Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Brilliant

While listening to the Mike Church show on Sirius Patriot radio this morning, he launched into a monologue that really showed what the govt is up to. Canada isn't much different, or perhaps worse in some ways. It was a very long monologue - detailing everything his govt has done or is trying to do - highlighting the meaning of 'freedom'. Are we REALLY free when:

the govt tells us how much salt to use
-what vehicles to drive and what fuel to use and how much these are going to cost us
-what textbooks to use in the schools
-what months the various sectors of the curriculum will be taught in and what can/cannot be said during each class
-what food to put in our mouths
-what food to serve in schools (related to today's AP radio news clip detailing a military dude saying that obesity in children is a National Security Risk because only 1 in 4 are eligible for entry into the military)
-what fuels we can use
-what type of light bulbs to use
- what kind of banks to use
- how to finance your home, cars, etc
- how much tax to take from you without any input from you -> the earner, the person doing the labour
- where those taxes will be spent (income, property, goods and services)
- what businesses to bail out with your money
- what types of appliances you can purchase based on efficiency
- how much water to use
- how much water your toilet can flush in one go
- how many garbage bags to put out per week and what kind of receptacle to put them in (and for me - how many inches from the curb, lid closed, facing a certain direction, put out at a certain time of day and put back within a certain amount of time)
- the minimum wage an employer must pay it's staff
- determining companies employing more than 50 people MUST provide health care insurance whether the employees and employers want it or not
- MPG on vehicles, emissions standards, etc
- the number of schools, teachers, and support staff allowed in each region
- what foods you are allowed to pack for your own child to eat in schools or daycares/dayhomes
- how high your fence can be on the property that you bought and paid for
- what weight % or level is considered overweight/obese
- the number of holidays an employee in a private business are 'entitled to' each year
- the number of breaks and maximum non-break hours an employee can work in a row
- the minimum number of hours an employee can be paid for in one day (Alberta - 3 hours)
- shall I go on?


Some of those are my add-ins, most were inspired by mike church.

I hear/read that and think about what I always thought govt was for, and wonder what the heck on that list falls under the categories that govts are supposed to be in charge of.

26 comments:

  1. Your not free Kez, I'm not free, no one is free, most just haven't woken up yet. Democracy does NOT work long term, government is ever reaching and turns to something ugly.

    Those who love rules, regulations and generally directing other people's affairs, should think about whether they are willing to use violent force against people who do not want such direction.

    That is the nature of government – violence. Can't see that? Then, as a totally innocent person, try publicly ignoring a minor bureaucratic order you disapprove of and are satisfied is unsound and unjust. Then ignore the court that fines you. Then resist officers coming to take your goods. Finally, resist the police who come with guns.... Get the point now?

    ReplyDelete
  2. This from Thomas Jefferson sums it up.

    When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.

    They are supposed to be public servants not public masters.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's Trudeau's utopia, are you not happy being a slave to socialism?
    "how high your fence can be on the property that you bought and paid for".
    It's not yours, private property rights were lost with the unconstitutional creation of the &^%$*@% Charter and the Con Party removed them from the Conservative platform so they ain't coming back! The state can seize your house anytime they want, no compensation.
    This country sucks so bad! freedom is illusion only as is the Cons Conservatism and Canada's commitment to constitutional law and common law. sold out again.
    Should all just vote NDP and get it over with quickly, then we can rebuild the country from the ashes of what's left after an NDP grand socializing, Lenin style.
    That's about the only thing next to Eyjafjallajokull going off for two yrs that might wake the #$*&^%$ idiots out east up.
    Generations of wealth stolen for this experiment of Trudeau's.
    I'd like to dig him up and hang his bones for what he did to this country!

    ReplyDelete
  4. they at least have the second amendment

    ReplyDelete
  5. Although I see where your coming from, I believe some of these we are very fortunate to have. I will only pick on a few of your points haha but this is just my point of view.

    -what vehicles to drive and what fuel to use and how much these are going to cost us.
    - GOOD! they should be doing it more! If the world wants to shift to a more green economy, we need a government that is going to lead us into that. By doing that the gov't needs to put regulations on what cars we can drive and how fuel efficient they are etc. I don't think they are telling us what fuel we can use, and how much it is going to cost. That is regulated by the market. We get the majority of our oil from outside of Alberta, and therefore we (im assuming here) have less control on the price.

    -what food to serve in schools
    - They should be doing this more! We need Jamie Oliver running our country, putting into place healthy meal plans for the youth of this generation. By being more "free" we are just allowing kids to eat whatever they can find, and with the western view of the lowest price is best, the food that will be served is crappy junk food. It already happens.

    -what fuels we can use
    - again, great! It stops people who don't know a)what they are doing b) the affects of using certain fuels c) the damage fuels could do to our environment and or peoples....etc etc...we need these regualtions in place because the government dictates what is safe.

