This blog is about one of our most precious resource food, although water is a more natural resource when people think of precious resources yet food energizes and stimulates us to do great things every day. This blog is about what companies put in our food and why they do it and the attempts by a brave few to stand up to thuggish corporations who prosecute these evil deeds. It is also a challenge to people to start living and investing in different choices in life on what we eat.
I will begin by going back seventy years to WWII not for the historical aspect but the visual aspect of what people use to look like and what we look like today. You look at those pictures or videos of 1945 and you saw starvation on the faces of almost everyone. Okay you could say it was war okay fast forward to the 1950's some five to ten years after the war, you still saw fit "skinny" people walking around, not muscle bound Arnolds but people who were fit, active and relatively healthy. Okay the you could say the boom is happening in the west and all that was was American and Soviet propaganda on the "great human being" in their respective societies okay. The sixties, seventies and into the mid nineties people in the world were relatively the same and then Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thactcher and Brian Mulrooney were elected and things changed for the worse.
That's about the time the new idea of Conservatism set in and changed the political climate for ever. It wasn't about balancing budgets and serving the way the old Conservatives did, this was a new harsh survive or die type of Conservatism that intoduced the Christian right into the equasion in the States and tough economic policies that allied themselves untill this day with the corporate elite which only care was about profit margins and sustainability of the markets instead of the well being of the individual.
This new idea spread to the food companies as well who now had the green light to test new chemicals in their food products. NAFTA in the late 1980's allowed Canadian and American food Corporations to dictate the level of production and distribution away from the farmers and processors. NAFTA was not the only agreement that set in stone the infection of fatening foods in our eating cycle. The European Union agreed in the early 1990's to give similar powers to food companies to control what went into our food. The agreement was not binding unlike the NAFTA disgrace and within a few years most nations in the EU opted out. Only England, Germany and France remained in the deal and I'm sure you know why the richest in Europe remained tied to the corporate agreement.
In one of those nations though France there has been protests and successful concessions from the puppets of the Corporate State. In the mid 1990's the French farmers decided to take action in their own hands. During nation wide protests a few of them took hostage food company executives in the rural north and demanded not only they be paid the full amount for their labours but that the chemicals stop being put into the food they were processing. After a two month standoff the state capitulated and the French assembly signed into to law in 1997 the clean food bill.
Here in North America our food continues to be contaminated not by lesteria as was the terrorizing fear a year ago but by chemicals that make our food ten times larger and much more addictive. The fatening of our society including yours truly is not without our own faults but the fact that the "healthy alternatives" are ten times more expensive doesn't help things either. A gym membership these days is more expensive let alone the HST here in Ontario that will be added to the expensive cost effective July 1st. Farmers market and other healthy food alternatives are also more expensive than that chemically filled garbage and in a time where peoples salaries go down and prices are going up peoples health is the loser in this battle.
I want to be healthy and live longer but I can't afford it, excuses shouldn't come into this but look at the facts of our society and you'll understand my view. I hope you take this blog to heart before the chemicals get to it first. Thank you and take care for now.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Greece: The Beginning Of The Demise Of The EU
Greece a land of culture, education and plenty of history that is both glorious and tragic at the same time. A history that is plagued in countless civil wars and blessed with brotherhood when it's perverbial back is against the wall. A nation that has both been an empire and has also brought down numerous empires as well, and now this issue with the European Union. Well if anything history has tought us that the Greeks are a people that when determined can change the course of history and my belief is that this crisis is the beginning of the end for the European Union as we know it.
Let's go back to ancient times when the biggest empire to that BC era the Persians decided that they would add Greece to it's collection. To that point the Persian empire has conquered all of western asia, parts of Africa as well as into modern day Afganistan. Nothing it seemed would be able to stop this mamoth of an empire except one little spot of land called Greece, except there was no unity Greece, it was little tribes with Kings or in Athens case a Democracy who's only tie to one another was that they spoke the same language.
Despite these massive odds as well might I add every time the Persians invaded their army was at least six times bigger, but despite these odds the Greeks defeated the Persians in Greece and then invaded Persia led by the most famous Greek of all time Alexander the Great ended the Persian Empire threat and the Empire itself.
Several centuries later Greece fell under the yoke of Ottoman control. For nearly 400 years Greece was under slavery but the Empire that enslaved the Greeks would pay the ultimate price for doing so. Within fifty years of Greek independance won in the struggle of 1821 the Ottoman Empire was no more. The Turks tried to re establish that same empire by invading a hundred years later in the first Balkan war and was soundly defeated by yet again a united Greek army.
Fast forward to 1940-1941. The war in Europe has been raging on for a year and facist Italy asks the facist Greek government(It's a long story to explain how that happened) to let it pass through Greek territory pressumably to invade the Soviet Union, well something shocking happens the facist Greek Government says OXI! or no to the Axis forces. So Mussolini invades and is soundly defeated by united Greek forces, both royalist military and Greek Communist partizans united for the first time in their common struggle against foreign invaders.
