I sure enjoyed the story on the CBC blog yesterday before they pulled it. NDP way ahead in this latest survey. The comments section is always the best. 95 percent of the comments was thumbs up to this snd the things everyone was saying boutz crusty was jusT GRRRRRRR —– ATE. The lieberals is toast. And that article by Peter the other day suggesting maybe the liberals could be re elected? LMAO. The Liez iz just boutz over for crusty and the bird man. Just wait a few more months and WE THE PEOPLE is gonna see y’all FIRED. LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL. After that we extinguish the hst. How’z that sound to every one?

FRIDAY YAAAAA!!!!

Only my wednesday, but have a great friday everyone.I made a mental note last friday, to myself, to watch for texting drivers for one week. I don’t do alot of driving, the usual to and from work , for shopping and appointments……27 texters I saw in one week and most of them were on my 15 min commute to and from work. Am I missing something here, I thought this was a law. Maybe instead of pulling my ass over for a seatbelt check we could have better monitoring on this. Have a great Friday all.

Train derailment below the Salmon Valley overpass this morning.

Wow, must be about six derailments in the last month. Have a good weekend!!

Wow, must be about six derailments in the last month. Have a good weekend!!

Sorry about the double

And no one predicted what happened in Quebec the last Federal election.

During these difficult times there has been a noticable shift to the right in most western countries. While people may poll on ideology on election day we all want someone to try maintain the status quo. It will be the Liberals, but it will be tight.

Detractors of the Liberals can cite the sale of BC Rail and the HST. These are situations where well informed people generally agree with the Liberals however labour and the unions are going to disagree. Governments dont do a good job off running businesses and should focus on running Government. In the end all taxes are paid by people. You cant shift the burden from businesses to people.

Detractors of the NDP can cite the fast ferries and Skeena Cellulose. There is no defending these epic wastes of taxpayer dollars. I dont care who you are you cannot defend this level of stupidity.

So really the next election will be about the lengh of peoples memmories. All political parties are going to make mistakes. But some mistakes are indefensible.

An interesting article in the Tyee, read the whole article here

http://thetyee.ca/News/2012/02/02/Northern-Gateway-Inflationary-Threat/

Excerpted highlights…

A noted economist has concluded that “Northern Gateway is neither needed nor is in the public interest.”

Allan,rated by the National Post as one of Canada’s top 200 CEOs, is the former president and CEO of the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia.

“The upshot is that Canadian refinery demand… will have its market price determined as if the transactions for Canadian crude oil supply and demand take in place in the Asian market.” (The Chinese government heavily subsidizes the price of oil in its economy.)

As a consequence, the project will raise the price of oil with no commensurate change in production or efficiency; it will enrich a few global oil companies such as Sinopec and it will increase inflationary pressures in Canada for decades.

“Northern Gateway is about a redistribution of income from consumers and business that use oil and oil-based products as inputs, to oil producers… Canadians certainly do not want to irrevocably adopt a crude oil energy strategy whereby, as exporters of oil we become importers of inflation,” wrote Allan.

As a result, the project will not build the nation’s economy but actually shrink it.

In addition, Allan characterizes the reduction of Enbridge’s insurance coverage for oil spills to $575 million as “likely insufficient” to cover the cost of any real spills along the 1,000 kilometre pipeline over mountainous terrain.

Enbridge’s benefit case (five of its 12 corporate directors are U.S. citizens) says the project will not aggravate the nation’s “Dutch Disease,” a common challenge for all oil-exporting nations that raises the value of currency and trashes the output of local manufacturers.

Allan, however, found the project would make things worse. “The project promises a sustained increase in the price of crude oil which will serve to appreciate the Canadian dollar, raise inflation and interest rates. Those pressures will work negatively on Canada’s other exporting sectors to decrease output and employment further.”

Enbridge’s economic benefit model assumes that exchange rates will remain at 85 cents for 30 years. But given that the Canadian dollar is now pegged to rising oil prices, “that assumption falls apart. The project will put pressure on exchange rates and rising exchange rates can also lead to net losses for the oil industry,” added Allan.

Born in BC:-“In the end all taxes are paid by people. You cant shift the burden from businesses to people.”

——————————————
Yes, you’re quite right in saying that, Born in BC, though very few people here seem to be aware of that. Only when it comes to the HST you should ask WHICH ‘people’.

Under PST the Capital Cost Allowance of plant and equipment subject to PST included that tax. When those Capital Costs were recovered over time through allocations for depreciation being charged into the prices of the products they were producing, the PST portion paid by the business was mostly recovered from FOREIGN buyers of our products. Likewise any PST charged on items that were operating Costs. Because most BC products are destined for export, not domestic consumption.

