WE THE PEEPS 1: 2013-02-10

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Well, it’s Saturday afternoon, and I thought it might be nice to get horizontal on the big couch and watch some television. I was surfing through the channels when, low and behold, I caught a wave at Fox Cable Network News. The “show” that was airing at the time was a re-run of “The Five”. Those of you who watch Fox News already know who the five panelists are, and the rest of us really don’t give a damn. I could only watch about twenty minutes of this show, as I was doubled over in laughter and fell from my perch on the big couch more times than I care to remember.

Very loosely, the main topic of discussion was that of street violence and the efforts at small arms gun control. The panelists started out with three bad people who have been up front in the News lately. First up was a discussion about the South African paraplegic Olympian who allegedly shot his Super-Model girlfriend. It didn’t take the Fox Noise Makers more than thirty seconds before arguments centering around Apartheid took over the conversation. It was at this point that I figured I had better stay tuned to see where this path was going to lead. Well, sure enough, it lead to the college student in Georgia who went on a rampage killing anyone who even resembled a white person. Stating Anthropology as his college major, he obviously blamed his curriculum for creating the rage inside him to boil over. He claims he was trying to get even for the slave trade in this Country. Then came their “Piece d’Resistance”. Center stage shifted to the ex L.A. cop turned murderer. Immediately the claims of liberal bias were leveled at the 47% of this Country who have put this man up on a pedestal, and are using him to point out all the conservative short comings of our Society.

Appropriately sprinkled throughout this panel discussion was black-on-black crime, white-on-black crime, the ACLU’s unconditional love of criminals of any color, or gender, and President Obama’s attempt to quell his detractors by showing up in Chicago to speak about gun control. I won’t get into the statistics that were quoted, because I don’t want anyone falling off their perch in uncontrollable laughter. Of course, the rightwing mantra was repeated over and over again, “The Government wants to take your guns!” As I exited stage left, there was an equally humorous advertisement about how “Obama-Care” is about to deny everyone in this Nation medical care of any type, and how “Obama-Care is about to bankrupt every business, large and small.

I have one small request of Rupert Murdoch; “Please rename Fox News as The Comedy Channel II.” I think your ratings might actually go up.

Support for small businesses falling short in BC

Posted by Felix on Friday, February 15, 2013 · 1 Comment

Conference to support local businesses in Vancouver does everything but

Brought to you by big business, local politicians, with support from Vancouver’s finest economic institutions comes another conference about local business that does not support it.

In response to the Vancouver Economic Commission’s post on their Facebook page advertising the local economy summit aimed at developing local businesses, I ask the question of just how useful these conferences really are for small-to-micro sized local businesses. With costs of just attending at $200, not to mention costs in time and other expenses: is this kind of development purely aimed at those with comfortable government salaries or larger ‘local’ businesses?

Hosted at the Westin Bayshore (not a local brand by far) and supposedly attended by “advocates from around North America, local government leaders, officials from across BC, and well-known economic development experts”, the list excludes the local business community entirely. You know, people that the event is supposed to support. Simultaneously, the event is failing to support local business as their conference is being hosted at an international hotel chain. How does the hosting of a conference to promote and, I would hope, support local businesses get hosted at a large international hotel chain?

We are witnessing the spending of local tax payer money through the attendance of BC government officials on a taxpayer salary and they are excluding the small underfunded businesses that would most benefit from such exposure and networking.

Seeing this lavish use of local tax money to effectively pat each other on their backs while ignoring the real issue of growing local businesses begs the question; what does the government really do to support small businesses?

The government does little but pander to big business with such broad economic policies as the BC Jobs Plan and fails miserably in addressing the issues of small businesses. Small Business, the main source of new jobs, as opposed to big business who are cutting staff to remain LEAN.

Discussions of tax regulations and other macro level solutions that are of little value to the start-up entrepreneur who would find more value in good connections and accessible opportunities are all too common

Furthermore, the BC Jobs Plan that aims to create jobs does little more than add fundinginto an already bloated public education system. A system that already produces more graduates than jobs in many sectors and does little to create new businesses in the province. The additional funding into education seems as mindless as the failure to recognize local businesses.

The BC government and other organizations supposedly trying to support local business or create jobs in the province fail to understand the fundamental building blocks required for small entrepreneurs to succeed. With the exception of companies like Lulu Lemon, or the Jim Pattison group, most jobs are either directly in our government or lost to international competition supported by the same government.

Failing to bring entrepreneurs attainable and realistic opportunities or providing them with the tools and knowledge to create them, the government cannot hope to create new jobs in the economy. Likewise, investing further funds into an education system that is not known for producing entrepreneurs so desperately needed by the local economy will have little effect.

