Category: Politics

This category holds articles pertaining to politics. They are: Civilizations, Public Sector, Justin Trudeau, Trump, Left is for Liberal, Muslim Countries, Just Lie, The Welfare State, Brexit, Unspoken Issues, Senate Reform, Who Votes What, Global Warming, the North-South Divide, Conservatives, What Happened (in the 2016 US Election), Propaganda, Health Care, Social Control, Pronouns, Fake News, #YouToo, Socrates and Greg, The Politics of Faith, What’s Up with Green, Democracy, Stage III, Tribalism, The Charity System, Hate, Carbon Tax, SCOTUS, Chris Cuomo, Greta, The Wall, The Pawn Who Looked Up, The 2020 US Election, Middle People, Lessons, and Fraud?

It’s best to read them from bottom to top.

Fraud?

When I went to school they used to make you take tests. Universal ones so the ministry could see how kids were doing. They’d give you a pencil along with a quiz sheet, and it was your job to fill in the correct circle. And these tests were given by subject. So when I was in grade 8, my rating for math was mid-year grade 11. Top of the class. Then when I actually got to grade 11, I earned top marks on my year-end report card. But in grade 12, I only got 50%.

There were 38 students in a classroom built for 37, so I spent every morning in the cafeteria eating donuts. I basically skipped the entire first term. Then when the midterm came along, I wrote it from memory. Well, I guess the whole group did poorly because this teacher gave us a scolding. He said, “Guys, this test was pretty easy, one boy got 50 without coming to class.”

Bottom line, I was good at grade eleven math.

So was this election unethical? It’s not that difficult to say. Ask any Italian politician and they’ll tell you there are three ways to fix a vote. You either rig the count, screw with the software, or add fraudulent votes—what we call adding cream to the soup. Number one is out. US elections are conducted better than in any other country, and theirs is the only system that employs an elected official to certify the count. Thousands of people are involved and many have been doing this for years. So no matter what happens, all votes get properly recorded. Number one is out.

How about the software? Isn’t everything possible with technology? No, not really. There are so many manual checks and balances that it would be impossible to hyper-jack this result. So in this particular case, there was only one way to put in the fix and that was by adding fraudulence to the cream in the soup. And when you add too many inconspicuous ballots, it shows up mathematically. Wanna know why? Because Trump got too many votes.

So it doesn’t matter how many scrutineers were observing or what time voters actually came in. It doesn’t even matter about the type II stupefy great all-purpose ballots. What matters is the final end figures. Because the more cream you add, the more it becomes obvious—somebody was cheating. This whole challenge will come down to judging by everyday people, using grade 11 math.

Now if there was a little bit of cheating, you wouldn’t notice. But if the discrepancies are egregious, somebody is going to jail. For example, in the last election 135M people voted and this time it looks like 149. Anything odd about those additional millions? Let’s look at Michigan. They went from 4.5M in 2016 to 5.5M today. An increase of 22% when the nation is up only 10. Were these extras cast only in Detroit and the surrounding area? This will be the analysis used to establish anything odd.

So that’s the challenge and it will probably take weeks. In the meantime, let’s employ a comedic version of mystery crime writer, Dan Brown, to give us an imaginary foreglimpse into the courtroom.

Bailiff: Do you swear to tell the truth, the sorta truth, or at least a kernel of the truth. So help you atheist or believer in God?
Witness: I do.

Prosecutor: Please state your name loudly into the microphone.
Witness: DANNY ANGELO BIGIONI.

Prosecutor: Hey, are you the kid who’s really good at math?
Witness: Yes sir, at the grade eleven level.

Prosecutor: Okay then, tell us your story.
Witness: Well, I got home around 7:00 to watch the election. First I loaded the computer with the appropriate displays then turned on the telly.

Prosecutor: That’s preposterous. Why wouldn’t you just watch it on TV?
Witness: Because US news is crooked sir. You see, all data comes from the very same place. CNN doesn’t have their own information and neither does Fox. All agencies get their data from one original source–the Associated Press. And it has two sites. One of its own and another only accessible from C-SPAN. The difference with C-SPAN is that it shows total presidential vote.

Prosecutor: Well, everyone knows the American media is corrupt. What did they do this time?
Witness: They didn’t report information as it happened. They gave Texas to Trump an hour or two after the announcement but gave Biden everything right away. This way, it looks like the Democrats are always winning. So if people go to bed with the Democrats and wake up with the Democrats, it’s probably over. That’s how they create an illusion.

