| Alberta - heading for election - what is your opinion?
Posted: 2/12/2008 9:26:14 PM | For your viewing pleasure and in no particular order:
Alberta Greens: http://www.albertagreens.ca/
Alberta Liberals: http://www.albertaliberal.com/
Alberta Progressive Conservative Party: http://www.albertapc.ab.ca/
Alberta Wildrose-Alliance: http://www.wildrosealliance.ca/party
Alberta New Democrats: http://www.albertandp.ca/
These are the parties currently holding seats with the addition of the Greens who are hoping for and may get official status this time around. Their platforms and policies are located on their web-pages.
Rather than get any one person's possibly jaded opinion - and I include my own in that - why not go to the horses mouth and see what they are saying? Then if we want to tear them down we can make some informed criticism based on their actual policy or platform and not just idle speculation, trash talk or baseless accusations. | |
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| Alberta - heading for election - what is your opinion?
Posted: 2/13/2008 10:28:33 AM | I couldn't answer that or begin to know why the o/p wants opinions, Fiddler. The only thing we have to go on is that, clearly by the headline, the person is looking for opinions and not cut and dry, bland info.
Maybe it's their first election here and they want to feel out what each party's reputation is out here. Maybe they are comparing notes. Maybe they are just fed up with a bunch of lying "evils" and is hoping to be able to see which evil the masses consider the least evil of the bunch.
But they are asking and so we all can just idle speculation, trash talk or baseless accusations because that's part of what opinion is. It is never just fact based. Intuition, the human factor, always plays into opinion as well.
But way to write a last paragraph to try to intimidate people into not posting. I hope there are more readers that do not fall into the typical Canadian trap of backing off from giving their opinions just because some guy suggests it's not logical. | |
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| Alberta - heading for election - what is your opinion?
Posted: 2/13/2008 12:15:55 PM |
But way to write a last paragraph to try to intimidate people into not posting. I hope there are more readers that do not fall into the typical Canadian trap of backing off from giving their opinions just because some guy suggests it's not logical.
You're certainly entitled to characterize it as that if you want...
Green has nothing to say, so not hard to live up to that. Conservatives have proven they are great at sitting on their hands and empty promises. Coming from Ontario, there's no way I can endorse the Liberals. I had hoped to see something more out of them, but apparently not. They appear to be a carbon copy of the trash we had back east.
The NDP are not really basing the platform on much, just what seems to be a repetition of what we've experienced already blended with further promises that seem out of touch with the provincial population needs.
The Wild Rose guys seem to cover a lot of the needs of the province, are making promises that are indeed attainable with glimpses of further direction for the future.
I don't see any actual quotes from policy platforms or election platforms here, just your distilled opinion...not even any real commentary...so I guess I could take a free swipe at this...but I'll take the high road.
I don't discourage any contribution at all. Far from it. In fact, when I get back from work I'll even be happy to throw some in to help get the ball rolling.
People need to educate themselves to start with. You told them to look up the platforms in the journal, I went the extra step and provided the party links. If I was a touch critical of the lack of actual substance in your criticism, then instead of just taking me to task for it, why not show some of it.
What isn't the Green party saying? Why wouldn't you trust the Liberals? What needs are they not meeting for you as an Alberta voter? What about the NDs why are they not showing themselves as a viable alternative in this election. Anyone can b*tch...fill in the blanks, man! | |
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| Alberta - heading for election - what is your opinion?
Posted: 2/13/2008 12:53:35 PM | The user is asking for an opinion, and was given one. Webster defines opinion as a belief stronger than impression but less strong than positive knowledge. Not a fact based debate or position. Quoting political parties and believing their platforms is simply blind faith on monkeyshine. I don't know if you've noticed but politicians lie. A lot. And so, as the o/p stated correctly in the heading, opinion is indeed the correct word.
The tone of the phrase I quoted is demeaning. As a teacher, I have to hold faith in your knowledge of the power of a statement, the choice of words, how they are postioned, they all send the secondary language messages. Which you did. And if you are not able to see it or to realize you do it, then what, perhaps are you unthinkingly exposing your students to?
