Hard to believe that it was six years ago, 2002, a year when Democrats were getting pummeled in the Congressionals, that everyone thought Rod Blagojevich was the greatest thing since sliced bread and Barack Obama was still a nobody state senator from Chicago's South Side. He came up with this really silly radio commercial that got him elected -- by figuring out how to make something rhyme with Blagojevich.
I first heard this last weekend on NPR's Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me! You can imagine the shock of the panelists -- last week's show had Paula Poundstone, Tom Bodett (some of you may remember him as the voice of "Good Idea Bad Idea" and "Rhyme Time" on Animaniacs, and the voice-over for all those Motel 6 commercials) and WaPo's Roxanne Roberts -- when they were told this was a real commercial.
If anyone thinks Blagojevich is going to quit, they don't know anything about guys and gals from the Balkans. If there's one that united the people of the heavily fractured former Yugoslavia, it's that no one ever backed down from anything -- and never quit even if the allegations were absolutely true.
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Thursday, December 18, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Quick notes (2008-12-17)
Three stories, all from Canada.
First, you'd think the computers at the stock exchange would have backups, and those backups would be back-up as well. Instead, the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) is completely shut down and can't handle any trades. This is 2008, people!
This reminds me of a 22 Minutes joke from around 1997 or 1998. With the migration to electronic trading, the TSE (as it was then known) said that stock brokerages needed to improve communications with the exchange's computers so that the latter's terminals wouldn't crash. Greg Thomey said something like that the brokers replied, "We'll improve our systems when the TSE upgrades to Windows 3.1!" This was a sly reference to the fact the TSE was still using the CATS system, which dated back to 1977. (By that time, as many pointed out, most of the world had already migrated to Windows 4.1 -- ahem, 98 -- or whatever version number the Mac was on in those days.)
Second, the Rev. Bill Blaikie, the very popular former ND MP from Winnipeg Transcona, has said he'll collect his MPs' pension ($155k+ per year) in addition to what he would get for salary as an MLA if he wins a seat in the upcoming Manitoba election.
Sorry, Rev, but Canadians really don't have tolerance for double dippers, even an unrepentant progressive like you. Come on, you're still an ordained minister! Not that you should take a vow of poverty, but can't you donate either the pension or the MLA salary to your church's development fund?
Third, Calgary Robot and Pointy Head (i.e. Stephen Harper and Dalton McGuinty) have agreed that Ontario will get a seat allocation on the same proportion as British Columbia and Alberta -- which means 21 more seats instead of 10 (or just 4 if the status quo had been applied).
It would be nice if instead of 21 more FPTP seats they could be allocated on a PR basis. I'd like the choice of being able to split the ticket; most people here would. It would also be nice if Dalt agreed to an elected Senate -- by a real constitutional amendment, not the sham (and completely unconstitutional method) that PMS has been proposing.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
First, you'd think the computers at the stock exchange would have backups, and those backups would be back-up as well. Instead, the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) is completely shut down and can't handle any trades. This is 2008, people!
This reminds me of a 22 Minutes joke from around 1997 or 1998. With the migration to electronic trading, the TSE (as it was then known) said that stock brokerages needed to improve communications with the exchange's computers so that the latter's terminals wouldn't crash. Greg Thomey said something like that the brokers replied, "We'll improve our systems when the TSE upgrades to Windows 3.1!" This was a sly reference to the fact the TSE was still using the CATS system, which dated back to 1977. (By that time, as many pointed out, most of the world had already migrated to Windows 4.1 -- ahem, 98 -- or whatever version number the Mac was on in those days.)
Second, the Rev. Bill Blaikie, the very popular former ND MP from Winnipeg Transcona, has said he'll collect his MPs' pension ($155k+ per year) in addition to what he would get for salary as an MLA if he wins a seat in the upcoming Manitoba election.
Sorry, Rev, but Canadians really don't have tolerance for double dippers, even an unrepentant progressive like you. Come on, you're still an ordained minister! Not that you should take a vow of poverty, but can't you donate either the pension or the MLA salary to your church's development fund?
Third, Calgary Robot and Pointy Head (i.e. Stephen Harper and Dalton McGuinty) have agreed that Ontario will get a seat allocation on the same proportion as British Columbia and Alberta -- which means 21 more seats instead of 10 (or just 4 if the status quo had been applied).
