Government Monopoly

Turmoil this week in Ontario and especially in Toronto. Yet another garbage strike in the city; piles of rotting garbage in parks midsummer. Children playing amidst the stench and the vermin just when the children are out of school. Not a pretty picture. The disagreement is between the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 416 (CUPE) and the City of Toronto on the issue of bankable sick days; the workers want it, the city can't afford it especially in the midst of the Great Recession.

For me the most interesting development in this story was the rise of private garbage removal entrepreneurs immediately after the strike was announced. These new businesses will remove trash usually based on volume of trash and happily do it for a profit. Removing trash based on volume, encourages homeowners to reduce their trash production to save money - its win-win. The current system encourages homeowners to recycle but removes the real incentive to reduce trash - namely a separate bill for the cost of removal. When faced with real costs people become much more environmentally aware. The private trash collectors would compete with one another lowering price and improving service and the chance of a another city-wide garbage strike is almost zero. The removal of garbage is a service just like lawn mowing and haircutting. What are the chances of a city wide barbers strike or a lawn mowing strike? Just go to a different barber or select a different lawn mowing service or do it yourself. Garbage collection and removal requires no special skill and can be done by oneself exactly as it is in cottage country north of Toronto. I know we're talking about a major city and the cottage analogy doesn't apply, but why is it necessary to have a government monopoly on waste removal? Yes the issue is much greater than that. Where would the trash go, Michigan, like it does now? Trucks full of trash travelling down the 401 from Toronto to Michigan - imagine, only a government would come up with such a creative solution, ridiculous. Its time to think differently about the entire issue.

While I'm looking at government monopoly Ontarians were rattled recently by the possibility of an LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) strike. The threat caused near panic buying across the province. The LCBO is one of the last vestiges of Ontario's puritan past. As a result of federal and provincial laws in Ontario the control of the so-called vices by the religious majority made it impossible to shop on Sunday, sell liquor, beer or wine without special government permission and on and on. The Charter of Rights (1982) began to slowly loosen the grip of Church and government on Canadians. In Ontario however, liquor sales and distribution is still regulated by the Province. The LCBO has a monopoly on the sale of liquor in Ontario that each of us pays extra for. Does anyone seriously think that the LCBO somehow benefits consumers in Ontario? Imagine if there was a monopoly on the sale of soft drinks, would there be price competition as there is now? Would there be more or less brand selection than there is now? Exactly what are the benefits of monopoly to the consumer? There are none. Its way past time to end the LCBO , ASAP!

The seeds of war?

The news out of Iran of late has been very heartening. Iran it seems is not just an Islamofascist regime bent on nuclear proliferation and the eradication of Israel. No sirree! Iran is much more. Iran's close ties to the United States during the reign of the Shah planted seeds of liberty among the population. As a result it is one of the more "westernized" Islamic Republics in the region and apparently ready to question the power of the ayatollahs. The massive demonstrations after the recent presidential elections shows that vague feelings of freedom still exist even after more than 30 years of repression under the ayatollahs. But what will be the result? I suspect the result will be just as surprising as the current protests are. No one predicted that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would lose this election and he did not, according to the supreme leader ayatollah. But people don't seem to trust the results (also not predicted) and that is the most significant thing to happen in Iran since the revolution of the late 1970's.

So here we are in the midst of the greatest economic turmoil since the 1930's (just before the last major world war) with global unemployment levels still growing despite hopes that the great recession is ending. Is the stage being set for global conflict? Well look at the region that neighbours Iran. The failed or failing states of Afghanistan and Pakistan to the east and Pakistan has nuclear weapons in its simmering conflict with nuclear India (farther east). American occupied Iraq and the hated Israel are to the west with Russia to the north. Mix in the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and the strategic oil reserves of the Saudis et al and voila, all you need is the right igniter. Oh, lets not forget the Chinese and their oil interests in Sudan. Global conflict? I wouldn't bet against it.

