RipeForThePickingVille
Yesterday, I got to musing about who is actually 'griftier', Christy Clark or Gordon Campbell.
And in doing so I mentioned that the thing that really galls me is how both have enslaved us to the cronies without actually making things better economically.
Well...
Now Harvey Oberfeld, after ruminating on the latest job numbers, is wondering why the Lotuslandian proMedia is not asking why things are not better in the wake of 12 years of full blown hypercronyism.
And Mr. Oberfeld is steamed, Will McAvoy steamed, I tell 'ya:
...The hype and the promises of a better world to come never end.
But where are all those jobs?
Sure, the Olympics were a great time, especially for the political and media VIPs who enjoyed free tickets, passes, invites to receptions, parties and all kinds of other gifts and privileges; and so were all the other projects, activities, events benefiting business, the media and the establishment.
But where are all those jobs?
The latest unemployment figures show 22,000 more full-time jobs were LOST in BC last month, raising the province’s unemployment rate to SEVEN PER CENT …. UP from 6.3% in February … the WORST unemployment rate in Western Canada!
So where are all those jobs?
And here’s where I get frustrated: sure, the BC media reported the job numbers (or should I say the lack-of-job numbers); and Jobs Minister Pat Bell’s bafflegab defence of the province’s latest Jobs Plan.
But try as I did, I did not A SINGLE REPORTER, COMMENTATOR OR RADIO PUNDIT keeping it real: linking the lousy job figures to the HISTORY of the Liberal record …. not even having to go back very far … and throwing back at Clark and Bell (and the rest of the government ministers and MLAs) their OWN previous quotes, predictions and promises about JOBS, and demanding an answer to the KEY question……
Where are all those jobs they promised?...
Now.
Here is the part where I tell you a small, personal, and highly tangential story (my kids hate it when I do this by the way)...
I have this friend who works for local government in a mid-level managerial job.
And they are really conscientious in this role.
They got to where they are by rising through the ranks...And they work hard...And they really do want to do what is right for the citizens they work for....And they are proud of the fact that they believe that they never, ever act in a political manner while they are doing their job.
In other words, by almost any measure they are really a fantastic civil servant.
But.
When the Olympics were in town this friend asked me if I wanted to go to one of the events, in an arena, that was really, really hard to get tickets for.
I asked them where they got the tickets.
They told me they came from one of the companies their department works with.
We got into a huge argument about that and I did not go to the event.
My friend blamed my absence, and my argument, on my politics.
But.
When the Olympics were in town this friend asked me if I wanted to go to one of the events, in an arena, that was really, really hard to get tickets for.
I asked them where they got the tickets.
They told me they came from one of the companies their department works with.
We got into a huge argument about that and I did not go to the event.
My friend blamed my absence, and my argument, on my politics.
I explained that it had nothing to do with my politics, and everything to do with, well, you know...
They would not listen to me. They said something like this would never influence them about any decision they would make in their job. And besides, they said, they didn't make decisions involving this particular company anyway...
So.
Given all this, I really do wonder if my friend would feel differently if the local proMedia was doing the job that Mr. Oberfeld wants them to do.
And not feel differently about me, mind you.
Or my politics, specifically.
But, instead, about politics and the corrosiveness of cronyism more generally.
Not to mention pervasively.
OK?
.
So.
Given all this, I really do wonder if my friend would feel differently if the local proMedia was doing the job that Mr. Oberfeld wants them to do.
And not feel differently about me, mind you.
Or my politics, specifically.
But, instead, about politics and the corrosiveness of cronyism more generally.
Not to mention pervasively.
OK?
.
10 comments:
The job numbers are down because the voters of BC killed the HST and business is punishing the people by laying them off.
Christy Clark really had Joe Lunch-bucket's best interests in mind when she doggedly delayed and obstructed at every possible twist and turn the death of the HST. Families First!
Think-of-the-Children!
And pretzels are made of logic dough!
And that commie-pinko rag The Economist knows nothing when it says the thing Canada's economy needs more money in the pockets of consumers not hypercronies.
Or some such thing.
.
US Youth Unemployment at 22.9%?
Perhaps no group has been hit harder by the recession and grinding recovery than the young. The official unemployment rate for those under age 25 is 16.2%, more than double the rate for the population as a whole. In percentage terms, unemployment has fallen far more slowly for young people than for the wider population.