    - what types of appliances you can purchase based on efficiency
    - how much water to use
    - how much water your toilet can flush in one go
    - how many garbage bags to put out per week and what kind of receptacle to put them in
    - Again, good! I agree that the whole inches bit you mention is a little extreme, but by putting restrictions on stuff like water usage, we preserve what we have, and in those weeks in the summer when we are short on water, the put bans on watering gardens so that there is sufficient supplies for us to fulfill our basic needs. (read drinking washing etc)

    the minimum wage an employer must pay it's staff
    -Is it not this that keeps us from living in preindustrialized europe, or working for 23 cents a day in a sweatshop?

    -what foods you are allowed to pack for your own child to eat in schools or daycares/dayhomes
    - really? I dont think this really happens.

    the number of breaks and maximum non-break hours an employee can work in a row
    - ensures that employees actually get a break! Think back again to the industrial revolution in Europe, where kids at ten years old would work 12 hours a day for a low wage with no breaks.

    -It is all these rules that are in place that give Canada its high standard of living in the world. With government making any regulations, we would be living in chaos. It would essentially be anarchy. You talk about being "free," and how this impedes that, but i disagree. Having these laws in place create a standard of living, create a healthy environment for us to live in and create a safe place to live. Look at any country in Africa, with many less laws and many less enforced laws. The standard of living is much lower, the people live very poorly, there is no health care, no employment regulations, very limited education....i could go on.

    Alternatively take a country like Finland or Norway,where they pay some of the highest taxes in the world, they also have the highest standard of living. Education is paid for, health care, etc.

    ReplyDelete
  6. To the Grey Lady,
    I think your idea that government uses violence is wrong. It is very rare that violence is used to enforce regulations and laws. Imagine if everyone....EVERYONE was free to do what they wanted when they wanted. That creates violence. If im not happy with somebody, i kill them...or hurt them...or...etc. Is it okay? well of course...there is no law or regulations to stop that!
    Your manager forces you to work a 18 hour shift...there is no safety regulations and you are...working a construction sight and someone drops somethign on your head...no compensation, no insurance....no health care..
    Then again, you wouldnt have a manager, because in a pure democracy...you are free and there is no level of authority, right?

    Im just finding it hard to wrap my head around these ideas?

    One last comment to think about.

    You go to a restaraunt one day, and upon arriving, you give the waiter your wallet and tel him to get you whatever he thinks best. He comes back 20 min later with a large steak, and upon bringing it over you declare you are a vegetarian and complain about the service.

    Now relate this to government, you as a tax payer, give the gov't your money, and then...do what? Do you place an order? Or do you let them try and decide what they think is best for you. Government plays a guessing game and trys to accommodate what they believe the majority of the people want and do what they believe is best. If you think it needs to be done differently, contact your MP and start placing your order, until then, you have no right to complain.

    ReplyDelete
  7. ARGH I was typing a reply and my little guy came along and clicked the mouse, and the whole thing disappeared!

    Anyway I wanted to touch on something right away and I'll have to come back later to write some more lol.

    About schools/daycare dictating what parents put in their children's lunches - YES this does already happen. I work in daycare and we were told years ago not to serve certain foods like candies, and if the parents pack them, we are to put a note in the lunch bag to tell them why we didn't serve it, and talk to the parents. We could not find this as a written regulation but it was the daycare licensing inspector that told us that. If a parent does not give their child at least 3 food items approved from the CFG (different groups), we have to supplement their lunches. The next step should be coming soon if they decide to go ahead with it - which is requiring all daycare centers to provide hot lunch and not allow bag lunches anymore. This will cost the parents and tax payers a great deal of money - even the parents who have diligently fed their kids very well every day.

    I understand a level of trying to keep children healthy, but at what point does the responsibility shift from the parents to everyone else in the province/country?? I know rich families that feed their kids crap, and poor families that work hard to provide healthy meals. It's not just a wage disparity issue, it's the parents. So why should everyone else be forced to pay for parents that do not 'get it' with healthier foods, even if the goal is to help the children? And why should parents who always work hard at providing meals be forced to pay more in daycare fees and possibly taxes to pick up another parent's slack?

    My school district is not dictating lunches (yet) but the board voted in something that principals were not even aware of - the school is no longer allowed to serve food that is not approved by the Canada Food Guide. I don't just mean at hot dog day, I mean even for class parties. If a parent sends cupcakes, the teacher is not allowed to serve them to the class. It officially starts Sept 2010 but my kids' school has already implemented it so we could try it out, get used to it, and iron out any problems. Teachers are not allowed to eat a treat in the staff room, and even at Parent Coucil meetings in the school, AFTER HOURS, we were not allowed to bring cookies or other 'treats' to share. Teachers cannot eat an 'unhealthy' snack in their car or outside if they are on school property, etc.

    Since when did eating a Kit Kat start getting treated like smoking cigarettes? There are some shifts going on that may have good intentions in general, but are penalizing people who DO eat well. The fittest gym teacher on the planet probably wants a cupcake from time to time, because they learned how to eat snacks in moderation rather than complete denial, but they are not allowed even while on their break at school. We joked at Council that teachers will be banding together to sneak off the property at lunch hour just to take a bite of the Forbidden Twix Bar (the forbidden fruit).

