Foreign Aid & Corporate Welfare

I don't get how there is no money for educational funding and each year school systems of raped and pillaged to save money for the government in power. It's pathetic that a country like Canada refuses to support the young minds in this country but are more than willing to send hundreds of millions of dollars to bailout corporations and waste money by sending corrupt foreign countries foreign aid. Whether the money is spent in military peace keeping missions or straight out cash in case of Haiti there is always more money in the coffers to try to make us look like we care and are important and doing our part to save the poor useless tools of the world. Now don't get me wrong I don't want to see people starving or dying. The Haiti earthquake for example is a natural disaster in a country that is a complete failure. The people there are uneducated for the most part, they are poor but they continue to reproduce at an alarming rate considering their financial situation.

I don't have a problem with people having a family no matter how much they earn but when your devastatingly poor and can't feed yourself why are you procreating and adding to strife? This is my issue and part of the reason I don't believe that sending hundreds of millions of dollars to Haiti will make any difference. Sure a bunch of religious organizations will jump in there but not to help but to spread their cult into the Haitian society. Red Cross will be there for awhile doing their part but in a very short time Haiti will be yesterdays news. North America will have a major influx of un-educated Haitians living as illegal immigrants working underground jobs or in the sex trade and drug trafficking industries. So instead of just doing the right thing and rescuing the survivors and giving some medical attention to the injured we are now going to rebuild their country for them. I ask what the hell does this teach these people? Nothing they can just go right back to screwing like rabbits, spreading disease to one another, building shit shacks because its easy. You will never change this society no matter how much money you throw at them and they will always be a welfare state for the world to have to look after.

I don't want to be the adopted parent of Haiti making sure they have enough money at the expense of my own country. I don't believe those people are better or worse than Canadians I just can't believe the hundreds of millions of dollars worth of aid that is going there and the US, Canada, England, Australia and the rest of the richer countries of the world couldn't give a shit about New Orleans when you compare the reactions. In a civilized country and one of the richest countries in the world the reaction time was awful in New Orleans. In Haiti they had responded almost instantly and the world jumped right in to help. I am appalled and disgusted by this which shows how badly our priorities as a nation are skewed in the wrong direction. Just because Haiti is a poor country everyone feels compelled to help them poor souls. New Orleans is in the US so its not important is how it looks to me. New Orleans is still a mess and its a crime and disease infested wasteland that should be more important to the country of which it sits inside than an island nation that does not.

Foreign aid is also spent protecting places like Afghanastan and Iraq, countries that hate us for just being different than them. They are religious zealots who believe its more important to murder innocent people to further their stupid religious beliefs than to live their own lives. But what does the world do go there and protect them from themselves even though they don't want us to do so. I know that as soon as the military pulls out of those crap countries of the world they will go right back to what they were doing before we interfered. Canada loses military serviceman regularly to a cause that in the end is nothing more than corporate greed. The only reason the US invaded Iraq and Afghanistan was because they couldn't get the pipeline through to further their oil exploits. People can argue all they want about the reasons but America didn't have a natural enemy in the world any longer and they without an enemy can't fund the military. So at this point with a warring Republican president waiting to take office officially the entire terrorist or culture of fear was born. I'm not saying George Bush and his criminals/staff organized 911 but they had the information and they chose to ignore it. Then once that happened poof America has exactly what they needed to quantify massive spending budgets for military machinery.

Dick Cheney was chairman and CEO of the Halliburton Company from 1995 to 2000 which is an oilfield services corporation with operations in more than 70 countries. This is the biggest corporate welfare deal in history considering how the company alongside Bush and Cheney profited from the attacks and the subsequent invasion of Iraq along with Afghanistan. More government money propping up corporations. Now we have the economic crash of 2008/2009 and here comes the government again at the expense of the tax payers. The US gave corporate welfare to automobile companies, insurance companies, lending firms and banks. But did the horrendous living conditions in rural Kentucky or Michigan or the disgusting areas of Los Angeles and those burrows in New York that look like a war had ripped through them get any money invested into them, NO! They are still the exact same as they were but the government is more than willing to continue spending money on helping out the people who caused the economic crash. Canada is exactly the same we've given millions to GM and so forth all of which will never come back to the people who've been robbed by these mismanaged corporations for generations.

