I spent another Sunday afternoon working on firewood and listening to John Murphy and Mark Kelso tell me about another Bills loss - their seventh straight. The Washington game at Rogers Centre seems like it was about three football seasons ago. Thankfully, there are only two games left in what has become another train wreck of a season. Eventhough Tim Tebow's luck ran out yesterday against the Patriots, amazingly, my Christmas Eve Denver Broncos tickets sold yesterday after I reduced the price a little on NFL TicketExchange. The NFL prides itself on being a league with parity. I can think of a great example. Remember week one of this season? The Bills travelled to Kansas City and demolished the favoured Chiefs. Yesterday, the Chiefs handed Green Bay their first loss of the season.
Driving to Muskoka on Saturday morning, I was listening to The House. Reporters Greg Weston and Joan Bryden were asked to make a list of who has been naughty and who has been nice in federal politics this past year. Weston's naughty choice was Defence Minister Peter Mackay whose use of military helicopters and private jets has been widely reported and, last week, we learned that he stayed in a $1,400 per night hotel at a security conference in Munich last year. The Conservatives spent considerable time in opposition digging up examples of such government largesse. His nice list included two non-elected federal officials who are widely respected and represent, he says, what many Canadians look for in their political leadership: Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney and Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page.
Joan Bryden's naughty choice was the Conservative Party. She chose the party because of its attutude toward certain court rulings. She gave two examples and a third occured to me as well. During the 2006 federal election campaign, the Conservatives used what became known as the "in and out" move where national campaign funds were distributed to certain ridings and then funnelled back to the national campaign, allowing them to spend more on the national campaign than the rules permitted. The party plead guilty recently and was ordered to pay a $52,000 fine but the Conservatives claimed victory anyway, reiterating their position that the strategy is actually legal. They plead guilty, I presume, because they were not confident that they could convince a judge of its legality.
The second example Bryden gave was the court ruling about the dismantling of the Canadian Wheat Board. The court ruled that the government was required to have formally consulted with farmers before proceeding to change the Wheat Board's mandate. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz responded by saying that the important thing is that Canadian farmers will now have the ability to sell their wheat wherever they want. He went on to say that in the event that an injunction is obtained in the future, they will ignore it. Ignore it. Should the rest of us take the same approach and simply ignore court rulings we don't like?
Just before the May, 2011 election, the Speaker of the House found the government to be in contempt of Parliament for not disclosing the cost of its crime legislation, corporate tax cuts and the purchase of fighter jets. In the leaders debate, the Prime Minister referred to this as a "technicality" and the result of partisan "bickering". In keeping with the Conservatives philosophy, there clearly should be a mandatory minimum sentence for being found to be in contempt of Parliament. And for growing six pot plants. It only makes sense.
Commentary on the Buffalo Bills, politics and whatever else is on my mind
Monday, 19 December 2011
Monday, 12 December 2011
Chargers 37, Bills 10
A large White Ash tree came down at the top of our driveway a few weeks ago and my cousin and I bucked it up and carted the chunks down to the woodshed two weeks ago. I have spent the past two Sunday afternoons splitting and stacking the wood while listening to John Murphy and Mark Kelso on the Bills radio network. The Tennessee game was blacked out but yesterday's game in San Diego was just not available on our Shaw Direct service so I chopped and listened as the Bills turned in another sad effort and lost their sixth straight game. I got the fire in the sauna going just before 6pm and gave up on the Bills when the score was 30-10. Just before 7pm, I went into the sauna. Just before that, as I was putting on my water sandals, the Denver/Chicago game was on. It was 10-0 Bears with three minutes left. I watched for a minute as Tebow led the Broncos to a touchdown with a bit more than 2 minutes left. With no timeouts, Denver then tried an onside kick which almost succeeded but didn't. Game over. I went out to the sauna. I obviously gave up too early as Denver pulled out another miraculous win with a 59 yard field goal to tie and and a 51 yarder to win in overtime. The potential value of my Christmas Eve tickets may be rising. I have listed them on NFL TicketExchange so we'll see.
My 13 year old twin nieces are lobbying their parents full time for cell phones. They have the use of one from time to time but they seem to think that this Christmas will finally bring them each their very own phones. I was chatting with them about this on Saturday morning and one of them asked me how old I was when I got my first cell phone. "39" I said. Due to the fact that I continually test their ability to identify things which are not true by saying things which are not true, they thought that this statement was another of these tests. "I got my first cell phone in April, 2002 when I was 39", I reiterated. "Why didn't you get one when you were our age?", one of them asked. "Cell phones didn't exist when I was your age" I replied. It took another few emphatic statements before they realized that this was not another of my false statement tests. Made me feel old. As with many children, they will have to wait until Christmas morning to see if they get their phones.