    ReplyDelete
  8. Another note is that my center used to provide hot lunch every single day when I first worked there, but the kids hardly ate it. There was so much waste it was ridiculous. Food costs started to rise again so my boss put a survey out to the parents - asking them if they wanted to keep hot lunch and take a fee hike, or start providing their own bag lunches 4 days a week (Fri Hot Lunch) and not have the fee raised - the overwhelming majority chose to provide their child's lunch themselves.

    Now we only throw out piles of food on Fridays instead. If we go to every day, we will HAVE to raise our fees in order to buy that much food, and watch it all get thrown out. I have worked in 4 centers since 1993 and the waste was the same in all of them, no matter what you cooked for the kids. Some ate well, the rest made a face, gagged, and wouldn't touch it.

    Anyway that's just some food for thought - is changing things like this 'for the good of all', or is it a way to force people to comply? And don't forget again that it's tax payers who will foot a large part of the bill because subsidies will increase, welfare will pay for their families' increased fees (and where does welfare get it's money from?), and centers will be able to apply for assistance grants for buying the food the govt forced us to buy (private businesses being forced to do this, by the way)....

    And that can be transferred to other things you talked about as well. The environment - is this based on the global warming climate change being man-made? Because the jury is still out on that.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Our current way of life is 100% attributed to the use of fossil fuels. As you sit at your computer that was 100% made and transported to you via fossil fuels, do you want to give that up? People complain about the fuels but very very few live a life that proves their beliefs. Computers, cars, cell phones, giant tvs, etc - none of those things are a necessity, they are pure luxury, but you don't see many people putting off that existence in order to do their part for the planet. If they did, the Amish population would explode.

    There has been a lot of talk of people trying to ban vehicles like SUVs. I have 5 people and a beloved pet dog in my family. We bought a pontiac G5 in the fall because of it's great MPG and love that aspect of it - but we cannot all go somewhere together. We can't take the car to camping because we don't all fit in it. We can barely manage to drive 3 hours without the kids killing each other, since two of them have to be in car/booster seats and space is extremely limited. We love the car, but it is mainly used to run around town on errands, and for my bf to drive to work.

    There is also talk that incandescent light bulbs will be illegal in the US Jan 1 2011. I have not seen for sure if this was true, but I've heard many people announcing it and saying 'bet you didn't know that, did you?'. If it is true - wow. Last time I checked, low income people weren't able to pay $10 a pop for a light bulb. We bought a whole bunch and changed all our bulbs over when we moved to a new home 2 years ago and every single one of those lights has burnt out since and we went back to the regular/cheap bulbs. I can light my whole home for less than it costs to buy one of those enviro-friendly suckers. But if the govt outlaws selling those anymore, then it's time for the black market and for the first time ever, I will be on the hunt for a black market item. Never dreamed it would be a light bulb tho -- wow.

    As for no right to complain unless you contact your MP (or other such rep), where is that rule? I have actually contacted my MP on 3 occasions and he has never once responded, but that's beside the point. I guess he is busy being Alberta's environment minister now and his office cannot even manage to set up an automatic response so you at least know your email hit their computer. I did get a reply from the other MP in my region, but only to be told they forwarded my letter on to the correct MP.

    There is also a protected freedom of speech for people in many countries, and I don't see a rule anywhere that states you cannot complain unless you have contacted the appropriate authority. Yes the govt is supposed to do what they believe is best, but it is leaving a lot to be desired. When my workplace tries to contact someone from Accreditation (yet another thing set up to divvy out tax dollars to centers, on top of the 3 or 4 we already had), we have to go through 12 people. Yes 12. That's how many extensions are listed when you dial the number, and we have been calling one for a month because we have not had our approval seal yet even though they cashed the cheque over a month ago - which makes us look like we are not accredited any longer - and no one has gotten back to us.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I have friends who are front-line workers with disabled people, but make less money per hour than the people who sit in the office typing up where the money goes and filing time sheets. I don't mind my tax money going to help an autistic child at all, I think it's a good thing. But I also know there are 3 levels of provincial govt workers getting paid before that money even gets to the child - that sort of thing has to stop! It's ridiculous.

    Our saying at work is that every dollar of funding we get was spent 40 times before it reached us. It's not a money tree, it's more like a bottomless pit that is starting to close in on us all. Why can't we complain about that, or write things on a blog to make others think about what is going on?

    If you give an inch, they eventually take a mile. Some things started out with good intentions, like Unions or labour laws. that was indeed to protect workers from bad businesses. However, more gets added all the time and pretty soon the employers are so mired under paperwork and changes, they decide to close shop (especially small business), and that costs jobs as well as loss of tax revenue.

    the govt taking over all of these various avenues of responsibility is telling the people, the citizens, that they do not know how to govern themselves and therefore someone else must do it for them.

