Friday, February 28, 2014

This Day In Snookland...What Should We Do With $120 Million?

There'sNoAccountingFor
CronyAccountingVille


So.

Given all the belt-tightening and stealth HST-type tax shifting going on around here (see Hydro/ICBC/MSP cash grabs, for example), what would the Snooklandians do if they had an extra $120 mill or so floating around free?

Would they use it to take fare of that BC Ferries operating shortfall?

Would they use it to put more special needs teachers in classrooms?

Would they use it help cash-strapped school boards to actually, you know, heat schools?

Would they use it to help pay for wheelchairs for the elderly?

Would they use it to rebuild a real jobs apprenticeship, rather than a facebook click-driver, program?

Would they use it make sure that the adult disabled are not thrown out on the street?

Would they use it allow social workers to by an 'extra' holiday gift for kids who need our help most?

Of course not.

Why?

Well, because there are, it would appear, cronies to be taken care of.

How do we know this?

Because one of the cheerleaders for said cronies, a very fine publication called 'Energy Global' tells us it is thus:

To stimulate job creation and industry growth in the oil and gas sector, British Columbia will make available $120 million in royalties for new road and pipeline projects under the Infrastructure Royalty Credit Program (IRCP).

New investments in infrastructure projects will increase industry’s access to abundant resource areas, and support work in exploration and production, providing well-paying jobs and business opportunities in northeast British Columbia...
Surprised?


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But, some of you might be saying to yourselves... It is the cronies in the resource sector that are generating all that preSparklePony revenue around here that is keeping us afloat right now, isn't it?....Well....Actually, as Norm Farrell has demonstrated by actually looking at real government revenue numbers....No.
Tip-O-The-Touque to Premier 'B' on the Twittmachine for the heads-up on the clarion call of cheerleader...

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9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Listen to the Lord Christy:

God ‏@TheTweetOfGod · Aug 27
I hate what you've done with the place.

SH

Anonymous said...

And just the other day " in Kelowna: Clark added, “There are a number things underway but I am not prepared to announce them now.."

It seems the budget with no goodies is full of them..... the Libs will hand them out slowly to make sure they receive great attention.... Did the Libs fool us again ??

Guy in Vic

e.a.f. said...

those kids don't count. they don't vote. The $120M to their resource friendly types, well they deserve it, don't you remember, they are the job creators. Those kids and seniors and disabled, they just suck the life blood out of B.C.

If the provincial government wants to make some real money, they need look no further than Colorado, who made over $100Million in less than 2 months, in taxes, on the legal sale of M.J. now that works for me!

All the new fees and increases in hydro, etc. will simply increase child poverty in B.C.

RossK said...

Guy--

I think, perhaps, that might be code for 'We Got Nothin''.

Particularly nothing of substance

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e.a.f.

Ya, saw that re: Colo.

And remember when the Wingnut Welfare and USDoJ Snout-In-Troughers were warning us how we would suffer the wrath of the Shrubbery if we were to do the same thing a few years back?

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SH--

Ya.

But.

Would he/she love what, say, the Spaghetti Monster were to do?

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cfvua said...

The real icing on the cake is that the jobs "created" will be done by out of province road builders and pipe liners. As with the rest of the couple $ Billion the fast talkers have made off with. Some "free enterprisers". But then Alberta seems to need help these days in light of expensive travel and so on.
Amendments to the OGAA won't be anything to do with helping residents or improving royalty returns to the province either. Changes deemed worthy of a news release........hmmmm?

Anonymous said...

"The provincial government is giving $500,000 in support of Stickboy, the Vancouver Opera's new opera about bullying.

"Bullying is never okay," said Premier Christy Clark in announcing the grant " (The Sun today).....a boring budget....no money...belt tightening etc. etc. On the other hand... just a little at a time...like the 2.3 million to oil & gas royalties. Keep campaigning Christy.

Guy in Vic

RossK said...

cfvua--

Did you say expensive 'travel'?

With benefits for the cronies?


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Guy--

Ahhhh....A win for the Opera...Good for them.

But.

I seem to recall how a certain once and now no longer talk show host glommed onto an anti-bully message from a couple of kids from the Maritimes and pretty much claimed it as her own.

So...

Now it would appear that if you are looking to come up with a sure fire way to receive a healthy dollop of arts funding in Snooklandia it looks like all you have to do is come up with an idea that makes the leader happy.

Gosh.

Wonder how long it will be before some enterprising performance art troupe comes up with a show about hockey moms running red lights?

Like I said above, code for 'nothin'

Of substance that is.

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Anonymous said...


RossK: "Would he/she love what, say, the Spaghetti Monster were to do?"

No, the King of the Trinity would def not be into power sharing--though he'd prob be cool if the monster stuck to Bollywood-lite media events.

SH

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/spaghetti-eating-race/query/eaters

RossK said...

SH--

Ha!

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