Prosecutor: An illusion? What an illusion? Doesn’t the real winner win?
Witness: It depends sir. In a regular scammed election, while people are sleeping, you add cream to the soup. At 11:47 PM MST, I knew Trump was mathematically uncatchable. So in case something happened, I emailed 40 people with the message MARK DOWN THIS TIME. This way I’d always have proof.

Prosecutor: Doesn’t Google automatically timestamp everything? Why did you ask friends to write down the time?
Witness: Because I suspected big tech was in on it sir. And what’s really great is that these people are in Canada so they’re very impartial. Validation by these 40 witnesses will be trusted by everyone. Just fly them in and you’ll have your absolute proof.

Judge: Very well, mister grade 11. We’ll fly in the witnesses. Let’s have them here by tomorrow because I want to lock up these crooks. But I have one more question for you. Do you think Donald Trump is a solid and ethical person?
Witness: Yes sir, I do. Along with Jack Nicklaus, Bobby Orr, Herschel Walker, Toby Keith, 50 Cent, and the President of Japan. I feel he’s very much an ethical person. Donald doesn’t always talk nice but look at what he’s faced. Every morning 100 unethical journalists start talking down to him. So it’s not always easy to speak like a gentleman. I know an awful lot of people didn’t like him, but armed with only a cellphone and 72 million voters (which broke Obama’s record) he saved democracy for the world. And I don’t think any man can do better than that.

You see, not only am I a stout mathematician, I’ve studied deeply in economics. And in my opinion, every policy passed was for the benefit of the American people. And it is my belief that given a second term, he would have addressed the corruption on Wall Street.

He’s represented people who were widely forgotten. From fighting in Vietnam to Iraq, there’s been no end to these unjustified wars. Plus folks have been compromised financially through the crash of ‘08 and full globalization that didn’t need to happen. This man, your honour, took up a cause for everyday people and God bless him for that. So for all of these unpassionate reasons, I DANNY ANGELO BIGIONI hereby certify that Donald Trump was one hell of a president. And I stake my personal reputation on it.

In the Dan Brown version, Trump gets to handcuff the culprits with an apologetic media applauding all around. Donald then declares a personal donation towards Canadian mental health. Democracy is restored and the world sleeps in peace. In the real-life version, it comes down to mathematics and discrepancies must be egregious.

‘Cause most of us can live with “just close enough.”

Lessons

On the eve of this US election it would be good to look back on what we’ve just witnessed. It’s certainly been a tumultuous 4-5 years that requires closure. But let’s not waste time rehashing all the standard stuff. People know what the pundits have said. Instead, let’s look at America in general and what we have learned about human nature. Here is where the lessons lie.

This is my top seven list.

Canadians know zilch about US politics
Modern American journalism is loaded with bias
Most people know nothing about psychology
We’re emotional beings motivated by ethics and can easily be stoked into hatred
The current Democrat Party is dirty (just like the Republicans)
There really is a deep state (and every country has one)
Corruption and incompetence mostly affects the working class

During the Republican nomination process of 2015, Chris Christie, who’s generally regarded as a nice guy, stood up and said, “What nobody is talking about is entitlements. We have to start lowering entitlements.” For the former lawyer turned prosecutor, the answer to debt caused by the financial crisis of ‘08 was to cut people’s pensions. That’s what a former governor of New Jersey loudly said. So the crisis caused by government incompetence and corporate greed that cost over 10 trillion dollars must be repaid by the average schmuck.

Up here, thanks to $142 oil and the benevolence of Alberta, most Canadians never knew a crisis existed. We ended 2015 with a $2B surplus and everybody had work. But the years 2008 – 2016 had not been kind to America. People lost homes along with their jobs during a very hard crash, and the recovery was slow. Needless to say, many were miffed.

War

In 1991, the former Soviet Union fell and modern day Russia met bankruptcy. Outsiders gladly appeared with loans and assistance for their former rivals, but this event also marked a unique moment in history. The US was now the world’s only superpower. As a result, a strategy emerged within the Defense Department to clean up the world, starting in the Middle East.

With communism no longer a threat the foreign focus shifted. We needed to stabilize the world’s oil reserves by initiating an occupation in Iraq. “Shouldn’t take much effort and we’ll be home in a short while.” But as you know, modern warfare is nothing like in the past. One side has all the weapons while the other holds great will.

It’s not the 4,600 deaths or the 37,000 casualties US soldiers had to suffer, it’s watching a 9 year-old get blown up that really gets to you. You see, uncivilized nations don’t know how to fight fair. As a result, most everyone in middle America knows somebody who’s been affected (rich people don’t send their kids). And if not in Iraq, then Afghanistan, Syria, or Hillary’s invasion of Libya during the Arab Spring—which left over 6.6 million living inside a failed state. In short: Americans have spent a very long time at war and many are fed up. Canadians mostly watch it on TV.