In 1941 Hitler invades Greece to make up for his allies mistake and conquers Greece in a week. The Greeks do not give up their struggle taking out Germans and Italians delaying the invasion of the Soviet Union putting into place the destruction of the facist forces in the Soviet winter of 44. Within a few months the allies free Europe and the concentration camps thus ending the Second World War and ushering in the Cold War.
By the 1980's the Cold War is in full effect. Afganistan and other conflicts around the world have humanity on th brink of a possible nuclear war and in Europe the most crucial decision is up to Greece, end the Cold War by joining NATO or prolong it by being accepted into the Warsaw pact. Greece virtually ended the Cold War by joining Nato, Why because look at a map of Eurasia and you'll see what I mean. If Greec joins the Warsaw pact all of Eastern Europe and Western Asia is United under that same pact. Greece not only brings down the Warsaw Pact but the whole of the Soviet Unions economy down with it. Thus ending the Soviet Union.
In 1981 Greece joined the European Union. which is what brings me to more recent times. Greece had always been a loyal member of the EU but it was on January 1st 2000 when Greece joined the capitalist Euro currency everything started goin sour. A year after Greece's assention into the Eurozone Greece was given the Olympic games of 2004, yet even more problems were to follow. To explain this you have to know about the old currency of Greece and I mean really old currency.
The earliest know usage of the drachma goes back to 1100 BC and was made famous around the globe by Alexander the Great who took it to Asia when he conquered most of the known world around 330 BC. In fact today the term drachma is the origin for the Morrocan, UAE and Armenian currencies. In the two Arab speaking nations the term dirham is a pre Arabic term deriving from the drachma. The Armenian dram also has its roots in the term drachma as well.
Yet in 2000 the Greek PASOK government at the time threw away 2,900 years of history for what exactly? To be accepted in the community of nations? No Greece has not been on the losing side of any major conflict in the last 600 years. Economic independance? No in fact I would argue Greece lost it's entire independance on New Years day 2000 or even earlier when it joined in 1981. So what was really behind this because statisticians have proven that using the drachma in the 2004 Olympics would have saved Greece billions and since 2000 I would bet you Greece could have saved hundreds of trillions of dollars. So what then was behind it all?
Well plain and simply it's about money what? Yup pure unadulturated facist-capitalism. Let me direct you to a company called Siemens AG, you ever heard of it? Yeah I'm sure you have. Well lets talk about a little Siemens history shall we? The company was founded in 1847 by Werner von Siemens he invented the needle telegraph and made a fortune in Europe. They became the seventh largest company in the German empire in 1907 and in the 1930's allied itself with the Nazi regime and made weapons for the German Wehrmart that murdered hundreds of millions. It even had factories around the famous concentration camps. The companies symbol is still visible above the gas chamber in the Buchenwald camp.
In the years following Nazi Germany's defeat at the hands of the allies the company looked to put a new face and re-brand itself. It got involved in other sectors apart from communications and weapons making by adding healthcare and energy to the fold. Why do I bring this up because just before the economic crisis hit, news in Greece broke that Siemens top officials had made deals with Greek government officials(at the time New Democracy/ Conservatives) that dealt with security systems that would "protect" Greece during the 2004 Olympics. But the governing fake-socialist PASOK party has yet to try anyone because according to reports yet unnamed PASOK party officials possibly including current minister in cabinet were also involved in separate unrealated deals with Siemens AG.
Well folks I bet you Siemens wasn't the only ones who help put Greece in the position it is right now I bet other conglomerates out there have dabbled in Greece's affairs, thus bankrupting her to the core. Untill there is a party in Greece that is not named New Democracy or PASOK that comes to power then there won't be any changes. I do believe though that events have been set forward that cannot go back to the way it was before the current situation and so my prediction is by the year 2020 the EU and the Euro dollar will be but a distant memory. This corruption will be revealed in many nations involved inthe EU and the people will rise against this evil Union and destroy it in time. Untill then it will be interesting to watch its downfall.
I can only pray my ancestral homeland survives this demise and is stronger than ever. Something tells me from history that no matter what Greece will survive.
Take care folks untill next time. From Marco Zottas
Let's go back to ancient times when the biggest empire to that BC era the Persians decided that they would add Greece to it's collection. To that point the Persian empire has conquered all of western asia, parts of Africa as well as into modern day Afganistan. Nothing it seemed would be able to stop this mamoth of an empire except one little spot of land called Greece, except there was no unity Greece, it was little tribes with Kings or in Athens case a Democracy who's only tie to one another was that they spoke the same language.
Despite these massive odds as well might I add every time the Persians invaded their army was at least six times bigger, but despite these odds the Greeks defeated the Persians in Greece and then invaded Persia led by the most famous Greek of all time Alexander the Great ended the Persian Empire threat and the Empire itself.
Several centuries later Greece fell under the yoke of Ottoman control. For nearly 400 years Greece was under slavery but the Empire that enslaved the Greeks would pay the ultimate price for doing so. Within fifty years of Greek independance won in the struggle of 1821 the Ottoman Empire was no more. The Turks tried to re establish that same empire by invading a hundred years later in the first Balkan war and was soundly defeated by yet again a united Greek army.