I have no desire to debate politics. As a new resident (note the reference to the Ontario Liberal government) who is in his first Alberta election, I do not have the knowledge base to know my own answer right now. Time will tell. I have no problem pleading a lack of knowledge and experience.
Nice of you to throw down the gauntlet after stating you'll take the high road, by the way. Very tactful and classic. | |
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exxess
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Joined: 1/31/2006
Msg: 30 | |
| Alberta - heading for election - what is your opinion?
Posted: 2/13/2008 5:40:57 PM | | I really wish our system was like the US where people can vote who represents their party. I've always been a dire hard Conservative my whole life. But Stelmach has really tested my faith in a person. I really don't think he had any clue on the issues that plague large cities. Being that he comes from a city of 3000. How can you possibly understand what goes on. Last year was one of the most difficult years of my life desperately scraping together a down payment for a house. This amongst other problems. | |
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| Alberta - heading for election - what is your opinion?
Posted: 2/13/2008 6:53:01 PM | exxess - I hear you! Same here - but I have been so angry - he shouldn't have been leader. You can vote - if you are an actual official member of the party in question (it goes for all).
And what makes me mad - is even though there are so many issues that are being ignored - idiots still get elected - and I am sorry - but the same goes with all three parties now. Do you think any of them care about the fact a lot of us hard working people cannot afford to live in the places they have been for years - let alone buy a house or condo? Its sick. | |
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| Alberta - heading for election - what is your opinion?
Posted: 2/13/2008 9:08:27 PM |
Quoting political parties and believing their platforms is simply blind faith on monkeyshine. I don't know if you've noticed but politicians lie. A lot.
Nooo....you don't say?
It's a discussion forum. If all discussion ends at "I sound off and that's the end of that because that's just the way I feel and that's good enough for me," then not only do we not have much of a discussion, we don't end up with much of an informed electorate and we get another 30 years of Bozo the corporate lackey in power. People that take no interest in their political affairs are destined for slavery...and there's also...people get the government they deserve...ever hear of those?
No one is saying we have to "believe" hook line and sinker what is in the platforms, but perhaps when making an "informed" choice as to who to vote for perhaps it will help some people decide who out of a bad lot has policies and platforms that agree the most closely with their own personal values and politics and allow them to make a decision ethically and in an informed manner...whether the politician adheres to those policies will determine their career longevity. That is, if the voter stays informed and active. Many politicians bank on voter apathy to stay in power...obviously the Tories and Socreds did for close to a century.
As a teacher, I have to hold faith in your knowledge of the power of a statement, the choice of words, how they are postioned, they all send the secondary language messages. Which you did. And if you are not able to see it or to realize you do it, then what, perhaps are you unthinkingly exposing your students to?
Yes but I am sure you realise the need to present the difference between "informed" opinion and mere personal bias. I'm not saying at this point that you don't have a very good reason to hold the opinion you do but surely as a self-proclaimed new voter to this province you must then realise that the political dynamic is going to be different.
One's biases against the parties and their policies from another place may not in any way hold true here and there may be very good reasons for that. Imagining for example that the Alberta New Democrats will be "just as bad as the one's in Ontario" is a ridiculous logical fallacy on a variety of levels. There's absolutely no good reason to believe it to be the case.
It's not unreasonable to ask for some quotes or background for someone's personal opinion. As a music teacher however, I don't expose my students to political thought as a matter of course...tends to be a touch outside the subject matter on most occasions.
In any case I don't want this to continue seeming as some sort of personal criticism and we should get back to the discussion...
I'll throw something into the pot for starters that I see is conspicuously absent from the PC policy statements for obvious reasons and that is any mention of electoral boundary reform.