Jobs

During the 1980s, world leaders from the G-Special nations decided globalization was a good plan. We’ll civilize other countries by giving them work. And yes, everything started out fine. But when millions of good jobs became exported this philosophy got out of hand. Loads of average workers went from making $32 an hour to only $8.50, and plenty of towns and small cities got decimated. So again, thanks to government incompetence and corporate greed, this policy became “that’s the way it is.” And every politician turned to the public and lied (except for Bernie).

On a world scale, globalization can easily be viewed as a great idea. One could argue that. But there were certainly consequences. Ones felt by a specific class. Low-skilled, physical workers who don’t have the option of joining Microsoft. In Canada, we saw this too. But in a huge land filled with resources, the pain was hardly felt.

Summary

Now let’s put these pieces together. The financial crisis of ‘08, the war in Iraq (plus others like it), and unfettered globalization. Do you think some people got pissed off? Surprise! They did. So while you were feeling stunned by the results of 2016, they were not. And nobody up here knew anything about this (including me).

Obama himself reacted by admitting many Americans felt forgotten and acknowledged this well overdue gripe. Late night’s Seth Meyers did the same thing. This general position held through the entire transition. For months the above mentioned class were no longer deplorables, they became people. No more losers, but everyday citizens. Then on day two after the inauguration, the Steele dossier was presented and this whole cluster show started. And it’s been ugly.

Without a doubt, most Canadians would have voted for Hillary. Our nation has long found the Dems to be best. But for many in the States both parties are the same. Globalization and ’08 weren’t one team’s position and wars have to be sanctioned by both sides. Plus, working class people don’t look to politics for identity and purpose. They just want others to do a good job. And in my opinion, they made the right choice.

Donald Trump could very much lose this election. A lot of institutions don’t like him and I’ve never seen such an effort to kick out a pres. And if such a thing really does happen, a lot of people will be broken-hearted. He really was their hero. That’s why they showed up by the thousands. And when you think about it, what did they have to lose?

Condoleezza Rice said populism is when the electorate loses faith in their institutions. That’s what happened in ’16. No one is fooling anyone by claiming the system before was just fine. This country has many problems that never seem to get addressed. So when you start singing, “Hail, Hail, The witch is dead” as Donald Trump gets defeated, try to remember this.

Canadians know zilch about American politics.

Middle People

Former mayor of New York, Ed Koch, used to say “If you agree with me 9 out of 12 times, vote for me. If you agree with me 12 out of 12 times, see a psychiatrist.” Good advice that still applies today. Granted this came from a time when politics was sorta fun and nobody knew everything, but the part about mental illness is quite telling.

Back in the day, few of us were politically motivated. Citizens were chill about governance and only a smattering read the news. We trusted leaders. Sure they lied to us, but that was understandable since no simple commoner could relate to smarter people’s thoughts? But things have changed. Now we have big opinions based on small amounts of knowledge and a style of propaganda that really sells.

Before getting to mass media and psychological warfare, let’s start with how things used to work:

Middle people

Grab any bell curve and you’ll see 68%, or two-thirds of us, land smack dab in the middle. That’s where regular people fit and it makes sense. How could any society operate without some form of consensus? Of course, we still had the staunch but they were just nerds in need of personalities. No cool person would ever waste time associating with civics.

And back then parties worked together. It wasn’t like one was extra mean or confused. Everybody knew where we were headed. Growth and efficiency provided the cash, and governments spent it—affording everyone a better standard of living. Then when education jarred us away from older day thoughts, governments granted us more freedoms. It worked.

Plus we had far-people to push the conversation. Many social and economic issues needed to be addressed and outlier voices were respected. Why not? Didn’t we want a better society? Many of the policies you enjoy today started on the fringes. But advocates and voters always knew their place. The far-minded were never intended to rule because single purpose warriors aren’t equipped to govern. Anyway, things have gone sideways.

Flattening the curve

Commerce cougars like myself blame MBAs for ruining the business world. Doling out credit to folks who can’t afford it is one of many dishonourable ideas invented in the name of results. This stupidity has encountered the voter. The first rule of political strategy is now to flatten the curve. Yes, move middle people into the category of staunch so you can always count on their vote. And sure, it’s okay to market for only one side but the dinks who run these campaigns have started a new style. One that attacks people’s minds.

