Archive for the ‘Social Commentary’ Category

I can’t even begin to express the sadness I feel for the victims of Robert Pickton and their families. As this tragedy unfolded from discovery of evidence through to the court process, it seem unfathomable that it could take so long for police to get and prosecute this man. Years go by and still we are hashing through the truths that emerge about the case and subsequent blunders/miscommunication between two police forces.

The voices grow for an inquiry as we seek more answers. We want to show our respect for the women who lost their lives; to act and speak on their behalf. To implement protocol and accountability to prevent future breakdowns.  To deal with the frustration and feelings of helplessness that comes from an injured system.

It goes without saying it is hard to find closure in this when we are talking about so many lives; whether we assign 26, 49 or 100 it was one death too many. There is no doubt in my mind he (and maybe others) were able to continue killing because of the way we as a society view these women. They are disposable, living a high risk life with multiple issues and we are simply not prepared to appreciate, empathize or look deep into their existence and our role.

They stayed under the radar of police and news worthiness because it wasn’t a series of women in my neighbourhood disappearing on their evening stroll. Thankfully, eventually the media played and plays a role in keeping this top of mind. Why am I thankful? Without that spotlight, featuring the families and organizations that aim to expose the inequities of justice, we the public would go on to the next tragedy and these women would fade even further from our view and consciousness.

Can an inquiry help? I believe it can. Providing, concrete steps are taken to ensure understanding and compliance with recommendations.

Inquiries can be time consuming and expensive but those are not good enough reasons to silence this particular issue. We have a responsibility to get to the bottom of this, we can not trust that this was only one bad situation that won’t be repeated. Yes, the Vancouver Police Department has some openness, maybe the RCMP will come around to examination of the facts but we the public must exercise our due dillegence! Many lives were lost on their watch, it was a mass murder of women.

These mothers, daughters, sisters, cousins may have lacked the self esteem and ability to advocate for a better life. Abandoned, abused, abusers or survivors it is important we do right by them once and for all. As I sat at one social gathering a few weeks back, the topic of Pickton came up.  One guy said, “He did us a favour.” Briefly proceeding to say “those women deserved it.” As he went to continue his venom I turned around and said “I don’t agree with you!” “They didn’t deserve it, I have met with women who have lived and worked on our streets, they don’t deserve this!” I chose not to continue dialogue with this man, it is a waste of breath. The use and abuse on women continues because of attitudes such as that.

I want justice for each of these women. If it can not be in the form of a voice in court or a sentence increase, then at least let us here the truth and implement change that addresses not only the systemic breakdown but gives rise to a new way of supporting women to not need or be lured into the survival sex trade. Prosecute Johns heavily and put a magnifiying glass on the street pimps and traffickers that make women vulnerable to people like Pickton. Give answers, tell me what went wrong and fix it!

What do you think? Should there be an inquiry and what would you hope comes from it?

As we knew it in the past, now comes the end of innocence. Children can no longer be children. In fact, it is unacceptable to remain in those blissful years being, playing, dancing and having fun as children did for hundreds of years. Living for the most part with freedom from the pressure, guilt and anxiety that can come from the roles we play as adults.

Development – as our preoccupation for being better at everything exploded, so did our need to speed up the process of childhood. Babies development encouraged by new and improved “scientific” studies that lead us towards wanting super infants – educational marvels whose parents line up for their Einstein tools and mini-college enrollment.

Play – for many children is structured too but it comes with confusing and often opposing expectations. In one camp is the parents (and so called experts) pontificating “everyone is a winner” but in the other camp is the screaming competitive sideline coaches. Play has been redefined with a more adult take on its relevance.  “To just  have fun or just be the best?” … that is the question.

Fun - all on its own has been transformed from interacting with family and friends through indoor/outdoor games, to participating in the dark room with self and a screen. On that screen children can be exposed to many sides of life and make believe that have real adult themes but lack any responsibility to determine whether the fun is healthy, pacifying or just plain inappropriate for their age.

