So Wynne is trying to deflect attention away from the scandals and absolutely botched economic policies that have destroyed the province of Ontario. Wynne has announced former federal finance minister and PM Paul Martin will oversee setting up Ontario's own pension plan and breaking away from the long standing and successful Canada Pension Plan. The thing is, all Martin did was triple premiums paid by employers and employees. There was no corresponding increase in monthly benefits paid out by CPP. Prior to Martin becoming federal finance minister, CPP was and continues to be indexed to inflation. Martin does deserve credit for addressing the future shortfall, similar to what Jim Flaherty has done with OAS.
But here is where Wynne''s hypocrisy comes in. She tells you she is really worried about retirees being able to pay their bills.. Of course she never mentions most struggles being experienced by Ontario seniors are a result of her Liberal government, most notably electricity rates and hst on things like gas, home heating bills, etc. You see, Kathleen Wynne's, and also Dalton McGuinty's dirty little secret involves workers who have suffered permanent injuries on the job. These workers are forced into retraining programs by WSIB directed by Wynne's Liberal government. Most workers experience wage losses in the area of 50% compared to pre-injury earnings. Workers receive something called an LMR. (labor market re-entry) pension. They take 85% of the workers pre-injury wage, deduct what they say the worker should make after retraining, which is usually far above what the worker actually ends up earning. The difference is made up through the LMR, paid by-weekly until age 65.
For example, a co-worker at Chrysler I know used to make $80,000 a year, and suffered a serious head injury. After being retrained, that same guy now makes around $40,000 including his current wage and LMR. Decent money but still a 50% cut from pre-injury income. Now, much like CPP, the LMR amount was increased yearly at roughly the rate of inflation. Then the Liberal government under Wynne/McGuinty changed that increase to .5%. To put it in perspective, injured workers receiving LMR saw an increase of roughly $2 bi-weekly, which doesn't even cover the increase in Wynne's electricity rates.
So I challenge anyone in the media, better yet one of the union leaders, to ask Wynne why she feels it's acceptable to give a .05 increase to injured workers, especially given her comments public service union workers such as teachers deserve 2.5%-3.5% pay increases. Better yet why it's ok for OPG execs to get multi-million dollar bonuses when there is no money for injured workers.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Ontario Union Workers Better Off With Hudak PC Government, And Yet Union Leaders Wage War Against Him?
With two by-elections now underway and a possible Ontario provincial election later this year, it's time to address the backlash against Tim Hudak and the Ontario PC Party by Ontario union leaders. I'm talking both public and private sector union leaders. Since 2003 the people have been subjected to staggering incompetence, scandals, and billion upon billion of wasted tax dollars through poor planning, scandal, or just complete apathy to taxpayers by the McGuinty/Wynne Liberal government.
Which is why union leaders supporting first McGuinty and now Wynne is so perplexing. Under the previous PC government of Mike Harris, jobs were created. I'm talking good paying manufacturing jobs. The CAW was able to negotiate excellent wage increases for it's members, as well as increased holidays, bonuses, etc. New workers were hired in the thousands as companies added 2nd and 3rd shift production. This wasn't restricted to the auto industry. Numerous manufacturing jobs were added as the PC's under Harris created an environment where companies saw value in setting up shop in Ontario or expanding current operations.
Workers, both union and non-union benefited with lower taxes, giving more take-home pay. That in turn led to more spending, giving the economy an even bigger jump start. The budget was balanced, allowing more money to be spent on the province's needs as opposed to interest on an ever increasing debt left over from both the NDP and previous Liberal government. And the PC's managed to do this at the same time the federal Liberal government was taking away billions in transfer payments.
Then the 2003 election took place, with the Liberals and Dalton McGuinty forming a majority government. His first act as premier was to impose a health tax, that took billions out of the economy. He had the WSIB jack up employer premiums. He put in place policy that increased electricity costs in excess of 30%. He increased user fees, charging more for everything such as license plate renewals, to a sham of a supposed enviro tax on things the people of Ontario buy everyday. I recently bought a tv for $199.99. Then there was the hst of $26 and, wait for it, an enviro fee of $25. The federal government increased transfers to Ontario in the billions. Money that a competent PC government would have put to good use. Things like infrastructure and health care. As the Sunshine list grew by 1000's, lower scale workers were laid off, many of them union members, to balance the books due to increased management costs. The same thing has occurred at hospitals across the province, with staff and housekeeping cut to offset management salaries. The recent revelations at OPG are anothe prime example.
