Tax Fairness

Now Flaherty clamps down on offshore tax havens

First income trusts, next tax havens?



About time. Like the Ponzi Income Trusts now the Conservatives are cracking down on the other capitalist tax avoidance scheme, one favoured by Canadian Ruling Class scions like the Irvings and Bronfmans.

Suddenly the Tories have gone from neo-con tax cutters to, shudder, NDP lite Tax Fairness advocates. See what happens when you become the government, your ideology goes out the window replaced by fiscal pragmatism.

I love how Jim Flaherty stands in the House and accuses the Liberals of being the party of Canada's corporate elite sounding like Jack Layton. Truly gives new meaning to being Harpocrites.

Of course this is also the party that campaigned to defend Income Trusts and sucked up to the business lobbies on Bay Street and in Calgary. Now, well they gotta find that money to pay for their income spliting plan for seniors. A plan they stole from Garth Turner whom they turfed. Now Helen Guergis is taking credit for Garths idea.

Jim Flaherty when asked about pension-splitting by reporters, October 2, 2006
“…it’s not a high priority, I can tell you that…”

In their campaign for Tax Fairness the Harpocrites are stealing from the NDP and Turner. They should be sued them for violating intellectual property rights.

CANADA'S NEW GOVERNMENT STRENGTHENS THE INCOME TAX SYSTEM

See:

Unproductive Capital

Income Trusts

Tax Avoidance



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White Poppies

Nip white poppies in the bud, legion says

Antiwar symbol 'illegal, disturbing'

Illegal? Copywrite infringement? Hmm I think what is really disturbing is the fact the Legion is more concerned about its profiting from the Poppy campaign then the message behind the symbol. They are making a fuss over less than 200 white poppies being sold in Edmonton becuase it might cut into their privatized business.

Off our jackets the poppies blow
The Legion is working with a supplier making poppy stickers with glue that won't ruin fabric and leather — perfect for kids who lose poppies even quicker than adults.For now, Legion branches sell red plastic "We remember" wristbands for children. Also available are poppy scarf pins, earrings, tie tacks and metal poppy pins that use clasps or two-piece magnets to stay attached to clothes.The Legion began selling poppies four years after the end of World War I. They were made by disabled veterans and production continued until 1996 in sheltered workshops run by Veterans Affairs Canada in Toronto and Montreal, staffed by disabled former members of the military and their dependants. Poppies are now made by a private company.

My pal Robin wrote this letter to the Journal in response to the White Poppy kerfufell, well said Robin. His sentiment was echoed by other writers. No one is NOT wearing a red poppy so why the fuss. Called it corporate monopoly.

Why not wear both?

The Edmonton Journal

Published: Thursday, November 09, 2006

I think the Royal Canadian Legion is in error in arguing they have a patent on poppies, and I am rather surprised that a spokesperson for the legion thinks that the call for peace is an "inappropriate political message" for Remembrance Day.

My paternal grandfather was killed in the First World War. My father never knew his dad. He was born after my grandfather died, and felt his whole life that he had missed something precious in not knowing his father.

My maternal grandfather was gassed in the first poison gas attack in history. A Canadian volunteer, he spent nearly four years in a German POW camp and, 38 years later, died from medical complications arising from the gassing.

the Arnhem airborne landing in 1944. He was an non-commissioned officer in the Canadian Army when I was growing up.

I was honourably discharged from the Canadian Army in 1962.

I mention this because I intend to wear a white poppy, alongside the red poppy I always wear at this time of year.

If the legion thinks I'm not being respectful of my forebears, I must respectfully disagree.

If they think they have property rights on white poppies as well as red ones, let them take me to court and determine the matter in a civil and orderly fashion.

As for my mixing my call for peace with my remembrance of the unfortunate victims of warfare, I'm sorry if the legion feels it is "inappropriate," though they are correct in charging that in calling for peace I am being "political."

I learned my attitudes toward war from Jesus, among others.

And if calling for peace is "political," I suppose I shall have to be.

Robin S. Hunter, Edmonton

And after all White Poppies seem appropriate when you consider that our Troops are in Afghanistan home of the Opium Poppy trade, and those poppies are white.


