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Ralph Klein has gone and it is time to retire Ralph's World. Thanks to all of you who have supported this venture by contributing material and through your comments. It has been fun.

Should we get another blog underway? Let me know your thoughts by e-mailing me at johnnyslow@gmail.com.

John Slow
January 1, 2007

Monday, September 29, 2003

Mr. Ed Needs to Show Us the Magic 

CBC Story - 'Private' highway gets OK': "Stelmach estimated the project would cost about $300 million under the current system. He estimated savings of about 10 per cent, or $30 million, if the road is privately built and leased back to the province."

Transportation Minister Ed Stelmach has estimated that he can save the Alberta Taxpayer $30 million dollars by having an 11 kilometer section of the Anthony Henday ring-road built under a Private Public Partnership (P3). The savings will be realized by building the road as one project rather than piecemeal as money becomes available. Further savings will come from "new innovations and construction, mobilization, the ability to manage the project" says the Minister.

The implication here is that only under P3 will the construction contractors use new innovations and construction, mobilize properly, or manage the project." I can hear the conversation now as Minister Ed chats with Contractor Chuck.

Ed: Look. You have to give me some reasons why this thing is going to be cheaper under a P3.

Chuck: Well Ed it's like this. If we do it the old way we won't be able to use any of our new innovations like bulldozers and steam shovels. It would be pretty much a pick and shovel job. What's more, "mobilization" would be pretty much out of the question. As for project management, forget it. We only do that for P3 projects.

Ed: What do you mean by "mobilization"?

Chuck: It's a kind of complicated construction word Ed, don't worry about it.

Ed: OK. Can I drive the golf cart on the next hole?

Keep your eyes on the money folks. Make sure that Mr. Ed provides a clear explanation of how we are going to magically save $30 million on this project.
Posted by: John Slow / 6:24 a.m. link

Friday, September 19, 2003

SUN Not Shining on Ralph and Stan 

CBC Report: Seniors demand attention: "Edmonton - About 500 seniors attended a rally Wednesday, demanding the provincial government restore benefits they took away a decade ago."

In addition to a mad cow problem, Ralph and his Minister for Seniors Stan Woloshyn have a mad seniors problem. These folks are very serious and are getting organized through an organization called Seniors United Now or SUN. Their website can be found here. The CBC link has an audio interview with SUN organizer Grahame Blundell which is well worth listening to.
Posted by: John Slow / 12:01 p.m. link

Wednesday, September 17, 2003

Duct Tape Needed 0n Ralph's Lips.  

National Post Report - Ralph's quote. "This was in northern Alberta, and the farmer was a -- I think he was a Louisiana fish-farmer -- who knew nothing about cattle ranching. And I guess any self-respecting rancher would have shot, shovelled and shut up, but he didn't do that. Instead he took it to an abattoir and it was discovered after testing in both Winnipeg and the U.K. that this cow, this older cow, had mad cow disease."

I promised myself I would stop criticizing Klein on his handling of the BSE crisis in Alberta but his last utterances are insane. He thinks when he speaks that his audience is Alberta voters who are universally sympathetic to the plight of the Cattle Ranchers here in Alberta. He forgets (even though his interview is with a US radio network) that others are listening. People like US and Japanese public health officials. They might think Hmmm. He says any self-respecting rancher would have just buried the sick animal and shut up about it. I wonder if these Albertans are hiding something else? Can we trust them? Maybe we better go very slowly here? Going slow on getting exports flowing again is not what this industry need.

Various officials (Ben Thorlakson, chairman of the Canada Beef Export Federation, Rod Scarlett, executive director of Wild Rose Agriculture Producers) have said that Ralph is just frustrated. Cindy McCreath, a spokeswoman for the Canadian Cattlemen's Association couldn't bring herself to comment. They are in a tough position. They have to stay in Ralph's good books because their members need a sympathetic government ear when it comes to financial compensation. Yet they must wince whenever they see him approaching a microphone.

This is a time for Rod Love or Peter Elzinga or whoever it is who has any influence on this man to ask him nicely not to help out with the BSE issue anymore. Our livestock industry can't afford it.

