ACTION: STOP THE BUDGET #STB

STOP THE BUDGET(STB) Action #1:

Below are the email addresses of five Conservative MPs, along with some suggested text. Please email them and report back with a comment to help us keep track of the campaign's progress.

Find us at: STOP THE BUDGET

The five MPs listed below are the "Asbestos abstainers" (see http://ow.ly/aIGzw).

Pat Davidson:        pat.davidson@parl.gc.ca
Royal Galipeau:     royal.galipeau@parl.gc.ca
Jim Hillyer:           Jim.Hillyer@parl.gc.ca
Ed Holder:             ed.holder@parl.gc.ca
James Rajotte:      james.rajotte@parl.gc.ca

Be sure to email them all separately!

Here is some suggested text. Use it, or write your own. Above all, please be respectful.

Dear Honourable XXX,

When the vote on banning asbestos was called, you had the courage and strength of character to abstain. I respectfully ask that you not participate in the upcoming Budget vote -- call in sick instead. 

The gutting of 50 years of environmental legislation will have profound implications for the health and safety of Canadians. There is quite simply no justification for ramming sweeping changes through in an omnibus budget bill. Please defend our democracy and insist that the environmental provisions be separated from the Budget, discussed in the appropriate committees and thoroughly debated in the House.

Sincerely,
(Name, Address, Postal Code)

Via STOP THE BUDGET

Thank you to PBO Kevin Page. Have you written yet?

Our Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) is Mr. Kevin Page. He has been tireless and instrumental in keeping Canadians informed about the truth of many of the harper government actions and policy choices. He has pointed out many discrepancies and deceptions of the harper government.

Many of us have written long and/or short emails to thank Mr. Page for his fact-find and honest reporting. (See below) I hope you feel inspired to write after reading Daryl-Mary's letter, and Kevin's response to her. This is Mr. Kevin Page's email: PageK@parl.gc.ca

From: Daryl Smith
Sent: Saturday, April 28, 2012 07:06 PM
To: Page, Kevin

Subject: A Thank You Note

Dear Mr. Page,

I am just an ordinary Canadian, now a senior citizen, who is terribly concerned about the direction our country appears to be traveling, and about the government that is steering it there.

In 1973, I came here from England with my little family and our dog - already in love with this wonderful country I had researched for two years, where warmth and honesty and acceptance, along with a real will to protect vulnerable people and the environment, seemed to be the at the very core of Canada's heart. Long before I set a foot on Canadian soil, I cried when I heard the singing of "Oh Canada". I was so proud that this would be my country, and the future for my children.

I still shed tears when I hear our anthem played. But for very different reasons now. This time I am grieving, for all that we have lost, and are about to lose. For the deceptions and manipulations coming from our own government -the very people we should be able to trust to do what is best for all Canadians; for the future of our country; and for our influence on and in the world around us.

It feels as though we are spinning downwards, out of control, and that there is nothing and no-one powerful enough that can reach out and halt the descent. Maybe there isn't. However, there are good people still to be found; people who care about Canada, and who do have a voice. I most certainly consider you one of them.

I don't doubt that there have been unpleasant consequences for you and your staff for standing up in parliament for what is right and honest, and for refusing to be cowed by the forcefulness, accusations, and denials of the Conservative Regime. I am sorry, I cannot bring myself to call it a government, but it does not govern - it controls. I am angry, yes, and very sad. I am also afraid. And I want to thank you from my heart for being one of the people who gives me hope that truth and fairness are still alive in this country, and that maybe, maybe, these qualities can still prevail.

I am very sorry that you will be leaving your position in 2013, it will be a great loss for Canada. However, I cannot blame you for it one bit. I hope that whatever you do in the future will be fulfilling for you, and I can't help speculating (or wishing perhaps) that maybe we will be seeing your name on the ballot at the next election. We need all the good people we can find! Thank you again for all you do for Canada and for Canadians. I can tell you that you are appreciated by a great many Canadians besides myself. Please keep up the great work you do for us all.

Wishing you the best.
Sincerely,
Daryl-Mary Smith (Ms)

Dear Daryl

Thank you very much for sharing your story and concerns for Canada and your kind words of support for the work of the Parliamentary Budget Office.

There is a quote from Albert Einstein to the effect that "in the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity". I like this quote.

To be honest, I did not want to be the Parliamentary Budget Officer for professional and personal reasons. Many of my colleagues in the public service budget community thought it would be very difficult given some of the problems associated with the legislation that set the office up and a pervasive culture of governments and public service towards secrecy (control message; limit debate)

From a personal perspective my wife and I lost a son in an accident five and half years ago. This is a terrible struggle that many parents have endured. I did not think I had the energy and I was concerned about the impact on my wife and two other childrens. Work can be a very selfish endeavor.

