Postcard from Haiti

The BBC's feature on Rape and Abuse in Haiti

Excerpt:

There are about 9000 peacekeepers in the UN mission to Haiti, most of them soldiers who come from 19 different nations. Most of them have come to help. They work hard in dangerous conditions to bring security and aid to the desperate people.

But there are some peacekeepers who are willing to use their advantages to exploit some of the most vulnerable people in this troubled society.

Hail the conquering Hero! To the victor goes the spoils!

The United Nations is in Haiti to mitigate the unrest stemming from Capitalism's overthrow of democratically-elected Jean-Bertrand Aristide in favour of a cabal of wealthy Boca Raton retirees, led by one Gerard Latortue. Our "peacekeepers" from Canada played good little brother to the United States in its quest to preserve sweatshop labour in Haiti, and it seems the United Nations, supposed purveyors of international justice, have decided to join the party.

When there is public outcry over the usurpation of women's bodies by men, the global police are reaping the rewards of the advantages of having a uniform and a gun. If justice truly mattered to the United Nations, it would be giving the invaders a swift kick in the ass out of that country, but is instead raping and pillaging with them.

This is what it means to be the law around here. I don't need your law because I refuse to play your game of fear and loathing. Your law has failed to teach me a thing about doing the right thing. I learn from seeing, hearing and reading from those who feel the brunt of the law's consequences. I may not have seen much during my short time on this planet, but I have seen plenty to know the savagery fostered by "the law".

HELL

You want to know where Hell is?
Visit Iraq. Visit Afghanistan. Or Darfur. Or Haiti.
Or any other war zone on this planet.

Too far, you say?
Hell is a lot closer than you think.
Take a trip through any slum in any major city,
or any town in which industry thrived
before it packed up and left.

Still hesitant?
You don't have to go anywhere to find Hell,
for as long as you harbour fear or hatred in your heart,
you are in Hell.

Feel free to share what Hell means to you.

Higher Learning

As an alumnus of the prestigious University of Toronto, I am the lucky recipient of the institution's newsletter. Behold this issue's headline:

Rich White Male appointed as Chancellor

Formerly in control of the flow of Ontario's wealth, Mr. David Peterson has now been granted the task of presiding over the affairs of the University. I suspect the school's selection policy [aside: for fuck's sake, imagine how I talk to people... I spew out half a thought, then hit a wall when the time comes to insert a clause] is a function of the rate of monetary inflow, as is the case with our "democracy".

The rich get to decide how we attain a level of "higher learning".
The rich get to decide how our lives "turn out".

I'm not preaching some "rich white male" conspiracy, far be it from me to do so.
I'm just saying our legislators and business elite seem to always be rich, white males.

The Thanksgiving Address

Dear America,

As your "Thanksgiving" weekend draws to a close and you prepare for another week of operating the economy's machinery, as you're recovering from feasting on flesh and football, I wish to hold your attention for only a short while.

I come to you as a resident on First Nations' land, born during the White Christian year of nineteen hundred eighty. As I was born and raised on First Nations' land, I feel obligated to share with my neighbours on this same land the Iroquois Thanksgiving Address (courtesy of IAEWP). I feel it is only proper that, on this national day of mourning, we listen to the bereaved.

Peace be unto all of you.

Darfur

Darfur war crimes charges prepared

It's downright shameful to see the Western world drag its ass on this matter while people continue to die. This article, from 2002, well before the Darfur region made headlines, should give you a clue as to why the West has been reluctant to dub this ongoing massacre "genocide". The White man goes to great lengths to make us scared shitless of Islam while buying mass quantities of oil from Khartoum and Riyadh. I suppose our beancounters figure, in order for a sustainable economy, not everyone on this planet can enjoy our "freedoms", so they're content with killing and enslaving the non-Whites and snatching the precious resources from under their feet.

TOTAL ECONOMIC COLLAPSE

Sir Nicholas Stern's recent warning prompted me to write the following:

The global economy will collapse in a most catastrophic manner very soon if we continue to live the way we do... not that this should come as news to any of you.