Those figures actually understate the severity of the problem, however. The government only considers people “unemployed” if they’re actively looking for work. People who stop looking—whether they’re retired, in school, raising a family or living on friends’ couches — are instead considered “not in the labor force,” even if they would prefer to work given the opportunity.
When the recession began in December, 2007, 59.2% of the under-25 population was in the labor force, meaning they were either working or looking for work. Today, that figure has fallen to 54.5%. That may not sound like a big drop, but it makes a huge difference. If the so-called participation rate had remained unchanged, there would be 1.8 million more young people in the labor force today than there actually are. Counting those people as unemployed, rather than out of the labor force, would push the unemployment rate up to 22.9%. That’s only a hair better than the 23.9% youth unemployment rate in the euro zone, and has shown only very modest improvement during the recovery.
http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2013/04/06/number-of-the-week-youth-unemployment-at-22-9/
Jobs are down because C.D. Howe predicted, correctly, that Brian Mulroney's GST introduction in 1991 would be a Dead Cat .Bounce
When asked by the BC Liberals how their HST would fare, C.D. Howe Institute predicted, correctly that the HST could slow the provincial economy for several years after roll-out.
RBC replaces Canadian staff with foreign workers
RBC said the work is being outsourced for cost savings and efficiency.
“External suppliers with the right skills allow us to introduce new efficiencies, continually improve our service at reduced cost and reinvest in initiatives that enhance the client experience,” a statement from the bank read. “Agreements with our suppliers include strict controls and ongoing monitoring to ensure full compliance with all regulatory requirements.”
RBC had a profit of $7.5 BILLION in 2012.
"Hypercronyism"
I like it.
Harper doesn't govern, he dictates.
Harper's Economic Plan is. China and the tar sands. Harper is planning China in the rich resources of the High Arctic.
Harper's Job Action Plan. Harper's Omnibull-S-Bill gives Communist China permission, to sue any Canadians blocking China's huge inroads into Canada. Therefore, China sued to take the, 200 BC mining jobs. 300 BC miners applied for those jobs. The Chinese miners also earn $800 per month, as they do in the tar sands. Harper is permitting, all resource company's, to hire that cheap foreign labor.
Wonder why, we need no funding for Trade School education?
CSIS warned of China's huge intrusions into Canada.
What part of all of that, don't people get?
Thanks Anon-Way-Above for the youth unemployment stuff...Can you give us your take?
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NVG--
Regardless all the arguments about the macros of the thing...Is there a single thing that you have bought since the HST was implemented that actually went down in price?...
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Anon-Not-So-Far-Above--
Thanks.
Norm Farrell is calling for the manufacturing of the antidote...One customer at a time.
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Spart--
Came out of nowhere, but I think it pretty accurately describes the situation.
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Anon-Directly-Above--
Something tells me that apprenticeship training, etc. is going to be a big part of the BC Provincial election campaign.
Do you have any suggestions of what you would like to see?
.
Actually RossK, the one thing that we've noticed, was in a Coffee shop that former Finance Minister Kevin Falcon likes to go to on the North Shore after desecrating our landscape with his mountain bike.
He typically would spend, same for me, five dollars on a vegan pastry and a coffee.
Before Harper abolished the penny, the total tea time taxed break on the HST dime, was $4.93 With the penny gone, the change back was a nickel (employees lost out).
The tip, the change, was a lot less during the HST... wasn't this one of the complaints from the restaurant industry, their employees were being short changed.
With the return of the PST, no GST, the change left over is far more than before... more change, less pennies+-, more tips overall. Unless of course consumers pocket some of that change for themselves..... but having lived without the change from $5 .... it sort of gives all of us a chance to give back, to those who serve us, and through no fault of their own, they lost out and so did we through higher taxes.
"Hypercronyism" put that on the epitaph of the BC Liberals on May 15th.
All of the rest of us are still here and much poorer now than we were 11 years ago. Has anything really gotten any better except for an elite few? No.
The sad mess left in the wake of the BC Liberals, will take years to fix and generations to pay for.
Our system is broken. Politicians cannot be left to police themselves, let alone be held to account. The integrity and transparency of all forms of governance in Canada must come under some sort of corruption guidelines. Such guidelines, do not exist....yet. Quebec's anti-corruption commission is a great start. We need just such a commission both at the provincial and federal levels, especially here in BC.
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