The Greens right off the bat in their platform discuss election reform, recall, fixed election dates and reform of land use policies to prevent the kind of "gold rush" economic occurances we are seeing in centers like MacMurray and Grande Prairie that are causing financial windfalls but social, medical and housing disasters.
http://www.albertagreens.ca/system/files/Platform_2008.pdf
This is just one party platform. I live in an ND riding (Strathcona) and voted ND last time. My only question is do I strategically vote in order to ensure a possible Liberal win (how likely do I feel this is with the unchanged electoral boundaries is voter frustration high enough with the Tories yet) or do I vote my conscience and maintain a seat for the ND's?
Obviously these are the things a person needs to wrestle with come election time. | |
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| Alberta - heading for election - what is your opinion?
Posted: 2/14/2008 9:47:57 AM | I don't let too much of a party's platform influence my voting mainly because you mainly see empty promises. I do try to find out the history of the party's actions. And in the last two years, the actions of the current government have not impressed me at all. The demonstrated lack of concern for everyday people regarding housing, road conditions (city and provincial), education, the way they are handling the influx of both west-bound Canadians and how they are handling the influx of people from foreign nations is a joke. This doesn't touch on the lack of concern for the financial well being of the population, with demonstrated regard only for the upper sector. And lets not get into industry, the very important environmental effects, regulation enforcement and how revenues from it are used to aid the population that supports and/or keeps those industries running. Follow this through with how law enforcement is accepted at the sub-standard level that it is province wide, whether local or federal, and you've got Fatcats living the life on the backs of the population. The government holds no consequences for their actions, no accountability. And the populus allows it.
I have confidence that a group of ambitious and motivated high school students could perform at least as well and probably better in most aspects. So clearly, I cannot support the current regime given what I see, hear, experience and shake my head at daily.
Now my choices are - do I vote for who I believe will do the best job (Ideally) or do I vote with the party that has the best opportunity to topple the current one. Either way, I do not forsee how things could much further be mis-managed, so at worse things would be different but the same and at best it would improve. Overnight is unrealistic, but even seeing babysteps toward the great potential that is here would be a refreshing change. Common sense, concern and love for the province and not the wallet, a caring for the fellow man. Or a business attitude where socially concious bean counters would be nice.
I do have a party preference (coincidentally, NDP, fiddler) but have no current base to judge their performance out here. Apparently they aren't a popular choice. As well, I would support the Liberals having experienced them (they are crooks but ones with social concern!) and knowing they are trying desparately to rebuild a party reputation.
Time will tell. | |
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| Alberta - heading for election - what is your opinion?
Posted: 2/14/2008 11:05:49 AM | Seen a bumper sticker long time ago that said " A good politician is a D--- politician"
All thes politicians are the same. They promise the World and changes but once elected they could give a flying you know what about the people. They cater to big business because that is where they get the most contributions. Would like to see a change in that. No company is allowed to donate, after all the company does not vote, the people vote. | |
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| Alberta - heading for election - what is your opinion?
Posted: 2/15/2008 10:37:43 PM |
The Alberta government does a dreadful job investing in the University network in this province. If you read the MacLeans Magazine survey on "best" schools in Canada, the Top 10 are all OUTSIDE of Alberta. Many of the engineers out here in the oil industry were educated in the east. Don't you find it ironic that many of our best got an education in engineering at places like University of Waterloo? Have you seen the cost of tuition compared to a place like U of C? It's cheaper pretty much everywhere else. Alberta doesn't have a "superstar" name brand University and it should.....
Most of the people I know that went to University will still paying their student loans back well into their mid & late 20s. Rack up 30 or 40 grand in fees man...it's like buying a BMW. When you are first starting out, you ain't gonna pull in 60K a year unless you're in the "right" position at the right time. It's pretty tough to survive anywhere in this province on 40 grand a year.
Everyone knows the Macleans article on universities is bunk. All they do is pander and kiss ass to the institutions in the East. University of Alberta even called them on it, and suprise... their rating was much higher the next year. U of A I think is well known for research in the medical field.
I can't imagine surviving on 40 grand a year. I don't know how someone could do it with the price of rent, utilities, etc etc. I don't know what it will take to wipe that stupid "OH MY GOD I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M THE PREMIER" smile off Stelmachs face. Maybe some time as the Official Opposition will be a good start. I haven't decided who I will vote for yet, I'll have to look into each parties platform. | |
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| Alberta - heading for election - what is your opinion?
