Rita

Quote of the Day: “Life in general has never been even close to fair, so the pretense that the government can make it fair is a valuable and inexhaustible asset to politicians who want to expand government.” Thomas Sowell

I’ve often wondered just where and why the editors pick columns that run on the Editorial and Insights (huh?) page. Today, there are actually three interesting articles and not one of them suggests that Ford or Trump are Hitler. Wow. Maybe Jim Poling is on vacation. The first article is by Dr. Evelyn Forget of the University of Manitoba. She presents an argument for a basic income program for Canadians. Now, this article is almost a word for word copy of any article she wrote over a month ago for a website here: https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/november-2020/a-guaranteed-minimum-income-would-be-more-effective-than-current-government-programs/ She bases her argument on the inefficiencies of the various of the government programs that have sprung up from COVID. Interesting article. The second column is from another academic from the University of Brandon, again in Manitoba. Dr. Christopher Schneider suggests that body cameras worn by police departments “will not increase accountability or provide transparency”. Also an interesting read – but unfortunately, Dr. Schneider does not provide much data or specific examples to back up his arguments. Interesting to note that the one example Schneider does use is to point to the George Lloyd death and suggest that the police officer was wearing a body cam but this didn’t prevent his “murder”. The third article is from Rick Lane, a retired steel industry manager. In his column, he suggest that: “It’s time for the world to eliminate state mass murder”. He correctly points out that only non-democratic countries are involved in genocide. He tells us that democratic countries should “intervene whenever a sovereignty violates its Responsibility to Protect”. Yea, nice thoughts on a lazy Friday. But this is of course is just wishful thinking since the non-democratic countries of Russia and China are the worst offenders. And North Korea has a few nukes.

Quote of the Day: “Each new generation born is in effect an invasion of civilization by little barbarians, who must be civilized before it is too late.” Thomas Sowell

Glancing over the Editorial and Insight (huh?) pages today, we have the standard, boring, Graeme MacKay political cartoon featuring either Ford or Trump; we have Benjamin Aduba, a financial restructuring consultant telling us that: “…immigration is a pillar to the country’s economic recovery” but that “more can be done by government, leaders, and employers to challenge money misconceptions.” Ummm, O.K. We also have our Liberal government’s Minister of International Development Karina Gould explain how 400 million people in the world are starving, but then suddenly realize that: “Sadly, most hunger today is a self inflicted wound”. She blames it on war, I blame it on little or no economic freedom. On the Insight (huh?) page we have the criminal thief Svend Robinson telling us it’s time to kill the Trans Mountain Pipeline because… ummm… well I guess he would rather steal stuff than make it. Also on that page, Susan Koswan continues to yammer on about nothing. The only bright spot on the entire two pages is, strangely enough, the editorial today. It talks about two great Canadians, winners of the Lou Marsh trophy. Worth the two minute read.

Quote of the Day: “Much of the social history of the Western world, over the past three decades, has been a history of replacing what worked with what sounded good.” Thomas Sowell

On Page A3, in bold, 36 point font, we have a headline that screams “Temporary bike lanes boosted cycling traffic 41 per cent”. Really? Catherine Thompson reports on the findings in a study by the Region regarding the disastrous bike lanes they put up on major streets. But of course, she doesn’t let us know where the study is published. I found it in the agenda of the Region for Tuesday’s meeting starting on page 57 here: https://calendar.regionofwaterloo.ca/Council/Detail/2020-12-08-0900-Committee-of-the-Whole Of course, the 41% is bogus since they calculate it by taking the pre-bike lane number for the specific sections and then compare that to the number of cyclists using the bike lanes when the temporary lanes were up. So, think about it. If you are cycling to get somewhere in the Region, you would naturally take the fastest and/or the safest route. If you wanted to get downtown Waterloo and lived in the west end part of the city, you probably wouldn’t take Bridgeport Road to get there due to traffic. But if there was a blocked off section of Bridgeport Road, then maybe you would ride on that street. In fact, it appears that 41% more people did just that. However, that doesn’t mean that “Temporary bike lanes boosted cycling traffic 41 per cent”, now does it? If simply means that some cyclists decided to use the bike lanes instead of using an alternate route. Now if they measured the total number of cyclists using all streets in the Region and that total number or even the total number of kilometres cycled was up by 41%, that would be a major accomplishment. But measuring the before and during picture is just false. Oh, and one thing that Thompson conveniently forgot to mention in the report is that: “The inclusion of permanent cycling facilities on each of the roads where temporary bike lanes were added this past summer will be considered as part of the upcoming planning for construction improvements as part of the Transportation Capital Program. Project teams assigned to these projects will consider “road diets” and other means in which to incorporate new permanent bike facilities into these projects.” So, these bike lanes may become permanent. Nice!!!

