First of all, with apologies

First of all, with apologies for changing the subject, I would like to offer my sincere thanks to all those who were so kind to send me a large number of messages and cards during my recent illness. I was very touched and grateful for every one.
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Now on the subject of this pathetic bunch we call our government, which should also include the federal wing, pushing the same sick ideology of neoclassical market economy .

Having lived in 4 countries and under every form of known ideology, and as a registered BC voter since 1956, my greatest fear is that this incompetent and morally corrupt bunch will be re-elected with the promise of "jobs, jobs, jobs, brought to BC by foreign investors". And people will lap it up, as usual.

What is carefully kept from people is the sordid fact that we're not in a recession, but the collapse of a fraudulent economic theory that already pushed us into the hands of the biggest crime wave, destroying the lives and killing tens of millions every year, in the name of "prosperity through globalization", forced on us, and the whole world, by fools and crooks in the universities and governments of all countries on all continents.

Just one item: It is a crime for trustees to sell properties doesn't belong to them. Yet, our governments have been selling the land and resources from under our feet in secret deals, without any permission and the owners are kept in the dark on what was sold and for what. This is what they now call a "resource based economy",which is nothing less than the sale of capital.

The sale of resources, or capital, is not only the stupidest action for any business, but should never be accounted as "income", or even GDP, regardless what corrupt politicians and brainwashed economists are saying and teaching in our universities.

This illegal act alone should be enough to kick them out of office, but now will come the huge propaganda campaign by the best mind benders big business and the captive media can provide to make certain the continuation of this fraud with the reelection of he same puppets dancing on their strings.

The problem is that it won't work, because there's no hope in hell that the same policies that brought on this disaster can take us out.

Unless our governments and economic systems are finally taken over by people capable of rational thought, we may be facing a period of extreme dangers and perennial violence by desperate people trying to survive another day, that will make the depression of the '30s look like a school picnic.

Ed Deak, Big Lake.

Campbell's Dane geld

Fact: Over 100 households in Tsawwassen along the power-line corridor have accepted the governments bailout offer.

Rumor: The bailout per house was 5% over 2008 property assessment, or over $600,000.00 per house - total cost, over $60 million.

Cost to bury power cables $20 million over cost of overhead construction.

Average resale values of said houses $450,000 or about $45 million.

Just for a few million dollars more, Campbell may have just snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

At about the beginning of

At about the beginning of February, Plutonic Power suggested that they should be allowed to export their electrical energy. On Feb. 7, 2009, BC Hydro ran an ad in the Vancouver Sun that was "A Notice of Application and Directions on Procedure; Application To Export Electricity To The United States." We buy it from Plutonic at a set price and we hope we can sell it a a higher price. A nice set up for Plutonic, thanks Gordo.

Rafe, you say, "When the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District voted eight to one against the Ashlu River private power zoning request, the autocratic Campbell government passed Bill 30, thus retroactively voiding the district decision while at the same time taking away the rights of all regional districts, villages, towns and cities to zone for similar enterprises."
Well thankfully the "BC Reconciliation Act" will help alleviate those problems. Gordo wasn't quite able to jam it through, but if he wins, you can kiss this province goo-bye.

Spare us from the Gullible Voter

In the '60s we had already bennitfited for many years in this wonderful province. There was a story going around then which I will attempt to bring up to date or even a few years into the future - let's say 2015: (by this time "global Warming" has produced some dastardly cold winters in B.C.)
Hunter: "This time last year I shot a moose and it almost killed me."
Wannabe hunter: "The Moose?"
H: "No, the weather. It was up on the Chilcouten Plateau and while I gutted and cleaned the carcase a blizzard blew in and the temperature dropped like a stone. Couldn't see your hand in front of your face even if it was getting frostbight. Two miles to the pickup and the ATV wouldn't start."
W: "So what did ya do?"
H: "The moose was laying there and still warm so I opened up the rib cage and crawled inside. Actually fell asleep for a few hours. When I woke up the blizzard was over but the moose was frozen solid. there was no way I could force the ribcage enough to get out."
W: "Then how did you get out?"
H: "I did some thinkin' and when I got to the memory of voting for the Campbell Liberals in 2009 I felt so small I crawled out the hole under the tail."

Gullible Rafe... money talks.. BS makes $$$

Tutu

Yes we Know all about the polls.... Pyew whats that smell LOL

Rafe Mair... ah yes

I heard Rafe shouting at the a Plutonic Q+A meeting. He was of turn and disrespectful to everyone who came to listen and ask Q's. Could be a Decent guy, but Rafe treated the locals like second class idiots. A typical socred.

I'm a little unclear how the Glacier fed Creeks in Bute will stop running in the summer. It defies logic to pretend Glaciers will stop melting in summer. But if your Paid Big Bucks to say so....then it must be true....right Rafe?

Rafe says BC doesn't need the extra Hydro.... We also don't need the extra lumber, the coal any mining or for that matter anything we export. Should we stop exporting everything Rafe?

Gullible??? .... Not here Rafe.