It would be nice if instead of 21 more FPTP seats they could be allocated on a PR basis. I'd like the choice of being able to split the ticket; most people here would. It would also be nice if Dalt agreed to an elected Senate -- by a real constitutional amendment, not the sham (and completely unconstitutional method) that PMS has been proposing.
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Tuesday, December 16, 2008
BYOB at the movies
This one's time has come and is way past due, but is still bound to cause problems. As with anything containing alcohol, I say proceed with caution.
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Another Fed cut; Conference Board demands stimulus
In the last hour or so The Fed has taken the unprecedented step of declaring it it will not have a set rate for American banks to charge each other -- noting the target hasn't even been hit as of late -- but rather setting a target range for the funds rate: anywhere from 0 to ¼%. The Fed also said today that they are going to be taking pretty aggressive steps to jump start the economy but warned that rates could be stuck at low levels for quite some time to come. The statement of Bernacke and Co. is here, but it's worth noting that the greenback which had been at about $1.25 against the Euro just a couple of weeks ago fell three cents on the news within seconds from $1.37 to about $1.40. Simply Ben also lost about a full cent against the loonie.
This new rate is a cut of up to 5¼% since September of last year when the economy showed signs of slowing down. One has to wonder if negative interest rates are next -- they have them in Japan right now. If one reads the statement, it reads like a desperate plea for more time and almost begging to keep its independence from the White House. If Barack Obama is planning something really interventionist, he's being awfully coy about it right now. He'd better come up with something -- when the annual inflation rate drops 2.6% in just a month (from 3.7% to 1.1%) there's a big problem.
It may sound almost perverse to say this, but I think Americans will realize just how worthless their currency is once their beloved game board cash drops to 2:1 against the Euro. It can happen (it troughed at around $1.61 earlier this year). Only then will there be a real revolution -- not against the government but against the corporations.
Meanwhile, the Conference Board of Canada, usually friends of Harper and Co., is pleading for a massive stimulus package here, in the neighbourhood of $13 billion. That's pretty modest compared to the multiple jump start attempts in the States, but the board said what most of us have known for months -- monetary policy can only go so far.
We in Ontario know that Jim Flaherty is a ship on his own course and pretty much doesn't care much about the opinions of people either on the left or on the right. So I'd tell the ConBo not to hold its breath.
But if he would take a piece of unsolicited advice, I would tell Flaherty to follow what Martin and Goodale did before him and further increase our reserves in Euros (we already have more in that currency than in the US dollar); and to fast-track the pending "free trade plus more" agreement with the EU. In the present environment, we definitely can no longer view anyone from Washington as being our economic salvation -- and for what it's worth, I think Europeans have more in common with us in terms of social values than Americans ever will.
The worldwide cooperation to prevent a total meltdown is certainly better than the kill each other's throats approach of the 1930s, but at some point the cooperation will end -- and it will be the Americans, not the Europeans, who first cut bait.
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This new rate is a cut of up to 5¼% since September of last year when the economy showed signs of slowing down. One has to wonder if negative interest rates are next -- they have them in Japan right now. If one reads the statement, it reads like a desperate plea for more time and almost begging to keep its independence from the White House. If Barack Obama is planning something really interventionist, he's being awfully coy about it right now. He'd better come up with something -- when the annual inflation rate drops 2.6% in just a month (from 3.7% to 1.1%) there's a big problem.
It may sound almost perverse to say this, but I think Americans will realize just how worthless their currency is once their beloved game board cash drops to 2:1 against the Euro. It can happen (it troughed at around $1.61 earlier this year). Only then will there be a real revolution -- not against the government but against the corporations.
Meanwhile, the Conference Board of Canada, usually friends of Harper and Co., is pleading for a massive stimulus package here, in the neighbourhood of $13 billion. That's pretty modest compared to the multiple jump start attempts in the States, but the board said what most of us have known for months -- monetary policy can only go so far.
We in Ontario know that Jim Flaherty is a ship on his own course and pretty much doesn't care much about the opinions of people either on the left or on the right. So I'd tell the ConBo not to hold its breath.
But if he would take a piece of unsolicited advice, I would tell Flaherty to follow what Martin and Goodale did before him and further increase our reserves in Euros (we already have more in that currency than in the US dollar); and to fast-track the pending "free trade plus more" agreement with the EU. In the present environment, we definitely can no longer view anyone from Washington as being our economic salvation -- and for what it's worth, I think Europeans have more in common with us in terms of social values than Americans ever will.
