tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253782.post7190723614550183036..comments2024-03-03T17:01:57.876-05:00Comments on Montreal Simon: Electro-Motive and the Sellout ConsSimonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15309809679331128837noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253782.post-25092607248337049042012-02-05T01:31:50.067-05:002012-02-05T01:31:50.067-05:00hi ThinkingManNeil...I couldn't agree with you...hi ThinkingManNeil...I couldn't agree with you more. There must be some punishment for there corporate hogs who think they can play games with the lives of Canadian workers. Even the NDP plan to only give tax breaks to companies that produce good jobs would be better than what we have now. Big businesses are getting big tax breaks and all they are doing is sitting on it, using it to fatten their profits, and no doubt give themselves juicy bonuses,while workers look for jobs that don't exist. Of course, and I know you agree with me, all this would be just fiddling with a larger problem that only a revolution can truly fix. The system is corrupted beyond repair, and must be replaced with a better and fairer one, one that puts people before corporate profits. In that regard I am still optimistic since the Harperites are doing a marvellous job of pointing out the weaknesses and inequity of our current system. But then I have always had the reputation of being a guy who believes that there is a pony under all the manure... ;)Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15309809679331128837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253782.post-9050565363427454472012-02-05T01:22:28.899-05:002012-02-05T01:22:28.899-05:00hi anonymous... I think you have summed up the eco...hi anonymous... I think you have summed up the economic situation really well. The high dollar has definitely hurt our manufacturing base as the so-called Dutch Disease always does. And since they don't want to control it, by taxing the oil patch and slowing down development, they are now trying to boost it by turning us into a low wage economy. Which of course is madness, and will turn our country into a Banana Republic, and condemn younger Canadians to a life without any good jobs. Which in turn will reduce our capacity to pay for services for Canadians of all ages. I'm afraid their budget will ignore the advice of serious economists and plunge us into a double dip recession. Which is of course what happened to FDR in 1937, when as the U.S. economy was recovering the Republicans forced him to attack the deficit instead of maintaining stimulus programs, unemployment jumped from fourteen to twenty percent. And the economy didn't really recover until the Second World War.<br />As the old philosopher said, those who don't learn from their mistakes are condemned to repeat them. Let's just hope that we don't make the same mistake in the next election...Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15309809679331128837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253782.post-39968503308300690912012-02-05T01:10:36.712-05:002012-02-05T01:10:36.712-05:00hi Thwap... thank you. I heard the news at work an...hi Thwap... thank you. I heard the news at work and I wasn't able to think of anything else. All I wanted to do was come home and give vent to my anger. And like you I also blame the goofs who believed that the Cons were good "money managers." When in fact they're just rabid ideologues who are hollowing out this country, and humiliating decent working Canadians, in their frenzy to destroy government.<br />Great Ugly Leader poses as a nationalist, but just like Duplessis he is just a puppet of big business trying to destroy the union movement so Big Business can treat us like slaves.<br />As I told e.a.f. I'm hoping that even some of those dumb Canadians can finally see the Cons for what they really are. The most ghastly government in Canadian history and a serious threat to our economic and social future...Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15309809679331128837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253782.post-41074007095576112912012-02-05T01:01:38.018-05:002012-02-05T01:01:38.018-05:00hi e.a.f....I hope this Electro-Motive disaster co...hi e.a.f....I hope this Electro-Motive disaster comes back to haunt Harper, because there couldn't be a better example of the complete bankruptcy of his economic policy.<br />Or a better example of his selling out our country to foreign interests.<br />Unfortunately, as I mentioned in my post, there are some people in this country who scream: "If I don't have a union why should they?" Or "I don't have a pension so nobody should have one !!!!" Which of course leads all of us on a race to the bottom.<br /><br />As for this:<br /><br /><i>One point I'd like to make is we can expect to see the manufacturing sector suffer in Canada due to the high Canadian $. This was a problem in The Netherlands due to their natural gas resources.</i><br /><br />What you are referring to is the so-called Dutch Disease, which has already seriously damaged our already battered industrial base.<br />But the Cons don't care because they are such tools of Big Oil, they are willing to sacrifice the economic well being of every province except Alberta. And takes us back to the days when we were mere hewers or wood and drawers of water.<br />The good news is the only thing they had going for them was the illusion they were good money managers, and I'm hoping what's happening now will destroy that illusion forever...Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15309809679331128837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253782.post-65004227038573744972012-02-04T22:05:30.940-05:002012-02-04T22:05:30.940-05:00I think if any company like ElectoMotive and, by e...I think if any company like ElectoMotive and, by extension, Caterpillar, that takes significant amounts of taxpayer money and then proceeds to try to bust unions or abuse its employees by demanding huge, unwarranted pay and benefit cuts, or threatens to take jobs out of the country or close down factories if their selfish temper tantrum blackmail isn't satisfied should be told, in no uncertain terms, that if they do that our markets will be closed to them and that they won't be allowed to bid on another government sponsored contract or sell so much as a rubber band or thumbtack in Canada ever again. Also, to retain access to our markets they WILL pay a socially responsible tax rate in order to contribute to the ongoing maintenance, education and development of a committed and skilled work forceThinkingManNeilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10233707013338083180noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253782.post-76692789867716313152012-02-04T14:58:48.785-05:002012-02-04T14:58:48.785-05:00A strong Canadian $ is nice for a few Canadian-bas...A strong Canadian $ is nice for a few Canadian-based corps, and some Canadian tourists. When the Canadian $ shot up from 67 cents American to 100 cents American, the prices at retail didn't change any. A strong Canadian $ should mean Canadian corps making investments in new equipment to improve productivity, but the corps are just sitting on their piles of money.<br /><br />The wonders of free-trade do a great job for Big Corp bank accounts and the executive class, but not so great for smaller economic players.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253782.post-79110412494681409662012-02-04T09:43:10.909-05:002012-02-04T09:43:10.909-05:00Great post Simon! harper is a boot-licker. He'...Great post Simon! harper is a boot-licker. He's done the same thing with Stelco, INCO, and too many other places.<br /><br />He wants a low-wage country, but then the shit-head will genuinely wonder why the economy is not doing better.<br /><br />I have zero patience for the stoops who haven't figured this out. Not only are they ignorant or idiots, ... their ignorance and idiocy lowers my standard of living.thwaphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15399550285738440669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253782.post-61453297630453170342012-02-04T07:34:36.422-05:002012-02-04T07:34:36.422-05:00This maybe what Harper wants but it may well back ...This maybe what Harper wants but it may well back fire on him. When Canadian see that this company, with its profits, still wanted workers to take a 50% cut in salary, they will know its all bogus. It may turn out to be a problem for the Tories.<br /><br />Hats off to Quebec who is going to sue for a return of money given to the corporation who is taking their toys to the U.S.A. Companies who want tax reductions or government grants will usually keep looking around for more free handouts so why give them any to begin with.<br /><br />When they implemented free trade, it was so north american workers could join the rush to the bottom. <br /><br />At one time only 5 American states had "right to work laws". Now there are 28. The 5 original states also had the worst medical care, highest rate of poverty, lowest educational success rates, etc. <br /><br />Trying to eliminate unions never does work. In the end people will understand they will be pushed until they are working for salaries comprible to those in China & Mexico. <br /><br />One point I'd like to make is we can expect to see the manufacturing sector suffer in Canada due to the high Canadian $. This was a problem in The Netherlands due to their natural gas resources. <br /><br />A "strong" Canadian $ is nice for some, but you have to ask yourself, How many of those Canadian $s are in my pocket.e.a.f.noreply@blogger.com