Unproductive Capital

How not to run a business or is it? Turns out that Canadian business is cash rich but still increasingly in debt. That debt is in loans for investment in more short term ways to make cash.

Canadian business has failed to invest in technological upgrades to improve its productivity, instead relying on cheap labour to improve its productivity.

Canadian businesses hold about $372-billion in deposits, which represent about 12 per cent of their assets, compared with 8 per cent in 2002, said Earl Sweet, assistant chief economist with Bank of Montreal. During the past three years, business deposits have increased at an average annual rate of 15 per cent, which is twice the historical average, according to the bank. "With cash flow growing substantially faster than operating requirements, businesses have deployed excess funds to fixed-term deposits in order to improve overall profitability," he said.

The surplus cash has increased the importance of cash management strategies, according to the bank. Small and medium-size businesses with surplus cash tend to invest in short-term debt, variable rate guaranteed investment certificates and escalating rate GICs with terms up to three years, said Julie Sheen, vice-president and head of BMO term investments.

Although corporate debt issuance during 2006 increased to $36.5-billion, up from $22-billion during the same period a year ago, the growth has largely resulted from debt issued by banks and other financial institutions, the asset-backed securities market and foreign issuers of Canadian debt

And this despite the tax breaks they got from their friends in government. And despite the subsidies,corporate welfare, they get federally and provincially on top of that.

And despite their efforts to create tax free havens like Income Trusts for all that capital. Capital that continues to circulate as money instead of being invested in company assests (variable capital); labour and technology.

Wayne Hanley, National Director, United Food and Commercial Workers

Lower paying jobs:

"My concern there is that a lot of these jobs are at the lower end of the pay scale as it relates to manufacturing jobs that we're losing. Becoming a society of service workers that work in banks and financial institutions, my concern is that one day we're going to have an economy based on the exchange of money between Canadians and we're not going to see manufacturing, building and exporting."

The dollar:

"I don't think we've felt the full impact of the 90-cent dollar as it relates to manufacturing jobs. I think it's going to get worse. I think manufacturing jobs are being affected by the global market, products being produced elsewhere in the world at significantly less costs."

The corporate bosses still gripe about wages and benefits for workers, while taking home record breaking salaries and benefits, unsure of what to do with all that wealth.

Role of company boards is piece of puzzle as scandal over stock options widens

Put CEOs' pay in escrow, former SEC head urges

Sale by Chairman of the Board (CNW, 06-09-06)

But failure to invest that cash in wages and benefits is what is creating the current labour shortage.

Like housing it's a sellers market for labour.

Prosperity's hidden toll

Productivity sags as jobs go begging in red-hot marke

The Jobs Everywhere phenomenon is creating a curious scenario, especially in the McJob sector. The work ethic in this sector appears to be collapsing, particularly among 16- to 20-year-olds, says Todd Hirsch, a labour market-shortage expert for the Canada West Foundation.

"They don't think it's necessary to show up on time, or at all," says Hirsch. "They know they can walk across the mall and get another job, and maybe be paid more." Anecdotes abound as to how younger, part-time employees understand they're holding all the cards.

Recently, a local Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant was closed indefinitely because it couldn't find enough staff to operate, posting a sign on its door saying: "Due to unavailable staff, we are unable to open doors at this time."

With four or five job offers available to young people, the feeling is: "I don't really need to work that hard," says Hirsch.

He points to the catering industry, which experiences a slow season from January to March, when most low-skilled workers are usually laid off. Instead, they are being paid $10 to $12 an hour to do pretty much nothing but be around for the start of the high season in May.

If it sounds desperate, that's because it is.

And like housing, labour is an investment, which is productive but does not immediately translate into $$$ like investments in the stock market which is what income trusts and other business stratgems are all about.

Bell Aliant income fund approved

Canfor Shareholders Approve Pulp Income Trust

Despite real growth in productivity in our manufacturing sector thanks to just in time production methods, multi-tasking, longer shifts, forced overtime production all due to job cuts and the resulting speed up on the job.