After the MLSE deal was announced and the press conferences and interviews were winding down, someone on CBC pointed out that both Nadir Mohammed and George Cope focused more on the potential for fans to watch live HD video of the Leafs and Raptors on their smart phones than on their commitment to bring a Stanley Cup or an NBA Championship to Toronto. The content play, from the perspective of Bell and Rogers, is why they did this deal. As a fan, if I had the choice of watching these teams play live on my Blackberry or watching either of them play for a championship, it's an easy choice. In fairness, the fact that the Teachers Pension Plan, with their embedded fiduciary duty to maximize returns, has found a buyer for their position is probably good for fans.These telecom companies have similar responsibilities to their shareholders but, if they can bring success on the ice and the court and the soccer pitch to Toronto, they probably can justify additional spending in the name of building their brands. The Leafs spend pretty much to the salary cap anyway so maybe it's the basketball team which could benefit the most from these new owners. I really try not to say things like this but I just don't get the appeal of watching anything on a three inch screen - especially live sports. I like watching sports on my big plasma screen. My Blackberry screen is fine for reading emails but I can not imagine a time when I would watch a live Leaf game on it. It sounds like Bell and Rogers are going to make sure that I have plenty of opportunity to do so whether I want to or not.
Despite the MLSE deal, the Durban climate agreement, the ongoing tragedy in Atiwapiskat, the European debt debacle and the continuing shameful right wing ways of our federal government, the most remarkable story from this past week, for me, was the emergence of the details of the behaviour of two RIM executives on an Air Canada flight from Toronto to Bejing. They were drunk when they boarded the plane and continued drinking until they became so unruly that the Captain ordered that they be restrained and then landed the plane in Vancouver. The part that I just can not believe is that, after being restrained with tape and electrical cords, they chewed through those restraints. Chewed. Like animals. Amazing. Now, if the footage existed, that is something that I would watch on a three inch screen - preferably a Blackberry.
My 13 year old twin nieces are lobbying their parents full time for cell phones. They have the use of one from time to time but they seem to think that this Christmas will finally bring them each their very own phones. I was chatting with them about this on Saturday morning and one of them asked me how old I was when I got my first cell phone. "39" I said. Due to the fact that I continually test their ability to identify things which are not true by saying things which are not true, they thought that this statement was another of these tests. "I got my first cell phone in April, 2002 when I was 39", I reiterated. "Why didn't you get one when you were our age?", one of them asked. "Cell phones didn't exist when I was your age" I replied. It took another few emphatic statements before they realized that this was not another of my false statement tests. Made me feel old. As with many children, they will have to wait until Christmas morning to see if they get their phones.
After the MLSE deal was announced and the press conferences and interviews were winding down, someone on CBC pointed out that both Nadir Mohammed and George Cope focused more on the potential for fans to watch live HD video of the Leafs and Raptors on their smart phones than on their commitment to bring a Stanley Cup or an NBA Championship to Toronto. The content play, from the perspective of Bell and Rogers, is why they did this deal. As a fan, if I had the choice of watching these teams play live on my Blackberry or watching either of them play for a championship, it's an easy choice. In fairness, the fact that the Teachers Pension Plan, with their embedded fiduciary duty to maximize returns, has found a buyer for their position is probably good for fans.These telecom companies have similar responsibilities to their shareholders but, if they can bring success on the ice and the court and the soccer pitch to Toronto, they probably can justify additional spending in the name of building their brands. The Leafs spend pretty much to the salary cap anyway so maybe it's the basketball team which could benefit the most from these new owners. I really try not to say things like this but I just don't get the appeal of watching anything on a three inch screen - especially live sports. I like watching sports on my big plasma screen. My Blackberry screen is fine for reading emails but I can not imagine a time when I would watch a live Leaf game on it. It sounds like Bell and Rogers are going to make sure that I have plenty of opportunity to do so whether I want to or not.
Despite the MLSE deal, the Durban climate agreement, the ongoing tragedy in Atiwapiskat, the European debt debacle and the continuing shameful right wing ways of our federal government, the most remarkable story from this past week, for me, was the emergence of the details of the behaviour of two RIM executives on an Air Canada flight from Toronto to Bejing. They were drunk when they boarded the plane and continued drinking until they became so unruly that the Captain ordered that they be restrained and then landed the plane in Vancouver. The part that I just can not believe is that, after being restrained with tape and electrical cords, they chewed through those restraints. Chewed. Like animals. Amazing. Now, if the footage existed, that is something that I would watch on a three inch screen - preferably a Blackberry.
Monday, 5 December 2011
Titans 23, Bills 17
A week ago, the Bills had some 12,000 unsold tickets to yesterday's game against Tennessee, about 18,000 tickets for the December 18th game against the Miami Dolphins and a staggering 24,000 tickets for the Christmas Eve game against Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos. It's been a tale of two seasons in many ways: the Bills first three home games - against Oakland, New England and Philadelphia - each featured spectacular summer-like weather, sold out boisterous crowds, explosive offensive performances by the home team, and wins. These last three games seem destined to feature typical December Buffalo weather, thousands of empty seats, mostly second stringers on the field for the home team, and irrelevant outcomes (except for the visiting team) as they play out the string and await yet another high draft pick.