George Bernard Shaw said "without change, there is no progress". We need progress as you point out. We need change. It has been a true honor to be your Parliamentary Budget Officer. We have built a small and dedicated team of like minded bean counters that enjoy this type of public service. We will do everything we can within our mandate to promote transparency and the use of financial analysis in debate. This work has been for good for my soul (the selfish part). My family is doing better. Our departed son Tyler has taught us all that there is nothing permanent in life (perhaps with the exception of love we share with family and friends) so let's get the most out of the present.

Daryl, please do not be discouraged. The values that you brought to Canada are still here (my wife came to Canada from England in 1967; her father shared your perspective and vision). In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. I thank you for making the connection. You have given me inspiration. It is an honor to serve you. I will do my best not to let you down.

Wishing you and family great health and happiness.

Kevin

CBC TV talking hair-do's drive me crazy!

It's the May Day Event World Wide. Millions are out in support of it and also to oppose austerity being forced upon all of us by the 1%.

CBC TV is at Parliament Hill to interview protesters there. Anchor Carole MacNiel on CBC was asking a protester "'why protest' since all reports say Canada came out of the economic downturn of 2008 very well and our economy is doing well?" I had to write to her at CBC ---

Hey Carole,

Just heard you say that Canada, according to all reports is doing better than most, in reference to the economy. You live in a nice bubble. 

What are the statistics for food bank use in Canada; is it declining? I guess that 1 million (+ or -) just haven't been told how good things are. Billions spent on decrepit antique subs, new war ships, F35's, G8 & G20 summits and, yes, bank bailouts. It's all good in Canada.

Last week in Walmart I saw an senior woman (easily in her 70's and maybe 80's) pushing a broom around the store; tag said she was Walmart maintenance team. When she left I asked the cashier if she was working because she had to or just to keep busy. Answer: she is a senior and she is single. Single seniors live a life of poverty, and she was working because she HAD to. The cashier also said that this lady was not alone, many single elderly are working because they have to.

I hear of all the Walmart expansions and now Target coming into Canada with jobs. These jobs will not be going to the youth who are getting educated and seek greener and more rewarding pastures than the service industry provides. These jobs will be for the elderly and less advantaged. By the way, in Kelowna, BC the minimum wage is now a whopping $10.25. Try living on that with the high cost of living.

Since the encounter at Walmart I've talked with other people about the issue with seniors being single and a whole new world opened up. Kelowna has many seniors whom I thought they were all doing well. Nothing could be further from the truth. 

There's a side to Kelowna that most people are not aware of; a poverty hiding below the glitz's of wineries, golf courses and gated retirement living. Now, thanks to Facebook and posting about this issue I've learned that it is present coast to coast. Single seniors are leaving Alberta. As the cost of living climbs these seniors are looking for more affordable places to locate, and BC is not an option.

Yes if you travel in the circle of the 1% you would think all is well, but if you open your eyes a whole different picture emerges.

Joe

Greek people need our support - YouTube

I'm so sick of the Greek people being put down for the economic mess in the Eurozone.

The countries of the Eurozone were not created equal, and anyone should have seen that there were going to be hurdles to overcome and even that inequality in economy, is just a fact of life.The Greeks are getting hammered now for being 'lazy' and other derogatory remarks are thrown out without a hint of what the Greeks have contributed to our world and society.

Ancient Greek society placed considerable emphasis upon literature. Many authors consider the western literary tradition to have begun with the epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey, which remain giants in the literary canon for their skillful and vivid depictions of war and peace, honor and disgrace, love and hatred. Notable among later Greek poets was Sappho, who defined, in many ways, lyric poetry as a genre.

A playwright named Aeschylus changed Western literature forever when he introduced the ideas of dialogue and interacting characters to playwriting. In doing so, he essentially invented "drama": his Oresteia trilogy of plays is seen as his crowning achievement. Other refiners of playwriting were Sophocles and Euripides. Sophocles is credited with skillfully developing irony as a literary technique, most famously in his play Oedipus the King. Euripedes, conversely, used plays to challenge societal norms and mores—a hallmark of much of Western literature for the next 2,300 years and beyond—and his works such as Medea, The Bacchae and The Trojan Women are still notable for their ability to challenge our perceptions of propriety, gender, and war. Aristophanes, a comic playwright, defines and shapes the idea of comedy almost as Aeschylus had shaped tragedy as an art form—Aristophanes' most famous plays include the Lysistrata and The Frogs.

Music was present almost universally in Greek society, from marriages and funerals to religious ceremonies, theatre, folk music and the ballad-like reciting of epic poetry. There are significant fragments of actual Greek musical notation as well as many literary references to ancient Greek music. Greek art depicts musical instruments and dance. The word music derives from the name of the Muses, the daughters of Zeus who were patron goddesses of the arts.

Ancient Greek mathematics contributed many important developments to the field of mathematics, including the basic rules of geometry, the idea of formal mathematical proof, and discoveries in number theory, mathematical analysis, applied mathematics, and approached close to establishing integral calculus. The discoveries of several Greek mathematicians, including Pythagoras, Euclid, and Archimedes, are still used in mathematical teaching today.