An Open Letter to Prime Minister of Canada (satire)

To the Honorable Stephen Harper, Primie Minister of Canada and representative of Parliament, the Prime Minister's Office and all the taxpayers of the Dominion of Canada

You asked the Canadian taxpayers to bail out the Canadian auto industry, because its investors refused to pay more taxes and because its CEOs refused to put a ceiling on their salaries.

You secretly bailed out the banking industry for exactly the same reasons but denied it was a bailout.

Instead, you let these same CEOs and investors invent the lie that it was union wages that broke the back of Big Business in Canada, despite the enormous profits which leave the country to hide behind Grand Cayman and Swiss tax laws.

If Canada has a national debt, then it is not because labour is expensive. Rather, it is because Big Business in Canada refuses to put a ceiling on corporate executive salaries and has threatened to leave Canada should Ottawa raise corporate taxes even by 1%.

In my rhetoric, I will not use math to decry corporate greed is actually ruining the country. For math has been used to justify corporate salaries and balancing the budget. It has even been used to propose an American solution to Ottawa's fiscal woes, woes which are solely because of corporate greed and Big Business' ability to corrupt Canadian politics.

Instead, I present this open letter to you, Mr Harper.

What are you going to do about the immoral act of Big Business, which collects more taxpayers' money to pay its CEOs salaries than Canada's provinces have paid to legitimate people on welfare? In fact, CEOs get money to invest in putting a roof over their business. Yet most of those CEOs decry welfare moms despite the fact that most single mothers are more deserving of provincial benefits than CEOs are of taxpayers' money.

Yes, I know that part of business profits also contribute to CEO salaries. However, raising such salaries help bankrupt Big Business because they are often a bigger expense than workers' wages.

In short, the real reason why we have a huge national debt is because your salary and the salary of all your ministers and the PMO is a bigger expense than the salaries of your civil servants. Yes, I know the latter's salaries put together may be greater than you and your cronies are getting but your current senator scandal devalues civil servants' salaries.

Why are the taxpayers now having to cover senators' expenses?

I'm not proposing a solution to this problem because it cannot be fixed without more problems arising. Instead, I propose the following should be done because it is the right thing to do:

1) Continue funding of the Vancouver Onsite project. Your rhetoric in Parliament and that of your colleagues show that the elitism of plutocrats is the main reason for continuing the oppression of the poor, many of whom are drug users and/or homeless.

2) Dissolve the Narcotics Control Act. The war on drugs on Canada has only become another attack on the taxpayers by supporting immoral actions such as Green Teams and changes to the Canadian Criminal Code which almost makes entrapment legal.

According to the changes to the act regarding marijuana, if two or more friends and I were to start a pot dispensary, then the law deems us a "gang" and our distribution of medical marijuana as "drug trafficking" with a minimum fine of $1000 and at least 2 years in jail, even if we encourage non-violence and comply with provincial law.

3) Legalize prostitution. This will stop criminals from oppressing girls and women. You cannot legalize drugs without considering making prostitution legal. This too is harm reduction in action. I would rather a prostitute lower her hourly wage to under $50 a hour and get free medical checkup for STDs than continue the oppression of sex workers by letting them ensure another day of deplorable working conditions. In fact, Canadian provincial government should apply harm reduction to prostitution.

Suggestions 2 and 3 are my solution to the national debt. It would reduce drug crime. It would reduce crime related to prostitution.

Taxes collected from medical marijuana sales can go to marijuana rehabilitation programs and pay for pharmaceuticals such as mirtazapine which is a better sedative than THC or even the benzodiazepines, except for people allergic to anti-histamines. In those rare cases, I have to ask them, "Why would you even use cannabis when inhaling too much might kill you?"

Taxes collected from prostitution can fund medical care for them and even supply the wages to the needed security guards to provide protection from sexual deviants and psychopaths. As well, it would be a good idea to put the cannabis dispensaries within range of a brothel since the prices would be so affordable, it'd be like a bank robbery if a criminal robs the dispensary and like rape if a sexual psychopath tries to harm a prostitute.

