Friday, December 16, 2011

BC POLITICS … the week that just was


Christmas is fast approaching … but before it does, I will still have one more week, maybe two, of political stories that made the news in BC.  Let’s jump right in starting with more news of John Martins bid to be the BC Conservative candidate in Chilliwack Hope …

… one only has to view … the Legislature to become repulsed with this Christy Clark government (I believe that the recent decision of Barry Penner, who has a reputable reputation, acknowledged by all parties, was his intent to distance himself from it and resign). There is light in this sordid tunnel of two traditional parties each …  involved in corruption, dishonesty, lack of integrity  … arrogance and denial

Auditor General John Doyle released his latest report on corrections … You have likely heard about the overflowing B.C. jail system, where even segregation inmates are now being doubled up … as Doyle’s report sets out, nine out of 10 convicted adult offenders aren’t in custody. They’re on house arrest or probation, many with court-ordered conditions to report their whereabouts, stay away from their victims, stay sober and complete various rehabilitation programs … many are violent … currently 24,000 of them, an all-time high … an increase of 28 per cent in the past six years.

… recommends that only Canadians should be allowed to testify at those hearings, not outside interest groups.  "Canadians should be heard, but these hearings cannot go on indefinitely. Most importantly no one group or community should have a veto on the development of a project that is so important to British Columbia … stated he appreciates the concerns of local communities, and that stringent regulations must be in place to ensure the project “is done in an environmentally safe and secure manner … blasts the provincial Liberal government for not making its support of the project clear ...


“I think we see a Jekyll and Hyde aspect to Adrian. He says one thing but, and I’m biased obviously, but I just have this horrible suspicion that what Adrian Dix is really about is spend, spend and spend some more and tax some more.”  Dix warned at the convention that the Liberals are likely to fight a negative campaign, noting they posted a new attack video on the Internet on Friday…

… contrast with Premier Clark who supports the Kyoto accord, carbon taxes and the expensive carbon bureaucracy, a new BC Conservative government will not punish B.C. taxpayers by giving our province a handicap that prevents us from competing on the world stage.  That’s why our party opposes such reckless measures as the Carbon Tax, and the new 2 cent per litre Lower Mainland gas tax that punish British Columbians …

… the Liberal government either was so stupid as to not notice a market crash, a huge dose of criminality on Wall Street, or the severe Recession that followed – or they deliberately lied.  Then there was the HST that one need not mention … the Liberal Party’s renowned fiscal prudence is a crock of crap. And it’s worse – the government ought have foreseen the fiscal problems even before it hit the fan – reading numbers and foreseeing trouble is what Finance Ministries are all about…

…if anyone was wondering whether Clark had gone over to the corporate dark side, their worries were eased by the speech. Dix and Sihota are running things now, but Clark is never more than a phone call away.  The three amigos are as committed as ever. But they bring a big load of baggage that's going to get unpacked by the Liberals over the next while …

Mr. Cummins … “Today we begin down the path to change for the better in the Tri-Cities.  Today we start building a common sense option for British Columbia that puts people first not the powerful. The Liberals do not own your vote.  Just as NDP do not own your vote.  Your vote is yours to do as you wish with it. We are the common-sense option.  We are the party that is not beholden to one special interest or another.  We are the party of the people.” …
 
"This is an exciting time for the BC Conservatives as we open the nomination for candidates to prepare for the provincial by-election in Chilliwack-Hope.  Our second elected candidate will continue to give a real choice to voters in this province at election time." … criminology professor and Times columnist John Martin announced he would run for the Tory nomination in the riding … NDP have not yet set a date for a nomination meeting … no one has announced they would seek the BC Liberal nomination…

With B.C.'s carbon tax in its fourth year, Lake said there has been a slight reduction in the province's emissions. There is one more increase set for July 2012, with offsetting business and personal income tax cuts to keep it revenue neutral to the province.  "As it gets higher I think it changes people's behaviour…”

… nearly 4,000 seek reimbursements after turnaround on prepaid tickets … before BC Ferries reversed its decision and offered the refunds, it had been set to keep a reported $1.19 million in funds seized from as many as 15,765 tickets…

Clark said the highlight of her year was not the day she was sworn in as premier in March, but the day B.C. landed an $8-billion federal shipbuilding contract.  “That was the best day.  The highlight of the year was planning and executing our jobs plan. Then boom! As a result of the work we did, we got a huge example of how you create jobs.”
MY COMMENT
this is an out and out lie … this contract, awarded to a BC shipyard, had NOTHING to do with Christy Clarks just weeks before jobs plan announcements!

… that grabbed most of the attention was his insistence that an NDP government would have a "modest" agenda in its first four years … pointed out the NDP government in the early 1990s introduced more than 200 pieces of legislation in four years - much too much, according to Dix … contradictions were quick to emerge … Dix proceeded to talk for another half hour about addressing all kinds of policy areas, from the environment to income inequality to education to health care …

Premier Clark takes flight on taxpayer dime -- More than $55,000 spent on premier's air travel
… "B.C. was a leader in the country by stopping the use the of government jets, but obviously charter flights are a loophole to get around that," said Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation B.C. director Jordan Bateman. “When you're running a $3.1 billion deficit this year, you need to take a hard look at every single expense.” …

Christy Clark, “We’re turning the page now. We’re past the HST. By the end of this year we’ll be past some of the other stuff — Hydro rates, ICBC and some of those other things — and we’ll be moving into the next chapter, which will be the Christy Clark chapter of this B.C. Liberal government,”

That’s all for this week … except to say that in regards to that last news story, I think I have already seen enough of the Christy Clark chapter.

With Christmas and New Years fast approaching, you’ll have less of me to read because I am going to take a bit of time off away from the blog.  Over the next couple weeks though I will begin a wrap up of the most read “Conservative Thoughts” stories of the year … and some of what I think are the top political stories of the year.

Bye for now … and have a great weekend …

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