Robocall scam provided employment...in Canada!!!

Canadians upset over the RoboCall scandal need to look at this another way.  With our sputtering economy and record high levels of debt, a strategy like this provides jobs.  Sure, call centre jobs aren't the highest paying or most secure....but at least the CPC didn't hire a company that make calls out of India or  something.

Its now being reported that in addition to Racknine Inc out of Edmonton, the Tories employed the services of Responsive Marketing Group out of Thunder Bay.  And interviews with employees in big Thunder indicate the callers were actual people, not a digital voice as was the case with Racknine. 

So this is good news.  In Ontario, where unemployment is higher, more jobs were created.  Alberta on the other hand, they got a bit of money flowing their way, but I'm sure using a machine was a more cost effective way to subvert democracy and besides...Alberta is swimming in oil money so jobs aren't as sorely needed.

Call centres aren't that bad of a place to work.  Making calls on behalf of the CPC requires only basic literacy skills and there's no heavy lifting.  And with the direction Canada is moving, we're going to have lots of people heading into retirement needing extra income.     

• Those forty year no money down mortgages are starting to come due, with many experts calling for a US style cratering of real estate in this country. 
• Income trusts are no longer tax exempt, never mind that our Prime Minister said he would never go after seniors' retirement nest eggs.
• And Canadians are looking at having to work longer to qualify for a government pension. 

Call it the Action Plan part II, getting Canadians working and ensuring that we have a Conservative majority in Ottawa to steer us through these difficult times.

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Canadians don't care about the 'Robocall' scam....

When is a scandal not a scandal?  When nobody gives a rip. 

Sorry for the trailer park answer to that question, but I'm thinking some conservatives might read this...and well, I like to pander.  If I tossed in a word like dichotomy their eyes would glaze over and their heads would tilt to one side.

Better to keep things simple.

Its like the so called in and out scandal, sure it smells but we live in a win at all costs society now.  Call it a hybrid between pro wrestling and MMA, in keeping with the white trash theme.  Elections still have a veneer of respectability, so what if the rules get bent a little, or even a lot.

We won, you lost....stop whining.  Besides, you evil coalition types probably did some bad things too.  Snipe snipe snipe between Canada's political camps, while ordinary Canadians try to get extensions on their lines of credit to fill up their broken down cars so they can get to Timmy's in hopes of rolling up a Camry.

Hell, around 40% of Canadians didn't even bother to vote last time around.  We've got bigger worries.

Jobs are disappearing, Canadians are up to the eyeballs in debt and worried about warnings of higher interest rates.  We're going to be working longer to qualify for a piddly government pension.  Corporate welfare is alive and well in the Great White North, the rest of us are on our own. 

Who has time to worry about attempts to swipe ballot boxes and fraudulent phone calls being made to steal a lousy election? 

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Is the U.S. conservative movement on drugs?

I realize very well that the conservative movement in the U.S. has gone and basically co-opted the fundamentalist, born again, bible thumping, man walked with dinosaurs Christian crowd.  Fair enough, they're a great constituency to have.  They're used to doing as they're told, and they don't worry about obvious contradictions or warped logic. 

And that's a good thing for Rick Santorum, the new golden boy of the religious right. 

President Obama wants higher college enrollment in the United States.  Sounds good right?  You know, the globally competitive marketplace we now live in requires an intelligent and adaptable work force.  Unless of course you just want burger flippers and Wal-Mart greeters tossing their 10% tithes into the minimum wage collection plate. 

Ahhhhhh but wait.  Its all part of a huge left wing conspiracy.  Mr. Santorum was recently quoted saying that 62% of students who enter college and university with a faith commitment, leave without it.  Students learn to think critically, they gain knowledge, and they begin to question the religious teachings about the invisible man in the sky.  You know....God.  They become less malleable, more independent in their judgement and less easy to manipulate.  Heavens, they learn that they don't have to listen to Rush Limbaugh and some conclude that the bombastic radio host is really nothing more than a trailer park blow hard.

Conservative leaders sure don't want that. 

Thank heavens things haven't gone that far north of the border, at least not yet.  I wonder if our Prime Minister still holds to views he had back in 1997, when he said to an ultra conservative U.S. think tank:

"....your country, and particularly your conservative movement, is a light and an inspiration to people in this country and across the world".

Seems to me that "light" is running seriously low on juice. 

I'll end this entry with a YouTube clip of the late great George Carlin.  If you've had post secondary schooling you might find it amusing.  Warning, it has the (gasp) Eff word in it, but that's  Carlin :-)

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MSM slowly waking up to Canada's real estate bubble

We all know the anatomy of a recession, right?  For those who don't, recessions tend to follow this general pattern.  Insert government and market 'experts' where you see the word 'we'.

Stage 1 -  Denial

The fundamentals of the economy are strong and 'we' anticipate continued growth.

Stage 2 - Limited Recognition
While there appears to be some stress in certain sectors of the economy overall the fundamentals are sound and while growth may moderate 'we' continue to project growth.

Stage 3 - Predictions of a soft landing

It has become evident that the economy is showing signs of weakening, however because the underlying fundamentals remain strong 'we' do anticipate the possibility of a recession but anticipate it will be strictly technical and very short in duration.

Stage 3 - Capitulation

Uhm, 'we'...meaning you...are f###ed.

Now wherever you see the word economy, replace it with housing market.  And where you see the word 'we', replace it with government types, mortgage professionals, real estate agents and anyone whose income is bolstered by a surging real estate market. 

I'm sure some will continue to disagree, predictions of a bubble bursting have been around for at least a couple of years now...same as they were in the U.S. before their market imploded.  Someone who just took on a massive mortgage on a Toronto condo isn't going to like hearing that their biggest asset is going to crater over the coming years. 

And who knows, maybe they can pump some more air into the balloon before it pops.  Maybe we'll see mortgage rates drop to 2% with a return to the sub-prime lending practices we had before...40 year mortgages with zero money down. 

But I doubt it.

Recognition is starting to seep into mainstream media.  Just google Canada Real Estate Bubble and you can read all about it, click on the bulleted links if you dare:

• Bubble fears up in Canada
• Housing cools as sellers hold back‎
• Cash in as yet another housing bubble bursts
• What happens when Canada’s housing bubble pops?

 For those in the minority camp who don't own a home....when might be the time to dive into the market?  When everyone is saying that real estate is the last place to invest. 

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