As we mark the 5th anniversary of 9/11 I think it is worth remembering where we were that day and how it effected us.
I awoke that morning and turned on the TV to sit with my coffee to learn that a plane had already struck the first tower. I called to my husband to come down and see. As we questioned whether or not this was an accident the scenes came across the screen of a plane now hitting the second tower. We sat glued to the television as the horror of that day unfolded and we realized this could not be an accident. I remember the chaos and the fear. Planes from all over were being diverted to Canada to clear American airspace. Flights from Europe to the US were rerouted to small communities on Canada's east coast like Gander and Sydney and travelers were shuttled from there to other area communities. Hotel rooms across the country filled quickly. In some cases there would be more “refugees” than citizens in these towns by the time the day was over. People volunteered to take strangers into their homes and feed and clothe them for however long it took to get the planes flying again. Condi Rice will be in Nova Scotia today to mark the anniversary to say thanks to the many families there who did this. There was also a certain amount of fear about whether or not there could still be terrorists on board some of the planes and might they now head for targets of opportunity here? In the midst of all of this the stories came across of a fire at Toronto city hall just as we were leaving for work and of fighters being scrambled to deal with a plane out West in Canada that was not responding to air traffic controllers.
At the time hubby and I worked for a cellular telephone carrier. As we arrived late morning to begin our shift we found the place completely swamped. Everyone had picked up the phone to check on loved ones. To top it all off thousands of now stranded travellers had got off their planes here in Canada and picked up their cellphones to call home and tell them they were okay. Circuits were overloaded with the traffic. Many were getting busy signals and calling in to inquire why they couldn't get through. In the midst of all of this office buildings in the area began to empty out as workers headed home. We were offered the option to go home but only a handful left (one girl had a relative who was supposed to be at the towers that day but later turned out to have changed plans). Eventually we were the last large office building in the area still working. No one knew to what extent these attacks would take. Would other office buildings be targeted. Could we be in danger? In the chaos and confusion of the day anything seemed possible. But we stayed anyway. The group of us worked like a team with a purpose. Managers and staff who didn't normally answer phones took up the challenge to help with the workload. Like many we put in overtime to ensure we helped as many people as we could get calls through to their loved ones. In our own way we felt like we had proved the terrorists wrong by staying. The people of North American can not be frightened away so easily.
When we left that evening it was still light out but it was like a scene out of a zombie movie. Not a soul was in sight on the streets on the way home that night and it seemed like ours was the only car in existence. Everyone had rushed home to be with the ones they love to watch and try and make sense of an act that had none. We finally learned that the fire at Toronto city hall had only been a garbage dumpster and the plane out west had a pilot who spoke poor english but was escorted safely to the ground. It didn't matter. Whether or not any local buildings had been targeted we were a part of the tragedy that day and felt as connected to the events as anyone.
In the days that followed we continued to work long hours as our network dealt with the overwhelming number of stranded travellers. We ordered T shirts with Canadian and American flags on them with the quote “the flag stands for freedom and you can't take that away”. The money raised was sent to the victims families and the T shirts became an exception to our usual dress code. It was not uncommon to see business suits and dresses with an ill fitting T shirt draped over top that fall. We survived but we never forgot. It was the only time in my lifetime that we felt like there was no Canada or US but only one North American people united in one cause. We sent our boys to Afganistan and today they are still there making up a large portion of the forces fighting in the more dangerous Taliban held areas. My cousin is there training boys to fight before they head for the front lines. We watch the news for his name and hope to never see it. If you were to ask the Canadian boys over there why they were there they would answer with a number. 9/11 a number that has come to symbolize so much, so quickly to so many.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
No sweeter sound
Somewhere in the corner of a bar somewhere in Ontario a violin is playing for the smokers who now must take their butts outside. If we listen hard enough we might hear it. Or maybe not. Perhaps it might be hard to hear over the laughter of an asthmatic taking their first turn at a slot machine now that entering the Niagara casino will no longer include breathing the blue haze of cigarette smoke. Few pieces of legislation have liberated so many and will save so many lives. People like Heather Crowe who died recently after her long battle with a lung cancer she contracted serving customers in so called "smoking areas". We might also have trouble hearing it over the song and dance from business owners about the potential for lost sales. I know I wont hear it. I will be too busy thinking about the lives that have been saved and the voices of the many young Heather Crowe's who just got the biggest tip they will ever receive. The right to earn a living without putting your life at risk. But then here in Brantford the song is already familiar so we can afford ourselves a bit of pride as listen while the rest of the province catches the tune. There can be no sweeter sound.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Another Life Lost
