A classic play to the crowds

In a masterful piece of political puffery the Cobourg Council led by the Mayor played to the standing room only crowd in the room. This story recounts the action last night. Essentially the Mayor trotted out some memories of a free beach and said he would do what he could. Which by the way, if the owners stand firm, is very little.
If the Mayor and Council were serious about this they would have studied the existing legal opinions gathered over the past four years and actually done something. Blaming failed negotiations and obdurate owners is not good enough. If expropriation is an answer do it. Council was approached by a citizen in 2007 who asked for something to be done. and nothing was done. Amazing what can be done with a packed room. But remember when we were told that 2500 names on a petition was not good enough, good on the 150 who went to Council last night. Getting in the faces of Pols actually does work. But as with many other Councils this Council has been guilty of saying yes to a crowd and then disappearing into the backroom to discover that it could not be done. So the crowd should expect to be disappointed. And as for the offer that the Beach Society is making, "We will clean it up and police it" Didn't work so well for the Ecology Garden did it?

A suggestion from Michael Moore designed to drive the Cons nuts. In this story MM, the filmmaker of "Roger and Me" fame suggests what Obama should do to make GM work.

Local Art or just a good warning?

Correction, this was art: These signs appeared to be at the edge of the "nasty lady's" house at the west side of the Bagot St road allowance on Sunday. A local artist had told me over coffee that something along these lines was being planned but having seen the end result it looks like more than just art but could be utility. I mean who would be stupid enough to cross this line in ignorance if they ever saw them. But on the other hand would the perpetrator stand charged with crimes in violation of the "Art in Public Spaces Committee?"

On a National level, the election drums are beating, An NDP bill is being proposed that would make changes to EI. With all opposition parties in favour of changes and this bill being a confidence vote if it passes we could be off to the hustings. Locally the Libs are drooling, salivating and generally slobbering over the very thought. In fact there is, behind the scenes and out of the spotlight, quite a vigorous nomination race going on. Paul Macklin's people are jousting with Christine Stewarts people and it is all coming to a head soon. But back to the prospect of an election a blogger who describes himself as "Angry in the great white north" writes here that Jack Layton has cooked up a deal with the devil himself - SH - to put the boots to Iggy and foil an election.
In a nutshell here is the leaked stratagem: "What Jack Layton has done is to give the Conservatives their way out. The NDP tables the bill. The Conservatives offer an amendment or two (no doubt already agreed to, in advance, between the Conservatives and the NDP). The Liberals offer their own amendments. Votes are taken. With NDP support, Conservative amendments pass. Liberal amendments are rejected. No election. So there no election. The other reason, for no election, is that the next installment of election money ($1.95 per voter) is due in August, so who is going to pass that up in a needless election?

At tonight's meeting of Council, after all the histrionics and public outrage abates (the beach debate) a sensible letter will be accepted into the public domain. This letter here is from the Cobourg Sustainability Committee and outlines what they think about the proposed Community Centre's design. The committee suggests a green building (not the colour of paint but the actual design!). All sensible measures and has been referred to the Community Centre Feasibility Committee. I doubt it will get a mention in publc but will be buried in the bureaucratic paperwork of the project. Still nice try!

OK lets go again

Don't tell me that the Canadian Jewish Congress is just another lobby group. Read this story and discover that all the snivelling pol Braunnosers are off to Toronto to rub noses (??) with Bernie Farber and his gang. Just how much power this group has is demonstrated by the people speaking to it. Name another "lobby group" that gets this kind of turnout!!

The first op-ed piece that makes sense

One of the problems of short term fixes is that they become long term problems and the issue of EI exhaustees is such a problem. The Preem of BC, I'm not a fan of this guy, has published an op-ed piece in the G&M here that talks about what happens next. What will the thousands of people who began their claim last year do this year? His solution - have the province pay what it would if they were on assistance and the feds top it up. For the first time we a pol making sense. If you want a functioning society you have to pay for it. And as for blaming the deficit on EI what a bunch of fatuous nonsense. If the government, of both stripes, hadn't stolen the EI money years ago then the deficit would have been a lot less.

Our cultural correspondent, Mr W Keeler has published an excellent review of what our young artists are up to - and it all good. Check it out here

Another one for the cynics. here is a story about Larry Summers, the guy Obama put in charge of the bank mess. Charged to fix the mess he helped create. This time around a story surfaces that he is now profiting from his own work as Obama's Mr Fix-it"

Are they "bulldogs" or just a pain in the arse? That is the question posed by the latest letter by Mr John Dietz, from Port Hope to Port Hope Council. Mr Dietz has, as his hobby horse, the affairs of the Port Hope Harbour Commission. This Commission is surrounded in secrecy because of its very makeup. Deemed to be an independent entity owned by Council it is not sure whether it rports to Council and Mr Dietz is determined to find out. Not only that because the meetings of the HC are held in secret he wants find out just what they are up to. But is does pose the question of the lead: when do bulldogs become pains in the arse - depends just who is being asked the questions!

