Just Say No

Since they asked. And I can't seem to get into my diary account at Progressive Bloggers. My response to their "Proposed Code of Conduct" is Non, Nein, Nyet, No thanks.

Alberta Needs A Chavez

Big Oil is using all the hype it can to say it will divest itself from Alberta if they have to pay increased royalties. Yeah sure. We have the oil and gas that they need. So quit making idle threats. They threaten to leave, they compare us to Venezuela So either they pay the pittance asked of them by the Royalty Review Committee or we should do exactly what they say; nationalize them under workers control.

After all they seem to forget that while they and their right wing apologists claim that they 'invest' in the development oil and gas, and this makes them the real owners, their investment is the result of capital accumulated from living and dead labour. Labour is required not just capital. And we have both.

International oil producers will flee Alberta if the Western Canadian province's government implements a proposed hike to oil and natural gas royalties and taxes, an investment bank said on Monday.

Going ahead with a recommended 20 percent, or C$2 billion, hike to Alberta's take from oil and gas production in the province will actually cause government revenue to drop as production falls by half-a-million barrels a day, according to Tristone Capital Inc, an investment bank that serves the oil and gas industry.

Shoddy report on royalties robs Alberta

Terence Corcoran, Financial Post

Published: Thursday, October 04, 2007

Another Alberta resource player, this time Jim Buckee at Talisman, has joined the growing corporate chorus against proposals to raise royalties on the province's energy output. If the plan goes ahead, said Mr. Buckee in a letter yesterday to Premier Ed Stelmach, Talisman "would likely cut $500-million" in capital spending.

Other companies waiving red flags over Alberta -- described jauntily by Deutsche Bank analysts as a new "Bolivarian Republic" -- include EnCana, Crescent Point Energy and Petro-Canada. By now, several billion dollars in new investment have been put in doubt since the royalty proposals were floated two week ago by an outfit called the Alberta Royalty Review Panel. Claiming Albertans aren't getting their fair share of energy-resource royalties, the panel proposed a new regime to extract another $2-billion a year out of oil and gas production.

Based on the great socialist-statist principle revered by Alberta Conservatives, that mineral resources are "owned by the people," the review panel easily worked its way up to the idea that the people weren't getting enough of a share as owners.

Socialist Conservatives? Oh please gimme a break. They were the heroes of neo-cons for the past decade, heroes to dweebs like Corcoran. Now by asking for a fair share, and mind you its a small share based on extensive lobbying by the industry during the committees public hearings, Prince Eddie is suddenly being compared to Hugo Chavez.

The reality is that they already knew that Alberta's conventional oil and gas reserves are in a serious decline. Increasing royalties will not change that.They are making much ado about nothing to scare Albertans into accepting less than our fair share.

Don't Let Big Oil Set Our Royalty Rates make sure Ed hears from you.

SEE:

Albertans Are Simpletons Says Government

Royalty Is NOT A Tax

Fearless Prediction Confirmed

Morons

More Shills For Big Oil

Stelmach Sells Out

King Ralph Shills For Big Oil

Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Stelmach, Alberta, tarsands, oilsands, Canada, state capitalism, royalties, oil, profits,
Bill Hunter, Alberta Royalty Review,
Alberta Cabinet, CAPP, Ed Stelmach,
Big Oil,oil royalties, PC, Calgary, Party of Calgary, politics, NEP, Conservatives, Fort McMurray, One Party State,

A Tale Of Two Tory's

In Alberta Prince Eddie and his Tired Old Tories refuse to eliminate the health care premium (tax). In Ontario John Tory leader of the Tories says he will eliminate their health care premium (tax).

Asked by the Star editorial board about his other anti-poverty measures, he noted that he would eliminate the "regressive" health tax that punishes low-income people proportionately more than it does the wealthy.

A person with a taxable income of $25,000 a year has to pay 1.2 per cent of their income – or $300 – on the health tax while a person making $1 million a year pays just 0.09 per cent of their income – $900.

Tory said he would begin the phase-out of the tax on people earning between $20,000 and $30,000 as of Jan. 1, 2008. It would be scrapped for everyone by 2011.

That initial move would help about 1 million of the poorest working people in Ontario, he said.

Ironic that in Alberta it was Tories that brought in the Health Care Premium in one of Canada's wealthiest provinces to pay down the supposed deficit in the nineties. Only poor Newfoundland had a Health Care Premium (tax). Until the Liberals imposed it in Ontario after finding their Tories had left them a deficit.

Another reason for Albertans to demand our fair share of the royalties due us, including the $6-8 Billion not accounted for over the last decade. That would have paid for the elimination of this unfair health care premium (tax). In fact the failure to collect those royalties resulted in the Provincial debt and deficit crisis.


SEE:

Royalty Is NOT A Tax

Fearless Prediction Confirmed

Morons

More Shills For Big Oil

Stelmach Sells Out

King Ralph Shills For Big Oil

Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Stelmach, Alberta, tarsands, oilsands, Canada, state capitalism, royalties, oil, profits,
Atlantic Accord, Newfoundland, Premier, Danny, Williams, Province,
Bill Hunt, Alberta Royalty Review,
Alberta Cabinet, CAPP, Ed Stelmach,
Big Oil,oil royalties, PC, Calgary, Party of Calgary, politics, NEP, Conservatives, Fort McMurray, One Party State,

Albertans Are Simpletons Says Government

Simple Simon to the Pie Men pay us our due. This is rich the Tired Old Tories are calling Albertan's simple minded because we want a fair share of our oil and gas royalties. After having spent a decade tightening our belts.

