New Soapbox
Posted December 1, 2024
I said in my previous post that I would have more to say on Provincial and Federal debt load. Well here goes - I usually look at something like this from a personal perspective, which means “how would the amount of income I have relate to my debt load?” In times past when I was single, I managed my finances by looking in my wallet and knowing when my next paycheck was coming. It worked OK I guess, but as I said in an earlier post, I wasn’t thinking of the future. Hey, I had a great time, and I had no debt load. But times change and, and one thing leads to another, and a mortgage rears its ugly head. That’s when I fired up the old spreadsheet (Lotus 123 and now Excel) and started tracking income and expenses. I’ve been doing this for many years now, as it gives me a clear picture of my (our) day to day, month to month and year to year (balance sheet) net worth. It’s a great planning tool so we can assess our budget and plan for future known and unknown financial events.
That’s where debt load comes in. The more debt you carry the more interest you pay, and the more interest you pay means you have less cash for necessities like food and shelter. Go figure! Seems to me the provincial and federal governments seem to ignore that basic concept.
Click for larger image
So why not cancel the $6B so called Christmas bonus (aka holiday tax break and cash giveaway) and not add it to the national debt? And, if you haven’t figured it out already, the Christmas bonus will just be more borrowed money.
To make matters worse, small and large businesses must deal with the expense and the issue of tracking the GST/HST exempt items, and no easy task that will be. As well, Provinces with a harmonized GST/HST will lose out on millions of dollars in revenue which, in turn, messes up their budget plans going forward into 2025.
Probably the thing that irks me the most about the $250 Christmas give-away is the high cutoff level of $150,000 per year of earnings. To me, it’s way too high and a $250 cheque in the mail is a drop in the bucket to these earners. Why not reduce the cutoff to an amount that equates to say about 25% above what minimum wage earners earn in a year. That way the give-away could include the unemployed, people with disabilities and pensioners.
Merry Christmas from the NDP and Liberals.
Posted November 28, 2024
According to Darren Major (CBC Journalist), Statistics Canada estimated in 2022 it would cost more than $356.7B to repair Canada’s crumbling water and road infrastructure. This estimate includes a $100B increase since 2020. I don’t even want to guess how much it would cost by 2025. To put this estimate (2022) into perspective or numbers that are easier to understand, I looked up the number of employed individuals currently in Canada and found that number to be 20.5M, give or take. Keep in mind the number of employed persons is a variable number based on several factors, including but not limited to the time of the year. But for my purposes I will use the above number. Now, if I divide the number of $356.7B by 20.5M, I come out with an amount of $17,400 which is the amount each working soul in Canada would owe.
Now, I know it would not go over very well if the Federal, Provincial, and or local governments said pay up. So, what they will do, is either increase personal, property and or other taxes or procrastinate and hold off for a few years until roads are not drivable and safe domestic water supply becomes non-existent. So, where does it leave us? I suspect holding the proverbial bag, so to speak.
Having said this, if the average homeowner were to put off servicing and repairing their homes and automobiles, in very short time neither would be livable nor drivable. So, we, the average homeowner, budgets for and pays to keep our possessions in a good state of repair and hopefully save a little for the future.
My take on it, is that various levels of government in Canada are not focussed on what is in the best interests of Canadians or the best way to tackle this and other problems we face.
Definitive examples:
- climate change/carbon tax
- west coast pipeline
- west to east pipeline
- oil imports vs exports, mostly to and from the USA
- reliance on foreign labor
- illegal immigration
- housing shortage
- passport fiasco
- CRA fraud issues
- Canada Post
- Provincial and Federal debt load (more on that later)
And the list goes on . . . and don’t forget Trudeau’s current “let’s re-elect me,” $6B boondoggle give away.
Now, all of what I wrote above pales in comparison to the destruction in various parts of the world where billions if not trillions of dollars of infrastructure and housing are being destroyed, thereby creating an impossible task of rebuilding while the hostilities continue.