Fast forward to 1940-1941. The war in Europe has been raging on for a year and facist Italy asks the facist Greek government(It's a long story to explain how that happened) to let it pass through Greek territory pressumably to invade the Soviet Union, well something shocking happens the facist Greek Government says OXI! or no to the Axis forces. So Mussolini invades and is soundly defeated by united Greek forces, both royalist military and Greek Communist partizans united for the first time in their common struggle against foreign invaders.
In 1941 Hitler invades Greece to make up for his allies mistake and conquers Greece in a week. The Greeks do not give up their struggle taking out Germans and Italians delaying the invasion of the Soviet Union putting into place the destruction of the facist forces in the Soviet winter of 44. Within a few months the allies free Europe and the concentration camps thus ending the Second World War and ushering in the Cold War.
By the 1980's the Cold War is in full effect. Afganistan and other conflicts around the world have humanity on th brink of a possible nuclear war and in Europe the most crucial decision is up to Greece, end the Cold War by joining NATO or prolong it by being accepted into the Warsaw pact. Greece virtually ended the Cold War by joining Nato, Why because look at a map of Eurasia and you'll see what I mean. If Greec joins the Warsaw pact all of Eastern Europe and Western Asia is United under that same pact. Greece not only brings down the Warsaw Pact but the whole of the Soviet Unions economy down with it. Thus ending the Soviet Union.
In 1981 Greece joined the European Union. which is what brings me to more recent times. Greece had always been a loyal member of the EU but it was on January 1st 2000 when Greece joined the capitalist Euro currency everything started goin sour. A year after Greece's assention into the Eurozone Greece was given the Olympic games of 2004, yet even more problems were to follow. To explain this you have to know about the old currency of Greece and I mean really old currency.
The earliest know usage of the drachma goes back to 1100 BC and was made famous around the globe by Alexander the Great who took it to Asia when he conquered most of the known world around 330 BC. In fact today the term drachma is the origin for the Morrocan, UAE and Armenian currencies. In the two Arab speaking nations the term dirham is a pre Arabic term deriving from the drachma. The Armenian dram also has its roots in the term drachma as well.
Yet in 2000 the Greek PASOK government at the time threw away 2,900 years of history for what exactly? To be accepted in the community of nations? No Greece has not been on the losing side of any major conflict in the last 600 years. Economic independance? No in fact I would argue Greece lost it's entire independance on New Years day 2000 or even earlier when it joined in 1981. So what was really behind this because statisticians have proven that using the drachma in the 2004 Olympics would have saved Greece billions and since 2000 I would bet you Greece could have saved hundreds of trillions of dollars. So what then was behind it all?
Well plain and simply it's about money what? Yup pure unadulturated facist-capitalism. Let me direct you to a company called Siemens AG, you ever heard of it? Yeah I'm sure you have. Well lets talk about a little Siemens history shall we? The company was founded in 1847 by Werner von Siemens he invented the needle telegraph and made a fortune in Europe. They became the seventh largest company in the German empire in 1907 and in the 1930's allied itself with the Nazi regime and made weapons for the German Wehrmart that murdered hundreds of millions. It even had factories around the famous concentration camps. The companies symbol is still visible above the gas chamber in the Buchenwald camp.
In the years following Nazi Germany's defeat at the hands of the allies the company looked to put a new face and re-brand itself. It got involved in other sectors apart from communications and weapons making by adding healthcare and energy to the fold. Why do I bring this up because just before the economic crisis hit, news in Greece broke that Siemens top officials had made deals with Greek government officials(at the time New Democracy/ Conservatives) that dealt with security systems that would "protect" Greece during the 2004 Olympics. But the governing fake-socialist PASOK party has yet to try anyone because according to reports yet unnamed PASOK party officials possibly including current minister in cabinet were also involved in separate unrealated deals with Siemens AG.
Well folks I bet you Siemens wasn't the only ones who help put Greece in the position it is right now I bet other conglomerates out there have dabbled in Greece's affairs, thus bankrupting her to the core. Untill there is a party in Greece that is not named New Democracy or PASOK that comes to power then there won't be any changes. I do believe though that events have been set forward that cannot go back to the way it was before the current situation and so my prediction is by the year 2020 the EU and the Euro dollar will be but a distant memory. This corruption will be revealed in many nations involved inthe EU and the people will rise against this evil Union and destroy it in time. Untill then it will be interesting to watch its downfall.
I can only pray my ancestral homeland survives this demise and is stronger than ever. Something tells me from history that no matter what Greece will survive.
Take care folks untill next time. From Marco Zottas
Friday, February 26, 2010
What! Public Funds for Private Clinics?