The worldwide cooperation to prevent a total meltdown is certainly better than the kill each other's throats approach of the 1930s, but at some point the cooperation will end -- and it will be the Americans, not the Europeans, who first cut bait.
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Monday, December 15, 2008
Oh Rudd, where art thou?
When Kevin Rudd won the Australian election last year, a lot of people were hopeful that he would finally take the serious action on the environment that John Howard refused to. His first act, indeed, was to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. Protecting nature is a huge issue in a country where there's been a drought since early 2003, called derisively the "Big Dry" by Aussies. (There's been so little rain, even in coastal areas, that when there was a torrential rainstorm on Christmas Day in Sydney a couple of years back people were actually dancing in the streets hoping the end of their torment had come.)
But what Rudd announced today is not only underwhelming but very disappointing. He says that he will only commit to a cut in greenhouse gases by 2020 by only 5% of what the level was in 2000. That number will go up to 15% if, and only if, the world agrees to further emissions cuts. Rudd is also going to go with a carbon "cap and trade" system of emission credits, not unlike what they have in the EU.
There is, to be fair, billions for disaster relief as well as an increase in pensions. But many environmental groups say that a much more aggressive target, say 25%, is needed. One faith-based charity, World Vision, has warned a two degree rise in average world temperatures from where they are right now will push the planet over the edge and that 20% is the bare minimum target that should be set so temps can drop a couple of degrees to back where it was in the 1980s when the present series of weather problems around the world started.
Not surprisingly, the business lobby -- especially the mining industry (it's not just the American coal kings who want to promote "clean coal"!) -- says even 5% goes too far.
Okay, it's a start ... I'll give Rudd that much; certainly better than what Howard ever did. But if he keeps it up on green issues the track he's on right now, he'll be nothing but a socialist version of Stephen Harper here in Canada.
UPDATE (12:29 pm EST, 1729 GMT): The general stream of comments in my e-mail, not here, is that I shouldn't have been surprised. That's not the point. When there's a lack of leadership on a moral issue by the major powers, it's up to middle powers like Canada and Australia to take that leadership. Even Mulroney was far better for the environment than Harper will ever be.
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But what Rudd announced today is not only underwhelming but very disappointing. He says that he will only commit to a cut in greenhouse gases by 2020 by only 5% of what the level was in 2000. That number will go up to 15% if, and only if, the world agrees to further emissions cuts. Rudd is also going to go with a carbon "cap and trade" system of emission credits, not unlike what they have in the EU.
There is, to be fair, billions for disaster relief as well as an increase in pensions. But many environmental groups say that a much more aggressive target, say 25%, is needed. One faith-based charity, World Vision, has warned a two degree rise in average world temperatures from where they are right now will push the planet over the edge and that 20% is the bare minimum target that should be set so temps can drop a couple of degrees to back where it was in the 1980s when the present series of weather problems around the world started.
Not surprisingly, the business lobby -- especially the mining industry (it's not just the American coal kings who want to promote "clean coal"!) -- says even 5% goes too far.
Okay, it's a start ... I'll give Rudd that much; certainly better than what Howard ever did. But if he keeps it up on green issues the track he's on right now, he'll be nothing but a socialist version of Stephen Harper here in Canada.
UPDATE (12:29 pm EST, 1729 GMT): The general stream of comments in my e-mail, not here, is that I shouldn't have been surprised. That's not the point. When there's a lack of leadership on a moral issue by the major powers, it's up to middle powers like Canada and Australia to take that leadership. Even Mulroney was far better for the environment than Harper will ever be.
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Sunday, December 14, 2008
102, 103, 104
Three more soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb on Saturday, making the total of Canadians killed in the line of duty 104 (103 servicepersons plus one diplomat).
At this point, words are insufficient to express the helplessness we feel when this happens. But mere press releases from the PM and the opposition leaders are not sufficient to satisfy the anger of a growing number of Canadians who have had enough. War is a bitch and people will die and that's something we just have to deal with on our own.
But when none of the main stated goals have been meet fully seven years into the mission, and when our allies are as much on the run as we are, it makes one wonder what are we doing there. Also, are we really serious about a 2011 end date certain, or will we keep coming up with one excuse after another to stay there? At what point do we say we really have no business fighting a civil war?
We're still in Cyprus, after all. A considerably more peaceful place to be sure, but you'd think after several decades of a UN presence from 1964 and a more or less stable ceasfire since 1974 the two halves of that conflict would have finally gotten their act together and reunited their country -- NOT! Well, maybe not, but there's hope there.