Think back to 2004 - the last winning season for the Bills. They started 0-4 then won 8 of 9 and had a shot to make the playoffs before losing to the Steelers on the last day of the season. This season began in such a promising way but, with the team suffering devastating injuries and not having won since the Toronto game in October, all hope is now lost. I'm not sure which of these scenarios I prefer.
On my bike ride in the rain today, I stopped in at the Otter Creek rink. The ice is in but the rain was taking its toll although the rink was still "open". Tomorrow may be a great day for skating as it's going to cool off tonight. I had a chat with the staff at the rink about the upcoming labour showdown. I've known them for years as I organize our outdoor hockey there every Thursday night. The guy who is responsible for the ice does a fantastic job and takes great pride in maintaining the best possible ice surface. I compliment him on it regularly and it seems to make his day every time.
The collective agreements for CUPE locals 416 and 79 - representing outside and inside workers respectively - expire on December 31st. If the City chooses to lock out employees, there is a 17 day notice period which can not begin before January 2nd, the first "business" day of the new year. So, the lock out could begin as early as January 19th. Apparently, the City intends to keep the rinks open with management operating the zambonis etc. Not surprisingly, the staff seem skeptical about their ability to do this. Otter Creek is surely one of the most heavily used rinks in the city and is located within the very affluent Lawrence Park neighbourhood. My prediction is that if they are going to try to keep a few rinks operating during a lock out, this will be one of them. The City appears to be dead set on winning some key concessions from the union and both sides are preparing for a lock out which could last months.
One concession which mayor Rob Ford wants badly is the elimination of the so-called "jobs for life" clause. At least, that's how it's referred to by those who want it removed from any future agreement. It simply says that City employees with 10 or more years of service will be guaranteed a job with the City if their current job is outsourced to the private sector. City garbage collectors west of Yonge Street (with 10 or more years of service), for example, will be offered another job with the City when private garbage collection begins later next year. On its face, this seems like a typical union contract benefit which can turn public opinion against the union, especially when it is repeatedly brought up as the kind of thing which we just can't afford any more.
This reminds me of the issue related to the benefit which allows city employees to "bank" unused sick days. This was widely publicized by management during the strike in the summer of 2009. At the time, the way it was reported, it did seem a little excessive to me (as we heard stories of workers who had accumulated many months worth of sick days) but I then discovered that, as part of the overall collective agreement, the banking of sick days was negotiated by the union in exchange for giving up short term disability benefits within the workers benefit plan. Well, in that context, it seems much more reasonable, doesn't it? Short term disability is a pretty common feature of benefit plans in the public and private sectors. I know that it was part of the plan I had with my private sector employer. To draw attention to one element of an entire collective bargaining agreement, in isolation, can be misleading. The benefit of job protection for those with 10 or more years of service with the City is the current "whipping boy" for the anti-union side in this dispute.
I always try to understand the entire picture in any labour dispute before taking sides (except for professional sports labour disputes where I always support the players with the fastest possible knee-jerk reaction). The City of Toronto has a severe structural deficit problem. I don't think anyone really disputes that. It will, sooner or later, have to be addressed in part with new revenues - yes, taxes - as well as cost cutting. The lock out of 2012 will probably be a long one. Let's make sure we understand both sides and let's hope that they can resolve it. I want my outdoor hockey season.
Think back to 2004 - the last winning season for the Bills. They started 0-4 then won 8 of 9 and had a shot to make the playoffs before losing to the Steelers on the last day of the season. This season began in such a promising way but, with the team suffering devastating injuries and not having won since the Toronto game in October, all hope is now lost. I'm not sure which of these scenarios I prefer.
On my bike ride in the rain today, I stopped in at the Otter Creek rink. The ice is in but the rain was taking its toll although the rink was still "open". Tomorrow may be a great day for skating as it's going to cool off tonight. I had a chat with the staff at the rink about the upcoming labour showdown. I've known them for years as I organize our outdoor hockey there every Thursday night. The guy who is responsible for the ice does a fantastic job and takes great pride in maintaining the best possible ice surface. I compliment him on it regularly and it seems to make his day every time.
The collective agreements for CUPE locals 416 and 79 - representing outside and inside workers respectively - expire on December 31st. If the City chooses to lock out employees, there is a 17 day notice period which can not begin before January 2nd, the first "business" day of the new year. So, the lock out could begin as early as January 19th. Apparently, the City intends to keep the rinks open with management operating the zambonis etc. Not surprisingly, the staff seem skeptical about their ability to do this. Otter Creek is surely one of the most heavily used rinks in the city and is located within the very affluent Lawrence Park neighbourhood. My prediction is that if they are going to try to keep a few rinks operating during a lock out, this will be one of them. The City appears to be dead set on winning some key concessions from the union and both sides are preparing for a lock out which could last months.