If we talk about the girl child, look out! Checking out toys and characters such as Bratz one would think our little girls are now just miniature women. Words to describe their Dolls “Flirty” “Glamorous” “Feminine” one character is also thankfully “not pretentious.”

“Mommy what does pretentious mean?”

Clothing and accessories – the available clothing, the makeup, polished nails and dyed hair have changed any reason to look forward to growing up. To hit milestones in terms of age, responsibility let alone understanding. In its worst form clothing demonstrates the hyper-sexualization of our children and teens.

You don’t have to look far to find the images and stories that prove innocence lost. There was one American retail company I was going to feature as an example; after viewing the slide show images they use of children/young girls I decided I couldn’t give them yet another forum in which to highlight their exploitation. (if you want the link email me directly)

Wrapped in misrepresented words such as “empowerment” or “freedom”, laced in “it’s cute” “work it” or “show it off”, embraced by a pornified culture comes the undoing of childhood.

What are we doing? Why are we taking away their right to have fun without adult influence? Why are we giving them so much to see and think about without the context? Why do we enjoy partnering with our children and teens in a way that does not define the differences between adult/child relationships and development? Why do we believe they are capable of doing many things so early in life but then step in to protect them when it results in a wrong decision that causes them harm or costs society? Why are we unable to see that these mini adults will not be any better prepared for adulthood? Why did we need to take away what was positive about innocence?

Dance – if there was ever a moment when I felt sickened by our move towards taking our little ones too far into adulthood it was with the following video. The debate opened up early regarding this; anger on one side, sadness for others and as you can see with some of the comments people who support it. Talent aside – given the song lyrics, costuming and moves I had to remind myself they are only 7 YEARS OLD! It is no surprise that some adults are viewing our young as prey, as we package them up for display and sell them in our online, public and retail markets.

7 year old girls dancing to Single Ladies

Christopher Porter and the Free the Pod campaign.

As a follow up to my post earlier this week and my article that just ran in TimeFinders Magazine I wanted to share more about the issue of animal captivity and the differences in philosophies that keep this a hot button issue. Months have gone by since our original interview and through that time there have been many twists and turns. Porter knew he was in a race to get people to support his campaign and understands fully that aquariums, activists, governments and the public can’t get to common ground.

Like anything, each can find reasons to stand behind their cause but behind that, is what drives this world MONEY. We are talking huge amounts of money that come from our pockets directly to organizations and businesses that deal in animal captivity. How much of that investment positively impacts the wild animal species and their habitats is what we don’t know. I venture to guess, after talking with Porter, the dollars are not floating towards where it makes the most sense.

Christopher Porter’s switch from dolphin dealer to dolphin freer really made a stir and getting support has proved extremely difficult. One group that I contacted after speaking with Mr. Porter was Ric O’Barry’s organization Save Japan Dolphins, where I spoke to Mark Berman regarding their support of the Free the Pod campaign:

“We have congratulated Chris Porter on getting out of the dolphin trade and we want to see the project move ahead. We are getting all the details ironed out. Dolphin trading must stop and Chris has the first step in promoting dolphin protection; we are continuing to look at his proposals to move forward.”

“The Government of the Solomon Islands is in favour of the capture and trading of dolphins, we want to guarantee the safety of these dolphins. The Government has to guarantee the elimination of dolphin capture and trade.”

“It also takes others to cooperate, we can’t do this alone.”

As the clock ticks away towards the final release of the remaining dolphins, I can’t help but wonder how much cooperation went on and in the end who, if anyone, stepped up to help?

Ultimately though, I think public awareness is the key as Porter suggested in our interview. We, the public, either choose not to know or clearly don’t know, what goes on behind the scenes to provide us with the pleasure of viewing, touching or swimming with wild animals. (Well, lets just take the word “wild” out of that statement because we are not seeing a wild animal anymore we are seeing a captured, controlled, manufactured image of the species.) Attending shows, parks, zoos and aquariums believing (or hoping) they are happy. Believing they are well taken care of…we are doing these animals a favour. It is the conditions with capture and captivity that we would rather turn away from.

