Category: Government

Categories
Government

Just Say “No”

say_no_to_drugsNo!

I was told over and over again that drugs were bad and to just say “no” if I was ever offered any.

I had my chances. I was around drugs at parties and friend’s houses, particularly when I was in university. But I never took any. I didn’t see the benefit, and I didn’t want it in my body. I guess the campaigns worked to some degree.

Yet, this week the popular thing seems to be politicians coming out of the closet about their past drug use. To what benefit? None that I can see. Well at least to the general public.

Justin Trudeau has come out in favour of legalizing weed. The same week a study came out telling us that when teens use, it can seriously impact brain development at a crucial stage.

“No problem!” says Trudeau. “Legalizing it will keep it out of the hands of the youth!”

Sure it will… just like our youth never get access to alcohol.

Look, I don’t care if you took a toke one time back in university and you’re all fine now, it’s not that way for everyone.

Tell that to the families of the two under-age teens I’ve buried in the last two years who mixed alcohol and drugs. Tell that to the young adults who’s brains are burnt and are hooked on stronger drugs today, eliminating themselves from the work force because of it, and damaging relations with their families and friends.

It doesn’t take much to find the ugly side of the story. I’ve seen it up close and personal. I’ve seen how a couple of simple tokes lead to a life of self-destruction, and even death.

So instead of telling me how you’re going to make it acceptable to ruin people’s lives, and instead tell me how you are going to help those who have destroyed their lives and the lives of others through their addictions.

Then maybe I’ll consider voting for you… when you decide to help people instead of your own personal image.

Anyone up to the challenge?

I’m not sure, because no one out there is showing me they want to.

Categories
Federal Government

Reboot. Escape. Discover… sometimes…

parks canadaParks Canada has it right on the front of their website.

Reboot. Escape. Discover.

But it appears you can only do these things when they want you to.

Over the last two years Parks Canada parks have had huge cutbacks to their budgets, and it is clearly impacting their operations.

In late June I took a good friend who was visiting from Toronto to the Fortress of Louisbourg during it’s 300th anniversary year. I’m sure you’ve seen the advertising going on all year. Imagine my disappointment when I couldn’t show her the entire “Fortress experience” because they were very short staffed and not all buildings were open, including the beautiful chapel which hurt for two clergy to miss. Keep in mind that the day we were there, the place was full of cruise ship visitors. I felt bad they couldn’t get the full experience either.

Now there is word that the Alexander Graham Bell museum will be shutting it’s doors early this season to save money. Again with more cruise ships on their way and Celtic Colours festival still to come, which brings a huge amount of tourists to Cape Breton each October.

Leah at Dream Big Cape Breton has the view from the Baddeck side in her post “what’s going on at the Bell Museum?” A very good question indeed, and a good question for all of our national treasures across Cape Breton and the rest of Canada.

In her post, Leah has contact information for those who are concerned about these cutbacks. Contact them if you care, and also get in touch with your own MP. Not sure who represents you in the Government of Canada in the House of Commons? Check here.

 

 

Categories
Environment Government

From the mouths of children

20130722-100216.jpgLast night, as my wife was putting our seven year-old to bed, he said to her the following as they discussed the decline of bat and bee populations, “God gave people the earth to take care of, not hurt.”

Even my kids get it. It’s that simple.

We live in a world where we continually build more coal plants to produce energy. We live in a world where people fight tooth and nail against green energy solutions because they might make a small noise off in the distance.

We live in a beautiful country, but sadly our governments fall to the sins of pride and greed in supporting non-sustainable environmental practices, propping up these industries with hundreds of millions of tax payer’s money, crippling the future for our children.

Sure, maybe in my house we talk about this stuff more with our children, but they’ve figured it out all themselves that we are destroying our planet.

May the words of my son be in your ears this day, and may our politicians hear them as well.

“God gave people the earth to take care of, not hurt.”

Categories
Federal Government

The Land of Milk and Honey

Well, it was bound to hit the fan at some point.

Politicians at all levels of government have been caught time to time with their hands in the cookie jar, accepting payments, making claims, all sorts of financial “magic” to get the most they are entitled to.

PHOTO BY DEVAAN INGRAHAM / THE CANADIAN PRESS
PHOTO BY DEVAAN INGRAHAM / THE CANADIAN PRESS

This week it’s Senator Mike Duffy.

Next week it will be someone else.

Yes I know it’s not each and every one of them, it’s just a percentage, and probably most of them are dedicated, honest, hard working people. But here’s what gets me.

They let it happen!

There’s no accountability. There’s not one of their peers standing up and saying “This is wrong!” It’s all hush hush and no one is talking about it.

It reeks if you ask me.

I live in a town with big unemployment issues. No jobs. Drugs and alcohol are huge problems. Welfare families with inadequate housing. Single moms struggling to raise their children. The list goes on and on.

And I read the news where government officials are getting very large housing allowances, even if they don’t live very far from the office. I read where Duffy gets a ninety thousand dollar cheque written for him because he broke the law???

Meanwhile, we are fighting, literally fighting, to get a lunch monitor for our school which does not have one. A school right on the main street of our town. The funding formula tells us we should have two. Instead we have none!

Yet the money keeps flowing to big businesses and those on the “inside”. The rich keep getting richer!

It’s not right.

This is not the land of milk and honey, at least not from my perspective. Although it sure does seem that way to the politicians!

I’m going to say something about it.

Join me?