See:

Opium


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Fundamentalists Attack Gays

In democratic Israel. Yep fundamentalism once again attacks secular pluralist democratic rights for all. Just like their Arab neighbours do. This is the real meaning of the so called clash of civilizations, the patriarchical state versus secular pluralist human rights. Once again the religious state and the State religion deny human rights. Time to abolish them both.

Police brace for Jerusalem gay rally Independent Online
Jerusalem gay parade canceled Indianapolis Star
Jews and Muslims unite against homosexuals (Daily Telegraph)
Israeli Religious Leaders Show Gay Intolerance (NPR)




Ultra-orthodox Jews at a protest yesterday against the Gay Pride parade in Jerusalem (Pavel Wolberg/EPA)


See:

Gay

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Not Listening

The Harpocrites love to consult 'stakeholders', well not always, they set up invisible online polls that they don't advertise asking 'stakeholders' for input. Ministers visit folks and listen to them but don't change their positions on party policy. So whats it good for? Absolutely nothing. But hey they consulted.


Day talks gun control at Dawson College

Calling the meeting "productive," Day seemed not to have changed his mind on the gun registry issue after the discussion at Dawson. Day’s press aide said yesterday’s meeting was part of an extensive series of countrywide discussions with stakeholders over the gun-control issue.

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Whyte Wash

City to foot Whyte policing bill Why? The bars on Whyte Avenue profited handsomely from the NHL playoffs. They charged more for their booze, they overcrowded their bars, they provided negligable security, and they don't have to pay for policing. The bill should go to the Old Strathcona Hospitality Association, which represents these profiteers and also to the Old Strathcona Business Association. The riots on Whyte were a direct result of their profiteering and they should foot the bill, not taxpayers. How come none of our self-righteous right wingers ,like the folks at the Edmonton Sun, have come to this libertarian conclusion. Instead the right wing business types on city council deny the obvious; “To blame the bar owners for the stuff on Whyte Avenue is a mistake,” said Coun. Mike Nickel. Nope it's not a mistake it is their fault and they should pay.

See:

Whyte Avenue


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Murder City

So explain this. Alberta has an overwhelming majority of Conservatives federally and provincially, the party of Law and Order.Alberta also has the highest murder rate in Canada. So much for their ability to actually get tough on crime.

Despite the high number of murders in Toronto, Ontario’s rate was still below the national average. Among Canada’s larger cities, Edmonton had the highest homicide rate. Murder rate rises, says Stats Can

See:

A Murder of Crows in Canada's Murder Capital

Murder

Crime

Edmonton


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Consultation

What do the Income Trusts and the Wheat Board have in common? The New Conservative Government failed to consult the stakeholders involved before deciding to take arbitrary action; taxing the Income Trusts and dismantling the Wheat Board. Repeat after me; open, transparent, accountable.



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Bozo Boner

Boy what will we do without King Ralph. First he and his syncophants get all verklempt over Jeffery Simpsons article based on his speech in Alberta to the Congress Board; The bozo years are over for Alberta. What now?

Klein calls writer's bozo story TO 'crap'
Calgary Sun, Canada - 8 Nov 2006
EDMONTON -- Premier Ralph Klein says he's offended by remarks that suggest he ran a "bozo" government, but dismissed the insult as envy at his province's ...
Klein offended by columnist's 'bozo' crack CTV.ca
Klein reacts to 'bozo' comments Edmonton Sun
'Bozo' description based on envy Vancouver Province (subscription)
all 8 news articles »

Then he shows up as the class clown on the Rick Mercer show.

And just to really make things even better, after denouncing the Bozo comments the Bozo makes one of his own. Klein won't apologize for Stronach 'bone' joke

Lets see the Federal Conservatives have called Belinda a Dog and now Klein has made a boner at her expense. Nastiness puts women off politics: Stronach

And folks get upset because some environmentalists challenge Rona Ambrose for being more concerned with her hair than the environment.

But Ralph does em one better attacking Belinda.