This does not even consider the terrible loss of life and availability of a workforce to rebuild destroyed infrastructure and housing. We are lucky to live in a reasonably peaceful country called Canada, but like anything else it takes discussion and honest collaboration to solve problems in a civilised manner. Sometimes that’s easier said than done.
Thaaaaaat’s all folks!!!
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Posted October 19, 2024
Some days I’m not sure it’s worth getting up in the morning, but I do, even though the world seems to be going to hell in a hand basket. Like I said once before, I must quit reading the news.
It seems to me our Prime Minister is breaking the law or at least bending it badly. Case in point . . . If Justin Trudeau, has clearance for top secret information, then why is he blathering on about classified information that alleges some parliamentarians, specifically Conservatives, are involved somehow in foreign interference. It seems to me it’s an effort on his part to smear the Conservative party without having to show any proof. The fact is, if the information is classified, he should be keeping his mouth shut until the information is officially released and charges are laid. Personally, I think the Prime Minister should be sanctioned for his uncalled-for release of classified information. "That’s the bottom line" as Don Martin (Columnist for CTV News) would say.
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Was out driving northwest of our place the other day and pulled up to a stop sign and had to take a second look and a photograph. Talk about well intentioned and creative vandalism. Had to laugh though, as it seems to be the sentiment in the area. I also noticed a few other stop signs with the same message. I guess graffiti sometimes has its place. |
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Posted October 16, 2024
Another day and another dollar added to the cost of living. Over the years I’ve never had a problem with businesses making money. It takes money to make money so if you save a little bit out of every paycheque you can accumulate a fund for yourself, that over time with interest and smart investing, you will create a pool of cash much like a business, it’s called investing in yourself. Trick is, you must keep this cash separate from your everyday expenses and resist the urge to buy things like the latest and greatest iPhone. Tough to do, I know, but you’ll be better off in the long run. I never thought of that when I was younger but as time passed, and not having saved anything for the future, I finally realized I had better start looking to the future.
The future is now and I did smarten up, thank goodness. So, while I must still manage expenses and think twice about what makes sense regarding how best to invest in the future it’s a lot easier than living from paycheque to paycheque.
This takes us to where we are today, that is me and my singer-songwriter wife Dianne Joy. Going back a few months, that is to my post of November 19, 2023 (below a ways), where I spoke about the bug in my ear from dear wife about solar power. The day finally arrived with our system startup on October 15, 2024. It was a long haul, but we started generating power. All things being equal our electricity consumption should be close to zero for the coming year with the distribution charges lower but not eliminated as we are still tied into the grid. When the sun doesn’t shine the grid is our backup.
Here is a photo of our just commisioned solar array. It consists of 36 x 550 watt solar panels on a base of 16 screw piles. It is controlled by two inverters which in turn tie into a breaker panel and a disconnect switch. From the disconnect switch, an armored underground cable ties into the Fortis distribution system and bidirectional meter.
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Posted September 8, 2024
In recent news it was said that Blake Lively (actress) spent $19,000 for a pair of jeans from Valentino . . . and if you could believe it, the Toronto Star’s Vinay Menon (entertainment columnist), showed a photo of a pair of Jordanluca, British designer jeans with a stain to look like you peed yourself. If you want a pair, there is a waiting list at a $1,000 a pop. What a weird world we live in. All I can suggest is that we ignore the idiots and go about our everyday business in a meaningful way that shows respect and care for everyone we interact with, and head to the nearest bathroom if you need a pee.
As much as I dislike Trudeau and liberal governance, their type of politics pales in comparison to the politics south of the border. It seems to me, in general, politics brings out the worst in politicians and unfortunately in voters. Some politicians will say anything including lying repeatably and voters will believe anything if it’s repeated enough times according to Trump.
Moving on to another interesting observation I made recently. In looking at the preamble to the Canadian Charter (renamed and rewritten in 1982) and the United States constitution (1787) I found one remarkable difference. Of course, there are many more, but this particular difference is baffling to me. Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms recognizes the supremacy of God whereas the U.S. Constitution does not, as follows:
“Whereas Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law.”