Some how Canada deems it more important to protect the rich corporations from paying for their bad business decisions than taking care of the deteriorating education system, medical system and infrastructure that is everywhere across the country. Somehow the crisis in Haiti is also more important than all of the issues we have in our own country as well. The government can find one hundred and thirty million dollars instantly but I didn't see them find fifteen million to fund the arts in British Columbia last year. The BC government is bringing in the HST tax which is just another tax added to already taxes currently in place. We pay sales tax and GST about five times on everything we purchase in this province. When the GST first came into practice it was a hidden tax included in the price of everything at the retail level but what happened was retailers and wholesalers started charging the tax over top of itself which in turn gained them a profit so the prices all went up six percent when the GST came because of everyone having it included in their price but the rouse is that people started to put plus GST on everything shortly after showing the tax after their prices already included the six percent mark up. It was an easy scam and raised the cost by twelve percent on all products it was allowed to be charged against.

Now with all the corporate welfare and foreign aid being handed out we as citizens will pay more taxes to cover the money handed out that never comes back. Corporate welfare is something that isn't new to the economy and you can look at the oil companies and banks over the past fifty years. The Royal Bank of Canada doesn't pay taxes on their profits and have had a deferred tax status hidden away for years. Oil companies have all sorts of subsidies to hide their tax exemption and some pretty creative ones I must say. The best part of this is another major kick in the teeth called Free Trade. Free Trade is not what it was packaged and sold to be the whole thing is so major banks and corporations can move money daily so they don't show a massive profit which would be taxed on paper and in plain sight of us regular folks. Corporate Welfare and Foreign Aid is just another way of the governments of the world to act like mobsters and pirates in a semi legal manner. The period from 1982 and 2006 which spanned the terms of seven prime ministers – the federal government authorized $18.4 billion in grants, contributions, concessional financing and other forms of federal assistance. The biggest beneficiaries were Pratt & Whitney ($1.5 billion), Bombardier ($745 million) and General Motors ($360 million). But the list of recipients included everything from a manufacturer of artificial heart valves to a golf course developer.

Since the late '90s, when the federal deficit was eliminated, Industry Canada has dispensed an average of $1 billion a year. "These programs are a sinkhole for tax dollars," said John Williamson, the advocacy group's federal director. "They serve neither business nor taxpayers and should be scrapped."The 30-page report – with an 809-page appendix listing all subsidies – is an impressive piece of research. But it has spawned no outrage. In fact, it has barely attracted any attention at all. Nor is it likely to find a political champion.

Stéphane Dion has already indicated that a Liberal government would use both subsidies and tax incentives to move Canada toward a sustainable economy."We have to make the right investments now as a nation to ensure that we all have access to secure, efficient and reasonably priced energy sources in the future, that are environmentally friendly," he told his party and the public during his leadership campaign. As for NDP Leader Jack Layton, whose party once reviled Big Business, he is in favour of using taxpayers' money to change corporate behaviour. He advocates shifting subsidies from oil and gas extraction to renewable energy, for example. He even proposes financial assistance to the auto industry to develop fuel-efficient cars."Environmentally sustainable new industries and new technologies will be the cornerstone of 21st-century job creation," he told party loyalists in Vancouver at a rally.

So as I stated above the new handouts will be all lathered with words like sustainability, renewable, clean, green, environmentally friendly, carbon neutral and so forth to a point of vomit inducing. We are coming out of the global warming fake out and moving full tilt into the ideal of green renewable energy being non polluting and better for the environment. As the truly smart people on this planet already know Global Warming is a FARCE. But there are those beggers and hangers on that will fight for the cause until their dead. If you think Corporate Welfare and Foreign Aid are bad now just wait until all the new changes come to light in the next couple of years. Your going to be paying a few dollars more for everything to cover the Haiti earthquake the BC taxpayers will be paying for the Olympics which is running around 400 million so far and that a whole other aspect of corporate welfare that is stealing from everyone in the country but mostly British Columbians. Just remember your corporate welfare/foreign aid bill is $15,126.00 for every Canadian who filed and paid taxes between 1994 and 2007. You Welfare tab will grow in subsequent years by the time Finanace and Statistics Canada can collect and report all the data. Anyone who thinks a single job is saved or created because a government shifts auto sector jobs from Toyota to General Motors is deluding themselves.