Under a PC government led by Tim Hudak, union members would benefit from lower taxes, job creation through policy that encourages investment, rather than send it south of the border and overseas. An increased and prosperous economy would lift the financial strain imposed in the last 10 years of Liberal rule. Hudak would not implement another 10 cent per liter tax on gasoline. That would be an additional 10 cents above the 8% added when the hst was implemented. Hudak would slow down the poorly thought out green energy policy, resulting in lower rates.
I could go on and on, But you get my point. Anyone living in Ontario would be better off with a PC government, especially union members. So can someone explain union leaders opposition to Hudak with any kind of rationale?
Which is why union leaders supporting first McGuinty and now Wynne is so perplexing. Under the previous PC government of Mike Harris, jobs were created. I'm talking good paying manufacturing jobs. The CAW was able to negotiate excellent wage increases for it's members, as well as increased holidays, bonuses, etc. New workers were hired in the thousands as companies added 2nd and 3rd shift production. This wasn't restricted to the auto industry. Numerous manufacturing jobs were added as the PC's under Harris created an environment where companies saw value in setting up shop in Ontario or expanding current operations.
Workers, both union and non-union benefited with lower taxes, giving more take-home pay. That in turn led to more spending, giving the economy an even bigger jump start. The budget was balanced, allowing more money to be spent on the province's needs as opposed to interest on an ever increasing debt left over from both the NDP and previous Liberal government. And the PC's managed to do this at the same time the federal Liberal government was taking away billions in transfer payments.
Then the 2003 election took place, with the Liberals and Dalton McGuinty forming a majority government. His first act as premier was to impose a health tax, that took billions out of the economy. He had the WSIB jack up employer premiums. He put in place policy that increased electricity costs in excess of 30%. He increased user fees, charging more for everything such as license plate renewals, to a sham of a supposed enviro tax on things the people of Ontario buy everyday. I recently bought a tv for $199.99. Then there was the hst of $26 and, wait for it, an enviro fee of $25. The federal government increased transfers to Ontario in the billions. Money that a competent PC government would have put to good use. Things like infrastructure and health care. As the Sunshine list grew by 1000's, lower scale workers were laid off, many of them union members, to balance the books due to increased management costs. The same thing has occurred at hospitals across the province, with staff and housekeeping cut to offset management salaries. The recent revelations at OPG are anothe prime example.
Under a PC government led by Tim Hudak, union members would benefit from lower taxes, job creation through policy that encourages investment, rather than send it south of the border and overseas. An increased and prosperous economy would lift the financial strain imposed in the last 10 years of Liberal rule. Hudak would not implement another 10 cent per liter tax on gasoline. That would be an additional 10 cents above the 8% added when the hst was implemented. Hudak would slow down the poorly thought out green energy policy, resulting in lower rates.
I could go on and on, But you get my point. Anyone living in Ontario would be better off with a PC government, especially union members. So can someone explain union leaders opposition to Hudak with any kind of rationale?
Monday, January 13, 2014
Neil Young Gets Caught In A Lie....
Guess Neil's a little confused. In reply to a statement put out by the Canadian government, Young had this to SAY,, "Of course, rock stars don't need oil. I drove my electric car from California to the Tar sands and on to Washington DC without using any oil at all and I'm a rock star. My car's generator runs on biomass, one of several future fuels Canada should be developing for the Post Fossil Fuel Age. This age of renewable fuels could save our grandchildren from the ravages of Climate related disasters spawned by the Fossil Fuel Age; but we have to get started."
Problem is he's lying, or at the very least ignorant of the facts. I've been involved in the auto industry for 37 years, and gotta admit Young's customization of the '59 Lincoln called Lincvolt is pretty cool. It's modified to run on bio-mass fuels and E85. And that's where the problem is. Young''s press release claims he he never used any oil in his trip to Fort McMurray. And yet he has something completely different posted on this BLOG! Now check out this quote:
"On my recent trip to Fort Mac in Alberta, I drove Lincvolt about 1800 miles from San Francisco running on E 85 fuel. I have chosen to use Ethanol, a much cleaner fuel created from plants nourished by the sun and rain and grown by farmers rather than run on gasoline, which has a carbon footprint of 19.5 LBS (pump to tailpipe) per gallon or 28 LBS CO2 per gallon (earth to tailpipe) according to the Mass Insitute of Technolgy. "although E 85 is hard to find in some parts of the USA, it is much cleaner than gasoline and since I am a believer in Climate Chaos as a result of Global Warming, I have chosen this greener fuel. On the trip back from Fort Mac, I ran out of fuel in Red Deer Alberta after searching in vain for an E 85 or pure ethanol fuel source in CANADA. In Red Deer Alberta we were told by Husky Oil reps that they had “never heard of E 85”. Lincvolt does not run on gasoline by design."