Yesterday morning I awoke at 4:15am. I did not know what it was that had disturbed my sleep so I went about my scheduled routine. At 6am when we headed out to the gym we drove past a armada of police vehicles on the other side of the complex where we live. My natural curiosity grew as with each pass by during our routine that morning I noticed more vehicles and police tape marking off the area. Eventually just after 9am I reported the scene to our local paper the Expositor in hopes that their sleuths might find the answers to the developing mystery. Later that day my worst fears were confirmed when it was reported that Fallon Mason a 23 year old mother of 2 small children had been brutally murdered by a former boyfriend with a history of violence against her. He committed this act while he was out on bail awaiting trial on charges related to a previous break and enter and assault he had committed against her just last month. While we lived in such proximity I did not know Fallon but I cannot help but be touched by her loss. As a woman who made many poor choices in the company I kept at her age and who suffered domestic violence at their hands I can only feel that there but for the grace of god go I. For that reason this blog is dedicated to Fallon
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Look now for answers to questions we are too late in asking. As a lonely police car provides sentry to the now vacant Brantford home that was so brutally invaded while nobody defended it and a young life snuffed out within. How can it happen here we ask when our question should be how can it happen at all? How can our court system be so preoccupied with procrastination that even violent offenders are granted the luxury of sometimes years of bail while their cases are decided. Years to torment their victims further while justice crawls along blindly. In an enlightened society without a death penalty a 23 year old girl was executed in the wee hours of Tuesday for the sole crime of poor choice in love. We live in a world where picking the wrong mate can be the crime that is punished most severely. Yet while we ponder and wonder so many other victims in our own community will sleep a lot less tonight as the cold chill of the danger they face in their own long wait for justice becomes all the more real today. What solace can we offer them and who among us has the courage to speak and tell two small children why we failed to protect their Mother in her hour of need? Today a Brantford court will be presented with a murderer. No answers will be given and no justice metered out. The sole topic of conversation shall be whether or not he receives bail and when next we can bring him back to appear and reschedule another appearance before the court. For Fallon Mason justice will come far too little far too late.
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Look now for answers to questions we are too late in asking. As a lonely police car provides sentry to the now vacant Brantford home that was so brutally invaded while nobody defended it and a young life snuffed out within. How can it happen here we ask when our question should be how can it happen at all? How can our court system be so preoccupied with procrastination that even violent offenders are granted the luxury of sometimes years of bail while their cases are decided. Years to torment their victims further while justice crawls along blindly. In an enlightened society without a death penalty a 23 year old girl was executed in the wee hours of Tuesday for the sole crime of poor choice in love. We live in a world where picking the wrong mate can be the crime that is punished most severely. Yet while we ponder and wonder so many other victims in our own community will sleep a lot less tonight as the cold chill of the danger they face in their own long wait for justice becomes all the more real today. What solace can we offer them and who among us has the courage to speak and tell two small children why we failed to protect their Mother in her hour of need? Today a Brantford court will be presented with a murderer. No answers will be given and no justice metered out. The sole topic of conversation shall be whether or not he receives bail and when next we can bring him back to appear and reschedule another appearance before the court. For Fallon Mason justice will come far too little far too late.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Common Sense 101
After 6 months without a contract OPSEU decides to take a March Break strike throwing college students out of the classroom at a critical time in their year. Even if the strike is short lived the missed instruction time will be reflected in lower final marks and less confident graduates. Lectures with large class sizes are better than none at all. Shame on OPSEU and it's members for hurting the very students they claim to want to help.
Our local community colleges have been collecting tuitions and booking classes now since September knowing that they did not have a contract with their staff. They knew at any time the teachers that were booked to teach these courses could walk out. They have made little effort to settle this issue without a strike and have not made proper preparations to inform students about the potential for a strike and what to do. In essence they took payment in advance for a service they knew darn well they quite likely would not be able to provide. Shame on our Community College's. For every day that they fail to provide our students with the services they paid for they should be forced to refund a portion of their tuition. Perhaps then they would take avoiding strikes more seriously.
Ontario's students deserve better than this. Teaching at all levels should be considered an essential service so that bean counters and union bosses can't play chicken with people's futures anymore. In today's competitive world how can learning be considered to be anything but essential?
Our local community colleges have been collecting tuitions and booking classes now since September knowing that they did not have a contract with their staff. They knew at any time the teachers that were booked to teach these courses could walk out. They have made little effort to settle this issue without a strike and have not made proper preparations to inform students about the potential for a strike and what to do. In essence they took payment in advance for a service they knew darn well they quite likely would not be able to provide. Shame on our Community College's. For every day that they fail to provide our students with the services they paid for they should be forced to refund a portion of their tuition. Perhaps then they would take avoiding strikes more seriously.
Ontario's students deserve better than this. Teaching at all levels should be considered an essential service so that bean counters and union bosses can't play chicken with people's futures anymore. In today's competitive world how can learning be considered to be anything but essential?
