... that I want to talk about today.
First: The union that represents many of the federal public servants in Canada, have accused PMS of conducting a firesale of some of the nation's top assets -- the office buildings where the bureaucrats work. They are in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Montréal. The feds sold them for a billion six. PSAC says they're really worth two billion three.
The feds say the buildings will be bought back over 25 years. Frankly, I've never liked the idea of leasebacks to begin with. To undervalue them, like Mike Harris did with the 407 toll road (which was sold for a ninety-year contract), is insanity.
Second: The so-called "Queen of Mean," Leona Helmsley, is dead. Like Mrs. Astor, she was an uncommonly generous philantropist although she always came off as shadowy in comparison -- kind of like Angelina to Jennifer in an earlier age. But she could never live down the accusation that she said "Only the little people pay taxes," a snide remark that (true or not) led to her conviction for tax evasion.
Hard to believe this, a convicted felon, was the same woman who a few years earlier had a confident smiling face in full-page ads inside the AAA tour-guides for her premium hotels, inviting the road weary to spend just one night. Made me actually want to stay at a Harley or Helmsley even if I -- or my parents -- couldn't even dream to afford it. Yeah, I'm gonna miss her even if a lot of New Yorkers are popping the bubbly tonight in celebration. Rest in peace, ma'am.
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