One concession which mayor Rob Ford wants badly is the elimination of the so-called "jobs for life" clause. At least, that's how it's referred to by those who want it removed from any future agreement. It simply says that City employees with 10 or more years of service will be guaranteed a job with the City if their current job is outsourced to the private sector. City garbage collectors west of Yonge Street (with 10 or more years of service), for example, will be offered another job with the City when private garbage collection begins later next year. On its face, this seems like a typical union contract benefit which can turn public opinion against the union, especially when it is repeatedly brought up as the kind of thing which we just can't afford any more.
This reminds me of the issue related to the benefit which allows city employees to "bank" unused sick days. This was widely publicized by management during the strike in the summer of 2009. At the time, the way it was reported, it did seem a little excessive to me (as we heard stories of workers who had accumulated many months worth of sick days) but I then discovered that, as part of the overall collective agreement, the banking of sick days was negotiated by the union in exchange for giving up short term disability benefits within the workers benefit plan. Well, in that context, it seems much more reasonable, doesn't it? Short term disability is a pretty common feature of benefit plans in the public and private sectors. I know that it was part of the plan I had with my private sector employer. To draw attention to one element of an entire collective bargaining agreement, in isolation, can be misleading. The benefit of job protection for those with 10 or more years of service with the City is the current "whipping boy" for the anti-union side in this dispute.
I always try to understand the entire picture in any labour dispute before taking sides (except for professional sports labour disputes where I always support the players with the fastest possible knee-jerk reaction). The City of Toronto has a severe structural deficit problem. I don't think anyone really disputes that. It will, sooner or later, have to be addressed in part with new revenues - yes, taxes - as well as cost cutting. The lock out of 2012 will probably be a long one. Let's make sure we understand both sides and let's hope that they can resolve it. I want my outdoor hockey season.
Sunday, 27 November 2011
Jets 28, Bills 24
Over the last four days, I've watched more football than is probably healthy. Some of it has been quite entertaining and I'd say that the 4th quarter and overtime of the Vanier Cup on Friday night was the most compelling of any I saw. McMaster won their first championship ever in a thrilling double overtime win over the Laval Rouge et Or. I was impressed and a little surprised that both offenses were proficient, sophisticated and exciting to watch with passing plays which looked like pro football. I just love the overtime format used in both US College and Canadian University football. The NFL should (and I expect eventually will) adapt it.
Thursday's three NFL games produced one good one as Dallas beat Miami with a late field goal and then Michigan finally beat Ohio State on Saturday before 114,132 at the Big House to preserve a chance at getting some sort of "at-large" bid in one of the BCS bowl games. I also caught bits of Auburn/Alabama and Oregon/Oregon State before settling in for the second half of Stanford/Notre Dame. Then on Sunday, I watched the Bills almost beat the Jets. I think that Stevie Johnson just likes to make headlines - good or bad. He had a great game against Darelle Revis but was called for a ridiculous celebration, dropped an easy catch at a critical time near the end of the game and last night, every national NFL wrap-up show had a feature on him. Overall, it was an entertaining game but at 5-6, hope for the playoffs now seems lost. Carrying on with the wall to wall football, I caught a bit of Patriots/Eagles and Raiders/ Bears before tuning into the Grey Cup while keeping an eye on the Steelers game in Kansas City. I feel like I've been in the film room too long so I'm looking forward to getting back on to the field. I'm just going to take it two games at a time.
Speaking of watching TV, something Bruce Anderson said on last week's "A Tissue" panel on the National got me thinking about something Michael Moore said on CNN a few weeks ago. Anderson said that Canadians have become slightly more conservative (small "c") in the last 20 years and, when this is combined with an aging population who votes in larger percentages the older they get, the longer term prospects for the Conservatives (large "c") look pretty good. Moore was talking about the Occupy Movement and he was advocating for and egging on the 99%. The last thing he said was that he remains eternally optimistic because the 1%, eventhough they have much more than 1% of the wealth, no matter what happens, they still only have 1% of the votes.
Looking at recent voting patterns in Canada, about 75% of Canadians over the age of 65 vote in federal elections. That number plunges to 35% for the 18-30 demographic. This difference makes all of the difference in the world and there is no question that right of centre parties benefit more than others do from low voter turnouts. Their traditional base is older and they vote. Michael Moore believes that they key to electoral success lies in mobilzing more of the 99% to understand the value and importance of voting in elections. Those who win elections win the right to determine public policy and each one of us has the power to shape that public policy by voting. Moore also believes that the recent Occupy Movements have energized the very demographic whose votes are so badly needed but often not cast at all. He desperately hopes that this recent energization will carry over to the ballot box.
He was wearing a Michigan State hat so I will wish his Spartans good luck in Saturday's innagural Big Ten Championship game against Wisconsin.