Well folks this one is a head scratcher of a revalation but bare with me a little while so I can tell about the waste that goes on in Liberal and Conservative Federal Governments. I know that's not a surprising statement but it's the truth. I hope whoever reads this is sitting down while I reveal this disgusting waste of taxpayer money. It ties in with the future of our health system and the ability to sustain it through the tough times to come when our system gets overflowed with seniors from the babyboomer generation.
The truth is public funds do go into private clinics, yup your hard earned tax dollars go into giving free healthcare to rich people. That's what it really boils down to. The Government says there is no two tier healthcare yet your money goes into rich people basically getting free healthcare. Money that could be going into our public hospitals creating more spaces, doctors and nurses is being spent at big fancy clinics where the vast majority if not all of its patients are well off or just stinkin rich.
Now I am the first to speak out against two tier healthcare, we've seen the consequences all too often in the Unites States but if this is fact in our private clinics then I would support a system where rich people pay their own way, and not take money meant for the public hospitals. You could see a system where private companies fund these clinics, such as Microsoft or McDonalds or any other big company but not our tax dollars that are meant to go into the public system. The big bad word in the 2000 election was that Canada was becoming a two tier system, well my friends it's about time we do that two tier thang.
In 2004 Jack Layton first run at being Prime Minister, he brought this issue up and was quickly attacked by all sides for using the Shouldice clinic, a perfectly fine co-op facility that used both private donations and public monies. Jack paid his own way and got the hernia treatment he needed. The fact that Jack had just taken over a party that at that point wasn't even an official party in the Canadian Parliament and was being attacked about his private life at a point when he was bringing up this shocking statistic. Well that tells me that the two establishment parties want to keep the status quo and that's just not good enough.
I am writing this in conjunction with S&F magazine a Young New Democrat publication and I hope the readers of the magazine and yourselves who are reading this on my blog contact their members of Parliament and demand an end to this outrageous practice. Just the thought of this happening at a time when an elderly lady just passed away because she couldn't be attended to and died on a stretcher in the hallway of a public hospital near the exit makes me want to break the head of whoever is responsible. Yet on the otherhand people like that poor lady and others who have died in similar circumstances deserve justice by putting an end to this horrible act of inequality.
At a time when the vast majority of our babyboomers are going to be dependant on our public healthcare system, our doctors and our nurses can we really afford to keep funding private clinics with public money? I think not! So create facebook groups, join them write in your local or school newspaper and even get on the streets because this issue will become more of a glaring problem the more we ignore it and the country will not look all that different from that of Greece, on the verge of bankruptcy and at the mercy of other nations. I don't want to see that happen to my country and neither do you. So get involved and make a difference.
Thank you for reading. Take care and good luck. Blog posting and S&F article by Marco Zottas
The truth is public funds do go into private clinics, yup your hard earned tax dollars go into giving free healthcare to rich people. That's what it really boils down to. The Government says there is no two tier healthcare yet your money goes into rich people basically getting free healthcare. Money that could be going into our public hospitals creating more spaces, doctors and nurses is being spent at big fancy clinics where the vast majority if not all of its patients are well off or just stinkin rich.
Now I am the first to speak out against two tier healthcare, we've seen the consequences all too often in the Unites States but if this is fact in our private clinics then I would support a system where rich people pay their own way, and not take money meant for the public hospitals. You could see a system where private companies fund these clinics, such as Microsoft or McDonalds or any other big company but not our tax dollars that are meant to go into the public system. The big bad word in the 2000 election was that Canada was becoming a two tier system, well my friends it's about time we do that two tier thang.
In 2004 Jack Layton first run at being Prime Minister, he brought this issue up and was quickly attacked by all sides for using the Shouldice clinic, a perfectly fine co-op facility that used both private donations and public monies. Jack paid his own way and got the hernia treatment he needed. The fact that Jack had just taken over a party that at that point wasn't even an official party in the Canadian Parliament and was being attacked about his private life at a point when he was bringing up this shocking statistic. Well that tells me that the two establishment parties want to keep the status quo and that's just not good enough.
I am writing this in conjunction with S&F magazine a Young New Democrat publication and I hope the readers of the magazine and yourselves who are reading this on my blog contact their members of Parliament and demand an end to this outrageous practice. Just the thought of this happening at a time when an elderly lady just passed away because she couldn't be attended to and died on a stretcher in the hallway of a public hospital near the exit makes me want to break the head of whoever is responsible. Yet on the otherhand people like that poor lady and others who have died in similar circumstances deserve justice by putting an end to this horrible act of inequality.
At a time when the vast majority of our babyboomers are going to be dependant on our public healthcare system, our doctors and our nurses can we really afford to keep funding private clinics with public money? I think not! So create facebook groups, join them write in your local or school newspaper and even get on the streets because this issue will become more of a glaring problem the more we ignore it and the country will not look all that different from that of Greece, on the verge of bankruptcy and at the mercy of other nations. I don't want to see that happen to my country and neither do you. So get involved and make a difference.