    Yes of course there are people who do not look after themselves, there always will be, but we keep making it easier for that small minority, and it comes at the cost to people who DO govern themselves well. Law Order Transportation Education etc is acceptable to me - but many/most of that list does not actually fall into those categories.

    ReplyDelete
  11. One final note - I have noticed on here that if someone talks about not liking some of the things govts are sticking their fingers in, questioning their authority to do so and their reasons behind it, someone else inevitably comes in to say 'what if there were NO rules!? there would be chaoes!'.

    It is a bit aggravating because I don't think anyone here said there should be no govt at all, no rules, no regulations. Most seem to be simply speaking of their frustration over how things are progressing and turning out.

    Ancient history has played the same record over and over, govts getting in to help the people, then taking more and more from them over time, until the society completely collapses or the people revolt. It reminds me of people in england getting taxed for the number of windows in their homes, so they broke the glass out and closed the windows up instead. How different is that from our property taxes? If I decide to build a shed in my yard or make my deck a foot longer or wider, I have to apply for a permit and when my property value is reassessed, the taxes are higher. All because I wanted to build a permanent structure (shed) in my back yard. So - a lot of people don't even bother with it anymore. Making your life better and easier lets the govt in to take a little bit more of your hard earned money (which is essentially taking your property away from you - money you earned IS your property). People get fed up with that and it has happened repeatedly throughout human history - and the ending was never good.

    Just something to think about ;)

    Kez

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hey Kez!

    So after reading through your comments I am more on the same wavelength as you, I guess i thought your note was a bit more extreme than it actually is.

    SOme more comments though :)

    With the daycare/school meal deal, I agree with you. I uncerstand completely the idea that low income families shouldnt pick up the slack for those that can afford it.

    I think what I meant is in the context of perhaphs a high school, where there is an opptional cafateria. Kids have the choice to bring pack lunch, buy lunch from the caf or head to the local Subway. In cases like this, I believe there should be more regulations on what food is sold at a caferteria. The crappy burgers and greasy fries we currently buy could be replaced by fresh salads, pasta, potentially homemade pizza etc. Obviously there will be added costs to this, but if i could purchase a salad from my schools caf, then I would be more inclined to buy from there!

    As far as regulating this though, it would be done im sure at a lower level of gov/organization. For ex. within the calgary board of education, not the Alberta gov't.

    And yes regulation of eating Kit Kats in the staff room is ridiculous...that is too far I agree.

    Some notes on the environment.

    Yes it is still in the air about if global warming is completely man made...and I believe that we are infuincing it, bt no we are not all screwed in the next 50 years.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I believe that we are on a going green revolution...slowly, but its happening. Should we stop this? Heck no! I completely agree that we rely on fossil fuels and that they are completely necessary for what we use in every day lives.

    Aslo, both being from Alberta I think we can both agree that an immediate shift away from fossil fuels is just nto an option. It needs to be more gradual so that we here in Alberta can shift our economy to something....new i guess.

    With the incadesent light bulbs though...think about how the market works, if they are all banned, all incadescent light producing companies will have to swtch, or close down. Because the alternative will now become the norm, the demand will be higher ad therefore the production will be cheaper...in theory.
    I guess it could go the other way in that demand is so high that prices sky rocket, but that is not sustainable and not liekyl to happen.

    Im in school right now and have to get off the computer, but I will be on later!!

    This is quite fun to discuss!

    ReplyDelete
  14. It is fun, because it can help the readers/author see the big picture, or something they did not know about or had not thought about before.

    One thing I want to hit on first is the comment about the smaller bodies taking on things like food in school cafs. Where do you think the funding comes from? It is from the provincial govt and the municipal. In fact, from numbers I have seen posted in my city, more funding comes from the province than the cities/towns. Tuition for junior high is only about $25/year more than it was in 1985 when I attended the same school my son is going to now. I was quite shocked by that - and the yearbook only costs about $3 more. Meaning - tuition that parents pay is a great deal less than what is required to maintain the schools (materials, teachers, aides, janitors, support staff, caf staff, principals, counsellors, etc). The vast majority of the funding comes from taxpayers on a municipal, provincial, and on the federal level too (taking into account the fact that many provinces receive tax money from 'richer' provinces to ensure equality in programs across the country).

    The individual districts should be able to decide their own 'rules', but they still have to petition the province for approval. Such as a catholic school in my city wanting to take back one of it's old schools (now being used by a different organization) because they were busting at the seams with students and wanted more class rooms... the alberta children's minister said NO unless they provided more information on the reasoning for this. They sent it off and have not heard back, so they are going to go ahead as planned but at this moment it is without the approval of the province.

    If a school only wants to sell healthier foods and it ends up costing more, they may or may not get the funding allowance needed. They may have to juggle things in their own accounting books to make it work. Or the province may go ahead eventually and dictate that all schools must sell certain kinds of foods in their cafs - and they may or may not get enough funding for it. It's like a game of shooting craps lol.