There has been a deluge of articles and op-eds at TheRecord, all one sided of course, that condemn the Ford government reigning in the 36 conservation authorities in Bill 229. The editorial today also joins the parade and calls the bill a “bulldozer” that has “flattened the GRCA”. Well, I’ve only dealt with the GRCA twice in my life, both times as a volunteer for a children’s outdoor recreation facility that uses space along the Grand. Both times have been complete disasters in dealing with these brutal, dictatorial, little asses. I say anything that diminishes their abusive power, is clearly a good thing. And I just love the opening paragraph in the editorial: “Doug Ford has just issued an open invitation for developers to run roughshod over the Grand River watershed and the one million people to live in it.” Over the top? Well, not if you’re and editorial writer at TheRecord.

Quote of the Day: “I prefer a thief to a Congressman. A thief will take your money and be on his way, but a Congressman will stand there and bore you with the reasons why he took it.” Walter E. Williams

Jeff Outhit’s front page article today tells us that Waterloo Council raised average taxes 3.9% last year and now with all of the COVID related hardships, they are raising taxes 3.5% this year. O.K., will we see an editorial condemning this ridiculous increase from TheRecord’s editorial board in the near future? I’m not holding my breath.

On the Insight (huh?) Page today, we have some writer named J. S. Porter who suffers from Stage 4 TDS and that’s why he is on the Insight (huh?) Page today.

Quote of the Day: “Most of the great problems we face are caused by politicians creating solutions to problems they created in the first place.” Walter E. Williams

In her column today, Luisa D’Amato suggest that “Wilmot may have bigger problem than its mayor”. She is referring to the just stupid decision from the Region’s Integrity Commissioner that Les Armstrong’s apology wasn’t enough for the cancel culture crowd (CCC) and he has to apologize again. But I get the feeling that D’Amato hasn’t watched the video herself since she wouldn’t make stupid comments trying to suggest that merely linking to a video by the Hodge Twins “was an inappropriate move. Racist, even…” What nonsense. Again, my hate / love / hate relationship with her continues…

Today’s paper is 18 pages. Out of those 18 pages, one page of comics, one quarter of a page of “Elle”, one quarter of a page of horoscope, a page of weather and TV listings (what, no one has a computer???) and four pages of ads. So, 11 and a half pages of news, sports and obituaries. Am I getting my money’s worth?

Quote of the Day: “It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.” Thomas Sowell

Luisa D’Amato has a great tribute to Pearl Sullivan on the front page of TheRecord today. Dr. Sullivan was the first female dean of Engineering at UofW. Very interesting and worth the 3 minute read.

On the Editorial Page today, we have some guy named William Cooper, an American attorney (so says his bio) who suffers from Stage 4 TDS and that’s why he is on the Editorial Page today. After all of the election lawsuits are settled and if Biden has won, I wonder who is going to fill the op-ed pages after Trump leaves? I guess they will just be blank.