In order to properly sustain a system, you cannot expect to continue to get out more than what you put in. If you examine flow rates of work entering and leaving the system, post-industrialized humankind has extracted from Earth at a far more alarming rate than it has returned to it, rendering the system ill in the process.

In an economic system, natural resources, physical labour and ingenuity have been used as fuel, with profit the primary output. The byproducts, of course, have been rapid depletion of finite natural resources and an unwell workforce (here, "workforce" represents the entire proletariat, both on the floor and in the office), a species among many weakened and destroyed by what we have been "giving back"; we've poisoned the air we breathe, the water we drink and the land on which we live.

Take rural Alberta in the twenty-first century. Since we've discovered the means to extract all this crude oil from the western Canadian heartland, given the vast natural gas resource currently lying beneath the Arctic, things have been just fine; with such a vast, untapped resource comes a gaping demand for workers to design and build the machinery, many of whom have or will have families who require a community in which to live, and, since we all dream of having that suburban home all to ourselves one day, ubran planning will look like a network of cottages centred by Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Nike and every other brand one suburban family sees in a lifetime, on screen and in print, trying to sell it stuff. But what happens when the land finally dries up? Will the jobs still be there? Where will everyone go? Will there be other oil patches?

For those of you reading as residents of Ontario and much of the eastern United States, recall the blackout of August 2003; how did it happen? August in this part of the world can be incredibly hot and humid; millions of uncomfortable human beings simultaneously requiring relief via electric appliances, thus demanding an immense amount of electrcity to be delivered at a given instant. First of all, the infrastructure we have in place can only handle so much transfer of current through its nodes and paths at one time. Second, the vast majority - over 50% from nuclear, about 25% from coal, 7% from natural gas - together, they remind me of our "House of Commons" - of Ontario's electrical needs depends on the availability of finite natural resources whose byproducts intoxicate the planet. Life practically came to a halt when the power stopped flowing, and the power stopped flowing because we took from the system far too much more, far too much faster than what we were returning to it. The system will overload, and all will shut down.

But does it have to end there? If you were here, as I was, how did you remember our behaviour on the roads, and, conversely how did you remember it away from them? Vehicles were in total chaos. The system dictating the actions of the operators ceased to be, leaving the rapid traffic grid in chaos. Many had no idea what to do. Some, taking matters into their own hands, endangered the safety of others at our city's major intersections. The rest, using calm and sense (or, what the locals call "common sense"), made it to their homes safely, where they spent time with those dearest to them, lending help when needed, be it something to eat or a place to stay or simply an ear or a voice. Never before from Toronto had I seen the stars appear as they did that night.

History teaches us how crippling economic disasters are. How quickly we forget the crash of the Allied stock market in October of 1929. Herbert Hoover was run out of office on a rail because of what I suspect would be him telling the public everything was okay as they were looking to their bank accounts and finding nothing. If we paid attention to what was happening throughout the years leading up to this event, we would know that the twenties were, at the time, by far the most prosperous the Anglo-empire had seen; clearly, an example of how overloading the system results in system failure.

Pay attention to the most sought-after natural resources - crude oil, natural gas, uranium - losing control of these means certain economic failure. America, through sheer hubris, is losing its grip on the oil and gas. Canada, its right-hand man, is charged with the increasingly greater task of fuelling the red, white and blue engine. The engine, already overworked, getting as much as it can out of as little as it can, is now forced to work harder with much less. Alberta can't last forever, and they're already selling off what they can to the Chinese - you'll see in a minute how the China, the state, figures only in the calamity - leaving the masses at the mercy of their new owners.

This power struggle can only last for so long, though, before the global economy collapses outright, as we in the West are not the only ones living the dream these days. China and India, whose inhabitants total 1.3 and one billion, respectively, are consuming, like us, at an increasing rate, wasting, like us, at an alarming rate. For fuck's sake, Coca-Cola and PepsiCola were banned entirely from the state of Kerala in India because their products contained pesticides, their factories poisoning the surrounding ground and wellwater, only to have the ban overturned by the foot soldiers of capital, the Bureaucracy. These two states are on the same path as our downward spiral, and they're enjoying the scenery along the way. I think we should take a break from despair.