Even a token one or two Canadians doesn't seem to make much difference in 2008. The only thing that may finally push things along there are the facts the south is in the EU and the Eurozone, and that Turkey is desperate to get into the trade block and one of those conditions is pulling out of the north of the island.
It's going to take a lot more than economics to get the Greeks and Turkish people on the island to bury the hatchet.. But at least they have a relatively healthy economy even in these tough times which may be motivation enough. Compared to the rest of the Middle East, Cyprus actually comes off as a halcyon (even with the occasional "incidents" of incursions through the ceasefire line) which is a good place to start from so there's hope the UN mission can finally end sooner rather than later.
What does Afghanistan have to export, other than rugs and opium and rival factions of terrorists? Do we really want to be a part of that much longer?
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At this point, words are insufficient to express the helplessness we feel when this happens. But mere press releases from the PM and the opposition leaders are not sufficient to satisfy the anger of a growing number of Canadians who have had enough. War is a bitch and people will die and that's something we just have to deal with on our own.
But when none of the main stated goals have been meet fully seven years into the mission, and when our allies are as much on the run as we are, it makes one wonder what are we doing there. Also, are we really serious about a 2011 end date certain, or will we keep coming up with one excuse after another to stay there? At what point do we say we really have no business fighting a civil war?
We're still in Cyprus, after all. A considerably more peaceful place to be sure, but you'd think after several decades of a UN presence from 1964 and a more or less stable ceasfire since 1974 the two halves of that conflict would have finally gotten their act together and reunited their country -- NOT! Well, maybe not, but there's hope there.
Even a token one or two Canadians doesn't seem to make much difference in 2008. The only thing that may finally push things along there are the facts the south is in the EU and the Eurozone, and that Turkey is desperate to get into the trade block and one of those conditions is pulling out of the north of the island.
It's going to take a lot more than economics to get the Greeks and Turkish people on the island to bury the hatchet.. But at least they have a relatively healthy economy even in these tough times which may be motivation enough. Compared to the rest of the Middle East, Cyprus actually comes off as a halcyon (even with the occasional "incidents" of incursions through the ceasefire line) which is a good place to start from so there's hope the UN mission can finally end sooner rather than later.
What does Afghanistan have to export, other than rugs and opium and rival factions of terrorists? Do we really want to be a part of that much longer?
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Saturday, December 13, 2008
Saturday night music vault: Brand New Key
Not quite Saturday night in my time zone but here's another one of my favourites -- a more risqué one at that. One can understand why a lot of radio stations wanted to ban Melanie Safka after she came out with this nugget in 1971. But it may have paved the way for the even more controversial #1 hit for Chuck Berry the following year, My Ding-A-Ling even though it was a cover and had actually been written 20 years earlier.
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What about CANCON?
I will not be the first to comment on the state of Canadian television, which already is crap. But I have to say this anyway.
In the extremely crowded market where both Canadian and American networks compete for viewers one would expect a certain amount of differentiation, a certain amount of Canadian flavour, to our broadcasts. The private broadcasters have an almost exclusively American prime-time schedule with very few Canadian developed and produced shows if ever. Two notable exceptions in the Toronto market are OMNI 1 and 2 which must produce original programming in prime time (usually, newscasts in non-official languages between 8 and 10 pm); and CTS, the Christian station run by 100 Huntley Street, which has the guts to have a talk show at the 8pm hour.
The CBC is mostly Canadian but ever since North of 60 left the air and their news and currents events department has a certain amount of respect (especially The Fifth Estate) but their drama schedule has been crap -- really, crap. And with Air Farce leaving the air on New Years', the only two programs left watching will be Little Mosque on the Prairie and The Border.
When you have a business model where a block grant from Parliament plus Saturday night hockey, as well as first-run episodes of two American shows (Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy) as well as reruns of The Simpsons, funds a devoid set of programs, it's going to lead to disaster.
The CRTC was quite right a few weeks back to deny the networks' demands for carriage fees to be paid by cable and satellite subscribers. People would have just disconnected so as not to pay them -- it's not like they were going to miss HBO or CNN anyway. But Canadians should expect a certain amount of Canadian programming, and I do not buy for one minute the excuse the current rash of layoffs at the networks is because they were denied a steady slush fund.