Yep its still the Bozo years in Alberta, and even with Ralph leaving the Bozo's will still be in charge. Unfortuanetly for Mercer and the MSM none of them is as quotable as Ralph.

The progressive blogosphere has more on the Klein boner.


See:

Klein



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Kristallnacht In Gaza

Grief turns to rage as Beit Hanoun buries its dead

The Israeli Imperialist State has waged war on the civilian population of Gaza for the past week, bombing, straffing, bulldozing, using tanks, aircraft and rockets. The world's silence over these war crimes is again deafening.

This must be another example of what the New Government of Canada calls a 'measured response'. Response to what one must ask. A response to the Palestinians voting for the wrong party.

While jack booted brown shirts are not marching in the streets of Beit Hanoun smashing windows and burning out Palestinians, the effect is the same. The brown shirts are the IDF and they are using their overwheming military might to terrorize the Palestinian population whom they have imprisoned in the occupied territories. Israel is a not only a terrorist state but a Fascist state. No matter what excuses they make over this particular assault in Gaza. For a Gaza family, the strife hits home

Israel's rabid nationalism is actually a form of virulent anti-semitism, since the Palestinians are also Semites. The irony is of course obvious. The Israeli state defends only some semitic peoples at the expense of the other semitic peoples in the region whom they continue to oppress. And like their fascist forebearers the Israeli state blames the victims.

This past week was a Gaza's Kristallnacht.

On the nights of November 9 and 10, gangs of Nazi youth roamed through Jewish neighborhoods breaking windows of Jewish businesses and homes, burning synagogues and looting. In all 101 synagogues were destroyed and almost 7,500 Jewish businesses were destroyed. 26,000 Jews were arrested and sent to concentration camps, Jews were physically attacked and beaten and 91 died (Snyder, Louis L. Encyclopedia of the Third Reich. New York: Paragon House, 1989:201).

Three days later, on November 12, Goering called a meeting of the top Nazi leadership to assess the damage done during the night and place responsibility for it.

It was decided at the meeting that, since Jews were to blame for these events, they be held legally and financially responsible for the damages incurred by the pogrom. Accordingly, a "fine of 1 billion marks was levied for the slaying of Vom Rath, and 6 million marks paid by insurance companies for broken windows was to be given to the state coffers. (Snyder, Louis L. Encyclopedia of the Third Reich. New York: Paragon House, 1989:201).

KRISTALLNACHT

Also See:

Israel

Lebanon

Zionism

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Too Rich

Boy its been a long time since anyone called the CP a 'far left group'. And the Luxembourg in this story ain't no Rosa.

Communist Party chair nets £20m in painting sale

It couldn't have been a greater contrast: the comrades of the Communist Party of Britain were meeting on a wet Wednesday night in one of the grottier enclaves of east London, while in an auction room in Manhattan the world's leading art dealers were on a spending spree which broke world records. Few would have guessed the unlikely link between them. But Anita Halpin, the 62-year-old stalwart and chair of the far left group, was about to become a multimillionaire.

In the last few months, unbeknown to friends and colleagues, Ms Halpin has inherited one of the most important expressionist German paintings. Yesterday, it was sold for £20.5m.

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's Berlin Street Scene, a vivid vision of the claustrophobic, anxiety-inducing ebb and flow of urban life in 1913, was bought from Ms Halpin by art consultant Daniella Luxembourg on behalf of the Neue Galerie, New York.

Ms Luxembourg told the Guardian: "It's one of Kirchner's best ever works. Without the restitution claim, the probability of such a work arriving on the market is absolutely zero. There is no other painting like this in the work of Kirchner - it's so rare. The quality and rarity of it are what justify the price. When you buy a work like this, you are buying a museum piece, part of the cultural heritage of a country."

For a communist, it may seem a galling sum for 200cm by 150cm of canvas. Worse still, perhaps, for a woman with Stalinist credentials. Her inheritance was sold in a frenzied session at Christie's in New York during which Russian tycoons and American millionaires bid well through the roof of estimated sale tags. At the end of the night, the total sale had achieved $491.4m (£258m), nearly doubling the previous record of $269m at Christie's in May 1990.

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