Our current Minister of Industry insists on the need to drive wages down by announcing the need to create further free trade deals abroad which opens the door for more outsourcing of base manufacturing.

Who betrays us?

CHRIS BUCKLEY

president, CAW Local 222, Oshawa, Ont. -- Perhaps International Trade Minister David Emerson can help the 15,000 members of Canadian Auto Workers Local 222 in Oshawa, Ont., reconcile two stories in yesterday's Report on Business.

The first (GM Plant Wins Laurels, No Promises) reports that the Oshawa No. 2 car assembly plant has once again won the J. D. Power award for the highest-quality output in the Western Hemisphere. Yet, General Motors wants to close the plant. Why? Because a one-way flood of offshore imports is destroying the market share of GM and other North American producers, leaving them with too much capacity.

Which brings us to the second story, where Mr. Emerson commits to accelerating free-trade talks with South Korea and other offshore markets (Canada Lags In Global Trade Race: Emerson). He writes off opposition from the auto industry and other crucial export sectors as special interests, and promises to help them become globally competitive. But the numbers prove it: We are already super-competitive. Yet, even with the best quality and productivity, our jobs will continue to disappear so long as countries such as Korea are allowed to treat trade as a one-way street: Korea bought only 400 Canadian vehicles last year, versus 130,000 Korean vehicles sold in Canada. Their products compete directly with what we build in Oshawa.

At the very moment when we are pulling out all the stops to save Canadian auto jobs, our own trade minister wants to give Korea's burgeoning auto exports to Canada an extra boost. This is a betrayal of Canada's economic interests.

Ironically what is dragging down our productivity is not the manufacturing sector it's in the banking and financial services sector. Which is NOT unionized.

So wages and benefits are not the problem here. Its again investment in technology and labour that is lacking as the banks take huge hits on criminal activity like the Enron Scandal.

Fix the financials: Productivity growth of Canadian financial services seriously lags manufacturing

Against that lacklustre backdrop, data released yesterday offer a few surprises, including an unpleasant one from the financial services sector. Manufacturing's productivity growth since 2004 has exceeded the overall economy's performance by a remarkable quarterly average of three percentage points. However, the broad financial services sector has underperformed the economy by more than one percentage point over the same period -- a huge difference in the productivity measurement world. And the gap is not transient. Labour productivity in manufacturing has grown by 25% since 1997, while the gain was only 10% for financial services.

Again the Chamber of Commerce and other voices of business demand more handouts for business while business rolls in the dollars. Productivity gains in Canada have been made at the expense of workers, not through tax cuts to business, or state subsidies.

Job cuts make productivity a harder sell

Study says losses are necessary to keep manufacturers competitive

Well of course when workers hear 'productivity' they know what that means.

The failure here is for business to invest in technology to compliment labour, rather they are hoarding their profits to make more money. That is unproductive use of capital.

Job cuts of course is the easy way out in the short term, in the long term Canada's productivity crisis is the failure of capitalists to invest their capital in their businesses. And Income Trusts are not their businesses.

Remember those who say that business should run the state well I think they already do by this track record. Producing surpluses for their shareholders but failing to invest in infracstructure of the company. Producing surpluses for taxpayers but failing to invest in infrastructure and social services.

Also See: Boom and Bust



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Bank Theft

Here is another case of bank theft which is legal of course. No one goes to jail for ripping off customers, us, while making profits off the stolen money. Of course not that's business as usual for banks.

BMO Bank of Montreal to Reimburse Customers for Mortgage Penalty Overpayments

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Boom and Bust

Yep that's the prediction being made by some chicken little economists.

History shows boom could turn into a bust

Economist: Rate hikes key

The sixth commodity boom since 1972, it is about 60% longer in duration and more than double the amplitude the average of the last five booms.

Booms that peaked in 1981, 1990, 1997 and 2001 were each followed by large price reversals. In the last three booms, which had averaged 40 months, prices gave back 60% of their gains on average within just 16 months.

There was one major exception. Prices stabilized for a lengthy period after the peak in 1974, largely because the government controlled oil prices.