Canadian produced shows don't have to be bottom feeder stuff like The Trouble With Tracy, but if it is intelligent enough or funny enough there will be an audience for it. CANCON rules need to be enforced in prime time -- which should be redefined as it is in the States, 8-11 Eastern Monday to Saturday, 7-11 Sunday. It's hard to believe that two of the best Canadian shows ever, ENG and Street Legal, went off the air in 1994 and The Road to Avonlea in '96. Even Ready or Not which ended in '97 had a lot of charm in it. What have we had since then? Crap, crap and still more crap. Canadian produced segments of professional wrestling do not count.
Every other major democracy outside of the US, even English speaking ones, have a thriving domestic television industry which still has room for American imports. There is simply no reason why we can't insist on good television here. There's a huge difference between music, where our system of producing new stars has gotten so good that we probably don't need content rules anymore on radio stations; and television where rules are still needed and must be enforced.
For what it's worth, the same applies to the movies but that's for another post (actually, I think I wrote one on it!)
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
In the extremely crowded market where both Canadian and American networks compete for viewers one would expect a certain amount of differentiation, a certain amount of Canadian flavour, to our broadcasts. The private broadcasters have an almost exclusively American prime-time schedule with very few Canadian developed and produced shows if ever. Two notable exceptions in the Toronto market are OMNI 1 and 2 which must produce original programming in prime time (usually, newscasts in non-official languages between 8 and 10 pm); and CTS, the Christian station run by 100 Huntley Street, which has the guts to have a talk show at the 8pm hour.
The CBC is mostly Canadian but ever since North of 60 left the air and their news and currents events department has a certain amount of respect (especially The Fifth Estate) but their drama schedule has been crap -- really, crap. And with Air Farce leaving the air on New Years', the only two programs left watching will be Little Mosque on the Prairie and The Border.
When you have a business model where a block grant from Parliament plus Saturday night hockey, as well as first-run episodes of two American shows (Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy) as well as reruns of The Simpsons, funds a devoid set of programs, it's going to lead to disaster.
The CRTC was quite right a few weeks back to deny the networks' demands for carriage fees to be paid by cable and satellite subscribers. People would have just disconnected so as not to pay them -- it's not like they were going to miss HBO or CNN anyway. But Canadians should expect a certain amount of Canadian programming, and I do not buy for one minute the excuse the current rash of layoffs at the networks is because they were denied a steady slush fund.
Canadian produced shows don't have to be bottom feeder stuff like The Trouble With Tracy, but if it is intelligent enough or funny enough there will be an audience for it. CANCON rules need to be enforced in prime time -- which should be redefined as it is in the States, 8-11 Eastern Monday to Saturday, 7-11 Sunday. It's hard to believe that two of the best Canadian shows ever, ENG and Street Legal, went off the air in 1994 and The Road to Avonlea in '96. Even Ready or Not which ended in '97 had a lot of charm in it. What have we had since then? Crap, crap and still more crap. Canadian produced segments of professional wrestling do not count.
Every other major democracy outside of the US, even English speaking ones, have a thriving domestic television industry which still has room for American imports. There is simply no reason why we can't insist on good television here. There's a huge difference between music, where our system of producing new stars has gotten so good that we probably don't need content rules anymore on radio stations; and television where rules are still needed and must be enforced.
For what it's worth, the same applies to the movies but that's for another post (actually, I think I wrote one on it!)
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Friday, December 12, 2008
Message to whatever Asper brother runs Winnipeg right now ...
If I was Dan Maclean, I'd walk away too. The Aspers should be ashamed of themselves for firing Connie Smith. (Raise right hand, present international one finger salute aimed at Canwest headquarters in Winnipeg.)
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Thursday, December 11, 2008
Bell, EI/UI Owe, Jackson
The attempt to take Bell Canada private has failed -- thank God. The Ontario Teacher's Pension Plan, which has made such wise investments as the Toronto Maple Leafs, shopping malls and the tobacco industry walked away after KPMG ruled Teachers and the other members of the buyout consortium simply couldn't afford to take on $52 billion in debt. (No kidding!) It still faces a $1.2 billion breakup fee for backing out.
This is a victory for consumers. Any time a company goes private it means there's something to hide because the owners no longer want to be accountable. Now Bell can go back to what it's supposed to do: Provide a reliable telephone and ISP service. And never, ever, ever -- should a telecommunications company be allowed to be in private control.