I believe it was Nietszche - I'm too lazy to do any fact-checking now - said, and I paraphrase, that when you stare deep into the abyss, the abyss stares back, which is why I do so only as a sign of hope when I refer your attention to the city of New Orleans before, during and after its acquaintance with the hurricane called "Katrina". Before, the system could not cope with such a mass exodus - sure, they only had a few days to get out of town, but how far can you get if you have to rely on city transit to get anywhere? These lucky folk were forced to fend for themselves in a total state of chaos. The system failed, and there they were. I'll spare you more of the details because I wish to get to my point, which is thus: those who continue to stare into the abyss that is New Orleans are still here. They are here because they live among those capitalism forgets, yet they are still here because they are using physical labour, ingenuity and whatever resources they have to see that their friends, relatives and neighbours are given the proper sustenance. They are not relying on the system that failed them, but on themselves, and on each other. It is ironic - the i-word proving yet again to be thematic - that, in times of chaos, love maintains life.

While things appear for us to remain stable, let us learn of our history of demise that we need no longer rely on the economic system that is doomed to fail. In the wake of total disaster, we have prevailed. We have the power to not let it happen this time, but if, in fact, we are past the point of no return, I am confident that those who manage to stick around will let love be their guide so that those who could not will have not have been lost in vain, so that they may remain alive in memory. I say this as a mortal human being who may not live to see two hours from now for whatever reason. We, as individuals, are temporal, as is life on Earth, but, while we're still here, let us be kind to one another, and to our home. Let us not succumb to grabbing as much as one can for oneself because that is proving to be our doom.

The final moment of judgement is allegory for what one would do when faced with total chaos. We are bringing forth this judgement by our desire to feed the global economy for the reward of Heaven on Earth. Like the Tower of Babel, its mechanisms will crumble, and the system will collapse, leaving us to fend for ourselves. There will be those who have heeded the warning who will try to grab as much as they can while they still can, to whom I say your money will be of no use to you when you have nowhere to spend it. There will be no icons, for they will have failed these people so terribly that no one will speak of them the same again.

Please use these words not as an alarm of approaching disaster, but as a sign of hope that the people who value life most have the power to make things for the better. There's still time because we're still here and we still care.

Confidence in How Things Are

If there is a bill to be a challenge of confidence, surely, this "Clean Air Act" would be it, not only of our confidence in this current Conservative minority government, but of our confidence in our "democracy".

For nearly a century and a half, we have acted as nothing more than the transfer switch separating either the Conservatives or the Liberals from power. Throughout the history of our nation, we have been at the mercy of the volatile market forces, particularly those who aim to establish a foothold over said market forces. The Clean Air Act, presented to us by the Dishonourable Minster of Environmental Regression, Ms. Rona Ambrose, and by our equally Dishonourable First Minister of "our" House of Commonwealth, the Master of Asses himself, Mr. Stephen Harper, proposes "intensity-based targets", and, seeing as how money dictates every policy decision, one would be led to assume that this would be a ratio of pollutant output versus dollar intake, leaving the door wide open for our oil and gas pirates to secure as much bounty from the North and the West as they possibly can before having to give a damn about the destruction they are doing.

Many of us know by now that oil and gas have practically dictated foreign policy since the white Industrial Revolution. Things aren't going so well for our friends in office to our South, and the cat is out of the bag that an incredible amount of the gasoline used to fuel the nation's trucks and vans and sports cars and motorcycles, and formulate the nation's plastics and various other material needs, comes from Arabia and Persia, where their brothers and sisters are killing and dying by the hour. Luckily for them, our oil and gas has come to the rescue, ensuring preservation of all of society's combustion-based needs through its toothless "Clean Air Act". Leave it to our Fearless Leader, Stephen Harper, to be at the controls at a time during which fuelling the engine of the great machine that is America has become a critical situation.