Thursday's three NFL games produced one good one as Dallas beat Miami with a late field goal and then Michigan finally beat Ohio State on Saturday before 114,132 at the Big House to preserve a chance at getting some sort of "at-large" bid in one of the BCS bowl games. I also caught bits of Auburn/Alabama and Oregon/Oregon State before settling in for the second half of Stanford/Notre Dame. Then on Sunday, I watched the Bills almost beat the Jets. I think that Stevie Johnson just likes to make headlines - good or bad. He had a great game against Darelle Revis but was called for a ridiculous celebration, dropped an easy catch at a critical time near the end of the game and last night, every national NFL wrap-up show had a feature on him. Overall, it was an entertaining game but at 5-6, hope for the playoffs now seems lost. Carrying on with the wall to wall football, I caught a bit of Patriots/Eagles and Raiders/ Bears before tuning into the Grey Cup while keeping an eye on the Steelers game in Kansas City. I feel like I've been in the film room too long so I'm looking forward to getting back on to the field. I'm just going to take it two games at a time.
Speaking of watching TV, something Bruce Anderson said on last week's "A Tissue" panel on the National got me thinking about something Michael Moore said on CNN a few weeks ago. Anderson said that Canadians have become slightly more conservative (small "c") in the last 20 years and, when this is combined with an aging population who votes in larger percentages the older they get, the longer term prospects for the Conservatives (large "c") look pretty good. Moore was talking about the Occupy Movement and he was advocating for and egging on the 99%. The last thing he said was that he remains eternally optimistic because the 1%, eventhough they have much more than 1% of the wealth, no matter what happens, they still only have 1% of the votes.
Looking at recent voting patterns in Canada, about 75% of Canadians over the age of 65 vote in federal elections. That number plunges to 35% for the 18-30 demographic. This difference makes all of the difference in the world and there is no question that right of centre parties benefit more than others do from low voter turnouts. Their traditional base is older and they vote. Michael Moore believes that they key to electoral success lies in mobilzing more of the 99% to understand the value and importance of voting in elections. Those who win elections win the right to determine public policy and each one of us has the power to shape that public policy by voting. Moore also believes that the recent Occupy Movements have energized the very demographic whose votes are so badly needed but often not cast at all. He desperately hopes that this recent energization will carry over to the ballot box.
He was wearing a Michigan State hat so I will wish his Spartans good luck in Saturday's innagural Big Ten Championship game against Wisconsin.
Monday, 21 November 2011
Dolphins 35, Bills 8
Last week, the US Congress declared pizza to be a vegetable. I saw this flash across a TV screen as I ordered a coffee in a downtown food court and I felt a need to dig into this story to see what was really going on because it's really a scientific question isn't it? Tomatoes are actually a fruit but, for the US Congress, the 2 ounces of tomato sauce on a typical slice of pizza constitute a "vegetable" within the meaning of the requirements of the $11 billion US School Lunch Program.
Here's what's happened: Since 1980, teenage obesity rates in the US have tripled. To help address this alarming trend, earlier this year, the Obama Administration, through the US Department of Agriculture, proposed a series of changes to the government sponsored school lunch program. The general goal was to reduce the consumption of fatty and starchy foods - like pizza and french fries - and increase the consumption of vegetables and whole grains in the program across the country. For companies wanting to win contracts to provide school lunches, the rules about what is served and what is not were going to change - for the betterment of the country's elementary and high school students. The government pays for the program and can therefore establish and improve these critera, right? Who would object to the general idea of kids eating a more healthy diet? The proposed changes, which also included a reduction in the salt content of lunch items, seemed like a sensible public policy improvement.
Well, the American Frozen Foods Institute (AFFI), which represents makers of frozen pizzas and french fries (among others) saw these changes as a threat to their industry. In fairness, I completely understand. The school lunch program is big business and their members were probably going to lose a big slice (sorry) of it. So, they decided to lobby members of Congress about it. They reportedly spent about $5 million on the lobbying effort which is a small investment when you're protecting access to an $11 billion market. The lobbying effort worked (or I wouldn't be writing about it) and there will be no change to the rules which count pizza and potatoes (this means french fries) as servings of vegetables within the program. The question about reducing salt content was delayed for further analysis.
Conservative members of Congress who opposed the changes had comments like "the government has no right to tell children what to eat" and "this is just another example of excessive buearocratic rules getting in the way". I honestly doubt that ideology was the real reason for this public policy failure. I just can't accept that there are really that many members of Congress who honestly believe that the proposed changes to the school lunch program by the USDA were an ill-advised invasion into the freedom of American children to get fat. Rather, I suggest that this failure is a direct product of the way political campaigns are financed in the US. I admit that I have not researched the political donations of the AFFI or its members but the point is that lobbying in the US goes well beyond the practice of saying "here's why we don't like this and here's how it will effect us". Special interests hold a powerful implied threat of the withdrawal of political donations and this so often drives policy decisions. The US has become a "Corporatocracy" and, while it's good for business, it's bad for the country and its citizens.