Posted: 2/20/2008 5:31:23 PM | I am finding a lot of people who voted conservative in their lives - are sick to their stomachs - because they might have to go into a different direction.
I know I sound like a broken record - but you brought it up again rents. It is so sickening that so many people are screwed because of rental increases. And before anyone jumps on here and screams 'property managers need to make money too' - how can anyone justify a %50 - %75 rental increase in one shot? And you notice that a lot of these places, are just pocketing the money - its not going to repairs or anything - its disgusting. | |
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| Alberta - heading for election - what is your opinion?
Posted: 2/20/2008 5:54:55 PM | I went to an "all-candidates" forum/debate last night in my riding. 2 of the 4 candidates showed up.
The most positive thing I heard come out of the Tory mouth was that 1/2 of the candidates running under the PC banner are NEW, they've never run before, and apparently a lot of them are young. However I do wonder if 50% of the 'old guard' left in government is still too much.
I seem to be having a hard time making up my mind how to vote for this election. Perhaps because I am seriously trying to inform myself. I also wonder if it is better to have the devil you know?
One and a half weeks to voting day (and my kayak lesson - as an aside!) | |
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| Alberta - heading for election - what is your opinion?
Posted: 2/20/2008 9:41:22 PM | I really think that the voter turnout is going to be very minimal. It is really difficult to decide which would be the lesser evil and I highly doubt that Stelmach will get back in. He seems to have come up with alot of ideas that he is NOW talking about implementing since the election date was set.
Something that is highly important is for everyone to go to these forums and ask the questions.
My largest issue is education. It is great that the teachers all signed the Unfunded Liability Pensions and all are happy. Our kids are the future and the diverse amount of students (primarily behaviour) has played a hugh role in the way that the teachers are handling their educational practises now. Their PD days are built around learning to deal with our kids now with the lack of punishment and trying to build good citizens of them.
Education needs to be something that has to be addressed. More money needs to be put forth for infrastructure, bussing, updating video conferences for students etc.
I have not really heard any of the parties putting any plan into this.
Just my opinion! | |
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| Alberta - heading for election - what is your opinion?
Posted: 2/21/2008 6:16:31 PM | Anyone watching the debate? A bunch of children arguing - but I am going to vote for who is in my riding - and his party will not get in power - but I hope he at least gets in in my riding - and for the first time in over 90 years - someone in my family is going to vote for someone other than conservative.
My Heart is heavy. | |
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| Alberta - heading for election - what is your opinion?
Posted: 2/21/2008 6:52:10 PM | Also watching the debate, and fully agree with you, bunch of boys arguing on the playground.
I still am undecided who I will vote for.
Each of the leaders has said things that I agree with.
And each has said things that inflame me.
I've visited each parties website (thanks fiddler), I've attended a candidate forum - which helped narrow my decision, as I won't vote for a candidate that couldn't bother to attend! And yet I still remain torn. I know the PERSON I will likely vote for, but not sure about the PARTY.
10 days left to decide. | |
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| Alberta - heading for election - what is your opinion?
Posted: 2/22/2008 12:00:23 AM | Anyone who missed the televised debate can see it on YouTube where it has been uploaded as 11 seperate short videos.
Here is the link to part 2 (there doesn't seem to be a part one)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZPnoG6gGdc&feature=user
Hmm...conveniently located in the related videos area, some links to
Crude Awakening: Part 1/2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ilv8enuRp9g&feature=related
The Slick Lie: Renner, Stelmach and The Oil Industry
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TwXhNP3iA8&feature=user
Also, although not included in the debate because no seats were currently held by the party, George Read, leader of the Green Party, will post his responses to YouTube later.
