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- Are you more like George Bush or Nelson Mandella? Pope Jean Paul II or the Dalai Lama? Take a 5 minute test and find out where you fit. Email me your results if you want along with which Alberta Party you support today; PC, Liberal or NDP. I'll compile the results and post them here; anonymously of course.
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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
Tuesday, March 02, 2004
Free Enterprise - Klein Style
New Democrats Uncover Draft Report: "Meat packers winning big from mad cow says report
Government compensation helps big business, ranchers left in the dust"
Have a look at this summary on the Alberta ND website and then, if you want to dig a little deeper, click here to read a copy of the Draft Report. You will need Acrobat Reader. Better hurry before the report gets yanked off the web.
Seems that whenever the free enterprise Tories intervene in the free market (by using our tax dollars), all of the money seems to flow to the bottom line of the companies involved. Here's how it works in a nutshell.
BSE - Government gives producer financial aid using our tax dollars. Packing plants reduce price they are willing to pay ranchers by equal amount so rancher nets zero. Packers sell to grocery chains at same old price resulting in windfall profits for packers.
Klein 1, Albertans 0.
Auto Insurance - Government waits until premiums are at record highs (up 50% in Alberta) and then freezes them. Insurance companies call Premier "decisive" and "a maverick". Ralph loves to be called a maverick. Insurance companies pocket windfall profits.
Klein 2, Albertans 0
Electricity Deregulation - Government sells off Albertan's assets at bargain basement prices to electrical power generation companies. Generation companies "compete" with each other resulting in much higher electricity costs for Albertans and windfall profits for the generating companies. Funny how competition works in Klein's Alberta. Ralph gives us some of our money back just before election.
Klein 3, Albertans 0
Natural Gas Deregulation - Free market drives up price of natural gas to all Albertans. Production costs stay about the same for producers resulting in windfall profits for producers and increased royalties for government. Government uses royalty money (our money) to place gas caps on prices to consumers. Producer's revenue is now a combination of our monthly bill payments and our royalty wealth. They don't care where the profits come from as long as they come.
Klein 4, Albertans 0.
We're down four to nothing folks. Ralph's Team just signed Mr Privatization Steve West to a multi-year contract and he's using our tax dollars to pay him. Steve's job is to bring all the glories of Power Deregulation to the Wonderful World of Healthcare. If we don't get going it's going to be eight nothing.
It's time to start fighting back!
Government compensation helps big business, ranchers left in the dust"
Have a look at this summary on the Alberta ND website and then, if you want to dig a little deeper, click here to read a copy of the Draft Report. You will need Acrobat Reader. Better hurry before the report gets yanked off the web.
Seems that whenever the free enterprise Tories intervene in the free market (by using our tax dollars), all of the money seems to flow to the bottom line of the companies involved. Here's how it works in a nutshell.
BSE - Government gives producer financial aid using our tax dollars. Packing plants reduce price they are willing to pay ranchers by equal amount so rancher nets zero. Packers sell to grocery chains at same old price resulting in windfall profits for packers.
Klein 1, Albertans 0.
Auto Insurance - Government waits until premiums are at record highs (up 50% in Alberta) and then freezes them. Insurance companies call Premier "decisive" and "a maverick". Ralph loves to be called a maverick. Insurance companies pocket windfall profits.
Klein 2, Albertans 0
Electricity Deregulation - Government sells off Albertan's assets at bargain basement prices to electrical power generation companies. Generation companies "compete" with each other resulting in much higher electricity costs for Albertans and windfall profits for the generating companies. Funny how competition works in Klein's Alberta. Ralph gives us some of our money back just before election.
Klein 3, Albertans 0
Natural Gas Deregulation - Free market drives up price of natural gas to all Albertans. Production costs stay about the same for producers resulting in windfall profits for producers and increased royalties for government. Government uses royalty money (our money) to place gas caps on prices to consumers. Producer's revenue is now a combination of our monthly bill payments and our royalty wealth. They don't care where the profits come from as long as they come.
Klein 4, Albertans 0.
We're down four to nothing folks. Ralph's Team just signed Mr Privatization Steve West to a multi-year contract and he's using our tax dollars to pay him. Steve's job is to bring all the glories of Power Deregulation to the Wonderful World of Healthcare. If we don't get going it's going to be eight nothing.
It's time to start fighting back!