Here's what's happened: Since 1980, teenage obesity rates in the US have tripled. To help address this alarming trend, earlier this year, the Obama Administration, through the US Department of Agriculture, proposed a series of changes to the government sponsored school lunch program. The general goal was to reduce the consumption of fatty and starchy foods - like pizza and french fries - and increase the consumption of vegetables and whole grains in the program across the country. For companies wanting to win contracts to provide school lunches, the rules about what is served and what is not were going to change - for the betterment of the country's elementary and high school students. The government pays for the program and can therefore establish and improve these critera, right? Who would object to the general idea of kids eating a more healthy diet? The proposed changes, which also included a reduction in the salt content of lunch items, seemed like a sensible public policy improvement.
Well, the American Frozen Foods Institute (AFFI), which represents makers of frozen pizzas and french fries (among others) saw these changes as a threat to their industry. In fairness, I completely understand. The school lunch program is big business and their members were probably going to lose a big slice (sorry) of it. So, they decided to lobby members of Congress about it. They reportedly spent about $5 million on the lobbying effort which is a small investment when you're protecting access to an $11 billion market. The lobbying effort worked (or I wouldn't be writing about it) and there will be no change to the rules which count pizza and potatoes (this means french fries) as servings of vegetables within the program. The question about reducing salt content was delayed for further analysis.
Conservative members of Congress who opposed the changes had comments like "the government has no right to tell children what to eat" and "this is just another example of excessive buearocratic rules getting in the way". I honestly doubt that ideology was the real reason for this public policy failure. I just can't accept that there are really that many members of Congress who honestly believe that the proposed changes to the school lunch program by the USDA were an ill-advised invasion into the freedom of American children to get fat. Rather, I suggest that this failure is a direct product of the way political campaigns are financed in the US. I admit that I have not researched the political donations of the AFFI or its members but the point is that lobbying in the US goes well beyond the practice of saying "here's why we don't like this and here's how it will effect us". Special interests hold a powerful implied threat of the withdrawal of political donations and this so often drives policy decisions. The US has become a "Corporatocracy" and, while it's good for business, it's bad for the country and its citizens.
Monday, 14 November 2011
Cowboys 44, Bills 7
"We're more pretenders than contenders" said Bills coach Chan Gailey after the game. The highlight from the game? Bills receiver David Nelson caught a touchdown pass in the second quarter which made the score 21-7. That's not the highlight. After the touchdown, he jogged with the ball to the far endzone, found his girlfriend, Cowboys cheerleader Kelsi Reich, and handed her the ball. They embraced briefly, each knowing that the TV cameras were rolling. That was the highlight. The playoffs look like a pipe dream now. Injuries have taken their toll. Opposing defences have seen enough film and now seem able to stop Fitzpatrick and his quick release passing game. The defence can not stop the run or the pass. Things look bleak. But, after last night's game, they are once again tied with the Jets and one game behind the Patriots. Up next: at Miami.
I'm working on a submission for Canada Writes. It's a 500 word true story about winter, inspired by Adam Gopnik's A Winter Tale. He is also one of the judges. I am writing about an incident from a couple of winters ago where I rescued a West Highland Terrier from a hole in the ice on our lake in Muskoka. The dog almost died but she is still alive today. I originally wrote the story on my blog but I have had to cut and cut to get it down to 500 words. The first prize is $1,000 which might cover some Christmas gifts.
I have been engaged in an email discussion with my city councillor, Karen Stintz. In response to my initial rant about the mayor and my concern over her close affiliation with his administration, she correctly pointed out that, during the campaign last fall, she said that she would work with whoever was elected mayor. She was asked to be TTC Chair and was happy to serve. Fair enough, I said to her but she also commented that although the mayor is controversial at times, she feels that he is following through on his election promises. Well, I just had to swing at that pitch so I reminded her that his central campaign promise was to root out the waste and inefficiencies at City Hall and balance the budget with no tax increases or service reductions. The end of the "gravy train" was going to solve the structural deficit problem. I therefore asked her where the gravy actually is because we really need it now as the city is cutting services and deciding which assets to sell. I await her next response.
On the way to the cottage, I usually stop for groceries in Orillia. I did so this past Friday and who did I see in the produce section? Long time (28 years as he told me) Toronto city councillor, Michael Walker. I had met him 10 or 12 years ago when I was active in the tenants association in a building in hs ward. I decided to say hello. He has retired to a house on Lake Couchiching and keeps busy by advocating for improved recycling in Orillia. After about 20 minutes, I actually looked at my watch but he was still not finished lamenting the election of Rob Ford or telling me that Karen Stintz showed absolutely no interest whatsoever in transit in the time that he knew her. He looks like he still has energy to burn and Orillia will benefit from his involvement if he chooses to increase it - which I urged him to do.
