General Motors

CEO Ed Whitacre can be seen on commercials on both sides of the border proudly declaring that he GM has paid back government loans with interest 5 years ahead of schedule.

A reality check is in order.  GM paid back $8 billion worth of loans.  This is true enough.  However this is nothing more than a whopper of a lie by omission.  GM was bailed out with a combination of loans and equity.  The equity portion was $50 billion.  GM no longer has any public shareholders....it is entirely owned by the taxpayers and unions.

The commercial gives the impression that the taxpayers have been paid back and that GM is on the rebound.  Time will tell whether GM will recover or not.  The truth is that GM is not worth anywhere close to $50 billion and the taxpayers are sitting on a huge loss on their equity investment.

Spending money to advertise a lie of omission just shows, once again, that GM is clueless.  This was not a good deal for taxpayers and some truth in advertising would be a welcome change.

Public Transit Bee in my Bonnet

Those who live on the Lakeshore GO line have been enduring months of construction and upgrades to the tracks and platforms.

In my case, Clarkson has seen the addition of an extra track (now 3 tracks) and the installation of elevators on the platform.

Most people say that they can't wait for the improvements to be completed so that there will be more express trains and there is hope that off peak trains might run more than hourly.

This makes sense.  More trains during the rush hours and more frequent off peak trains will surely motivate more people to take the train rather than drive.  

There is only one small problem with this:  They haven't added any more parking to the GO stations.

I have had the experience of taking off peak trains.  When i used to drive to the station, I couldn't park once the morning crowd had arrived.  Every day i see dozens of cars parked illegally at my station as every legal spot is filled.  GO officers dutifully ticket those cars. 

GO transit states that the lakeshore line carries an average of 80 people on off peak trains.....which is just slightly below the capacity of 1200 per train.

I wonder how many more people would eschew the drive into the city in favour of the near empty GO trains if only they could find parking?

Tiger Woods

The entire world knows that Tiger Woods had a sex scandal.  Many people who've never watched golf and wouldn't know which end of a 9 iron to use when putting off the tee know all about Eldrick Woods's marriage.


He has earned close to a billion dollars in endorsements by pushing his image as the best golfer in the world with a stunning wife, beautiful children and multi-racial background.  He has invented his own ethnic designation by calling himself "Cablinasian" which incorporates his caucausian, black, indian and asian backgrounds.


In short, Tiger Woods sold his image to the core.  


In the aftermath of the scandal, he entered a treatment program and then held a press conference where he apologized to those he had disappointed but asked for privacy and that his family be left alone.


Then the day before he returns to play at the Masters (the most prestigious golf tournament in the world), we see this:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FjYMwPirrI


A new ad by Nike with Tiger staring blankly into the camera while the voice of his late father asks "what have you learned."


I'm not sure what his father thinks of this voice over.  Obviously its impractical to ask him.  


Here is some advice for Tiger:  If you want to guard your family's privacy, stop using them for publicity stunts like this.  Shut up and play golf, that's what you are good at and if that is all you did, then people would leave you alone.  

Graham James

The pardon system in Canada is something of an unknown to me.  Frankly i probably know more about the American system of Presidential pardons than i do about the Canadian system.

Today's news that convicted pedophile Graham James was pardoned three years ago is illuminating.

According to the Canadian Press

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/ex-coach-graham-james-pardoned-for-sex-abuse-that-rocked-nhl/article1522464/

the parole board "does not generally take into account the nature of the crime"


This is surprising to say the least.  Why doesn't the seriousness of a crime matter when seeking a pardon?


Apparently the 2006-7 year saw 14,581 applications for pardon.  (7672 were for lesser offences and the other 7076 were for indictable offences) of which only 103 were declined.  Even assuming that all of the denied applications were for serious offences, this implies a 98.5% success rate amongst those seeking a pardon.

The mind boggles.  Sheldon Kennedy and Theo Fleury are two of Graham James's victims.  They need to live with their pain for the rest of their lives.

How is it that the criminal who betrayed their trust, and abused his position of authority to sexually abuse them as kids, is able to effectively clean his record of these crimes?  How is it that convicted criminals can have such a high success rate at obtaining a whitewash of their records?

It is bad enough that he was sentenced to only 3 and a half years for his crimes.  That he is now walking free with a pardon behind him is offensive to the core.  What am i missing here?