“We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
It’s that single difference that confounds me as God is not defined as any particular deity or religion and begs the question as to why the supremacy of God is included in the first place. Likely politics and special interest groups forced the writer’s hand in rewriting Canada’s Charter.
The question is, what God is the Charter referring to? Each of the many religions in Canada and around the world have their own fundamental laws and beliefs. So, I’m thinking that if we removed God from the equation, we might have a chance at peace in this overcrowded world of ours.
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Posted August 18, 2024
Well, it was a day of reckoning about four weeks ago, when we, that is me, my wife and sister, all got hit with Covid. At first, we thought it was a reaction to the Covid jabs we received earlier in the week. Strangely enough we were all thinking the same thing, that we should get a booster shot not realizing we were overdue at the 10-month mark. But two days later I tested positive using a rapid test. If we had moved a little quicker and had our jabs per schedule, we might not have felt as crappy as we did. The worst of it included coughing, fever, chills and shakes, extreme fatigue, cold sweats and aching all over. Even my skin felt like it was on fire at times. After two weeks in isolation and feeling sorry for ourselves, we saw the end of it more or less. It takes a while to get back to normal. I don’t wish Covid on anyone.
On another note, I get the sense that the US election doesn’t bring out the best in people, neither the candidates nor the voters. The way things are progressing with Biden withdrawing his candidacy for a second term threw a wrench into Trump’s campaign plans aimed at dethroning Biden. It now means Trump and his supporters must rethink how to contend with a whole new dynamic and how to discredit the new entity which is Kamala Harris and her running mate. I suspect Trump feels cheated of an easy target in Biden and is starting to lose confidence in his campaign tactics as are his supporters.
One thing for sure, I’m happy we have our own water well system on our property after watching the news about Calgary’s recent water issues. A burst main water supply line caused flooding and restricted water use for some time. The line is back up and operating after a difficult and time-consuming repair. The issue now, is that more repairs are needed after a survey of the 10K line. But Calgary isn’t the only city with water problems as Montreal is now suffering the same problem with a huge water main break in the downtown area near the Jacques Cartier bridge. It seems to me that population growth and increased demand on ageing infrastructure is only going to make matters worse. There we go, another reason to raise property taxes and insurance rates.
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Posted July 16, 2024
Well, it goes from debates to shooting, the drama in the USA continues. In all of this, we have so-called intelligent folk at the top of the food chain calling each other names and threatening consequences. Coupled with the US courts run by folk who have been appointed or have been put in place for their political allegiance, which keeps these same courts tied up and unable to make decisions. Decisions that could likely impact the outcome of future elections in the USA.
Having said this, it ends up with some poor confused soul trying to make a decision, right or wrong, for the rest of the country. In his attempted assassination of Trump and consequently dying in his attempt, he has at least shed some light on the political mess in the USA.
In looking at the amount of security, including local and state police along with snipers and secret service at Trump’s gathering, it leaves me to believe they were or have been expecting some sort of violence against Trump. Although, in the case of Presidents and past Presidents tight security is usually the norm in the USA.
At the end of the day, I feel sorry for the young person having to make a choice likely knowing full well that his chances of success and coming out alive were slim to none. Now his family must carry the burden of his tragic decision.
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Posted June 30, 2024
And it’s said humans are at the top of the food chain but after watching the recent debate on CNN between Biden and Trump I think we’re somewhere between a rock and a hard place. It was a sad commentary between two supposed intelligent beings and orchestrated by a supposed expert panel of CNN moderators. To be honest we turned it off as we found it offensive and disrespectful to us as viewers.
Soap making . . . and on a lighter note
I’ve had a lot of interests over the years such as racing motorcycles, hang gliding, repairing old cars, beer and wine making, soap making, pottery, sailing, camping, and the list goes on. Lately I’m into making soap again but had to get back up to speed, so I read some books I have and watched some very informative YouTube videos. It amazes me how creative other soap makers can be only to have their beautiful soaps get washed down the drain. But hey, it’s a fun hobby with tangible results and for some a profitable business.