This piece of legislation should be thrown out, as must the double-talking suits who comprise our government, the cabal responsible for this insult on all things living. This would make two consecutive national governments to have been terminated prematurely. The focus always seems to be on how one failed the other, rather than on the fact that they have both failed, so who now do we entrust the well-being of the land and the creatures who dwell within it?

We do it ourselves. We do it over breakfast. We do it during our water cooler and coffee break conversations. We do it during dinner parties, holidays, and nights out at the pub. We do it as we work together, as we eat together, as we share one another's company. We certainly don't need big business to do it for us, yet this is exactly what we've been doing throughout our history.

If my Bible-study serves me correctly, the story of the tower of Babel cited man's desire to ascend to where he believed he would discover Heaven, only to build and build without end and have his beloved perch crumble under his feet. George Orwell cited similar in his Nineteen Eighty-Four, using the three rigid Ivory Towers as allegory. I hope you are able to see what is at work right now: one percent of our population sits atop several Ivory Towers, trying to build and build and build with the belief that, the more and more they have, the closer they will be to Heaven, but, as we are discovering in a most painful manner, yet still unbeknownst to them, the cracks in the foundations are propagating at an alarming rate.

Try as they might to control the world, their world will collapse beneath them.

Irony rears its ugly side yet again

Arson attempt on Islamic Centre in Europe

Depicted in the photo you see above is a reaction to what may be perceived as persecution. I do not find it surprising at all that Islamo-Christian tension is ripe in Europe, as persecution is nothing new to Eurpoeans. I find it ironic that, once upon a time, it was the Jewish population who was persecuted by the European elite.

Fat-phobia

Click here to read how one woman will not stand for it anymore, then read here about what it means to be thin for far too many.

I can't say I know what it's like to be fat, or even anorexic, but I do know how it feels to be on the receiving end of a steady psychological onslaught because I didn't fit the "norm". For fear of putting my foot in my mouth - that is, if I haven't already done so - I'll end by saying this:

Can we please stop being mean to one another? There's no need for this.

I apologize if I didn't tackle this issue more appropriately.

If it worked in the past, why not try again?

Selling reserve land could help solve poverty, says Calgary professor

First Nations people, you heard the man. Sell what little land you have left to the white man, so that he may build factories, mine resources and reward you with dead-end jobs that will disappear faster than your civilization. Perhaps, this time, the white man will, in return, give you a set of comfortable disease-ridden goose down douvets to keep you warm while your homes are razed.

Professor Flanagan, from the perspective of a wealthy white capitalist, your solution makes sense: let the rich reap the benefits of the land while the residents assimilate and toil for the table scraps. These people did not believe the land was meant to be owned until Whitey came and snatched it all up, slaughtering everything and everyone in its path. Your plan to help "solve" poverty will turn out to be their death knell.

Poverty cannot be solved by capitalism because capitalism thrives on poverty.

"They are afraid"

Read about Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to the United Jewish Communities of America

Like a good propagandist, Mr. Netanyahu drove his message of fear home in the same manner as Mr. Bush et alia have been doing during the past five years: by portraying the Muslim world as freedom-hating savages bent on the destruction of Israel and the Western world.

Like a good propagandist, Mr. Netanyahu failed to mention to his people that many of their homes sit atop razed Arab villages, and that the primary reason organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah exist is that they view Israel, the state, as the bastion of white imperialism in the region.

Like a good propagandist, Mr. Netanyahu made no mention of the fact that, while Iran struggles to develop a single functioning nuclear weapon, the government of Israel is a cheque away from acquiring a stockpile of the latest line of such weapons from Lockheed Martin.

It's unfortunate that the citizens of Israel have to live in constant fear, and it's even worse that this fear is perpetuated by the very people who are supposed to be looking after them. As long as Mr. Netanyahu maintains his swagger, and as long as Mr. Olmert launches assaults on civilians, the people of Israel will have even more reason to be afraid. Attack my position if you will, but I only say this because, when a nation with the largest military presence on the planet on its side beats the war drums, I become fearful of the consequences.