Jonathan Haidt breaks it down to good versus bad. He claims propaganda artists now sell us into believing their product is of the good. And what’s better than that? You’re a superhero, donning his or her cape to join the noble quest. Sounds fine, except politics was designed to be adversarial. Viewpoints are supposed to be argued over. It’s the way forward.

Gabor Maté, a world expert on addictions, says it gets worse. He claims voters have become addicted to ideology. Not because of identity but for the sake of purpose (as per Frankl). Finding meaning in life fills a natural void inside us. Previously found in raising a family and doing a good job, purpose now includes which party you vote for. So yelling, “I hate Jason Kenney” is better than being a fan of the Oilers. Anyone can cheer for hockey. Only “the good” hate opposition politicians. And actions like these go beyond mere identity–they’re deeper. These attacks make me an honourable member of society. They say I have ethics. (Weird.)

Political marketers know exactly who they’re dealing with. People. People who may be skilled in certain areas but haven’t put much effort into poli sci. People who crave belonging (as per Maslow), while requiring a purpose-based identity. And people who needn’t study before exclaiming a strong remark (as per Kahneman). The dinks are making fun of us. It’s psychological warfare and we are the pawns.

Summary

So here we sit. Since humans require identity and purpose, political followers now believe that half of us are bad. Years ago, when everyone was chill, we were all pretty good. But today it’s only 50%. Why? Because I need to be good. So much so that I’m ideologically bound and will wither without social confirmation. So if you put forth a notion contrary to my unethically biased publication that barely scratches the surface–without considering anything from the other side–then due to my innate laziness, I see only one path forward. You bad!

Let’s end with a secret. Nice people don’t hate and they never punch people in the face. More so, they don’t revel in negative vibrations or enjoy feeling this way. Nice people also don’t question a neighbour’s ethics for favouring a different position. They may ask why but never judge. And nice people put time into strong positions. Plato said life is a constant battle between inner animal and reason—and reason must win. In the end, either everyone is nice or it’s none. Because we’re basically the same. Ordinary, everyday, middle people.

Note: This is the last in a series of articles on this topic. Others are God is Dead?, Fake News, Tribalism, and Hate.

The Election

Make no mistake about it, Donald Trump is going to win this election. But a lot of people want him out. Not just the Dems, they’re the least of his concerns, all of Hollywood, every comedian, Lebron James, and the entire NFL want him out. Plus a lot of powerful people you don’t even know (e.g., from Switzerland). At the same time a lot of people want him in. So we’re about to see politics at its fiercest.

First of all, Trump will win. And not only will he win, he’ll capture 70 million votes. One more than Barack Obama’s record 69. Why? Because the whole underclass is with him. He has 82 million followers. Sure, some don’t like the man but he’s still got to have 60. Plus a bunch who don’t tweet. And according to every social media player out there, followers vote. So not only will he win, he’ll win big. A complete annihilation that will take Dems years to rebuild.

This is not a battle between traditional left and right. The old Republicans were idiots and everyone knew it. Remember the Tea Party? Absolute fools. But this new team has been modified to represent working class people. Those not participating in fun capitalism because they never got a piece of paper. This is the Repub’s new demographic (and why Mitch McConnell is smiling). They used to be called Reagan democrats you dummies!

And they’ll no longer be socially anal. Finally getting the message. Yes, they rely on Bible-thumper support but man, those numbers are dwindling. We need some new blood.

Currently, Democrats are a mess. As the saying goes: liberals were the good guys, now they’re freaking crazy. Much of America is horrified by these thoughts. Besides, Chuck, Nancy, and Joe are closing in on 80, and Bernie’s older than them. What happened to the Obama-Clinton party? Did everyone leave town? There’s nothing positive going on. Only oldies fighting with kids. It’s ridiculous.

Detractors

But a lot of people still want him out. So are they smart? Are they wise? How about athletes? Lebron is easily one of the world’s finest people but has he studied political theory or economics? Can’t he recognize what Trump has achieved within his critique? At least some of it? King James is certainly a great person but I wouldn’t proxy him my vote.

And how about Hollywood? Are they good? Remember they booed Michael Moore off the stage. The Oscar was for Bowling for Columbine, the best documentary ever made. No more noble a left-winger exists than heart-on-my-sleeve Mike and they booed him for saying there were no weapons of mass destruction. It was Day 5 of the Iraqi invasion and Michael knew the fact. So he said it out loud and the pretty dresses would have none of it. “Tuck in your shirt, Mike. We’ve got this.”

