Western Expresso

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

oil is a national buisnes though it not just in alberta........

No other province is dependent on it like Alberta though. You could also just apply that argument to the country needing to succession plan for the eventual fall of oil. I know a province that’s over-prepared to step into the “clean” energy limelight...

[rrskylar]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

the amaricans are trying to stop us from shipping to asia

as for refinery's we made it so no one wants to own them in canada. wpg had 2 of them at one point

You can thank the NDP for the closure of the Shell refinery in Winnipeg they wanted environmental standards that didn't exist in the industry at the time.

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by rrskylar

You can thank the NDP for the closure of the Shell refinery in Winnipeg they wanted environmental standards that didn't exist in the industry at the time.

what happens when ur the first out the door

[Roger Strong]

Originally Posted by optimusREIM

This is an interview with Tim Pool, a former Vice News reporter. He talks about the things happening in Sweden.

His trip there was funded by that paragon of truth, InfoWars. And he was caught simply making stuff up.

And it gets worse.

Originally Posted by optimusREIM

To hearken back to your earlier post about Sweden. There are real problems there. This is not fabricated.

There are real crimes, real serious incidents, just as there are in any segment of the population. You can cherry-pick out of any of them.

There are of course some major exceptions in Europe, especially in France, and for good reason: Unlike all of most of the western hemisphere, Europe didn't have birthright citizenship until recently. And even then, with significant limitations. Sweden doesn't have it at all.

All those Algerians brought into France as maids, nannys and other cheap labor eventually had kids. Then grandkids. None of whom got citizenship. They know they're not even second-class citizens. Ghettos form. Riots become common, as they probably should.

We don't - and won't - have this problem. We give all immigrants a path to citizenship, and their kids and grandkids born here are automatically granted citizenship. There are no second-class citizens, let alone not-even-second-class-citizens. And the Syrian refugees for example were spread out across more than 110 communities. No ghettos.

[optimusREIM]

Originally Posted by Roger Strong

His trip there was funded by that paragon of truth, InfoWars. And he was caught simply making stuff up.

And it gets worse.



There are real crimes, real serious incidents, just as there are in any segment of the population. You can cherry-pick out of any of them.

There are of course some major exceptions in Europe, especially in France, and for good reason: Unlike all of most of the western hemisphere, Europe didn't have birthright citizenship until recently. And even then, with significant limitations. Sweden doesn't have it at all.

All those Algerians brought into France as maids, nannys and other cheap labor eventually had kids. Then grandkids. None of whom got citizenship. They know they're not even second-class citizens. Ghettos form. Riots become common, as they probably should.

We don't - and won't - have this problem. We give all immigrants a path to citizenship, and their kids and grandkids born here are automatically granted citizenship. There are no second-class citizens, let alone not-even-second-class-citizens. And the Syrian refugees for example were spread out across more than 110 communities. No ghettos.

I'm not sure what he could have been making up about being escorted out of Rinkeby. Looks an awful lot like an escort to me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODw7o34Vdbk

Also I'm fairly confident that Buzzfeed isn't exactly an unbiased news source themselves...

[alittle1]

" * I love to crush the other side and take the benefits. Why? Because there is nothing greater. For me it is even better than sex, and I love sex.

* In a great deal you win---not the other side. You crush your opponent and come away with something better for yourself. In negotiations I go for the complete win.

* I have learned that it is important to focus on the solution, not the problem. If you put all your energy into the problem, how much passion do you have left for finding a solution?

* ...learning from someone else's mistakes is faster and easier than making them yourself.

* ...if you want to be successful in business and in life, never, ever give up. Never quit. You can never be successful if you give up.

* Handle pressure by learning not to dwell on negative thoughts and opinions of others.

* You will have your biggest successes when you go against the tide.

* Andy Grove, the former CEO of Intel, once said,"Dive deep into the data, then trust your gut." I think this best describes my approach to decision making.

* ...go with your gut, but do not bet the ranch on it...Get all the facts, because there is a reason why everyone else is going the other way.

* Acting uncertain often makes my opponents push their arguments for the deal more strongly, playing right into my hands. It also gives me time to sit back and come up with creative options that help me close a better deal than I could if I just plunged right in. I could negotiate peace in the Middle East---very few other people could.

* When luck is on your side it is not the time to be modest or timid. It is the time to go for the biggest success you can possible achieve. This is the true meaning of thinking big.

* Every time a negative thought comes to you, zap it. Replace it with a positive thought...the result will be stamina, positive stamina, a necessary ingredient for success.

* Positive thinking is not merely wishful thinking. It is all about incorporating a sense of optimism into everything you do while also acknowledging the negative...Learn how to be optimistic even in the face of large and intimidating challenges and it will revolutionize your life.

* Do not give in to anger...Sure, you have to be tough, but out-of-control anger is not toughness, it is weakness.