As well, you need to listen to experts on psychopaths and sociopaths and implement their recommendations. You also need to pay close attention to pundits who decry character disturbances and narcissism. Then take a closer look in the mirror and get the senators and Parliament help now!

Sincerely,

A Canadian taxpayer, just like everyone else

Love is Better than Anger

"Love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world." - Jack Layton, 1950-2011 RIP

Matthew Fox on Pope Benedict

I read one of his articles, Opus Dei Sunday, about Pope Benedict, formerly Cardinal Ratzinger.

Written in 2002, Fox criticizes the Pope's recent canonization of the founder of opus dei, Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer.

He goes on to decry the replacement of theological debate with ideology within the RCC which occurred over the previous 24 years.

The ironic thing is, very few popular conservatives criticized the canonization, possibly because they feared losing the support of their Catholic followers.

Source: http://www.opednews.com/foxMatthew_041905_ratzinger.htm

Canada Post & Privatization: Trying to Make Sense of the 2011 Postal Strike

Disclaimer: all errors in this blog entry are my own. Please post corrections in comments.
Updated: 20111116.1557

In the news today (June 23, 2011), I read about Canada Post Corporation (CPC) and the government offers to the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.

From what I've read, CPC's original offer before they locked out postal workers is better than what the government offers.

So I decided to double-check what I'd read. As of June 17, CPC's recent offer consists of:

Annual wage increases that will bring the top wage rate to $26 an hour

Continued job security

No changes to a fully indexed defined benefit pension plan

Comprehensive health benefits for employees and retirees

Generous vacation leave that gives employees up to seven weeks off each year

The same sick leave program that has been implemented for other employees

CUPW states in its bulletin for June 20, 2011:

"Lower Wages Imposed by the law: The bill legislates wage increases that fall significantly below Canada Post’s last offer of 1.9% in 2011, 2012 and 2013, and 2.0 % in 2014. The law includes increases of 1.75 % in 2011, 1.5% in 2012, 2% in 2013 and 2% in 2014. This would take $875.50 out of the pockets of an average full-time postal worker during the four years of the agreement. It represents a theft of $35 million from postal workers and their families."

On June 2, 2011 CPC compromised with a final offer:

The Short-Term Disability Program will be put on hold and will be reviewed by a joint union-management committee. If no agreement is negotiated, the issue would be referred to binding arbitration.

Employees hired in the future will have a starting wage of $19 an hour – rising to the same $26 an hour maximum as existing employees;

Employees hired in the future will have a Defined Benefit pension plan;

Employees hired in the future will have the same job security provisions as current regular employees;

Employees hired in the future will have up to six weeks of vacation based on the same schedule as current regular employees;

A study on the feasibility of retail business growth ideas in urban centres.

In response to CPC's final offer, CUPW stated in their counter-demand on June 7, 2011:

"We have maintained our demand for a wage increase of 3.3% in the first year and 2.75% in each of the following three years."

After three weeks of rotating strikes which began on June 2, the postal workers were locked out on June 14, a week before they stuck to their demand for the wage increase.

Commentary:

So let me get recap this: postal workers consistently stick to their demand for a reasonable wage. After engaging in rotating strikes for three weeks, they reject the CPC compromise on June 20.

At this point, the Harper government tables a back-to-work bill which not only reduces the hourly wages of employees but makes the CPC offer of May 24 and its compromise of June 2 look better than the government offer.

As it stands, the government bill renders the CPC / CUPW collective bargaining process moot.

Meanwhile the Canadian economy is losing money because mail is delayed.

As well, with rent checks being delayed, there's potential for renters being evicted by unsympathetic landlords who enforce a strict tenancy policy.

Under arbitration, both CUPW and CPC are going to give their final offers.

Once the final offers are tabled, the government arbitrator picks the lowest offer.

This may not address the issues CUPW has brought up:

Improved rotation of duties, which includes Video Encoding work

One bundle delivery method

Ergonomic studies

Proper time values for letter carriers

Reduction of forced overtime

Meanwhile, the CPC gave out myths in an attempt to get Canadians to side with them — mainly the neo-conservatives who are 100% behind Harper and support corporations.

