...About Renting Private Jets.
From a piece by Bob Mackin in today's Tyee:
Premier Christy Clark's controversial visit to Haida Gwaii to give $150,000 to a school under federal jurisdiction was her most expensive charter jet trip between late November and March.
The $8,170 round-trip on Nov. 26 was among 14 trips for photo opportunities and speeches that added $54,000 to the more than $500,000 Clark has spent on private jets since she became premier in March 2011.
Clark, four aides (including videographer Kyle Surovy) and her RCMP bodyguard flew from Vancouver to Massett on Orca Airways. She went to announce a $150,000 grant to the Old Massett Village Council so it could explore building a $4-million auditorium at an on-reserve elementary school...
Now.
Never mind the fact that it is still not clear what the actual motivations were for bestowing said 'grant', unannounced and out of the blue, to a school that is not under provincial jurisdiction while using a local politician as the intermediary who was just happened to be in the midst of a close election race at the time as well as being a supporter of a mega-project being proposed by a close relative of our fine premier.
Instead, for the purposes of this post at least, how about we consider the following question...
How many monthly bus passes for disabled folks could that $8,170 spent on the Premier's ultra-fine three-hour-tour have funded at $52 a pass?
Well, using that new-fangled math thing called long division, I get 157.
Which means that 157 people, who otherwise could not afford to (thanks to the Premier and her policies) get to the grocery store, doctor's appointments, school, therapy, the rec center, their Mom's house and, maybe even, the beach, if Ms. Clark had foregone her cheque backed-stopped photo-op.
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As NVG mentioned recently in the comments, more often than not Ms. Clark could learn as much or more on her jet-setting, fact-finding junkets much more cheaply if she were instead to use Google earth.
But, then again, if our fine Premier were to do that it would leave a digital footprint behind and she wouldn't get all that videographer-generated PR pablum on the side.
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Of course, there is great monetary irony in the political jujitsu of the clawback, because, in spite of the faux accounting arguments given that the funds just travel between various arms of government, giving folks bus passes who need them most would actually cost the rest of us absolutely nothing...So, what is this really all about, in addition to the longstanding Campbell/Clark government policy of making the poor pay for all of their ideologically-driven austerity pool party bills?...Well, I reckon some wizardly apparatchik got a bee in their bonnet (and then jammed it into Cookie Dough Mike's bluetooth-free ear) when they learned that, gasp!, some folks were selling their passes....Now, here's the thing...Was the extra, say $75 bucks a pop making anybody rich...Or...Was it an entreprenurial way help them make ends meet given how long the disability support rates have been, essentially, frozen?
And, as for the videography...As best we can tell, the YouTubian record of the tour has a whopping total of 513 views so far...Now, before anybody does the long division with at aggregate $158K as the numerator, you should know that the number 513 (which falls nicely between 404 and 801) is actually pretty high when it is compared to almost all of the rest of the PR pablum found...Here....Truth be told, I, for one, am mildly surprised somebody doesn't have those whip-smart Bob Mackin-attackin', Klout Club-lovin' BC Liberal young-uns banging those levers 24/7...Or, is it just that there are too many levers and not enough recruits and/or summer interns to go around?
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3 comments:
I was lucky enough to be invited to a friend's cabin in an area 5000 feet on a mountain that gets no cellular or tv reception and darned if the radio was broken. It was quiet and a great place for reflection as I rowed around the small lake towing a trout fly around to (allegedly) try to catch a fish for supper. There was nothing but a nice warm cabin to sleep in, a fire pit to gaze at the flames in a mild trance like state,and a plethora of wildlife to watch and enjoy . I've been back for 2 days and already bile is rising in my throat as Queen Christy and her henchman defend the indefensible with the thinnest of gruel, aided and abetted by the MSM that laps up the turds tossed their way. I fear for my children's and grandchildren's future and the place I call home. The blind and corrupt greed of our "leader's" as they sell off the province to friends and supporters with no regard to those that actually need astounds me. It's my 60th birthday today. I'm hoping that this election someone steps up and staunches the bleeding without the need of a chartered jet.
Happy Birthday Anon-At-The-Top--
My recommendation is to filter your media consumption, especially the 'lectronic variety.
And also to vary said consumption - all #bcpoli all the time is sure to make any rational person (who also share the hopes and dreams of everyone in BC, rather than just the chosen ones) almost permanently agitated.
My Dad says I worry too much because this stuff always swings back and forth in pendulum fashion.
This time I'm not so sure.
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when enough people have been affected enough, who knows they might get it together and vote Christy and her B.C. Lieberals out of office. It is that simply. People simply need to go out and vote and think of themselves for a change. What is best for their families.
tonight's news had parents in Richmond upset and protesting about the possible closure of schools. Parents might want to think what is best for their children's education when they vote this time. Like really what has Linda Reid and the other B.C. Lieberal MLAs in Richmond done for you?????
people might want to think what is best for their medical care when they vote this time.
people might want to think what is best for the electrical rates this time.
people might want to think about how long their commutes are to work this time and the tolls they have to pay.
people might want to think about where they are going to live and will they ever be able to own a home in their own country.
We know Christy likes to sell jobs, but really, if those jobs can't get your kids educated, a roof over your head, your family into see a family doctor, etc. what is the point of the job. You aren't getting ahead. You aren't having a good life at all. so when you vote think about yourself and not Christy and her money grupping supporters.
Remember to think one of Christy's supporters, who is a mine owner says he can't afford the electricity, so he doesn't have to pay it. O,K. he is a British billionaire who donated $9K and change to Christy last year. What did you get from Christy when you paid your taxes?
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