In four of the five cycles, the peak in commodity prices occurred within a few months of the peak in monetary conditions. The economy then experienced a recession or sharp slowdown.

Which leaves the Bank of Canada between a monetarist rock and a hard place. Raise interest rates and hasten a cooling off of the market prices? Or leave well enough alone. The latter of course is anathema to the interventionists at the bank, though common sense to the rest of us and the market. Dollar surges on jobless report

Canadian Labour Congress/Jobs: Labour to the Bank of Canada, 'Don't Slam the Brakes!'

Employment is at the highest level since 1974. Commodity prices are at the highest level since 1974. Inflation is lower than in 1974

In 1972 the Arab Oil embargo led to increased oil prices and increased employment and wages. 1974 the markets crashed and led to the long recession of ten years and increasing interest rates and declining employment. Wage and Price controls were introduced followed in the eighties with the high interest rate policies of the Tories. All for naught. Things got worse until oil and the markets were regulated.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation: Strong Labour Market Fuels Housing Sector

Canadian economy booms with gains in consumer spending

With current worker productivity (surplus value) increased three times higher than wages, despite the failure of Canadian capitalists to invest in productive technology, the market boom is being driven not by production or manufacturing by by consumer growth in the housing and extended credit card debt.

Soaring dollar helps fuel record jobs boom

Canada's shopping, hiring spree sends unemployment rate to 31-year low

The high dollar has also kept inflation under wraps, letting interest rates stay lower in Canada than in the United States, economists noted. And lower interest rates have led to a building bonanza across the country -- meaning lots of jobs in construction, real estate, financing and home-related services. "We would expect services to do well with the higher dollar, and concomitant with that, lower interest rates," said Philip Cross, chief of economic analysis at Statscan.

Economy employment surge 'off the charts'

96,700 new jobs in May: Central bank could feel pressure to raise ratesStatistics Canada said the jump drove unemployment down 0.3 percentage points lower to 6.1%, the lowest level since 1974.

After cooling earlier in the year, wages increased 3.8% in the month from 3.1% in April, driven by a scorching 7.3% rise in Alberta.

The Canadian dollar, hammered in recent days by the plunge in commodity prices, staged its biggest one-day bounce on the report in nearly two years. It rose 1.6% to US90.45 cents.

"I feel kinda whiplashed," said David Wolf, Canadian economist at Merrill Lynch. "On the face of it, it's gargantuan. It's off the charts."

"Arguably for the Bank of Canada what's really important here is the unemployment rate at 6.1% and the fact the wage measure popped right back up to almost it's cycle high,

The breakdown of job creation matches up with what has been happening in the economy.

The largest gains were in finance, insurance, real estate and leasing -- industries which have been feeding off the real estate boom and previously soaring stock markets.

CANADIAN COMPETITIVENESS:
A Decade after the Crossroads

The growth of the Canadian economy in the last ten years has been fuelled primarily by a higher proportion of employed persons in the workforce and longer working hours, especially in the second half of the decade. In contrast, capital investment experienced a declining growth rate, and multifactor productivity growth was strikingly low.

In the traded goods sector, the decline in relative productivity[10] combined with the fall in worldwide commodity prices during the 1990’s precipitated the dramatic fall in the Canadian dollar. It traded at 87 cents US at the release of Canada at the Crossroads, but fell by mid-1998 to a trading range of 63-69 cents US.[11] The fall in the exchange rate eroded the living-standard of Canadians further.

While some laud the lower Canadian dollar as enhancing competitiveness by decreasing the relative prices of our exports, the true effect is exactly the opposite. A low Canadian dollar dulls the incentive for upgrading and competing on any basis other than lower price. In addition, in the Canadian context, the low dollar makes investment in upgrading more expensive. Approximately 70% of Canada’s installed machinery and equipment is imported.[12] Consequently, the low dollar during the 1990’s made machinery and equipment imports dramatically more expensive, which is likely to have contributed to a fall in the growth rate of capital stock per worker, thus making labour productivity growth still more difficult to achieve.