It’s been a learning experience where I’ve made some great soap and had the odd unsuccessful result. But even the unsuccessful results could be recovered as I discovered in my reading, it’s called rebatching. In a nutshell all you do is cut up the soap in small pieces or grate it and melt it. My first try in melting the pieces was by using a double broiler but that was too slow so the next time I used a crock pot which worked great. Or sort of, as I turned it on high, put the lid on and went to have lunch. When I returned from lunch I had soap everywhere, what a mess. All was not lost though as I scraped up all the hardened boiled over soap (like a lava flow) put it back into the crock pot, reheated and stirred it back to a nice pourable consistency and dumped it into a block mold. After it cooled and hardened (24 hours), I cut it up and placed it onto a rack to dry and finish hardening. Live and learn I say.
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Posted May 19, 2024
Time moves on . . .
Three years on and the war in eastern Europe still goes on and another starts in the Middle East. I just don’t understand the point of all the meaningless destruction and killing. Likely no one else does either.
Add to this, the continued worldwide migration of people looking for a haven and hoping for a better way of life and not finding it in places like Europe, USA, Canada or elsewhere. In Canada we cannot even look after our own population of homeless so how can we contend with those who arrive illegally or by our government’s belief that we can accommodate immigration to the tune of 100,000+ people a year.
Add to that, housing scarcity and high rent costs, food insecurity and in general high prices on consumer goods, electronic or otherwise and general lack of adequate healthcare because of the shortage of doctors and health care workers and the list goes on.
Another topic of concern is the increasing number and types of scams out there to part folks from their hard-earned money. Spam email and text messages never quit and the endless calls to our phones, whether land line or mobile, promoting some product or attempting to get you to part with personal information and money goes on unabated. My sister recently received a call re the grandparent scam, but she knows the routine – push the big red button on her call blocker and hang up. PS she doesn’t have grandkids so it was an easy call.
Nothing has really changed dollar-wise over the years; the numbers just get bigger. I recall packing bags in a grocery store for 25 cents an hour, and as a kid it was enough at the time, but it was important to my dear old dad that I learned the value of working hard and the value of money. Nowadays the average pay for a grocery packer is $15.00 to $20.00 per hour typically classified as an entry level job.
Most jobs in skilled trades or in the IT (computer) industry have a starting hourly wage similar to a grocery packer. The difference comes in when you acquire trades training, certification, and experience. The same goes for those with advanced education via college or university. For example, a skilled tradesman’s or IT engineer’s high end hourly rate hits a high of $55 to $60 an hour. Add to that, benefits, and holiday pay, it adds up. Keep in mind that the wages I quoted vary from province to province and the location in said province.
The latest info about wages from StatCan says that the average hourly wage in Canada is now $34.95 – my take on this is that this number is skewed in favor of provincial and federal employee numbers, particularly federal employees, based on available information on wages in a quick online search.
When I looked at my recent invoice for the repairs of our Ford Econoline van which listed a door rate of $189 per hour it made me wonder. However, I knew that before the work started, so after I factored in wages, benefits, insurance, inventory, building maintenance and repairs, business taxes, property taxes, workman’s compensation, etc. it took the wonder out of it. Life in general is expensive!!
Good news, our ground based solar array install starts this coming week, it's a long process with all the permits and approvals but we made it through with no issues. Should be operational by the end of June. Let it shine, let it shine . . .
That’s all folks, till next time.
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Posted January 1, 2024
Here we are into a New Year with hopes of joy, peace and freedom for all. However, the world continues to turn with nothing changed, except more of the same old crap that we experienced in 2023. I do believe there is always hope that common sense and peace will prevail.
But somehow, I doubt that will happen sometime soon with more than 195 armed conflicts currently taking place in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America according to the "Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights" in Switzerland.
Here we all thought that with the end of WW2, we had come to our senses and peace would succeed. However, power hungry autocrats and various other groups crave the feel of power and control by any means, whether by starvation, imprisonment, threats or by force. Problem is, there is no cure for megalomania or stupidity.
Having said all the above we can do our little part by loving and cherishing our friends and family as well as being civil, courteous and respectful to one and all. Happy New Year!