It is true that this also resulted in some double taxation in the case of products sold here, but this is something that could have been dealt with by any government that was truly FOR British Columbians.

The BC Liberals are clearly NOT that kind of government, nor, in all likelihood, would the NDP be if it were charged with writing a new PST to replace the HST.

The problem with our governments, no matter under which moniker those elected to form them attach to themselves, is that they now seem to regard government as some kind of profit generating enterprise which gets to charge more through taxation for the goods and services it provides than what they’re really worth.

They do this because they do not do their books in the same way other businesses do theirs. And because of this, what would be treated as profit in business accounting ~ an increase in Assets over Liabilities ~ has no equivalent in government accounting. They look on a budgetary surplus as the equivalent, but it is not the same thing.

We should start to ask ourselves this,
” What good is Balanced Budget in government, if the only way that can currently be achieved is to UNBALANCE YOUR own budget?” (Which is already, on average, highly unbalanced ~ or citizens, on average, wouldn’t be $ 1.53 in hock for every $ 1.00 of disposable income left to them.) Where is there any REAL advantage in this to the citizens that governments are supposed to represent? There is none. It’s painted as being a sign of being ‘fiscally responsible’, but in the final analysis all it really is currently is a sign of flawed accounting.

When we persist in trying to re-distribute through taxation what is, and will remain, a collective INSUFFICIENCY (of ‘money’ itself, relative to collective ‘price values’ expressed in money), we’re engaging in an exercise in futility. Our economy, with all its very REAL potential to produce and deliver goods and services capable of greatly improving the standard of living of ALL British Columbians, is hamstrung by flawed figures that are not an accurate ‘reflection’ of anything.

I suppose that one could make the same argument about Natural Gas, or Lumber, or Coal etc; and for that matter electrical power. We export all these commodities to the tune of billions of dollars.

This whole question of importing and exporting oil is beyond comprehension. As an example, how many people are aware of the fact that most of the oil consumed in the Easter Provinces like Ontario, Quebec, etc; is imported from Norway. Why would Canada with all its oil be importing millions of barrels per year???

Part of the answer is the Free Trade Agreement, and our requirement that we export a substantive amount of our oil to the USA. This doesnt leave sufficient oil to supply Eastern Canada, hence the imports.

Can we change this situation?? Who the hell knows. All this business is driven by the Multi National oil companies, and they will go to the markets where they make the most money.

We have similiar problems with the export of electricity, where we claim that we have a shortage of power, when in fact we have a surplus, but a large amount of our power is sold to the Americans, by BC Hydro, through their subsidiary PowerEx Corp. The surplus power comes from the Columbia River agreement, and the power that we receive from the downstream benefits of this agreement is sold in the US by PowerEx. If this power were exported to Canada we would have a surplus. So Hydro through its subsidiary generates $255 Million a year on the sale of this power. Where does the money go??

The problem with Canada and BC in particular is that we have all the major projects taking place in secrecy and we rarely if ever know what the hell is going on. The completion of Kemano (2) Tunnel by Rio Tinto, is another example. Whats the real story behind the completion of this tunnel?? Will it mean an increase in the production of power, and the further degradation of the Nechako River?? Who knows.

What we need is more honest and up front information on these projects, however I doubt if that will ever happen.

Cat has just announced the permanent closing of the Electo-motive plant in London Ontario. Not so long ago Harper had a photo-op when Cat bought the plant and Harper essentially gave them 5 million dollars.
400 hourly are now out of work plus all the spin-off losses.
A great example of how the HST is creating employment in Ontario and BC needed the HST to stay competitive with Ontario.

400 jobs lost at Cat, 700 lost at CanPages. Suggesting OAS payments be delayed to 67 years of age. Conservative Senators suggesting murderers be given a rope in their cells…. Just another week in Harper’s Canada.

The rope thing has a bit of a ring to it!

Clear streets and let the potholes begin!

Good post Pal. Our trade sould be going east and west across Canada instead we feed the hungry Americans to the South.

There was an artical published many years ago in an electrical trade magazine.We could reduce our electric power production if BC was tide in with power to eastern Canada.

Because there are peak consumptions during different times of the day the idea was that as power consumption decresde in eastern Canada because of the time zones consumption would increase in western Canada.

However the peak periods of consumption are where BC Hydro will be making big bucks with the installation of smart meters when they apply to the Utilities Commission for slidimng rates with higher rates during peak periods. These meters will then be even smarter.
Cheers

I wonder maybe if someone could tell me what the truckers get out of drag racing each other with fully loaded trucks down the Hart and the so called bypass? Is it just to piss drivers off or is there some kind of intelligent reasoning behind it? Just wondering.

well according to newtechie, as long as you are doing the posted speed limit you can ignore the “keep right except to pass” signs so… ;-)

“I wonder maybe if someone could tell me what the truckers get out of drag racing each other with fully loaded trucks down the Hart and the so called bypass? Is it just to piss drivers off or is there some kind of intelligent reasoning behind it? Just wondering. “

I was wondering that myself. I guess pissing other people off is the only satisfaction they get out of life?

If they are going to the same destination then I would say that its **He who gets there first, gets unloaded first**, however its probably no more than getting a kick out of being a truck driver.

With all the announcements lately from the Liberal Government I am willing to predict that we will have an election this spring.

Christy (Smiley) Clark is between a rock and a hard place. If she goes now she has just as good a chance as later. By going now she takes away a year of time for other parties, especially the Conservatives to get ready.

If you go by the polls she has nothing to gain by waiting.

My guess is that they will move up the reinstating date of the PST by approx one year, admit that they screwed up, but show that they corrected the ;problem, and then along with all the other annoucements call an election.

Christy needs an election so she can get rid of some of the **deadwood** hanging around her neck from the Campbell days. ie; Falcon, Hanson, Bond, Bell, Rustad, just to name a few. None of these dudes supported her bid for the leadership.

If she doesnt get these people first, they will get her, as there is no love lost between the two camps.

I did not catch all the details surrounding the news story of an elderly couple being seperated from each other because of available care facilities. But what I did hear angered me to the point of total disgust for the way our health care operates. This couple has been married for 70+ years,they are in the mid 90’s,He is a Canadian Navy Vet who was stationed on the HMCS Athabascan, This ship was sunk during the war and he survied only to spend one year as a POW. And now this government cannot find a way to keep them together. If anyone deserves a good pension and to be taken care of it is this man and not these people who are in charge of his fate. To you people who are in charge of taking care of those who need it or deserve it I have no respect for you.
Harsh words I know but I am pissed off!!

We have lots of oil to supply Eastern Canada, even after exporting all that we do to the USA. The reason we don’t supply that oil has to do with the way the money system works.

No modern industrial country can purchase ALL its own production and fully pay for it from the total amount of wages, salaries, and dividends distributed as Incomes in the course of making that production.

The difference between what it COST to make the production it CAN purchase, and the total amount of money distributed as Incomes in that same period of time, has to be made up by either Loan and/or Export Credits.

Loan Credits have to be repaid from the sale of FUTURE production. But if we can’t sell all we’re producing now in our own markets, how then are we going to sell an increased amount of production in the future? It’s a mathematical impossibility. And only can be made to work at all, and then only badly, through constantly accelerating growth in productive capacity, and an exponential growth in overall debt.

To gain Export Credits EVERY industrial country tries to export more than it imports, to run what is called a ‘favourable’ Balance of Trade. This is again a mathematical impossibility. Ultimately it leads to economic collapse because the ‘figures’ simply get too far out of sync with the ‘facts’. Then we have a war. We’d still sooner kill each other than ever take a look at changing those ‘figures’ to make them continually REFLECT the ‘facts’ they’re supposed to.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/business/just%2Brefine%2Bbitumen%2BCanada/6065278/story.html

Interesting article on why we don’t see refineries going up and why the east imports oil from Norway.

Can’t seem to make the link live, so cut and paste if interested.

Here is an interesting article, I wonder what road lines are?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/02/02/bc-road-markings-fading.html

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/business/just%2Brefine%2Bbitumen%2BCanada/6065278/story.html

Good call Palopu…I think you are pretty close on how this is going to go down.
It may actually be to the B.C.Liberals advantage to go to the polls sooner than later.
The longer they wait,the worse it is going to get, and the mutual hate level within the cabinet is only going to increase…particularly between Clark and pit vipers like Mr.Nasty,Kevin Falcon.
They also run the risk of more bad PR spilling out from under the rug.

I have read the artical that PG has given us the url address for.

Sounds like another Fraser Insitute idea which is all about profit. If they gave less to the share holders and spent a few bucks on secondary industry would probably work.
Cheers

Born in BC, question for ya, Why are the fiberals called the Fiberals.

Oil sold to the US is underpriced. They know we cannot sell it anywhere else at volume so will not buy it at world price. Selling to China would give us at least 20 bucks more a barrel, world price. At the same time maybe shut the taps off to the US in answer to Cat shutting down back east.

Ask the CAW about the Cat plant that closed down… That’s who caused it.
Cat “we have plants producing these cheaper elsewhere. We cannot continue with $35 per hour button pushers”
CAW “too bad we are the union and don’t negotiate”
Cat “ok, plants closed, we will build them elsewhere”

Interceptor, I agree, unions are so oversold!

See Christy wants to encourage more Independent power Producers. It is the huge contracts meted to these friends of the fiberals why our power rates are shooting up. She then talks about LNG plants but at the same time we have to pay a carbon tax, laugh riot. Those that support this band of crooks must also be on the take.

