Friday, May 14, 2010

Wither The Opposition?


A regular commenter to this site raised a very good question the other day, something I've been wondering about me own true self.

Campbell blah, blah, blah...yes, fair enough.

BUT...where is the NDP?

What are they doing to take advantage of all the self-inflicted wounds that the Liberals are offering them?

Where are the rallies, the town hall meetings, the press conferences are whatever else it takes to keep the heat on the current administration?

Yes, it's the HST.

But it is also the consistent pattern of Playing All the Big Games, while letting the little people hang out to dry.

It is the heartless and cruel approach to health and education and families.

So very many thousands of British Columbians have had it with this government and yet the NDP has stayed curiously off the radar.

What the heck are they waiting for?

America may be slightly mad in the heels, but if this were Colorado or New Jersey, the Official Opposition would be on TV and radio every night, screaming bloody murder and building their voter base.

Where are the Opposition Stars? Who are the Names? Who is positioning himself or herself for leadership?

If this is excitement, I need a pill.

Wake up Little Suzy...puleeeeze.

Pay...and then pay Some More


We pay enormous amounts of money for public education.

That money is called taxes.

Taxes on practically everything, but especially school levy taxes on home ownership.

(We also pay considerably for private education, but that's another story and another argument.)

Think then about the peculiarity of this headline:

Coquitlam considers school bus user fees


School boards in the TriCities are now suggesting that parents should have to pay to get their kids to school.

Melissa Hyndes, the chair of School District 43, which covers Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody, Belcarra and Anmore, said the school trustees have ordered a report on the proposal.

Hyndes said trustees want to know how much the district could save by implementing a user-pay system. The district currently spends about $1.5 million on school buses.

Similar proposals have been considered in the past, but have never been implemented because of opposition by parents and trustees. Any new user pay system would not go into effect September 2010, but could be a possibility for 2011.

Some parents say the free service is unfair to those who pay for their own children's transit passes.

*****

This fun little announcement comes on the same day that You Know Who has declared that he will run for a fourth term as Premier in 2013.

Hey parents in the TriCities...better start saving up to buy your kid a skateboard.

Never You Mind


O.K. Now it's official.

Members of Parliament are refusing to let Auditor-General Sheila Fraser examine their expenses, saying she has no right to look at their books – and they don’t plan to give her one.

The combined Houses of Parliament spend some $500-million a year.

But your MP's and Senators feel it is not our business how they spend tax dollars on themselves.

Welcome to Feudal England.

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