So a group of kids harassed a couple of people last month. They intimidated two riders on the LRT using racist language and then banished a knife to rob someone later that evening. My first reaction when I heard about this is – where are the kids’ parents? But Caleb Redikop in an op-ed on the Insight (huh?) page suggests that: “The actions by the children in this story should reveal to us the colonial and systemic racism that is built into our regional system and history.” Oh my. And by the way, Caleb is a Master of Social Work student at WLU. Good luck with your studies…

Quote of the Day: “Liberals seem to assume that, if you don’t believe in their particular political solutions, then you don’t really care about the people that they claim to want to help.” Thomas Sowell

In the past few days, we have been treated to numerous, full page ads urging us to “Give the Gift of Trusted News” by paying for a subscription to TheRecord. Fitsum Areguy is a “Local Journalism Initiative Reporter” at TheRecord who is being funded by my tax dollars. In his front page story today, he talks about “Undocumented People Falling Between the Cracks”. O.K. first of all, his article does not describe “undocumented people”, it is about illegal immigrants – who are living and working in Canada illegally. Period. End of discussion. An “undocumented” person is when I forget to put my wallet back in my purse and then go somewhere. Yes, these illegal immigrants face stress and are in a “precarious position” as he suggests, but that still doesn’t resolve the fact that they are here illegally. He tells us that some of them came to Canada under temporary work permits, they worked in various jobs, made money to take back home and now their permits have expired – so it’s time to leave. They came here knowing the rules, they worked here under those rules, but now that it is time to go back home, they suggest that the rules do not apply to them. Does Areguy want us to feel sorry for them? In any case, why would anyone want them to stay in Canada and become Canadian citizens when every minute they are here, they are here illegally? Strange how Areguy doesn’t even bother to approach this subject. So much for “trusted news”.

Wilmot Mayor Les Armstrong made a critical error last summer. He posted a link to a video from the Black, (yea, that’s right, Black) comedy team of twins Kevin Hodge and Keith Hodge called: “White Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter Exposed!”. The Hodge twins are huge Youtubers with over 5,100,000 subscribers and their videos have been viewed an astounding 910,000,000 (that’s 901 Million – with an M) times. After the post, he took a bit of heat from a bunch of snowflakes that obviously have never heard of the Hodge Twins or even looked at the video. Feeling some pressure, he apologized. Big, huge, brutal mistake – because once the cancel culture crowd (CCC) are involved, there is no pleasing them. A total of four people sent complaints to the Township and the Region. This of course set off an official investigation into his actions by the Township Integrity Commissioner. He is finally finished his report and it was tabled on 27 November 2020. In it, the Commissioner, Robert D. Willians, Ph.D. tells us that Armstrong didn’t apologize enough and to the right people, so he wants an apology do over from Armstrong. I read the report and noticed this interesting paragraph: “22. This report will not delve into the content of the video itself or its messages or into the intricacies of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement that has advocated on behalf of people who have faced persecution or injustice nor into the contrary views of those who have engaged in the issue of racism by promoting the phrase used as the title of the video that has been described as a staple ‘white supremacist mantra.’” So, the Commissioner might not have even looked at the video either but simply looks at the partial video title to condemn Armstrong. And he calls himself an “Integrity Commissioner”. Of course, TheRecord hasn’t posted a link to the Commissioner’s report and they still haven’t posted a link to the video and the still haven’t mentioned the complete title of the video – just the partial title as Williams did. So much for “trusted news”.

Here is the video link again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6FSoZBujeg

Here is the “Integrity” Commissioner’s report – it starts on page 421: http://www.wilmot.ca/en/Modules/News/index.aspx?newsId=ec6856ec-da25-4ccf-8a05-ab553aea6a52

Oh, and on page A3, I found this little gem of an article: “Who to call with concerns about social gatherings”. It lists a bunch of phone numbers where Karens of the Region can report if your kids come over to Christmas. So much for “trusted news”.

Quote of the Day: “Prior to capitalism, the way people amassed great wealth was by looting, plundering and enslaving their fellow man. Capitalism made it possible to become wealthy by serving your fellow man.” Walter E. Williams

I really didn’t like John Milloy when he was a member of the provincial legislature under Dalton McGuinty – and I really didn’t like him when he was under Kathleen Wynne. But he is out of politics now and currently the Director at the Centre for Public Ethics at Martin Luther University College – affiliated with WLU. He has written a couple of op-eds for TheRecord that I can remember over the last year or so. Each one, I’ve found to be thought provoking and a pleasure to read. His column today is exactly that. He talks about the proposed federal legislation that expands the boundaries of assisted suicide. He doesn’t really take a side – he just lays out the facts. Well worth the 2 minute read.