I'm up to part 9 at the moment and I'll reserve any comment overall until tomorrow...but so far I can see Stelmach coming off looking like a corporate shill, spewing the status quo, occasionally borrowing a page from the Liberals or a whiff of the ND's as a talking point when it serves him - but just a taste. Not really doing anything substantial. And his language, loaded with scare tactics, false dichotomy, red-baiting right out of the McCarthy era, and out and out bullsh*t that anyone with half an ounce of horse sense can see through...just insulting to the intelligence. He's been suckling at the same Neo-Con nipple as Steven Harper...what do you expect from a party who's very name is an oxymoron?
Like the term of rule of the Social Credit dynasty before them, in my humble opinion, it is time for Albertans to pick themselves up, dust themselves off and make a brave decision for change and evict these corporate welfare bums called the PC party...just be sure to turn out all their pockets and shake the loose change off them before they leave...probably enough there to rebuild any crumbling roads and bridges in the province. | |
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| Alberta - heading for election - what is your opinion?
Posted: 2/22/2008 12:53:57 AM | Correction on those YouTube Links to Crude Awakening - apologis for the other links which are incomplete clips or edits - the following are the complete segments:
Part 1:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1jC65mJizU&feature=related
Part 2:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkQJd69jNbQ&feature=related
Part 3:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaG27v2HnUo&feature=related
This is somewhat tangential but has to do with the "myth" that Stelmach has been suggesting to the US... this is the status quo being preached by the encumbant party to our neighbours to the south and the forward thinking on the environment that Stelmach suggested he engaged in during the debate... judge for yourself. The documentary above is from CBC's the National.
The following is a quote from Canadian Press January 16, 2008 at 8:57 PM EST:
<div class="quote">
WASHINGTON - Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach asked American business leaders Wednesday not to buy into the "myth" that oilsands production comes at too high an environmental cost, saying attempts to curtail it "don't make sense."
But he faced disbelieving protesters at every turn on the first day of his trade visit to the United States, including about 35 environmentalists who passed out flyers to guests arriving at a Canadian embassy reception.
"Stelmach should be back home cleaning up the oil industry rather than running around Washington as an oil salesman," said Liz Butler, organizing director for ForestEthics, a Canada-U.S. based organization.
"The U.S. does not want Canada's dirty oil."
Stelmach told an energy forum that although the myth about the oilsands project has gained some traction south of the border, it would be foolish to restrict the project now.
"There are ongoing attempts in some quarters of this country to slow down or even stop oilsands development. Those attempts don't reflect reality and they don't make sense," he said.
"Even worse, they could serve to jeopardize this country's energy security at a time when Asian markets are clamouring for oil."
Stelmach also noted that climate change initiatives such as California's low carbon fuel standard will penalize energy imports from Alberta.
"That doesn't serve either of our countries' energy interests or environmental interests," he said.
"The bottom line is, in Alberta, we do not proceed with development at the expense of the environment . . . We don't need to be cajoled into acting in an environmentally responsible manner because we're otherwise unwilling or unable to do so."
After the speech, Stelmach told reporters the province is intent on tripling production from 1.25 million barrels a day by 2016.
"We're here to continue to build the relationship and deliver the message that we're developing the resources in an environmentally responsible way," said the premier.
While "there's a number of things that have to be put in place" to protect the environment.
Air quality and water quality is constantly tested and mostly scores better than most cities, he said.
Environmentalists are particularly critical of Alberta's oilsands industry because of the large amount of greenhouse gases emitted in the production process.
The project accounts for less than one-tenth of one per cent of all the world's emissions, said Stelmach, and any facility that emits more than 100,000 tonnes a year is required to reduce the intensity by 12 per cent.
"It's really all about quality of life of citizens on both sides of the border," he said.
Back home in Edmonton, the premier's comments drew an immediate rebuke from the Opposition Alberta Liberals, who said many Albertans want to see a slowdown in the rapid pace of oilsands production.
Liberal environment critic David Swann said describing widespread concerns over oilsands expansion as a "myth" is an insult to Albertans and the premier will likely pay for his remarks in the next election.
U.S. protesters were no less vehement.
"Oil from the tar sands is about our energy past, not our future," said Liz Barratt-Brown, a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defence Council.
