StatsCan reports that 3 out of every 4 people make up 75% of the population.
‘Nuff said.
Blogged Via Blackberry
Saturday Afternoon Smiles
1986-03-24 – If you want to feel good, get ur foot tapping and the urge to have something Cajun or Mexican for dinner. Speaking of which, it’s TexMex back here on the ranch tonight.
Let us put men and women together, see which one is smarter,
Some say men, but I say no, women got the men like a puppet show.
Punch It.
Poor Poor Americans…
White House reports it borrows 37 cents of every dollar it spends.
(Note, I first heard the number 41 cents and after a few searches this is the smallest number I could find.)
The term OfficiallyScrewed doesn’t do this one justice. Nor would a write up.
Ontario Liberals creating further Eco Fee Ass Co.
$5M of our money to keep Eco Fee Ass Co. going.
Why is everyone celebrating? There was NO win for taxpayers yesterday when the Liberals put a 3 month moratorium on the new Eco Fee. A fee that turns out to be the biggest tax grab in our provincial history which is a pretty lofty achievement considering the previous two biggest tax grabs were just put in by our Liberals with their health levy a few years ago and the new HST.
At the same time they announced this moratorium, they committed a further $5M out of our regular taxes until an assessment of this ridiculous tax grab is made. I would go so far as to say that this is meant to appease complainers like me in hopes I will forget that in three months the moratorium will expire and the program will likely be slipped in under the radar again.
So now instead of taxing us at the till, we are being taxed from general revenues to fund a program that needs assessment. Think about that. They admit it needs assessment. Yet they still continue to fund it. Why do we always end up losing out? Why can’t they just put a halt on the program outright?
OfficiallyScrewed … again.
ADDENDUM
Lowell Green on CFRA brings up a good point. Why are we paying a further $5M while assessing this? Stewardship Ontario has a reserve fund close to $73 Million invested in GICs, Money Market and Bonds which are part of their assets. From Stewardship Ontario’s own website financials.
Below is the Balance Sheet indicating how the assets. (note the comment on Investments)
Below is their statement of variance. Note how much money they spend in a year and mostly on our Blue Box program. I always thought my municipal taxes paid for blue box programs.
And now the kicker. Where the $72+ Million in Investements are. Completely liquid assets. So instead of taking a minor hit on the interest and selling $5M of investments, the stinking Liberal McGuintyites are taking the $5M from our general tax revenue when they have completely liquid assets.
McGuinty Robbing Us Blind On Auto Insurance
Christina Blizzard has the lowdown here.
Remember the Liberals promising to roll back insurance premiums by 10%? That worked out well, didn’t it? Have you checked your bill lately?
Two sets of numbers released last week suggest Ontario is still one of the highest priced jurisdictions in the country when it comes to auto insurance.
Kinetix, a company that provides on-line insurance quotes, reported Ontario insurance rates had increased 15.2% in the second quarter of 2010 over the same period last year.
Meanwhile, in Quebec, rates fell 8.2% in the same period.
In Alberta, auto insurance decreased 0.2%, the fourth consecutive quarter Alberta car insurance decreased.
OfficiallyScrewed by Dalton McGuinty … Again.
Furthur Part 7 – Mann Center in Philadelphia
We’re here. Scene’s better than Mohawk or Ottawa. Vendors abound. I resist the temptation to buy a veggie burrito for old times sake. We have pretty good seats in orchestra B row B just right of centre. It’s not as hot as Ottawa and we’re in the shade which is nice.
Set 1:
Feel Like A Stranger
Shakedown Street>
Alligator
Money For Gasoline,
Magnolia Mountain
Lost Sailor>
Saint Of Circumstance
In The Midnight Hour
Set 2:
Mountains Of The Moon>
St. Stephen,
Blues For Allah
Terrapin Station Suite,
Let It Grow
Morning Dew,
Unbroken Chain>
The Wheel,
Not Fade Away
E: Brokedown Palace
Of note. Three Phil tunes and his voice was great at 70 years old. Kadlecik was simply smoking during Morning Dew. Joe Russo was awesome during the Terrapin Suite. Unbroken Chain was great.
p.s. I got my Philly Cheesesteak at a little brew pub called the Sly Fox. Their Royal Weisse was a REALLY smooth wheat beer. Kudo’s to their brewmeister.
Furthur Part 6 – Ottawa bluesfest
Two Samosas and 2 beers later, I greet Mr. QMS. Two tapers behind me are grooving about shows and equipment. Nice chit chat. One sounds German and the other is from California. Both seem pretty nice.
A non head Halifax next to me was awkward. He was more cleancut than Ward Cleaver. There were two heads from BC staying in St. Catherines parked in front of me. They really seemed to enjoy the show and almost danced as much as I did.
The band comes on late. With bluesfest ending at 11, there seems to be some curiousity about whether they will play two sets. Probably only doing one big one and an encore.
Set list is below.