Thank you for reading. Take care and good luck. Blog posting and S&F article by Marco Zottas
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
3 Questions to Pierre Trudeau
I'm writing this blog because I believe the Liberal Party of Canada was once a true Socialist Party with Pierre Trudeau as its leader. What type of questions would a 21st century Socialist like me ask the late great Pierre Elliot Trudeau? What would be his response more importantly? Well that I cannot answer for obvious reasons. The one question that can be answered is what is his well respected son doing in a Party that has lost its way when it comes to social responsibilities? This blog could possibly answer that one, so lets get started.
Question number one. What has happened to a Party that once wanted to regulate Alberta oil? Simple that same Party has become buddy buddy with big oil. Just like its establishment cousins the CONservative Party it now makes deals with big oil companies to steer clear of any confrontation like the ones that happened in the late 70's in Western Canada. Is it Mr Trudeau that your Party has lost its balls when it comes to confronting big multi nationals? Or is it because they never had them to begin with and you revolutionized the Party?
Question 2. Why has your Party from being the biggest supporter of social programs in the past a Party that always kept programs like healthcare, the environment and childcare at the top of the funding list has now become the Party of Chretien, Martin and slashgate? Simple the businesses were up to the Liberal collective chin in complaints that they chose to cut social programs to satisfy their new allies. The re re re elections were coming up and big donors were ready to open up, unless social programs were picked over their big pocket books, then the elites would have turned to their old friend the PC's, but of course the Liberal Party was not going to let that happen were they? Their excuse was the deficit and the debt! Well my friends when you make your own mess you fix it we shouldn't have to take the bill for the corporate elites.
Question 3. Finally my final question would be what would you do to fix the party? A party that once was the face of Canada with you as Prime Minister and is now the rear of Canada because it can't stand on its own two feet. The Conservatives are starting to eat away at your traditional support in urban Canada and in you home province of Quebec the NDP the party you should have run for is finally breaking through.
The current predicament the Liberal Party finds itself would make Mr Trudeau spin in his grave and the fact that his eldest son is now a member of that lost party is truly the sadest thing. A bright and educated person like Justin Trudeau would be the last person I would imagine in that party. He (Justin) just stood by as Ignatieff ripped the leadership from the hands of the Liberal Party members and coronated himself king. One thing I am sure of Pierre never would have stood by and just let that slime ball mock the history and democracy of that once great party, but he did and I lost much respect for him for doing that.
Sad to see you go Mr Tudeau, you were one of a kind. Aurevoir!
Question number one. What has happened to a Party that once wanted to regulate Alberta oil? Simple that same Party has become buddy buddy with big oil. Just like its establishment cousins the CONservative Party it now makes deals with big oil companies to steer clear of any confrontation like the ones that happened in the late 70's in Western Canada. Is it Mr Trudeau that your Party has lost its balls when it comes to confronting big multi nationals? Or is it because they never had them to begin with and you revolutionized the Party?
Question 2. Why has your Party from being the biggest supporter of social programs in the past a Party that always kept programs like healthcare, the environment and childcare at the top of the funding list has now become the Party of Chretien, Martin and slashgate? Simple the businesses were up to the Liberal collective chin in complaints that they chose to cut social programs to satisfy their new allies. The re re re elections were coming up and big donors were ready to open up, unless social programs were picked over their big pocket books, then the elites would have turned to their old friend the PC's, but of course the Liberal Party was not going to let that happen were they? Their excuse was the deficit and the debt! Well my friends when you make your own mess you fix it we shouldn't have to take the bill for the corporate elites.
Question 3. Finally my final question would be what would you do to fix the party? A party that once was the face of Canada with you as Prime Minister and is now the rear of Canada because it can't stand on its own two feet. The Conservatives are starting to eat away at your traditional support in urban Canada and in you home province of Quebec the NDP the party you should have run for is finally breaking through.
The current predicament the Liberal Party finds itself would make Mr Trudeau spin in his grave and the fact that his eldest son is now a member of that lost party is truly the sadest thing. A bright and educated person like Justin Trudeau would be the last person I would imagine in that party. He (Justin) just stood by as Ignatieff ripped the leadership from the hands of the Liberal Party members and coronated himself king. One thing I am sure of Pierre never would have stood by and just let that slime ball mock the history and democracy of that once great party, but he did and I lost much respect for him for doing that.
Sad to see you go Mr Tudeau, you were one of a kind. Aurevoir!
Friday, November 27, 2009
HST-The Death of the Liberal Party
The recent passing by Federal Parliament of the harmonization of the sales tax in Ontario and BC might be the climax in the end of the Liberal Party as we once knew it. With leadership problems over the last two years, the ex-leaders wife questioning the party's future and the Martin Cauchon fiasco, the question must now be asked what is the Liberal Party's future in Canadian politics? I know it's the Liberal red machine, but who would have guessed twenty or even ten years ago the party would go into debt or that it would fall to 26 percent? The HST vote next week will be the proverbial fork in the road and which way they vote might impact their legitimacy in future years.