The title couldn't have summed things up better:

"They are afraid."

Fear and Loathing on the Subway Train

Transit systems get $37 million from Canadian government to boost security

Toronto's transit system, one of the worst I've seen, is to receive $11 million of this wonderful bounty to spend on "security". To be honest, I don't feel all that secure with cameras and armed cops watching my every move, knowing full-well that their presence is justified by our upper class' cashing in on crime and war. If you feel "safe" under heavy fortification because you're a "law-abiding citizen" who should have nothing to fear, then you're absolutely right: you have nothing to fear because they have you.

More Canadian Football Infamy

Alouettes players mull racism complaint against Montreal police

Let this be a lesson to all of you: if you're black and look like you have money, you must be a drug dealer and deserve to be treated by the police as such.

I would have liked to have posted this earlier, but couldn't find the words until now.

Not without a fight...

U.S. vetoes Beit Hanoun resolution

John Bolton wants to get his shots in while he still can. After all, someone has to stand up for Whitey.

Hey, kids! Are you ready for some football?

Foster children staying in Winnipeg hotels are to be removed to accomodate Grey Cup fans. Read more here.

It seems now that Manitoba's Minister of Family Services and Housing is stepping up to find lodging for these displaced children. Frankly, it's awfully cold to hold football fans in higher regard than foster children (money talks), but I want to know why these children are living in hotels in the first place.

Of course, the short answer is that the system, despite its efforts to convince us of the contrary, doesn't care about these people, much like how it doesn't care about most of the people it is intended to serve. I'm going to stop here because, right now, I can't do this situation justice with my rhetoric, so I'll allow you to draw your own conclusions from the article.

Speaking of failing the people, read all about the Bipartisan Ship.

serenitynowserenitynowserenitynow

Lucky me... I've been stricken with a migraine all week and it won't seem to go away (and on the evening of my friend's show, no less). It subsides now and then until I get worked up over something, then it kicks me in the teeth.

I need to relax, but I can't, not with the madness surrounding me. This world is a scary place, and it may very well be the death of me.

I get my blood test results from the doctor on Monday. I'll probably be making a trip to some sort of therapist or specialist to help me cope with the mental stress. It appears as though I'll have the opportunity to test the integrity of the medical profession. Call it a hunch, but I'm willing to bet I'll receive the treatment necessary to shuffle me back into the rank-and-file.

I refuse to believe I am sick, even though I am sick. This environment is sick, but as long as pills can be sold, we will always be the ones with the problems. I guess I'll have to bend over and take another one from the system.

The wonderful thing about our message is that, despite our diverse walks of life, we deliver our message with one voice, and there are many of us who do so. One single person will never do enough, but a collective voice is able to resonate across every square foot of planet. That being said, should my brain explode or, dare I say, I end up institutionalized or in love with the American dream, those of you who read this thing carry enough ... money ... cheeseburgers ...

I'm getting carried away. I need to rest somewhat before the show.

Peace and love be unto all of you.

One state, Two state, Red state, Blue state

America,

While you were casting your ballots for the House of Misrepresentatives, your allies in southwest Asia did this. Fear not, though, for it's only happening to "them", over "there".

As for this popularity contest you call "freedom", it matters not whether red or blue dominates the legislature, for both parties very much enjoy being immensely wealthy, meaning we will continue to see exploitation and war, fuelled, of course, by our tax dollars.

Thank you, America, for maintaining the status quo.

Lest We Forget

Fearless Leader kicks off Veterans' Week

Behold: our Master of Asses is at it again, beating the war drums extra loud in time for Rememberance Day, our designated day to reflect on the sacrifices our fighting forefathers made to preserve the freedoms we enjoy, for instance, cheeseburgers, cable television, energy-guzzling technology and the ability to take a giant shit on the rest of the world, not to mention each other.