"The U.S. should not rely on a dirty fuel that results in the destruction of Canada's biologically rich boreal forest for tar sands mining and drilling."
Said Tzeporah Berman of ForestEthics: Canada risks becoming an international pariah for promoting the tar sands instead of joining the fight against climate change."
A U.S. energy bill signed in December says the U.S. government won't buy fuel from non-conventional petroleum sources that have higher emissions than equivalent conventional fuels.
Environmentalists say the oilsands will create three times as much greenhouse gases because of the huge amount of energy required to extract the resource.
When asked about the danger of U.S. standards becoming onerous, Stelmach said he wasn't concerned.
"The private sector, the market will determine" sales, he said.
"There's a lot of demand for oil."
Analysts peg oilsands reserves at about 173 billion barrels.
"Our goal has always been to work closely with the U.S.," said Stelmach. "We're the world's best trading partners and we want to keep it that way."
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| Alberta - heading for election - what is your opinion?
Posted: 2/22/2008 5:11:14 PM | Analysts peg oilsands reserves at about 173 billion barrels.
Actually, that's recoverable reserves using current methods of technology. The tar sands hold an estimated 1.7 trillion barrels of heavy oil...something like 3 times the reserves n the middle east (middle east reserves are questionable figures anyways). No doubt they're feverishly working on how to get the rest of it out of the ground.
After the speech, Stelmach told reporters the province is intent on tripling production from 1.25 million barrels a day by 2016
Given that it requires about 1000 - 1200 cubic feet of natural gas to recover "in-situ" bitumen, along with 3 barrels of water for every barrel of goo I think Stelmach is dreaming if he thinks they're going to triple production. They'd have to build a nuclear plant & build a pipeline to bring in water from somewhere else....most likely the far north. And undertaking like that would cost 10's of billions of dollars. Assuming it could logistically even happen. I'm not even including if it SHOULD happen either.
And while the US government claims it will not buy non conventional "fuel" because of emissions, etc, I don't believe them. With conventional oil reserves on the decline in many places in the not so distant future we'll start seeing regional shortages in certain areas (give it 5 years). Then we'll see how adamant the US is on it's clean energy .bill....when Mr and Mrs America can't fuel up the SUV to drive to the mall. When there are long lines at the gas stations I suspect to many green house emissions will become um, something that's just a consequence of continuing a lifestyle we've gone on far to long with.
The future of energy is going to be an ugly one. And we're on the cusp of it beginning. | |
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| Alberta - heading for election - what is your opinion?
Posted: 2/23/2008 1:12:32 AM | That's the screwiest part of it...
Diesel technology was originally designed to run on biomass...peanut oil. We can run all of our current internal combustion engines cheaply and effectively on biomass of all types and yet we are still suckling on the black poison teat of oil...why? Simple. There is a dollar to be made and the oil corporations are hooked on the junk and will break into your homes and steal your vcr and sell it to buy what they need to shoot up with money...to paint a colourful metaphor...at 100 freaking dollars a barrel?!?!?!?
HOLY F*** When did this get to be part of the equation? No wonder people will poison the land and go to war over it...it's starting to approach the price of controlled substances pretty soon. I mean not to drift into hyperbole but seriously this is whacked. Think about it.
You can grow fuel from replenishable seeds or you can pull a limited and diminishing supply from the ground at a tremendous cost to the environment...
Hmm...let me think.
And the PC party is happy to work hand and glove with our southern neighbours who are, to wit, close to 200 million junkies in need of a big fix of fuel and willing to kill to get it.
Yeah, I am a leftist dyed in the wool pinko commie but do you really need to do the math on this one?
Where is that first nuclear plant going in again? And likely to serve the Athabasca region already suffering under pollution that the environment minister seems to be waffling about and calling merely "anecdotal" from people who have lived on the land and observed for a generation and would know better than some pencil-pushing lardass opportunist ready to ride the Tory gravy train who probably got his memos fed to him by a lifetime bureaucrat who knows the office better than he does? It boggles the mind...