Alabama getaway
Don’t ease
Mama tried
Dire wolf
Hell in a bucket
Bertha
Truckin>
Smokestack lightnin’>
KCJonz>
Miracle>
Help>Slip>Caution (do not stop on tracks)>
New Speedway Boogie>
Wharf Rat> (a fave of mine)
I fought the Law>
Liberty
After the finale, Phil who is a liver transplant recipient came out which he does all the time and reminded people about being organ donors. I haven’t signed my card but will for Phil and I will turn to a loved one and say “I want to be an organ donor”. You should do the same.
Encore : On the Road Again>
Touch of Grey
The staples of Truckin’, Casey Jones and Touch of Grey for the non head in the crowd seemed to be par for the course.
That’s it, that’s all. I was right on the single set. But it was a long one.
See ya in Philly Boys right after a disgustingly sloppy cheesesteak.
Furthur part 5
I’m in. I found a sweet spot next to the walkway where the fence bends so according to the couple next to me we would be protected from the beaten path.
They watch my chair while I grab a couple of pints. The opening act is on. Sounds like some kick ads Mellon and Black Crowds style. It’s a young Ottawa band called Silver Creek. (Either they are named after a beer or they could be). Not bad.
An older man is wearing a QMS t-shirt. I’m contemplating letting him know my ringing is QMS. So is half the Officially Screwed audio for my videos. What a dichotomy! The dead and my right slant on politics. But it’s the libertarian way that often straddles that centrist space Canada loves so much.
I need me a bite to eat.
To be continued…
Further parts 4 and more-Blues fest in Ottawa, Canada- July 7th 2010
I’m going down the road feeling bad. I exit at Bronson to find somewhere to fill my 2.5 liters worth of empty plastic water bottles. My one vice representative of my conservative values I staunchly hold on to. (Truth be told I was going to bring a giant refillable but the Blues fest said there was no unsealed water bottles. I didn’t want to lose my trusty canteen at the door if even empty it constituted unsealed.
I park at the Museum and immediately lock myself in an emergency stairwell because of stupidity. But realistically the exit door was also locked but buzzed. After some paranoid banging a couple of nice ladies let me out. Breathe Steve breathe.
On site I see the Mill St brewery tents all over staffed by college kids. Cheap labor but it adds a c-note and a line to a resume.
So bottom line is that I am here.
To be continued…
Inspiration Moved Me Brightly
Bizarro world collided with NeverNeverLand this past week for me. On Tuesday June 29th I received a very unexpected and very welcome invitation from the PMO to attend a special dinner in the presence of Her Majesty and His Royal Highness at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto. At first I thought I was on an episode of Punk’d or that my kids had submitted something to Pranked. But as I quickly realized this was simply reality. So in a whirlwind I made sure I was black tied and Monday morning I hit the road for Toronto.
Arrival at the Royal York was a zoo with the power outage in that part of the city. Of more concern to me was the potential for a lack of air conditioning. Being a big man, I overheat quite easily. The cocktail room was quite spectacular and while mingling, I quickly ran into a couple of familiar faces. Three of them being past or present Blogging Tories. Matt from A Step To The Right, Dr. Roy from Dr. Roy’s Blog and Sean from The Politic.
The crowd was prepped on how the introductions to HM and HRH would go down. It still all seems a bit surreal to me but real enough none the less. As the crowd waited for the introductions the power came on (thank Goodness!!). We slowly made our way behind the white curtain to meet the Royals.
When my turn came up, the greeter was dressed in his finest military and as he checked my invitation card I thanked him for his service. He seemed pleasantly taken aback at my remark but seemed to appreciate it. The announcer confirmed the pronounciation of my name and proceeded to announce me to Her Majesty and His Royal Highness. I stepped forward first towards the Prime Minister who smiled and greeted me with a firm handshake. He said it was nice that I could make it . I then took a step to my right and Her Majesty held her gloved hand out, so as I took it, I bowed and greeted her as well. Similarly, the Duke of Edinburgh extended a hand to me. I was quite honoured to receive this formal of a greeting. Then in her usual friendly self, Mrs. Harper greeted me last and said it was a pleasure to see me again. The whole process seemed to be a blur to me but it was clear enough for me to know I was in the presence of a truly magnificent institution and heritage and one of the most magnificent monarchs our race will ever know.
Then as Her Majesty entered the whole group joined the singing of God Save The Queen. It was quite moving. The speeches and dinner were delightful and the unveiling of a new Hockey Hall of Fame exhibit was interesting to say the least.
As coffee and dessert were served, the group was serenaded by the Four Canadian Tenors who are world renowned already. I was especially moved by the second song which was not fully understood as it was mostly in French but I know it was about Victor Hugo’s Hunchback of Notre Dame and La Esmerelda.
Then shortly after this, the Four Tenors sang the National Anthem and once again the crowd joined in. After this the Royals left the dinner and the crowd mingled quite a bit taking photos in front of the exhibit. I snuck a couple of the roses from the table and am drying them for the shadowbox.
I did get a few moments to speak with Minister Jason Kenney about inroads into the Greek community, congratulate Minister Flaherty on holding the world at bay on a bank tax, and I got to let Senator Duffy know that a friend of ours is running for Ottawa City Council. I also got a chance to see Lois Brown again and I met Peter Kent for the first time. He was very charming. As was Michael Chong and his wife.
Some photos/items from the evening. (more to come I am sure)