Friday, February 24, 2006
Open Office: Something Good That's Free
I have added a button to download the latest free Open Office Suite to the right column of this page. I have not and will not receive any money for doing this. So why bother? It only seems fitting since these writings were done with Open Office Writer.
Open Office is a free, user friendly alternative to Microsoft Office. Think of it as a non profit alternative to Microsoft. Any donations received go into making it better and promoting it not paying share holders. Open Office is also open source. It has been created and improved thanks to mostly volunteer efforts of some very talented people. Being open source anyone who has an idea on how to make it better can give it a try. You are even free to make your own version or submit your suggestions for consideration in the next release. In this way the software becomes the product of a worldwide community of developers and users instead of a small team of programmers. Some people get really involved. Others like me just enjoy using a program that works.
Open Office also supports the open document format. This means your documents are not tied to the program they were created on. As more and more programs support this format the freedom to switch word processors without having to worry about your existing documents not working will be a thing of the past. How many millions does Microsoft make because users feel locked into Office to ensure their old documents still work? Office is one of it's biggest cash cows. Most users are paying more for office than the processor in their new PC! Then there is the latest updates to be able to read the newest document formats. Worst yet what happens when the word processor you were using is discontinued or becomes out of date? Open Office works with Word documents, Excel Spreadsheets and Power Point presentations for all Office versions. Something not even the previous version of Office can do.
The best part is being freely available Open Office is allowing people around the world the ability to use a powerful office suite that is affordable regardless of economic circumstances. Due to it's 0 cost Open Office is being used today in various projects trying to put computers in the hands of school children in the third world. It is a nice thought that a student in Malaysia might be using the same powerful world processing program I used to write my blogs to write their assignments.
All that from one little button.
Open Office is a free, user friendly alternative to Microsoft Office. Think of it as a non profit alternative to Microsoft. Any donations received go into making it better and promoting it not paying share holders. Open Office is also open source. It has been created and improved thanks to mostly volunteer efforts of some very talented people. Being open source anyone who has an idea on how to make it better can give it a try. You are even free to make your own version or submit your suggestions for consideration in the next release. In this way the software becomes the product of a worldwide community of developers and users instead of a small team of programmers. Some people get really involved. Others like me just enjoy using a program that works.
Open Office also supports the open document format. This means your documents are not tied to the program they were created on. As more and more programs support this format the freedom to switch word processors without having to worry about your existing documents not working will be a thing of the past. How many millions does Microsoft make because users feel locked into Office to ensure their old documents still work? Office is one of it's biggest cash cows. Most users are paying more for office than the processor in their new PC! Then there is the latest updates to be able to read the newest document formats. Worst yet what happens when the word processor you were using is discontinued or becomes out of date? Open Office works with Word documents, Excel Spreadsheets and Power Point presentations for all Office versions. Something not even the previous version of Office can do.
The best part is being freely available Open Office is allowing people around the world the ability to use a powerful office suite that is affordable regardless of economic circumstances. Due to it's 0 cost Open Office is being used today in various projects trying to put computers in the hands of school children in the third world. It is a nice thought that a student in Malaysia might be using the same powerful world processing program I used to write my blogs to write their assignments.
All that from one little button.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
5000 miscalculations=time for a new part time job
Where last we left off in the Olympic-Sized miscalculation department prior to our previous election our counsellors planned to keep their city owned laptops even if they were defeated. Naturally this severance bonus for sore losers didn't go over that well. The people of Brantford rattled the walls of city hall in anger and the idea was quickly scrapped.
Not to be outdone this latest council has decided to up the ante and throw a 24% pay raise, plus pension, plus free High Speed Internet, plus, plus, plus at their own pockets while telling rate payers to saddle up for tax increases. But don't worry a five thousand dollar increase in pay for a part time job isn't that much money we are told by one of our gluttonous council members. Not much at least to a city counsellor who is out of touch with the rest of us and reaching for the gold. Ladies and Gentlemen we have a winner and that rumbling you hear is not applause.
Update: Brantford City council backed down due to citizen pressure and has now gone ahead with a more reasonable pay increase. Democracy works when people speak up for what we believe in.
Not to be outdone this latest council has decided to up the ante and throw a 24% pay raise, plus pension, plus free High Speed Internet, plus, plus, plus at their own pockets while telling rate payers to saddle up for tax increases. But don't worry a five thousand dollar increase in pay for a part time job isn't that much money we are told by one of our gluttonous council members. Not much at least to a city counsellor who is out of touch with the rest of us and reaching for the gold. Ladies and Gentlemen we have a winner and that rumbling you hear is not applause.
Update: Brantford City council backed down due to citizen pressure and has now gone ahead with a more reasonable pay increase. Democracy works when people speak up for what we believe in.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Welcome To Catbucks and evil mornings.
I am not a morning person. Some people shouldn't drive or perform important tasks late at night because they are too tired. I would be better to try doing things drunk than trying to do things before 10am. I have in the past...
