Excited Delirium

Stories about Excited Delirium, the Shock Economy and a little fiction here and there.

Monthly Archives: September 2008

Assessing the Criminality of Recent Gas Price Increases

Another hurricane is fast approaching land that’s more 2,000 km away from most Canadians.

Meanwhile, in Alberta (about 3,000 km away from most Canadians), the oil keeps flowing.  South.

And 3,000 km away in St. John’s, Danny Williams is warning all Canadians to stop voting for Conservatives.

Another day in the oil industry.  And the people of Ontario pay dearly for it.

The recent massive and uncalled for increase in the price of gas clearly establishes some issues with the pricing of gas and oil in Canada.  We are net exporters.  We are the world’s largest supplier of fuel to the United States.  We are paying international prices that are controlled by speculators as opposed to supply and demand (full story here ) and WE STILL DO NOT HAVE A PLAN TO TAKE CARE OF OURSELVES.

This is shameful.  It’s criminal.  Retired people will be freezing and cutting up their heirloom dining tables before we stop pumping to California and the rest of the ‘lower 48′.

We have to put pressure on ALL of our leaders (so far, it only seems to be Jack Layton) to step up to the plate and clarify his plan to protect Canadian consumers.

We need to point to numbers:  since the Harper Conservatives have taken control of this country with a tiny minority, the price of gas has increased nearly 100%.  Stephen Harper wants to cut $0.02 off that increase without trying to get to the bottom of why we’re being ripped off so greatly.

Imagine the economic value of the transfers involved.  Every year, the average Canadian probably spends about $2000-$4000 on gas for their cars and $1500 for natural gas for their homes.  So, let’s say the annual gas bill is about $5000 (I know I’m blurring products, but stay with me).

With roughly 10 million households in Canada, that amounts to $50 billion per year being sucked out of our economy.  With an unjustified and criminal 10% increase in gas like we saw the other day, that amounts to the complete elimination of the GST!!

We now see why renewable programs always wind up on the back-burner.

People:  a penny here or there to account for diesel prices is not going to solve our problems.  We are beholden to massive international conglomerates that could care less about the economic well-being of Canadians.  Our petro-dollar is killing all of our stable industries and giving resource producers a one-time boost in revenue.  This is not sound policy.

As Canadians, we have to understand that and support a political party that will stand up for Canadians and not just say "I’ve learned over the years not to comment on day-to-day gas price fluctuations."

A mantra for Jack: Replace, Retool, Revive

Jack’s got the opportunity to win.  Stephen Harper is actually mimicking his every move, thinking that he’s got Dion beat.

When Jack decries the ridiculous increase in gas prices, Steve follows along.  What happened to the mighty market, Steve?

Anyways, the other day I was watching Dion make his presentation for the ‘Green Shift’ plan and he used this quote a number of times:  ‘Laissez-Faire, I don’t care’.  I’m sure it’s been around for a while, but it was timely and really does sum up Steve’s approach to the world.  For Steve to start to pretend to care about high gas prices now is a complete insult.

That got me to thinking:  Jack needs a catchy slogan.  And I’ve got it (please take if you think it will help):

Replace

  • Replace the Conservatives
  • Replace the mentality of letting people struggle on their own
  • Replace the mentality that the market is the only way (although we all know Steve is the country’s leading socialist with the promises he’s made in the last month)
  • Replace Canadian Democracy and make it work again

Retool

  • Retool the manufacturing industry and get our country ready for the 21st century rather than the Victorian age
  • ‘Retool’ the Canadian image on the international stage
  • Retool our approach to industry issues, particularly those that deal with consumers that have been left to the whims of cost-conscious corporations
  • Retool our attitude that the corporation isn’t the only way to get things done in Canada.  Co-ops, non-profits, charities and other organizations all play an important role and should get encouragement from a New Democrat goverment

Revive

  • Revive what we used to be:  a strong country that believed in principals of fairness, equality and opportunity
  • Revive our international image:  become peacekeepers instead of warmongers
  • Revive our economy
  • Revive our environment
  • Revive the livelihood of all Canadians

There.  I’ve said my peace.  I’ll be very pleased to hear Jack say this :)

Conservative ‘Democracy’

The same people that turfed a local MPP in Ontario are the people that are helping Steve spin his way to a potential majority.  Here’s a link to a story about what happened to Bill Murdoch , the Conservative representative from Bruce-Grey in Ontario who had the following to say about John Tory:

He should certainly be looking for other jobs in the community and we should probably go to a full-blown election for a new leader.