Porter says:

“We do have an effect on them in captivity and we would feel the same way. Separated at birth from parents, living a separated life because of breeding and security purposes, spending many hours a day in a small pool, in solitary confinement like Tillicum. Of course, if you are an intelligent being it’s going to have an effect. It does have an effect on these animals because they are so intelligent and because they are so intelligent we need to preserve them in the wild.”

Of course, the argument that animals could be intelligent or feeling in a way that may compare to humans really gets some people on their high horse. They can’t fathom that something less than a human would be traumatized being abducted from its pod, group, pride or family. In their minds an animal on land or in the sea that travels for miles in a day, communicating with its members and instinctively living as it’s species has for hundreds of years would eventually lose all of its instincts, memory and needs. It will just adapt to its new tiny, artificial home.

I agree with Chris Porter’s next point:

“If the argument is that we are displaying these animals to preserve their wild counterparts then we would be preserving these wild counterparts more. We wouldn’t have drift net fishing, we wouldn’t have thousands of dolphins captured still, we wouldn’t have killer whales who are getting hunted off of Chinook Salmon so that sports fisherman can get a photo and have something for their barbecue. We are not having that impact.”

Around the world they are still capturing animals for multiple purposes that serve the human need to be even closer to them. Unless, of course, you live up the top a mountain in some expensive development and one of these lovely wild animals happens into your garden or garbage then it is “We’ve done everything to keep these things out but they keep coming back…it even went after our cat!”  Now, that is some hypocrisy there, spend money to see them contained behind glass but complain when we actually really interact with them.

As for the dolphins and whales, (that thankfully can’t just show up at the door) aquariums and their paid scientists find new reasons to collect more.

Porter:

“They are talking about going to collect whales again and justifying it because the population assessments are done and determine “Yes, that population could support a removal” “It’s scientifically justifiable and so we are going to remove these animals.”

“What if one country has an over abundance of whales or dolphins? We are not talking millions; we are talking maybe thousands, maybe hundreds. Maybe in theory we could take six away but if the rest of the world has a depreciation of these animals then we need some places that have an over abundance so that we can start getting the balance back and start changing people’s opinions.

“Even in 2010 zoos and aquariums are still talking about catching whales and dolphins. That’s not helping the wild population.”

I’m not sure as a society we are prepared to give up our addiction to pleasing ourselves with show stopping performances, dolphin swim programs and animal displays. We are too self centered, bored, needy and entitled to explore the real business that feeds our obsession. Even Mr. Porter understands the public’s draw to aquariums, zoos and the like:

“There are people that have told me I go to zoos and aquariums and I know it’s not right but it makes the kids happy and I forget about them for two three hours and they have so much fun.”

“It’s our busy, stressful lives and sometimes we sacrifice the affects we are having on these wild animals. If they were people everyone would be sounding their alarms but when you have organizations from both sides recognizing that they are social animals then we have to accept that it is a bit like containing people.”

“We are imposing our views on how they should live in the wild and captivity.”

I will offer yet another unsolicited opinion…we have closed our minds. Public, aquariums, zoos and activists all covering their ears when hearing the truth about our actions. Not cooperating with each other, unable to sit at a table to discuss better management of species and habitats we have already impacted. We suck at managing anything that has been given to us by mother nature! No matter how great the intention, how masterful the brains, how much money or effort we throw at conservation we always screw it up.

Meanwhile, we take and take and take. Make excuses, point fingers, do studies, employ more people while the animals suffer worldwide. These dolphins that will get released have an unknown fate ahead but not because the ocean didn’t welcome them back to freedom but because humans just can’t let go of the controls.

Kenneth Klassen – sex tourist, child pornographer and predator is behind bars for 11 years. Preying on girls as young as nine in Cambodia and Columbia this guy video taped himself engaging in rape and was arrested when he tried to import and pick up the videos some time later. After further investigation more tapes were found in his storage locker located in Burnaby, BC.

He was arrested, charged on 35 various sexual assault, procurement and pornography related counts and found guilty after pleading on 14 counts. There are probably many victims through his travels that we and the courts will never hear from which makes it all the more hard to take. Such is the trail of destruction left behind from these creatures.