Now I'm a licensed mechanic, and have training in the use of ethanol in fuels. It's called E85 for a reason. 15% is actual gasoline. So sorry Neil, if you drove 1800 miles on E85 than you damn well burned some oil. Not to mention the fact E85 driven vehicles can get upwards of 26% less fuel economy than a car running on straight gasoline. Which brings up another point. Canada mandated gasoline sold in Canada as of 2010 must have a minimum of 5% ethanol. The thing I really like about Young's comments is the fact most mechanics and garages tell people to stay away from Husky, as they have a higher percentage of ethanol in their gas. The result is less power, poorer performance, and fuel system repairs down the road.And the bigger issue, emits acetaldehyde. This compound is a probable human carcinogen. Long-term exposure produces symptoms similar to those of alcoholism.
Seems Young was so quick to bash the oilsands and Canadian government he forgot what he put on the internet before. A lie? An oversight? An honest mistake? You be the judge.
Problem is he's lying, or at the very least ignorant of the facts. I've been involved in the auto industry for 37 years, and gotta admit Young's customization of the '59 Lincoln called Lincvolt is pretty cool. It's modified to run on bio-mass fuels and E85. And that's where the problem is. Young''s press release claims he he never used any oil in his trip to Fort McMurray. And yet he has something completely different posted on this BLOG! Now check out this quote:
"On my recent trip to Fort Mac in Alberta, I drove Lincvolt about 1800 miles from San Francisco running on E 85 fuel. I have chosen to use Ethanol, a much cleaner fuel created from plants nourished by the sun and rain and grown by farmers rather than run on gasoline, which has a carbon footprint of 19.5 LBS (pump to tailpipe) per gallon or 28 LBS CO2 per gallon (earth to tailpipe) according to the Mass Insitute of Technolgy. "although E 85 is hard to find in some parts of the USA, it is much cleaner than gasoline and since I am a believer in Climate Chaos as a result of Global Warming, I have chosen this greener fuel. On the trip back from Fort Mac, I ran out of fuel in Red Deer Alberta after searching in vain for an E 85 or pure ethanol fuel source in CANADA. In Red Deer Alberta we were told by Husky Oil reps that they had “never heard of E 85”. Lincvolt does not run on gasoline by design."
Now I'm a licensed mechanic, and have training in the use of ethanol in fuels. It's called E85 for a reason. 15% is actual gasoline. So sorry Neil, if you drove 1800 miles on E85 than you damn well burned some oil. Not to mention the fact E85 driven vehicles can get upwards of 26% less fuel economy than a car running on straight gasoline. Which brings up another point. Canada mandated gasoline sold in Canada as of 2010 must have a minimum of 5% ethanol. The thing I really like about Young's comments is the fact most mechanics and garages tell people to stay away from Husky, as they have a higher percentage of ethanol in their gas. The result is less power, poorer performance, and fuel system repairs down the road.And the bigger issue, emits acetaldehyde. This compound is a probable human carcinogen. Long-term exposure produces symptoms similar to those of alcoholism.
Seems Young was so quick to bash the oilsands and Canadian government he forgot what he put on the internet before. A lie? An oversight? An honest mistake? You be the judge.
CTV Exposes Neil Young As Another Environmental Hypocrite
Kudos to CTV for exposing the REAL STORY about Neil Young's anti-oil sands push. Seems Young had his crew driving around in a diesel fuelled bus. Young also made sure none of the reclamation sites or anything that puts the oil sands in good light was shown.
In my previous post, the first comment received was from Big City Lib, simply calling me a kook. I asked him for a debate and hope he accepts my offer about both Young and the oil sands. We can even do it in live time.
As for Young, not only does the CTV piece expose his agenda, but I would like to also provide two more examples of his hypocrisy regarding the oil sands and fossil fuel industry. The first can be found HERE. Young is so worried about global warming he saw fit to drive around a reporter for several hours in a 1951 Willy's. Not the most enviro-friendly vehicle, eh Neil?