Gullible Gordo

Well put as usual Raif,I just wish the MSM would stop cheerleading long enough to do it's job and inform the population so we can have a functioning democracy again in this country.I know, I know,"you may call me a dreamer,but I'm not the only one."[John Lennon]

What took you so long, Rafe?

We knew this government "consisted of incompetent, blundering fools with frozen smiles and expensive suits. And that "incompetence is combined with thoughtlessness, arrogance and hubris -- a fatal mix." And we knew these things after their first year in power. Glad to see you recognizing it now though.

the local TV news

So, Arnold Swarzenegger endorses the P3 programs, and the local media is falling all over itself to announce that everybody is happy...EVERYBODY....
To represent any opposition to P3 they bring in a government minister to tell us that perhaps some malcontents may be opposed!
Talk about being biased.
Surely we are heading towards an election and the story is obviously going to be how smart and effecient Gordo and his gang has been.
I feel sure that old Rafe would have been willing to speak up on that news-item if asked?
Perhaps even the NDP could have mustered a spokesperson to point out the failures?
We are in for it people, totally biased reporting!

If the NDP form the next

If the NDP form the next Government, I wonder if Premier James will have our Auditor-General do an audit of the Liberal government's business dealings? If any improprierties are found can the former Premier/Ministers be charged?

The truth and be damned!

This why Gordo, did not want the Falcon to testify, for fear of telling the truth about RAV.

Originally, RAV was estimated to cost a laughable $1.2 billion, which started TransLink down the road to RAV, with Gordo & Co. singing the praises of P-3's. They soon found that TransLink (and Ken Dobel and Jane Bird) fumbled the ball estimating the cost of RAV which was escalating faster than a skyrocket.

To reduce costs RAVCo. pretended it was P-3 (the P-3 partner SERCo. took to the lifeboats), so the peons (taxpayer) could not vet the project. The costs for the subway then exceeded $2 billion, grand economies had to be made:

1) The project switched to a generic metro instead of SkyTrain, which saved over $50 million.

2) Cut-and-cover subway construction was substituted instead of much more expensive bored tunnel construction. C & C is only cheaper if compensation isn't paid.

3) Single track operation in Richmond, which drastically reduces capacity and precludes any future extensions.

4) Subway stations under Cambie St. were built to accommodate 3 car trains, which again dramatically reduces capacity. Capacity on the now (depending who you talk to) $2.4 to $2.8 billion subway, is much less (as much as 10,000 pphpd less) than if simple and much cheaper LRT were to have been built on any route, except a subway. Cost to increase station size, over $1 billion and then the C & C thing all over again.

Imagine the embarrassment of Minister Falcon, TransLink and the MSM, if the truth about RAV came out?

Even Bill Boring would blush!

Democracy in short supply

BC Citizens still have a democratic alternative to neoliberal free market ideologues. In that, we're very lucky. However, should we wish to keep this alternative, we will need to remain fully engaged, speaking out, being involved in our community, and keeping the NDP fully informed of what the majority of British Columbians want and need.

Alternate forms of media have really opened up exciting changes in democratic expression. Independent media like Tyee, Rabble, CCPA, and even Al Jazeera are reshaping the publics right to know. This too is likely to be challenged in the future and must be carefully protected.

The sooner Gordon Campbell's thugs are given the boot, the better. They really have turned out to be pretty sad bunch.

As always, great to see Rafe telling it like it is.

The problem with the

The problem with the neoliberal market system is that it is not much different from the Soviet collectivized market system.

When we scratch the surface we can see whole areas of the world's economy, like control of the world's food supply, in the hands of a small handful of corporations, who fix prices to ruin farmers so they can take over their lands, while raising prices in the stores.

Look up on google "Control of the world's food supply"

In short it is just another power grab, the destruction of democratic decision making powers and real private enterprise, but instead of bayonets, it is done with the perceived power of imaginary capital, enforced by pimp governments, like some we know.

Ed Deak.

zerocarboncanada.ca

"To say that all run-of-river projects destroy rivers and are not ‘green’ is absurd. I’ve been up to Toba/Montrose with the Klahoose. I’ve seen how Plutonic’s operations are reopening tributaries and cleaning up the mess of crushed culverts and downed bridges that logging left behind. The same would hold true for other heavily logged areas like Bute Inlet. I was fully prepared to see impacts on the river and was pleasantly surprised to find that, contrary to the horror stories circulating, the water diversion is high up near the glacial outflow, above waterfalls (fish barriers) where there are barely even nutrients in the water. The salmon habitat and water flows remain intact. Most people won’t know this because it turns out I am the only environmentalist that has bothered to take the Klahoose up on their invitation to go and see it for myself"
Tzeporah Berman

Thanks to Michael Smyth of the Vancouver Province for bringing this to our attention in an article March 22 titled "Enviromental hypocrisy is mind-boggling"

Margaret Atwood

Is listed on the PowerUpCanada site as a supporter.
I have a hard time believing she supports privatization of BC watersheds.

IPPs = Privatized Watersheds

Perhaps she is not aware that is what she doing.

I have a hard time with that JJ

The world class author and heroine of the Left, not aware of what she's doing?