What first goes through my head is the frustration with an 11 year sentence which by some standards is a large sentence to be handed down for such a case. Secondly, his apparent apology “I”m sorry for what I have done with all my heart” which nobody ever takes seriously – if anyone buys that line they are as sick as he is.

He is one man who got caught, in a sea of others of like mind, that continue to exploit, abuse and degrade these children. As their appetite for abuse is not satisfied in their own backyard they make a well calculated plan to research and travel to destinations that have vulnerable, innocent children forced into sexual slavery.

It is not like these countries Cambodia, Columbia, Philippines, Thailand or Africa don’t know this is going on. Due to poverty, corruption and a lack of will to properly protect defenseless women and children the pornography and sex tourism industry flourishes. It is not underground anymore. We are all familiar with its existence; we are disgusted by Klassen but behind the hat and glasses that he tried to disguise himself with, is a normal looking man.

That is a problem, we just can’t pick these less than animals out of a crowd. They lead seemingly normal lives and yet here they are taking off to foreign lands to do what is the unthinkable for the rest of us. How much is that girls life worth? Over a dozen girls images and stories were brought to this case but knowing there is more… that is not even one year per victim. What do you think his time served will be?

Eventually, Kenneth Klassen will be out. Yes, he will continue to have restrictions placed on him. No, there is no way to ensure he will be reformed. Yes, our laws are not strong enough. No, we don’t want him in our neighbourhoods or to travel elsewhere.

It is a fact of life that these monsters inhabit our earth but given how much our world has opened up both through travel and Internet we have a whole other playground these guys frequent. What can we do?

For other stories I have covered such as this check out:

A Sparkle of Hope

Jack Crone – Curiosity Killed the Cat

Christopher Porter – Dolphin Dealer turned Free the Pod campaigner.

Last year I wrote a blog post that garnered a tremendous amount of attention Dolphin Dealer – Christopher Porter. Not only did blog readers notice but so did Christopher; after leaving a comment and an email I suggested we talk further.

We talked about his campaign to free the very pod of dolphins he helped to capture, among other important matters concerning captivity and the various roles humans play in this lucrative business. It was a fascinating discussion that took countless hours to transcribe just to figure out where to focus my article which is now out in TimeFinders Magazine called Christopher Porter: Politics of the Dolphins. He needs support for his campaign but first it is helpful to understand the goals he wants to reach:

1. Release the pod and secure partnerships that would allow for ongoing follow up.

2. Secure meaningful related work for the people of the Solomon Islands, that would reduce their dependence on the killing and capture of dolphins.

3. Research beyond the standard captivity studies and provide a template which others worldwide could adopt. (proving release is possible and research is valuable)

4. Facilitate dialogue between all interested parties including aquariums, activists, partners, governments and the public on better management of the oceans and its inhabitants.

Porter is a very vocal, often described as aggressive, opinionated and knowledgeable man. He covered multiple issues for this interview. With the expertise of Jill, who worked her magical editing wand, we managed to provide readers with what I hope is an interesting, thought provoking look at the world behind the show and tell life of dolphins and whales in captivity.

You will be able to make up your own mind up as to who Christopher Porter is, the value of the Free the Pod campaign and explore the political mess that surrounds the business. There is more to discuss which I will provide in another post next week which includes a quote from Mark Berman from the SaveJapanDolphins.org - Ric O’Barry’s campaign to save dolphins.

Meanwhile, Vancouver is currently raising the debate of the appropriateness of continuing to support our own Vancouver Aquarium. Line ups at the zoo show the public still can’t get enough of those animals in a pool perhaps understanding a bit more about what is really at stake here may change their mind? Or not.

Where do you stand on the issue of captivity?

The news has been saturated lately with stories about the victims of drowning. There has been 205 people who have died so far this year in Canada. My province of British Columbia has seen an increase, with four people last week alone losing their life in our waters. As some of my readers know I am a survivor but not without a loss that profoundly impacted my family. I posted that experience May 20th, 2010  for National Life Jacket Day.