Allow me to demonstrate what "Lest We Forget" means to me:






Whether or not you feel the cause is just, no person with the slightest shred of compassion should be cheerleading war. While politicians and generals talk of "winning", people continue to die. While politicians and generals scratch their heads on whether to "cut and run" or "stay the course", people continue to die. While our Fearless Leader marches weary veterans out to a cenotaph to act as wallpaper for his token war speech, then tosses them back in the closet for another year of neglect, people continue to die.

I wear a poppy not in support of war, but in support of the veterans who put up with the shit they didn't start. I feel the proper way to pay homage to our veterans and their fallen comrades is to strive to bring about the end of war. No living creature should be subjected to the horrors our forefathers faced and the horrors our brothers and sisters overseas face each and every day today.

While you're being ordered to bow your head like a good citizen for your obligatory moment of silence, at school or work or wherever you may be, try to estimate how many people will die during that time as a result of war.

Apathy: The Silent Killer

Check out how sexism and racial bigotry are available for mass consumption.

Afterwards, Check out how little Toronto's youth cares.

Mitchell Gold for Mayor?

For those of you outside of Ontario, we are to elect our municipal officials on Monday, November 13. In the spirit of "democracy", I thought I would send a questionnaire to the inidividuals running for Mayor, as well as those applying for Councillor of the ward in which I live.

I was particularly struck by the remarks of Mitchell Gold (learn more at homeplanet.org, one of the thirty-five people running for Mayor, particularly by the ideas he posed. Whether you agree with them or not, they deserve as much attention as the force-fed rhetoric of our incumbent, David Miller, and his immediate competition, Jane Pitfield and Stephen LeDrew.

For those of you in Ontario who are voting on the 13th, make yourself aware of any town hall meetings in your ward and try your best to attend them. Let the candidates know how you feel, rather than letting them do it for you.

The following transcript has not been altered in any way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Voter apathy*
- Why do you feel voter apathy is so immense when
electing our municipal representatives?

I think voter apathy is programed by the media - not just by the way they cover the election, but also by the meaningless questions that they tend to focus on. Of course the voters must take some responsibility as well. My preference would be that those who vote get some minor benefit for voting - this could be handled a number of different ways. The funding process for candidates does little to encourage improvement of the system. I could go on in this area but you get the idea. It is really out of our hands.



Crime, violence and drug use*
- What needs to be done to curb crime, violent and
otherwise?
- What needs to be done to deal with increasing drug
addiction?

While these two ideas tend to be inter related my feeling is that crime is a result - not a cause . Drugs are a cause - not a result.

Crime is the result of poverty, and a system that tends to be unfair - sometimes almost mean. a country as wealthy as ours should have a better method of distribution of income - our "welfare" process is debilitating from what I see in the centers where I help people. I have seen well meaning people fall onto hard times and the system is not geared to assisting - many of these people turn to small levels of crime. The larger crime issues is where the great concern is - that is where guns and gangs are involved. City governments are really not equipped to handle the problems. I could go on in greater detail but to a large measure it goes to the values we teach in the schools as well. We have been involved with teaching :"common core curriculum" programs around the world, and we have found when you teach values like respect, honouring the grandfathers and grandmothers there is less crime and less reliance on drugs.

As for drugs - firstly I wan to go on record as saying Marijuana ought not be an illegal drug - it has been proved to have therapeutic values.
I have difficulty with other drugs and any and all chemicals that kids are into . This is a matter of education. I do not fully understand the using of methadone to get people off heroin. I am 64 years old and lived in the Yorkville area since the 60s' and I was never exposed to heroin and other hard drugs. I knew cocaine was around- but I never saw the value in the experience. Too many bad stories. This issue too is one of education and has more of a provincial and federal responsibility. Not that we should not teach what happens when ones ingests chemicals into the body - I think we ought to - I think our training with regards to all stuff we ingest ought to be taken more seriously - including fluoride and chlorine.





Garbage and waste disposal*
- As it stands now, is our disposal/recycling system
adequate? If not, what needs to be done?