Where have these people been?

The Cobourg Beach Society, website here, has emerged to lead a way in attempting to create a shoreline public park from the factory Creek to the Water Filtration Plant - good for them, but I have to ask "where have you been?" Nobody heard of them until they released information about themselves in the furor about the nasty lady and the older gent with the walking stick. Upon investigation it was discovered that they have a website and have had one since the 27th of January. Mr Cairns, the present spokesperson has written one letter that I'm aware of and has obviously kept the existence of this group quiet. But like all good PR people, the fracas has illuminated the issue, he is taking advantage of it and urges people to go to Council on Monday June 1st. I just hope that they don't have the indecency to ask what Council did with Pat Stanley's presentation in 2007 when Council diligently listened to her talk about the same thing.

Any sane and thinking conservative must be really in trouble reconciling their core beliefs with the current PM's way of leading the Country out of the deficit and into majority land. Yesterday things became more bizarre in Ottawa, as if they could, when in answer to Iggy's demand that he fire the Minister of Finance the PM answered. “I can't fire the Leader of the Opposition. With all the tapes I've got on him. I don't want to.”. Harper of course was referencing the fact that the Con war room has been trolling the world for any mention of Iggy and his media background. I can just imagine spotty faced fifteen year olds being let loose with a couple of million dollar's worth of mutimedia equipment and charged to troll the internet using key words and metadata tags to assemble the dirt. What can they find that you and I can't find by going to Youtube.com and searching on "Ignatieff"? But even sillier, what will they do with it all? I would put one silly pic of SH against all of the musings of a Harvard Prof or an English journo (both fishing holes for the Cons) and the silly pic would win the pile of public disdain. The silliest pic so far is the one on the right.

Congratulations. It was reported yesterday - BT on CITY, that the owner of Gig's Music Store on Division St N had won the big house lottery with the BMW in the driveway. Makes the rest of us kick ourselves for not buying more tickets, but at $100 a pop one would do, and in this case it did!

Remember when the Puffster actually worked for a living?

One of the last pieces that the Mike Duffy CTV worked on was a set of interviews during the last election wherein Stephane Dion was ridiculed because he muffed a couple of "facetimes". The Puffster then started to run them and the rightwing press couldn't get enough of them. Well in this story the interview has been ruleded unfair and violated broadcast codes,

The only conclusion that I can draw!

The only conclusion that I can draw from this news - GM forced into bankruptcy by bondholders - is that Obama and Harper conspired to smash the Unions. If the bondholders aren't forced into concessions by Obama and harper/clement.maguinty then why did they set up the union for a haircut? Smash the union that's why. If Obama is so union friendly where is his "card check" legislation? Nope the neo-cons did the workers in and it was set up to be so from the beginning.

gatherings

In this email, copied from another site in cyberspace it shows that the authorities are taking the case of the "Nasty woman at the lake" very seriously, well at least the email says so. But what can they do? The Police have already spoken to the woman about her conduct. The woman, presumably has told the Police that she will defend her position and her land, against trespassers. Unfortunately under the law that's what all beach walkers are at that end of the beach - trespassers.

The really unfortunate part about this is that years ago, when Tremaine Terrace was being built the Town secured public access to the West side of the Factory Creek and now access to the rest of the beach going Eastward is not possible. There could have been a solution years ago before the "nasty people: bought the place - the Town could have bought it and severed off the access, but it didn't. But it should now be Town policy to do just that in future when lakefront real estate properties are put up for sale.

What we, as taxpayers, should be wary of is any deal that reduces taxes for property owners just because they give us an easement. And if there are deals like this floating around the public must know how much the deal is, not just a resolution passed at Council "authorising the Mayor and the Deputy Clerk to sign such a deal"

In the meantime all we as citizens can do is to hope that the pending legislation, in the provincial Parliament passes. This is just not a Cobourg problem - remember the case of the burnt fence at Wasaga beach a few months back? Municipal pols are quite powerless in this case if land-owners are not cooperative, despite what they may say.

From: “Stan Frost”
Date: May 26, 2009 2:04:01 PM EDT (CA)
To: “‘Greg Hancock’”
Subject: RE: Beachfront

Hi Greg,

I attended a meeting this morning with the Mayor, Police Chief, CAO and Town Directors concerning this issue. Yes we ware taking this very seriously and action will be forthcoming. I cannot say more at this point.

Stan

A black bear was spotted in the Elgin/D'Arcy area on Monday, not surprisingly as BBs have been seen to live in the woods at the Southern end of N'land Forest just up on Hwy 45. I just hope that this time around the Police handle the bear a little more sensitively than the last time we had a BB in Town. A few years back the Town Police Service became impatient about the way to handle it and a certain Sgt, who is still a Sgt., shot it out of the tree much to the disgust of the animal lovers on scene.