I understand perfectly the trauma and fear associated with such an experience, how it feels and how much the body and mind remembers. I have a range of emotions with every passing story:

Hurt and Sadness as I know how far reaching the grief extends, as families and friends grapple with the loss for days, months and years to come.

Anger that despite measures put in place for protecting ones self and others we are still not able to take it seriously enough to make the right decisions.

Frustration that no matter how prepared others may be we can not beat the fate that lies ahead.

Hopeful that one or more of these stories, including mine, my cause a person or family this year to be extra vigilant with their personal safety on or near water.

There is speculation that our recent hot weather may have increased the amount of people in the water and therefore more accidents occur. However, to this day I see people not wearing life jackets that partake in water sports and activities.

There is a proposal being talked about to have swimming lessons built into the school system so that children may have a better chance for survival. As a child who had those lessons and had to tread water for a long time before being rescued I can assure you it may help but it is not a cure. Knowing how to swim and being a man who grew up and worked along side water all his life did not help my father.

In life I believe some things are meant to be, people come into this world and leave us. It is our time. I also believe that common sense and not tempting fate is important too. So, I again ask people to please look to what you can do to protect yourself and your family from this kind of tragic accident. Survivors, like myself, really don’t want you to have to live with the memories and go through what we did.

Be safe! Be smart!

CBC News Story

A while back I shared with readers my frustration with the decision by our bus company TransLink to install an automated voice system. Called TMAC (Transit Management and Communications System) this $40 million dollar investment “improves communication, schedule reliability and safety.” (TransLink Media)

Through GPS they can track their buses, tell users when buses are scheduled to arrive at a stop and the “annunciator” helps the visually impaired know which bus it is and where is is going next. Wonderful technology that has now entered the fleet and made already loud, large buses become even more annoying!

Oh, I know there are those that love the new bells and whistles I’m sure. All you, techno loving people benefiting from the multimillion dollar pilot test that really wasn’t a test but a foregone conclusion. It doesn’t matter that this system would be implemented without full consultation on its impact.

What impact? Well, the constant reminders at all hours of the day and evening just where transit users are going! Yes,  the first thing that I hear in the wee hours of the morning is the number and name of the bus that is stopping out front. It is also one of the last things I hear at night just before midnight as I try to drift off into a blissful slumber.

Now, I have observed this annoying annunciator is activated even without one person standing at the stop and if the person’s are visually impaired that are disembarking they are sure good at hiding their condition. The disability advocates apparently have wanted this need filled and they got it. However, I contend that the majority of people actually riding the bus would not fall under the disability category for which it was created.

Instead, according to a very sympathetic TransLink employee, there are hundreds of complaints. Daily people are calling in to discuss the intrusion of “the voice.” The voice that travels great distance to announce what a human could do, if we weren’t so fond of automation. Now, please don’t bother to convince me this is worth the disturbance of communities for a special interest group. You, are probably not the ones whose home is affected by it. Traveling well over 100 feet, over a fence, up a walkway, through closed windows and doors,  this voice is an unwanted visitor daily.

After trying to get some headway with a call to TransLink and a call to see if my city could do anything under a noise bylaw I have become an advocate on behalf of homeowners; starting with mine. With my trusty duct tape and a homemade sign I marched down to the bus stop and erected a quiet but important message of my own.

QUIET PLEASE!

LIMIT THE USE OF THE AUTOMATED VOICE

ESPECIALLY EARLY MORNING AND LATE AT NIGHT.

RESPECT OUR RIGHT TO PEACE.

I’m sure my sign will not stay up long and I don’t have 40 million to invest in testing its effectiveness. That’s OK though, I have plenty of ink in the printer and paper. If they don’t like my small protest I may need to create my own automated voice to greet them everyday. I think it will be quite helpful as my annunciator will tell TransLink where it is and where it’s next stop should be.

If you too are bothered by this and feel inclined to try contacting TransLink here is the link to their customer service and good luck!

Violent protest at the G8 Summit in Toronto, Ontario., Canada turned parts of the city into a major conflict zone. As always peaceful protest is overtaken by the agenda of **** disturbers who can’t find another way to get their message across other than to burn cars, smash windows and throw bricks.