Two things need be done - sooner than later. 1) make all apartment building part of the waste system - that would cut 30 % of the waste immediately - all we would need would be to stop the apartment users for m using their existing system for mixed garbage. Separate by having a large bin at every apartment building - and build new apartments with two garbage chutes - not just one. This should be being done right now - but the building codes need to be changes and the city needs to organize itself to handle the increase in separated garbage. Liquor bottles should be handled just like we have done for beer bottles for the past 50 years. - refundable.



TTC operation
- Is St. Clair West right-of-way feasible? Why or why
not? Can it ever be?

I am of mixed feelings on these right of ways - I do not understand the high cost of building them, and I do not understand them to be quicker. I have followed the Spadina LRT and most say it is not faster than before - of course Spadina was one of the widest streets in the City. As for being feasible - sure. it will work. Is it the best thing to do? I think subways are the way to go into the future. The LRT's are a mild compromise because of what we are told is the costs and how it is funded. If we try and analyze a broken economic model for transportation then whatever you endorse will have its pros and cons. I think we need a different wholesale strategy - based upon a next to free system for Seniors (like Calgary) and a next to free system for University and College students - encouraging off hour use for the benefits.


- Are you pleased with the quality of our transit
system? If not, what do you feel needs to be done,
both on the management and infrastructure sides?

Not really satisfied. Last week I took the Aviva up to Newmarket. I was impressed with the system that got me there. The drivers were pleasant - the system was an honour system for payment - the driver stopped to wait for a passenger coming to the stop - the system has a n advertising board at each stop that tells you when the next bus is coming. the TTC has none of this. Today I was astounded to learn that the TTC guys selling Pizza Pizza at the Union Station for the United Way were on their regular paid shift. This included drivers and maintenance guys. They were quick to point out that they put in more than their regular shift - and I only assume they do not put in for overtime - but who knows? I think this kind of community effort is misdirected. When I do charity work I do not get paid for it - even when I do not have an income - you do it because it need be done. But this is a philosophical difference and the Unions are too powerful to challenge on these issues - and they do not know how to discuss it even. This goes even further. There are communities ion the world that use their transit system as a Business development tool. In Brazil for example they offered free transport to all new businesses. they went out an bout state of the art Mercedes Benz Buses. The city became an economic engine in the Province there. This is one example of a success story. We struggle along with 22% of our funding coming from governments - every where else in the world it is 50 - 75%. - and our drivers have time to sell pizzas - go figure.

I do not know if my take on these issues is organized enough for you - as I am just giving a flow of my thoughts.



Toronto City Centre Airport expansion
- Has the battle with the Port Authority been a
worthwhile one? Why or why not?

The Airport is a mess. Not because of the Airport itself - but because of the irresponsible management. I have reviewed their financials and taken them to taks for misrepresentation etc - rather than go on a rant - you can check out my letters on our site - www.homeplanet.org under homeplanet alliance business - letters.
The battle is not over yet there are other large issues at play . Let me just say I am against Porter Airlines and I am neutral on the existence of the Airport. As a sleepy old heritage airport -- providing an emergency service - I am OK with that - even if it loses money. Not everything has to make money. Rather I would have you read my vision of the future for Toronto on the Mayor portion of my site. This vision answers some of the questions you have not asked and identifies some values that we need to address if we see Toronto as a World Class City.



Budget shortfall and taxes*
- Do you feel Toronto is receiving adequate funding
from the provincial and federal levels of government?


NO



- Do you feel Toronto deserves funding from said
levels of government?


YES



- Do you feel residents are paying too much in taxes?
Too little?

Some too much - some too little - it varies.



Education*
- Is the TDSB doing its best to satisfy the needs of
students in Toronto?


NO



- Does it have adequate resources?


Yes - but its resources are mismanaged - the Union has a strangle hold on Education and the Union itself has not incorporated into its own processes what we identified in the late 80"s as Global Education - they shut down the courses because the Union could not figure out how to charge for what it ought to have been teaching already .



Housing and homelessness*
- What needs to be done about homelessness in Toronto?


I have a plan to eliminate the word homelessness from our vocabulary.But it takes a plan. I have written on a specific plan.

