged Americans into the club rather than saddling the entire 330 million population with what will inevitably become inferior care.

Now to go on: there is another major reason why I am so disappointed with the Roberts’ decision.  It once again displays blatant judicial activism even though the Chief Justice tries to portray his decision as being most democratic.

Roberts states that it is not up to his Court to decide whether Obama Care is unconstitutional – it is up to the people and if they don’t believe in the Law – then their remedy is to vote Obama out in November’s Election.  Makes an American want to put his or her hand over their heart and pledge allegiance to the Flag.

But Roberts is wrong – dead wrong.  It is the Court’s duty to Rule on Constitutionality.  That is to say, to Interpret the Law – not to Make Law.  When he stated that the Commerce Law does not give the Government the Power to Force Health Care Purchase – he was correct and was fulfilling his Duty.  But when he goes on to say that this is simply a Tax – when he knows full well, as does everyone else, that it is not – he is Making Law – which is Beyond the Role of the Court.

The bottom-line here is that Judges are acting more and more like Politicians (Legislators) and, not surprisingly, are more and more being held in contempt.

As I see it ..

‘K.D. Galagher’

SHE KNOWS NOT OF WHAT SHE SPEAKS …

 

In today’s National Post, on the Front Page no less, appears a Column by one Marni Soupcoup entitled ‘Tories leave women more exposed’.

As I am about to explain, Ms. Soupcoup is talking about Strippers, so I do not know whether it is she or her Editor that came up with this most amusing title.  Not !

It does not matter though; the issue here is that Ms. Soupcoup is out to lunch, so to speak.

Now the story:

Jason Kenny, Canada’s most able Immigration Minister, came out earlier this week to denounce foreign workers – mostly women – being lured into Canada to work in the Sex Trade. He has promised to put a stop to this.

But Soupcoup sees only evil coming as a result of his initiative.  Let’s look at her own words -

The difference is now they (foreign strippers) will be forced to take a shady underground route that makes exploitation and trafficking much more likely to happen’.

On the face of it, she seems to make some sense, but let’s go behind the scenes and you decide for yourself who is correct.

At the outset, let me say I have some knowledge – indeed, extensive knowledge of this subject.  I personally know someone who worked for Immigration on this very topic. 

Beginning with the fall of the USSR, many young women were made vulnerable to solicitation on the part of unscrupulous elements in the West – Canada included.  Ads were placed for waitresses, dancers and the like but what really awaited them was stripping and prostitution.  The employers were often criminals and to a great extent biker gangs.

When these young women came to Canada expecting legitimate work, they found instead the above activities awaiting them.  Their passports were taken away, and if they protested, they were shot up with drugs.  And if they continued to protest – worse befell them.

They did not go to the police since in their countries of origin, the police could not be trusted.  They were and continue to be – on their own. 

So to go back to Soupcoup’s profound statement that the ‘exploitation of these women will now go underground’ – it begs the question - how so? 

Right now Canada willingly approves the entry of these poor souls – knowing full well their destiny.  Once Canada shuts that door, there will be no underground for them to access.

Unfortunately, I cannot say that this initiative will signal the end of these establishments but what I foresee happening is that these clubs will then try to attract local women who thankfully will be more knowledgeable about their rights and will not hesitate to involve the police.  As such, the working conditions can be expected to dramatically improve.

I also know that the days of sentencing these immigrant women to a life of sex slaves will now come to an end at least here in Canada.

Finally, Jason Kenny wondered out loud why someone before him had not moved on this important initiative.  I can tell Mr. Kenny that my good contact tried to do just that but the Bureaucracy would have none it – better not to rock the boat than protect the young and vulnerable. 

Another example of the real power resting with the Civil Service rather than with our Politicians. 

Now that you know the ‘rest of the story’ – you decide who has it right – Kenny or Soupcoup.

As I see it …

‘K.D. Galagher’