Put a coffee in the freezer. Put the cat food in the dishwasher.
Put fridge food like milk in the cupboard.
Put the phone in the cupboard (you should have seen the look on my face when the cupboard started ringing).
Among other things. Generally if I can't find something small like my keys I will check the freezer and the cupboard since those are places that I will put things in the morning for some reason. Zombies tend to be more alert than me before my second coffee.
This morning though took the cake.
I got up this morning at 8:30am and one of the cats (Mickey) was pouting upstairs. About an hour later I was getting myself a second coffee when I noticed Mickey had finally come downstairs. I was so happy I decided to give him some dry food right away since he missed breakfast. Just then Dusty started squawking so I put down two bowls with a bit of dry food. I then went back to making my coffee. Sir Squawks-a-lot(Dusty) though was not happy with the dry. So I grabbed another small bowl and put it on the counter and grabbed the can of food from the fridge and a fork. I then turned put a small amount of food on the fork and proceeded to put the food in my coffee. If the food hadn't stuck to the fork it would have gone in. It was as I was going to bang the fork on the side that I caught myself. MMM that would have been tasty. A lovely Catbucks coffee to start the day. No wonder I am crazy:)
Judy
Put a coffee in the freezer. Put the cat food in the dishwasher.
Put fridge food like milk in the cupboard.
Put the phone in the cupboard (you should have seen the look on my face when the cupboard started ringing).
Among other things. Generally if I can't find something small like my keys I will check the freezer and the cupboard since those are places that I will put things in the morning for some reason. Zombies tend to be more alert than me before my second coffee.
This morning though took the cake.
I got up this morning at 8:30am and one of the cats (Mickey) was pouting upstairs. About an hour later I was getting myself a second coffee when I noticed Mickey had finally come downstairs. I was so happy I decided to give him some dry food right away since he missed breakfast. Just then Dusty started squawking so I put down two bowls with a bit of dry food. I then went back to making my coffee. Sir Squawks-a-lot(Dusty) though was not happy with the dry. So I grabbed another small bowl and put it on the counter and grabbed the can of food from the fridge and a fork. I then turned put a small amount of food on the fork and proceeded to put the food in my coffee. If the food hadn't stuck to the fork it would have gone in. It was as I was going to bang the fork on the side that I caught myself. MMM that would have been tasty. A lovely Catbucks coffee to start the day. No wonder I am crazy:)
Judy
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Martin's mistakes have come back to haunt him.
Martin's mistakes have come back to haunt him.
This morning we woke up to a Conservative Minority government and a revitalized NDP. Strategic voting is over and the Conservatives have succeeded making Quebecers believe that there is a federalist alternative to the Liberals. One can only hope that the lack of a majority will allow us to see a kinder, gentler Prime Minister Harper than we might have expected. Most importantly our next trip to the ballot box had better be more than 18 months away.
Elections are won and lost based on a variety of factors. I think however that these 10 mistakes were the ones that put an end to the Liberal government. One can only hope they learned something from them.
1) No political party can succeed unless you can build consensus among all it's factions. Martin split the Liberal Party into Cretien and Martin camps. Once he won that battle he only widened the divide instead of healing it. Instead of drawing on the strength of household names like Copps and Cretien he was left battling against them. The leadership change smelled more like a Palace coup than the natural transition of a strong liberal dynasty. People who voted Liberal in the past did not feel they owed Paul Martin any loyalty.
2) We are not afraid of the Big Bad Wolf anymore. Expecting people to vote Liberal because Stephen Harper is a monster only worked when people didn't know who he was. Once they saw him on their TV smiling every day and kissing babies they no longer believed the outlandish accusations even if there was some truth to them.
3) A campaign is about having something to vote for and something to vote against. Too much focus was paid to why you should vote against Harper. Not enough was given about why you should vote for Paul Martin. The Conservatives controlled the early part of the campaign with sound bite policy announcements every day. Then all they had to do was summarize the key points every day at every stop for the rest of the campaign. It was a simple effective strategy that left Stephen Harper looking confident and ahead of the game. The Liberal party by contrast seemed to be always reacting and never leading the debate. By the time the Liberal message was being dropped out there after Christmas it looked like a desperate reaction and lost credibility.
4) The Liberals underestimated the amount of traction the GST promise had. A 2 % cut on a tax you see on every receipt at the height of the Christmas shopping season. Talk about simple but effective. Especially since the Liberals failed to keep a promise to scrap it. Ask David Peterson just how much people (especially in Ontario) hate sales taxes.
5) Far too much was left to be announced during the run up to and during the campaign. Canadians are smart enough not to believe promises a government in election mode makes. No matter how well intentioned they don't hold much water. These issues should have been addressed sooner. Instead Paul Martin looked like Mr Dithers doing nothing over the summer and then suddenly trying to buy our votes in last minute desperation.