* You cannot expect to be successful 100 percent of the time...There are always circumstances beyond your control. The only way to guard against having your confidence shattered is to come to grips with the stark reality that negative things can and do happen...Do not let it shake your self-confidence one iota.

* When somebody takes a cheap shot at you do not be afraid to fire back...Go for the jugular. Attack them back in spades.

* Always get even. When somebody screws you, screw them back in spades... This is not your typical advice...but this is real-life advice. If you don't get even, you are just a schmuck! I really mean it, too.

* When you are wronged, go after those people because it is a good feeling and because other people wil see you doing it...When other people see that you don't take crap and see you are really going after somebody for wronging you, they will respect you.

* You should never sell out your friends.

* ...nobody is more dishonest than the press.

* I could give you the names of ten to twenty of the greatest deal-makers in the world who live in this country. These great negotiators could go up against China or Iran and work out a fabulous deal for the United States.

* I try to hire people who are honest and loyal...I value loyalty above everything else---more than brains, more than drive, and more than energy.

* Always keep fighting! You never know when there is another chance or another great opportunity waiting right around the corner...My motto is: "never give up!"

* ...you have to maintain your focus and keep building your momentum at all times. Your problems can be temporary if you keep you momentum moving forward.

* Do not be afraid of mistakes and setbacks, because they are your best teachers.

* I pride mystelf on being obstinate, stubborn and tough. I think those are important qualities found in successful people.

* Worry destroys focus... He or she who focuses the longest wins.

* Do not look for approval from others. This is a sure sign of weakness.

* Doubt saps your will to succeed and signals to everyone involved that you are going to fail.

* A failure or setback is not a defeat... You are defeated only when you accept defeat and assume the hopeless mind-set of a defeated person...Never let a setback defeat you emotionally to the point that you draw negative self-deprecating conclusions like, "I'll never make it. I'm a loser. I might as well give up. All my critics were right."

* Do not spend too much time planning or trying to anticipate and solve problems before they happen...Until you start, you won't know where the problems will occur. You won't have the experience to solve them. Instead, get into action, and solve the problems as they arise.

* Give your goals values that are not monetary.

* Take great joy in doing a great job. "

Donald Trump....yes, I saw you nodding your head as you read these....

[dmacc]

^^ haha, I didn't see that coming

[Roger Strong]

Originally Posted by alittle1

Donald Trump....yes, I saw you nodding your head as you read these....

Those quotes come from "Donald Trump: The Art of the Deal." So Tony Schwartz, not Donald Trump.

Schwartz expressed regrets about his involvement in the book, and both he and the book's publisher, Howard Kaminsky, said that Trump had played no role in the actual writing of the book.
- The New Yorker

"I genuinely believe that if Trump wins and gets the nuclear codes there is an excellent possibility it will lead to the end of civilization. Trump only takes two positions. Either you're a scummy loser, liar, whatever, or you're the greatest...A stunning level of superficial knowledge and plain ignorance."
- Art of the Deal ghostwriter Tony Schwartz

It's not like Trump follows many of the rules in the list.

[rrskylar]

https://discover.rbcroyalbank.com/to...ees-in-canada/

In a couple fields you can make almost as much as members of the WPS or WFPS of course with the WPS you need the hard to achieve Arts Degree and with the WFPS the anyone who applies gets in ACU Fire College eight month Diploma!

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by rrskylar

https://discover.rbcroyalbank.com/to...ees-in-canada/

In a couple fields you can make almost as much as members of the WPS or WFPS of course with the WPS you need the hard to achieve Arts Degree and with the WFPS the anyone who applies gets in ACU Fire College eight month Diploma!

Why do people begrudge public servants earning $60 or $70,000 per year? That is the minimum income necessary to have even a remotely middle class standard of living, that is, to own a modest home, to have a vehicle, to be able to put a little bit away for a rainy day, kids' education or retirement and to take at least one holiday per year so these winters don't drive one utterly over the deep end.

Adjusted for inflation, wages for the vast majority haven't budged for over 4 decades, for many, particularly blue collar men, they have declined. That trend needs to be reversed, not encouraged by suggesting everyone should work for subsistence wages except those in the top 5 or 10%. That economic model is not sustainable if one wants Canada to remain a first world country.

I do agree that the percentage of the city's budget spent on police and fire services is far too high, but what has to be cut is not base wages but unnecessary and wasteful spending on infrastructure, equipment and overtime.

[dmacc]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

Why do people begrudge public servants earning $60 or $70,000 per year? That is the minimum income necessary to have even a remotely middle class standard of living, that is, to own a modest home, to have a vehicle, to be able to put a little bit away for a rainy day, kids' education or retirement and to take at least one holiday per year so these winters don't drive one utterly over the deep end.