I have to ask the questions:

How effective is protests and demonstrations when they are drenched in violence?

Do you feel these thugs garner support by the average voter to join their cause?

Do these people reach the minds of the political leaders, causing them to rethink their positions?

What did they gain today?

Nothing! It did not sway anyone to see their point of view. In fact, if anything it has done the opposite. The legitimate protests that paraded down the street were overshadowed by black masked cowards. What is worse is that people lives were put at risk, businesses were shut down and the chaos that continues adds to the cost of what is already a very expensive undertaking.

Here is the hypocrisy that goes along with protesters such as these:

* They don’t like countries that commit violent acts upon its citizens but here they are committing violence, breaking the laws and generally holding a city hostage.

* They want people to be free to speak their mind without the fear of retribution but they shouted over the voices and stopped the advancement of legitimate, peaceful, fellow protesters.

* They oppose those that receive financial gain from Governments (including ours) that they deem corrupt but many of them are receiving Canadian tax dollars everyday through social assistance to keep a roof over their head and food in their stomach.

* They want Governments/Leaders to be accountable for the health of their citizens while they endangered the health and livelihood of many innocent citizens today.

* They don’t like police interfering and clashing with people around the world but they incite ours to do so.

Hey, I have protested before, I get the need to stand for something. I walked along the streets peacefully to voice my opposition to the invasion of Iraq. There are many things going on in the world that I try to do my part to change but non violence is the only way I know.

Young or old there are people throughout history who have made a difference by there own actions! These protesters are expecting these politicians to fix what they believe ails the prospective countries? Individuals can change the world; people who get up off their couch and begin to find ways in which THEY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. They volunteer their time in these countries to provide learning, infrastructure and health care. They sit and talk with tribes, communities, leaders and the like, to make a small initiative turn into large initiatives. They donate their money to organizations on the ground who have a better understanding of the issues and needs of the people.

Powerful, meaningful change should not come through violent outbursts but through the realization of hope, onward through the education of a people, from education to a showing of solidarity and eventually with a mass of voices who are capable of changing the future. Who do the people thank later? All those that provided their expertise along the way, those that sacrificed and challenged on their behalf. Great minds, large hearts, people who hold the values the leaders do not.

The violence I saw today did nothing and those protesters were representations of what they despise. They emulated the behaviours, anger, corruption and small minded thinking that keeps certain leaders in power. They need to take their masks off and take a good  look in the mirror.

Charge those that broke the law and if they are receiving any type of assistance from our Government cut them off. If they are paying citizens garnish wages to pay for damages. Right to protest, right to be prosecuted for crimes and damages. Welcome to democracy!

I have spent a little bit more time than I want in hospitals this year. Not me personally in the hospital but visiting others who have the misfortune to require surgery and care. It is very clear to me that there is serious problems with the system! Sure, we watch the news and we hear the tale of a person or family that complains how the health care system has failed them. You have a brief moment of angst, empathy and then it is on to the next story. It isn’t until you see it for yourself that you realize “Hey! Something is very wrong here!”

My brother-in-law was admitted to Mission Hospital to address a severe gall bladder attack, he was given some medication, told to book an appointment with his doctor and was released.  Complications arose due to a lack of urgency with his initial complaint of symptoms, so when he went to his doctors office jaundice and having difficulty breathing he was readmitted to the hospital. From there it was determined that he required EMERGENCY SURGERY and would need to be transferred to Royal Columbian Hospital.  That was three weeks ago.

He is still in the hospital due to multiple errors. No surgery occurred in a timely manner which made his situation worse. He was deemed by one Doctor not be a priority and as such was relegated to the hallway with fashioned bed linens tied to IV polls etc to give him partial privacy. There he laid in discomfort amidst all the traffic and the ever triggered buzzer going off to signify patients who wanted a nurse to attend their bedside.