Here’s one last number with which I will try and defy the Bailey aphorism on figures. While every government is responsible for corporate welfare, consider this easy-to-understand comparison: federal red ink. The 13-year bill for corporate welfare is equivalent to about 40 per cent of our $500-billion federal debt. Maybe someday we Canadians will stop following the mistakes of the past and present and truly look at fixing our own yard before bailing out corporations who don't care about the people and spending foreign aid to fix countries that cannot be fixed and won't fix themselves.

Socially Retarded People

I don't understand why some people feel the need to ruin everybody's fun by acting like a jackass. I speak of a complete asshole who attends my trivia games. In his world, very small world as well he thinks my game designed by me should only have categories that he's knowledgeable about. It's pretty obvious that I would not cater to him as I don't cater to people I like none the less jerks I don't. Tonight was another night with him complaining about the categories but that's fine you can't win em all. The part that really pissed me off was how he starts beaking off about how I pick the winners before the game starts. He continues further by telling a potential team that I am corrupt and fix the out come.

So now this potential team doesn't play and has been handed a negative idea about me, the establishment in which I'm working and the game. All because he doesn't get to dictate his ideas and control my game trivia show. I call him on it and all of sudden he starts back peddling and telling me its me not him and why am I so mean. Typical reaction of a coward who doesn't have the balls to back up his actions. I'm not talking about physical fighting I'm talking about proof of his accusations. He doesn't have a leg to stand on when it comes to me being corrupt. I help all teams at some point whether it be a hint or a straight up answer. It's part of being a good host and keeping people who might not be having a good game interested and hopefully they will return because they enjoyed themselves.

See a big part of this morons actions is because he's socially awkward with one of those know it all personalities. I will admit the asshole is smart he knows stuff and is a pretty well rounded player but his mouth continually gets him in trouble. I am not one to back down and be politically correct I admit to calling him out everytime he makes a shitty comment. I've gone past the point of good educate I say that honestly. Long before the game has started he's accused me of cheating/fixing the game for a team who beats his team on a regular basis as they are a pretty strong team. Then he goes on with a few more insults and how I am not fair as I pick category topics he doesn't like or may not be good at and I do so to make sure his nemesis team will be successful. Funny thing is that I actually enjoy a lot of music styles/genres from oldies and standards to modern rock and pop/dance music of today.

It seems that if a song is from 1990 through today it's there for the evil purpose of helping one team win which isn't his. If the guy could open his eyes and see past his nose he would notice that 75% of players are under 35. So he whines loudly that the game is fixed in an attempt to make me look bad when categories like Modern Rock, Millennium Music or anything about newer movies or TV shows is in the game. He bitches that the last couple of games didn't have a round with music only from the 1970's his favorite decade of music. Well funny thing is that if I look back throughout the entire history of games played at this location there are 9 games of 42 played that do not have a 70's category as part of the game. So in reality there are many more weeks where the category is in play than it is not. But throughout the other music categories there are many 70's songs included in the game. This week 29 clips throughout all the categories were from the 70's but the game was slanted against his team again. Another member of their team who's so competitive also pouts when the game isn't in her comfort zone. Albeit she's not as much of jackass as the male (well appears to be male) on her team. There are two other members of this same team who are decent people that don't bitch or complain for the most part. The other male is a great guy who sadly plays on this team of complainers.

I could hand any team the game at anytime if I truly wanted to but I don't cheat because I don't like it when it happens to me and its happened on occasion when I've gone to play other people's music trivia game. I had people complaining I shouldn't be allowed to play because I have my own game-show and its not fair. I call bullshit as I had no hand in creating said game I participated funny enough with members from the whiners team but didn't not include the loudmouth I spoke of earlier. I also was the person who answered the final question correctly and won the game for the team in that tourny. I also didn't contribute a lot to the team as I'm not the all knowing master of everything like the loudmouth jackass. I just happened to know the answer to a question in which no other member of my team could answer.

