Monthly Archives: March 2009
Do AIG Bonus Recipients Have No Sense?
| 3/18/2009 | Posted by Patti under World News, World Politics |
I’ve been watching the furor which has erupted over the payment of bonuses to employees at AIG in the US. Edward Liddy, the man appointed by the government to oversee AIG, claims the bonuses need to be paid out as they are a debt owed by the company. Liddy is not one of those receiving funds, he receives $1 annually, so this is not about his pocketbook.
From what I have read, the agreement to pay these bonuses was made early in 2008 which preceeded the stock market meltdown. I rather doubt the agreement preceeded any awareness at all on AIGs part that the company was in financial trouble. Seems to me some pretty hard questions need to be asked about just who had the authority to agree to allow such a huge amount of money to be paid out.
Logic says that is should have been someone pretty high up in the company and should have been aware of the financial situation. The reality is, the current financial crisis wasn’t totally a shot from the blue. The depth and seriousness of it has been a bit of a shock but the fact that something was pending is not. I’ve been seeing signs of what was coming for the last 2-3 years and I’m not involved in a high finance industry. (more…)
Conservatives No Benefit to Canada
| 3/17/2009 | Posted by Patti under Canadian Politics |
Harper gave a speech to his party faithful last Thursday night. These days he’s not quite the fair haired boy that many in the party saw him as oh 3 years ago and it makes me wonder if some of those hearing that speech took note of what wasn’t being said. The Toronto Star published an excerpt from the speech today.
In the excerpt Harper appears to be arguing how Conservatives, in particular his
government, has been a benefit to Canada. That only with Conservatives can Canada move forward using conservative principles. He’s laid claim to the stable banking system in this country that he had nothing to do with. He does love to ride on the back of other people’s hard work doesn’t he, likely why he has never worked as the economist he lays claim to academically be.
He slammed the US for raising taxes instead of cutting them like the Conservatives have. What he conveniently forgot was that the US is cutting taxes for the lower income earners and doing so immediately, not when the next tax year rolls around. The US is raising taxes on the upper income levels who traditionally have enjoyed the greatest tax relief while retaining more of their income. Heaven forbid that those who have the most be expected to contribute more to economic recovery. (more…)
Harper for Minister of Magic
| 3/14/2009 | Posted by Patti under Canadian Politics |
This past week or so I’ve been laid low with a bad cold which appears to have gone to bronchitis. During the enforced rest time I’ve finally gotten around to reading all of the Harry Potter series of books. The Minister of Magic presides over the Ministry of Magic in this series. The Ministry’s job is to keep order in the wizardry world and to ensure that the Muggles (those who are not magical) don’t become aware of them.
The Ministry of Magic and in particular the Minister of Magic showed themselves to be seriously out of step with reality throughout this series. Most notably, their refusal to believe that the Dark Lord Voldemart had returned and was building his following. The Minister found it much more expedient to slam Harry Potter and Professor Dumbledore as being liars, attention mongers and adled brained than to even begin to see the danger around them. By the time the proof was irrefutable, the Dark Lord had steamrolled right over the Ministry and started to take over the wizard world.
Last fall, during the election campaign that he foisted on the country, Harper first claimed that Canada wasn’t going to have a recession because if it was going to happen, it already would have. Then faced with a rapidly melting stock market, he suggested that the situation was creating great buying opportunities. He slammed the opposition parties as being doom and gloom mongers who would create an economic downturn with their fear mongering. (more…)
We Will Remember Him
| 3/8/2009 | Posted by Patti under Brave Canadians |
They shall grow not old, as we who are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning
We will remember them
In memory of our fallen Canadian:
Trooper Marc Diab – Afghanistan March 8, 2009
Always Caring — Always Canadian — Never Defeated
Support Our Troops — Wear Red on Fridays
Let Them Not Die in Vain
| 3/5/2009 | Posted by Patti under Canadian News |
Tomorrow, at about 2pm, a plane carrying the remains of three fallen Canadians will touch down in Trenton, ON. They were killed in Afghanistan late Tuesday by a roadside bomb as they returned from dismantling another roadside bomb. With great ceremony and dignity the caskets will be borne to waiting hearsts and family watched from a respectful distance by the press and the public.
A motorcade will form, containing the hearses, the families, military escorts and eventually police. The motorcade will travel the portion of Canada’s busiest highway known as the Highway of Heroes where Canadians will turn out on bridges along the route to show their respects to these brave men who went to this far off land in the belief they could make a difference.
Last week during an interview on CNN Stephen Harper, as he is so want to pontificate, pronounced the Afghanistan war unwinnable. On the face of that statement, it must have really left ours and other troops wondering just what the hell they are doing there. Part of the problem is that Harper was so busy trying to be a big man on stage that he didn’t give much thought to what he had to say.
If the definition of “winning” is based on the terms of a conventional war, he’s right. Afghanistan, like Iraq, are not conventional wars. They are wars against an enemy that is rather loosely definied and clearly not organized enough to fight in conventional terms. Unconventional wars aka insurgencies demand a different definition of ‘winning’. (more…)
So Where is Your Accountability Harper?
| 3/4/2009 | Posted by Patti under Canadian Politics |
Remember back in 2006 when Stephen Harper ran on a platform of transparency and accountability in government? When the Liberals tried to paint him as having a hidden agenda to which he countered the Liberal dominated courts and the Senate would keep him in check? What a pipe dream that was for those who voted for him.
To date, he has run one of the most secretive governments in history and things don’t look to be getting better any time soon. In light of the stunning lack of transparency and accountability that Harper has brought to the House, is it any wonder the Opposition parties are not about to support a spending estimates bill that contains provisions for a $3billion dollar fund which can be spent without accountability until after the fact?
Harper in an not unexpected return to the arrogance of trying to govern as though he has a majority has said the bill will be a confidence motion and failure of the Opposition to support it will provoke an election. Either Harper has decided he doesn’t want to govern any longer and is looking to get his butt kicked out or he’s hoping the coalition will raise its head again and he can divert attention away from his attempt to create a Conservative slush fund. (more…)
We Will Remember Them
| 3/4/2009 | Posted by Patti under Brave Canadians |
They shall grow not old, as we who are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning
We will remember them
In memory of our fallen Canadians:
WO Dennis Raymond Brown – Afghanistan March 3, 2009
Cpl Dany Fortin – Afghanistan March 3, 2009
Cpl Kenneth O’Quinn – Afghanistan March 3, 2009
Always Caring — Always Canadian — Never Defeated
Support Our Troops — Wear Red on Fridays
Taser Use Needs to Be Questioned
| 3/3/2009 | Posted by Patti under Canadian News |
When tasers were first introduced into the law enforcement arena they were hailed as a non-lethal way of bringing volatile situations to a close. It appears as time moves forward that they are being used by police far to quickly, with sometimes lethal consequences.
If not so tragic, the testimony at the Braidwood inquiry into the death of Robert Dziekanski would be a comical farce. Dziekanski was a 40 year old Polish immigrant who arrived at Vancouver airport in October 2007. He spent about 10 hours wandering the airport, inhibited by not knowing any English from getting the help he needed to locate his mother who was to meet him on his arrival.
Eventually the RCMP were called, four of them arriving at the airport to confront this obviously tired and frustrated immigrant. Thankfully, someone at the airport managed to video what happened as, within roughly 30 seconds, of their arrival the four mounties had tasered the man 5 times, wrestled with him to subdue him and then realized he was dead. (more…)
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