****
The Supreme Court of Canada ruled today that the government acted mostly legally when it raided the unfunded surplus in the unemployment insurance trust fund -- nearly $54 billion worth. It also ruled that the trust fund has the right to use some of its funds for job retraining and job placement programs is constitutional. The did rule, however, that the government broke the law when it unilaterally set the UI rates in 2002, 2003 and 2005 without authorization from Parliament.
What does it mean? Well, the money's been spent.
Frankly, they should have left the money alone for a rainy day like this one, as well as increased benefits, maximum time to receive benefits as well eased the rules on who can collect. During the sunny days, they should have also set the premiums at break-even rates -- as far back as 2002 that could have been as low as 45 cents per $100 instead of the close to $1.80 we were paying. If there's one thing Harper's done right is that the money raised by UI will now go into a locked box run by an arms-length board. It's what should have been done all along.
****
One name that has come up in the investigation into the Senate seat sale investigation against Blagojevich is Jesse Jackson Jr. (as "Senate Candidate 5"). While it now appears he was not involved in the scam -- we hope -- it shouldn't be surprising that his name would come up.
Half of Americans, most of them white, hate his father, the legendary preacher -- and they hang on to any hope that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree (citing the elder Jackson's infidelity).
But I don't think in the end Jackson will get the seat, unless the Illinois legislature moves to have a by-election over the head of the governor. Even if he gets the chance to run, one has to recognize there's more to Illinois than Chicago and Peoria and it is generally a very conservative state. Obama had appeal to evangelicals because of his strong personal faith. Both Jacksons are also evangelicals, but the wrong kind according to the "religious right."
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This is a victory for consumers. Any time a company goes private it means there's something to hide because the owners no longer want to be accountable. Now Bell can go back to what it's supposed to do: Provide a reliable telephone and ISP service. And never, ever, ever -- should a telecommunications company be allowed to be in private control.
****
The Supreme Court of Canada ruled today that the government acted mostly legally when it raided the unfunded surplus in the unemployment insurance trust fund -- nearly $54 billion worth. It also ruled that the trust fund has the right to use some of its funds for job retraining and job placement programs is constitutional. The did rule, however, that the government broke the law when it unilaterally set the UI rates in 2002, 2003 and 2005 without authorization from Parliament.
What does it mean? Well, the money's been spent.
Frankly, they should have left the money alone for a rainy day like this one, as well as increased benefits, maximum time to receive benefits as well eased the rules on who can collect. During the sunny days, they should have also set the premiums at break-even rates -- as far back as 2002 that could have been as low as 45 cents per $100 instead of the close to $1.80 we were paying. If there's one thing Harper's done right is that the money raised by UI will now go into a locked box run by an arms-length board. It's what should have been done all along.
****
One name that has come up in the investigation into the Senate seat sale investigation against Blagojevich is Jesse Jackson Jr. (as "Senate Candidate 5"). While it now appears he was not involved in the scam -- we hope -- it shouldn't be surprising that his name would come up.
Half of Americans, most of them white, hate his father, the legendary preacher -- and they hang on to any hope that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree (citing the elder Jackson's infidelity).
But I don't think in the end Jackson will get the seat, unless the Illinois legislature moves to have a by-election over the head of the governor. Even if he gets the chance to run, one has to recognize there's more to Illinois than Chicago and Peoria and it is generally a very conservative state. Obama had appeal to evangelicals because of his strong personal faith. Both Jacksons are also evangelicals, but the wrong kind according to the "religious right."
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Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Texas sex offender in Calgary, busted
Nothing is lower in the food chain for most people than someone who preys on children for their own sexual gratification. So it's good to hear that a fugitive from Texas has been picked up in Calgary. Steven Andrew Hayes, who was also picked up on an unrelated charge of using a fake social insurance number to work on a construction site, had been featured in January of this year on America's Most Wanted -- not in a feature story but in John Marsh's weekly "fifteen seconds of shame."
It's especially people like him that is a reason why I watch the show on a regular basis. It sounds incredible now but over twenty years ago when the show was first introduced police agencies were generally against the show -- yes, against it. They didn't want civilians "interfering" in their line of work and they must have felt that if they can't catch the bad guy or gal how can Joe or Jane Six-Pack?
But that's precisely the point. We the people have eyes and ears that the police don't. We can look for the places that cops sometimes miss. And sad as it is, when there is a murder or a drug bust, minor victims of crime often take a backseat. The overall success of the program over the years -- an average of about one arrest per week -- speaks for itself. It's especially satisfying when one of their busts is a sex offender.