GM = Government Motors

North American governments announced yesterday that they collectively own about 72% of General Motors. The US owns 60% and the Ontario and Canadian government about 12%. This announcement caused nary a ripple among the opposition benches in Canada. Where is the Official Opposition in the Federal and Ontario governments? Do they have no criticism, nothing to say about the outrageous debt obligations incurred yesterday? Or are the oppositions as devoid of principles as the current governments? On these important issues that will impoverish generations to come, all Canadian governments and their parties seem to conform to one idea, save some jobs and damn the consequences. All that’s left to oppose the governments are a few sensible journalists like Margaret Wente. How can Canadians choose between parties if all our elected representatives follow the same policies? We have achieved here in Canada what we have criticised in totalitarian regimes around the world. Elections in those countries are a foregone conclusion, the "government" will do the same thing no matter who is elected. All the so called political parties have the same goals and solutions, the electorate just has the choice of personalities. Canada has arrived at that nadir of democracy. At least American politicians voiced their opposition. Apparently our politicians are sucking so hard at the nipples of the unions they can't speak.

Toward the millionth English word

In high school English, years ago, I studied from a thin soft covered book titled Words are Important. There were several levels (colour coded) of this book introducing my classmates and I to increasingly more and more difficult English words. We learned their meaning, to spell them, use them in sentences, followed by periodic quizzes. It was drill and memorization, and all the supposed bad things about education, but it was effective and still remembered almost 50 years later. Why were the books soft covered, so flimsy and tenuous? Of course the answer was probably related to cost, but maybe the authors were prescient. English evolves, it grows, it changes, adapts and thrives. The soft cover books were the clue that this is not a static language. This week we are told that English will soon acquire its millionth word and I humbly offer up a new one that came to me while washing dishes. Bibledygook, it's not a word yet but here is how you can use it. Have you ever been in the presence of a deeply religious person who quotes scripture to you as though it was convincing scientific evidence? This could be from the New Testament, Talmud, Koran, whatever, words offered up to "prove" a point, illustrate a rule or demonstrate how to be righteous. Sometimes the quote is incisive, witty and appropriate. But more often than not I will roll my eyes because I hear jargon, gibberish and mumbo-jumbo. This is bibledygook, a noun, that refers to biblical gibberish or biblical gobbledygook. Not that I don't respect religions, well lets put it this way, I respect people's right to observe whatever religion they wish. The problem occurs when religious people think they know how other people should live, act, behave or run their lives. Frequently these religious types will try to entrench their beliefs in laws that we must all follow, based of course on the bibledygook that runs their own lives. That's where I have a problem. But isn't English wonderful?

Politics is a dirty game (2)

Governments like economists, rarely make accurate predictions about issues related to money. That's ironic of course, because that's what they both supposedly deal with much of the time. Neither were able to predict the economic meltdown that we are in the midst of, and neither can predict the costs involved with trying to fix the meltdown. Governments tumbled over one another to come to the aid of the moribund North American car companies, yet Chrysler and GM are either bankrupt or soon will be. A lot of good that did.

In Canada the Harperites reluctantly tried to staunch the bleeding by throwing money at the wound created by the meltdown. The problem with throwing other peoples money is that its difficult to properly estimate amounts. First they estimated a $34 billion deficit this year, today they estimate a $50 billion deficit, about a 47% miss - oops. If this type of reckoning holds true we could be looking at close to a $70 billion deficit. But its only money right? Will that fix the problems? I predict they will have the same success as they had trying to save the auto sector, which is to say - none. Of course the loyal opposition headed by newly crowned prince-in-waiting Mikey Ignatieff and his economist henchman Johnny McCallum screamed that the government was irresponsible running up such a large deficit and that Finance Minister Flaherty should resign for bad guessing. The two opposition characters first criticized the Harperites for too little stimulus and not getting the money out the door fast enough. Its a dirty game.