For those of you who don’t know, John Tory is the man who’s the leader of the Conservative Party of Ontario, but who has failed miserably in his attempts to actually get elected.  As such, the Conservatives in Toronto have been without a leader for years, leaving the Liberals to do as they please in Ontario.

THANK GOODNESS FOR THAT.

So, when you’re trying to decide on who to select for the Federal election, please people:  don’t be so gad-damn selfish and fall for Steve’s BS when it comes to spending your money on promises that they’ll never deliver (especially to Ontario).  Try thinking about the future of this country instead.

This action in Ontario is just a teeny little glimpse into what these people think about democracy, speaking out and challenging ‘strong leadership’.

You get silenced.  And then you get sent to the Tar Sands.

Tell it like it is: Anyone Who Claims Palin is Ready for Presidency is a Fucking Moron

If it were up to me, I’d much rather see Michael Palin running as vice-president nominee , but I guess the world isn’t that fortunate.  With him we’d at least get someone that can actually distinguish between humour and slapstick (or lipstick) and knows where a few countries (including Canada ) are other than those scripted into the speeches that some God-sucking cretin is writing for them.

Anyways, here’s the original story .  It’s a good one!

Is Sarah Palin a Granny?

At 44, she seems a little young to be a grandmother (and at the helm of the world’s most destructive country), but the CBC has investigated her background and is raising these questions:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7Coy1OAQXY

So … was ‘Trig’ her first grandson or fifth child?

Did the Republican Party really do its homework when they picked Sarah Palin as Vice-Presidential running mate?  It seems unlikely.

Canadian Election Facebook Video: Not Him

http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php#/video/video.php?v=88559595152&oid=29529380865

Worth watching, particularly if you’re in the 905 area and Harper Conservatives are swooping around you like carrion birds near a meat-packing plant.

Canadian Election: A Glimpse into Harper’s Future For Food in Canada

The Food Industry in the US is a disaster and it’s already come our way under Harper’s watch.  Over the last two, the Harper Republicans Conservatives have handcuffed Canadian Food Inspection Agency inspectors in the interest of letting companies run their own show.

This has proven to be a deadly experiment.

However, it’s common-place in the US, where death from from e-coli and other diseases has become routine.

Here’s an interesting investigation into the food industry in the US and what it might mean to Canadians if we elect another Harper government:

From the first reports of a salmonella outbreak this spring, it took a full 89 days before jalapeño and serrano peppers correctly came under suspicion as the culprit. During that period, as more than 1,440 victims trickled in to hospitals, federal officials struggled to trace the source of the outbreak, erroneously singling out tomatoes for weeks before homing in on peppers. No sooner had that outbreak tapered off than the high-end Whole Foods Market was forced to launch a massive recall of E. coli-infested ground beef.

…

But the new model (of privatized inspections) has also created some alarming potential gaps. For one thing, there’s no certification system for these third-party inspectors. Critics worry that retailers hire these companies not only to ensure food quality but also as a defense mechanism to help protect their public image in case something goes wrong. "These audits are like icing on the cake of litigation," says Bill Marler, the attorney who represented more than 100 victims in the 1993 E. coli outbreak case linked to the Jack in the Box fast-food chain. "Every major manufacturer does them, and every manufacturer pays no attention to them."

…

The price tag is important. With new technology, companies can do all sorts of wild—if at times unsettling—things to keep food free of bacteria. For one thing, they can zap it with radiation. The government approved irradiated meat in 1997, and regulators last month gave the nod to leafy vegetables like lettuce and spinach. But irradiation is still controversial. Advocacy groups say it ruins taste and destroys nutrients, and consumer fears about irradiation have limited its adoption. More broadly, companies with effective new products—be they oxidizing sprays, viral cocktails, or microbe detectors—often struggle to find buyers, because of either costs or public concerns.

