"ORCHARDS OF BAD APPLES"

The title above is an expression used by a group of dissident Mounties in describing problem Mounties who have been "Handled" for many years by the hierarchy of the RCMP. This dissident group decribe themselves as the "Re-Sergeance Alliance". I first heard of this group from the Cambridge Advocate website. They took some of their information from www.ifpress.com . I also note that a Brian Hutchinson wrote a story about this group on August 15/12 in the National Post. I am constantly amazed at the major newsworthy items which don't seem to get near enough publicity and distribution and this is one of them.

Mr. Hutchinson states that the recently appointed RCMP Comissioner, Mr. Bob Paulson "...has been attempting to mend fences since his appointment as RCMP Comissioner in November. He acknowledges the force needs to be reformed, and that it employs a number of wayward officers who aren't easily dismissed under current rules. He believes proposed changes to the RCMP Act will bring accountability to the internal disciplinary process and will make it easier for him to fire Mounties who commit crimes.".

Good Lord that is incredible! It seems that all parties are on board and stating/confirming that the RCMP has been run very badly and had little or no internal accountability. The Re-Sergeance Alliance perhaps have seen it all before. Maybe this isn't the first time so called reform has been proposed. If so that would explain their criticism and skepticism that this "cleanup" is going to be for real. What blows my mind is how the politicians in control at the federal level could let these issues simmer for so long. How could they allow such allegedly harmful attitudes and behaviours to become so ingrained within the Mounties? The word "corruption" is mentioned once in this article. My experience is that corruption requires at the very least, complacency at higher levels to flourish. This is a disaster that should have been honestly admitted to and properly dealt with a long time ago. Shame on all the responsible senior parties and politicians.

LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT IN WATERLOO REGION

Yesterday's Waterloo Region Record has two stories on the above topic. The one on the front page (which surprisingly I can't get a link to) is titled "Light rail transit speeds ahead". The one on the next page is titled "Politicians invoke railroad visions". For me the second story is the scary one.

Story number one is simply an update as to ongoing steps in the process. It includes land acquisition and a few surprises that have popped up. Also included are lawyers fees and various consultants required. Apparently senior governments are contributing $565 million while local taxpayers via tax increases are throwing $253 million into the pot. I'm sure the downsized, unemployed, involuntary partimers and fixed incomers are less than overjoyed at this prospect.

Story number two is interesting. The first three words may be less than subtle on the part of the Record. "Big dreaming politicians...". O.K. the fuller context is this: "Big dreaming politicians say trains are the way of the future and referred to everything from Canada's first railway to bullet trains in Japan to make their point Tuesday.". WELL! It gets even more pompous with "Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr said modern governments don't have the guts for the visionary infrastructure projects that built this country.". Further he referred to the trans Canada railroad when he said "That was nation building.". Well maybe it was but tacitly or subtly implying the same thing for the Region's LRT is pure hokum. Then Mayor Zehr suggested that "...the region's $818 million light rail plan has the same visionary feel.".

All of this is implying that Regional politicians have lots of guts and are far seeing visionaries. My experience has been that the shakier the logic, the greater the solution in search of a problem and the larger the millions being ponied up by the taxpayers; the greater the puffery and bullshit by the politicians. It's probably politically incorrect to suggest this but has anyone else noticed the statistically over representation by short statured males at the Regional Council Chambers? Is there a psychological phenomenon going on? I've always believed that career politicians have varying degrees of personality disorders (at a minimum). Could there be some attempt at overcompensation by short males who more than likely got picked on by cowardly bullies in public and high school? Just asking here! Regardless I don't think I'm the only one out there who sees some major aggrandizing going on at our expense. This community has serious poverty, homelessness, unemployment, health and environmental issues all of which could use and more importantly NEED those hundreds of millions of dollars. They won't get them possibly in order for a few politicians to leave a "legacy" project behind.

CAMBRIDGE ROUNDABOUT PLAN TOO AMBITIOUS

Today's Waterloo Region Record suggests that twelve roundabouts at once along Franklin Blvd. is overdoing it. Today's article is titled "Cambridge Councillor to take on Region over roundabout plan". Cambridge Councillor Nicholas Ermeta is the one who seems to have run out of pateince with the Region. He wonders why three couldn't be built and then study the results. What is of interest is their safety and effectiveness at moving traffic.

Nicholas and other Cambridge Councillors have a point that Cambridge has been on the receiving end of a lot of experiments and decisions courtesy of the Region. This includes rapid transit buses versus light rapid transit trains etc.. This roundabout plan certainly seems to be putting Cambridge into the status of guinea pigs. It seems that not just private citizens but also municipal politicians are running out of patience with the Region always wanting to be ahead of the pack in allegedly innovative plans and directions.

LABOUR SHORTAGES???

Somehow in this world wide economic slowdown, recession, downturn or whatever you want to call it; it just doesn't seem likely. The title however in today's Waterloo Region Record is "Farmers say labour shortage reshaping California food industry". Critics of this scenario "...accused them (farmers) of crying wolf to win sympathy for relaxing labour and immigration rules.". Furthermore in California at least "...studies have shown that most workers are immigrants living and working in the country illegally.". Farmers and others are suggesting that better job prospects in Mexico plus stricter enforcement at the border are making large inroads into the supply of labour.

Worker advocates are skeptical because they say the history of the farm industry is one of crying wolf regarding labour supply. Also these advocates suggest that if workers were in such short supply their working conditions and wages would be rising. To date there is no evidence of that. Personally I tend to believe that if you spoil any industry with low wages,and a lack of power for labour, it is inevitable that the labour will be exploited and working under poor conditions. I think that if the price of labour rose, along with the price of fresh fruits and vegetables, then you would see greater supply up to and including more domestic workers.

PROVINCIAL MINISTRY OF HEALTH OPTICS ARE HORRIBLE

Today's Waterloo Region Record carrys this story "eHealth CEO Greg Reed takes $81,250 bonus while staff sues". There will be and should be a poitical price to pay for this situation. Two years ago then provincial Minister of Health, David Caplan resigned over the e-Health scandal. Essentially a billion dollars of taxpayers money went down the tubes in a futile attempt to develop electronic health records for Ontario citizens. Obviously one can see the medical benefits to having a centralized, computerized system which health professionals across Ontario could immediately tap into in case of accident, collapse, unconsciousness etc..

Now two years later while still working towards that goal and in the middle of cutbacks and austerity for Ontario/Canada citizens we learn two shocking things. Firstly the new CEO gets a $81,250 BONUS on top of his $329,000 annual salary while the rest of us get hours cut and wages frozen or reduced. Meanwhile we are paying for his wages and bonus out of our pockets. Secondly the rest of the staff at e-Health are suing to have their promised bonuses restored. WTF ! Who other than governments are making promises and commitments for financial increases ahead of time to employees? Similarily who other than politicians and governments are so out of touch with reality that they leave themselves exposed to legal action for undelivered wage increases? Private industry would readily advise suing employees to take their services elsewhere while they are suing their employer. While I'm not justifying harsh private sector reaction to unappreciative employees I am saying that there is a happy medium but apparently our governments can not and never have been able to find it.

ANOTHER WATERLOO REGION POLICE OFFICER IN LEGAL TROUBLE

Accoording to today's Waterloo Region Record (page B3) a female police officer has been charged with assault over an incident which occurred two days ago. The article is very small with few details although we are advised the incident occurred while the officer was off-duty. She will appear in Kitchener Provincial Court on September 11/12. Obviously no one has been convicted yet but nevertheless I must say that I have been quite shocked by the sheer numbers of our local officers who seem to be getting themselves into various legal difficulties.

UNIONS AND GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION

In my semi-humble opinion there are two incredible articles in today's local papers. The Woolwich Observer (pg.9) located in Elmira Ontario has an Editor's Notes column titled "Government corruption is all around us, and shows no signs of abating". Wowser! Subtle that is not. Meanwhile today's Waterloo Region Record has this article by Carol Goar "Merger proposal will determine future of organized labour in Canada". Ms. Goar's article, while the title is less provocative and shocking, nevertheless paints for me at least, an incredible turnaround and watershed.

Is there some kind of connection here? Certainly governments of almost all stripes have at best shown antipathy towards the labour movement and at worst downright hostility and even persecution. I believe that there has been an ongoing rise of inappropriate and illegitimate government meddling and authority into all aspects of our lives . I further believe that there has been little or no organized mass opposition to date which has thus emboldened governments at all levels. There is a vacuum here which could well be filled by a group with numbers and money behind them.

Carol Goar's article advises us that at long last two large unions have seriously decided that there slide into oblivion can only be stopped by a huge expansion of their mandate. Instead of looking inwards to benefiting their dues paying members only, they are going to become social activists on a broader scale. They are going to embrace as members groups of citizens long left out. This would include the unemployed, temporary workers, community activists, self-employed, seniors and more. This is the work of the CAW (autoworkers) and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union who have been negotiating a merger and an expanded mandate for many months. Personally I think they are onto something big here.

Back to Steve Kannon of the Woolwich Observer. His litany of government scandals and corruption here in Canada is very scary. His logic and reasoning behind the growing power of both corporations and all levels of government is solid and this unaccountable power is an afront to democracy. Steve states that "Corruption also extends to the selling out of the public interest to corporations, most notably in the abdication of oversight and regulation...". The financial sector throughout North America take some direct hits from Steve again with solid reasons.

Constitutions and laws are mere words which unscrupulous and unethical people manipulate for their own benefit. This process has been ongoing for some time and has developed a momentum of its own. We are all leaving for the next generation a god awful political mess in which morals and ethics and common sense as well as the common good have all been abandoned upon the alter of greed. Politics is no longer about public service it is all about self service.