In the end though, we're all going to pay for this one way or another. Large deficits add to the (check out the CTF debt clock) federal debt and will need to be paid off somehow. Either governments raise taxes or restrain spending. Are either of those serious options for future Canadian governments? Not unless more Libertarians are elected really soon....so not likely. The only hope for governments here and everywhere else is to pay off the debt with inflated future dollars. Why not print the money? This guarantees that our future dollars are worth less and the more that is printed the less your money will be worth and the smaller the debt the government will have to repay. Inflation is still under control right now, but some of you will recall just a few short months ago when deflation was a worry. You needn't have worried, the government will defeat deflation by the power of the printing press.

Separation of Church and State Bush-style

Once upon a time I was naive. As a Canadian, jealously, I believed that America was truly the land of the free and home of the brave. America was something to emulate, to aspire to. Slowly, over many years and events, that illusion has been shattered for me. McCarthyism, the Civil Rights movement, Vietnam, the Religious Right, the anti-abortion debate and so many other events have soured my view of America. The past eight tumultuous and long years while "W" was president has brought those views to an all time low. The election of the current President, while hopeful superficially, does not change my opinion when one examines what he stands for. Worse than that, recent revelations about the workings of W's Cabinet (click the title) indicate that for the Bushies, the Iraqi war was religiously motivated. Defense Secretary Rumsfeld's security updates contain biblical exhortations little different for al-Qaeda's intonations that "god is great". Its hard to believe that the First Amendment to the US constitution says: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . .". Well they may have freedom of religion but freedom FROM religion is a dream.

Green Shoots

The Great Recession is over or ending, at least that's what is being said by politicians and prognosticators of all stripes. In the U.S., Obamas' gang has seen "green shoots" the first signs of new growth. The stock market has been in rally mode since the second week of March. Is it really over? Look at it this way, did the business prognosticators and politicians see this worst economic setback in 80 years coming? Not really, most claimed that we were in for a slow down, maybe a mild recession and then back to normal. But normal looks a long way off. The news is only getting less bad (unless you just lost your job). So based on the accuracy of past predictions those green shoots could be weeds and this thing could take years.

Politics is a dirty game

If you have been near a radio or television this week in central Canada it would have been impossible to avoid hearing/seeing stories about alleged shady politicians both here and abroad. The Canadian stories seem very tame compared to the blatant misuse of government money and privilege that has been reported in Britain . Here at home we have the continuing saga of former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and his relationship with German Businessman (or in the press: sleaze-ball and influence peddler) Karlheinz Schreiber. Its pretty clear that Mulroney received cash payments from Schreiber for jobs undertaken where Mulroney would use his contacts and influence after leaving office. The money was not declared as income initially to avoid the CRA possibly, not really a bad thing, but for a former PM maybe not appropriate. The upshot will be that presiding Judge Oliphant will chastise Mulroney, whose legacy is already dirtied, maybe suggest some new rules for politicians and that will be that. While this was going on the current Conservative government (Mulroney's cronies) seems to have created a diversion that accuses a prominent Liberal, Ruby Dhallah, of mistreating some employees. Not really something that is any bodies business but those involved. This appears to be a smear tactic (by the Conservatives) to divert public attention from Mulroney. Mostly I don't think the large majority of Canadians care about either story, but this is what passes for news here in Canada. Politics is dirty and power corrupts. The Mulroney incident is a lesson to those that think government should be involved in economic matters, any economic matters. Politicians in or out of office can always be trusted to use their power and influence to lie, cheat, steal and do whatever they can get away with just because they can. Its human nature to take advantage of a situation. For that reason alone, government has no business meddling in a free economy. The Dhallah incident is just ridiculous, and no bodies business.