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Posted November 19, 2023
Talk about "adding insult to injury," this comment refers to my October 30 post where I griped about the Maritimes heating oil carbon tax break. Anyway, the insult is the fact that we pay GST on top of the carbon tax according to my gas bill. Talk about double dipping, so it means that the Maritimers not only don't pay carbon tax on their heating oil, but they also get a break on their GST. My question is, do they still get a carbon tax rebate? I guess we'll find out somewhere down the road. Now don't get me wrong, I have no hard feelings for Maritimers and good on them for getting a break on their heating costs. But what about the rest of us? Maybe if we voted Liberal, we might have a say, according to the Liberal Rural Economic Development Minister, Gudie Hutchings.
Anyway, life goes on, strange as it is some days. I'm thinking I should quit reading the news as it seems there is nothing new from day to day and for the most part it's depressing and heartbreaking and as it's said, same old same old.
We can't say that we as Canadians haven't had political differences and sometimes violence, but we have managed to overcome it for the most part. However, it seems we are importing political disagreements from other parts of the world and taking sides could put you in the line of fire. Maybe we should adopt a rule, like in the old days, where you check your guns (bad feelings) at the saloon door. Or, how about having a civil discussion and finding ways to agree to disagree without involving violence. I more than suspect that there are foreign and domestic political activists (disrupters) causing trouble to advance their personal or political views.
On to another thing, somehow, dear wife put a bug in my ear about solar power and true to my nature I investigated it and concluded that it was a good idea. So, I embarked on a new project where, by May or so of 2024, we will have a ground based solar array. This will offset our electric power consumption 100% over the course of the year and reduce the risk of higher electricity prices. Capital cost payback is way down the road but that's another story.
Fortis Alberta - it takes a lot of equipment to get the job done
There are a lot of steps in the project with one of them to upgrade our transformer from a 10kVA to a 25kVA which was done by Fortis Alberta. Existing power pole had to be replaced because of new height restrictions as well as the transformer. Power was shut off but our Kubota generator kicked in after about 20 seconds. Hey, it pays to be prepared. They did a great job and wrapped up in less than four hours. They also replaced the standard meter with a bi-directional meter whereby we can feed power into the grid as well as draw from the grid. Next step is the installation of the solar array come spring.
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Posted November 11, 2023
In my October 30 posting I spoke about current "troubled times" in the world, and today is a day we reflect on past troubled times and remember those brave Canadians who served and those who died in past wars and peace keeping missions. And we must keep in our hearts and minds the many people that currently serve in our armed forces at home and abroad to protect Canada and our friends around the world. Click on the link to a video of a song by singer/songwriter Dianne Joy celebrating one such hero, my Dad.
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Posted October 30, 2023
Well, its about time I got back to writing. Since 2019 some things haven't changed, we're still getting Covid and flu jabs and add to that a recommended RSV jab for those of a particular age bracket. One thing to note, is that we have not contracted any virus-related ailments over the course of the pandemic and to date, neither Covid nor influenza, which gives credence to "better safe than sorry."
Last year (2022), after our last trip with our truck and travel trailer to Eagle Valley Park Campground in southern Saskatchewan, we sold both, which freed up a lot of room in my shop. So, I had an idea for a new project where I designed and built a hydroponics system for growing lettuce, YES lettuce. It worked great and we had lots of leafy greens until I decided to add green peppers and tomatoes to the mix which required different nutrients. It wasn't a good idea as none of my plants did very well. So, I threw all the plants out, cleaned the system and when I get enough time, I'll start a new batch of lettuce.
About this time last year my dear wife, a singer songwriter and her singer songwriter friend had a discussion with the owners of Tribal Connection Market in Okotoks and with their blessing, decided to start up an open mic. A once a month - third Monday of the month - open mic where musicians and listeners are welcome to participate and enjoy music and coffee. It has been extremely successful and they recently celebrated their one year anniversary of the project. Me, I'm the sound guy and I provide the equipment and setup to make it all work for the performers and listeners. Both experienced and newbie musicians enjoy a friendly and non-threatening environment to enjoy and share their love of music.