Would you care for some fresh water with your bitumen, Uncle Sam? Steady Eddy, please pour for the nice superpower... | |
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| Alberta - heading for election - what is your opinion?
Posted: 2/23/2008 10:25:18 AM | The kicker with energy is the Energy Return on Energy Invested. How much energy is invested to extract a barrel of oil ? In the sands, it's about 3 to 1, in a good conventional well, it's much higher, say 10 or 20 to 1. If you're growing corn for ethanol, you have to factor in the farming energy (along with the NatGas in fertilizer production). Brasil does very well with it's sugarcane biomass projects...it's a plant that grows quite efficiently . I'd be curious to know if you could use bamboo as biomass.
What worries me more is the coming political issues with energy. North Americans are energy pigs...we consume 25%'s of the worlds energy and account for 4% of the worlds population. We've built our economies on cheap energy. We've built our cities around the automobile. And when the energy is in short supply, the voters are going to feel the squeeze & they're turn the government and cry "it's not fair I can't drive my big truck anymore". And what happens when the Americans vote in some whack job who says "We'll there is 1.7 trillion barrels of oil in Canada - We want it". Now you say, well we can just say "no", but we can't because WE included ENERGY rights in the free trade deal. I'm not sure of the exact wording but the USA has full access to our energy EVEN if we don't have enough for ourselves. So here we are, sitting on all this goo & the Americans are going to pressure Alberta to produce more...and more...to keep their cheap energy economy running.
And it's starting already, when the Chinese wanted to buy American Oil Unocal a couple of years ago, the US government nixed the deal. Reason ? "national and economic security concerns". I think Chevron ended up buying Unocal. Now imagine what happens when the USA goes head to head with China over say...Middle East reserves ? Two kids, with big armies...wanting their energy.
I'd like to see a government that would actually invest in the ENTIRE energy spectrum. We're the sunniest province in Canada...with lots of scrubby land. A great place for solar farms. It's always windy out here...so why not more wind power? People complain about wind power killing birds...well I bet there's a few dead birds up in Fort Mac. And why such a small investment in Geo Thermal ? In BC, they build entire subdivisions with Geo Thermal heating...on one big piping loop. The energy of the earth extracted to heat and cool your house.
I remember seeing on TV somewhere about how they were catching whitefish in Lake Winnipeg, then shipping the barrels of fish to China to have the fish packaged & shipped back to Canada to be sold. That.....just boggles my mind. A can of fish that travels 20 000 kms just to save a few cents on production costs. | |
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| Alberta - heading for election - what is your opinion?
Posted: 2/24/2008 5:55:50 PM | | Although I have been a conservative all my life, and thanks to him - I will be voting elsewhere - you can bet - he will be voted back in. When you have what is expected to be the lowest turnout at an election because people cannot make up their minds - or just don't care - usually that government gets back in. And if that happens - expect a lot more people wondering where the hell they are going to live - when the next rent increase hits them. Thanks Eddie - for turning a blind eye and contributing to the problem. | |
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| Alberta - heading for election - what is your opinion?
Posted: 2/24/2008 7:22:15 PM | i think you're barking at the wrong tree. it's like there's a sign on stelmach's forehead that says Punching bag...
if there's somebody to blame for the situation we're in right now, it's King Ralph himself. and his actions (or more like his INactions  )
Its like he was the tender for all of alberta's ressources. looked at all the clients in the bar (the oil companies) and shouted: Bar open everyone! Royalties? hahaha. they were a joke. All that Stelmach was trying to do, was to give a little more to US. even those royalties are not even close to those of Alaska's!
But we like to blame the new guy. The crazy rent increases has nothing to do with the government. and everything to do with US (meaning the people)
Its the landlords that bring up the prices. and whether you're in socialist BC or conservative alberta. it won't make a damn difference! Rents are going nuts based on offer and demand. nothing can change that. not even the NDP (LMAO )
and oh yeah. there is no way that after 30 friggin years of PC government, the Conservatives will, all of a sudden, out of the friggin' blue, lose these elections.
dream on...
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