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State Capitalism Quebec Style

Quebec contributes to $630M CAE plan for new flight simulators

Corporate Welfare rules in Canada.

State Capitalism is alive and well in Quebec despite Charest's neo-liberals being in power. Here is another example of public capital being used for private profit (P3's). Whether it is a loan, an investment or a subsidy the problem is that it profers neither ownership nor workers control.

Nothing new here really, whether it is the PQ or the Liberals. Whether it is Bombardier or CAE, Quebec subsidizes and protects its industries, while asking Ottawa for funding to bouy up its manufacturing base.

The irony is that all parties in Quebec including the BQ support NAFTA. They aren't worried about soverignty as much as marketing into the protectionist market south of us, dominated by the State Capitalist Military Industrial Complex of the US.

Also See:

A History of Canadian Wealth, 1914.

Origins of the Captialist State In Canada

Canada's State Capitalist Success

Corruption, nationalism and capitalism

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Cod Damn It

Here is a clear cut case of ignoring science for the sake of Harprocrite politics; get votes. Gee just like they do with Kyoto.

NL fishermen get a year to test health of inshore cod stocks

"[This] is not based on science. If you're going to operate a test fishery, you're not going to find anything new in terms of the status of the stock. That's well understood," said Myers, who worked for years as a federal fisheries scientist in Newfoundland.

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Shot To The Head?

Zarqawi was still alive when troops arrived, military says
So should we check for bullets in his body?
Given the CIA speciality of two taps to the head.


Also See: They Bombed Zarqawi Like Saddam


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Secret Society Not So Secret

The most infamous of the secret societies of the ruling class the Bilderberg Group is meeting in Ottawa this weekend.

This is the ultimate global old boys club.

And they are getting well deserved attention from the blogs and the MSM.

Not so secret anymore, eh boys.

Ok not all of them are boys.

Ontario: World's elite meet
Global luminaries such as Henry Kissinger, David Rockefeller and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands began arriving in Ottawa yesterday for the annual gathering of the ultra-secretive Bilderberg Group. Over the next three days, they and political and business leaders from North America and Europe will discuss issues such as the security threat posed by Iran and the oil markets.

And the dummies managed to get more publicity by using their government connections to ban one of the alternate press reporters, who has been documenting them for years, from coming into Canada. Opps dumb move.

Police State or Overzealous Border Patrol? Alex Jones Incident

Alex Jones Detained On Orders Of Bilderberg Group
15 hours of hell at the hands of immigration who knew they were coming

DETAINED ON ORDERS OF BILDERBERG
Free Market News Network, FL - 18 hours ago
Alex Jones and his team were detained by Canadian immigration on orders of the Bilderberg Group for a 15 hour nightmare of interrogation, accusations and ...

TERROR PLOT DIVERSION FROM BILDERBERG? Free Market News Network

Bilderberg-bound filmmaker held at airport Ottawa Citizen
Filmmaker says Immigration agents detained him Ottawa Citizen
all 5 related »

Call this my Carnival of the Bilderberger

BLOGS

Bilderberg Coverage Starts Rolling In

"Ottawa: Bilderbergs at Brookstreet Report"

azerbic - Antonia Zerbisias - Toronto Star Blog: If You Can Read This I Still Have A Job

Grandinite » Bilderberg In Ottawa

Bilderburger

Bilderberg is coming to Ottawa?

FSME: Bilderberg Conference 2006

International Forecaster June, 2006 (#1) - Gold, Silver, Economy + ...

Bilderberg Masters of destiny - Gold & Silver Forum

root.cellar

IT-Analysis.com - Robin Bloor - Microsoft Agonistes

David Corn

The Bilderbergers - Masters of Our Destiny? - Share The Wealth

HipHopCanada.com :: View topic - Bilderberg Group Meeting: Ottawa

The Randi Rhodes Show -> Bilderberg Annual Meeting

indoctriNATION » Blog Archive » The Bilderberg Comes To Canada

Loco Locass :: Voir le sujet - Les Bilderberg à Ottawa!!!