Lets first consider what type of pickle their provincial cousins in Ontario and BC have put Iggy and the gang in. Although the HST has always been Liberal policy the fundamental difference between the Federal and Provincial Liberals is massive. Both Keith Martin of BC and Bob Rae of Ontario missed all three votes in Ottawa. They are not the only ones opposed, Hedi Frey Ujjal Dosanj and other held their nose as they voted for the new tax. In Nova Scotia the Liberal and Conservatives were wiped off the face of the political map by the NDP in what political commentators called a shocking result. Well if they had noticed both the Liberals and the Conservatives supported the HST which not only eliminated peoples income it destroyed the economy.
During the last Federal election Craig Oliver a senior reporter at CTV and a well know Liberal sympathizer wrote an article throwing out there the possibility that the Liberal Party of Canada will be overtaken by the NDP as the left wing party of Canada and that the same party will disapear into oblivion as was the case of the English Liberal Party in the 1920's when it was taken over by the Labour Party. The question was a good one, is the Liberal Party of Canada alienating itself enough from the people that it has the possibility of being overtaken by the NDP? That question cannot be answered by myself, only time can do that, but as we've seen provincially in Nova Scotia the possibility exists.
One thing I do know is that the HST is bad, the income tax cuts are good but to at the same time raise the price of virtually everything else negates all that would be accomplished by an income tax cut. The split within the Federal Liberal Party coupled with the real and honest anger of the people of Ontario and British Columbia doesn't bode well for the Party deemed undefeatable just a few years ago. The base of the Liberals was and has always been the forty hours a week worker not the corporate boss that sits in his or her ivory tower, normal hard working people will undoubably be pissed in Ontario on July 1st when they ring in Canada Day with a brand new tax brought to them by the Liberal Party of Canada and Ontario.
For me the Liberal Party has been on the decline since the late great Pierre Elliot Trudeau left the political scene. Jean Chretien, Paul Martin, Stephane Dion and now Michael Ignatieff have never put Canada first and finally I believe the Party is about to pay a price at the polls that will make Mr Dion's defeat look like a walk in the park.
Now don't get me wrong the Liberal Party is known as the machine for a reason and they can always make a comeback and return to their former glory, but I do not see the love for the Liberal brand as I used to even five years ago. The HST will be the Liberal Party's epitaph and it will read the HST killed the Liberal Party in 2010.
Lets first consider what type of pickle their provincial cousins in Ontario and BC have put Iggy and the gang in. Although the HST has always been Liberal policy the fundamental difference between the Federal and Provincial Liberals is massive. Both Keith Martin of BC and Bob Rae of Ontario missed all three votes in Ottawa. They are not the only ones opposed, Hedi Frey Ujjal Dosanj and other held their nose as they voted for the new tax. In Nova Scotia the Liberal and Conservatives were wiped off the face of the political map by the NDP in what political commentators called a shocking result. Well if they had noticed both the Liberals and the Conservatives supported the HST which not only eliminated peoples income it destroyed the economy.
During the last Federal election Craig Oliver a senior reporter at CTV and a well know Liberal sympathizer wrote an article throwing out there the possibility that the Liberal Party of Canada will be overtaken by the NDP as the left wing party of Canada and that the same party will disapear into oblivion as was the case of the English Liberal Party in the 1920's when it was taken over by the Labour Party. The question was a good one, is the Liberal Party of Canada alienating itself enough from the people that it has the possibility of being overtaken by the NDP? That question cannot be answered by myself, only time can do that, but as we've seen provincially in Nova Scotia the possibility exists.
One thing I do know is that the HST is bad, the income tax cuts are good but to at the same time raise the price of virtually everything else negates all that would be accomplished by an income tax cut. The split within the Federal Liberal Party coupled with the real and honest anger of the people of Ontario and British Columbia doesn't bode well for the Party deemed undefeatable just a few years ago. The base of the Liberals was and has always been the forty hours a week worker not the corporate boss that sits in his or her ivory tower, normal hard working people will undoubably be pissed in Ontario on July 1st when they ring in Canada Day with a brand new tax brought to them by the Liberal Party of Canada and Ontario.
For me the Liberal Party has been on the decline since the late great Pierre Elliot Trudeau left the political scene. Jean Chretien, Paul Martin, Stephane Dion and now Michael Ignatieff have never put Canada first and finally I believe the Party is about to pay a price at the polls that will make Mr Dion's defeat look like a walk in the park.
Now don't get me wrong the Liberal Party is known as the machine for a reason and they can always make a comeback and return to their former glory, but I do not see the love for the Liberal brand as I used to even five years ago. The HST will be the Liberal Party's epitaph and it will read the HST killed the Liberal Party in 2010.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Protectionism Why Not?
Recently United States President Barack Obama visited China on his first trip to Asia as President. There to greet him was Hu Jin Tao the President of the Peoples Republic of China. As per usual had their normal talks on North Korea, Human Rights in China and oh yeah that thing called "free trade". The globalistic chains that enslave us right at this moment as we speak. President Hu began by describing his conversations with the new President. The cordial talks we had, he began were warm in nature and delved into various topics including the economy where we hope we can both "shun Protectionism".