In response CUPW debunked these myths at their website.

After researching the Canadian postal strike, I'd like to state that most people don't like either side's position. The CPC compromised a lot from its original position of May 19, 2011.

Yet CUPW has consistently stuck to their offer without compromise. This has resulted in unsympathetic Canadians unfairly accusing the postal workers of being behind the times.

Also, increased automation inside mail sorting plants has led to the assumption that inside postal workers work less than delivery personnel. Actually, automation makes mail delivery more efficient as evidenced by the example of the Quebec City mail processing plant before its shutdown in 2007.

After Quebec City's plant was shut down, mail now gets trucked to Montreal for processing and sent back, resulting in reduced efficiency.

To ensure the same quality of service, Montreal workers have to work harder, which will cause work-related injuries and worker complaints to rise.

On one side you have a Crown corporation being run like a business.

This began with profit demands by Ottawa, first under the Liberal government since 1997, which led to closure of the Quebec City plant in 2007 and more pressure on CPC to privatize.

CPC also practices spin doctoring to malign postal workers, thus poisoning arbitration sessions with postal workers.

On the other side you have a postal workers' union wanting the maximum benefit for their members.

This includes reopening the postal bank, which was closed in 1969.

In 2005, the Liberal government tabled a part on the postal bank system. Recently past CPC president Moya Greene said "Twenty years from now a successful Canada Post will be focusing on new things. We’ll be using the retail network not just to sell you a stamp, but we’ll be using it to distribute other products. Telephones for example. Maybe other financial services.".

Under her leadership, profits tripled to $281 million despite revenues going down almost 6% despite increased work complaints and work-related injury related to reduced labor force, who had to do more work.

Later on, in July 2010, Greene left CPC with a 94.5% strike vote and became the head of the British Royal Mail, to spread privatization to Great Britain.

Greene was the public servant who helped British retirees immigrate to Canada before moving to Transport Canada, overseeing the privatization of CNR, commercialization of the port system and the deregulation of the Canadian airline industry, saving millions of tax dollars.

She then went onto overhaul unemployment insurance in Canada.

As a reward, the Liberals appointed her president of CPC in 2005.

What does this have to do with the postal strike? Well, her work at privatization began circa 1991-1996 while in Transport Canada. In 1997, the Liberal government was rumored to privately consider privatization of Canada Post but quickly denied it publicly.

In fact, publicly all political parties in Canada deny their wish to privatize CPC. Yet there is pressure from Ottawa to maintain high profits at Crown corporation.

Recently, the right-wing think tanks the Fraser Institute and CD Howe Institute called for privatization of Crown corporation to improve the profit margin whilst retooling the labour pool i.e. offering early retirement for specialized personnel who will then be replaced with inadequately trained clerical staff and temporary workers.

One of the reasons the postal strike occurred is the public demand for tax dollars to be spent efficiently, despite the fact that CPC made Ottawa a lot of money during the four years Greene was president.

This public demand for fiscal responsibility led to pressure by Ottawa for CPC to remain profitable through automation, retooling of specialized staff, and hiring of temporary workers.

References:


Timeline of Canada postal strike from CUPW's point of view: http://www.cupw.ca/index.cfm/ci_id/10625/la_id/1.htm

Timeline of postal strike from CPC's point of view: http://media.infopost.ca/en/archives/

CPC myths debunked:

http://www.cupw.ca/index.cfm/ci_id/13119/la_id/1.htm

http://www.cupw.ca/index.cfm/ci_id/13225/la_id/1.htm

CPC's recent offer: http://media.infopost.ca/en/2011/06/canada-post-prepared-to-discuss-its-fair-offer-with-cupw/

CUPW Bulletin for June 20, 2011 (CPC's final offer and the government's offer): http://www.cupw.ca/index.cfm/ci_id/13322/la_id/1.htm

CUPW Bulletin for June 7, 2011 (counter-demand): http://www.cupw.ca/index.cfm/ci_id/13146/la_id/1.htm