6) The attack ad's went to far. This kind of advertising makes you look even more desperate. When you have to end the ad with the tag line "we are not making this up" you know you have gone so far out there that people probably wont believe you. People thought only a fool would approve some of these ads and Paul stepped forward to say he was the fool. Anyone remember the ad's saying Jean didn't look Prime Ministerial because of his Bell's palsy? Those helped Kim Campbell fall down to a defeat of unheard of proportions. Do we learn nothing from history? The suggestion that Stephen Harper would use the military to take control of the country was laughable. Paul Martin must have surrounded himself with too many yes men that didn't have the courage to tell him this was a foolish move.
7) Voters want confident leaders. When you look desperate you do not look like a leader. The combination of all of the above left Paul Martin looking like the most desperate man in Canada. People don't trust desperate people for good reason.
8) The rural divide. The Conservatives are probably the most Bay Street party there is but the Liberals failed to demonstrate that. They lost the battle for the rural vote by letting Stephen Harper have his cake and eat it to. Stephen got to quietly play the businessman's friend and the farmer's salvation. Paul was left looking like he was the enemy in the pockets of the big corporations.
9) The Liberals allowed the big issues that they do well on like health care and education to get lost in a debate over taxes and law enforcement which are Conservative issues. It is hard to beat Conservatives on Conservative issues.
10) The attempt to shield Paul Martin from the sponsorship scandal was not credible (especially in Quebec). He would have been better to have hit it head on and admitted some mistakes were made than to pretend he didn't know anything. Instead of just a crook he looked like a liar and a crook. Voters know governments mismanage money but they hate being lied to about it.
This morning we woke up to a Conservative Minority government and a revitalized NDP. Strategic voting is over and the Conservatives have succeeded making Quebecers believe that there is a federalist alternative to the Liberals. One can only hope that the lack of a majority will allow us to see a kinder, gentler Prime Minister Harper than we might have expected. Most importantly our next trip to the ballot box had better be more than 18 months away.
Elections are won and lost based on a variety of factors. I think however that these 10 mistakes were the ones that put an end to the Liberal government. One can only hope they learned something from them.
1) No political party can succeed unless you can build consensus among all it's factions. Martin split the Liberal Party into Cretien and Martin camps. Once he won that battle he only widened the divide instead of healing it. Instead of drawing on the strength of household names like Copps and Cretien he was left battling against them. The leadership change smelled more like a Palace coup than the natural transition of a strong liberal dynasty. People who voted Liberal in the past did not feel they owed Paul Martin any loyalty.
2) We are not afraid of the Big Bad Wolf anymore. Expecting people to vote Liberal because Stephen Harper is a monster only worked when people didn't know who he was. Once they saw him on their TV smiling every day and kissing babies they no longer believed the outlandish accusations even if there was some truth to them.
3) A campaign is about having something to vote for and something to vote against. Too much focus was paid to why you should vote against Harper. Not enough was given about why you should vote for Paul Martin. The Conservatives controlled the early part of the campaign with sound bite policy announcements every day. Then all they had to do was summarize the key points every day at every stop for the rest of the campaign. It was a simple effective strategy that left Stephen Harper looking confident and ahead of the game. The Liberal party by contrast seemed to be always reacting and never leading the debate. By the time the Liberal message was being dropped out there after Christmas it looked like a desperate reaction and lost credibility.
4) The Liberals underestimated the amount of traction the GST promise had. A 2 % cut on a tax you see on every receipt at the height of the Christmas shopping season. Talk about simple but effective. Especially since the Liberals failed to keep a promise to scrap it. Ask David Peterson just how much people (especially in Ontario) hate sales taxes.
5) Far too much was left to be announced during the run up to and during the campaign. Canadians are smart enough not to believe promises a government in election mode makes. No matter how well intentioned they don't hold much water. These issues should have been addressed sooner. Instead Paul Martin looked like Mr Dithers doing nothing over the summer and then suddenly trying to buy our votes in last minute desperation.
6) The attack ad's went to far. This kind of advertising makes you look even more desperate. When you have to end the ad with the tag line "we are not making this up" you know you have gone so far out there that people probably wont believe you. People thought only a fool would approve some of these ads and Paul stepped forward to say he was the fool. Anyone remember the ad's saying Jean didn't look Prime Ministerial because of his Bell's palsy? Those helped Kim Campbell fall down to a defeat of unheard of proportions. Do we learn nothing from history? The suggestion that Stephen Harper would use the military to take control of the country was laughable. Paul Martin must have surrounded himself with too many yes men that didn't have the courage to tell him this was a foolish move.
7) Voters want confident leaders. When you look desperate you do not look like a leader. The combination of all of the above left Paul Martin looking like the most desperate man in Canada. People don't trust desperate people for good reason.