That doesn't reflect very well on her intelligence does it.

Star Struck

Are they ever. The liberals are totally willing to sacrifice any jobs that might happen in the oil and gas service industry in order to help their friends from Calgary and Texas. $187 Million last week for a road to really no where. Oh but we got "procurement help desks in Fort Nelson and Dawson Creek" which won't much help people that are forced to sell their excavators and dozers because Imperial Oil brought in a dirt mover from Alberta to dig holes and build roads( which may qualify for a 50% injection of taxpayer funding). Lekstrom is more prone to listen than Neufeld ever was, but he can't fix what took two terms to break by May 12. Our only hope is that the candidates in the Peace get thrashed in order to get the message across. I doubt the NDP will get elected, but the independents sure could. Unemployed people are funny that way.

I sure won't be blaming you, Wilfred!!!

Wilfred Laurier
What are you going to say when the Liberals form a third straight majority? Who are you going to blame?

If you're getting ready to flatter yourself, don't bother!

In the unhappy event that the Phil Hochstein party prevails once again, I won't be blaming boiler room bloggers. There are larger players out there who have conditioned the Canadian and especially the BC voter to believe that in a recession you must move to the right. It worked for Bill Bennett in 1983, and it worked again last Fall for Stephen Harper, again, with particular force in B.C.

Curiously, that's the exact opposite of what the Americans just did.

Strange is it not Rod.

All the folks that get us into theses economic messes from time to time offer the solution that all we need is just a little more moving to the right. You would think that folks having been burned once or twice or three times would learn. No, there are enough out there like Wilf still clinging to their myths. When it collapses they come to the rest of us peasants to bail them out. Telling us that this economic system is so sacred, so critical for all of us it must be protected at all costs. We pay to do that either in our taxes or in a devalued dollar. Is it any wonder they like the gravy train they are on? The only thing critical in this economy is the protection of the elite wealthy with their notion of entitlement.

Enclosure

The Americans had already been moved so far to the right that they are up against the wall. They elected a much more enlightened government in theory, in practice it looks like same old, same old.

The notion of entitlement also fits in with the neo-pagan new age Buddhist beliefs of those born into the elite wealthy class. You see, it's their karma, their reward for the meritorious suffering of past lives to be born into wealth and power in this life. As for the majority of us who are not born into wealth and power, well that's our karma too.

And I see from Jstogs links that thanks to Renewal Real Estate, the Hank's Beach controversy has been resolved! Silly me, that happened back in 2006 and I thought it was current. The Tyee story & thread on it was a good read and touched on (among other subjects) "the story of disappearing commons throughout British Columbia."

Also known as enclosure, a notion now rearing it's ugly head in the name of "recognition", social justice and green energy.

The Best Place on Earth(tm)

But Rafe, we are living in "The Best Place on Earth(tm)". How could Gordon Campbell NOT have our best interests in mind?

If the key benefit of the Olympics is, as Gordon Campbell recently said, that all these foreign journalists will visit, the real benefit is the advertising and marketing of BC as a tourist destination. Presumably, those journalists are supposed to return home and rave about TBPOE (tm) and we will be flooded with tourists and tourist dollars.

The problem is that tourist jobs tend to be seasonal, low-paying service jobs (retail, accommodation, restaurants, transportation). Further, tourism depends on cheap travel, especially CHEAP air travel. Recall that the International Energy Agency, after assessing the world's 900 highest-producing oil wells, predicts peak oil by 2020.

However, tourism is a development path we've promoted for third and fourth world countries. Why does this government promote a third world economic development model in a supposedly first world country? Is it because, as a friend commented, that this government prefers an environment closer to the Middle Ages, when there was no middle class?

Basically, if you have the right credentials and have a good job that pays well you will have a nice life. If you have a MacJob you will be lucky to earn $10.00 per hour, will struggle to find affordable housing, save for retirement, etc.

This picture does not sound like 'the best place on earth to me'. Someone votes Liberal, but not me.....

Wind power

By the way, wind power peaks in the winter, whereas all hydro peaks in the spring.

Powering Up

Bingo! Where else but in the spinning PR turbines of the Guardians of the Green Faith would Atwood get so much juicy material for a timely sequel to The Handmaid's Tale?

RAV line a bargain?

Grumpy,

As a Cambie area resident, I have to admit that in comparison to the Olympic security bill, the RAV/Canada Line is starting to look like a bargain. We will spend $2-3 billion on rapid transit, but at least we will have a useful asset at the end. Olympic security will consume over $1 billion and not have anywhere near the same economic multiplier effects.

one last fight

I've got one good fight left in me, Rafe. This is my last stand. If Gordon Campbell runs this province for one more term, I'm inviting everyone to do like I do, pull up stakes and get out. This province, as pretty as it is, is not worth watching be destroyed. It is beyond my understanding how the public can elect and re-elect these crooks. If this is the government that the rest of British Columbians want, then it is time for me to leave. I cannot, in good conscience, pay taxes to a government that refuses to be kind to its own electorate. See you April 4, Rafe.

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