Brrr.  In the upcoming Canadian Election, people who think this OK can go ahead and vote Conservative.  Folks that actually like food should think twice, though.  A Harper majority will spell massive privatization of not just the food industry, but all other industries.

Back to School at Sears … Jr’s in the Army Now

Sears has just launched a line of clothing based on uniforms distributed by the American military.

Here’s the original story .

I doubt that the line will be in Canada any time soon.  However, if it is, I suggest that all sane people stop shopping at Sears because this pushes flag waving and stupidity to the max.

I can just see a school yard now filled with Abu Gharib wannabes, torturing young nerds for their milk money.

Harper Getting Rid of Local Food … Just When We Need It Most

Steve’s Republican Conservative government has been on the attack with the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) for some time.  They’ve been trying to dismantle it behind the scenes for the last two years, showing their complete and utter contempt for the notion of ‘local’.  Once again, we have solid proof that they are out of touch with most Canadians, despite their efforts to appear ‘warm’.

At the end of it all, can you really trust a man and his government when they spend more time in court than in Parliament?

Anyways, I thought this story might be interesting to some:

FARMERS TO SUE HARPER GOVERNMENT OVER ALLEGED ILLEGAL CHANGES TO CWB DIRECTOR ELECTIONS

Winnipeg, MB, September 10, 2008:  A group of farmers will take the Harper government to court, on the grounds that a change the federal government has made to the CWB director elections is illegal.

The courts have already proven this government has used illegal tactics — not once but twice — to try to force its policy on farmers, said Bill Woods, a farmer from Eston, SK, referencing the federal government’s failed attempts to remove barley from the CWB mandate and to gag the CWB to prevent it from telling farmers how it works. "We believe the government is again acting illegally, this time gerrymandering with the CWB director elections to favour anti-CWB candidates and their supporters."

Friends of the Canadian Wheat Board, a coalition of farmers and other Canadians in support of democracy and a farmer-controlled CWB, have filed a lawsuit against the government today. The lawsuit argues that the recent government amendment to repeal section 28 of the Regulations Respecting the Election of Directors of the Canadian Wheat Board, which set third-party spending limits, was enacted in an improper manner and that it violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Last Friday, the government enacted the regulatory change that has removed the $10,000 spending restriction on advertising expenses for third-party intervenors.

Anders Bruun, legal counsel acting for Friends, said the amendment is grossly unfair. "It pits farmer candidates, who are subject to a $15,000 election spending cap, against third parties who are now permitted to spend unlimited amounts of money without accountability to farmers."

"We’re fighting for farmers’ rights to make their own decisions regarding the future of their marketing agency, said Lynn Jacobson, a farmer from Enchant, AB. "And we’ll continue to resist anyone, any government, any foreign interest, any corporate giant who tries to take this right away from us."

Friends of the Canadian Wheat Board will hold a news tele-conference today at 2:00 p.m. CDT to discuss the legal application it has filed. Media are invited to join the conference by calling 1-800-319-4610.

For more information:

Lynn Jacobson (403) 894-5208 or (403) 739-2153
Bill Woods (306) 460-9599 or (306) 962-4477
Anders Bruun, Counsel (204) 233-9522

Danny Williams Comes Out Swingin’!!

And with a left – BAM! – and a right – POW! – and a final crunch to the jaw – WHACK!! – Danny Williams bitchslaps the reputation of Steve from the left, right, and centre on national TV today on CBC.

I haven’t been able to find a video of his performance yet, but Danny Williams was speaking to the Board of Trade (I presume in Toronto) and he let Stephen Harper have it.

Mr. Williams blasted Harper’s history of breaking promises but, more importantly, he sternly warned all Canadians that they should not vote for the Conservatives and Stephen Harper because a majority for them will spell the darkest days of Canadian history (a paraphrase – I can’t remember the exact quote).

God bless you Danny for telling it like it is.  Now, hopefully people will rightfully forget about the gang of villians that have torn apart this country and make a stand with their votes.

(P.S.  If anyone happens to find the video or text of Danny Williams’ speech, please post a link below).