It's popular to say Albertans need a bigger share from oil and gas companies, but Tory MLAs insist public opinion polls alone won't determine whether they hike energy royalties.

They were largely unsurprised by an Edmonton Journal-Calgary Herald poll that suggested 88 per cent of Albertans don't believe the government collects its "fair share" from oil and gas royalties, and that two-thirds want Premier Ed Stelmach to fully adopt recommendations from his royalty review panel, including its demand for a 20-per-cent overall increase on royalties.

Treasury Board President Lloyd Snelgrove, one of Stelmach's top lieutenants, said he understands that people want a fair share, but also expressed concern that opinion is being heavily influenced by the media, the panel's report and a scathing auditor-general's report this week. It said the government ignored internal advice to collect an extra $1 billion annually from energy firms.

"It is very simplistic to look back and say, 'Oh, we could have had so much more,' when in fact who knows what taking that billion dollars out of the economy three years ago would have meant in the loss of jobs, the loss of corporate and personal income tax," Snelgrove said Wednesday.

Well you were elected to know just that and clearly you didn't so it's time to go.

Voters could punish premier in the next election if he doesn't raise royalty rates, poll shows

EDMONTON - Premier Ed Stelmach's decision on royalty rates may be a do-or-die issue for his Conservative government, suggests a poll commissioned by the Edmonton Journal and Calgary Herald.

It also suggested 67 per cent believe Stelmach should adopt in its entirety the panel report, which recommends a 20-per-cent royalty hike and a new oilsands tax.

Don't Let Big Oil Set Our Royalty Rates make sure Ed hears from you.

SEE:

Royalty Is NOT A Tax

Fearless Prediction Confirmed

Morons

More Shills For Big Oil

Stelmach Sells Out

King Ralph Shills For Big Oil

Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Stelmach, Alberta, tarsands, oilsands, Canada, state capitalism, royalties, oil, profits,
Atlantic Accord, Newfoundland, Premier, Danny, Williams, Province,
Bill Hunt, Alberta Royalty Review,
Alberta Cabinet, CAPP, Ed Stelmach,
Big Oil,oil royalties, PC, Calgary, Party of Calgary, politics, NEP, Conservatives, Fort McMurray, One Party State,

Move To Alberta

The former mayor of Vernon, B.C. should move to Alberta where credit card fraud by Government ministers, MLA's and their pals gets a slap on the wrist from the Auditor General. And they charged a heck of a lot more personal expenses to their government credit cards than this guy did.

But of course in Alberta dems dats got the gold makes the rules and in this case the rules are "broad" whereas in other provinces they would result in criminal charges.

Man who resigned as Vernon mayor over credit scam faces new fraud charges

THE CANADIAN PRESS

Published Wednesday October 3rd, 2007

VERNON, B.C. - There are more legal troubles for the disgraced former mayor of Vernon, B.C.

Sean Harvey has been charged with five counts of fraud over $5,000 and one count of forgery.

The charges stem from dealings Harvey had with a former business partner over a two-year period ending in April 2005.

Vernon dentist Chris Laidlaw alleges he was ripped off for more than $50,000 dollars by Harvey's use of deceit and fraudulent documents.

Harvey was forced to resign as Vernon mayor in July 2005 and was later convicted of breach of trust after admitting to using his city credit card for personal expenses.

Harvey was ordered to pay $14,000 and given a one-year conditional sentence, but also served a week in jail in January after breaching the terms of that sentence.

Disgraced ex-B.C. mayor pleads guilty to breach of trust

Last Updated: Monday, August 21, 2006

The former mayor of Vernon has pleaded guilty to breach of trust in connection with his city expense account, a year after resigning amid a spending scandal.

A second charge of fraud over $5,000 against 36-year-old Sean Harvey was stayed.

Harvey appeared in B.C. Supreme Court in the North Okanagan city on Monday. He admitted to misusing his municipal credit card 90 different times between February 2003 and June 2005 while still serving as mayor.

It is alleged he claimed almost $14,000 of the city's money for business and political meetings that never took place. Instead he spent it on personal meals and trips, including a vacation in Las Vegas.

The former mayor has promised to reimburse the city and has repaid more than $5,000 so far.

When Harvey announced his resignation in July 2005, he apologized to his community and asked people to pray for him and his family.

He tearfully apologized again on Monday for abusing his power and betraying the public's trust.

"People are increasingly cynical of their elected officials and my actions reinforced and added to that level of cynicism, and I'm really sorry for that," he said.

The case came to light after two Vernon residents obtained copies of Harvey's expense statements.

SEE

Socialist Alberta

Alberta KGB

Transparency Alberta Style

Stelmach the Perfect Strom

Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Premier, Alberta Cabinet,PC, Party of Calgary, politics, leadership, Conservatives ,
Alberta, minimal government,
Stelmach, Alberta, tarsands, oilsands, Canada, state capitalism, royalties, oil,
Big Oil,oil royalties, PC, Calgary, Party of Calgary, politics, auditor general, Conservatives, Fred Dunn, One Party State,