    But I do think schools should serve better foods... I'm not mental and dont want my kids to eat Doritos and gravy-smothered-greasy-fries every day.... but I am also aware of the bigger picture there too. I know that currently, healthier foods can cost more and the fees could go up for all students, even if they don't eat in the caf at all. Or if the food prices are too high, kids won't eat there and will go elsewhere for cheaper junk instead, leaving the caf food to waste. Who knows.

    ReplyDelete
  15. But I also know that the problem of childhood obesity cannot be beat in the school cafeteria. When I was a teen, our high school food was HORRID. Greasy slimy, icky crud. I rarely ate it. But tons of kids did - and we did not have NEAR the number of obese/overweight kids as there are today. Why? Our food was worse, yet we were fitter and healthier. How could that possibly be?

    I see several reasons:
    1 - more single parent/low income families struggling to make ends meet and buy good foods
    2 - more dual working families making less time for proper meals and stopping at McDs on the way home instead
    3 - less emphasis put on physical education in schools. the province went after academics and over the years more time was cut. My school does not have an afternoon recess and only has about 25 mins of outdoor time at lunch. When I was that age we had over a half hour outdoor time and two 15 min recesses a day despite being in school the same # of hours
    4 - video games, computers, television (and yes this does come down to the parents again, but I still find it highly linked). When I was a kid, we didn't have a single 24 hour cartoon network let alone several of them, handheld games had only just started to come out and you'd only know about 2 kids that had one, no computers, no internet, no cell phones, no mp3 players, etc. We were bored out of our darn minds and had to go play outside all the time, or be creative and crazy in the basement or toy room (ie ACTIVE)

    How will changing school menus REALLY tackle the problem? I am not against it, but I am against the cost if they cannot whittle down administrative/bureaucratic fees further up the ladder to even it out. I am against it filtering toward homes because some families still teach their kids that it's okay to have a treat once in awhile as long as they are active and eat other healthy foods more often. Like my family - if I want to send some chop chip cookies for my kids' birthday party at school, why can't I any longer? Because *some* families do not feed their children well enough? What if a parent forgets the new rule and their little 6 yr old makes cupcakes and is so excited to bring them to school - only to be devastated when the teacher says NO and sends them home with mom? That crosses the line in my eyes because that is not food the school is serving, that's food a parent/family brought as a special treat.

    ReplyDelete
  16. As for the light bulbs, yes the cost should go down if the market for them is forced up because of banning other kinds of lights, but is that how we want to do things? Health Canada even issued a warning, pending their investigation, that people should not sit within about 30cm of those lights (like if you have one in a desk lamp) because they are looking into the mercury levels and something else they may radiate. I saw that on the news awhile ago and just rolled my eyes. There are a lot of unconfirmed complaints about them leaking mercury when they break.

    Sure, a site in favor of these bulbs will tell you that there is no risk, that the claims are false, but how do we know that for sure? I am not able to test and check these claims out one way or another, so I'm supposed to blindly trust that in 20 years they won't say 'oopsy everyone got mercury poisoning'. Maybe the claims are the usual conspiracy theory garbage, or maybe there is something to them.

    All I know is that I spent about $150 to $200 on the bulbs for my house and all of them are dead in less than 2 years. I needed 16 bulbs and we have none left. I moved into this house on Feb 15, 2008 so I am not exaggerating about the time line. Even if the bulbs go half price, it would still cost me about $75 to buy them all again, and repeat that every other year or less perhaps, when I am not sure about the validity of the claim in the first place. I should also mention that even with all my bulbs being the new kind, there was absolutely no difference in my utility bill in the usage number. I have every bill from every month (part of a project of mine) so I am not just guessing.

    I just find it difficult that the levels of govt were supposed to be here to keep things in general order and make sure people's rights were protected - but it is growing far beyond that. Just like any other time in history in almost any other type/group of people/country/civilization. I think the only ones that manage to go through life the same and without much trouble from over-governing authorities are tribes in the rain forest lol. Seriously.......

    ReplyDelete
  17. My Dear Sam,

    Of course the government is violence, most people just comply because they KNOW that if they do not obey even the most ridiculous laws they ultimately face a taser, loss of property, jail and possibly death at the end of a gun.

    there is a vast difference from you and I. You fear what free people might do, you want the government to give you peace of mind and you are willing to let that fear and the Government be lords over the populace, dictators of almost every little thing in the tax slaves lives.You are willing to advocate violence on those who oppose your views, how sweet. And why is that? Because, so far, you like what it is forcing all those other people you are so afraid of to do. You think it's a great idea and are not allowing for anyone else to be different from you. Again how sweet.

    I am not afraid of free individuals in any way, shape or form. Individuals have minimal amount of opportunity to impose their will and do violence on me and mine. Collectives on the other hand are a serious concern. Collectives survive on the mob mentality and swarm, attempt to destroy what does not agree or adhere to their dogma.

    One sick individual in a free society is easily neutralized, they will almost always stay an individual, but put that bastard at the head of a collective or government? Very scary pieces of feces indeedy......