The second example can be found HERE. Nice, a 425 cubic inch fossil spewing land yacht. My 1968 Camaro's 350 cubic inch engine puts out almost double the horespower of Young's Cadillac, while getting over 30 miles per gallon highway due to the overdrive transmission and rear end gear I installed. And I should mention it's only part of his "car collection". Funny Young made sure to mention his electric car, the Lincvolt, while never letting anyone know about his car collection. By the way, that Lincvolt caused a $450,000 fire in a warehouse when the charging system failed. Wnder how much smoke spewed into the air.
In my previous post, the first comment received was from Big City Lib, simply calling me a kook. I asked him for a debate and hope he accepts my offer about both Young and the oil sands. We can even do it in live time.
As for Young, not only does the CTV piece expose his agenda, but I would like to also provide two more examples of his hypocrisy regarding the oil sands and fossil fuel industry. The first can be found HERE. Young is so worried about global warming he saw fit to drive around a reporter for several hours in a 1951 Willy's. Not the most enviro-friendly vehicle, eh Neil?
The second example can be found HERE. Nice, a 425 cubic inch fossil spewing land yacht. My 1968 Camaro's 350 cubic inch engine puts out almost double the horespower of Young's Cadillac, while getting over 30 miles per gallon highway due to the overdrive transmission and rear end gear I installed. And I should mention it's only part of his "car collection". Funny Young made sure to mention his electric car, the Lincvolt, while never letting anyone know about his car collection. By the way, that Lincvolt caused a $450,000 fire in a warehouse when the charging system failed. Wnder how much smoke spewed into the air.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Sorry Neil.....
but I think your rant on TV today was a little disingenuous. Seems you've taken a page from David Suzuki's playbook and decided to play politics rather than be factual. You see, here's the thing Neil. Alberta's oil industry rapidly expanded under the Liberals from 1993-2006. In fact Canada's ghg emissions rose by roughly 25% in that time. Of course I never heard a peep from Suzuki nor yourself during that time.
So lets put that aside and look at your comments today. You see Neil, I've actually studied both sides of the science of AGW. Apparently you have not. During my studies I found examples too numerous to count of people like Gore, Suzuki, Hansen, and the IPCC getting caught lying and putting out false or manipulated data. I discovered that the number of scientists who accepted the AGW theory and have now stepped back reversing their support to have tripled if not more. I've found studies by highly acclaimed scientists stating the earth is in a cooling period, and will continue to do so for the next 10,00 years.
In fact Neil now that the temperature has not risen, and some studies indicate actually cooled in the last 17 years. people like yourself are the ones who ignore science. When confronted with the fact temps aren't rising, they argue the oceans are acting as a heat sink, and the warm water is sinking to the bottom. Do yourself a favor Neil. Study how different temperatures of water react. And then try and explain to me how warm water is sinking below water much cooler.
Part of your rant also included you stating you were 25 miles away from the oilsands and your eyes were burning. You stated your son had to wear a mask because the air quality was so bad. Problem is Neil you prefaced that by saying it occurred when you drove your electric car from San Francisco to Alberta. First of all Neil, that must be some electric car. The range of the current models offered, including the Prius and Volt would not have a chance of travelling that distance on a single charge. So I'm assuming that electric car also ran on fossil burning gas part of the way, right Neil? But that's not the biggest flaw in what you claim Neil. You see Neil, your hometown of San Fransisco is not known for having air quality superior to Alberta. You see Neil, if you took the time to actually look at the, ah ,SCIENCE you would see that there is a far greater chance of your eyes burning in San Fransisco than pretty much anywhere in Alberta.
And Neil, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the majority of smog in Canada, the stuff that causes those burning eyes and hinders respiratory function originates in the good old U.S.A. You see Neil, people gotta stay warm and need electricity to power those lights. Your current home,the U.S.A. likes to burn coal Neil, the biggest threat to climate change. Come to think of it so does China. Hey Neil, here's an idea. You obviously care a great deal about the planet. How's about going to, say Beijing and doing a similar rant against that countries government? I'll even pay your airfare. You see Neil, you talk about paying attention to the science. China is now the world's biggest emitter of ghg emissions. In fact, and this comes from scientific sources Neil, China's increase in ghg emissions year over year is greater than Canada's total emissions. That's right Neil, just their increase alone is greater than our total emissions. Surprised the good Dr. Suzuki never pointed that out to you.