CBC reporting of this story has a link to the audio interview at (CBC Report)
Posted by: John Slow / 11:42 a.m. link

Tuesday, September 16, 2003

Klein's support for the homeless is contemptible 

"In total, the province spends $15 million a year on the homeless. " Read the full article

The above quote is from an article in today's Calgary Sun by Licia Corbella. It shows the contempt that the Klein government has for the homeless in this province. Considering the fact that the governments spends $33 million a year subsidizing horse racing in this province, the homeless would be better off heading for their local track and seeing if they could bed down with the ponies.
Posted by: John Slow / 8:40 a.m. link

Sunday, September 14, 2003

Ralph's Education Policy is Only About Money 

Gary's posting "Education is the fuel for any economy" lays out a number of reasons why the Klein government wants to break the public education system in Alberta. In my way of thinking it really just boils down to money. Not just how much it costs but who pays for it. Here's Ralph's long range scenario, step by step.

  1. Reduce total cost of the public school system by laying off teachers, reducing money for school maintenance and by slowing funding for new schools. This creates overworked teachers, under-stimulated students, all brought together in crumbling, overcrowded facilities. This is bad. This is the phase we are in now.

  2. Use money saved in (1) above to reduce personal income tax. This is excellent for the well-heeled because they get lots of $$ back. It is so-so for most of us because we just get a few $$ back. It is useless for the poor because they get nothing back.

  3. Solve the now dismal education problem by encouraging private charter schools. The well-heeled can spend a portion of their big tax break they got in (2), send their kids to a private school, and have money left over. Good for the well-off and Ralph is a hero.
    Most of us will have a decision to make. Take the small tax break we got in (2), transfer some extra over from the food or vacation budget, and send our kids to private school - or - keep our kids in the eroding public system because we can't afford the private system. This is bad for the middle class but Ralph will call it good because it offers "choice".
    The poor get their usual - zippo.


So who pays. Well, the total cost of education, both private and public goes up as new private schools are built and staffed. The big tax break the well-off get pays for their kids private school so they don't pay. The poor don't pay because they can't. Guess who's left? Guess who pays?

Welcome to two-tier education - brought to you by Ralph's World.
Posted by: John Slow / 5:24 p.m. link

Thursday, September 11, 2003

Madness, Stupidness, Ridiculousness, Ignorance 

(see full Globe and Mail story): "And now I see the madness ... and the stupidness, the ridiculousness and the ignorance that surrounds this affliction,' Mr. Klein said, 'and the absolute overreaction to something that has the possibility of afflicting, you know, a person who eats ten billion meals of spines and brains and other awful parts".

Hmmm. Seems to me that these words could be used to characterize Ralph's public statements about the Mad Cow crisis that afflicts our province and to a lesser extent the rest of the country. He continues to insult the very people that we need to work with in order to get this problem resolved; that being the Americans and the Japanese. (See previous insults here)

We would be much further ahead if he would let representatives from the Cattle Producers or from his own Alberta Agriculture department make public statements. They would be able to describe the lack of risk to beef consumers using calm, rational words. That's what is needed at a time like this, not childish insults. They might also come up with a more grown-up word for what Ralph calls the awful parts.
Posted by: John Slow / 9:27 a.m. link

Wednesday, September 03, 2003

Ralph. Please keep your remarks about Japan to yourself. 

Edmonton Journal - Story - canada.com network: "Klein labeled Japan's safety program, which tests every slaughtered cow for bovine spongiform encephalopathy, an overreaction and called it 'absolutely useless.'"

One of the first lessons that they teach you in Marketing 101 is not to insult the customer. If you do, they may think you arrogant and rude and decide not to buy your stuff. I though Ralph understood this when he chastised a couple of our Federal politicians who had called our American friends "stupid" because of their Iraqi war adventures.

Calling Japan's beef safety program 'absolutely useless' was - (how shall we say this nicely; how about) absolutely stupid. It is insulting and it isn't the first time Ralph has insulted the Japanese over this issue. Japan only buys about 3% of Canada's beef exports but their demand that Canada and the US separate their beef supply is a major factor in preventing the US border from being opened and until this happens this industry is in deep trouble.

Do Albertans a favour Ralph and go up to your hunting lodge until this thing is fixed. The beef producers can't afford your help at a time like this.
Posted by: John Slow / 2:50 p.m. link

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