One final note on US politics. As the Repblican presdential candidates continue their series of debates and the candidates seem to be self-destructing one by one (except for Newt Gingrich who may well turn out to be Romney's toughest opponent), the pundits are working full time on CNN. There are a number of Repblican and Democratic "strategists" whose opinions are now sought every day. They try to think of memorable catch phrases to support their parties and this fascinates me. One of the most effective strategists is Democrat Paul Begala who was a key member, along with James Carville, of the team which guided Bill Clinton to the White House. Last week, after the Republican debate in Michigan (where Rick Perry could not recall the third federal agency he would dismantle), Begala offered this: "When I look at the economy, I think that there's no way that the President can win the election. But when I look at the Republican field, I think that there's no way that the President can lose." Carville also had a good one a couple of years ago. In response to someone who was critical of the Clinton adminsitration, he said "Whenever I hear people complaining about America during the Clinton adminsitration, I always ask them which bothered them more - the peace or the prosperity".
I'm working on a submission for Canada Writes. It's a 500 word true story about winter, inspired by Adam Gopnik's A Winter Tale. He is also one of the judges. I am writing about an incident from a couple of winters ago where I rescued a West Highland Terrier from a hole in the ice on our lake in Muskoka. The dog almost died but she is still alive today. I originally wrote the story on my blog but I have had to cut and cut to get it down to 500 words. The first prize is $1,000 which might cover some Christmas gifts.
I have been engaged in an email discussion with my city councillor, Karen Stintz. In response to my initial rant about the mayor and my concern over her close affiliation with his administration, she correctly pointed out that, during the campaign last fall, she said that she would work with whoever was elected mayor. She was asked to be TTC Chair and was happy to serve. Fair enough, I said to her but she also commented that although the mayor is controversial at times, she feels that he is following through on his election promises. Well, I just had to swing at that pitch so I reminded her that his central campaign promise was to root out the waste and inefficiencies at City Hall and balance the budget with no tax increases or service reductions. The end of the "gravy train" was going to solve the structural deficit problem. I therefore asked her where the gravy actually is because we really need it now as the city is cutting services and deciding which assets to sell. I await her next response.
On the way to the cottage, I usually stop for groceries in Orillia. I did so this past Friday and who did I see in the produce section? Long time (28 years as he told me) Toronto city councillor, Michael Walker. I had met him 10 or 12 years ago when I was active in the tenants association in a building in hs ward. I decided to say hello. He has retired to a house on Lake Couchiching and keeps busy by advocating for improved recycling in Orillia. After about 20 minutes, I actually looked at my watch but he was still not finished lamenting the election of Rob Ford or telling me that Karen Stintz showed absolutely no interest whatsoever in transit in the time that he knew her. He looks like he still has energy to burn and Orillia will benefit from his involvement if he chooses to increase it - which I urged him to do.
One final note on US politics. As the Repblican presdential candidates continue their series of debates and the candidates seem to be self-destructing one by one (except for Newt Gingrich who may well turn out to be Romney's toughest opponent), the pundits are working full time on CNN. There are a number of Repblican and Democratic "strategists" whose opinions are now sought every day. They try to think of memorable catch phrases to support their parties and this fascinates me. One of the most effective strategists is Democrat Paul Begala who was a key member, along with James Carville, of the team which guided Bill Clinton to the White House. Last week, after the Republican debate in Michigan (where Rick Perry could not recall the third federal agency he would dismantle), Begala offered this: "When I look at the economy, I think that there's no way that the President can win the election. But when I look at the Republican field, I think that there's no way that the President can lose." Carville also had a good one a couple of years ago. In response to someone who was critical of the Clinton adminsitration, he said "Whenever I hear people complaining about America during the Clinton adminsitration, I always ask them which bothered them more - the peace or the prosperity".
Monday, 7 November 2011
Jets 27, Bills 11
I like Chan Gailey. In his post-game press conference, he personally took responsibility for the Bills poor offensive performance yesterday and downplayed the ability of the Jets defence to disguise coverages and blitz packages and to stuff their running game - especially early on. He thinks that he should have stuck more with the run in the first half until they had success. He also said that his team was just not physical enough on either side of the ball. Rian Lindell was physical. The kicker saved a touchdown on a return and injured his shoulder in the process.
The AFC East is a log jam at the top this morning after the Giants did us a huge favour by beating the Patriots in New England. The Bills, Jets and Patriots are all at 5-3 and each holds the tie-breaker over one of the others and does not hold it against the third. Kind of like rock/paper/scissors. The Bills now hit the road for three straight games, starting in Dallas next week. They have bounced back after losses both times before. But not on the road. As big as the Jets game was, it is now history and the most important game of the season, as always, becomes the next one.
I have not commented on the Greek debt crisis or the soon to be Italian debt crisis, neither of which should be confused with the US debt crisis or the Canadian debt situation or the state of any other country with a debt to GDP ratio which looks unsustainable. I haven't commented because I have not felt that I had any useful or unique insight to offer. It seems that Greek society has developed a systemic attitude which attaches little value to the idea of individual contribution for the greater good. I have read that a large percentage of Greek citizens are small business owners or are self employed and that they under-report their income to avoid paying their full share of income taxes. Various entitlement programs (like government pensions), however, are valued and heavily relied on.