Anyway this is more about how some people can't handle it when the sun doesn't shine out their ass and they are told it doesn't. If I was to give in and do as they want I'd never hear a complaint but I will never do that and I don't care if they don't like it. Hell my friends who play the game and are the target of conspiracy don't like every single category and they aren't knowledgeable in some of the topics they don't complain they just choose stuff they have a chance at and hope for the best. One of the nicest teams in the room and easily the one who spends the most in the pub week to week have barely won but I've never heard them make these accusations. Probably because they know its a crap shoot as to what will be in the game week to week. Two of their members are indie rock enthusiasts who don't very often get their favorite style of music included in the game. They never complain about that and I don't think they would considering they are polite and well mannered.

Tonight I actually am so fed up with how disruptive this assclown has been I made a request to have him banned from coming to trivia for awhile. I don't want him to be allowed to come and disrupts the game with his continuous complaining. I mean tonight they were ahead by 85 points at the final round and this tool is yelling I want a recount we should have more points. Ahead as in winning at that point and he's still bitching about something. People like him are never satisfied and can't be wrong. Let's point out here as well when you tell him he's answered wrong he has a hissy fit and tells me I have the wrong answer. Of course I have had the wrong answer now and again I'm not perfect but this clown is never wrong. He's even complained about other people's strategic moves in the game after he's been purveyor of the same move. One in particular that he and another member of his team were the first to pull off. The move is within the guidelines of the game and is a little mean spirited but fair and allowable.

He's also left during head to head rounds and gone back to his table because he wasn't winning. That happened twice during a round called the Line Up where he was a wussy pouter. He seems to think that his actions carry some sort of weight and that he will get his way by escalating his garbage talk but so far all its done is piss me off who's the creator and host of the game. If he's allowed to remain by the owner and continue to play I will deduct 10 points everytime he pulls one of his bullshit moments and I will make that rule and call it after him. I will make it so his team is punished by his behaviour and accusations until they either kick him off their team or he doesn't come back ever again. The guy barely spends any real money in support of the pub nor does his team usually. They are the type who looks over the categories and if they think they can win on a given night they spend just enough so that the prize covers their bill. But are always willing to point out if any other team doesn't spend lots of money. Just another negative thing they do not to mention how they quietly and always behind the backs of other players feed negative comments to other teams so the other players think badly of one another.

I hear it all the time and I've watched it happen with a couple members of the nice team who now think poorly of a team who I am friends with and really have no idea of the kind of people they are in the real world. It's sad that they can't see past that garbage to realize the team feeding them the shit are the real douches and are only out for themselves. I understand its a game and winning is nice but having fun is more important and considering how belligerent they are continuously becoming week after week it's time for a change to be made and that change is already in play. I know what categories are in next weeks game as it's already finished and long since been finished but I'm sure if they don't win next week I will be accused yet again of fixing the game. If that happens I will disqualify this team and I don't care if I offend them or piss them off. It's just too bad that the nice guy on their team will get hosed along with them. He doesn't deserve it but maybe he will stand up and call them on their ridiculous bullshit and bring them to a realization that coming to play trivia is entertainment and not a life changing event.

GAME ON FOLKS! My brother inlaw calls me Satan for a reason, I shall show my true red colour!

The Johnson Street Bridge

Ok I'm absolutely pissed off about this referendum coming about the ugly old bridge that needs to be replaced. Bridges are part of the roadways of our city and they are in place to move traffic over waterways. Well the Johnson Street bridge is just such a thing and I don't give one tiny ounce about its significance outside of moving traffic. Heritage is a word the people with too much time on their hands like to throw around lots when speaking about this traffic tool. The bridge is old, out of fashion not to mention its inadequate ability to move the amount of vehicles that it needs to in 2010.