Anyway, Michael hates him too. Even after Trump made jobs for Flint, released all those prisoners, went easy on gay marriage and dope, and opposed YouTube from censoring Michael’s new film. So what’s he saying?

Next on the list are the generals. These boys came out recently with overwhelming disparagement. Again, I wonder. Ever study Eisenhower’s caution over the industrial military complex? You should. The generals were happy when Trump let them have at it with ISIS, but when he decided to pull out they got pissed off. Which translates into motive.

Last on the list is Glenn Greenwald. He also hates Trump. Glenn’s reputation is so impeccable that superstar author and columnist, Matt Taibbi, just left Rolling Stone to join him. They are the best two around. And in case you didn’t know, Glenn broke the story on Snowden, which has two things to say. Glenn’s not afraid of higher power and Edward Snowden felt he was the right choice. You see, Snowden was snitching on his nation which forced Obama into making changes. Ones that protect personal privacy by limiting what government can know about you. Edward chose Greenwald to represent him. As a result, Glenn now resides in Brazil—not allowed back in the States.

Anyway, Glenn hates Trump. And not only does he hate him, he’s fair about it. Not your everyday liberal. A straight up shooter who digs for the truth. (At least when it comes to important matters—everyone’s got to make a living.) Anyway, over the entire Russia affair, Glenn defended Donald. He called it a deep-state situation not worthy of news. But he still hates the man so he must be holding something.

Summary

The first rule of knowledge is to know where your information is coming from. Solid info doesn’t come from buddies on a soapbox, it comes from professionals who follow this stuff. And there are two types: academics and journalists. Those who study and those who observe.

Some reporters look up theory but most do it by feel. These three guys are good. Matt traveled on the plane with Trump during the 2016 election and got to know his base. He also called Russia a hoax, but again, Matt doesn’t support Trump.

So maybe forget about Hollywood before casting your ballot and listen to Glenn, Matt, and Mike. They tell the other side of the story.

The Pawn Who Looked Up

A previous article made this statement “make no mistake about it, the world is not run by 35 people living inside a castle; it’s run by politicians, big-time businesspeople, and bureaucrats.” But I may have been wrong. Based on recent events I’m starting to believe that it is. Not 35 and not in a castle, but 10 plus another 10, living somewhere in Switzerland. These are the folks who control modern day thought.

I’m thinking Switzerland because world thought could never come from an unsuccessful country, but it has to be an old one. China couldn’t do it and neither could Japan. It would have to be somewhere in Europe. And Switzerland is the perfect place. They’re totally chill. They stay out of everything and neither house the EU, the WHO, the UN, or any central bank. All they do is host a world economic forum at Davos.

And in case you’re wondering, Trump is one of us. A pawn reacting to their ambitions just like the rest. It’s not like they phone him—because they don’t. No formal communication exists between the president of the United States and those who control modern day thought.

Taoist symbol

Now stare at the Taoist symbol and let’s get down to details. In this case, the two colours represent male and female. White is female and black is male. The beauty of this symbol is that it doesn’t only represent the concepts of opposites and balance, it also shows two dots. Dots to illustrate there is some male inside of female, and female inside of male.

The example I used was the original appointments to Justin Trudeau’s cabinet. Only one third of elected representatives were ladies but he put them into cabinet at 50%. A big deal in conservative newspapers. At the time, my point was this: when it comes to the real world there are two ways to implement feminism. One as per Justin and another by growing the female dot within men, which is actually what’s happening.

Anyway, there are two houses in Switzerland that control world economic and political thought.

Modern politics

It’s fascinating what’s going on in economics these days, and don’t kid yourself, Trump taught everyone a lesson. The dough heads forgot about demographics. When they started giving away manufacturing jobs through globalization, they started with the crap you find at a dollar store. All the minimum wage jobs. But when they moved into durable goods (stuff made from steel) many people got jerked. Those who lost good jobs woke up to a new lousy reality and cities became riddled with unnecessary crime. Damn Swiss. The regular guy could no longer make it. So Trump and his team taught them a lesson.

On the social side things are getting pretty hairy. Forget defunding the police, where did all these transgenders come from and what’s with this conversation about my sexuality? Some views are bordering on crazy and we’re witnessing the original intent of the Taoist symbol—chaos and order. Are these ten Swiss planners out of their minds or are they trying to take us to somewhere more beautiful?

Another aspect of the symbol is change versus staying the same. In political speak, liberals represent change, while conservatives try to slow things down. They’re the drag on the system because you don’t want to execute change too quick. But I think it’s all nuts. I really do.