Closing the barn door after the SUV is gone

The American love affair with big cars is well known.  Less well known is the fact that SUV's (with their appalling mileage) were not subject to the same emission standards and mileage regulations as other passenger vehicles because they were classified as trucks.

So now the Obama administration has finally ended this absurdity....as of 2016!!!   As of that model year SUV's will be subject to much more stringent regulations.  The minimum mileage requirement of 29 MPG is three times that of the Hummer.

This move is a welcome change and is long overdue.  However it is so long overdue that it is practically unnecessary.  High oil prices have sent SUV sales figures plunging.  People who drive these monstrous vehicles are met with dirty looks and open scorn.  People aren't buying them anymore.

The point has been made that the government funded bailouts of GM and Chrysler gave them the leverage needed to force through these regulations.  I wonder if it is lost on many that had these regulations been in place 10 years ago, GM might have been producing smaller cars sooner and may not have needed the bailouts when their profitable SUV divisions began bleeding red??

The SUV classification as light trucks survived the administration of a Texas oil President as well as that of a Bubba from Arkansas.  A cynic might suggest that the Obama administration made this "courageous" decision at a time when the SUV voters are fewer than ever.

Don't get me wrong.....i'm glad the classification was changed.  However any economic and environmental benefits have already largely been accrued by higher oil prices.  This change will have minimal effect.  The Feds have closed the barn door long after the horse is gone.

Ann Coulter

I find many of Ann Coulter's writings offensive.  Despite my Conservative leanings I don't like many of the things that she says.  She is a little too "way out there."  I find Michael Moore offensive for similar reasons.  I think that they are flip sides of the same coin in that most Conservatives and Liberals will agree that both of these individuals are offensive and play fast and loose with the truth too often.

That being said, the cancellation of Ann Coulter's speech at the U of Ottawa has inspired editorials denouncing the intimidation tactics used against her.  She has received more publicity than her hostile rantings deserve.  The milquetoast Globe and Mail wrote a strongly worded opinion piece in support of her right to speak.

Usually i cringe at her writings.  Have a look at her latest post titled "O'Canada":

http://www.anncoulter.com/

I cringed at this one because i agreed with so much of what she said (for a change).

She gained more notoriety and a greater platform for her views.  That is the ultimate result of the University of Ottawa's attempts to silence her.  They should be ashamed of themselves.

Chris Chelios

Any fan of hockey knows who Chris Chelios is.  I was still in my teens when he broke into the NHL in 1984.  I thought he was a dirty player who took a lot of cheap shots.

Flyer fans will never forgive him for his hit on Brian Propp that knocked him out with a concussion.  He was not an easy player to like and i most certainly did not like him.  He always played on teams i cheered against and his style of play was infuriating to the opposition.

However today, he is an inspiration to me.  After being cut by the Detroit Red Wings in the off season, he could not land another NHL job.  He did what any true hockey player would do......he found a team where he could play.

It was a minor league team but that didn't matter.  Chris Chelios would rather do anything than not play hockey.

Today he was called up by the Atlanta Thrashers and will play in the NHL once again......this time at age 48!!

That Chris Chelios is still good enough to play with kids less than half his age in the most competitive hockey league in the world is inspiring.  I don't think he'll last long enough to break Gordie Howe's record age of 52.....but i won't bet the farm that he won't make it.

The Honourable Rahim Jaffer

Rahim Jaffer was first elected to the House of Commons as a 25 year old Reform party member.  He was considered a rising star by a Reform party eager to appeal to minority constitutents.

Mr Jaffer was different than most Reform/Canadian Alliance/Conservative MP's.  He was an immigrant, dark skinned and muslim.  It was good that a person of such a background could feel comfortable in those parties.  It would have been better if he had been more of a grownup.....but that may be a bit much to ask of a 25 year old.

He is no longer a Member of Parliament, having been voted out in 2008.  However he is very much in the news due to his arrest and subsequent events.  He was charged with speeding, exceeding the blood alcohol limit and cocaine possession.  The plea bargain resulted in a $500 dollar fine along with a guilty plea of careless driving.  The other charges were dropped.

The presiding judge acknowledged in his comments that Mr Jaffer had caught a "break".

As a private citizen, Mr Jaffer's obligations are different.  He doesn't need to speak publicly about what happened.  Nonetheless, some Canadians have some understandable questions.