TURMEL: Social Credit Matriarch at 3rd Bilderberg picket

Home - YayaCanada.com

You won't find any Bilderberg stories here, though.


ALT MEDIA

Debating World Domination: Bilderberg Meets in Canada's Capital

Bilderberg 2006 and the Killers of Freedom

Bilderberg to discuss destruction of Americas Free Trade Agreement ...

Bilderbergers meet secretly today in Ottawa

Bilderberg mafia comes under scrutiny of Canadian media

SPECIAL REPORT: BILDERBERG SECRET MEETING * BROOK STREET RESORT * OTTAWA, CANADA JUNE 8-11, 2006

Infowars Coverage of Bilderberg Conference

Bilderberg 2006: Bilderberg to Meet in Canada

HARPER NEW BILDERBERG BOY by James P. Tucker Jr.

Ottawa Independent Media Center

Neocon Prince of Darkness Sighted at Bilderberg Meeting

The New World Order, it's their party! (Part 3)

Bilderberg In Ottawa In 2006

Bilderberg à Ottawa!! - CMAQ -

GNN Should Cover Bilderberg

Bilderbergers Coming to Ottawa? | Mostly Water

HOW DO THEY KNOW THEY’RE INVITED?

A Deeper Look at the Bank for International Settlements

MSM

Kanata hotel hosts high-level power group

Shadowy group meets amid secrecy in Ottawa

VIPs' arrivals marked by a discreet 'B'

US Sen. John Edwards at Bilderberg - (United Press International)

The New Brunswick connection

MuchMusic Message Board: Bilderberg Group Meeting: Ottawa, June 8 ...

Secretive set converges on Ottawa

Elite firm to guard top-secret meeting in Kanata

Bilderberg lands in Ottawa

Elite are ever elusive

World's elite gather to brainstorm in secret

'These guys love secrecy'

Bilderberg holds secretive meeting

Secretive, powerful Bilderberg group meets near Ottawa

Secretive meeting of powerful society a conspiracy theorist's Woodstock

Secret meetings set?

Bilderbergers head for Canada

A conspiracy with no limits

Secretive power brokers meeting coming to Ottawa?

Ottawa braces for Bilderberg fever

Halifax Live - Powerful Men Who Meet Secretly and Plan

Cyprus represented for first time at secret Bilderberg meeting

Older Bilderberg Research

(I have attempted to exclude the wildest of the conspiracy theorist fringe from these links)

Steven Harper and the Bilderbergers Secret Meeting : Thunderbay IMC

Daniel Estulin: Infiltrating Bilderberg 2005

The world in the palm of their hands: Bilderberg 2005

Bilderberg strikes again

Bilderberg 2005 attendees - Webmaster Forum

2005 Bilderberg Guest List

Bilderberg's Secret Agenda 2005. May 12, 2005

FREE PRESS INTERNATIONAL: The Bilderberg Group 2005

Canadian Politicians in League with the Bilderbergers

Hidden masters of the world

Lord Black the Canadian Bilderberger

Vive le Canada - Unification the real Canadian Bilderberg agenda

CNN admits the existence of the Bilderberg Group.

New York Times: Edwards passed Bilderberg muster

BBC NEWS | Magazine | Bilderberg: The ultimate conspiracy theory

BBC NEWS | Americas | Inside the secretive Bilderberg Group

Guardian Unlimited | Today's issues | The Bilderberg group

Counterbias: Open Letter to the Bilderberg Steering Committee

Where is the media at Bilderberg?

Bilderberg media blackout

Media Blackout on Trilaterals

Media Moguls who attended Bilderberg meeting in 2005

Intelligence: 52nd Bilderberg Meeting

SchNEWS: The Bilderberg Papers

The Bilderberg Group: Planning the World's Future Behind Closed Door

Bilderberg - SourceWatch

Bilderberg Group

2003 Bilderberg Meeting: Information From Answers.com

The Bilderberg Group@Everything2.com

danieldrezner.com :: Daniel W. Drezner :: I'm off to join another secret cabal

The masters of the universe

TRANSNATIONAL PROGRESSIVISM (2)

Ming the Mechanic: Bilderbergers

WorldNetDaily: Bilderberg group meeting near DC

Bilderberg group wants vigorous Atlantic alliance

TrueFacts.co.uk -

A-Infos (en) Bilderberg-group meeting in Stenungsund, Sweden.