8) The rural divide. The Conservatives are probably the most Bay Street party there is but the Liberals failed to demonstrate that. They lost the battle for the rural vote by letting Stephen Harper have his cake and eat it to. Stephen got to quietly play the businessman's friend and the farmer's salvation. Paul was left looking like he was the enemy in the pockets of the big corporations.
9) The Liberals allowed the big issues that they do well on like health care and education to get lost in a debate over taxes and law enforcement which are Conservative issues. It is hard to beat Conservatives on Conservative issues.
10) The attempt to shield Paul Martin from the sponsorship scandal was not credible (especially in Quebec). He would have been better to have hit it head on and admitted some mistakes were made than to pretend he didn't know anything. Instead of just a crook he looked like a liar and a crook. Voters know governments mismanage money but they hate being lied to about it.
Monday, January 23, 2006
10 Reasons To Get Out And Vote Today.
Why should I vote today?
1) Because voting gives me the right to complain about the government for up to 4 more years.
2) Because if you don't vote whatever we get is all YOUR fault.
3) Because stupid people will be out voting and we need a few smart ones to balance things out. Ralph Klein, Paul Martin, Mike Harris, Brian Mulroney. The proof that stupid people vote is everywhere. Save us from the stupid people. PLEASE!
4) Because your party gets paid. Thanks to the latest election funding legislation your party of choice will receive government money for research and other expenses for every vote they receive. So even if they don't win they might have the money to make a better run at it next time. Considering how many major scandals came to light because opposition parties had the funds to investigate this is money well spent.
5) Because it is the one real time that your opinion is guaranteed by law to have an effect and be counted.
6) Because thousands of Canadians have died to ensure we all continue to have the right to vote. When you don't vote you take away the power of democracy and make those deaths in vain. All it would have taken to defeat Hitler at the start was a few more Germans getting out to vote against him.
7) Because every vote does count. Just ask all the image and polling consultants. Millions are spent over trying to gain that vital 1 or 2% that tends to push a party over the top. The people who stay at home make up about 50% of eligible voters every election. This is the most powerful potential voting block that is ironically made up of people who think their vote doesn't count. Either they are stupid or just lazy. Which one are you?
8) Because thanks to global warming we are enjoying a spring day in the middle of January. If you think that is a good thing vote Conservative. If you don't vote NDP. If you want some ad agency in Quebec to get millions to run ads about it vote Liberal.
9) Because you are paying for this service anyway and you might as well get your money's worth.
10) Because this is the one time your country is asking you to do something. Failing to do it could see your country ask you to do other things like go to war.
1) Because voting gives me the right to complain about the government for up to 4 more years.
2) Because if you don't vote whatever we get is all YOUR fault.
3) Because stupid people will be out voting and we need a few smart ones to balance things out. Ralph Klein, Paul Martin, Mike Harris, Brian Mulroney. The proof that stupid people vote is everywhere. Save us from the stupid people. PLEASE!
4) Because your party gets paid. Thanks to the latest election funding legislation your party of choice will receive government money for research and other expenses for every vote they receive. So even if they don't win they might have the money to make a better run at it next time. Considering how many major scandals came to light because opposition parties had the funds to investigate this is money well spent.
5) Because it is the one real time that your opinion is guaranteed by law to have an effect and be counted.
6) Because thousands of Canadians have died to ensure we all continue to have the right to vote. When you don't vote you take away the power of democracy and make those deaths in vain. All it would have taken to defeat Hitler at the start was a few more Germans getting out to vote against him.
7) Because every vote does count. Just ask all the image and polling consultants. Millions are spent over trying to gain that vital 1 or 2% that tends to push a party over the top. The people who stay at home make up about 50% of eligible voters every election. This is the most powerful potential voting block that is ironically made up of people who think their vote doesn't count. Either they are stupid or just lazy. Which one are you?
8) Because thanks to global warming we are enjoying a spring day in the middle of January. If you think that is a good thing vote Conservative. If you don't vote NDP. If you want some ad agency in Quebec to get millions to run ads about it vote Liberal.
9) Because you are paying for this service anyway and you might as well get your money's worth.
10) Because this is the one time your country is asking you to do something. Failing to do it could see your country ask you to do other things like go to war.
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
The Tax Credit Sham
A quick look at some of the recent promises shows that our next government is likely to be an accountant's dream. Instead of actually investing tax dollars in different programs we keep hearing about tax credits and tax breaks. So save you receipts
and we will all get money back at tax time right? Wrong. Lower income earners who might use cost as a deciding factor when it comes to putting their kids into sports programs or buying a bus pass are already not making enough to pay tax so they will get nobenefit. Middle income earners will get the benefit back at the end of the year but likely can't afford to pay now and wait to get their so few will change their spending habbits. The people who will benefit most will be those who already use these services and are making a bit more money and using every loop hole to avoid paying tax. They already have the accountants to do the additional paperwork on their taxes and remind them what reciepts to save. It is doubtful that tax credits will increase participation in any of these important initiatives.
