Sunday night grumbles...

Grumble #1. There's an ad running in high rotation right now about climate change, paid for by LiveSmart BC. In the ad the woman states that,

"We just don't have the minus thirty, minus forty winters like we used to and that's what we need to get rid of the pine beetles. Everybody needs to do their part."

And I want to know what, exactly, I can do to make sure that Prince George gets a minus forty winter. (Oh, I know, there's a long domino effect implied but I really, really resent the oversimplification.)

Grumble #2. Yesterday I went downtown to try and pick up a gift card for our niece from Lululemon. I circled the area twice looking for parking -- there was none available on the street and the parkade on lower Yates was full with a 6 car lineup. The new furniture store across from the parkade was lined up out the door; they were actually letting just one or two people in at a time. I finally found somewhere to park on Fisgard, two and a half blocks away from our destination. Every store we passed was crowded and we had to wait in line to purchase the gift card. There is no way you can convince me that our economy is in the sh*tter.

Now, you kids, get off my lawwwwn!

Oh, Quitcherwhinin.

OK. So. BC Ferries is in a tailspin because they jacked up fares high enough that people have rethought their travel. Now, without tourists to make up the difference, the corp. is looking at cutting some runs -- more than the usual off-season thinning. This annoys me, but we can plan around it for the few trips we are likely to take.

Politicians are grasping at straws, saying that the ferries are an extension of our highway system (true, they are) and that service needs to be maintained. Keith Martin talked about the Trans-Canada highway in particular and how the ferries deliver so many people from coast to coast. Um, Keith, check your maps. The Trans Canada highway crosses the straight at Nanaimo. So, yeah, we could say that route has to be protected at full service, but I don't think the argument holds for the Southern route.

Twenty Nine Percent.

That number refers to the raise that the BC Government is giving itself. Every MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly) will get 29% salary increases plus pension improvements; the Premier will see his salary more than double with a 54% increase. I'm all for better wages and I'm sure some MLAs earn their keep, but giving raises to politicians is always a tough sell. In this case, they did their research and asked for public input but got little.

What gets me about this raise is the way the opposition, the left-leaning NDP, has handled it. First they railed against it "We didn't ask for it; we won't support it!" -- even to the point of booting one MLA out of caucus who said he would support it. Now though they say "We want the pension, but not the raise." Of course, to get the pension, they have to vote in support of the whole package. And their spin on it? They're going to donate their raises to community groups who have been affected by government cuts.

Yeaaaah. Riiiiight.

I'm sure some MLAs will donate their money, but who the heck is going to track all that? (Hopefully some reporter with a chip on his/her shoulder will take on the task.) And in the end, the record will simply show they voted in favour of a 29% pay increase.

Congratulations. In 2010 when we next negotiate our contract, I hope these MLAs pay attention, because they're going to get an earful; three years is not a long time in labour memory.

My two cents.

I just want to get this off my chest. There is much wailing and gnashing of teeth over the fact that the BC Liberals have cut the funding for the Child Care Resource Centres, but I have to say the one time I really needed them, they were useless. Absolutely useless.

Sure, they sent me info -- but it turned out to be either the same info I had already read online or stuff that was seriously insulting to my intelligence and therefore useless.

They also gave me a list of daycares that were able to take children at that time. Except that the list was incorrect -- of the 6 daycares only ONE actually had room; the others were taking names for a waitlist.

In the end, I found what I needed on my own, thank you very much, so I am not sad, or overly concerned, that the funding has been cut. Hooray for the Liberals for getting one right.