Talking yesterday about the new world record for a craps roll, I just happened to be at a Casino yesterday, I had to have an interview with US Border Agency about a FAST card, in Fort Erie, and decided to drop in at the table at NF. Seeing it was a $10.00 table it kinda made me aware of just how much money was at stake. My roll lasted the average 5 rolls but the guy after me made three points and rolled for about 18 so I made my money back and won enough for dinner on the way back!

A tussle at the Shoreline

All are commenting about this, a story that an older person hit another older person over the head with a walking stick when the first one trespassed on the second's one's beach and a heated discussion ensued.
This is a common story one person in particular, a person who moved in a couple of years ago has made it her mission in life to shout, scream, wave and generally become abusive towards people that encroach on her property. I would say get another life but she won't. So confrontations occur often and much Police time is wasted on this.
The Question here is the one posed by John Draper in his commentary yesterday "Why isn't Council doing something?" It's not as though they haven't worked on the file. I know that much legal opinion exists and we have yet to see the results. I know that discussions have taken place with a few of the owners with the potential of lower taxes for access being the topic. But no progress - why. If we can, at Council, agree to commit the taxpayers to a multimillion dollar project like the Community Centre and revamp a road allowance into a four lane highway in about six months and approve it all in six minutes speed can be achieved. But why not on this file? I would suggest that the mayor get into the act complete negotiations or at least make a public statement that explains the impediments to a free beach or else he runs the risk of the Boardwalk becoming known as "Delanty's Folly" - a road going to nowhere - just like some of the present Council!

One of those, "I wish I was there moments. In this story a new world record for a roll at a craps table was set. Just wish I had been there to participate. My normal record is roll once, set a point, put some money on the table and then seven out - LOSE!. The average roll on a table before the seven appears is about 5 so a hot roll is usually about 50 or sixty rolls., most players are happy with about 30. With an average of 60 rolls per hour the average roll goes down as payouts increase. A roll that took 4 hrs and 18 mins and only 154 rolls there must have been a whack of money being paid out to slow down the average.

Monday

First the news that not only are the Harperites considering changes to the EI, and will release the ideas today, but the "we are the only ruling party" Libs are considering an election over the changes. A couple of things. Firstly the libs despite what they say are not ready for an election, secondly the country doesn't want an election, thirdly there are 83 MPs who will qualify for the gravy train next Spring. They will have been in the House for six years and then the pension kicks in. Besides apart from the Community Colleges and the retraining industry, who are just drooling with the thought of more money for their overpriced and inadequate training seats, who else will benfit from changes to EI. Certainly not the unemployed. "Training for what?" is the buzzword. Can anyone remember back in the 80s when training money was flowing like an outdated six gallon flush toilet what people were being trained on? Wordperfect that's what! and how many unemployed got to use WP - not many. But it did make the government feel good about throwing money towards people who were forced to get out of the house for a few weeks.
So what are the hot retraining courses this depression? The main one is the old standby that always works - Personal Support Worker. Kudos to the union for getting the wage levels up so that anybody who takes a short course on how to change Granma's diaper and help out at the nursing home can at least earn a living wage. The people who do this type of work, PSW, can never be paid enough as they are doing the jobs that the majority of us wouldn't even look at and they deserve all the thanks from us they can get. But it's a sad commentary on our society when it's the only identifiable training that an unemployed person can get that guarantees employment.

This really bugs me, but when I heard that the commercial building on the corner of Swayne St and Division St, in Cobourg, was going to remodeled into 14 units of low income housing I was cheered. But now the true plans have been revealed I am more than a little disgusted. The Northumberland Services for Women have been working with the developer and now have assumed management of the building - very good. Except that the low income units are not universally accessible to the people on the waiting list. This is happening because the units are going to be used for "second stage housing". Mike Harris killed off the "second stage housing" in the 90s and there's been no money since. To use low income housing funds for this program is a perversion of the policy and should be condemned.
There are now 14 people on the County housing list who will never get to move up 14 places faster because of a bureaucratic manipulation of policy - shame.

The first of the roosting chickens are home. This story out of Los Angeles, but I'm sure that the Toronto Star will be following with a similar story soon, talks about applications for early retirement sharply increasing. Yep, to nobody's surprise older unemployed workers are dropping like flies when their weeks run out and applying for pension. At least a couple of thousand in this area alone in the last year. And the trend will continue. SO more pressure on the taxpayers left in the system and less commercial activity for the merchants - hey pensioners are cheap and don't spend money - so much for the economic recovery!

Bill Maher on the Video page here

Really avid readers will notice that theBurdReport now has another author (see top left) - Bill Hayes - yet to contribute but he has put up a nice pic of himself even with a Peter C Newman hat on he looks like the writer he is - looking forward to seeing posts - welcome aboard.