If the goal had really been to increase our use of programs like public transit the answer was never tax credits. Want to put more butts in the seats on the bus? Common sense says instead of a tax credit how about spending the same money on improving service and reducing fares? Better service and lower prices always attracts more customers. Give any shopper the choice between paying $50 now or $75 and waiting for a $25 rebate in the mail and you will have your answer. Especially since reducing upfront costs puts these things in the reach of people who might not have been able to afford them before.
The same could go for many the other tax credit promises. The simple truth is tax credits are simply a way of paying lip service to the things that matter while playing Robin Hood in reverse.
and we will all get money back at tax time right? Wrong. Lower income earners who might use cost as a deciding factor when it comes to putting their kids into sports programs or buying a bus pass are already not making enough to pay tax so they will get nobenefit. Middle income earners will get the benefit back at the end of the year but likely can't afford to pay now and wait to get their so few will change their spending habbits. The people who will benefit most will be those who already use these services and are making a bit more money and using every loop hole to avoid paying tax. They already have the accountants to do the additional paperwork on their taxes and remind them what reciepts to save. It is doubtful that tax credits will increase participation in any of these important initiatives.
If the goal had really been to increase our use of programs like public transit the answer was never tax credits. Want to put more butts in the seats on the bus? Common sense says instead of a tax credit how about spending the same money on improving service and reducing fares? Better service and lower prices always attracts more customers. Give any shopper the choice between paying $50 now or $75 and waiting for a $25 rebate in the mail and you will have your answer. Especially since reducing upfront costs puts these things in the reach of people who might not have been able to afford them before.
The same could go for many the other tax credit promises. The simple truth is tax credits are simply a way of paying lip service to the things that matter while playing Robin Hood in reverse.
Sunday, January 08, 2006
With an election coming I am making my endorsement known. I don't trust the liberals anymore. They have to face the consequences for their corruption. Paul Martin and his group have shown poor leadership since he took over. Their seems to be a culture of entitlement where Liberal cronies think they are entitled to throw our money away on everything from endless tax cuts for the corporations and the rich to lavish spending accounts. It has gotten to the point that we have to take action and fire these fools.
I will not vote liberal out of fear.
The conservatives do not share my views. They believe in looking after the rich. Stephen Harper is not about to spend money on public health care or other social programs. He would like to reopen old debates and turn back the clock on social justice and issues of equality. I would rather a government that looks forward not back. You cannot support family values if you do not recognize the value of families of all shapes and sizes.
Will the NDP form a government? Probably not. But look what they got done with a handfull of MP's. Brantford was a NDP riding for many years. It could easily go that way again. Even if it doesn't my vote will be counted and the Liberals and the Conservatives will know that there are many people out their like me who do not support their platforms. If the NDP vote increases this election don't be suprised to see a whole bunch of high paid advisors telling Paul and Stephen what they can do to moderate their platforms to appeal to the NDP vote.
No matter how you look at it no vote is ever wasted and I know where mine is going.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
10 things every new car shopper should know.
My sister and brother in law are shopping for a new vehicle. Having seen the process from the other side as a former car sales person I wrote up a list of tips and terms. I am posting it here for any and all who might benefit.
10 Things Every Car Shopper Should Know.
1) Canadian models are not created equal. Safety features and other options that are standard on US models may not be standard or even available in some cases on Canadian models. If you are buying a model based on a high crash test score in American ratings make sure the Canadian vehicle you are buying has the same equipment.
2) What works when?
ABS: Helps prevent brake lockup when you hit the brakes
Traction Control: Helps when you are starting from a stop in slippery conditions by using the brakes to reduce the force applied to a wheel that is slipping.
Stability Control: The latest and best new safety system. This one you definitely want. Detects when you are starting to lose control of the car and adjusts the throttle and brakes to help you maintain control.
3) 4WD or AWD?
AWD: Kicks in when needed by transferring power from one set of wheels to the other. Since it only powers the other axle when needed it consumes less fuel than 4wd.
4WD: Transfers power evenly among all 4 wheels to provide better traction. In some vehicles 4wd can be turned on and off. Since it can be left in an always on setting it can provide better offroad traction but it also sucks back more fuel.
4) Three parts are involved in a complete Side Impact Air Bag system and not all systems come complete with all of these parts. Only the most luxurious cars have all three parts for all seats.
Head: Small cushion that generally pops out of the seat to protect you head in a side impact.
Chest: Second larger cushion that deploys from the seat to a lower position than the head bag to protect your chest.
Side Curtains: Much larger bag that generally deploys from the headliner and covers the side window area to protect you in a rollover.