Sure, the cost of replacing it is high but in the end that's going to happen. It's inevitable that a replacement will be built at some point in the next thirty years. The people who are fighting the new bridge are the same idiots who were against building an over pass at McKenzie/Admirals and the highway. Anyone who drives that route knows what a mistake it was to give in to that small interest group on that issue. Now we have them doing it all over again this time its save the bridge its part of Victoria's history. Well I say "screw that and screw you!" to all the replacement bridge opponents. That group is a self serving bunch of ego maniacs who can't handle the fact they didn't get their own way. So yet again another small interest group who bitches and complains and whines loudly screws it up for everyone. Why the city is willing to allow these people to have such a big voice makes no sense at all. Sure the taxes will probably go up to cover some of the expenses but the benefits of a new route through there will have such a positive affect on the city it will be worth the cost.

So now you are going to force the referendum which is going to cost at minimum a million dollars. Barely anyone will vote, the replacement of the bridge will win and Victoria will have the bridge replaced. All that happens is it will take longer to start the project the completion date will be later than proposed and it will be more expensive as they have to incorporate the referendum costs into the price of the project. So we as citizens in this city are on the hook for another small interest groups issue. Now one other thing about the bridge is that the board chose a design that much of the population voted against. I believe that if they want support for the new bridge to be large then they should retract their choice and use the design that was chosen in the contest they ran. If they don't do that it might cost them their replacement bridge as interest in this issue will just fall flat. The right choice is to vote for a new bridge because it will be the cheaper solution in the long run. Don't get caught up in the politics of the save the blue bridge campaign. Look at the not so distant future and realize you are going to be caught paying twice for something you really don't have to which will cost even more in 10 years when the project will have to happen anyway.

The Merge: When Humans Cram Their Heads Straight Up Their Ass

One of the things drivers have to do on a daily basis but still to this day have such great difficulty in succeeding at completing in a manner that is acceptable. I drive a route that has merges in both directions and for some reason people believe that if they drive an inch from the bumper of the car in front of them in the left lane they will get to where ever they are going so much sooner than the people in the right lane that is ending. The traffic merge is very intricate and complicated and really shouldn't be done without many years of training and practice.

The concept of a zipper being done up is how I like to look at the left lane leaves space for the ending right lane and they take turns one from left goes and then the next car merges from the right lane into the left one and then another car from the left lane keeps going and behind him is the merging right lane car just like the zipper you do up each day on a piece of clothing. Now I'm sure I've boggled the minds of many people and maybe even blown a few of your minds as well. This terribly difficult task that can't be achieved successfully by 99% of the assclowns on the road due to their large egos and need to be 1 second ahead in traffic is an unbelievable conundrum.

If you do as I have described and leave that space for the merging lanes cars you won't have to slow down to a near stop because the traffic would flow like a river and everyone would get to where they are going much quicker. When you drive in the left lane and squeeze the right lane out you are the dill hole who makes everyone slowdown which creates the backup. Now another thing that you people who are driving on roads that might have a merging lane. Don't stop your car and turn on your signal before the merge lane ends. I know that you think if you try to get into that left lane long before your right lane ends you can feel like you've won the lottery and then you get to squeeze out those SOB's in that dreaded ending lane. You stay in the bloody right lane and you 'DO NOT' change lanes or merge until you get to the end of that right lane. That's the rule and you are a tool if you can't pull this off.

So now you know how to merge from the ending right lane and you know how to act while in the left lane I would like to see you drivers practice this when the very next opportunity presents itself. If you have read this post it would be in your best interest to pass it on to everyone who drives a car or might be driven in a car or could even become drivers in the future. Maybe it will save you an hour or two one day in that backed up traffic that those testosterone filled jackasses who can't figure out the zipper concept because their pea sized brains and short penises drive them to the epitome of stupidity each time they get behind the wheel of a car. Not saying this is a male only issue woman are just as guilty and those elderly drivers well there isn't much we can do about them but lets hope if they read this their failing memory can at least grasp this concept and they will follow the path laid out in front of them. Most woman who do this in traffic are bitches in most aspects of their lives because nice woman are too polite to cut people off purposefully. The ones who think they are perfect little princess and better than everyone else (and you know who you are cuz your getting pissy about this as you read) will never be reached until they cause an accident which will of course not be their fault.

Happy Merging!