1) Did he receive special treatment as a former Parliamentarion?  It was a provincial judge appointed by Ontario's Attorney General Jim Flaherty.  Mr Flaherty is now Finance Minister.
2) What happened to the cocaine possession charge.  Why was this dropped?

Mr Jaffer may not have to answer publicly but the people are understandably concerned.  If the cocaine possession evidence was suppressed due to police misconduct, then there is a public interest in knowing.

Some members of the Ontario Government should be speaking up now.  This does smell and looks like a privileged person getting special treatment.  It would be in the pubic interest to disabuse the public of such an impression......if indeed the facts support that view.

Bailout Folly

The runaway freight train of Government bailouts is nearing its logical conclusion.  Unfortunately, it will climax before returning to a point of sanity.

Over the last couple of years we witnessed the spectacle of taxpayer funds being used to prop up car companies building cars that the consumer did not want to buy.....or certainly not in sufficient numbers to keep the automakers in the black.

Equally obscene was the bailout of banks who were seemingly incapable of managing money.

Isn't a bank supposed to be good at managing money above all else?  Shouldn't the world's largest car company know how to build a car and make a profit at the same time?

The 'moral hazard' is coming home to roost in a most spectacular fashion as several entire countries are now on the verge of needing bailouts.  In the European Union, the so called PIIGS (Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece, Spain) are said to be in dire straits and will soon need bailouts.  Greece is in the worst shape and could default in a matter of weeks if they are not bailed out.

Now here is where the bailouts go from bad policy to downright offensive.  Greece has a mandatory retirement age of 63.  Any bailout of Greece would have to be spearheaded by Germany....mandatory retirement age of 67.  The German people are rightly asking why they are being asked to work to 67 in order to finance retirement for Greeks beginning at age 63.  The argument may oversimplify but is valid.

Some may have forgotten but the bailouts of the banks and GM/Chrysler have a similar problem.  The average assembly line worker at GM earns more and has better health care coverage than the average American by a significant margin.  Bank employees....nuff said.

So the question is this:  If you are a single working mom earning something close to the national average, how do you feel about some of your taxes going to safeguard the jobs of bankers and autoworkers who earn a lot more than you?  If that doesn't make you angry enough, then consider that since the bailouts were funded with  deficit financing, so that your son/daughter will be paying for these bailouts in the future.

Miracle on Ice 2010

At the start of the preliminary round men's hockey game between Team Canada and Team USA, a Canadian fan held up a sign invoking Al Michaels' famous call at the end of the USA-Russia game at Lake Placid in 1980.

He asked "Do you believe in miracles" as the team of collegiate American boys defeated the Big Red Machine.

The sign asked "Do you believe in miracles".  Just below, it answered itself with a "NO".

For me Olympic hockey has lost much of its lustre since watching that famous upset at Lake Placid.  Canada won gold at Salt Lake City and as a Canadian I was happy.  However, there is something strangely uninspiring about the best team with the best players winning the tournament.

The USA defeated Canada in that round robin game 5-3.  However that fan was still right.  This was no miracle.  A solid Team USA filled with NHL players beat a star studded Team Canada filled with ......NHL players.  The Canadians were favoured but it was no shock and no disgrace to lose to this American team.

They will play again in the Gold Medal Game on Sunday.  These are the two best teams playing for the Gold and one of them will lose to a worthy opponent.  It will be no miracle either way.

For me the great sporting moment of these Olympics was captured by Joannie Rochette.  As many already know, her mother died of a heart attack shortly after arriving in Vancouver to watch her daughter skate in the Olympics.

A very emotional Rochette skated on and was third after the short program. She burst into tears at the end of her program undoubtedly thinking of her mother.  After the long program she did not move up but she skated well and captured the Bronze medal.

Joannie Rochette's bronze medal was the miracle on ice this time.  Watching her family and friends bursting with tears of pride as she stood on the podium it was clear that the colour of the medal did not matter.  In fact, I'm sure they would have been just as proud had she not won a medal at all.

A team of millionaire professional Canadian hockey players will win either a silver or gold on Sunday.  Our nation will weep if they fail to win gold and thump our collective chests if should succeed.

In a sporting sense, none of that will matter more than Joannie Rochette who reminded us that it's not whether you win or lose......it's how you play the game.  She won simply by playing on.

Bravo Joannie!!!