No MRI on weekends meant he waited longer for information about his condition and at one point someone even considered sending him back home to Mission. However, as a result of all the delays he eventually was now a PRIORITY! Sick enough to warrant service he went in for surgery. Due to the wait time it was more complicated and there were measures taken to try to deal with progression of his condition. To make a long story shorter he recently underwent a second surgery due to an infection (flesh eating disease) no doubt caused by his first surgery and/or post operative care.

A procedure that should have been taken care of quickly with minimal hospital stay has turned into almost a month of panic and pain!

He has noted that there are good nurses who are trying to work in difficult conditions and there are nurses that maybe should get out of the profession. He has left a newspaper under his bedside cabinet which despite the brief presence of cleaning staff, it hasn’t budged an inch. He bled one day badly which sprayed onto the floor, it took two days before that was even cleaned up. He notes that several people around him have also come in for a surgery and ended up with two or three operations… most likely due to infection. There was one man who hadn’t had his bed changed in a week and they both realized care is different depending who is on shift.

In all of this I realized that the system I once defended is a joke! I was opposed to two tiered health care, secure with the notion that if I buy that hospital lottery ticket or vote for more dollars to be spent on British Columbia’s Health care that money was being spent wisely. Well, not anymore! If I could pay for better care I would do it! To see someone you love suffer, become sicker than they were going in, to watch a person lay in crowded corridor, to see cigarette infested entrance ways with staff and patients alike dumping their cigarette butts about, to see dried blood streaked across a floor in a common sitting area….I could go on but you get the picture.

All this money we are throwing this way isn’t going where it needs too. They have privatized where they shouldn’t and stayed public without proper oversight. They have closed hospitals and reduced availability of service to outlying areas and caused hospitals like Royal Columbian to be busting at the seams. Don’t bother to give me some reason to believe the system is working, I’ve seen with my own eyes multiple examples of failure. There is no preventative care, no immediate care and obviously poor post-operative care.

It sucks and God, forbid I end up in a hospital any time soon!

With a goal in mind to stop the Harmonized Sales Tax from being ripped from our wallets, British Columbian’s turned out to sign petitions. Over 10% of the voters in every riding put their pens to paper, did more than just talk, it was seemingly a success! The message was designed  to share with Premier Gordon Campbell our disdain for his lies and underhanded maneuvers to keep the public from having a voice on anything, in particular the HST.

With a traditionally apathetic voting public, who could have predicted a success of this magnitude; obtaining the necessary numbers to maybe get a referendum on the issue. Not surprisingly though, our dictator is not impressed. He fails to care for the opinions of constituents and their reasons for signing. Instead he feels that he knows best, he has the vision and we will learn to embrace it. Tough decisions come from our great leader, we are misinformed peasants. Premier Campbell will hit the road to share with all of us why he lied in the last election in regards to adopting the HST…no wait that’s not it…he will be making a sales call. You may want to get your sign up.. No Peddlers!

However, even one of his own, (with a conscience) Mr. Blair Lekstrom quit his job as Energy Minister to recognize his constituents opposition to the HST. Regardless of what happens, there is at least one person who had the sense to respect who pays his salary and spoke his truth. Others may find heads will role with the discussions of recall.

So, as we scramble to get some things paid for before the HST rams through our doors, we are offered a hand by our neighbours to the south.

“Come shop in the good old USA, show us your ID and you won’t have to pay the sales tax.” “Here, take advantage of up to a 9.5 % savings!”

“Well, thank ya partner, don’t mind if I do.”

In fact, my normal thinking to keep most of my dollars flowing to Canadian businesses has just shifted. My take home pay is really important to me and mine. We just don’t see fit to be throwing it back to a government and businesses that already over price and tax everything. My purse strings just got a lot tighter.

I think we’ll travel south, as it is so very close; we receive better service, more selection and we will be paying closer to what something is worth. Of course, some of my business will stay at home but I will be very selective. This hand just extended across the border and said…

“Hello, neighbour.”  “I will be happy to help out your economy a little. Your government seems mighty friendly, understands our plight and we are just plum tickled you would consider helping us.”

Lucky I have Nexus, the border line ups might be even longer after July 1st, 2010.