HAPPY NEW YEAR

I wish each and every one a very Happy New Year. I thank you for your participation in 2010 and look forward to an exciting 2011.

Enjoy the evening celebrations and do so safely.

LSD

Personally, there isn't much that I don't like about Mayor Atch. I know him to be a good man. He's kind and approachable. I think he is a good ambassador for Saskatoon. He's a visible mayor and attends almost all public functions, large or small. For the best part he is respectful of citizens when they appear before council, even when treated disrespectfully by some presenters. He is patient and tolerant when dealing with some grandstanding councillors. If only he could manage money he would be a great mayor.

Atch has been called a dreamer. The world needs dreamers. Some see him as a visionary. Perhaps he is both. He definitely is an optimist.

But when it comes to spending to make those dreams and visions come true, he might be hallucinatory.

I read his interview with Hutton (SP Dec. 30/10) regarding the year ahead. It sounds good. It sounds expensive. But the focus is on the mega projects. It will be years before any development bears fruit in the form of taxes and thus the wee taxpayer must foot the bill. In the interim the city needs that affect the average taxpayer are not met, or alternatively are met and taxes go through the roof. And the debt, and debt servicing, grows and weighs heavy on city residents.

Our good mayor is on an LSD trip - Lots of Spending and Debt. I hope the trip ends before the credit card is maxed out.

Study Political 'Net Benefit'

In Angela Hall's interview with Premier Wall (SP Dec. 29/10) he commented that the government did not do polling prior to making his decision regarding the BHP attempted hostile takeover of PCS, implying of course that the decision was made based on the best interest of the province rather than on the political best interest of his party. He didn't need to do polling as the public voluntarily voiced their opinions and the media did the polling.

The interview further dealt with the future of Mosaic Stadium in Regina. On this decision he should do polling prior to making a decision. He should also do a net benefit examination of this proposed project and an examination of how well other extravagant stadiums do in larger centres with bigger markets.

He should also examine the political career of Geo. Bush Sr. After Kuwait Bush Sr. had a 80% approval waiting. Less than a year later he lost his election bid for a second term.

The thing about riding high is that you have a greater distance to fall and the velocity can create deadly end results.

The Aftermath

Once again Christmas has come and gone and with it the manic highs and lows I associate with this season. The family is starting to disperse and I am starting to regret all the holiday ornamentation I used that now must be put away. I go into my down time between Christmas and New Years and recover by kicking back with the papers that have piled up and thumb through new books to be read.

I scanned James Wood's interview with Lingenfelter in today's SP (Dec. 28/10) but haven't yet read the online version. This kinder, gentler Dwain with his positive approach sounds like a true Christmas miracle. Then I got to the part where he quotes the stats that no NDP/CCF government has ever won re-election after one term in opposition. He has set the stage for his loss in the next election. There is almost a sadness listening to a man let go of his dream. I say this assuming that his party will look for a new leader after the next election.

Then again, this is next year country.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

I wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas. May you enjoy the kinship and warmth of family and friends this holiday season.

I hope each and every one has done one small (or large) act of generosity and shared some of their good fortune with those less favoured.

And I wish this message is one that we can all agree on.

Peace and joy to all.

Again, Merry Christmas!

How many Scrooges sit on council?

With respect to the recycling debate Pat Lorje says "When Cosmo got assurance council would make sure that there was always a role on any go-forward basis I would have hoped it relieved any anxiety. I don't think it has." Within the same article (SP Dec. 23/10) it quotes from the Globe and Mail piece that some Saskatoon city councillors are "skeptical about the value of the charity but wary of being seen as opposing disability rights." Perhaps this last quote is reason enough for Cosmo to be anxious about its future.

Interestingly enough these councillors are most concerned about how their decision will reflect on them and their political futures than how it will affect the Cosmo kids.

If some councillors are skeptical of the value of Cosmo they should be talking to the families of the Cosmo kids. Cosmo is not just a workplace. It is a gathering place for people with intellectual disabilities that provides them with a sense of purpose, a peer group and a social outlet. Without Cosmo these good people would be languishing at whatever residence they have with little or no contact with one another or with the wider community.

Forcing Cosmo to pay minimum wage would in effect shut them down. The stipend they do get is used in some measure to teach them how to use money and generally pays for their social activities. Should they receive minimum wage from Cosmo Industries the province would no doubt deduct their wages from the monthly support payment which would leave them in a terribly impoverished situation and with no ability to improve the quality of their lives.

This article quickly points out the city's dollar subsidy to Cosmo but neglects to mention the savings to the city as a result of Cosmo diverting 14,000 metric tonnes of paper from the landfill each year. Although there may be cost attached to acts of humanity, it know in this case it is far lesser than the ongoing squandering by this council. And the financial support for Cosmo it a drop in the bucket compared to the tax breaks given to businesses and developers.

This whole discussion angers me in that I feel some councillors are setting the stage for the tragic drama of destroying Cosmo and attempting to make themselves look like good, caring and concerned politicians while doing so. We have some very shameful people leading our city.

Doubting Thomas

I, and I suspect many others, are curious about the investigative documents being withheld by the government regarding Tommy Douglas. I can only speculate that the police activity from that era would violate today's laws. Regrettably, as a public, we take actions from a historical period and judge those actions on today's standards without recognizing what our country and its people were dealing with at that time.

Such was the case with the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaka to end WWII. In today's world that action is appalling. In 1945, after years of war which resulted in millions of deaths, people wanted the war to end and applauded the government of the day for the bombing. Yet leaders from 1945 are chastised today for that action.

Tommy Douglas was a good man, but not a perfect one. He did many good things during his era and has been duly recognized, perhaps even canonized, for his work. I'm going to guess revelations from investigative documents will result in his martyrdom. Actions from the Cold War era will become today's political Hot War.

Is there a way to study our history and learn from it without resurrecting it?