Streets paved with gold

Like most people, the trip to the mail box is not something I really get too excited about. It usually is filled with people trying to separate me from my money. But today was different. Like many Albertans I was the recipient of a $400 Resource Rebate.

And like most things done by the His Highness, King Ralph, the Rebate has caused much debate.

First of all, the name:
Resource Rebate doesn't really roll off the tongue. The name Klein Bucks seems to be the common choice. How about Ralph Dollars? I've heard somebody call it Blood Money, but under Mr. Kleins idea of health care, I don't think $400 would cover it. My Wife came up with the simple idea, "call it a bribe." Maybe so, but I get a kick out of the name Klein Bucks.

Second question, Why?
You could take it at face value, that it is to thank Albertans for all the hard work they have done in turning Alberta into the Saudi-Arabia of Canada. Perhaps all the vaults in government coffers were getting too full with all the revenue they have brought in from oil and gas royalties, so they had to lighten the load. Giving the cheques to the people will certainly go over better than paving highway 2 with gold and re-naming the legistlature to the "Taj-mahal"

perhaps this is Ralph trying to make up for some of the, not-so popular things he has done. Go sign up for a class or two at any of Albertas post-secondary institutions, and see how far $400 gets you. So after you wake up from the shock, and you find your self in a hospital, it's not going to be much better. No, there isn't anyone with a credit card machine in the emergency room, but don't expect service with a smile. This isn't any thing against the people busting their asses in the hospitals, they don't get the credit that they earn on a daily basis. Instead, they have been cut back, and stretched to the breaking point. Ask anyone sitting at the Peter Lougheed how long they have been waiting to see a doctor. I'm sure they will want to talk, they don't have much else to do.

As for Ralph himself, well, he is known as the Teflon Premier, so I'm sure the Klein Bucks are just another coating of Teflon. How else could a man in his position get all pissed up, walk into a homeless shelter, and the people there to get off their ass and get a job. And though it all, keep his job.

Now, he isn't all bad. Under his "Rule", Alberta has become successful beyond most peoples dreams. Unemployment is at an all time low. Granted that an oil-hungry President south of Leithbridge sure doesn't hurt Ralphs success. The province now has the power to change things, for the better. Hint: Fix the health care system. Lower tuitions. Promote environmental initiatives that will form the basis for Alberta to hold onto it's position of power, long after the Oil Sands and Fort McMoney run out. Lower taxes.

I'm sure that there are many people that need these cheques. With all the glory there are still many people, regardless of the fact they work full time, still can't make ends meet because the cost of living has gone up higher than Ol' Ralphs bar tab. Let's face it, January is a rough month. Heating costs are up, lots of people have credit card bills left over from the holidays. It should be bad sign when on my January VISA statement, I read that I need not make a payment this month, because I've been "A good customer" and they will let it slide this month, just to "Help out". Of course all the payments will be due in full in February, and suddenly the little Visa angels, are looking a little more sinister. But I've started to ramble off topic....

Instead of giving $400 to somebody to use filling up his Hummer with a tank of gas, they could have used it as a grant to the food banks of Alberta. They could have used the money to help the working poor find affordable places to live. Now they have given an un-needed injection into the retail market. Big Screen TV's are not the answer, Ralph.

I remember when King Ralph was coronated. I was in a pub in Calgary. It was one of two times I've seen political programs shown in a bar. The other was The Referendum. We cheered when he won. Why not? Ralph was a working class kind of guy. He drank beer. He wasn't afraid to say what was on his mind (Something, that to this day, has proven to be a great source of entertainment) That was a lot of years ago. It's said that this is to be his last term on the thrown. Many people in Alberta will be sad to see him go. Many others will not. They will cheer. What will I do? Thanks to Ralph, I've done well. Thanks to Ralph, my Wife has had a hell of a time. Happy Wife, Happy life. I think I'll just find me a pint of another of albertas fine products, Trad, and keep my mouth shut.

And the $400? Better make that two pints......I make my best financial choices after a few beers. Maybe I could be Premier?

Story of an election

An election was held in January. When the dust settled, there was an un-expected result. The party that had been leading for over 10 years was pushed out, and a new government was installed.

When asked why people voted the way they did, comments such as "we are tired of the corruption" and "after all these years, they still have not lived up to their promises."

Now, to anyone who knows what a Double-Double is, or who Rocket Richard is, would think this is about the conservative Vs. Liberal battle that was fought over the holidays. But it isn't. Sure sounds familiar.

These were comments that I read about the recent Palestinian election. The previously ruling Fatah party was removed, and the Hamas party has taken power.

It opens up a lot of questions. The Hamas party is considered a Terrorist organization by many countries, including Canada. Now they have been voted into power, by an election that has been deemed to be fair and correct. The Americans, who say they are the saviors of "Democracy" around the world, are up against the wall. The Americans don't like Hamas. But Hamas went into power by a method that the Americans treat as Holy. I guess it will be time for the Americans to put their money where their mouth is.

I don't know enough about Hamas and Fatah to give any opinions about what this will mean for the Palestinians.

One thing I will say, is that Palestinians like Canadians won't put up with governments that abuse their trust. Difference is that the conservatives aren't classed as Terrorists. So it just goes to prove that one mans Terrorist is another mans freedom-fighter.

Treehugger: Climate Change Claims Yet Another Victim: Kentucky Bourbon

Treehugger: Climate Change Claims Yet Another Victim: Kentucky Bourbon


Say it's not so! The one import I do like from the states.

The people have spoken

Dear Mr. Martin.

Well, you did it. Regardless of the fact your campaign was in a state of damage control from the day the election was called, You must be credited for maintaining enough die-hard support to prevent Mr. Harper from gaining a majority. Or was that good luck more than good planning. In the Alberta riding of Wild Rose, the incumbent Tory had nearly 40000 votes. Next in line was Green party nearly 6000. Wow, have you pissed people off! Look at the number of Conservative seats in Quebec. They gave the Bloc a run for it's money.

It would look to me like once again the power is in the hands of Mr. Duceppe, and Mr. Layton. A small army of votes, ready to align themselves with what ever motion servers their agenda, and crush what ever they don't.

Oh wait, that smells of another non-confidence vote. I feel like we've been here once before.




Dear Elections Canada

Hope you had a good time. See you again in another year or two?

Needle in a haystack

It was bound to happen. I wasn't sure what I'd think when it did, but it wasn't bad. It sure looked out of place. But it was a good sign.

What's it all about?

As I walked through the local grocery store parking lot, there it was, parked beside a Ford F350, and a Dodge Ram. Yup, a Smart Car. I'm sure the owner was lost, and just passing through town. I can't see anyone in this town owning a smart car. Most people own quads that take up as much space as a smart car. I don't think it would take much to park the car in the box of one of the multitude of trucks that took up the parking lot. These trucks burn up as much fuel idling while the owners shop for pizza-pops, as a smart car would burn driving the two hours from Edmonton.

Or maybe there is a chance that the car does live in this tiny gas guzzling community. And maybe there are a few people in town that do care....

But really, I'm sure the little Smart Car was just lost.

DO IT!!!

The time is getting closer! Get off your ass! Don't give me any crap that one dosen't count.

VOTE!!!!
VOTE!!!!
VOTE!!!!

Have I made myself clear?

It makes it hard to bitch about what goes on in Ottawa, if you don't take your one chance to do anything about it.

Music, cool music

A few months ago, I started listening to a program called CBC Radio 3. It's a podcast. For those of you who don't know, A Podcast is a pre-recorded radio program that you download and play when ever you want, on your computer, or MP3 player or whatever. "Radio on demand" as it's billed. And the best part, since it's CBC, it's free. (I'm not going to get into the bit about taxes, and CBC being a crown-Corp, and so on. If it makes you feel better, you can say you've already paid for it, so it's yours to enjoy.)

But back to the point. The program comes out once a week, and is about an hour long. It's filled up with small label Canadian bands of all types. A couple of these bands I though were worth buying their disks, so I took up the mission to find them while I was in Calgary over the holidays. One was a Ska band from Winnipeg called Los furious, and the other a rock group out of Vancouver called Immaculate Machine.

These are not the type of bands that one will find in HMV or Music World. You've got to go to the cool shops like Mega tunes. You know the type of shop. The ones where you don't hear Britney Spears playing when you walk in, and the glassy eyed white Raster behind the counter actually gives a shit about the music. Not able to find what I wanted, I decided to venture to the counter and ask Bob if he had them. Well, once he finished chewing on his last cheeze, he said he knew of the bands, but didn't have any in stock. He was more than willing to order them. Sorry dude, I'm just passing through town.

So it's off to the internet.

Never having ordered music right from the label, I didn't know what to expect. First I had to find them. Not too hard. $8 for a CD. Nice. Then it was nothing but click, and enter my credit card. Well the first one has arrived. And I was impressed. Not only did I get the music I ordered, but a sampler disk with 20 songs on it, a couple of buttons and some stickers. I'm not the type to wear the buttons, or do anything with the stickers, but it was good for a laugh.

Not familiar with Ska? You should be. It's a bastard child of Punk, Reggae, Polka, and sometimes a touch of Latino for spice. And they use alot of Brass instruments. You don't hear that too much anymore. Often it's very topical, Politics and social issues being common themes.

So what's the moral of my story? There is alot of good music out in the world. And very little of it makes it to the Mainstream radio stations of the world. Decide for your self what you want to listen too. Explore new bands and media. You never know when you will find the next King of Spain.

Speaking of a waste of time.....

The news that comes of an election is hard to take at the best of times. The mud slinging that goes back and forth between these "adults" is something like that you should expect to see in a grade three debate class.

Speaking of a debate, for those of you who missed that gala of award winning television, fear not. You didn't miss anything.

The leader of the bloc reminds me of the French guys in Monty Pythons "Holy Grail". "I wave my private parts at you! Now go away, or I'll taunt you a second time!" That man would have to move to Alberta to loose.

Harper and Martin, were to busy picking fights to get anything done.

Layton could actually make an argument. I feel in the last few months of the government, he was the only one who held any power. It's too bad that everyone is too focused on the other big party's.

What about the Green Party? Oh yah, since they only had about 6% of the popular vote last time they don't count. But wait, the Bloc had 12%. And they get coverage. And if you live outside of La Belle Provance, you can't vote for them. Nearly every riding across the country has a Green party member.

Here is something to think about, each vote a party receives, earns the party $1.75. So therefore, even a non-Blue vote in my west-central Alberta riding, will still count for something.

After watching the debate, I know one thing. On January 24, 2006, the promises of the politicians will be just like the jug of milk in my fridge right now; Expired.

Re-run

Back in the end of august 2005, an e-mail was floating around about how we, the little guys, could stick it to the man by boycotting gas stations on September 1st. The idea went around faster than fat kids in a candy store. Everyone did their part to bring down the system by: "Forwarding this Email". After all it seemed like a good idea. Right? I'm guessing the idea started in the states, because September 1st was a day before a long weekend in Canada. That means loading up the quads, boat, and fifthwheel trailer and heading out to enjoy the great out-doors, topped off with a hint of pilsner and two-stroke oil. Needless to say, not the best timing to bring down the oil industry and their assocciated pillars of western democracy. I'm sure you remember the chaos that followed.....

Anyhow, I responded to this mobilzation of the masses, and their planned green revolution, with, you guessed it, An E-Mail! And yes, I forwarded it too. So for those of you, whom haven't had the pleasure, I will re-print my letter here. As for those who have read it, your stuck with a re-run. Yup, two days into this, and I'm already digging up the past. And while I'm on the topic, don't think I'm going to do this every day. Let the novelty wear off, and see how often this happens.

And now, on with the show: (Sent on August 27, 2005)

Okay, so this marks about the fourth time I've seen this e-mail in the last few days. I'm sure that most of you have seen it too. So I think it's time I climb up on my milk crate and add in my two cents.

I've read before and I believe it to be true, that the gas companies don't give a hoot if we all ban together and don't buy gas for one day.

First of all, best intentions aside, how many people are likely to make the boycott? Not every body in the country reads their e-mail, or gets e-mail for that matter. Business still need to do business, kids still need to go to school, people still need to get to work. (Yeah Yeah, public transit. I live in a small town, and work outside of town. Public transit does not exist for alot of people in this country. And that is another rant all together.) Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of the intent of the boycott (And I will do my best to take part), but the show must go on.