National Security Advisor Samuel R. Berger Remarks to the Bilderberg Conference 1999

Bilderberg Meeting 1999

SAMUEL R. BERGER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR

REMARKS TO THE BILDERBERG STEERING COMMITTEE November 4, 1999

House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 4 Jul 2000 (pt 1)

House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 7 May 1999 (pt 2)

Bilderberg Propaganda Rules the Planet

Enigma Issue 16: An investigation into the Bilderberg Group

Bilderberg 1996: A close call for thwarting a scheme to partition Canada

SECRET TORONTO BILDERBERG MEETING 1996

PMag v12n4p06 -- An Elite Pow Wow

Bilderberg Group Whos Who

The Bilderberg Group- Wikipedia

Bilderberg Group - Demopedia

Bilderberg Origins - The Biggest Secret Forum

Browse Subjects: B -> Bilderberg Meetings

Secretive Bilderberg Founder Dies

Bilderberg Conferences Collection

Bilderberg Club

Bilderberg and the West
by Peter Thompson
excerpted from the book
Trilateralism
edited Holly Sklar
South End Press, 1980

Mary Rawson / The Trilateral Commission

THE BILDERBERG FILE
Read the actual Bilderberg meeting report of the 1973 Conference. The report comprises approximately 70 pages and includes the Introduction by H R H Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands.

Them: Adventures with Extremists by Jon Ronson, reviewed by Michael Walker.

news | jonronson.com

The Secret Rulers of the World - Entire Chapter about Big Jim Tucker and the Bilderberg Group from Them: Adventures with Extremists. (46 page .pdf)

Guardian Unlimited Books - Who Pulls the Strings? Extract from Them: Adventures with Extremists

Them: Adventures With Extremists

Sec. 1, Anti-masonry Frequently Asked Questions

Bilderberg Part One - bilderberg-history-channel.rm @ ZippyVideos

Bilderberg Part Two - bilderberg-p2.rm @ ZippyVideos.com

Bilderberg Hotels

The Bilderberg Group

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Corporate Score Card

How do corporations operating in Canada score on the Corporate Social Responsibility Score Card?

Check it out here

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Prove It

Each year, 16,000 Ontarians die from tobacco use and roughly 3,000 die from exposure to second-hand smoke. Peter Goodhand, Chief Executive Officer, Ontario Division, Canadian Cancer Society, Toronto

Oh really prove it. Like a magician pulling rabbits out of the hat the anti-smoking lobby, who have their hand out for more of your money for their failed cancer research, pull these stats out of their hat of tricks. I say prove it. Prove the deaths were from tobacco smoke and not oh say smog. Or heavy metals in the air. Or air pollution from cars. Or toxic chemicals that poision us every day at work and now in public.

New tests find poisons in children's blood, urine
Minister accepts challenge to have blood and urine tested for contamination

On Thursday, the group released results showing that the bodies of seven children tested are contaminated by a cocktail of toxic chemicals ranging from PCBs to flame retardants. The study found an average of 23 known or suspected toxins -- including carcinogens, hormone disrupters and neurotoxins -- in the bodies of the children tested. The researchers tested 13 individuals from five families, six adults and seven children. The families live in Vancouver, Toronto, Sarnia, Montreal and Quispamsis, N.B. "Our children are being poisoned every day by toxic chemicals that surround them at home, school and play,'' said Rick Smith, executive director of Environmental Defence.

