My friend lives in D.C. so he went to the White House after hearing the news and took this photo of the Osama Bin Laden is Dead Party that spontaneously erupted.

In the meantime, if you need some encouragement then check out what John Belushi has to say about the HST.

Don’t shoot me. I’ve come to believe that the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) introduced by British Columbia’s Liberal government was the right thing to do.

It’s hard not to think so, if you take the time to speak with tax policy experts, look at the results of HST in other jurisdictions (most notably Atlantic Canada), and consider that most other provinces are following Ontario’s example by moving to HST.

The opposition can muddy the waters, and consumers can complain that they are getting the short end of the stick, but the truth of the matter is very simple — HST was a good policy move by the B.C. government.

Source ↑ www.thetyee.ca/…

V.c » I guess we will have to crunch the numbers to really know, but this seems like a whopping pile of BS to me. Maybe it will eliminate the paying of tax upon tax that we often pay unbeknownst thanks to the production chain, but this sure reeks of a tax grab to me. A huge list of products and services that have been exempt from PST, but not GST, will now be taxed with the combined tax of 12% known as the HST. Ummm, can you say tax grab. Oh, but because of the savings businesses will get from not having to pay the tax upon tax in the production chain, they will reduce their prices to consumers which will offset the extra 7% tax we will pay at the checkout. Yeah right, nice theory, but what are the chances of that actually happening. Hmmm, anyone interested in bartering?

Protest rally September 19

That’s why I strongly urge you to attend a major rally against the HST featuring former B.C. Premier Bill Vander Zalm, NDP leader Carole James, B.C. Conservative Party deputy leader Chris Delaney, independent MLA Vicki Huntington, B.C. Refederation Party deputy leader Jordan Braun and others on Saturday September 19 at 12 noon outside Canada Place in downtown Vancouver.

Source ↑ www.thetyee.ca/…

Targeted for project: Homathko River entering Bute Inlet. Photo Damien Gillis, Save Our Rivers Society.

Memo to media: time to expose Campbell’s fallacy.

Last week I spoke of the appalling mainstream media in B.C. and how it let Premier Gordon Campbell get away with th murder of our rivers and the ecologies they support. The exception, and a major one, is Mark Hume of the Globe and Mail whose B.C. section, combined with the national edition, gives better coverage by far of B.C. affairs than does The Vancouver (Seriously West Coast) Sun, The Province and Global combined.) I need hardly add that The Tyee encourages full debate on all issues.

I want to make it clear that I’m not asking that the media agree with any or all of the positions I’ve taken. I only ask that they examine the facts plus the motives and actions of the Campbell government with the same thoroughness as, in Vaughn Palmer’s case especially, they brought to the “Fast Ferry” debacle of the last NDP government.

There are three main ways the media can deceive us: By not telling the truth or using half truths at best. By not talking about the issue at all. Or by cherry picking issues and avoiding the dodgy ones. The mainstream media in B.C. does all three.

Source ↑ www.thetyee.ca/…

V.c » If you follow Rafe Mair’s columns at The Tyee you will know that he has been going on and on about the Campbell government selling our rivers to private power and the disastrous effects this will have on our society and environment. I have read many of the articles but I haven’t crossed referenced any of them to check up on the facts but even if Mair is half-right then the media and citizens of British “The Best Place on Earth” Columbia need to get off our apolitical asses and do something about this forthcoming travesty.

Gordon Campbell’s Liberals have clinched yet another majority government, while a referendum on a new STV voting system failed.

CTV called the election less than an hour after polls closed, handing the Liberals their third election win in a row.

After early results had the Liberals and New Democrats running neck and neck – the very first results actually showed an NDP lead – Mr. Campbell’s party had opened up a wide lead with about half the polls reporting. The Liberals were leading in 48 ridings, while the NDP were leading in 37 and the Green Party in none. A party needs 43 seats for a majority in B.C.

Source: www.theglobeandmail.com/…

V.c » Apparently you people didn’t take my advice to go crazy and vote in the Green Party. Surprise, surprise. But nice work people, way to vote in Gordo and his Conservatives in Liberal clothing who want to sell our rivers to private companies. I know the NDP were an uninspiring alternative but could we not have at least voted in a couple Green candidates somewhere in this province?

As for the STV referendum, it is not surprising that failed again? It is a really convoluted solution that makes no sense for anybody. My issue with the first-past-the-post electing method that we currently use is that it doesn’t give us a real say in electing the leader of the province and I want a democratic voice in who the leader of our province is because the real power lies in the hands of the party leader and not the MLAs who just do the bidding of the leader. I propose that we have a voting system that allows us to vote for our MLA and the party leaders; and the party leaders should not run in any specific riding. (Doesn’t the leader have more important things to do than deal with constituent-level issues anyways?)

There is no way I can vote for Gordon “Sell-Our-Rivers” Campbell and the BC Liberals. And the NDP are about as inspiring as dry toast (Time for a party re-branding, call me if you need help :). Independents; I’m glad they exist, but really.

What’s left then is the Green Party. I know, you think they are a one-trick pony and are ill-prepared to handle the complexities and vicissitudes of the real world, but if there was ever a time to give them a chance it is now.

Imagine, with all the eyes that will be on Vancouver and our province come February 2010, and we have a Green Party in power provincially. How cool and astute and world-leading would we look?

Times are changing, the repressive Bush-era is over, Obama and the new hope are in power in the USA, environmental issues have come to the fore, sustainable energy is going to be the next bubble market, the current economic downturn is going to shake some foundations and get rid of some of the rif-raf. Let’s be part of the vanguard of this change and try a new way of doing things.

Think about it before you go to the polls.

And no, I have not been paid by the Green Party or anybody to advocate this, it comes from deep meditation or copious amounts of beer or too much coffee in Kits or something like that.

bcliberalparty (bcliberalparty) is now following your updates on Twitter.

bcliberalparty (bcliberalparty) is now following your updates on Twitter.

It’s decided, check the box for Gordon Campbell and the BC Liberal Party on my ballot. They are hip and cool and with it; they do the Twitter thing. Obviously they care about me if they are following my Twitter feed, we are like best friends now. Who cares if they want to sell our rivers to American Corporations or keep minimum wages the lowest in Canada or build jumbo bridges to the burbs at the expense of increasing public transit.

BC Place Rendering

NDP Angling to Cancel Retractable Roof Plans for BC Place

Based on online caucus statements and party advertising launched in late February, the BC NDP appears to favour scrapping plans for a retractable roof at BC Place stadium.

“It’s not explicit in the election platform release today, but they’ve made it clear in a series of pre-election trial balloons what their preference would be and that’s to scrap the plans for a retractable roof and proceed with a simpler replacement fixed roof,” said TEAM 1040 sport business commentator Tom Mayenknecht. “And if they proceed with that position, it’s not only wonky politics but it’s wonky economics.”

Source: www.team1040.ca/…

V.c » It is time for Campbell and his privatization agenda to drive off into a drunken Hawaiian sunset. But the NDP are a bunch of chumps if they decide to go cheap on the renovation of BC Place and forego the retractable roof. If they don’t go with the retractable roof they might as well scrap the entire renovation project altogether and spend the money elsewhere, like by sending all of us a cheque for the amount saved. Important infrastructure should evolve and be improved over the years, not just be spring cleaned. Imagine the events we could host with an awesome outdoor stadium on sunny summer afternoon.