Sunday, March 25, 2007
Media lack of brainpower causes suffering and misinformation
I saw Mark McCardell on Vancouver’s Global noon hour news on Wednesday February 21, 2007. All I can say about it is that this is precisely this type of media treatment of important issues that dooms Canada and its citizens to poor and misinformed decision making. At a time the country faces important decisions on a wide variety of complex issues, making the need for balanced, thoughtful and intelligent information a must, the media is serving up this kind of misleading, pointless nonsense.
Mr. McCardell demonstrates his total disconnection from reality and lack of familiarity with thought in his assertions that rounding up all the current drug dealers and jailing them would, in some manner impossible for anyone with more intelligence than a amoeba to fathom, ensure that illegal drugs are no longer available. At its roots the illegal drug industry is unfettered capitalism at its most avaricious, where the laws of supply and demand ensure a continuous supply of dealers and drugs. Any one who falls for Mr. McCardell’s glib assurances that the arrest of current suppliers would prevent their loved ones from the path of addiction, in reality would face an increased likelihood of the heartbreak of addiction so many now deal with. Given the immense potential for wasted lives and damage in Mr McCardell’s statement I would say his behaviour on this matter is criminal.
His solution for current addicts is to abandon them to their addiction in hopes they will solve the problem by dying off. Although, in further proof of his lack of an ability to reason, he fails to explain how this die off would occur once his magical plan for removing drug supplies from our streets denies them the drugs to kill themselves with. Perhaps Mr. McCardell favours some form of euthanasia for those who have not, for the convenience of Mr McCardell and those who wish to live in the type of society he advocates, killed themselves off before their drug supply miraculously disappeared.
Mr. McCardell is apparently to be numbered among those who wring their hands and decry a society where people step over those in need of help and walk away. As long as the person in need of help is suffering from something the Mr. McCardell deems worthy of help. I have no desire to live in the type of society that would grow out of adopting Mr. McCardell’s spiritually bankrupt ideology.
No. if you want to have a positive affect on these complex social problems, indeed a positive effect on Canada and Canadian society as a whole, you will not find it in the mindless demagogy of Mr. McCardell and his ilk. You will not find it in throwing drug dealers and addicts in jail; not in arbitrarily longer jail sentences; nor in ignoring the realities of addiction and the drug trade; assuredly you will not find it in wishing for the death of those suffering addiction for down that path lies corruption and darkness.
No, if we wish to find solutions we need to heed the wisdom of the great minds of the human race such as Albert Einstein. We must amend the criminal code, with draconically punishing sentence lengths, to make stupidity of the proportions and criminality demonstrated by Mr. McCardell as much against the law as it is against the public interest and intelligent thought. This would mean that at least minimal levels of intelligence will become a requirement for employment in the news media resulting in significant increases of useful information transfer to the public while cutting off the current deluge of misinformation. While an informed public does not guarantee wise decisions it at least affords a fighting chance for common sense and thoughtfulness to win out.
For as Albert noted: “The two most abundant elements in the Universe are hydrogen and human stupidity, and of the two I am not sure about hydrogen.” With the challenges facing our society, our country and our world today, we can no longer afford the luxury of human stupidity of the magnitude demonstrated by Mr. McCardell and those who foist him upon us.
Mr. McCardell demonstrates his total disconnection from reality and lack of familiarity with thought in his assertions that rounding up all the current drug dealers and jailing them would, in some manner impossible for anyone with more intelligence than a amoeba to fathom, ensure that illegal drugs are no longer available. At its roots the illegal drug industry is unfettered capitalism at its most avaricious, where the laws of supply and demand ensure a continuous supply of dealers and drugs. Any one who falls for Mr. McCardell’s glib assurances that the arrest of current suppliers would prevent their loved ones from the path of addiction, in reality would face an increased likelihood of the heartbreak of addiction so many now deal with. Given the immense potential for wasted lives and damage in Mr McCardell’s statement I would say his behaviour on this matter is criminal.
His solution for current addicts is to abandon them to their addiction in hopes they will solve the problem by dying off. Although, in further proof of his lack of an ability to reason, he fails to explain how this die off would occur once his magical plan for removing drug supplies from our streets denies them the drugs to kill themselves with. Perhaps Mr. McCardell favours some form of euthanasia for those who have not, for the convenience of Mr McCardell and those who wish to live in the type of society he advocates, killed themselves off before their drug supply miraculously disappeared.
