Defections, Drama And Dissembling As Canadian Leader Survives

I find it very interesting that while Mr.Harper complains bitterly about Liberal corruption of giving money away to their friends, he tried to block the budget amendment that will give a $4.6 billion benefit to Canadians, instead of handing it out to his own corporate friends so they can take it out of the country. For years I've been trying to find out how much these multinationals take out of Canada every year, but it is a deep secret no politician or StatsCan dares to talk about. Even, when Canadian factories are dismantled and their equipment is taken abroad into slave labour countries,like the Maquiladores, StatsCan reports it as "machinery exports" and part of the so called "trade balance". Yes, I've checked this out with them after reading some of the CD Howe and Fraser Inst. gloatings. Canada never needed a penny foreign investment, even in the gold standard days, and certainly doesn't need any now with deregulated money creation by the banks, because most of that so called foreign investment is nothing more that imaginary money created by banks in other countries so they can steal our eyes out with the help of politicians like Harper et al. Ed Deak, Big Lake, BC.

I think many of us have known this for a long time. That is why we have been so strenuous if futile in our efforts to oppose it. If we had the numbers on the draining of our wealth by multi-nationals, who would listen or care? What could we do with them? Even after last evening's staged drama show, we are no closer to decent, honest government that is truly committed to helping most Canadians. I don't think the Liberal-NDP "people budget" will ever see the light of day. There's too much money in it that the super selfish want for themselves, and mean-spirited special interests still rule Canada unchecked. The more of our money they have, the more they want, and the more power they wield over us.

It is no clearer to me this morning what we can do about the ever-growing tragedy of raw greed, overwhelming personal ambition and big-time corporate abuse that has taken over our political system and rendered our democracy virtually worthless.

There seems to be no end in sight. We remain our own worst enemies. If there were an election tomorrow, or even next fall, most Canadians who bother to vote at all would continue to support one or the other of the two "old line" gangs that have brought us to this sorry state. They would do so knowing full well that it could hurt themselves or their families. It is enormously sad and discouraging, and very often one wonders why any of us bother any more.

But again we have a little more time to prepare for the next go around. I wonder can we use it more wisely this time? I think the biggest priority of those who want a shift towards humanity and decency in government should be an all out, full court press against political bias and right-wing dishonesty in the mainstream media. It is the most significant road-block to meaningful reform that would help those who need it. If we could even bring about even a small change in that area, it would be very good indeed for Canada and Canadians.

Today a Conservative critic alleged that Chuck Cadman's vote was bought by the Liberals. Almost immediately two media pundits made the same allegation. Did they have any evidence? Not from what they said. All it seemed to be was an attempt at character assassination.

There was one comment that Cadman was a coward for listening to the 2/3 of his constituents that said they did not want an election.

Is it any wonder that politics in this country is in such a mess? What person with integrity wants to take this kind of abuse in the name of community service? The power of the elite to destroy people's reputations for crass motives is out of control.

From your research, can you tell me who funds the Fraser and CD Howe Institutes ?.
Frank

Meanwhile, Sudan offers its services to invesitagte claims of government corruption and bribery.

The Fraser and CD Howe are funded mainly by big corporations. CD Howe has been around for some time, but the Fraser was started 30 years ago, when the awakening neocon movement set up over 100 such so called "think tanks", basically advertising and PR agencies for corporate rule, across North America. Their main purpose is to destroy all government power, in other words democracy, and replace it with so called "competitive market economy", using the twisted out words and ideas of Adam Smith and the neoclassical theories of Milton Friedman of the Chicago School of Economics. The original funding for the Fraser came mostly from HR McMillan of long gone McMillan & Bloedel, or MacBlo, forestry fame, now Weyerheauser. If you go to Google and type in "Fraser Institute" you'll find that it is listed as a "charitable organization" with tax deductible donations. While you're on google, type in "Trilateral Commission" and "Bilderberger conferences" and you'll get the picture of what the Fraser and CD Howe are pushing, why and who are behind them with unlimited funds. Ed Deak, Big Lake, BC.

Thanks for the info. Ed.

Frank

"There was one comment that Cadman was a coward for listening to the 2/3 of his constituents that said they did not want an election"

Thanks for telling us about this one. It is enough to make me want to puke! We are supposed to be a democracy, yet when an MP acts democratically by listening to his constituents he is slammed as a coward. I suppose if he had been an authoritarian bully and ignored what people wanted this same commentator would have called him a good democrat!

This past week has been a bachelor of journalism for anyone still wide-eyed about the media. I did not come across any of the major Canadian daily papers whose coverage of the Stronach defection and the Cadman/Liberal victory did not trumpet with uttermost transparency and clarity its (not-so-impartial) political leanings. One reader in the Ottawa Sun sarcastically pointed out the above-mentioned item that Cadman was venal enough to "listen to his constituents" (how dare he!); the editor's comment was something like, "What's popular isn't always right." That's true--but it's not always wrong: this isn't Nazi Germany we're talking about here. It's truly disconcerting to see and to read. Anyone on this site (or elsewhere) who rages against right-wing dominance in the Canadian media should keep the copies of the Post, Globe, Ottawa Citizen, etc., from this past week as portable evidence. To be quite honest, I'm starting to believe in Henry David Thoreau's disdain for news and newspapers (though I have a soft spot for anyone a writer as poetic as Nathaniel Hawthorne--who was otherwise impressed with Thoreau--would describe as "ugly as sin").