One thing: Hayes actually had the gall to request political asylum in Canada saying he wouldn't last long in a US jail. Sorry pal, but the prison code also applies here and as far as the "no snitch" rule goes, prisoners make a huge exception for pedophiles.
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It's especially people like him that is a reason why I watch the show on a regular basis. It sounds incredible now but over twenty years ago when the show was first introduced police agencies were generally against the show -- yes, against it. They didn't want civilians "interfering" in their line of work and they must have felt that if they can't catch the bad guy or gal how can Joe or Jane Six-Pack?
But that's precisely the point. We the people have eyes and ears that the police don't. We can look for the places that cops sometimes miss. And sad as it is, when there is a murder or a drug bust, minor victims of crime often take a backseat. The overall success of the program over the years -- an average of about one arrest per week -- speaks for itself. It's especially satisfying when one of their busts is a sex offender.
One thing: Hayes actually had the gall to request political asylum in Canada saying he wouldn't last long in a US jail. Sorry pal, but the prison code also applies here and as far as the "no snitch" rule goes, prisoners make a huge exception for pedophiles.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Is it something in the water in Peoria?
Boy, you'd think that with all of Barack Obama's talk about restoring ethics to politics his successor in the Illinois Senate seat he's vacated would have at least some character. Think again. Rod Blagojevich, the state's Democratic governor, is under arrest for allegedly trying to sell the seat to the highest bidder, thinking that in turn that crony would ensure that Mad Blag might be able to get a top post in the Obama government -- such as Secretary of Health and Human Services.
This is an outrage. Especially for those states where there doesn't have to be a by-election until the next Congressional cycle which can be as long as two years.
Obviously every state should have equal representation in the Upper House. But why can't they do it like they do in some states where if there's a vacancy the Governor appoints an interim seat-warmer who has no intention of sitting there permanently, for a maximum of ninety days (in some states it can still be months) -- until a by-election can be held? That way, there's little to no chance for a stunt like the one Rod is accused of.
Obama left a huge gap to fill. He certainly deserves better representation from his own governor than that.
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This is an outrage. Especially for those states where there doesn't have to be a by-election until the next Congressional cycle which can be as long as two years.
Obviously every state should have equal representation in the Upper House. But why can't they do it like they do in some states where if there's a vacancy the Governor appoints an interim seat-warmer who has no intention of sitting there permanently, for a maximum of ninety days (in some states it can still be months) -- until a by-election can be held? That way, there's little to no chance for a stunt like the one Rod is accused of.
Obama left a huge gap to fill. He certainly deserves better representation from his own governor than that.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
Rae out
Well, if reports are to be believed, Bob Rae -- or as Double Exposure often called him, The Bobrae -- is going to pull out of the Liberal race making the selection of Michael Ignatieff as the party's nominee for the Prime Ministership of Canada an almost absolute certainty.
It would have been good to see a real race with a real vote of the membership. Notwithstanding my support for Ignatieff, Rae has, I have to concede, some very good ideas about how to move the party forward and they need to be heard. But if PMS wants to throw hate at his enemies -- and it is obvious he not only hates but also has absolutely no respect for his opponents -- he needs it shoved right back in his face, and Iggy may just be the man to do that.
What does it mean for the coalition? It could be in trouble, since Ignatieff said "coalition if necessary but not necessarily coalition" this past weekend. Given the opportunity to think it over the holidays, though, I think he'll see there are more benefits than negatives for the Grits.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
It would have been good to see a real race with a real vote of the membership. Notwithstanding my support for Ignatieff, Rae has, I have to concede, some very good ideas about how to move the party forward and they need to be heard. But if PMS wants to throw hate at his enemies -- and it is obvious he not only hates but also has absolutely no respect for his opponents -- he needs it shoved right back in his face, and Iggy may just be the man to do that.
What does it mean for the coalition? It could be in trouble, since Ignatieff said "coalition if necessary but not necessarily coalition" this past weekend. Given the opportunity to think it over the holidays, though, I think he'll see there are more benefits than negatives for the Grits.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
Charest wins third mandate
I congratulate Jean Charest for being returned to a third term in Québec and with a majority government although not near as large as he would have liked. The bad news, however, is for the democratic process. People generally tuned out this election and turnout was out 56.5%, the worst since 1927 when Tashereau won the second of his three-peat string (and the electorate was still all male no thanks to the objections of the Catholic Church to women voting). Charest needs to appreciate why over 43% of the people just tuned out all together -- which pretty much says a pox on all their houses, not just his.