Mr. McCardell is apparently to be numbered among those who wring their hands and decry a society where people step over those in need of help and walk away. As long as the person in need of help is suffering from something the Mr. McCardell deems worthy of help. I have no desire to live in the type of society that would grow out of adopting Mr. McCardell’s spiritually bankrupt ideology.
No. if you want to have a positive affect on these complex social problems, indeed a positive effect on Canada and Canadian society as a whole, you will not find it in the mindless demagogy of Mr. McCardell and his ilk. You will not find it in throwing drug dealers and addicts in jail; not in arbitrarily longer jail sentences; nor in ignoring the realities of addiction and the drug trade; assuredly you will not find it in wishing for the death of those suffering addiction for down that path lies corruption and darkness.
No, if we wish to find solutions we need to heed the wisdom of the great minds of the human race such as Albert Einstein. We must amend the criminal code, with draconically punishing sentence lengths, to make stupidity of the proportions and criminality demonstrated by Mr. McCardell as much against the law as it is against the public interest and intelligent thought. This would mean that at least minimal levels of intelligence will become a requirement for employment in the news media resulting in significant increases of useful information transfer to the public while cutting off the current deluge of misinformation. While an informed public does not guarantee wise decisions it at least affords a fighting chance for common sense and thoughtfulness to win out.
For as Albert noted: “The two most abundant elements in the Universe are hydrogen and human stupidity, and of the two I am not sure about hydrogen.” With the challenges facing our society, our country and our world today, we can no longer afford the luxury of human stupidity of the magnitude demonstrated by Mr. McCardell and those who foist him upon us.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
But Abbotsford City Hall is SPECIAL! at least in their own minds.
It is behaviour such as Abbotsford City Hall’s action on the Old Spaghetti Factory application that leaves thinking people shaking their heads.
I expect that something will be worked out and that we will get an Old Spaghetti Factory in that location. I also expect that the business people who had the misfortune to find themselves dealing with Abbotsford City Hall will be telling other potential investors that they DO NOT want to do business in Abbotsford; that you want to drive on by Abbotsford if you are looking to do or open a business simply because dealing with Abbotsford City Hall is a time wasting, irrational pain in the a*s.
Perhaps there are some parking issues but… we are not talking about building a NEW Old Spaghetti Factory, we are speaking of putting a restaurant into an existing building that housed … a restaurant. That is correct: they are proposing to put a restaurant into a location that previously housed an approved restaurant, same location, the very same building. Understandably someone looking to put in an Old Spaghetti Factory would choose a location that previously contained a restaurant and expect no problems.
I do not care if there are some minor parking issues (if they were not reasonably minor the project would be dead). Abbotsford City Hall approved putting a restaurant in that location originally; it is unreasonable, unpredictable behaviour to suddenly question the suitability of this location for a restaurant. And Abbotsford City Hall wonders why rational, intelligent people do not want to do business in the City.
Personally I think the people behind the proposal should have told Abbotsford City Hall that there was no problem. There is a city bus route servicing that location and customers can park at Seven Oaks Mall and take transit to and from the Old Spaghetti Factory.
What I, potential investors, business people and any reasonable human being what to know is why there is such a difference in the rules for businesses, citizens etc and Abbotsford City Hall. A shortage of half a parking space can scuttle a proposal for others, but Abbotsford City Hall can be short thousands of parking spaces and create traffic chaos and all is fine. Is this the kind of behaviour you want in people you do business with? If Abbotsford City Hall wants to see why people and businesses drive on by and avoid the City - just look in any mirror.
I expect that something will be worked out and that we will get an Old Spaghetti Factory in that location. I also expect that the business people who had the misfortune to find themselves dealing with Abbotsford City Hall will be telling other potential investors that they DO NOT want to do business in Abbotsford; that you want to drive on by Abbotsford if you are looking to do or open a business simply because dealing with Abbotsford City Hall is a time wasting, irrational pain in the a*s.