Imagine that we changed one by-law to enable all buildings in Toronto (according to desire of area) - the right to build one more story on their building. This one more story will be financed through a program that will have the following qualities. Estimated amount available per home = $50K This amount will be lent by a conventional bank - by way of a mortgage on the property, and this mortgage will have a number of conditions attached to it. ( and guaranteed by the Federal /and Provincial Government in a negotiated percentage.)
1) the person living in the space generated will be a person that comes from "the homeless", a university student, or a senior family member or some levels of mental challenges". This person will have to learn some basic skills in the growing of food (sprouts) and other kinds of vegetables that will be under their charge and growing on a "roof garden" environment similar to the current roof garden project of the city. This person will harvest the food and deliver it to the household or landlord below on a regular and timely basis.
The landlord will receive rent from the tenant to pay down the loan over a ten year period with interest being the main component being interest at conventional rates carried by the tenant and the loan will be paid down by the government according to a formula consistent with the governments commitment to provide housing for the underprivileged and its commitment to eliminate "homelessness".

Some penalty clauses will be built in and this idea will obviously have to be fleshed out, but its basic value to the City should be obvious.

What are the obvious benefits of this activity will be:
An economic boom in the construction industry for all phases of the industry. if we did 10,000 homes in a year, we could generate a half billion dollars of new construction.
We would create a plethora of jobs.
We would have the homeless moved off the streets.
The costs of University housing will go down.
We would take stress off our systems.
We would have a healthier community.
We would have these people empowered, knowledgeable in growing foods, and relationships would be built by people sharing their foods.
The Large condominiums that are being built that are stressing our infrastructure will have less reasons to be built.

We would be able to explore in developing technologies around this project that we could market around the world. Education, health results, measuring systems would all be easy to attach to the process.

Who wins with this? We all do. Is their a loser - possibly large developers that are planning to obliterate our Waterfront and destroy the fabric of our City. But they could then focus on the Portlands and create something magnificent there.




- Do all levels of government need to be involved? Federal - for a funding guaranteee, Provincial for the By-lay, and Municipal for the actual building within the City Plan




Why or why not?

Councillor and mayoral pay raises*
- Are city politicians overpaid? Underpaid?


I think they must be underpaid - that is why we have so many incompetent ones. If we paid them more - or had a methodology whereby the constituents reviewed their work and then paid them according to their level of performance in the neighbourhood - I think we might find a healthier balance between skills and talents and outputs. Some Councillors are very proud they never use their discretionary budgets. those guys I would fire right away. then there are guys /gals that misuse their funds - They should be exposed for this. In general all councillors need to go back to school to learn what it means to be in the Public Trust.- and they should all learn the Thanksgiving Address.



- Why do pay raises warrant so little discussion in
the assembly?

because they are embarrassed to express their true thoughts relative to their own value to the system.



Gardiner Expressway
- Should the elevated section of the Gardiner
Expressway stay or go?

this is not my idea, but it appeals to me - build over the Gardiner - cover it and build over it - this would muffle the sound that comes from it, and would prevent the salt from corroding the infrastructure - at first blush it makes sense - and I would want to explore how this would work - and how the "real estate value" could be used for developing more important areas of the core area of the City. I am appalled at the way development South of Front Street is going - did you know the land has not been bought from the First Nations Peoples yet?



- Do you feel this issue to be a priority in Toronto?
Why or why not?


Priority yes - because it is integral to the development of the Portland's - I see the Portland's as the most important development in the City - $17 billion dollars - we need to change the way this is happening or it will never happen effectively - it is already happening in such a piecemeal way that it is an embarrassment to the existing management. I was joking with the President to the TWRC saying that I pity the auditor who is doing a Value for money audit on the TWRC as there is no way they could possibly get value with 3 levels of government in on every transaction . I saw them waste $1 million dollars on a 30 day test for a bike way. When the islanders scrapped together $200 K to fix up a couple of kilometers of road. The island is a jewel being treated as a poor brother and mismanaged to a level that you would not believe.