Adjusted for inflation, wages for the vast majority haven't budged for over 4 decades, for many, particularly blue collar men, they have declined. That trend needs to be reversed, not encouraged by suggesting everyone should work for subsistence wages except those in the top 5 or 10%. That economic model is not sustainable if one wants Canada to remain a first world country.

I do agree that the percentage of the city's budget spent on police and fire services is far too high, but what has to be cut is not base wages but unnecessary and wasteful spending on infrastructure, equipment and overtime.

People should be paid the worth of the job they are in. The determining factor of the worth of a position in a free market world is supply and demand. The supply of people qualified enough and willing to do the jobs of most public service positions are very high. It would stand to reason that you would still be able to fill all positions if wages were lower. If that's the case, why raise wages when you don't have too.

I don't understand the theory that people deserve a better wage just because they have worked for an extended period of time or because the world around them is increasing quicker then them. I don't feel anyone is entitled to a Caribbean vacation just because they live somewhere they don't enjoy half the year.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by dmacc

People should be paid the worth of the job they are in. The determining factor of the worth of a position in a free market world is supply and demand. The supply of people qualified enough and willing to do the jobs of most public service positions are very high. It would stand to reason that you would still be able to fill all positions if wages were lower. If that's the case, why raise wages when you don't have too.

I don't understand the theory that people deserve a better wage just because they have worked for an extended period of time or because the world around them is increasing quicker then them. I don't feel anyone is entitled to a Caribbean vacation just because they live somewhere they don't enjoy half the year.

I have no desire to return to Victorian social conditions. You might be okay with Canada playing on a level playing field with Indonesia or Brazil, but I'm not.

A strict supply and demand labour market is completely antithetical to all of the gains made by labour and the growth of the middle class starting in the late 19th century, many of which have already been whittled away. The level of inequality in this country has already become appalling.

[djforsberg]

Originally Posted by dmacc

People should be paid the worth of the job they are in. The determining factor of the worth of a position in a free market world is supply and demand. The supply of people qualified enough and willing to do the jobs of most public service positions are very high. It would stand to reason that you would still be able to fill all positions if wages were lower. If that's the case, why raise wages when you don't have too.

I don't understand the theory that people deserve a better wage just because they have worked for an extended period of time or because the world around them is increasing quicker then them. I don't feel anyone is entitled to a Caribbean vacation just because they live somewhere they don't enjoy half the year.

The idea that humans should be treated like a commodity is so fucking disgusting and inhumane, I can't believe more people hasn't called bullshit on it. We have all been brainwashed with the Econ 101 thinking that humans are just some cog in the capitalist machine and that we should all compete in the great race to the bottom. I'm not saying everyone deserves a $60k+ paying job but there is enough wealth in this country (and world) for everyone to reap the benefits of this collective treasure trove we have amassed since WW2. With automation and globalization increasing every day, how we re-distribute wealth and match people with careers is going to be the difference between our country completely falling apart due to mass inequality, and ensuring our children and their children can benefit from this wealth and keep businesses alive by spending it.

[dmacc]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

I have no desire to return to Victorian social conditions. You might be okay with Canada playing on a level playing field with Indonesia or Brazil, but I'm not.

A strict supply and demand labour market is completely antithetical to all of the gains made by labour and the growth of the middle class starting in the late 19th century, many of which have already been whittled away. The level of inequality in this country has already become appalling.

A lot of the gains labour has made over the last decade or two have come at the expense of governments living beyond they're means and running continual deficits. What labour needs to understand is that if you want a better wage maybe you should educate yourself and learn something new that make you worth the extra wage. You don't just deserve $70,000 a year because you were born in Canada. You need to go to school, work hard, be intelligent, have some sort of skill that make you worth the wage you want. Even then, sometimes live deals you cards that prevent you from achieving what you wanted. It's not the world job to ensure you still get what you want but rather an unfortunate circumstance that no one but yourself has to live with.

Sorry, I know that comes across cold and curmudgeony and like an old man ranting on his porch.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by dmacc

A lot of the gains labour has made over the last decade or two have come at the expense of governments living beyond they're means and running continual deficits. What labour needs to understand is that if you want a better wage maybe you should educate yourself and learn something new that make you worth the extra wage. You don't just deserve $70,000 a year because you were born in Canada. You need to go to school, work hard, be intelligent, have some sort of skill that make you worth the wage you want. Even then, sometimes live deals you cards that prevent you from achieving what you wanted. It's not the world job to ensure you still get what you want but rather an unfortunate circumstance that no one but yourself has to live with.

Sorry, I know that comes across cold and curmudgeony and like an old man ranting on his porch.

Labour has made NO gains over the last decade or two, in fact it has made no gains for over forty years. ZERO. Virtually all of new wealth creation since the early 80s has accrued to the top 1%. Much of the working class has slipped into destitution floating along by predatory payday loans and a very good chunk of the middle class has disappeared.