Perhaps there are some parking issues but… we are not talking about building a NEW Old Spaghetti Factory, we are speaking of putting a restaurant into an existing building that housed … a restaurant. That is correct: they are proposing to put a restaurant into a location that previously housed an approved restaurant, same location, the very same building. Understandably someone looking to put in an Old Spaghetti Factory would choose a location that previously contained a restaurant and expect no problems.
I do not care if there are some minor parking issues (if they were not reasonably minor the project would be dead). Abbotsford City Hall approved putting a restaurant in that location originally; it is unreasonable, unpredictable behaviour to suddenly question the suitability of this location for a restaurant. And Abbotsford City Hall wonders why rational, intelligent people do not want to do business in the City.
Personally I think the people behind the proposal should have told Abbotsford City Hall that there was no problem. There is a city bus route servicing that location and customers can park at Seven Oaks Mall and take transit to and from the Old Spaghetti Factory.
What I, potential investors, business people and any reasonable human being what to know is why there is such a difference in the rules for businesses, citizens etc and Abbotsford City Hall. A shortage of half a parking space can scuttle a proposal for others, but Abbotsford City Hall can be short thousands of parking spaces and create traffic chaos and all is fine. Is this the kind of behaviour you want in people you do business with? If Abbotsford City Hall wants to see why people and businesses drive on by and avoid the City - just look in any mirror.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Spectrum: $5,000 for what?
So we are paying Spectrum $5,000 a month, a fee soon to increase by 50%, for their “expertise”. This would be the same “expertise” that produced the debacle at the ECHL all-star game? I am sure the ECHL was impressed by the lack of preparation and knowledge displayed by City representatives travelling on the taxpayer’s credit card.
Given Abbotsford City Hall’s track record I fail to understand why they had to pay for Spectrum’s “expertise” to appear of questionable intelligence. With brilliant moves such as their behaviour/failure on the Provincial funding front, Abbotsford City Hall is clearly capable of demonstrating incompetence without wasting tax dollars on outside “expertise”.
While on the subject of Spectrum: was it not just a few months ago that Abbotsford City Hall was claiming the reason to have brought Spectrum in was not to help sell Plan A snake, but to help secure an ECHL team through “expertise” and “connections” – the same rational that was used to sell the claim that major Ice Shows and Bands would be breaking down the doors to perform at the new arena? We have seen Spectrum’s performance with the ECHL, which raises serious questions about their ability to deliver the promised performers.
I would like to know why it is the city is doing the work vis-à-vis the ECHL when this was part of the stated reasons for brining in Spectrum and where were Spectrums claimed “connections” and “expertise” at the ECHL all-star fiasco. Based on their performance so far I fail to see why we are wasting our tax dollars on Spectrum Unless of course Abbotsford City Hall feels the need to have someone to blame, blame and excuse making being a demonstrated expertise of Abbotsford City Hall, when the arena shows its true colours: white, as in Abbotsford City Hall’s giant White Elephant - bleeding taxpayers dollars.
Given Abbotsford City Hall’s track record I fail to understand why they had to pay for Spectrum’s “expertise” to appear of questionable intelligence. With brilliant moves such as their behaviour/failure on the Provincial funding front, Abbotsford City Hall is clearly capable of demonstrating incompetence without wasting tax dollars on outside “expertise”.
While on the subject of Spectrum: was it not just a few months ago that Abbotsford City Hall was claiming the reason to have brought Spectrum in was not to help sell Plan A snake, but to help secure an ECHL team through “expertise” and “connections” – the same rational that was used to sell the claim that major Ice Shows and Bands would be breaking down the doors to perform at the new arena? We have seen Spectrum’s performance with the ECHL, which raises serious questions about their ability to deliver the promised performers.
I would like to know why it is the city is doing the work vis-à-vis the ECHL when this was part of the stated reasons for brining in Spectrum and where were Spectrums claimed “connections” and “expertise” at the ECHL all-star fiasco. Based on their performance so far I fail to see why we are wasting our tax dollars on Spectrum Unless of course Abbotsford City Hall feels the need to have someone to blame, blame and excuse making being a demonstrated expertise of Abbotsford City Hall, when the arena shows its true colours: white, as in Abbotsford City Hall’s giant White Elephant - bleeding taxpayers dollars.