Shun Protectionism? for those who don't know Protectionism is the restraining of free trade by increasing tariffs on foreign goods and restricting quotas as well as other methods to get free trade to stop or at least be limited in scope. Protectionism has been attacked as being anti trade as well as anti union. Here are the facts, I support trade, but if you want to come to my country and trade with my nations businesses, then you have to pay to come in. You do not deserve a free ride beacause you say you will offer jobs and business. We have seen too many times when businesses come to my country and others, make promises and then once the contract is signed, they go back on their word. Prime exanple is in Greece where the port was handed over Chinese Cosco a day before the Greek general elections and now the union nor the government can't do anything, because an anti union party signed the agreement.
As for being anti union, any company associated with free trade and globalization, in my view at least doesn't believe in unions or workers rights. Those companies that promote free trade must be fought tooth and nail by their union to promote fair trade instead. Free trade is another way of saying screw the worker, profit is more important. That attitude must end and must end now, one of the main reasons why Barack Obama was elected President was because he appealed to those workers in the States and elsewhere in North America that loathed NAFTA, and wanted to see changes not only to that treachery but also to other agreements that screwed workers and our country.
If the President goes back on this as he has gone back on Guantanamo Bay then his Presindency will be like Jimmy Carter's, one term. If he takes the Chinese advise and betrays the workers, then he will have hell to pay in November 2012. His vote will erode and the world will be back to the most powerful nation in the world being run by warmongerers(Republican Party). I don't want that and I know the majority of the world doesn't want that either.
All protectionism does is that it imposes taxes on corporations that do not come from this country, both tariffs and quotas would hit its peak, and if you think that is the worst thing we could do, a lot of nations including Brazil and Turkey two of the economy's picked by Forbes magazine 2008 to be the economy's in the world most likely to become powers by 2015. If we want a strong economy, jobs made in Canada, for Canadians by Canadians, then we must adopt protectionism as at least a pilot project for our economic future and well being.
Shun Protectionism? for those who don't know Protectionism is the restraining of free trade by increasing tariffs on foreign goods and restricting quotas as well as other methods to get free trade to stop or at least be limited in scope. Protectionism has been attacked as being anti trade as well as anti union. Here are the facts, I support trade, but if you want to come to my country and trade with my nations businesses, then you have to pay to come in. You do not deserve a free ride beacause you say you will offer jobs and business. We have seen too many times when businesses come to my country and others, make promises and then once the contract is signed, they go back on their word. Prime exanple is in Greece where the port was handed over Chinese Cosco a day before the Greek general elections and now the union nor the government can't do anything, because an anti union party signed the agreement.
As for being anti union, any company associated with free trade and globalization, in my view at least doesn't believe in unions or workers rights. Those companies that promote free trade must be fought tooth and nail by their union to promote fair trade instead. Free trade is another way of saying screw the worker, profit is more important. That attitude must end and must end now, one of the main reasons why Barack Obama was elected President was because he appealed to those workers in the States and elsewhere in North America that loathed NAFTA, and wanted to see changes not only to that treachery but also to other agreements that screwed workers and our country.
If the President goes back on this as he has gone back on Guantanamo Bay then his Presindency will be like Jimmy Carter's, one term. If he takes the Chinese advise and betrays the workers, then he will have hell to pay in November 2012. His vote will erode and the world will be back to the most powerful nation in the world being run by warmongerers(Republican Party). I don't want that and I know the majority of the world doesn't want that either.
All protectionism does is that it imposes taxes on corporations that do not come from this country, both tariffs and quotas would hit its peak, and if you think that is the worst thing we could do, a lot of nations including Brazil and Turkey two of the economy's picked by Forbes magazine 2008 to be the economy's in the world most likely to become powers by 2015. If we want a strong economy, jobs made in Canada, for Canadians by Canadians, then we must adopt protectionism as at least a pilot project for our economic future and well being.
The End of Liberal Democracy In Canada
Now the title might throw some people off. The end of Liberal Democracy in Canada doesn't mean the political ideology is dying or dead, no far from it. It is a play on words describing the illegal crowning of Michael Ignatieff as leader of the Liberal Party and more importantly as leader of the opposition. The Napoleonic self-crowning took but a few short weeks and it stems from my first blog posting. Yes the dreaded Parliamentary crisis of December 2008 created the mockary of Democracy within the Liberal Party of Canada that culminated in Michael Ignatieff becoming leader of the Party and opposition.
It all began that day in December when the Govenor General and the Prime Minister conspired to keep things in order by derailing the coalition. At the time the entire Liberal caucus including Ignatieff that the coalition was the right way to go. Well after the Dion office speach debacle the higherarchy of the Liberal Party decided to act and relieve Stephane Dion, the elected leader of the party and hand over the keys to "Iggy".
