Consumers targeted by BC Liberals
Governments prefer indirect taxation partly because politicians assume they’ll take less heat if hands of tax collectors slip into our pockets surreptitiously. That’s done in BC by instructing crown corporations…
Norman Farrell
Justice delayed: time is money
In the USA today, a black youth was jailed for life after a jury trial convicted him of a March 2013 shooting. The time from homicide to related conviction: 5…
Make the news, then report the news
After The Fraser Institute reported it’s never been easier financially to raise a Canadian child, Business in Vancouver surveyed Twitter response to the think tank’s featherbrained newspeak and found “considerable”…
That was then; this is now
Much of my youth was spent in the coastal mill town of Powell River. Paying excellent wages, the pulp, paper and lumber company directly employed almost 2,500 workers. It hired…
Sun Media provides platform for racism
I realize the Sun Media Corporation markets itself to rednecks and racists, but this comment attached to Cold Lake Sun article Man dead after being shot by RCMP on Cold…
A sad and costly police problem
Last Sunday, a large group of family, friends and associates gathered and paid tribute to Pierre Lemaitre, an officer who once was the RCMP’s senior media relations officer in British…
Sanctimonious, who me?
RossK at The Gazetteer notes one particular whine of one practitioner in the corporate media, Sanctimonious was an interesting choice of word by this guy but it better fits a…
A challenge to Wally Oppal and friends
In 2009, Delta South voters decided that one term MLA Wally Oppal was not the person they wanted to represent them in the Legislature. That decision made him eligible for…
Police officers can be victims too
The sudden death of RCMP Sgt. Pierre Lemaitre was probably in mind when Resergeance.net posted the video embedded here. More than a few people believe that Lemaitre was misused by…
Pushing back on the pushback
Anonymous reader argued through earlier comments that comparisons between BC Investment Management Corporation and Washington State Investment Board are inappropriate “apples and oranges.” The person attempted to justify huge increases…
Norm Farrell with Ian Jessop on CKDA
Tuesday, July 30, I was interviewed live by Ian Jessop on his afternoon program on CKDA1070. We talked about BCiMC for almost 30 minutes after 1:00 pm. You can listen…
A changeup – on Major League Baseball
Mother Jones asks, Is Your Team’s Owner a Major League Asshole? Tim Murphy, Ian Gordon, Tasneem Raja, and Sarah Zhang provide information to help us judge. Here’s a few examples:…
Smile
I’m a regular online listener to BBC News Quiz, a panel show created by John Lloyd 36 years ago. It has been hosted by Danish/British author and presenter Sandi Toksvig…
Harper channels Nixon
Harper’s Audit-the-Enemy Strategy Fulfills Nixon’s Dream, Mark Grandia, DESMOG CANADA “…Not only do we now know that Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s office maintains a political enemy list, we also saw…
Liberal operatives and Whac-A-Mole
Premier Photo Op’s deputy chief of staff resigned over her role in the Liberals’ ethnic outreach artifice. The Liberals and their faithful media partners emphasized that Kim Haakstad took no…
Tall tales in the post-truth era
I’ve often wondered why Grouse Mountain’s single wind generator sits idle, even as the breezes blow. Talking about the wind machine standing above North Vancouver, BC Hydro’s CEO said, “Grouse…
Are public facilities really for the public?
I’ve been out and about with grandkids this week but it is not something I can afford to do regularly. Our trip to Science World was an example. Admission, including…
Returning soon, probably
I’ve been absent from the blog world for a few weeks and regular readers deserve an explanation. First, I’ll describe what started this one person blogging effort more than four…
Government we collectively deserve
A significant week just passed. Great days for some; difficult moments for others. Like many observers of British Columbia politics, I was surprised by the election result. Believing facts clear…
Without core values, fake and phony
H/T RossK, The Gazetteer