While all this is going on citizens of Toronto have been held hostage by the effects of a civil war half a world away. The large Tamil population (mostly civil war refugees) of Greater Toronto (GTA) has been trying to raise awareness to their cause claiming genocide in the 26 year old civil war. The Tamils want the Canadian government to sanction the Sri Lankan government, trouble is the Canadian government has declared the Tamil Tigers (organizers of this protest) a terrorist organization. So official sanctions are unlikely. This hasn't stopped the local Tamils from illegally disrupting other inhabitants of the GTA, blocking highways, disrupting business and generally depleting the police budget. The police and the city have been gentle, too gentle with the Tamils. After all what is the function of police if not to protect the rights of citizens? People blocking highways and roadways makes it difficult or impossible for ordinary commerce and infringes on individual freedoms. Certainly the Tamils should be free to protest whatever they choose, but when their protests disturb others peoples rights then Tamil leaders should be arrested and fined.

Same old, same old...........

Is it wrong for one blogger to reference another? I don't think so.
When I was a Biology teacher I often mentioned to students that textbooks, especially science textbooks need to be rewritten periodically to keep up with changing ideas, discoveries, theories etc. This, I pointed out is very different from religious books like the bible, where stories and ideas never change. Yes of course religious commentary is ongoing, but the fundamental (no pun intended) "knowledge-base", never changes. The word of god is the word, period.

Science books change all the time. There are now 8 planets in our solar system, Pluto is no longer considered a planet because several other Pluto-like objects have been discovered out there in the Oort cloud. rather than increase the number of planets, astronomers reclassified Pluto. Arbitrary? Yes, but it sells more books. Biology, especially Evolutionary Biology changes all the time. The new transitional seal fossil (see older blog), the new Hobbit-like species of Homo, these and other discoveries will change the texts much to the chagrin of all teachers.

So when I saw this on another blog: The Biology Textbooks are Wrong? , I didn't think much of it until I saw who was saying they are wrong. Take a look at the "Fox News" video.
The guy, Casey Luskin, is from the Discovery Institute , which certainly looks scientific until you start reading the fine print. Click under Science and Culture and read About CSC. These guys are creationists with heavy make-up. The more things change, the more they................

Canadian Aboriginals and the Catholic Pope

Sometimes its worthwhile to get a different perspective on an issue at home. In the case of Canadian Aboriginals the story linked to the title, says it all for me. One of the oldest and most out spoken critics of religion is a publication from the United Kingdom (1881) called the freethinker. I could not have said it better, hence the link. The damage to aboriginals around the world by religious missions and missionaries is incalculable. For Canadians who smugly think theirs is a welcoming and multicultural society, well think again. We are still burdened with past racism and the glacial speed at which the problems are being addressed boggles the mind.

Puijila darwini

I would love to hear how Intelligent Design creationists explain this one. Another transitional fossil in the loooooooong list of transitional fossils has been discovered by shear serendipity. A team led by scientists from the Canadian Museum of Nature found the fossil in 2007 during an expedition on Devon Island in Nunavut. While driving an ATV near the Haughton Crater part of the team ran out of gas. To pass the time waiting for assistance Carleton University student Elizabeth Ross starting poking around. She found a small, black bone that she showed to Mary Dawson, Curator Emeritus with the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. They then found the jaw and limb bones spread on the surface and eventually 65% of the creature's bones.....amazing! It was a "seal" with legs not flippers and it was named for the Inuit word for a walking seal and Charles Darwin who predicted that one day such a fossil may be found. A wonderful discovery that will rewrite the books again!

So yes kiddies....all that stuff in the books about evolution looks better and better as we transition from bipedal-dumb-asses to rational Homo sapiens sapiens. Its a trip that some of you will never make if you don't use your head.