    I don't know about you dear but I grew up, there came a time when my Mommy and Daddy didn't need to tell me to drink my milk, eat my veggies, how best to dress. Do you still need your surrogate Mommy and Daddy to make you feel and happy, safe and cozy when you crawl into bed? Because I out grew that kind of Dependant relationship a while ago. Will you?

    ReplyDelete
  18. Sam - I'm not sure if you have been back to check comments but I looked at your profile and see that you are 16. When I was 16, I had been inundated with horror stories about Acid Rain and the hole in the Ozone Layer to the point I was afraid if I didn't help, we could all die. I spent year after year in science class learning about acid rain and it's effects on the planet... the Ozone layer made the news constantly, with stories of how we were going to burn to death from the sun's rays getting through full strength, etc.

    But here we are 15 years later and the ozone layer crops up in the news maybe once a year, if that. I hadn't heard about it for so long, I even forgot about the scare tactics I was put through as a teen in the name of 'Education'.

    So perhaps you can understand why some older folk like me are frustrated with what you have to go through and how you follow it along like we did with other topics. Yes humans have made stupid mistakes over the years, dumped all sorts of toxins all over the place, but the damage forced them to change and we somehow did not burn to death despite the giant hole above Alberta all these years. Apparently it is still there, but nothing is said about it.

    I resent the fact that I was scared as a young teen that I was going to be burnt to a crisp before I hit middle age. Well... i'm knocking on middle age's door right now and I am not a piece of shriveled up burnt bacon.

    My son is 12 and has already had to do his Carbon Footprint, which in turn makes him feel guilty about his impact on the planet. he is TWELVE for crying out loud! I learned about propaganda in school and at the same time was being fed it almost daily. But at the time I didn't see it either. I bought into it and even had some nightmares about acid rain and burning without 400SPF cream or something. I do not want my children going through that - but feel powerless to stop it because it has been written into the books.

    My son's science text had 1.5 pages on Acid Rain and they barely touched on it, had a couple questions on a test. And not a single word about the ozone layer holes in the entire textbook. Quite a contradiction to what my old books looked like. So when man-made climate change and global warming crops up today, I can't help but think back and realize it's the same story I was freaked out with, but it has a different title.

    Just something to think about. Ask your parents what they remember about the ozone layer and acid rain perhaps.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I finally got a chance to look over them again!

    Its interesting you bring up age. I personally feel that me being 16 does not carry for much difference. I am an engaged person, and i don't just fall it believing in the "norm." Being critical of everything you hear or read is a good trait to have, as it makes you a more informed and thoughtful person. As we discuss ideas I am listening to what you are saying, and I hope you listen to my ideas.

    The fact that I am 16 does nto make much difference. As a citizen in Canada, I am much more informed on global, national and community issues that probably a lot of people much older than me. That is not to say people do not get informed...but as Im sure we both know, there are many people out there who simply dont care.

    In your voting blog you back that up, as you state that many people just don't care about politics, and therefore shouldn't have to vote.

    As far as this whole global warming acid rain hole in ozone layer stuff....ya...im being critical of it...im not just believing it. But the way I see it, and as i have mentioned before, what harm will it have to start to make that transition

    ReplyDelete
  20. This is the idea that, even if global warming as a man made phenomenon, where we all die in 40 years is false (which i believe it is) the fact that we are looking into and aiming towards better alternatives is nothing but positive.

    Think back a hundred years, how where we living in Canada....in what kind of houses, with what kind of technology. Then think back to industrial living...living in the fog and smoke of small town houses and apartments in london.

    now think about how we live today...we have defiantly civilized havent we? And whats to say this going green isn't human civilization...moving forward. the "ization" in civilization is referring to the process of change....

    Its hard for me to justify that how we live today isnt bad...and that we cant just keep living like this...but consider Beijing China. It is a fact that the air there is unhealthy and can cause health problems. So is fixing this situation not something that has to happen. Not for the good of everyone, but also for the good of yourself.

    You have to work collectively to change something....one person recylicing wont make any difference if everyone else doesnt do it.

    Last thought....and i only use global warming as one example...what point does it have to get to before it is a moral obligation of people to act in a certain way. We talk about free speech, and being free, but perhaps the government needs to be there to lead US as a group to a better alternative.

    As you propose that me being 16 makes me uninformed, perhaps you being older makes you more resistant to change. Has it, or will it get to a point in your life where you make decisions simply based on the fact that the governemnt tells you to do the opposite? If they recommend you to drive small fuel efficient cars will you keep the bigger SUV just because you are against the bureaucracy involved with government.

    Im not saying this is how you are...I hardly know you of course. Its just a suggetion.

    ReplyDelete
  21. LASTLY to The Grey Lady

    I am quite surprised by this comment. And quite offended. No I do not rely solely on my parents to "tell me to drink my milk, eat my veggies, how best to dress."

    Do i need them to provide me with shelter and food and safety? Yes, but is that not a basic human right of a 16 yr old kid attending school. Is that not a basic human right for anyone?