The other leadership candidates from the Montreal convention just two years earlier began to question the arrangement including Bob Rae who was the co favorite with Ignatieff both in Montreal and post Dion dumping day. Then a week later after the new year came and went it was decided again by the top brass that there wouldn't even be a vote or possibly even a convention for that matter. It allegedly was decided because of the crucial time period and the possiblity of the government falling.
I began to think, this is not only not the party of Pierre Elliot Trudeau anymore, but it was becoming an anti democratic and unconstitutional party as well. My next question was why would the common Liberal Party member put up with this Napoleonic self-crowning of a leader? Well obviously other party members were asking the same question because a few days later it was announced by the elites in the party, oh yeah and Iggy as well, that there would be a convention Vancouver in April of 2009.
When asked by reporters whether the "only Iggy candidacy" stood, they said it would be up to Bob and the rest to decide that. A week later, one by one fell into the party trap and stood aside as their new king was to be crowned. Except that good old Bob didn't immediately give up on democracy. It took some arm twisting and the fact that the most recent arrival to the party felt like an outsider, thus he wilted under the pressure and jumped on the Iggy bandwagon.
If I was a Liberal Party member I would have torn up my membership once Ignatieff was crowned the new opposition leader. On May 2nd 2009 democracy died in the Liberal Party, Ignatieff was crowned leader of the Party and opposition. It is time for a new generation of people to take over the party and throw out the new king. Oh yeah and once he became the crowned prince of the Liberal Party he renounced the coalition that would have saved Canada from the US styled Neo Cons. Like most times Canadians will now be bombarded by the media elite that the next election is between the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party.
Don't believe the hype, if that is the case then Canada is doomed into going in circles in that garden maze and never getting out. Before this episode the Liberal Party could at least be counted on to show more democratic principles than the protect property don't give money to social program Conservatives who have shown a history of backstabbing good people and politicians. I am afraid that the two Parties are now completely the same in all forms, and the only way to defeat them is to organize and annahilate them as political forces.
I will personally start with the Liberal Party, how will you start? If the people within the Liberal and Conservative Parties don't do it then the people will collectively do it for them. These archaic beliefs don't fly anymore, people in this country should and won't stand for this kind of desecration of our national democracy. I call on all Liberal Party member friends of mine to question this instance in the great history of your Party and think is this the party I joined or is this the party that will eliminate the hardships the Conservatives have caused? I leave it up to you to decide.
It all began that day in December when the Govenor General and the Prime Minister conspired to keep things in order by derailing the coalition. At the time the entire Liberal caucus including Ignatieff that the coalition was the right way to go. Well after the Dion office speach debacle the higherarchy of the Liberal Party decided to act and relieve Stephane Dion, the elected leader of the party and hand over the keys to "Iggy".
The other leadership candidates from the Montreal convention just two years earlier began to question the arrangement including Bob Rae who was the co favorite with Ignatieff both in Montreal and post Dion dumping day. Then a week later after the new year came and went it was decided again by the top brass that there wouldn't even be a vote or possibly even a convention for that matter. It allegedly was decided because of the crucial time period and the possiblity of the government falling.
I began to think, this is not only not the party of Pierre Elliot Trudeau anymore, but it was becoming an anti democratic and unconstitutional party as well. My next question was why would the common Liberal Party member put up with this Napoleonic self-crowning of a leader? Well obviously other party members were asking the same question because a few days later it was announced by the elites in the party, oh yeah and Iggy as well, that there would be a convention Vancouver in April of 2009.
When asked by reporters whether the "only Iggy candidacy" stood, they said it would be up to Bob and the rest to decide that. A week later, one by one fell into the party trap and stood aside as their new king was to be crowned. Except that good old Bob didn't immediately give up on democracy. It took some arm twisting and the fact that the most recent arrival to the party felt like an outsider, thus he wilted under the pressure and jumped on the Iggy bandwagon.
If I was a Liberal Party member I would have torn up my membership once Ignatieff was crowned the new opposition leader. On May 2nd 2009 democracy died in the Liberal Party, Ignatieff was crowned leader of the Party and opposition. It is time for a new generation of people to take over the party and throw out the new king. Oh yeah and once he became the crowned prince of the Liberal Party he renounced the coalition that would have saved Canada from the US styled Neo Cons. Like most times Canadians will now be bombarded by the media elite that the next election is between the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party.
Don't believe the hype, if that is the case then Canada is doomed into going in circles in that garden maze and never getting out. Before this episode the Liberal Party could at least be counted on to show more democratic principles than the protect property don't give money to social program Conservatives who have shown a history of backstabbing good people and politicians. I am afraid that the two Parties are now completely the same in all forms, and the only way to defeat them is to organize and annahilate them as political forces.
I will personally start with the Liberal Party, how will you start? If the people within the Liberal and Conservative Parties don't do it then the people will collectively do it for them. These archaic beliefs don't fly anymore, people in this country should and won't stand for this kind of desecration of our national democracy. I call on all Liberal Party member friends of mine to question this instance in the great history of your Party and think is this the party I joined or is this the party that will eliminate the hardships the Conservatives have caused? I leave it up to you to decide.
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