Is the Deal Done?

Quebec Premier Jean Charest is in Fredericton to announce something about NB Power tomorrow morning with Premier Shawn Graham.

Maybe a rent-to-own deal, maybe outright purchase, maybe something else. Nobody outside of the anointed few that crawl through the Centennial Building's second floor knows for sure.

We can be sure, however, that the track record of politicians running NB Power has been second-to-all. Selling NB Power could be a great idea or a bad idea, depends on who is doing the negotiating and who is doing the buying. We know another bloated, inefficient government department is the buyer, so no upside there.

Fighting for the home team we have Shawn Graham, former gym teacher and bartender; Jack Keir, the most conservative member of the Leg, former business GM; Paul Zed, former MP, current lawyer, and Irving in-law; David Hay, President & CEO of NB Power, Lord appointee; Francis Maguire, NB Power Chairman, Shawn Graham supporter, drilling company CEO, man-about-town, schmoozer; some other people, we do not know who.

In that last group of people we do not know, I hope to god there was at least one person who has done a major deal successfully. Not sold his used gym shoes to a kid at school or bilked Business New Brunswick out of taxpayer dollars. A real deal. And hopefully that one person that has done a major deal successfully was the one in charge of our side.

But I doubt it.

If anyone can secure defeat from the jaws of victory, it is Shawn Graham.

Sell NB Power?

So the rumour mill is running at full speed with word the provincial government is going to sell NB Power. No, not to some company, but to the government of Quebec.

Maybe they will assume the debt.

The only thing worse than a non-responsive bureaucracy run by your elected representatives is a non-responsive bureaucracy run by somebody else's elected representatives.

Hope the separatists keep the sex consensual after they win the next election in Quebec, otherwise the screwing could hurt.

National Post on Cheque Scandal

The National Post explains how Harper has become just another Liberal.

Whose Cheque Is It?

How is it possible that the PMO, that runs MPs around like they are mindless pre-schoolers, not in control of what is printed on the big cheques being used to bribe Canadians with their own money?

It is a real pi$$off when the Toronto Star is right.

It is not your money Mr. Keddy, so take that stupid grin off your face.

The Graham Legacy

Here is the Shawn Graham Financial Legacy.

$468 million Deficit for fiscal 2008 / 2009, notable this is before the global financial crisis hit

$741 million Projected Deficit in 2009 / 2010, will be higher if Minister Greg Byrne can be believed

$738 million Projected Deficit in 2010 / 2011, but based on their track record will be higher

Premier Graham will have added close to $2 Billion to our debt in three short years. This is if we believe the numbers as they are now presented. The number will very likely be well over $2 billion.

If our average interest rate over the next 10 or 20 years is 5%, Premier Shawn Graham will have added $100 million per year to our annual interest payments. Quite possibly for two generations. This is money that will be taken from taxpayers and not spent on health care, education, roads, etc.

Quite a legacy.

Education, Not Worst in Everything Anymore

The CBC (hey, I paid for it, might as well use it while it lasts), has a great headline online reporting that our test scores for reading are improving.

N.B. reading test scores improve.

The details are a bit different, namely, we did worse in everything else. But the CBC will highlight what they want of course, hoping people do not read any further.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2009/10/14/nb-tests-results-634.html

When will the parents rise up and demand change? Do we not care how bad our education system is? Although the teacher's union currently runs the department of education, why do they need to run the government too?

Time to fix it. The education building in Fredericton needs a good housecleaning. There are plenty of government departments we can send the education bureaucrats to that are less important than education. Maybe BNB. They cannot be worse at flipping coins to see which politically connected businessman gets your money.

Once the bureaucrats change, the teacher's union will realize this is serious, and will be more interested in improving education, not just demanding more money.

PM Harper Sells Out Last Constituency

Prime Minister Harper is in the process of selling out the last of his supporters.

He sold out the social conservatives (of which I am not one btw) first, by the farcical vote on same sex marriage that he was certain to lose.

He sold out the fiscal conservatives slowly at first, with ever expanding government spending. This has sped up considerably over the past year as the 'Conservatives' now spend money like they won it all at a Vegas casino. Only difference is the casino is your bank account, and they are borrowing money with your house as collateral.

Lastly, the 'Conservatives' are now trial-ballooning a drunk driving law that would let cops stop random citizens and have them submit to a breathalyzer test. Refuse and you plead guilty.

I am embarrassed to admit I ever thought Harper was Conservative.

There obviously is nothing that Harper will not do to attain that majority. All you sucker conservatives supporting him good luck.

He has proven himself no different than Trudeau, Mulroney, Chretien, et al. Power is all that matters, the followers be damned.

"A little government involvement is just as dangerous as a lot – because the first leads inevitably to the second." – Harry Browne