What I observed over Covid is that people are nowhere ready for where they are taking us. I saw people who craved order. Especially the ones pledged into this new belief system. Liberals were total scaredy cats when it came to facing death, while cons pedaled around in leather jackets and conspiracy theories trying to impress everyone into believing they were tough. What a joke! They were terrified sh!#less. We all were.

So I learned this: regular people—and we’re all regular people—are much more in the middle than what this baloney insists. But yes, we are open to change.

Summary

The world isn’t run by businesspeople, politicians, and bureaucrats. It’s run by 20 people living inside a castle, somewhere in Europe. Probably Switzerland. They decide what others believe in because they know how to control minds. Then they march us around like everyday pawns.

They tell our liberals what to say and conservatives how to react. That’s why this isn’t coming from America. They’re a follower when it comes to liberalism. It’s still a pretty conservative country. Bibles everywhere. Soldiers all over the place. Modern day liberal thought does not come from America, which is another reason why POTUS is one of us.

You’re being manipulated for what you think. Not when picking up a child or smelling a rose—they don’t control every aspect of us, it’s less than 10%—but when holding a position over how we live. That’s when they try to control us.

And currently, I think it’s all nuts.

The Wall

This week, PBS Frontline released a documentary on immigration in America. Other than the eerie background music, it’s pretty good. I also watched the supporting interviews, which the program was made from, and see three sides to the story. Here’s what you need to know.

Current regulations in America make it easy for outsiders to enter the country. Couple that with instability in many Central American countries and organized coyote caravans selling destination packages to the US, and the problem is getting worse. So let’s start with what’s on the public’s mind. Most people believe in a two-part solution:

Secure the border
Provide amnesty for those already here, namely dreamers

Sounds simple but neither political party was interested before 2016. After Mitt Romney’s loss to President Obama in 2012, the Republicans performed an autopsy on the federal election. One recommendation was to appeal to Spanish voters by agreeing with a pathway to citizenship for those who’ve illegally entered the country. Hardliners disagreed.

Those opposed say amnesty only provides incentive for more people to come. And then point to Ronald Reagan’s bill in 1986 that granted amnesty to 3 million undocumented workers but didn’t secure the border. They call it an emotional fix with no long term solution. And say neither political party is willing to address the issue because big business loves the cheap labour and Democrats figure these people will eventually vote for them.

Trump likes the idea of dreamers—and was willing to go with just that—but hardliners caught him before signing. They say, you’re not giving away amnesty before securing the wall. And that’s where we sit.

Note: For more on the issue, check Wiki. Here’s a link to the documentary. And to watch all supporting interviews click here.

Greta

Remember the chart from the article on Carbon Tax? It showed where energy comes from and how it’s used by every household. Well, there’s an additional source of emissions that you ought to know about—it comes from everything you buy.

Whether it’s footwear, televisions, or the cups in your cupboard, everything which sustains you comes from some kind of business. And business uses the exact same chart to make their goods. So if you buy a lot of things, you put up a lot of carbon. That’s what young Greta was trying to say.

Every sweater you own comes with a carbon price tag. As a matter of fact, it’s even bigger than what you directly cause.

Direct (23%) – the electricity, gas, and heating material you use on a daily basis.
Consumption (77%) – the electricity, gas, and heating material used to generate and transport everything you buy.

Greta was talking about overall consumption and asked us to buy less. It’s the dirty little secret of climate change. The one politicians never tell you because it involves shrinking economics. CBC’s Rosemary Barton pushed Elisabeth May on the issue and she said, “Our plan doesn’t ask people to give up anything.” (Start at the 21-minute mark.)

Conclusion

When climate change first hit the scene many were emotional about it. “We have to save the planet, we have to save the planet.” But now warning about the problem isn’t good enough, practical people want to see a plan. And like it or not, until we green the grid and move to electric motors, it involves consumption. Politicians don’t tell you this because consumption is what drives the workplace. So if everyone bought less, GDP would be less. Not welcome in a world full of debt.

Remember, the economy works like this: raw material comes from Mother Nature and we add labour to bring it to you. So the furniture in your home used to be a tree, and the chainsaw used to cut it was also made from elements. Every step of the process causes carbon. From mining, to farming, to manufacturing, to distribution—everything puts up emissions. So if you want to be an activist and reduce global warming, over the next 20-30 years you’ll have to consume less.

That’s what a 16-year-old just told you.

Note: President Obama recently met Greta and said they would become great friends. This summer he bought a humongous mansion by the sea. Can’t wait til she visits.