There we go again …. carbon tax .. and the usual suspect .. seamutt .. ;-)

Hey Sea: What about the other band…of….fools. You know, them that call themselves freinds of the unions and the working stiff. Seems as long as they keep giving the unions lip service, they’ve got it made. Real sad. I’ll stick with the current government, they seem to be doing not too badly, but you never know do yuh?

Palopu: “With all the announcements lately from the Liberal Government I am willing to predict that we will have an election this spring.”

Keep dreamin’ Palopu. When you’re trailing in the polls, the last thing you do is call an election. The Libs will use all of the time possible. Not until 2013 I’m afraid.

“Ask the CAW about the Cat plant that closed down… That’s who caused it.
Cat “we have plants producing these cheaper elsewhere. We cannot continue with $35 per hour button pushers”
CAW “too bad we are the union and don’t negotiate”
Cat “ok, plants closed, we will build them elsewhere”

Ya whatever!

JohnnyBelt.

Its precisely because of the polls that she will call an election. The NDP and Liberals are picking up more support the longer she sits on her duff.

The announcements made by the Government cover all parts of the Province, so everyone will get a piece of the pie.

Ft St John and area more Natural Gas to sell, Kitimat new LNG Plants. PG more money for tree planting, plus the **stupid** wood innovation building, etc; etc; etc; Sawmills and Pulp Mill starting up in MacKenzie. Coal mines in Tumbler Ridge, economy picking up, and lots of jobs being created (in isolated areas). BC Hydro to go to an average water scenario, as opposed to the worst case scenario, this allows them to defer any Hydro increases in the short term.

Lots of press and photo ops.

Now all she has to do is get rid of the HST and she will be on a roll.

She has nothing to gain by waiting, except more bad press, and criticism . She needs a mandate now. My money is on a spring election.

I see they are tearing out all the machinery at the Rustad mill on the BCR Site.

It wouldnt surprise me if all this machinery was sent to China to mill all the logs we send over there.

It looks like the Bacon brothers are done. One has been murdered, one has been found guilty on drug importation charges, the other is in jail awaiting trial on the murder of 6 people in Surrey.

As a parent, I wonder about their parents. They were obviously complicit in their sons nefarious activities. I remember seeing pictures on the news of them giving the RCMP their middle finger when their sons were on house arrest and they were being checked on regularly. Slamming the door in the faces of the RCMP. They were supposedly upstanding people. The father worked for the Abbotsford school board, the mother had a good job with a bank or lending institution in Abbotsford. Drugs has destroyed another family. Even as we have to wonder what sort of family this was?

Palopu: “She has nothing to gain by waiting, except more bad press, and criticism . She needs a mandate now. My money is on a spring election.”

Not a chance. I’ll bet you a coffee it’s not until 2013. An extra large!

Regarding the closure of the Cat plant in Ontario;
I heard on the news last week that Cat was demanding a 50% wage cut from the employees, and that the C.A.W. refused to negotiate. I wonder if there was any sort of guarantee that Cat would keep the plant open for a good long time if their demands were met? I would not trust them to do so, there is a long history in Canada and the U.S. of manufacturing being moved in order to improve the bottom line and shareholder returns, even when governments have chipped in or given incentives.
metalman.

So Gus just what do you think of the LNG plants and carbon tax. How about export of coal and carbon tax. Export of oil and carbon tax.

To bad you will not research the so called climate change issues and billions and trillions it will cost over time for nothing. Can you refute anything I have posted?

http://icecap.us/

http://wattsupwiththat.com/

http://dailybayonet.com/

http://dailybayonet.com/

“Can you refute anything I have posted?”

Yes, I can.

You have made the challenge much too easy. By saying “anything” you have made it taht way. I just need to refute one thing and my answer of yes would be correct.

Can I refute all things. Not likely, nor would I ever want to. It might appear that I have tons of time for such frivolous things, but I do not. The time I take on here is “fun” time.
——————————–

“billions and trillions it will cost over time for nothing”

You may think it is for nothing. I happen to know that it helps keep the economic wheels turning almost no matter waht we spend our money on. It is the only way we know how to get money to people. Keep them working, even if they are make do projects.

Wars help. Sending wheat to countries that have none helps. Funding people to come to Canada to get an education helps. Improving roads to Whistler helps. Building Olympic buildings helps. Giving money to cities fro pet projects that spend money locally helps.

Buying TVs does not help. Taking vacations in Mexico does not help. Buying gold and storing it in a safety deposit box does not help.

I think someone forgot to shut the door after Friday was over.

I think your right Gus. Everyone thinks its shut so they will not come to read in any event.