The thing is Neil, I can go on for hours about the science around global warming. And I can recite facts to back up my argument. It's a pity that you can't. While your musical career has been a wonderful legacy, your ignorance of the actual scientific facts are not. Let me help you get started educating yourself Neil.
- In 2010, oil sands accounted for approximately 6.8% of total greenhouse gas emissions in Canada.
- In 2008 (the latest data available), oil sands accounted for about 0.15% of overall world greenhouse gas emissions.
- According to Environment Canada, GHG emissions per barrel of oil from the oil sands have been reduced by an average of 26 percent between 1990 and 2010.
Friday, January 3, 2014
BMW's, Starbucks, Gift Cards, Kathleen Wynne, And Your Retirement Pension.....
After blowing $1 billion cancelling gas plants to win votes, it appears Kathleen Wynne and the Ontario Liberal Party have learned nothing. In one of the most blatant attempts at vote buying I've seen in my lifetime, non-elected Ontario Premier Wynne showed what she really thinks about people outside of Toronto. $50 and $100 gift cards for people living in Toronto to replace lost food. Live in Durham Region? Screw you. Wynne doesn't think you matter. As long as she can buy enough Toronto votes to win the next election, anyone outside of the Toronto core is collateral damage. Lose some of those rural seats but win at any cost.
Yep. Kathy will ruin your landscape with Wynnemills, charge you 10 cents more per liter of gas to placate those Toronto voters who demand better transit but refuse to pay for it themselves. In the face of an ice storm that costs you loss of electricity for days, Chatty Kathy doesn't care. She'll make prescreened photo-ops to Toronto households carrying baskets of food and drink for those critical Toronto votes. Your foods gone bad? Don't hold your breath waiting for Kathy to visit you with something to fill that fridge and cupboards.
Kathy has other priorities. She needs to make sure that family of 4 that just got out of that $80,000 BMW SUV each get a gift card. That downtrodden guy that just walked out of the LCBO with a $40 bottle needs Kathy's help to. Hey buddy. Here's a $100 gift card. They always say you should eat before getting loaded. Hey Kathy, that lady holding the $7 Starbucks cafe latte crapuccino must have lost some food in the fridge. Pass her a card would you. And don't forget the obligatory smile and hug cause the cameras are on you.
What this gift card fiasco does is show you the complete and utter incompetence of the Ontario Liberals. It was like this under McGuinty and it's even worse under Wynne. ORNGE, OLG, E-Health, Gas Plant cancellations. Wanna know why it's taking so long to pay off that hydro debt you get charged on every bill? It's because they have a board that eats up millions in salary and perks. Wanna guess whether anyone on that board has ties to the Liberal Party? This group of so-called leaders have no conscience when it comes to blowing billions upon billions of taxpayers dollar$ through pure incompetence and utter disregard for how hard we work for our money.
Now ask yourself. Do you really want Kathy and the Liberals running your pension plan.
Yep. Kathy will ruin your landscape with Wynnemills, charge you 10 cents more per liter of gas to placate those Toronto voters who demand better transit but refuse to pay for it themselves. In the face of an ice storm that costs you loss of electricity for days, Chatty Kathy doesn't care. She'll make prescreened photo-ops to Toronto households carrying baskets of food and drink for those critical Toronto votes. Your foods gone bad? Don't hold your breath waiting for Kathy to visit you with something to fill that fridge and cupboards.
Kathy has other priorities. She needs to make sure that family of 4 that just got out of that $80,000 BMW SUV each get a gift card. That downtrodden guy that just walked out of the LCBO with a $40 bottle needs Kathy's help to. Hey buddy. Here's a $100 gift card. They always say you should eat before getting loaded. Hey Kathy, that lady holding the $7 Starbucks cafe latte crapuccino must have lost some food in the fridge. Pass her a card would you. And don't forget the obligatory smile and hug cause the cameras are on you.
What this gift card fiasco does is show you the complete and utter incompetence of the Ontario Liberals. It was like this under McGuinty and it's even worse under Wynne. ORNGE, OLG, E-Health, Gas Plant cancellations. Wanna know why it's taking so long to pay off that hydro debt you get charged on every bill? It's because they have a board that eats up millions in salary and perks. Wanna guess whether anyone on that board has ties to the Liberal Party? This group of so-called leaders have no conscience when it comes to blowing billions upon billions of taxpayers dollar$ through pure incompetence and utter disregard for how hard we work for our money.
Now ask yourself. Do you really want Kathy and the Liberals running your pension plan.
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