Second, the gas companies know that sooner or later that ol' pick up truck, or suburban is going to get thirsty, and you're going to come crawling back. You have to. The percentage of autos on the road that don't need fossil fuel (Pure electric, H2, Bio-fuel) is so small it's not worth their time. (Yet. read BioDiesel) So if you don't buy your gas on September 1st. Oh well. That means you filled you tank in August, or you're waiting till the 2nd. And the Tiger and the clam know that.

So what do I think? Well, since you've asked. Go ahead, take part in the boycott. The message and the idea is great. $1+/L really sucks. And as somebody (ironically) tied to the oil and gas industry, why should I have to pay so much for a local product?

But that isn't the answer. That is a band-aid solution. Because as oil and gas reserves become deeper, and further away, and generally harder to get the price is going to go up. Basic economics. In Europe it's been pushing $3cdn/L. and maybe that's not a bad thing. Why? Because look at what they are driving. Smaller, more efficient cars. Soccer moms do not need to be driving Chevy 3500 crew cabs, or Hummer H2s. Hell, 9 out of 10 people driving H2s, dont need anything made by Hummer.

Don't worry about the price of gas. Worry about you're dependence on fossil fuels. Want to make a difference? Want to take a hit out of "The Man"? Change.

Walk.
Don't let you're car idle for 30 min in the morning before you drive to work. (I live in northern Alberta, do don't give me any garbage about it has to warm up in the winter. Plug it in for 4 or 5 hours, and it will only need a few minutes)
Give your car a tune up.
Evaluate your needs. Less than 10% of all 4x4s ever see dirt. Recreationally, or not. So if you're part of that other 90% you're hauling around a bunch of flashy dead weight that is doing nothing but bringing you back to the pumps sooner.
Ride your bike.
Car pool.
Turn off the lights if you're not in the room.
Replace lights with Low wattage compact fluorescents.
Turn down the thermostat when you go to sleep, and during the day when you go to work. The dog will be fine if it's only 19c in the house.
Take public transit. (if it's there)
Push government for a transit system that works. Not just locally, but nationally. Why isn't there a train between Calgary and Edmonton?
Use cold water.

Get the idea? The gas pumps are where you see it first, but keep an eye on you're natural gas bill, and tell me what direction it's going.

Gas price are not going down. But that doesn't mean you can't save money. Try out some of these ideas, and see. You may be surprised how much you can save. And best of all, it helps out the environment.

Spread the word. Don't by gas on Sept 1. And if you can, don't by it on the 2nd either......

What the hell am I doing?

So this is it. After watching a sorry excuse for a debate of the halfwits we are forced to call leaders, I've decided to get my own soap box. Why not, it's not like I can do any worse?

As this is my first entry in to, what is likely to be nothing more than a fleeting idea, who's time will pass quickly, I should set the stage for what may come:

Don't get your hopes up. After all, have you forgotten who is writing this crap.
The idea is for me to blabber on about what ever I fell like. This could be politics, environmental issues, aviation, alternative energy, my dog, or something that happened in my day to day life. Or perhaps I'll delve into things that make my blood boil. And for those who don't know me very well, that would often mean "people".

So my life at the moment. I am happily married to Rose. Rose is going to university, and has only four months left. We have known each other since we were teens, been together for over 9 years, and married a year and a half, and through it all, she still gives me the impression that she likes me. Rose may have me fooled, but she makes me smile, so I'm okay with it. She has reserved the right to comment here, so I'm sure you'll hear from her. We have a dog named Josh. And like the dogs of most childless couples, he his hopelessly spoiled. Although he would give you the impression that we beat him regularly. I work for an aviation company as a quality assurance inspector, however my professional background is maintaining aircraft, specifically helicopters. The company I work for has just entered a "partnership" with large American drilling company. I'm not sure how I feel about that, but I know it will come up again in conversation. I have a sister who finished a masters program, only to become pregnant. My parents, while they should be retired, are working to pay for my sister and her success. I have an aunt who is finally getting things to work in her favor. I'm happy for her, she deserves something good for a change.

That's a bit about me. I'll warn you now, this will not be politicaly correct. I am very likely to say things that may/will offend. I have been told that I can say things that people don't want to hear. If you are concerned about that, never come back to this page. It will save us all a great deal of pain and suffering. On the other hand, if you have the backbone to put up with a little mindless rambling of one who means well, but often has a hard time getting there, then this could be fun.