Chris Cuomo

Last week, Donald Trump held a rally in Minneapolis. He packed the 20,000 seat arena with more supporters waiting outside. After the two-hour session exiting attendees were met by hurling bags of urine and drivers were prevented from leaving their parking lots. Many left-wing wackos thought the resistance was great. Centrists were embarrassed. I was pissed off.

So much so that I called up Chris Cuomo at CNN and asked to appear on his show. He agreed and opened by naming me a supporter. He then explained the format. You say something positive, I’ll say something negative, and we’ll talk over each other until the segment ends. I said, how about something different.

In order to discuss Trump you have to separate policy from personality. Because you’ve known him, you take personality. Take two hours to explain to everyone what a douchebag he is. Then we’ll bring out one of his friends, say Carl Icahn, and he’ll make the argument that he’s actually a nice guy. This way the audience can judge. And since this is a 24-hour network, we’ll do a second segment about his time in office. For this part we’ll use two politicians. The Democrats and Republicans are full of lawyers. We’ll get a sleazeball from one side and a scumbag from the other and they can shout about his time in Washington. But this segment will take less time because we’ve heard it all before. Then I’ll take over.

For the policy segment, get me a tax accountant, a big time businessperson, and an economist. We’ll discuss every economic policy he’s passed from renegotiating NAFTA, walking away from TPP, talks with China, and the tax plan. I’ll politely argue that the president was correct in all of these positions and then we’ll hear from the others. And we’ll address each issue one by one. This way the audience can judge.

Then bring me a healthcare professional and an administrator from Veteran Affairs. We’ll discuss the pros and cons of removing Obamacare’s individual mandate, and all the changes to the VA. After that, bring me the head of the department of immigration and we’ll discuss the effect of illegals on the economy, whether pushing Mexico to guard their southern border was a good idea, and whether kids were actually put inside cages or chain link fencing was simply put inside a gymnasium. This way people can judge.

Then we’ll discuss each of Donald Trump’s 128 executive orders and the over 300 substantial congressional laws that have been passed. Please deliver appropriate personnel for each one. I’ll need additional resources to help but this way the audience can ju___. And before I could complete the word, Chris abruptly ended the interview by saying, “that’s not the way we do news in America.”

We shook hands and I left.

Note: The US doesn’t have all day news that’s unbiased like we do with CBC News World and CTV’s 24-hour channel. And Trump supporters are not racists, they’re beneficiaries of these policies.

SCOTUS

Big talk these days about the Supreme Court of the United States. Apparently it has wings. Yes, news people say appointing justices to the Supreme Court depends on how they vote. As if all judging is rigged. Certainly a claim worth investigating.

How does your dentist vote—left or right? And what about your drycleaner or the lady at the bank? Liberals? Conservatives? And what if they sometimes switch? What if they say “it depends on who’s running.” Does any of this affect the way they do their duties?

“But supreme court justices are different. Politics weighs heavily on how they scrutinize law and interpret the constitution. People like them never change their mind.” Okay fine, so how about our Canadian judges. There are nine of them. Is it 5-4? 6-3? or 9-nothing? And which way do they swing because funny, I’ve never heard it mentioned.

“Oh, but in the US they have to worry about abortion. Very controversial issue. Very big deal. We don’t have that in Canada.” Are you kidding? Not only does Canada not have a law, the US has had one for almost 50 years. Legally speaking, they’re miles ahead of us on this issue. So in my opinion, this is all spoof. And the proof rests with Ruth.

Ruth Ginsberg

Apparently a democrat, Justice Ruth Ginsberg was born March 15, 1933. In 2013, with three years remaining in Obama’s last term, she was 80 years old. Now Ruth is no fool. She knew it’s typical for presidencies in the US to go 8 years democrat and then 8 years republican. So she knew there was a better than 50% chance the next president would be a republican. But at the ripe old age of 80, she decided not to retire.

Ruth worked for Obama until age 83 and is now 86. Maybe, just maybe, she knows it’s all a crock. And that’s my point. Judges take many years to develop and are of very high standing. I believe they take their positions seriously, just like my drycleaner and dentist.

Summary

In the end, many Canadians enjoy following US news. It’s entertaining. But down there they always have one foot in controversy just to keep the fans watching. And if you love this kind of stuff, great. But it’s never worth a fight.

Note: The Supreme Court of Canada employs a custom where most decisions are reported as unanimous.

Carbon Tax

The problem with economics is people have difficulty seeing the point where theory ends and practicality begins, so nobody understands it. That’s why countless arguments revolve around theories that really don’t fit. Such is the case with carbon tax.

