Tuesday, December 29, 2015

This Day In Clarkland...Absolute Control Matters Absolutely.

GivingTheCroniesEverySingle
LeverVille


First, the bigger story of what neoliberalism has wrought south of the border, courtesy Chris Hedges:

"...The seizure of political and economic power by corporations is unassailable. Who funds and manages our elections? Who writes our legislation and laws? Who determines our defense policies and vast military expenditures? Who is in charge of the Department of the Interior? The Department of Homeland Security? Our intelligence agencies? The Department of Agriculture? The Food and Drug Administration? The Department of Labor? The Federal Reserve? The mass media? Our systems of entertainment? Our prisons and schools? Who determines our trade and environmental policies? Who imposes austerity on the public while enabling the looting of the U.S. Treasury and the tax boycott by Wall Street? Who criminalizes dissent?..."


Now, the smaller time story here in British Columbia, courtesy the Forest Practices Board as summarized by Larry Pynn of the Vancouver Sun:

The B.C. government has given away so much power to timber companies that district forest managers no longer have the authority to stop suspect harvesting practices in the public good, a Forest Practices Board report reveals.

The independent provincial watchdog says that in recent years, it has seen “situations arise where forestry development was putting local environmental and community values at risk, yet district managers could do little to affect the development and protect the public interest.”

The board adds that “conflicts between resource users could have been avoided if district managers had the authority to intervene to ensure operations would meet local management objectives and respect tenured interests.”...



In other words, our fine Clarklandian government, following through with what the cronies demanded of the Knotty Gordians (and that includes you, too, Mr. Brown), are stripping away all ability of the people's people to actually act in the people's best interest.


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The real point of pointing all this stuff out, over and over and over again?

We, the people are being hoodwinked into acting against our own best interests by giving up control of everything in the name of faux security, be it economic or otherwise.

OK?


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Tip O' The Toque to the always interesting and erudite Owen Gray over at Northern Reflections for the heads-up on the Hedges piece...


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20 comments:

Mr. Beer N. Hockey said...

Quite right Gazz. What is happening is the robbing of just about every right won by working people in the last century and the centuries before in America. In a nutshell it is the right to get shit done that benefits the vast majority of society. The powerful in this country do not see why they cannot treat everybody in this country like shoe bottom crap too and they think it is perfectly alright because EVERYBODY IS DOING IT and the people are too fat and stoned to get off their ass and do anything to stop it.

It has gotten so bad fascists like Stephen Harper get elected for a decade in this country and super-fascists (did I just invent that word?) like Donald Trump try to do the same in the USA. The times they are a-changing and they are not changing for the better.

Anonymous said...

Bc sucker punch.The public cant see The forest Thru The trees.
Bc libs heading over the site c ,LNG ,Massey tunnel cliff?
Reducing red tape really about saving money on safety and oversight?

Anonymous said...

Embedded media a continuous problem?

http://blogborgcollective.blogspot.ca/2015/12/when-scrums-of-earth-are-routed-by.html

Anonymous said...

http://www.bctalk.com/forum2013/showthread.php?t=2298

The Mound of Sound said...

Hey, Ross. Best wishes for a Happy New Year and a robust 2016. Don't let the bastards grind you down.

Cheers

MoS

Keith E. said...

Hi Ross, in your last sentence you say:

We, the people are being hoodwinked into acting against our own best interests by giving up control of everything in the name of faux security, be it economic or otherwise.

I would agree to a point, but looking at American voting patterns since dubbya of the internets was first elected, Canada federally for the last 10, B.C since gordo pitched up. Then cristy in particular, voted in, then voted out of west Point Grey based on the fool me once principal, then into Kelowna immediately.

On both sides of the border, can't blame the hoodwinkers for taking advantage of so many hoodwinkees whose political smarts and community responsibility extend to the nfl network, house prices and black friday to boxing day sales.

Bill said...

Hi Ross

What the Mound said and... Ross keep on grinding the bastards down. I am hoping for a critical mass in 2016.

Chaos for Christy and her Pirates in 2016.

All the best in 2016

Anonymous said...

Apparently the powers that be have drilled a well for our community so they can log our old growth watershed. The well is located near the old landfill site. There are supposed to be meetings coming up. I don't have much faith in the right thing being done. *sigh* I foresee chaining myself to a tree in my future.

GAB

Anonymous said...

For those whom may want to read more about the shaping of US tax laws...

For the Wealthiest, a Private Tax System That Saves Them Billions

The very richest are able to quietly shape tax policy that will allow them to shield billions in income.

NY Times
by Noam Scheiber & Patricia Cohen
Dec. 29, 2015

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/30/business/economy/for-the-wealthiest-private-tax-system-saves-them-billions.html

Anonymous said...

Our forests are being raped in the biggest grab and theft sale BC has ever seen and nobody apparently knows or gives a shit.
Will 2016 be any different.... I doubt it.

CGHZD

Hugh said...

Who wrote the BC Clean Energy Act? Who benefits from it?

http://www.bclaws.ca/EPLibraries/bclaws_new/document/ID/freeside/00_10022_01

Anonymous said...

BC Unicorn mauling alert .
mines ,forest ,energy etc.
Information ghetto.?

e.a.f. said...

people voted Christy and her cabal into office, although they knew their act while el gordo ruled the roost. did any of them think Christy was going to be an improvement? Most didn't care. they thought she was going to make them rich. well if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. So where are we 15 yrs down the road? I'm still not sure the B.C. Lieberals will be voted out of office come 2017.

People get the government they vote into office, so they get what they deserve. Its just that the children of the province for the past 15 years have had the highest rate of child poverty in Canada and they didn't do anything to deserve that.

North Van's Grumps said...

249 forest practices board reports

RossK said...

Sorry everybody, was off gridding it for a couple of days....

Great thread!

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sd said...

This is a bit off topic, but just days after the province settles with the last two health researchers B.C. announces FREE smoking cessation drugs to anyone who wants them. Big pharma and crusty got their wish and we're stuck for millions.I guess they feel safe that no one will talk now.That is till the side effects start showing up.If they can afford to give this drug away for free why do they need my MSP payments?

RossK said...

sd--

That is a big story, indeed. Interesting, donch'a think, that the Lotuslandian proMedia Clubmembers have pretty much steered clear of it, eh?

And you and I both know why they need to gouge you for your MSP payments...


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Anonymous said...

Political puppet, poltical muppet .One has strings attached.

Anonymous said...

http://ethicalnag.org/2011/08/07/france-pulls-varenicline-funding/

Anonymous said...

Fiji ferry sale fiasco
German built BC Ferry fiasco