Time for change?

[Trailblazer]

The latest employment figures show that during December we,in BC, lost 22500 jobs.
What is extremely disconcerting is that December is usually a month where the employment figures are positive ; if only for a short time.
I am sure that some will argue that the lost 10000 construction jobs are due to uncertainty over the HST but is that so?
That still leaves 12,500 unaccounted for.
If we add in that many have left the unemployment list to the welfare list then we have a extremely serious problem.
Years of Liberal tax cuts (plus federal Conservative ones) the much vaunted Olympic Winter games to boost to our economy , stimulus spending etc have failed miserably to improve our lot in life in fact we are in more debt & wobbling on the knife edge than we ever were.
On the local,Nanaimo, scene we have had abortive "stimulus" spending in the form of a Convention centre & now a cruise ship terminal.
All of this comes at the expense of the taxpayer be it welfare cheques or expenditures on mega projects or even providing infrastructure for ill conceived building projects around town.
When are we going to wake up to the fact that our current lifestyle is not sustainable & that our Governmental structure is obsolete, inefficient & above all caters to special interests & not the masses?
What can we do the next time we vote (in this case Municipally & Provincially) to address these problems??

[jimorsheryl]

The latest employment figures show that during December we,in BC, lost 22500 jobs.
What is extremely disconcerting is that December is usually a month where the employment figures are positive ; if only for a short time.
I am sure that some will argue that the lost 10000 construction jobs are due to uncertainty over the HST but is that so?
That still leaves 12,500 unaccounted for.
If we add in that many have left the unemployment list to the welfare list then we have a extremely serious problem.
Years of Liberal tax cuts (plus federal Conservative ones) the much vaunted Olympic Winter games to boost to our economy , stimulus spending etc have failed miserably to improve our lot in life in fact we are in more debt & wobbling on the knife edge than we ever were.
On the local,Nanaimo, scene we have had abortive "stimulus" spending in the form of a Convention centre & now a cruise ship terminal.
All of this comes at the expense of the taxpayer be it welfare cheques or expenditures on mega projects or even providing infrastructure for ill conceived building projects around town.
When are we going to wake up to the fact that our current lifestyle is not sustainable & that our Governmental structure is obsolete, inefficient & above all caters to special interests & not the masses?
What can we do the next time we vote (in this case Municipally & Provincially) to address these problems??

It does not matter what label a candidate runs under, it is almost a certainty the person you vote for has very little to do with actual performance of governance.
Locally, for example you may think the councilor you elect is running things, but that is simply a myth. City Staff has ALWAYS been running the show, and they still are.
Federally, how much clout or policy input does out local MP have? The NDP would have none, and the Conservative member about the same.
Democracy, is a carefully crafted illusion, that gives the impression that our vote means something, when in fact it means almost nothing.
Not a pessimist, just a realist.

Cheers
Jim Taylor
www.nanaimoBlog.com

[Trailblazer]

A successfull recall campaign in Oak Bay would change (somewhat) your assumption which otherwise has credit.

[Wyatt Earp]

Not likely. That is lead by the Zam! He is a self serving egocentric (well you get the picture). There are costs associated to that both with public money and otherwise. In addition, likel it or not getting rid of the HST will not only mean we must repay the tax dollar payment to the province back to the bean counters back east but also determine where we are going to cut services (even further) so we can stop the downward spiral.

I agree with Jim 100% on this one.

[vanislandrev]

I think our Western society has become too apathetic these days! People get what they demand.

[Nostradama]

Unemployment has risen to the limits where it has broken the 100years record. where is Obama's change....I think . the change can be seen only when the government change.
But Now is the real time for change which has started from Egypt ans I am sure it will engulf the whole world soon.

'Scuse me folks, I'm partly posting this to see if my computer's OK. Hoping it's just a particular site that's down and nothing more. Just bear with me here. God knows I've done worse on this forum, and probably will again. However: Jarvis--This is a forum based in Nanaimo, British Columbia, CANADA, and even 'tho we are your northern neighbours, last time I checked Barack Obama isn't our head of state. We don't look around and ask "Where is Obama's change?" Or maybe that's just me. Anyone else here asking that? Nope, didn't think so.

I hope that what started in Egypt and is now burning its way through the middle east will not "engulf the whole world." Obama, the Pentagon, the joint chiefs of staff, the military/industrial complex (pick one or all) have pulled a real swifty on us. The NATO commander of this Libya operation is a Canadian forces lieut. general, which puts us right in the line of fire. Nice move, guys. Let the Canadians take the bullets. Or the bombs in shopping malls, in subways, in domed hockey rinks and football fields. Planes flown into skyscrapers. But since we're now identified by some as being "leaders of the pack", we could be targets. If you're so sure that this is going to engulf the whole world in its present form of change, be prepared for something you've most likely never experienced before: war. You want change? You want real change brought in that form?

BTW, spam as a semi-edible food product had its beginnings in war. Got that?

OK--end of rant and experiment. Let's see if I can actually post this.

[Trailblazer]

[OK--end of rant and experiment. Let's see if I can actually post this. [/QUOTE]


BTW, spam as a semi-edible food product had its beginnings in war. Got that?

OK--end of rant and experiment. Let's see if I can actually post this. [/QUOTE]



Spam,spam, spam , wonderful Spam.
Spam with eggs ,Spam & Spam etc.
Indeed; wonderful spam.

[Nostradama]

Spam,spam, spam , wonderful Spam.
Spam with eggs ,Spam & Spam etc.
Indeed; wonderful spam.

Even 'tho it's not really, because (please God!) it's not a song, but Dr. Seuss's "Green eggs and ham." Can't get it out of my mind.

[Alaxender]

I think the time for change has come and nobody can have the power to mold the circumstances to his favor. I think the revolution is eminent because the tyranny of the western world specially USA has risen to the level that will never undo the coming events.

[click]

I think the time for change has come and nobody can have the power to mold the circumstances to his favor. I think the revolution is eminent because the tyranny of the western world specially USA has risen to the level that will never undo the coming events.

Tyranny of the western world?!? Please! If they had nuked Iran when they hostage crisis was on we wouldn't be in this mess now. Taliban in Afghanistan? Carpet bomb comes to mind and keep doing it until they reach Iraq. These extremists would not function if the general populous were an integral part of the extermination.

But this is off topic? Not. It all relates to how and what our political environment is.

To foster local growth we need to stop acting like a bunch of pussys and get down to business. Nimbys... shut the #^@< up let the coal mine, the golf course the run on river happen and let the trees fall. Dig the minerals, make wire and jewelry and suck the gas out of the spine of Vancouver island. Drill offshore. Build our own mother freakin ferries and trains.

With industry comes prosperity.

. work, educate, live and grow. damn the torpedoes and build effluent treatment.

now that my friends is a rant!

.cLiCk out...