ORNGE/ENTITLEMENT/TAXPAYERS/JUNKETS

Junket is defined as "a pleasure trip made at public expense and ostensibly as an official duty". A classic example would be U.S. Senators going on a fact finding mission to Aruba. Of course all they'd be finding is sun, sand and water. Here in Canada our taxpayers are more into apparently paying for ski trips to world class facilities both in Canada and the U.S. Yesterday's Waterloo Region Record advises us that "Ontario taxpayers paid for ski trips" for the CEO of Ornge Air Ambulance. At least one of the trips was blatantly pleasure versus business as the CEO arrived days early, skied mightly and then left after one day of the five day conference. Not too subtle that. Even though the CEO was being paid over a million dollars a year salary apparently things like lift tickets, hotel accomodation, meals, movies and transportation were all paid for by you and me. This is where Canadians inate conte4mpt for politicsand politicians comes from. Anyone remember Bev Oda of the federal government? Things like $30 glasses of orange juice tend to rankle. Just about everything around this Ornge also rankles.

Bad enough when private industry has junkets as bribes and rewards for customers, employees etc. At least the private business is paying. Or is it? How many of these turn out to be taxpayer subsidized in that essentially entertainment gets written off as business expenses and thus tax deductible? What a system for the greedy sociopaths among us.