CUPW Bulletin for June 2, 2011 (strike action begins): http://www.cupw.ca/index.cfm/ci_id/13056/la_id/1.htm

CPC's final offer: http://media.infopost.ca/en/2011/06/canada-post-wants-to-continue-negotiating/

CBC - MPs debating Canada Post bill: http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2011/06/23/pol-canada-post.html

CUPW Bulletin for June 4 (CUPW issues with CPC offer): http://www.cupw.ca/index.cfm/ci_id/13092/la_id/1.htm

CUPW Bulletin for September 26, 2005 (Quebec city mail processing plant efficient before closure): http://www.cupw.ca/5/6/2/1/index1.shtml

Privatization by political parties:

http://www.cupw.ca/5/5/2/9/index1.shtml

http://www.cupw.ca/5/5/2/4/index1.shtml

Spin doctoring by CPC:
http://www.cupw.ca/1/1/2/5/6/index1.shtml

Postal bank:

http://www.cupw.ca/index.cfm/ci_id/12549/la_id/1/print/true.htm

Canada Post Corporation as a Provider of Financial and Government Services: The Way of the Future?

• http://www.parl.gc.ca/Content/LOP/researchpublications/prb0514-e.htm

Moya Greene:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moya_Greene

http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=10524796&privcapId=4161380&previousCapId=24980220&previousTitle=TIM%20HORTONS%20INC

http://www.thestar.com/business/article/833638--canada-post-ceo-moya-greene-takes-her-leave

Canada Post and privatization:

http://www.fraserinstitute.org/newsandevents/commentaries/6626.aspx

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/business/story.html?id=a9bc57ce-72ca-4f2f-9990-6aa9a3ddbdb9&k=41788

http://www.cupw.ca/index.cfm/ci_id/8970/la_id/1.htm

"Who's that Girl?"

When I scoped out this picture of Prime Minister Harper, his chief of defense and associated military brass, I thought, who is the female aide to PM Harper on the far right?

She is military, but she isn't wearing the green, but won't ever be at the front because she's too valuable being the Harper's gofer.

Let's hope she stays out of trouble after hours and makes a long stay in the PMO.

Any trouble won't be entirely her fault, though. How would I know? Well, the government is always a patriarchy carefully watched over by a benign matriarchal group of underlings...

Globalism May Mitigate Racial Diversity's Influence On Racism

Racial diversity may encourage racism when nationalism blinds onself to pan-Asian-ism.

For when one opens one's eyes to the East, one's world becomes greater than the West.

Consequently you may have the whole world in your hand.

Indeed, if one is blinded to globalism, then one is very small indeed.

Thus do I believe it needs to be said again:

"Think globally, act locally!"

Why Marijuana is Still Criminalized In Canada

According to Canadian mass media, it may appear that the only reason marijuana is kept illegal is so that grow-ops can pop up in suburban neighbourhoods for concerned citizens to find and report to the police, all to justify the "war on Drugs" mentality.

For the Canadian national drug policy criminalizes marijuana manufacture and limits the amount a person can possess before possession charges may be applied.

By making illegal the possession of marijuana and by criminalizing its manufacture, Canada can justify a war-on-drugs mentality with stronger laws regarding marijuana.

In essence, the law makes marijuana valuable to criminals who then can create demand.

Grow-ops flourish specifically because marijuana is illegal. If it were legal and regulated by government, illegal grow-ops would case to exist.

Consequently, if marijuana were legal, then the danger associated with manufacture would be eliminated.

Between 1999 and 2003, the decriminalization of marijuana was debated in Ottawa.

Because of strong pressure by the US, much of the recommendations made by Canadian senators were quietly ignored by Ottawa.

Additionally, the national Green Team was too lucrative for the RCMP to agree to changes in the law that would impact their public service.

Thus, criminalizing marijuana profits both the criminals and the police.

And that's what makes marijuana dangerous, not the plant itself.

Belinda refered to as "dog" by McKay

Dear Belinda,

I hear that your exlover Mackay called you a dog.

If you join the Sex Party, then no one will be calling you dog.

At least, not if they respect you.

Sincerely,
Steve