Word of the Day: Islamofascism

So I'm still busy with bringing my computer back from the dead and doing taxes, also linked with death (there is a joke in there). I couldn't help but to comment on Iran's Jew-hating, Holocaust denying President Mahmoud (Ahmadinejad) Ime-a-nut-job. What is there to say really? Little Mahmoud was the first speaker in the U.N.'s Antiracism Conference or should that be Anti-antiracism Conference. On the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Ime-a-nut-job shows what kind of slimeball he really is, lashing out at Israel and calling Israelis "racist perpetrators of genocide". This of course caused most of the Western nations that were there to walk out. Others, Canada and the U.S. included were clever enough not to attend the conference. Which brings me to the word of the day: Islamofascism and that makes Little Mahmoud an Islamofascist. I'm not going to bore you with definitions or reasons, but if you look at that oily sand hill called the middle east, I believe Israel is the only sliver of dirt in the region that even resembles a democracy. The only place you can get a fair trial and not fear of having an appendage or worse chopped off. The only place where freedom can and does exist - even if it's underpinnings are religious. Israel of all the countries in that region should be the model that the Islamofascists can aspire to. Little Mahmoud should go home to his sandlot and stay there.

Taxing times

I'm back. Its been several weeks, I visited the Inlaws for the "holidays" - not really much of a holiday. During that time though, my computer was in the shop - caught a virus, even with Norton 360. The computer is still not right, but it works.

I'll be pretty busy for the next 11 days or so. I've procrastinated long enough and its time to send off my income tax return, five actually, since I do my family's returns as well. I can't tell you how much I resent spending so much time collecting, collating, organizing, entering, researching and sending off these damned income tax returns. I even use "QuickTax" to NetFile, easy as pie, you'd think. Sure I also resent the myriad government programs that continue to waste our tax money defending Afghans, bailing out zombie car companies, and funding all the boondoggles of every special interest group in this country. I might feel better if I thought our government had spending under control. But Stephen Harper and his Conservative Party are continuing with their program of bigger government. In the October election campaign they promised spending increases of $92 billion: literally double even the massive increases promised by the Liberals and the NDP (National Post estimates during the campaign). They delivered on these spending promises, one of the few promises kept, and the extra spending has wasted away the large surplus' inherited from the previous Liberal government. This left Canada facing a deficit even before the current recession. Now Mr. Harper will follow the Americans and "stimulate" with money he no longer has to drive us into a larger and longer term deficit. Fortunately the Harper Conservatives have only been in power a short time, or our economic situation would have been much worse.

So yes I resent the size of government and the waste that I know is ongoing, but I also resent the complexity of the tax form. Why are taxes so complicated?

Income Tax began in Canada in 1917 as a temporary measure to repay the debts incurred during the First World War. Those debts were large and the tax was kept in place after the war, growing and becoming more complex each year. Special interest groups came to Ottawa and lobbied for exemptions and deferrals. Politicians made promises, governments grew larger taking on more responsibility and leaving people with fewer choices and less money to spend. Instead of protecting us from force or fraud the government loots each and every income producing Canadian reducing their discretionary income and freedom. Instead of being a protector government forces you to do its bidding, forces you to do things in your name that you would not ordinarily want to do. Ah, but you have a chance to avoid some of the looting if you jump through all the hoops and look for ways to save your hard earned wealth by completing the income tax form. But for some, it has become so complex that bean-counters must be hired at taxpayers expense to wrestle away some of the loot that has been stolen and get the blessed refund.

Last year The Fraser Institute came up with a postcard sized tax form (10 lines)that most tax filers can use and fill out in 5 minutes. It counts on a 15% flat tax that reduces the unnecessary hoops and makes an already distasteful experience less so. The time is long past for this innovation, the sooner the better and this way there will be fewer things to resent.

The Afghan War, the UN and Islam.

Recently I received this email from CFI (Center for Inquiry in Amherst NY):

Last week (March 26/09) the United Nations Human Rights Council has handed another victory to Islamic states in their decade-long push to limit freedom of expression out of “respect” for religious beliefs. A new Council resolution decries a “campaign of defamation of religions” in which “the media” and “extremist organizations” are “perpetuating stereotypes about certain religions and sacred persons,” and urges UN member states to provide redress “within their respective legal and constitutional systems.” Capitalizing on concerns about racial profiling and discrimination in the era of the war on terror, the language conflates criticism of Islam with anti-Muslim bigotry and seeks to stifle peaceful speech in the name of “dialogue” and “diversity.”.....