Couple of notes: First the collapse of the ADQ, dropping from 41 to 7 seats should not be a surprise given that it was effectively a one-man band under "Super" Mario Dumont (not so super any more). It also dropped to 16.5% of the popular vote -- and under Québec rules it loses official party status as it needed 12 seats or 20% of the vote. Aspirations it may have had to become the legitimate successor to the old Union Nationale are pretty much dead for now.
And the big surprise, the emergence of Québec solidaire, the province's alternate independence party (which broke away from the PQ after concluding that it's become just another right-wing party). It got its first ever seat and vows to make promoting free health care its number one priority. As well as it should.
As is the case on many other issues in Canada, Québec leads the way on social policy and how health care is restructured in that province will have ramifications for the rest of us. Charest may have gotten the mandate he wants, but it's not just the economy on which his people have high expectations and for all of us, across Canada, health care is what it comes down to as much as the NHS does in the UK.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
Couple of notes: First the collapse of the ADQ, dropping from 41 to 7 seats should not be a surprise given that it was effectively a one-man band under "Super" Mario Dumont (not so super any more). It also dropped to 16.5% of the popular vote -- and under Québec rules it loses official party status as it needed 12 seats or 20% of the vote. Aspirations it may have had to become the legitimate successor to the old Union Nationale are pretty much dead for now.
And the big surprise, the emergence of Québec solidaire, the province's alternate independence party (which broke away from the PQ after concluding that it's become just another right-wing party). It got its first ever seat and vows to make promoting free health care its number one priority. As well as it should.
As is the case on many other issues in Canada, Québec leads the way on social policy and how health care is restructured in that province will have ramifications for the rest of us. Charest may have gotten the mandate he wants, but it's not just the economy on which his people have high expectations and for all of us, across Canada, health care is what it comes down to as much as the NHS does in the UK.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Cubs' owner in bankruptcy
The storied Chicago baseball team is not part of the bankruptcy restructuring, but the Tribune Company which owns the ChiTrib, the LAT, WGN and numerous other radio and television properties is wallowed in $13 billion debt while it's worth only $7.6 billion on paper. To demonstrate how bad it's gotten for them: A 4.88% coupon bond expiring in August 2010 was trading on Friday for only $13.25 (par is $100) which indicates the level of distress and the market's lack of confidence in the company.
Not even the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool's bonds got that bad before it was forced to refinance, although it made some pretty stupid decisions after it demutualized.
The Trib was in trouble long before today's filing and the current downturn, but this is bound to make a lot of people stand up and take notice. When one media company after another folds like this, the people who end up on the street are trusted voices and scribes who people come to rely on for opinions and just information and local content. With major turnover, people lose whatever trust they have left in the media which isn't a lot to begin with.
Not that I wish bankruptcy on anyone, but some people are going to be quite happy when the next shoe to drop is Can West here in Canada. Slashing local news and public affairs shows as they did a couple of weeks ago just to prop up a perennially losing money paper (the National Post) is not a prudent business model.
UPDATE (Tuesday 8:38 am EST, 1338 GMT): For what it's worth, I pulled out my old business calculator, and figured out that in order to make good on that bond I mentioned above, Tribune would have to offer an interest rate of -- wait for it -- 1592.27%. Sounds like something Zimbabwe would offer on the market if anyone bothered to buy its bonds.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
Not even the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool's bonds got that bad before it was forced to refinance, although it made some pretty stupid decisions after it demutualized.
The Trib was in trouble long before today's filing and the current downturn, but this is bound to make a lot of people stand up and take notice. When one media company after another folds like this, the people who end up on the street are trusted voices and scribes who people come to rely on for opinions and just information and local content. With major turnover, people lose whatever trust they have left in the media which isn't a lot to begin with.
Not that I wish bankruptcy on anyone, but some people are going to be quite happy when the next shoe to drop is Can West here in Canada. Slashing local news and public affairs shows as they did a couple of weeks ago just to prop up a perennially losing money paper (the National Post) is not a prudent business model.
UPDATE (Tuesday 8:38 am EST, 1338 GMT): For what it's worth, I pulled out my old business calculator, and figured out that in order to make good on that bond I mentioned above, Tribune would have to offer an interest rate of -- wait for it -- 1592.27%. Sounds like something Zimbabwe would offer on the market if anyone bothered to buy its bonds.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
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