Ok, I don't claim to know the origins or the history of the situation in Greece or Italy but, based on what I have seen closer to home, here's my perspective: Beginning with the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980, the political culture in the US began to shift toward a mistaken belief that taxation was generally a bad thing - something to be reduced, minimized, phased out. The story went that lower taxes encouraged economic activity which would then increase tax revenue in the long run. This theory is widely repeated today. Just watch the next Republican presidential debate and you'll hear it. We heard it from Mike Harris in Ontario. We hear it from the current federal government in Ottawa. We hear it from Rob Ford in Toronto. Taxes kill jobs. Taxes are bad for business. Well, sometimes business is bad for people.
We have reached the point that any proposal to introduce new taxes or increase existing ones is considered to be political suicide. The fact that the programs which our governments provide are becoming more expensive seems not to matter. We haven't seen anything yet. As the demographic rabbit (in the form of the baby boomers) moves through the snake, healthcare costs will increase exponentially. My parents, for example, are in their 70's and, like most of their peers, are keeping the pharmaceutal companies in business. But they don't pay for the drugs themselves. They are covered by something called the Ontario Drug Benefit (ODB). Were it not for the ODB, they would be paying thousands every month for drugs. What will the cost of the ODB be in 10 or 20 years? How will we pay for it? If it isn't with higher taxes, then I have absolutely no idea.
Last week, Rob Ford's Executive Committee was reviewing options for the sale of city assets like Enwave and Toronto Hydro. The reason? They are trying to address the massive budget shortfall. Ford said to reporters after the session: "We can't put this on the taxpayers". Really? Why can't we? I'm willing to pay my share. As a citizen of Toronto, I was willing to pay an extra $60 to register my vehicle but Ford ran on a promise to get rid of that program "because citizens were not seeing value in it". I don't know where they were looking. Maybe we can sell High Park to a developer. Or turn Old City Hall into a boutique shopping destination. At this point, it's all Greek to me.
The AFC East is a log jam at the top this morning after the Giants did us a huge favour by beating the Patriots in New England. The Bills, Jets and Patriots are all at 5-3 and each holds the tie-breaker over one of the others and does not hold it against the third. Kind of like rock/paper/scissors. The Bills now hit the road for three straight games, starting in Dallas next week. They have bounced back after losses both times before. But not on the road. As big as the Jets game was, it is now history and the most important game of the season, as always, becomes the next one.
I have not commented on the Greek debt crisis or the soon to be Italian debt crisis, neither of which should be confused with the US debt crisis or the Canadian debt situation or the state of any other country with a debt to GDP ratio which looks unsustainable. I haven't commented because I have not felt that I had any useful or unique insight to offer. It seems that Greek society has developed a systemic attitude which attaches little value to the idea of individual contribution for the greater good. I have read that a large percentage of Greek citizens are small business owners or are self employed and that they under-report their income to avoid paying their full share of income taxes. Various entitlement programs (like government pensions), however, are valued and heavily relied on.
Ok, I don't claim to know the origins or the history of the situation in Greece or Italy but, based on what I have seen closer to home, here's my perspective: Beginning with the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980, the political culture in the US began to shift toward a mistaken belief that taxation was generally a bad thing - something to be reduced, minimized, phased out. The story went that lower taxes encouraged economic activity which would then increase tax revenue in the long run. This theory is widely repeated today. Just watch the next Republican presidential debate and you'll hear it. We heard it from Mike Harris in Ontario. We hear it from the current federal government in Ottawa. We hear it from Rob Ford in Toronto. Taxes kill jobs. Taxes are bad for business. Well, sometimes business is bad for people.
We have reached the point that any proposal to introduce new taxes or increase existing ones is considered to be political suicide. The fact that the programs which our governments provide are becoming more expensive seems not to matter. We haven't seen anything yet. As the demographic rabbit (in the form of the baby boomers) moves through the snake, healthcare costs will increase exponentially. My parents, for example, are in their 70's and, like most of their peers, are keeping the pharmaceutal companies in business. But they don't pay for the drugs themselves. They are covered by something called the Ontario Drug Benefit (ODB). Were it not for the ODB, they would be paying thousands every month for drugs. What will the cost of the ODB be in 10 or 20 years? How will we pay for it? If it isn't with higher taxes, then I have absolutely no idea.
Last week, Rob Ford's Executive Committee was reviewing options for the sale of city assets like Enwave and Toronto Hydro. The reason? They are trying to address the massive budget shortfall. Ford said to reporters after the session: "We can't put this on the taxpayers". Really? Why can't we? I'm willing to pay my share. As a citizen of Toronto, I was willing to pay an extra $60 to register my vehicle but Ford ran on a promise to get rid of that program "because citizens were not seeing value in it". I don't know where they were looking. Maybe we can sell High Park to a developer. Or turn Old City Hall into a boutique shopping destination. At this point, it's all Greek to me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)