Socialized Medicine – Defying Economic Logic

The Odd Economics of Canadian Health Care

Canada’s health care system has become unworkable and uneconomic. Politicians of all stripes use the promise of “free” health care to buy votes. The majority of Canadians will complain about wait times, the lack of available doctors and shortages of drugs, treatments and hospitals. At the same time, many of these people use socialized health care as a way to define their “Canadianism”.

It takes a fair amount of willful ignorance to accept that reducing the supply of anything, in the face of rising demand, results in lower cost — but when it comes to health care, millions of Canadians do.

Penticton Western News

An Annual “Homeless Count”?

How elitist…

Early results of annual homeless count encouraging

“There was almost no one compared to 2005,” Graves said. “Last night, walking around in the rain, I only found two people out sleeping.”

Robertson says the federal government needs to step up with funding if the city and region are to meaningfully reduce homelessness.

Huh?

Job done Gregor – time to head back to the Tides Foundation…

Vancouver Sun

BC Hydro’s Billion Dollar Climate Bill…

Electricity monopoly BC Hydro is set to lose $1billion…

Neither party is, or should be particularly concerned about the climate.

Currently BC Hydro generates hydro electricity for about two cents/kw. Private electricity costs up to 19 cents/kw. BC Hydro is bound to purchase all private power at rates beneficial to the private operator — forever — and B.C. electricity users pay the subsidy.

Typically, higher volume consumption results in a discount. In BC Hydro’s case a premium is charged, and the premium goes to finance the impacts of the Climate Action Plan and the Clean Air Act. Coming soon we can expect “time of use” premiums charged for electricity use during peak use times.

Penticton Western News

The NDP are guided by the oxymoronic principle of “democratic socialism.”

B.C. needs to look at own fiscal issues

Some in B.C. will criticize Americans for their profligate spending, blaming George Bush and his wars, or Obama and his welfare state. With no wars to pay for, and a more responsible financial system in Canada, we in B.C. appear to have much less to worry about when in comes to our financial situation. We would be wrong.

The NDP are guided by the oxymoronic principle of “democratic socialism.” In staying true to their principles, the NDP will significantly increase both taxes on individuals and spending on programs.  The merit of each can be debated however based on the math alone, B.C. simply cannot afford either – and therefore cannot afford another bout of the NDP.

Penticton Western News

Environmentalists say they are alarmed…

Well that’s shocking…

BC environmentalists anti oilsands activists are concerned that an inactive oil drilling platform, being towed from one job to another, ran aground after being cut loose from its tugboats during a storm.

It ran aground in Alaska, it wasn’t in operation, and…

Ty Keltner, a spokesman for the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, said there were no reports of a fuel spill,

Nevertheless what is essentially a barge, that were it not for safety concerns, would never have seen the shoreline, and has caused no environmental damage in Alaska, let alone BC, apparently, according to our pals at the Globe and Mail…is another reason to kill Northern Gateway…

Globe and Mail

Poor Adrian Dix – and he was doing so well…

Keeping his head down and his mouth shut is his best bet for becoming premier…

and now this…

“If we do nothing, then the decision of the B.C. government will be made by [Prime Minister] Stephen Harper. I don’t think that’s acceptable to British Columbians. I think the people of B.C. want people in B.C. to have a voice in that process and we intend to provide that,”

In the battle over who mis-understands Constitutional Law, Clark is well out in front, but Dix just made up some big ground…

His AG designate (apparently) happily displays his ignorance of reality…

Questions remain, however, on what the province could do to stop a project that appears to be under federal jurisdiction. When asked if B.C. could legally block Northern Gateway, Mr. Rankin suggested it’s possible, though there’s little case law to draw from.

Or none – because the Province can’t stop it.

BC Blue asks some cogent questions...
Globe and Mail

Christy Clark – The Predictable Result of On-Line Voting…

Martyn Brown – former BC Premier Gordon Campbell’s  chief of staff encapsulates the Christy Clark’s “Family First” plan…

“Unfortunately for B.C. Liberals, Premier Clark has steered her government along an erratic course. She has edged her way forward by bumping against public opinion and by scraping against each new hazard, and then veering away in whatever direction seems to be safest,” he writes.

He also nicely describes Clark’s infantile position on Northern Gateway…

Ms. Clark chose to be “officially undecided, unofficially supportive and as invisible as possible” on the proposed $6-billion pipeline to ship oil-sands bitumen to the B.C. coast for shipment to Asia before she took her controversial stand.

When the BC Liberals went for a talk show host of a leader, elected by Internet voting – they got exactly what they deserved.

Globe and Mail

 

Pierre Trudeau would be Proud of the Indo-Canadian Soccer Association

Because this is precisely what he had in mind for Canada…

…. after her son’s soccer team was barred from tournaments because they have too many nonIndo-Canadian players.

The Surrey mom said her son and his U13 teammates from the BC Tigers Sports Club have been sidelined from competing in the United Summer Soccer Association because of a controversial rule from the Indo-Canadian Soccer Association.

Rule 32 states that a maximum of four imports – players who aren’t Indo-Canadian – are allowed in all boys U13 and U14 divisions. Christiansen’s team has seven imports, but they went through the registration process in April and competed in numerous games without any problems, until recently.

Does anyone else find it offensive that white kids are “imports” in a purportedly Canadian sports league?

What would the reaction be to a ‘White-Canadian Soccer Association“…..

Vancouver Sun, Blazing Cat Fur

Christy Clark – “Devout” Anglican…

Christy Clark’s vanishing act follows Enbridge pipeline posturing

How much more damage could she possibly wreak..

Since the premiers’ meeting, the Premier’s only relatively prominent public appearance was on the religious TV talk show 100 Huntley Street, on which Ms. Clark, a devout Anglican, professed faith in the Bible to see her through tough times.

With luck she’s cloistered herself in some nunnery or other to seek guidance on her pipeline blasphemy...

We are unsure what exactly in what a “devout Anglican” (Episcopalian for our American friends) believes these days…but it would be unsurprising to find Christy sharing the pew with the odd transgendered worshiper these days.

Plenty of empty seats in the Anglican Church these days
Let us pray…for a leadership review

Globe and Mail

Did NDP database manager use party info to track sexual assault victims?

Reblogged from BC Blue: One BC Conservative's view on it all...:

NDP political organizer Ibata Noric Hexamer plead guilty to six charges relating to the knifepoint sexual assaults of four young girls (14, 14, 13 and 6) in BC court today (see here).

Besides being the former database manager for the federal NDP, Hexamer was the personal assistant to the NDP-related Vancouver civic political party COPE councillors Tim Louis, Ellen Woodsworth, Tim Stevenson, and Dr.

Read more… 97 more words