    Is government violence? No. Welcome to Canada, we don't shoot everyone for making a mistake...
    The people...wait what word..."people?" Oh yes right....people...in government are not how you describe them. Believe it or not these people also have feelings, and these are moral feelings. They are not currently dictatorial bastards who's main aim is to impose violence on the population.

    ... your thinking if Hitler...or any of those, yes your right...sick individuals if you want to put it that way...who commit mass atrocities throughout the world...and yes if one of those was to be in power...we are very much in trouble.

    I am fairly confused as to exactly what you are trying to tell me here though. Are you telling me you are a free individual, or that you are part of the collective, the general population...

    Im lost. Enlighten me.

    As a thought though...humans and organisms in general thrive in a social and collective environment.
    From a psychological point of view, people won't be happy if they remain "individuals". We all seek to belong to something. We are most dangerous when we are NOT belonging to some kind of collective (assuming that this collective is a positive influence). While we are seeking for that acceptance, just about anything will do. Even if it is harmful for ourselves and/or others around us.

    Human Nature.


    Further more, what are you imposing? We all live in a completely free society where we all get to do exactly what we want with no consequence to our actions? Welcome to anarchy, to chaos.

    And in this scenario....again, human nature will prevail and groups will form. Those who enjoy walking dogs will walk dogs together...those who decide to kill people will kill people together, and those who decide that some order is needed to stop those people who enjoy walking dogs from being killed by those who like to kill people...well welcome to a society similar to what we live in today.

    It may be true that I am slightly dependent on my "mommy and daddy" but at least I can see some reality. Believing so highly of human beings to think that we can live peacefully in a anarchistic world is extremely idealistic.

    Its time to come out of the box

    ReplyDelete
  22. :) thanks for coming back Sam. First off, the age thing is just a guess. I commented on your age because a really long time ago (lol) when I was 16, I really enjoyed my Social Studies class. I thought I was very informed and was looking at things with an open (aka critical) mind. I had a great teacher who really pushed us so I requested her in subsequent years. But when I got out in the working world and had a family, lived in Europe and then back in Canada, started having issues with the medical system, etc etc - my horizons broadened. There is just no way to be SURE about your thinking and opinions until you are knee-deep in the mire.

    As a 16 yr old watching the news (darn, no internet way back then), reading books, learning about diff cultures, devouring the library, etc, I still could not possibly gain full understanding until I was out there. That's not my fault, I was a teen, not a parent, not even paying income tax yet lol. Now I am facing raising 3 more teenagers over the next several years and see things being even more difficult. So much has changed in that past 15 years, I can't imagine how my grandparents must view the changes! Yikes!

    Anyway, I'm not saying you don't know diddley-squat just because you are 16. I'm just saying that over time, people gain more knowledge through experience as well. Until then, you can only imagine the thoughts and feelings. I was a teen when the GST was introduced, for example, and we were told it was a temporary measure to help get Canada back on track... and here we are 23 years later and it was dropped by 5% but it's not going to go away any time soon. My, how temporary lol. As people have been earning more, taxes have increased to the point you might as well still be earning 1990 wages. Your gross income looks perdy, but your net income keeps shrinking despite raises. It's a very strange phenomenon to experience and frustrating when you are trying to feed your children and keep the roof over their heads, make sure the heating bill is paid, etc.

    I guess because now I do not look at the world for how it affects ME, I look at it for how it affects my CHILDREN, I started to pay more attention to finer details. Stating that maybe govt needs to help guide people together to make things better makes my skin crawl - sorry lol. Who are they that make them better than others? If they cannot organize the main things that taxes are supposed to be for (example, Canada Pension worries for the future), how can we expect this group of strangers to organize other parts of our lives for us?

    Yes some people don't give a crap and they dump junk everywhere, but if you were allowed to go over to your neighbour's house and kick his butt like in the good old days (lol), maybe things could be sorted out just fine without any intervention. Okay maybe that's not the best idea, but seriously,even with all the bylaws and rules, fines, regulations, etc these days, people still throw their garbage around, still speed, still murder people, still kidnap, steal, rape, burglarize, etc - If the govt's intervention was so inspired and organized, why do we have so many problems still? I gave up waiting for the govt to sort things out and try my best to work it from home instead.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Oops Sam I forgot to say that I think it's great to expand our knowledge and technologies. But if you look at the world headlines today, Canada and the US are being blamed for what goes on in places like Kenya. It doesn't seem to matter that we can pretty much breathe our air very well on the majority of this continent, we are blamed for the 5 yr drought in Kenya, Calgary just 'won' the top 5 spot for worst emissions per capita in the world (for a city), the oilsands are shredded to pieces in the National Geographic (a highly acclaimed and read publication), etc. That is what angers me.