Government deficits, which were eliminated for a period of time in the earlier 2000s in both Canada and the US, are the result of privatization of profits and socialization of losses, not to public sector wages.

[Authentic_City]

^The notion that there are unlimited pools of labour ready to fill civil service jobs at low wages is overly simplistic and quite naive in fact. Let's set aside the issue of corruption among police forces with low wages (e.g. New Orleans). Consider that the RCMP, for example, is finding it very hard to find enough recruits. The RCMP has a very nice salary and benefit package. Where are all the folks lining up in the imagined supply and demand universe to take these well paying jobs? Recruits still have to meet basic standards for physical fitness and be able to pass a test. Should we lower these standards to get employees willing to work for lower wages?

Also consider that some municipal police forces in cities like Edmonton are paying signing bonuses to get police to move there (e.g. transferring laterally from other police services). Heck, cities like Calgary had recruiting drives in the UK to bring over experienced officers. Again, supply and demand seems to suggest that there are not enough qualified applicants for these positions - maybe even worldwide. Sure, WPS pays a high salary, but it is not out of line with other police services in Canada. A recent McLean's article claimed that 40% of Windsor, ON police officers were earning more than $100,000. Firefighters are not far off from this in many Canadian jurisdictions.

There may be many people who would like to have jobs in the civil service or emergency services, but I don't want poorly paid, inexperienced or unqualified people running the city or policing the streets. Like Curmudgeon says, we need to better manage overtime and I would add that perhaps we should look at using technology and civilian police employees to reduce the overall number of police officers. Winnipeg's solution for too long has been to keep hiring more officers.

[djforsberg]

Originally Posted by dmacc

A lot of the gains labour has made over the last decade or two have come at the expense of governments living beyond they're means and running continual deficits. What labour needs to understand is that if you want a better wage maybe you should educate yourself and learn something new that make you worth the extra wage. You don't just deserve $70,000 a year because you were born in Canada. You need to go to school, work hard, be intelligent, have some sort of skill that make you worth the wage you want. Even then, sometimes live deals you cards that prevent you from achieving what you wanted. It's not the world job to ensure you still get what you want but rather an unfortunate circumstance that no one but yourself has to live with.

Sorry, I know that comes across cold and curmudgeony and like an old man ranting on his porch.

What you are suggesting is impractical and nonsensical. There are many people with an education out there barely making it by, working minimum wage jobs. There just isn't enough good-paying jobs out there in this world of automation, globalization, consolidation and vertical integration. Also, as Authentic_City has alluded to, you can't fit square pegs in round holes. There are going to be many people out there who just aren't fit for the few good paying jobs that are available.

[rrskylar]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

Why do people begrudge public servants earning $60 or $70,000 per year? That is the minimum income necessary to have even a remotely middle class standard of living, that is, to own a modest home, to have a vehicle, to be able to put a little bit away for a rainy day, kids' education or retirement and to take at least one holiday per year so these winters don't drive one utterly over the deep end.

Adjusted for inflation, wages for the vast majority haven't budged for over 4 decades, for many, particularly blue collar men, they have declined. That trend needs to be reversed, not encouraged by suggesting everyone should work for subsistence wages except those in the top 5 or 10%. That economic model is not sustainable if one wants Canada to remain a first world country.

I do agree that the percentage of the city's budget spent on police and fire services is far too high, but what has to be cut is not base wages but unnecessary and wasteful spending on infrastructure, equipment and overtime.

I don't begrudge anyone making what they should with the appropriate academic background or skill set, what I have a problem with are firefighters making the same as nurses, engineers,teachers, pharmacists and other educated people where there are tough entrance requirements. A firefighter making $100K plus with an eight month fire school diploma is ridiculous.

There is a problem when the WPS and WFPS services eat up nearly half the city budget, who gets 7-9% pay increases every five years?

There is no shortage of qualified applicants for both the WPS and WFPS service and the play should reflect that, to have them making more than a pharmacist lets says, any idea how hard it is to even get into the pharmacy program!

[Authentic_City]

^ The myth that hard work, intelligence, ability etc. solely determine a person's economic well-being has been empirically debunked. Social capital, family wealth and social standing are better predictors of economic success of children. Some the dimmest and laziest people I went to highschool with had wealthy parents and are doing just fine today because they were set up in the family business or some other venture bankrolled by the parents.

[Authentic_City]

Originally Posted by rrskylar

There is no shortage of qualified applicants for both the WPS and WFPS

Sorry, but not true. Sure, there is no shortage of folks who want these jobs, but not all applicants are qualified. But hey, if you want to include those who can't pass the test, don't meet physical fitness requirements, don't pass the background checks, you could build yourself a nice little police force.