Now to get anything from this article you must accept that climate change is real. That, for the purpose of this discussion, there’s no doubt the dangers claimed by earth scientists are 100% accurate and not politically motivated. Once done, swallow, and focus on your nation’s role in addressing this crisis.

Sources and uses

We have many types of energy, used in different ways, that come from multiple sources. To simplify things, let’s start with a chart:

Follow the green arrows and you’ll see the solution is to generate clean electricity, and then use it for everything. That’s what’s happening in transportation. Electric cars are surely coming and we now have electric buses. Back in the 80s, my aunt’s home used electric heat and all modern appliances are energy efficient. So we’re getting there on the consumption side. What we don’t know is how to make power that’s completely green.

Green

You’ve heard it before that hydro is clean. So if the world had waterfalls and dams everywhere we wouldn’t be talking. Unfortunately, not every region has a Niagara Falls. That’s why fossil fuels are still being used. And since nuclear seems to be off the table, we‘re stuck with natural movements like wind and, of course, solar.

But Canada has done little in either regard. Windy places like Newfoundland only have a few mills and sunny Alberta has hardly a panel. Clean abundant provinces like Ontario, BC, and Quebec—that generate over 90% of their electricity from green—have spent more on both than anyone. So to me, it seems like we’re unorganized. Enter carbon tax.

Carbon tax

Carbon tax is aimed at reducing direct consumption. The theory goes if you’re forced to pay an additional 10-30 cents per litre for gasoline, you’ll drive less or switch to a smaller car. Then maybe you’ll go electric when your type of vehicle becomes available.

Well, I don’t see anyone driving less. And currently electric vehicles are all small. So trading my fuel efficient Corolla for one of these doesn’t make sense. We’ve seen high gas prices before. Likewise with home heating. Granted my aunt had electric, but today there isn’t an alternative to gas—so you can only move to a smaller house. But when you factor in discomfort and the real estate fees, you’ll probably stay put.

They also say when faced with higher energy charges business will innovate—so they save money. Nice pipe dream. Most large businesses in Canada operate within a co-opoly. So for them, as costs go up, prices do too. It’s not like Bell will invent a waterfall to get a leg up on Telus. That’s not the way it works.

Long story short: carbon tax in Canada is mostly a tax. It may work when electric cars are fully available and home heating comes in alternatives, but right now it’s mostly a tax. And dwelling on direct consumption isn’t really solving the problem. We need more technology.

Challenge

Over two billion people are entering the middle class with another two billion coming. So in a world of that many, our country’s role isn’t to show everyone how to consume. It’s to help develop green. Specifically, generating electricity from non-carbon sources.

We need a project of a NASA-like nature, to focus on earth. Specialty centres where scientists can create without budgets or bottom lines—and economics doesn’t do that.

Instead of acting like some kid looking for a participation award, Canada should be leading the charge by hosting its own NASA centre. Hey, the world needs more carbon-free power and who’s going to do it? The Africans?

The plan

During WWII, Winston Churchill and FDR talked to the masses. They used radio for countrywide meetings to explain things and rally the troops. This held everyone focused because people knew what the plan was. And it made sense because this was a crisis.

So who’s in charge of solving climate change? Business, billionaires, or government? If government, which ones? Canada, the EU, or China? Truth is, we’ve inspired hundreds of tiny spikes traveling in all sorts of directions without any mission control. And though this approach can be very creative, it doesn’t work with a crisis.

We can build batteries for buses but can’t make one for the Ford F-150. Tesla can electrify larger vehicles but doesn’t know how to make cars. GM knows how to make cars, but when it comes to electric vehicles they can only build smaller ones. So, while earnest and worthwhile, efforts haven’t been coordinated. When faced with an epidemic, the World Health Organization doesn’t operate in millions of cells. The body takes charge. And when faced with natural disasters, every country has a system. But when it comes to climate change we have only one organization to detail the problem. Nothing to find the cure. That’s not good.

Summary

A popular line used by crusaders is “what are you going to tell your grandchildren?” As if it’s all the consumer’s fault. Here’s what I’ll be telling mine. We spent an awful lot of time staring at the wrong end of the dog.

Politics and mankind require strong leaders to operate and we didn’t have a Churchill or FDR. We had only naive do-gooders unqualified for their job. Not bad people, just ones who shouldn’t have been in charge. Then again, maybe there is no solution to this grave situation. Maybe it’s just not possible to make enough energy that is green? Maybe the species who developed the Hubble telescope and landed on the moon isn’t capable of this task? And maybe inventions like the computer and nuclear power were all just flukes.

Hey, wait a minute.