I’ve always wondered just how many Letters to the Editor TheRecord gets every day? I’ve always wondered just why TheRecord prints only the stupid Letters to the Editor every day? Take the two LTTE today. Some guys from Baden suggests that the province could save money by not funding Catholic schools. I guess people in Baden (well, at least one person in Baden) never heard of the BNA Act or read anything about the Canadian Constitution. Oh well. The other LTTE is from some clergy type person who tries to use a Bible verse to criticize COVID lock down protesters. Really, Reverend? Don’t you have other more pressing issues to preach about instead of condemning a couple dozen people who are protesting the destruction of tens of thousands of businesses across the country? I guess not…

So what is Graeme MacKay ever going to do when President Trump leaves the White House? Who cares.

Walter E. Williams has died. Ever since I can remember, I have read, enjoyed and learned from his great columns on economics and life in general. Here are some of the tributes to him:

https://www.ocregister.com/2020/12/02/never-forget-the-great-walter-e-williams/

https://www.creators.com/read/thomas-sowell/12/20/walter-e-williams-1936-2020

https://www.aei.org/carpe-diem/walter-e-williams-r-i-p/

https://reason.com/2020/12/02/i-just-do-my-own-thing-walter-williams-rip/

Quote of the Day: “Nothing is as permanent as a temporary government program.” Milton Friedman

Bonus Quote of the Day: “One of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results.” Milton Friedman

Waterloo Region has operated a number of day care centres “for decades”, Luisa D’Amato tells us in her column today. Now that the Region is facing some rather tough financial times, they have to make some spending decisions. Based on an audit earlier this year by KPMG, they are contemplating cutting the five daycare centres at the end of the year. Councillors will vote on this next week. Of course, the usual suspects are lighting their hair on fire and predicting the end of the world. D’Amato starts off her column by stating: “This could not be a worse time for Waterloo regional council to consider closing the five child-care centres it has operated for decades.” She doesn’t tell when it would be a good time (see quote number 1). She suggests that: “There are also broader concerns that closing these centres will insidiously lower the quality of child care in privately owned and non-profit centres across the region”, but doesn’t attempt to explain why or even how this will happen. Isn’t the price of goods a function of supply and demand (two words I don’t think D’Amato has ever heard). And isn’t “quality” a function of price? Never mind… D’Amato explains: “Part of the reason that the child-care centres are under threat is they are more expensive to operate. A report by KPMG, the accounting and audit firm, shows that the salaries of the unionized workers in the regionally-owned centres are higher than in other centres.” Well, actually the report shows that the Region pays it’s workers over twice(!) what daycare workers make on average in other centres – a point she neglected, but clearly needed to emphasize. She also didn’t mention how much money these childcare centres have lost over that last few decades (see quote number 2). But to her credit, she also mentions a number of questionable expenditures by the Region including my favourite – the half a Million dollar temp bike lanes. But this still doesn’t excuse the fact that this “service” is brutally expensive and just can’t be justified. She concludes by saying: “But now, the continuation of all these ‘discretionary’ services, not only child care, is in question in another report released late last year by KPMG. More discussions like this one are coming in the future. Fundamental changes may be on the way. But what a sad commentary on our priorities it is that child care, so badly needed as we try to rebuild from the wreckage caused by the pandemic, is the first.” Of course, no mention by D’Amato of the tax savings as one of “our priorities”, but then why would she?

Quote of the Day: “Much of the social history of the Western world, over the past three decades, has been a history of replacing what worked with what sounded good.” Thomas Sowell

I’m not exactly sure why TheRecord writers, especially Luisa D’Amato and Joel Rubinoff have such ongoing love affair for the anti-police group ReAllocateWR. I wrote about these morons and their ridiculous suggestions for dumping about $30 Million from the current police budget back on 28 October 2020. They want to “invest in community-led food security farm and garden programs” etc. instead of actually cutting the crime rate through enforcement. In her column today, D’Amato attempts to give this group of misfits some credibility by posting a comment by one of their members at a Police Board Budget meeting. Really??? Time for a reality check…