Spending our Money

What would you do with a drunken sailor...

"I grow more disgusted by the day with Gordon Campbell's money shovelling.

Another day, another tens of millions of dollars in promises made with taxpayer money." - Liquid Thoughts, April 14, 2005 on the Campbell Liberals spending of slush funds

The BC Liberals are spending faster than the truck can refill, no wonder the highway pavers are on the road. They are trying to keep Gordon Campbell in the money. Forest companies are right in the thick of it. They have benefited from fewer environmental laws and even better the laws that are still in place have 800+ fewer Forest Service employees to check up on them.

Years ago I worked in the BC Forest Service, checking the data industry sent in that was to be used to calculate how much stumpage (taxes) they would have to pay for the wood they harvested. Our department of 15 people in Williams Lake more than made up our salary several tmes over, in catching errors either innocent or otherwise by these companies.

Some of you will recall the fire season in 2003. A mill burned down in a small community north of Kamloops. The company collected the insurance money and decided not to rebuild, 180 direct local jobs gone. Less than two years ago they would have been compelled to rebuild if they had wanted to maintain their cutting rights and access to crown timber. The Campbell Liberals removed this expectation from the Forest Act.

The Tyee has an article on who contributes to the BC Liberals. Check it our here. It should be time to eliminate the money that corporations and yes, unions give to political parties.

Don't hold your breath waiting for Gordon Campbell or his BC Liberals to end corporate and union dollars financing campaigns.

For more on Gordon Campbell and the BC Liberals, Broken Promises, Mary Polak, Lorne "Uncle Tom" Mayencourt, health care, use the Technorati search box in the sidebar.