Moving Day

I am adding in all of my posts from brantNOW.com . I'll be posting them at the same time for now.

I encourage you all to visit www.brantNOW.com as it's a great resource especially if you are from the Brantford Area. So visit now.

Please excuse the posts dating back to November!

Majority Rights

That's it, I've had it with Political Correctness once and for all.

I read this story below on CTV about a school in New Brunswick that doesn't play O Canada anymore because 2 (thats right Two) Parents complained.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090129/o_canada_090129/20090129?hub=TopStories

What about the parents of the other children - should the will of two parents get to dictate policy over the majority?

The singing of O Canada is not an oppressive practice; if a parent doesn't want their child to sing then tell them not to sing, they won't get in trouble for it.

Your religion says you can't stand for it? When I was a kid those who had religious beliefs which said they couldn't left the room each morning.

Do you know what that taught the kids in the class? That you can be tolerant to other people and their beliefs and practices without sacrificing your own beliefs and practices - no one was made fun nor was anyone placed in an awkward situation.

I'm usually one to be on the other side of these "red meat" issues, but this is way too far. But I am fed up of average Canadian's have to give up what is most dear to them over a couple of complaints.

Inclusive? Yes. Tolerant? Yes. Giving up everything for the sake of a couple of complaints? No.

1.21 Jiggawatts?!?!?!?

Remember the shock Doc Brown had when he found out how much power the De Lorean would need to go "Back to the Future"?

Well I had that same feeling when I read the story about the Conservative's Federal Budget.... $85 Billion?!?!?! I have a few (well more than a few) problems with budget.

1. It erases 85% of the debt we paid back throughout the late ninties and early 200o's. I'm sorry Paul Martin all that hard work you did restoring fiscal responsibility went out the window.
2. If you are going to spend 85 Billion Dollars, why are you only spending 12 Billion on infastructure? If we spent more than that we could have rebuilt our highways, developed a world class mass transit system, especially for the Quebec City-Montreal-Toronto-Windsor Corridor, as well all the other major cities in Canada.We could have built wind and solar power stations from coast to coast and shut down most of our dirty energy sources. Not to mention rebuild crumbling public schools and our colleges and universities.
3. Where is the cash for former Post-Secondary Students. How much money from former students is paying back the government for student loans (that shouldn't be paying Prime + 2%) instead of into the economy.
4. Land Claims - while we were spending $85 Billion, why didn't we spend the extra few billion it will take to end the land claims issues (good work on getting that problem solved Mr McColeman).
5. Stupid Tax Policy. The most moronic thing the Conservatives have done (and it gets us to this budget) is cutting the GST. Sales Taxes are equal taxes; those who buy more, pay more. So for Joe Cool Millionair, he can afford to buy fancy things like boats, cars, diamonds, etc and the GST is just an annoyance. Those at the poorer end of the spectrum pay very little because they are buying things like meat and vegtables and childrens' clothing - GST exempt items. (I'll get into this issue in another post).

All and all, a wasted opportunity for Stephen Harper to actually do something constructive, instead we get an attempt to buy everyone off incase the government calls. The amount spent in this budget is the NDP's Wet Dream, no one likes deficits better then Jack "I'm running for Prime Minister" Layton, and even he's against it.

In case you were worried, I'm sure the voice of Brant was heard loud and clear by the Prime Minister. Too bad that none of the development that might happen due to this budget won't happen because of Native Protests.

I hope you are not growing attached to your offices Mr. McColeman.... I think your stay might be shorter then you think.

To the other suffering regions of Canada - I hope you like your one newly paved street and tax cuts for the rich.

An era of responsibility

"Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet." - President Barack Obama, January 20th 2008.

Yesterday, as I am sure many of you did, I watched the history of our neighbours to the south unfold before my eyes. I watched a Black Man reach their highest office in the United States.

As I did this, I read the Brantford Expositor, I see Dave Levac has continuing his dream of moving the casino out of the downtown and replace it with more room for Laurier. However laudable this may be, this is not the time for such an idea.

Why isn't Mr. Levac at Queen's Park lobbying the province to help Brant?

Why are our city counsellors wasting their time listening tp such stupid ideas?

Why aren't these elected officals doing something productive with their time?

As one of their bosses (you are one as well) I am frankly fed up with politics in Brantford. We don't need grand dreams right now, we need practical, back to basics, get people working ideas. Time and time again our politicans have shown how to screw up a good thing Here are a few reasonable ideas that'll get things moving in Brantford again.

1) Build Highway 424 THIS YEAR. We need to be connected to Kitchener/Waterloo/Cambridge by a highspeed road link. If this had been built earlier we may have gotten the Toyota Plant, and not Woodstock.

2) Expand GO Transit to Brantford, we have the rail link, just send a train down the line. Let's connect Brantford to major cities to our east so we can attract white collars workers who are looking to shed themselves of overpriced homes in Mississauga, Oakville, etc.

3) Get provincial money for Laurier and Mohawk - post-secondary education is the future of Brantford; let's continue the responsible redevelopment of our core by bringing in students.

4) SOLVE LAND CLAIMS!!! Mr. Levac do you really think the protestors from the Six Nations would allow us to build a new Casino while redeveloping Market Street south for the university? If you do, I want to go back and time and change my vote. We'll never get development moving if it is being hamstrung by protestors.

Politicans of Brantford (Federal, Provincial, Local) you've been put on notice. We have an example in US who is proclaiming a new generation of responsibility and leadership, hop on the band-wagon or else you may want to look for new jobs.