Last fall I figured I'd best get some overdue repairs to our deck done, so I started off by pulling up a few deck boards to replace them as they were somewhat weather beaten and, in some cases, rot had set in, mostly where the screws were. After unscrewing a few of the worst deck boards, I found, to my dismay, the trusses were also in bad shape. Well, long story short, it was too big a job for me, so I hired a local company I heard about through my headset radio whilst out harrowing my fields with my Kubota. This summer the deck and our walkway were rebuilt. They did a darned fine job so we're good for another 25 years or more. One thing to note is that I unscrewed every deck board myself, (to save some money on labor) over a period of three days, my knees and back were very happy when I'd finished. One thing though, we salvaged most of the boards and our friends picked them up and turned them into a windbreak on their farm. Better than going to the landfill. And speaking of decks, I contracted the same company to rebuild my sister’s deck and pergolas. A much bigger job than ours but it's almost complete and we'd hoped it would be wrapped up before the snow arrived. That didn't happen as it snowed in mid-October and nighttime temperatures hit -17C. The weather is warming up so work should resume and be completed shortly.
This year I got back to making hand soap, something I did several years ago. It's a great way to get a good quality soap and it makes great gifts. Just about out now, so I must get back at it in the next few weeks. However, I had a lot of scraps left over so I tried my hand a re-batching the scraps. It worked well but using a double broiler wasn't the best way to do it, it took too long. Next time I'll use a crock pot. Live and learn, I guess.
In the meantime, I started another new project as we're installing a ground based solar array to help offset our electric bills. While we are not building it, it takes a lot of serious investigation and planning to hire a reputable company to get the job done in a timely manner. More on that in 2024.
The old saying "the world is going to hell in a hand basket" seems to ring true in these troubled times around the world. Not only that, our neighbors to the south, can't for the life of them figure out how to deal with illegal migrants and their southern border security. Seems Canada isn't doing much better on that note.
Back to troubled times - the death and destruction in the middle east and eastern Europe makes one want to cry. It makes me sad and very afraid of where the world is heading all because of the hatred people have for each other. What we need is a time out. Just think of all the good the money and resources we spend on wars could do, not just at home but around the world.
However, back here on the farm, we've had the worst hay crop in many years, virtually nothing worth harvesting. Farmer Dave, who cuts our hay, said his mower can't cut low enough to make it worth while. Which meant I had to cut what was there with my trusty Kubota and rough-cut mower to get rid of the weeds and brush that seems to grow regardless. And the other reason to cut it was to be able to harrow and knock down the pocket gopher mounds that seem to get worse every year. With the fields mowed and harrowed I could spot where new mounds come up so I could set traps to get rid of the pesky critters. Left alone, the pocket gophers will destroy a hay field. Not a pleasant, time consuming, task but one that needs to be done on a regular basis in the spring and fall.
My Kubota and rough-cut mower on the hill overlooking our spring, ponds and hay fields
Our liberal Prime Minister (JT) can't keep his mouth shut or maybe it's a case of hoof in mouth, either way he is an embarrassment to Canada and Canadians. I guess it's like father like son. JT's screw ups are ongoing, from SNC-Lavalin, holidays with the Aga Khan, costumes on his India visit, elbow in the breast in parliament, blackface, WE Charity, current relations with India and the list goes on. I suspect if the liberals weren't supported by the NDP they would have been turfed some time ago.
Seems to me, that the recent comment by the Liberal Rural Economic Development Minister, Gudie Hutchings, about western and prairie provinces electing "more Liberals" to have their voices heard, adds credence to the claim that Liberals are buying votes by giving carbon tax breaks to the Maritimes - a very Liberal part of Canada. You be the judge!
On another note, in my Old Soapbox about appealing an MD decision and water licenses granted to a neighboring hemp operation, I stated that the water flow from our spring was 10 IGPM, I did the same test this year and it's now 8 IGPM measured approximately the same time as last year. That's a 20% drop in flow. It could be an aberration or a sign of things to come, let's hope it's an aberration.
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