5) Every part of a new car purchase is negotiable. Watch for added high mark up items dealers stick on their vehicles like $100 pin stripes. It is also always best to wait and order the vehicle as you want it. A vehicle on a dealers lot may have been test driven many times before being sold to you as "new".
6) If you are not getting the deal you want or feel unsure leave. The same vehicles will be available to be purchased tomorrow. A cooling off period before making such a big purchasing decision is a wise idea. The sales person may even sweeten the deal the next day to get the sale if they think you are not convinced.
7) You do not have to continue with a particular sales person or dealership if they do not impress you. A good sales person is an insider who is going to help you arrange for warranty service, loaner vehicles and even rentals during the next 5 years. The best sales people will look after you knowing you will come back to them next time and send them your friends. This can be a lifelong association so pick someone you like in a dealership that you like.
8) Rust proofing, extended warranties and just about everything else the finance person who the sales person sends you to after you agree to buy are over priced. They all come with massive markups that fatten the dealers profits. Most can be purchased later if you really decide you want it so skip it.
9) Dealers are often paid a finders fee by lenders if you finance through them. They are also providing a large amount of business so they can often get you a better rate. It is generally better to at least find out what rate they can get you before arranging financing yourself with your bank.
10) Find out the requirements for warranty service from the service department. You will likely need to at least keep a record of when things such as oil changes have been done. You can often do them yourself as long as you keep the reciepts. Don't wait for your transmission to blow to find out you need to show reciepts proving you had the fluid changed once a year for the warranty to cover it.
Websites for researching your next vehicle.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/home.htm
http://www.safercar.gov/
http://www.hwysafety.org/
http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/?tid=edmunds.g.home.header..3.*
Happy Shopping
10 Things Every Car Shopper Should Know.
1) Canadian models are not created equal. Safety features and other options that are standard on US models may not be standard or even available in some cases on Canadian models. If you are buying a model based on a high crash test score in American ratings make sure the Canadian vehicle you are buying has the same equipment.
2) What works when?
ABS: Helps prevent brake lockup when you hit the brakes
Traction Control: Helps when you are starting from a stop in slippery conditions by using the brakes to reduce the force applied to a wheel that is slipping.
Stability Control: The latest and best new safety system. This one you definitely want. Detects when you are starting to lose control of the car and adjusts the throttle and brakes to help you maintain control.
3) 4WD or AWD?
AWD: Kicks in when needed by transferring power from one set of wheels to the other. Since it only powers the other axle when needed it consumes less fuel than 4wd.
4WD: Transfers power evenly among all 4 wheels to provide better traction. In some vehicles 4wd can be turned on and off. Since it can be left in an always on setting it can provide better offroad traction but it also sucks back more fuel.
4) Three parts are involved in a complete Side Impact Air Bag system and not all systems come complete with all of these parts. Only the most luxurious cars have all three parts for all seats.
Head: Small cushion that generally pops out of the seat to protect you head in a side impact.
Chest: Second larger cushion that deploys from the seat to a lower position than the head bag to protect your chest.
Side Curtains: Much larger bag that generally deploys from the headliner and covers the side window area to protect you in a rollover.
5) Every part of a new car purchase is negotiable. Watch for added high mark up items dealers stick on their vehicles like $100 pin stripes. It is also always best to wait and order the vehicle as you want it. A vehicle on a dealers lot may have been test driven many times before being sold to you as "new".
6) If you are not getting the deal you want or feel unsure leave. The same vehicles will be available to be purchased tomorrow. A cooling off period before making such a big purchasing decision is a wise idea. The sales person may even sweeten the deal the next day to get the sale if they think you are not convinced.
7) You do not have to continue with a particular sales person or dealership if they do not impress you. A good sales person is an insider who is going to help you arrange for warranty service, loaner vehicles and even rentals during the next 5 years. The best sales people will look after you knowing you will come back to them next time and send them your friends. This can be a lifelong association so pick someone you like in a dealership that you like.
8) Rust proofing, extended warranties and just about everything else the finance person who the sales person sends you to after you agree to buy are over priced. They all come with massive markups that fatten the dealers profits. Most can be purchased later if you really decide you want it so skip it.
9) Dealers are often paid a finders fee by lenders if you finance through them. They are also providing a large amount of business so they can often get you a better rate. It is generally better to at least find out what rate they can get you before arranging financing yourself with your bank.
10) Find out the requirements for warranty service from the service department. You will likely need to at least keep a record of when things such as oil changes have been done. You can often do them yourself as long as you keep the reciepts. Don't wait for your transmission to blow to find out you need to show reciepts proving you had the fluid changed once a year for the warranty to cover it.
Websites for researching your next vehicle.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/home.htm
http://www.safercar.gov/
http://www.hwysafety.org/
http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/?tid=edmunds.g.home.header..3.*
Happy Shopping
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