“The concept of ‘defamation of religions’ is both absurd and dangerous.” said Ronald A. Lindsay, CFI’s president and chief executive officer. “Legally speaking, it’s gibberish, and any ban on so-called ‘defamation’ would effectively prevent any critique of religious beliefs or practices.” In the opinion of a broad range of civil society organizations, these pronouncements do nothing but lend legitimacy to the repression of political and religious dissent around the world, particularly in Islamic countries. Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, for example, which carry mandatory sentences of death or life imprisonment, are frequently used against members of the Ahmaddiya community, a peaceful minority Muslim sect.

Through its UN representative, Dr. Austin Dacey, CFI participated in the negotiations over the resolution during the March session of the Council in Geneva, and delivered an oral statement before the plenary meeting on March 24. Most worrisome, according to CFI, is that the present language equates religiously insulting speech with “advocacy of religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility, or violence,” a category of speech that is prohibited by existing treaties such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which have the force of law. “Now the argument becomes very awkward for Europe,” said Dacey, “since many European states have laws against hate speech, Holocaust denial, and even blasphemy (for example, in Austria) that have been upheld by their regional human rights courts. The Islamic states will say they simply want to extend the same protection to all beliefs.”

Yes its true that the above resolution has no "teeth", but ask Salman Rushdie about the "fatwa" that was issued against him 20 years ago. Did he fear for his life? In light of the above, the recent news of the "Talibanization" of Afghan President Hamid Karzai is troubling. Karzai approved a new Afghan law that effectively removes the rights of girls and women (as per orthodox Islamic law) including the legalization of rape within marriage. So this is what Canadian and NATO troops are fighting to uphold in Afghanistan. This is the democracy that has cost Canada over 100 lives and billions of dollars.

So lets see, to criticize the Muslim faith is blasphemy, and to fight for the Afghans so that they may practice their own form of democracy which is repugnant to us is.......is what we are doing. Dumb eh?

Do we need another excuse to say goodbye and good riddance to Afghanistan? I think its past time to cut our losses and bring the troops home, and by the way, it may be time to rethink our membership in the UN, as blasphemous as that sounds.

One last though. Its interesting that in recent weeks both Harper and Obama have been talking less about winning in Afghanistan and more about keeping the lid on it. Do you think that Karzai sees the writing on the wall and it may be time for him to warm up to the Taliban in order to survive after the good guys have left? This is realpolitik in action.

Earth Hour and Darkness

I've always thought that many so-called environmentalists bring to their cause an almost religious conviction. We can save the planet if only........certain things happen. The front page of the Toronto Star today shows a candlelight church service to make my point - its a religion. I've also thought that many environmental types would like humanity to regress to a simpler "dark age." You know, reduce fossil fuel usage, thereby the carbon footprint and save the planet. There was a lot of media hype about Earth Hour around here yesterday, I guess it was a slow news day. Of course there is nothing wrong with energy conservation, in fact the opposite is kind of dumb. Why wouldn't everyone be against waste?
But despite the good support for Earth Hour itself, I don't see much evidence that people really get it. My neighbours certainly don't. Many of them feel its their civic duty to pollute the night sky with all sorts of garish lighting - all night. Maybe they are just afraid of the dark. The consequences of garish and excessive use of outdoor lighting was discussed in a recent National Geographic magazine: The End of Night. The night sky has virtually disappeared for urbanites all over the planet. The Milky Way is a myth for too many children. I really doubt that conservation will save the planet for the future, but what I do know is that judicious use of outdoor lighting can save the night sky here and now.