    We should always be aware of what we are doing, and better ways to do them. I have no problem with that. But I do have a big problem with how we are being named the villains. They talk of how we need to get off fossil fuels, when Coal has been used for several hundred years minimum, wood from whenever Captain Caveman first figured out how to burn it lol, various types of oils like whale oil for lord only knows how long, and all of that has led to how we live today. Oil and Gas came in at the end and greatly improved our way of life - but now we are being inundated with image after image of dying polar bears, melting ice caps, starvation and famine for people, etc. You should try to find a link on my blog somewhere (might be under my Go Green tags) with a news piece from 1987 (Jane Paulie and some other guy) that was seriously terrifying (if u were to believe it). That is the kind of thing we are facing now and I do NOT agree with scaring people into changing something on the premise of unproven and questionable science.

    Praising ingenuity wasn't enough for some people, they wanted to make money (in my opinion) but the speed and access to oil and gas was so ground-in, they had to find a way to bring their solar and wind projects to the forefront or risk losing their investments... and tada - Fear Mongering began. That is not the way to do things and I do not respect any govt or person that buckles under that pressure.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Oh I completely agree...I hate seeing this label on us that we are...killing and ruining everything. I talk to people out east who are large advocates for environmentalism and going green, as we have discussed quite a bit haha....and although i'm completely down with it...I have to keep reminding them that the oil and gas is what MAKES our province. Take away that and our economy collapses. And it wouldn't just be Alberta that feels it!

    Back to the age stuff...i completely see where your coming from. As the demographics change so do our opinions...obviously.

    And to a point i agree with you. I find the incompetency of the governments spending quite frustrating as time after time we see faults. I would wish to see a more transparent government, but that is a lot to ask. I see why, as a taxpayer for many years, you will find it frustrating to see all the money you have given in taxes often clumsily wasted.

    Even still, this does not mean that all government is wasteful with money. Obviously, if we are both unhappy with the current government, we have two options...

    What i feel I more lead toward, a more liberal government that I would hope better manages the money in which we see more efficient programs, less money wasting bureaucracy and a more accountable government. Can the liberal party of Canada achieve this...
    perhaps im being a little idealisitic haha

    On the other end of things, what I feel your leading towards, is the more conservative government...my only problem with this is that to go more "conservative" in Canada, we must go to...like the Wild rose part (whatever its called). As we talked about in the other post...is this not one of those parties that has no real experience in power, and if we saw them i power, could lead to perhaps more mismanagement due to a lack of experience?

    The way I see it right now...we suck it up and stick with what we have got. Or people here in Alberta put a little more faith in our liberal government and perhaps we see some improvements.

    Unfortunately, I am not informed enough to argue one could do better than the other...so this is where my argument stops hahah

    ReplyDelete
  25. A more liberal govt to see how well it manages the money/spending? - well I would suggest to look back on past history to see where the debt added up from in the first place (IE who actually put some of these programs into place that 20-30 years down the line end up in the hole, needing stimulus and patch-ups to keep going).

    I think about it like this - in the US, everyone is blaming George Bush and some past presidents for the mess that is happening right now. But up here, everyone seems to be blaming Harper for the mess. How can two countries, living side by side, with similar lifestyles, etc etc be completely opposite in the Blame Game? I blame them ALL in one way or another lol. But I look back and see how many programs and decisions were put into place by various parties and track forward again to see where we are at now, what has been mismanaged, etc. Harper has been in since 2006, but there were what, 13 Liberal years before that? But it's apparently all Harper's fault for what is going on now. I shudder at the thought of Ignatief being PM one day. It seriously curdles my stomach. I think that they have all made mistakes and I don't want to go even further left than we already are to try to 'fix' it. I believe the Liberal party had the PM spot for 97 years out of our 143ish years.. something like that (trying to clear cobwebs from my memory lol), including over half the time in the past 30 years of PMs. The most consecutive years in power by far overall (Trudeau and Chretien for example, covering 25 years together since the late 60s). I can't see how their record is much better. Conservatives have only had 4 of the last 17 years but apparently the Liberal party can do better? I think they've had more than enough chances to prove themselves lol.

    ps I think Progressive-Conservative is an oxymoron and that speaks for some of the problems AB has been facing. It's not really a 'conservative' govt here and never has been. It's just a little bit more to the right than the Lib factions.

    (kez)

    ReplyDelete
  26. ps - with the govt to lead us... i just made a post about Paperwork the other day, so until the govt can actually manage to lead by example, I don't see how it is fit to guide citizens lol. I also believe that the key words here would be LIMITED GOVERNMENT. Not an ever-growing and expanding govt that we have to pay the wages and benefits and pensions of before we even begin to get down to the business of spending the tax dollars where they should go. The basic framework of education, transportation, military, healthcare has been crumbling for decades - it's not recent. So until I see those things being sorted out properly, I will not be able to trust the Leaders to tell us what is good for us in other sectors.

    ReplyDelete

*Disclaimer

These are my views and opinions. If you don't agree or think I am sadly misguided, that is your view. Feel free to share your thoughts but I also reserve my right to moderate content (IE foul language, excessive flaming, etc).