Legalise Pot, Not Gambling

Recently I watched some coverage of Proposition 19 , currently up for a vote in California. This innovative initiative is designed to raise tax revenue in that state, which is in imminent danger of not being able to run essential government services. Proponents want to legalise possession of small amounts of marijuana, setting up a system to collect taxes on its sale like they do on alcohol. They figure they can raise 1.4 billion a year doing it, and polls show 52% of Californians support it.

Watching the show my thoughts turned to our own Premier Dad announcing last week that online gambling, once disdained by him and his party, is to be the latest new tax generating tool of our government. I'm no expert on addictions, and no gambler either, but my gut (don't need no experts to tell me stuff) assures me that many more lives have been ruined by obsessive gambling than obsessive pot smoking, if there even is such a thing, which I doubt.

There are enough closet puffers out there to finance a few government projects, believe me, and there are also many pot growers in the province who would welcome a chance to grow and sell their product legally.

California will have the same problem as Ontario if pot was legalised though, and that is a federal government with a contrary law. While the feds in the USA are relaxing their stance, allowing medical marijuana in its military hospitals in the 14 states where medicinal pot is legal, we would certainly face a huge battle here with Captain Stevie and his Robot Puppets in charge. They're the guys who keep busting and jailing disabled people who have medical certificates to smoke up in Canada. It could take some convincing to bring them along. They'd have to think up new uses for all the jails they want to build, for one thing. Maybe hydroponic grow-ups, I'm sure we can think of something useful.

All I know is given a choice between sitting in front of a computer screen gambling away the rent money, and paying a tax on pot like we do at the liquor store, I'll take the latter option any day. It's so much less perilous for the people.

Anonymous postings

Yet another muse about anonymous postings. This comes in response to both a desire to do something different with the site and a question from Greg Hancock, who like many others is getting a little peeved with the ease that anonymouses can snipe from the bushes and PO the rest of the site. Pleading guilty to having a liberal policy about comments it is realised that such a policy is not pleasing to some.

The answer is to transfer to another platform where comments have to be accompanied by an email address. This email address should not be displayed but known only to me. You don't give it up you don't get to play. The real alternative would be to switch on the 'users only' switch to read the site and that is far too private. We at the BR like comments but bear with us as we tighten them up a bit.

BTW if you are really interested in the next phase of the BR checkout this beta site and submit comments and explore the work so far. The difference in this site is that when comments are submitted you will asked to submit a name and email address. The details will be confidential, the name chosen will be shown and all that this will do is PO the anonymousers who hide behind anons. Just to restate you can still be anonymous but youo must provide an email address. Even this can be a pseudonym as yahoo and google mail can be faked.

Pssst - want to buy your neighbours' junk

If you do head on down to the largest yard-sale in the province. Sales from one end of the Town to the other. This collectin of tables was in Victoria park, presumably these folks either came from out of Town or live in apartments. The best buy of the day was at the Library book sale - five for a dollar, everyone else was at least fifty cents or a dollar each. Great fun and a wonderful Saturday morning.

Jerry Ford is revealed - check out "jerryford.ca"

jerryford.ca

Perusing the list of names on the Town of Coboug's website page that shows the names of filed candidates, we have a person called Jerry Ford. Nothing in the MSM yet, how does this person expect to get noticed if there is no publicity? Ditto with Wayne DeVeau. He has put his name forward but some people do know who he is, probably not as many as he thinks there are!

So go to it folks - if you intend to run filing your name is not enough, we have to know who you are.

Met John Floyd today, he tells me that he will be announcing his candidacy for the Mayor's spot in Port Hope, at his house on August 25th. That's only eight weeks before the voting day - not much time but the big difference with John is that he has been running for Mayor for the past twelve years since the last time he ran.

Mr Marin makes a call

The Ontario Ombudsman, Mr Marin, has issued a report, some call it scathing, about the way LHINs conduct their public consultations about decisions that affect the public. In the case of a LHIN in Niagara it closed emergency rooms with decisions made behind closed doors, after a period of questionable public consultations.

In Cobourg we have had closures of hospital run clinics bsed on approval by "public consultation". A citizens panel was established (opinions abound about the legitimacy of that process) and they recommended that closure take place. If memory is correct this panel only had one public session out of five held. Does that make the cut under Mr Marin's rules? If it doesn't then the opponents case that the closings were out of line hold water. Anyway it seems that Mr Biron and his high priced consultants will have to head back to the drawing board to design a proper and transparent consutation process for the next round of cuts, that are as inevitable as night follows day.