Our dirty little secret
Capital's sole air monitor in Sandy Hill not enough to keep up with our car-driven toxic soup

Milking It: Moms find industrial chemicals in their breast milk an outrage -- and a call to action

The Walrus Magazine | Everyday Poisons
Are fire retardants actually a toxic hazard? by Paul Webster

Toxins in N.S. counties prompt health warning

Toxic exposure

SHANNA H. SWAN

professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester

Martin Mittelstaedt's Toxic Shock series (May 27-June 1 Globe and Mail) on chemical safety strikes a long-neglected note. As he points out, the list of potentially harmful chemicals is so exhaustive there's really no one among us who has not been exposed to at least a few of them. Chances are, we've been exposed to a great many.

The chemical industry often plays down the risks by saying individual exposures are so minimal we should not be concerned. But they fail to take into account that low-dose exposures are often most harmful, and that exposures to chemicals simply do not occur in isolation. Thank you for staying on top of this critical public-health story.

Yep prove it wasn't these that caused the cancer.

Sure bars that have smoking are polluted, but if they also have cooking they are polluted from the deep fryers and grease, as well as the chemicals used to clean with.

If the politicians were concerned about workplace health and safety of workers, which is what these anti-smoking laws claim, they would demand proper ventilation in the work place. They would enforce existing laws around WHMIS and hazardous materials in the workplace. But they don't. They could make workplaces really safe by enforcing the laws on the books now.

You see its easier to ban a social pyriah than to admit that work kills. Which it does. Smoking is a symptom not the problem. Capitalism is the problem.

Ontario goes smoke-free this June
The ban includes all indoor-smoking in public places such as restaurants, casinos, bars and bingo halls. But many are calling the government's move one filled with hypocrisy. "If politicians really cared about our health, they would ban the production of polluting vehicles with poor gas mileage. They could do so many things that would reflect a serious purpose, but banning tobacco — even from places where only smokers concentrate — is a little too farfetched," adds Nidhi Mehta, who is often seen taking a puff outside her Bay Street office in Downtown Toronto during break and lunch time.

Also See: Smoking


Tags
cancer, capitalism, industrial-pllution, smoking, lung-cancer,
Canada, kids, toxic, toxins, pesticides, toxic-poisioning

The Evil North

Canada is being described as the home of Terrorism.

Terror Land North: Canada Becomes America's New Next Threat

Terrorists are supposedly creeping into the US from Canada. This is being proposed not only by wacko US congressmen but by our own homegrown self appointed experts.

In this case a low level former CSIS agent who is making a living as a so called security expert. The reason to justify the passport and border laws the congress has passed.

Alienation at home, criticism from abroad

WASHINGTON -- A U.S. congressman warned yesterday that Canada, and in particular the enclave of "South Toronto," was a breeding ground for Islamic terrorists and that the United States will be under threat as long as passports are not required of all Canadians crossing the border.

"South Toronto, like those parts of London that are host to the radical imams who influenced the 9/11 terrorists and the shoe bomber, has people who adhere to a militant understanding of Islam," said John Hostettler, chairman of the House of Representatives subcommittee on immigration and border security, noting that Toronto has a very large South Asian community.

Mr. Hostettler's views were backed by several witnesses to the committee, including David Harris, an Ottawa lawyer and senior fellow at the Canadian Coalition for Democracies who used to work for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. He was the only Canadian asked to appear before the committee.

Mr. Harris described Canada as being "heavily infiltrated by terrorists" as well as "a recruiting, planning, financing and launch point for international terrorism."

Sorry to dissapoint youse guys but everyone already knew that Canada was the source of all evil south of the border years ago.

Anyone who watched Twin Peaks, knows all the truly twisted evil that happened in that Northern Washington State town always came from 'across the border'.

And these dweebs; Hostettler and Harris have about as much credibility as the log lady.

The real politicks of last weeks terrorist bust is far more mundane, but no less sinister;

Canadian government, media use alleged terrorist plot to push right-wing agenda

'Cause our Chief Harpocrite can't do anything without asking Daddy first.

One of the first things Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper did after the weekend arrests of 17 suspected Islamic terrorists in Ontario was to pick up the phone and thank President George W. Bush for American assistance in tying the alleged plot together.




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Hostettler