One Comment on “Support for small businesses falling short in BC”

Hutch Dubosque , February 15, 2013

This event peels the cover off the reason that the entire North American Continent is in for a really big surprise in the next six to eight years. Public money is being pushed into middle and higher education in an “effort to compete in the World Economy”. What we have here is the quintessential “chicken, or the egg” question. What we will be left with is a glut of B.A.’s, M.A.’s and PhD’s looking for non-existent jobs. Your “conference” in Vancouver is nothing more than the 1% trying to decide on what feel good story they are going to tell the 99%. Major problem #1: the Public (99%) swallows this garbage hook, line, and sinker. Wake up, folks! You are not being sold down the river; you are already there, just waiting to be loaded onto the ships. You are allowing History to repeat itself. You are fast becoming slaves to the ruling class. Stand up before it’s too late! REVOLUTION, NOW!

Comment #19

Letter to the Editor from Huntington Highway Superintendent William Naughton

By Village Tattler, on February 10th, 2013

Bridge and Tunnel Authority trucks arrive at Huntington Highways’ Elwood facility to assist in clearing the roads.

We have just experienced the worst possible scenario with regard to a winter storm. On Friday, it started off raining and quickly changed over to a record 29-inch snowfall. Because of the rain all roads ended up with a thick layer of ice under the snow.

Our primary method of snow removal has always been using local contractors in small 6 wheel dump trucks or pickup trucks. These trucks have had a very hard time plowing the snow because it is heavy and there is a layer of ice under it. The trucks lose traction and are getting stuck. Because of their frustration with getting stuck and damage to equipment, many of them have left service.

Due to the ice our own equipment has become stuck and some of it has been damaged. Yesterday we reached out to Supervisor Frank Petrone and State and County Emergency Management officials to request heavy equipment like payloaders, 10 wheel dump trucks, backhoes, etc. Some of these requests are starting to be filled. We would like to thank these agencies for helping us out in this trying time.

We are operating today with 100 less contractor pieces of equipment than we had yesterday but please be assured that we will not stop until every road is open to traffic.

We appreciate your patience.

Comment #19 to

“Letter to the Editor from Huntington Highway

Superintendent William Naughton”

· Hutch

February 15, 2013 at 11:32 am · Reply

When the snow starts falling, there are a number of things that should already have happened and a number of things that should be happening throughout the snowfall. #1: All snowplow drivers, private and public, should certainly know how to plow snow. If they don’t, they need some education on the topic (not costly, or time consuming). If it becomes evident that a driver/operator cannot grasp the art of snow plowing, they should not work for the Town, in any capacity. #2: All public snow removal equipment needs to be staged in appropriate areas as to realize their maximum benefit. #3: If 18″-30″ of snow is expected, all plows must be in operation no later than 6″-8″ into the storm. Most plows are not designed to handle more than 8″ of slush and/or wet snow. #4: It is no secret that both the Town and private contractors own and operate Front-end Loaders, Backhoes, and Bobcat style loaders. All these assets need to be brought into the mix, especially in the village where there is a necessity to get rid of the snow, not simply plow it into mounds. If a private contractor refuses to use these assets under his ownership, they need to be terminated from Town contracts. #5: If the Superintendent of Highways cannot manage a simple snow storm, perhaps it is time to reconsider his tenure as an employee of the Town of Huntington (ref. Brookhaven). Lastly, in a town the size of Huntington, there is absolutely no rhyme or reason for the tax-payers to put up with, or accept, this type of performance from the people we elect to run our government. It seems that most of our public officials in the Town of Huntington have been with us for quite some time; if it’s time for a change, let’s not only demand it, but exercise our vote to bring that change to fruition.

Letter to Editor

Letter to Editor sent: 5/11/2012

NY Times

ref.: Easy Useless Economics

by Paul Krugman

subject: kudos to Mr. Krugman

This is the first article I have read in a long time that states, directly, the simple reasons why our economy is in the tank, and is likely to stay that way, if the folks involved keep sitting on their hands. Mr. Krugman is willing to say what no one else dares to: “So now we’re in another depression, not as bad as the last one, but bad enough.” He also comes right out and points to the main element that brought us back from the “Great Depression”- a World War. Moreover, those, for the “nay-sayers”, involved massive amounts of taxpayer money to kick start our Economy, albeit a War Economy.

Due to our modern day depressed Economy, and our collective distaste for another War, the previous option is not realistically feasible. The one avenue that seems to make a great deal of sense, right now, is a massive Government investment towards our National infrastructure. If we are to “throw” money at the problem, let’s toss it in the right direction, and get our money’s worth. Mr. Krugman, please keep this train of thought in the public‘s face until government action is taken.

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Short Bio: Hutch Dubosque is a retired

Manufacturing Engineer who currently

writes on Socio-Political issues

Who's keeping score?

Interesting time line:

WW II 1941-1945 4 years

Cold War 1949-1984 35 years

Korea 1952-pres. 61 years(ongoing-no end in sight)

Viet Nam 1956-1975 19 years

Beirut 1982-1984 2 years

Desert Storm 1992 3 months

OEF 2001-pres. 13 years(ongoing -2014 projected)

OIF 2002-2010 8 years

Now put them in descending order: