bad news listening to local news before we got to bed at 3am. Over the last number of months the National Greens have been moaning “Cities should be encouraging its citizens to take public transit and less cars when they commute to work to ‘save the environment’ all right fine and well. A few months ago the City here reacts to that and raises bus fare up to $2.50 cents a ride. Yup, that’s encouraging people to take the bus. Shortly after that Ottawa decides  (so Harper can keep his job should a bill fail to pass the house in a non confidence vote.) “lets write into the next budget tax cuts for people that use City buses.” I thought, ok. I like this. So far so good. Our bus pass here is a friendly affordable $59 bucks a month the lowest of it’s kind. Winnipeg transit users have to pay $90 bucks a month plus they got the GST, MST, and an entertainment tax. Next time we call Winnipeg at the office, probably tonight, I’ll ask a friendly voice in the other end what us the designation of the “entertainment” tax Gst, Bst (bullshit tax) etc. I’ll have an answer tonight folks. Also, Winnipeg is smaller then Edmonton. Alberta is the only Province in Canada that has no Provincial sales tax. All we have is the Gst and that was imposed on everyone back in 1990 Nation wide. Ok where were we? Oh yes tax breaks for Transit users that buy a monthly bus pass or even use tickets. In theory it’s a good idea. So now lets get back to City Hall. Mayor Mandel and his gang now want to increase the monthly bus pass up to $16/month making it a total of $80 a month. JT my boss and friend at work by the same token is driving a new Aqura, his insurance is something like $17/week and he probably shells out $30 bucks a week on gas. It’s still cheaper to take the bus and if we’re able to access these transit taxes then the bus passes should come down to what they are now. And people say global warming isn’t about politics? It’s all about politics.

Because Harper has a minority Government (and when you have a minority national government here in Canada if a bill is defeated, which it always is. the opposition can call for a national election. It’s called a non-confidence vote. Most Social Democracy’s work this way in a three party system. Here in Canada we have 4 National Parties. Conservative, which I consider myself to be. (Conservatives are like the Republicans in the US.) Liberals (Democrats) New Democratic Party (NDP) far left and lastly the Block party. The Block party is kind of like a fringe party with it’s only power base in Quebec and Francophone Canada. The Block want Quebec to Separate from Canada and I say, “Good. Don’t let the door hit your butt on the way out.”

Now that I’ve laid out the ground work for you, If Harper’s (our Prime Minister) minority government has a bill defeated in the House of Commons this signals the call for a National election. However if any one of the other parties decides to support any of Harpers initiatives, bills in the house. No election and Harper is saved. Shortly after the last election in which the Harper Government won, our man began to look for support. He gets it from the most unlikely of places at the other end of the political spectrum no less. The NDP (Greens) Jack Layton. Now Jack says “Sure Steve buddy, I’ll support your cause if you support mine.” Right now Harpers main concern is Canada’s role in Afghanistan. The mission is very unpopular with Harpers Liberal opposition. You see where this is going don’t you? Okay, it gets better. *Grins* Jack Layton says, “Sure I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine. Support my green initiative and I’ll support you in the House.” A marriage made in heaven right? Everyone’s happy.

Or are they? Some months pass and good ol Jack wishing the Kyoto accord would become a reality so Alberta’s economy collapses and there are tens of thousands of unemployed people on the streets so social workers can keep their cushy jobs decides, “Hey Stevie boy, your not doing enough to support my initiative.” (threat) So Good ol’ Steve decides he’s going to come to Alberta and flaunt some money at us. $250 Million for oil sands research to save the environment. We can send oil sands emissions underground and if target goals of I think he said 12% are not met beginning in July then oil Companies will be fined. I’m not sure what the mechanics are but I’m sure this will have a negative impact on the local economy to some degree. Good ol’ Jack boy must be frothing at the mouth with anticipated glee. Now please don’t go off thinking Jack and his NDP gang are evil miss guided but well meaning good ol boy’s out to sabotage Alberta’s economy so we all can have clean air. Jack is not against people having jobs. That’s why there are elitists Unions out there. Yup, if you got the skills and can move up the job board you might have a job for a couple of months. The Union needs your dues. As for the rest of us that are not associated with the elitist trade Unions and their cronies, we’ll be shit out of luck. But thank God for Jack and his greens, at least I’ll have clean air to sleep under the stars on those cold winter nights here in Alberta thank God.

“But don’t you have welfare in Canada?”

Of course we do. Even in Alberta, but guess what? You need a street address for welfare and welfare won’t begin to even cover rent. Now maybe if a dozen of us got together and got a suite (fire regulations mot with standing) we might be able to survive. And I might even be able to have my website up if I still have a job but maybe if a dozen of us all got together and paid out of our welfare money $20 month we’d have Internet access. I might even be able to get an hour a month to myself. I don’t need a computer to write. I can write by hand or get a typewriter if that won’t wake up my neighbors. Oops sorry guys. Oh-oh, writing paper costs money. Thank God though I have clean air. Ooops, sorry for walking over your sleeping bag Tom, I know it’s 6 am but I have to take my insulin. Dave, could you move your head slightly away from the refrigerator door? I have to get my insulin pen inside. Sorry. What? They’re going to raise our rent again? We’re only paying $7,000 a month for a 3- bedroom apartment. Maybe we can sneak a dozen more people in here. I might not have a job but I got clean air. What the women have to sleep with the women and the men in separate areas? But I’m a married man. Thank you good ol Jack boy for clean air. I might not have a job anymore but at least I got clean air. I can die a happy man now.

All right the above bit of comedy was made in haste but the above is not far from the truth and could be a scenario that could happen into reality. Pardon me for getting overly political here and I said I’d keep the politics down to a minimum but when the City says they want to encourage people to take the bus, this is sending a negative single.

As for the writing, work is going slow but steady on my as of yet untitled story. I sojourn on of course. There’s some good similes in there as well

e. Jim