Don't make wishes - you might get more than you dreamed of.

This adage comes to mind when it  was revealed that paper ballots , in Cobourg, are as dead as the dodo. A dangerous move and one subject to manipulation. Now people may call the objectors to voting machines and internet voting conspiracy theorists or just plain cranks but as the guy in Missouri says, "If I can't see it I don't trust it!" Just remember the missing votes in the Al Gore election and who are these people running the election anyway, they certainly aren't the little old ladies with the blue hair that have been running electioni all their lives? 

Say goodbye to recounts and polling figures. This move will throw political science for a loop. Nobody will know where the votes come from, only those who vote. The wonderful thing about this is that traditonal  "vote-pulling" and "marked lists" are gone so local rainmakers are now redundant. After all how will scrutineers know who has voted and when? Internet voting has reduced the election period by a week as any candidate stupid enough to waste time door-knocking in the voting period will be met with the voter at the door telling them that not only did the voter vote but guess what, "And I voted for you!"

So the modern day mystery will be the way internet voting will unfold, every body has access to a computer and if motivated enough to get off the couch and put the beer down might do it. We can't wait for the mystery to begin.

Guess who's coming to dinner, and all day too, tomorrow

This guy- that's who. How many wet knickers will be found after the event, how many orgasmic dreams will be fulfilled just by shaking his hand? All questions answered tomorrow.
Itinerary below:

Date:               Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Time:              10:30a.m. – 11:30am 

      

Location:        Community Living Campbellford/Brighton 

                    65 Bridge St. E. Campbellford, ON

 Tour of facility then Mr. Trudeau will be speaking to a group of invited guests on Volunteerism in Canada

     

  - and -

Time: 12:15 pm-1:10pm

Location:  Kelsey's Restaurant 227 Dundas Street East Quinte West

Meet & Greet local residents.

  - and -

Time: 3:10pm- 3:40pm

Location: Cobourg Lions Centre 157 Elgin Street East,  Cobourg

Mr. Trudeau participating with children from the Victoria Park Childcare Centre to prepare for backpacks for the Northumberland United Way Backpack for Kids Program
 
- and -

Time: 4:15pm -5:30pm

Location: Home of Dr. Mark and Elaine Azzopardi 7330 Bell Hill Road Port Hope

Mr. Trudeau joining invited guests for a BBQ

I guess the tickets to the good Doctors house will be well sought after, after all it is invite only! 


Sponsored by Kim Rudd Federal Liberal Candidate Northumberland Quinte West, if any good libs want to take notes the BR will mighty appreciative - just email them in.

Just a quick sum-up

With the board agreeing that events mar the normal performance of Vic Park this thought has been nagging me for the past 1000kms - why can't the RibFest be placed on the pier? A much more secure and larger place for everything. Perhaps we should be using this space for something productive seeing as we don't allow people to park there.

A maaaarvellooous idea

Comments do work, not just mindless anonymouses sniping at each other, this snippet, from Gail Rayment, came into a previous post,  where ideas for beach activities are being discussed.

" Now - what I would like to see happen is that some of our visitors be invited to participate in a version of Food on the Danforth, so that we can sample all the delicious foods we smell being prepared. That would certainly get me to the beach" 

This is a fantastic idea. Why don't we pick up on it - suggestions anybody

Another negative comment about visitors

Councillor Bob (why do I have big feet?) Spooner gave his opinion about the visitors to Victoria Park and made a few revealing remarks. Quote from NToday story here, " Spooner said, is the fact that weekend visitors to the beach are leaving their garbage and not spending their money." Perhaps if the local commercial sector had something to offer then money might get spent.

The other worrying suggestion is the move to ban bbqs from the Park. This would seem to be punitive rather than helpful to tourism and should be resisted. In a remark that reveals a total lack of understanding about the visitors he is quoted, ""Whatever happened to Tupperware and cheese sandwiches?" What part of ethnic food is a cheese sandwich?

However all this discussion is good and maybe we can turn the debate into one of positivism - accept the influx of visitors as good and figure out a way to separate them from their money. [Good luck on that one Russell Peters has based his act on his tightwad Indian dad see this youtube excerpt. - ed]