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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, December 12, 2005
Mark Norris and Grassroots
The Edmonton Journal recently published a story headlined "Norris backers ante up $1M". You can read the story by clicking here.It is a story of 106 Albertans who have ponyed up $10,000 each to help Mark run for Ralph Klein's job. The names of these generous fellows are listed in the story. The Journal had asked for the names of the donors and they were provided.
Full marks to Mr. Norris for providing the names and for the Edmonton Journal for asking for them and making them public. In a province where financial contributions are so skewed toward the Tory party in power, it is critical that Albertan's know who is contributing the money. Mr. Norris challanged the other contenders - Lyle Oberg, Ed Stelmach, Ted Morton, Jim Dinning to name a few, to disclose the names of the big shooters supporting their campaigns. Don't hold your breath for this to happen.
One thing that struck me as odd though was Mr. Norris's comment that his was a grassroots movement. My picture of grassroots doesn't have millionaire businessmen with $10,000 cheques in it. It's populated with more "ordinary" citizens. People who work hard for their $50,000 a year instead of people who work hard for their $500,000 a year.
The reality here in Alberta is that the Tory Party is the party of the wealthy businessman. The businessmen do their part by giving millions to the Tories and the Tory party does their part by bringing in legislation that keeps business taxes low, weakens the unions, allows the environment to be polluted, charges minimum energy royalties and provides captive consumers to the gas, electricity, insurance, and healthcare corporations.
The grassroots businessmen who gave so generously to Mark will likely give generously to Lyle, Ed, Ted and Jim. We will likely never know if they do or not. But they are businessmen and that's just a cost of doing business in our fair Province of Alberta.
