Friday free-for-all
It’s your turn to rant.
Go ahead and make a post. They will all appear shortly.
The sooner you post, the sooner they will appear.
-ak
It’s your turn to rant.
Go ahead and make a post. They will all appear shortly.
The sooner you post, the sooner they will appear.
-ak
February 15th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
I caught most of the discussion on school closures during storm days on Wednesday’s show, but, did miss some of it due to work.
Have we become weather wimps? I don’t think so at all. Like a few other callers said, I think we have become weather wiser. Depending on where you live in the Maritimes, the weather can be much different on any given day. Wednesday for example, it started snowing shortly before 8 AM here just outside Fredericton and snowed hard until well into the afternoon before switching to freezing rain and then rain. Did the District 18 officials make a good call in cancelling school before the storm started? You bet they did!
Some callers mentioned that they could have sent the kids home after half a day if the weather got bad. Does it really make any sense to send our children off to school for a few classes in the morning, then by noon, decide “Hey, the roads are getting treacherous, lets pack ‘em all on the buses and send them home on ice and snow covered roads and hope they all make it okay!”. And, you can bet your ass that if a serious accident did occur, those same parents who thought it was okay to send them in the first place would be screaming bloody murder that school should have been cancelled! We have advanced weather technologies that can forecast conditions well in advance. Environment Canada issues warning well ahead of time, why take the chance with children’s lives.
I have been out of school for 25 years, but travelled by bus everyday as we lived 20 miles outside the city. I can tell you, there were alot of white knuckle drives along the old TCH heading west of Fredericton. I can’t tell you how many near misses there were with transport trucks and other vehicles and the number of accidents we passed, many of them fatal, on stormy days. Any one of them could just have easily involved our school bus.
But, here is what bothered me most about Wednesday’s show. There were several callers that were upset that school was cancelled in anticipation of the storm. However, safety wasn’t the concern, money was the issue!! One was a bus driver who was pissed because the teachers were getting paid and she wasn’t! Others were upset because they had to take the day off of work to stay home with their children! To hell with safety and the well being of our children, just as long as we don’t lose those dollars! Unbelievable! Do you think funeral expenses are cheaper? Teachers and school officials are paid for the day, SO WHAT! If it means my kids don’t have to risk life and limb on roads that aren’t fit to be on, it is money well spent!
February 16th, 2008 at 7:48 am
This is actually in response to the February 8th show I listened to while in Halifax. I’ll just copy and paste the email I already sent in to Andrew:
Hey Andrew,
Love the show, listen to it whenever I get the chance. Listening today to the gentleman with the bar kind of touched a nerve with me. His patron is legally allowed to smoke marijuana, which means he can stand on any government property (as long as smoking is not prohibited in that area) or any public area (following the same conditions) and it is 100% legal. If the man was standing right at the door to the bar, and blowing smoke in peoples faces, then he was being a nuisance. He obviously suffers a medical condition that the doctors and government both agree is best treated by marijuana use. So what right does anybody have saying to the guy “Put that out, get off the property and don’t come back”. That is discrimination. In my humble opinion, that is even worse than someone ‘coughing’ at a smoker to make them feel bad, or pointing out to a obese person that they could cost our health care system an outrageous amount of money due to foot, leg, back, breathing, and heart problems (just to name a few).
This is absolutely ludicrous. He has the right to smoke that wherever smoking cigarettes is not banned, and unless he’s “sparking up” inside the bar itself, then nobody has any right to say anything to him. I’m sure a restaurant owner wouldn’t kick a morbidly obese person out of their establishment for making the other patrons feel uncomfortable. The police can’t even tell this person to not smoke it outside. And as far as the person who compared smoking a ‘joint’ outside to walking down the street carrying a liquor bottle, yes, there is some truth to that. However, where does it differ from smoking a cigarette while walking down the street? Just because it smells different makes no difference. It doesn’t. Now if the person was in a (very) small room, and smoked some marijuana, and other people were in the room as well, then they may feel SOME effect from it, but only under conditions such as that. So to sum it all up, this man is doing something perfectly legal in our justice AND health care system, and NOBODY has the right to interfere with that unless he’s breaking a generic “smoking law”.
Now on to my next rant. Grocery stores, and their removal of bags. What kind of idiocy is this?! I mean seriously though. Years ago we were given the option - “Paper or plastic?”. And now they’re going to say to us “Hey, you better bring a bag with you, or you will be making 50 trips between our checkout and your car”. This is one of the most foolish things I’ve ever heard when it comes to shopping. I think the public should be outraged at this, and boycott whatever store started this whole stupid idea. Whatever excuse they’ve got for doing this is not good enough in my opinion. Get rid of the plastic bags, sure. They take an extremely long time to break down, and are a waste of plastic (and petroleum). Maybe the stores should be forced to give every family at least 10 of those nice re-usable bags that they FORCE us to pay for if they’re going to remove the plastic bags. Actually, no. I’ve got an even better idea. They should be forced to have employees on hand waiting at the checkouts, and once you’ve paid for your groceries, these employees should take your groceries out to the car for you. And for those poor people who live off welfare and have to walk to the store to get their groceries, they should definitely get someone to carry home their groceries for them if the bags are removed.
Yes, that sounds absolutely crazy. But then again, so does going into a store and not getting a bag to carry your purchases around with you.
Bravo for the show Andrew. It is a wonderful thing to have a form of media that the public can still access, and get involved with. Especially when our rights (such as free speech, and having a certain quality of life) seem to be slowly taken away from us. It’s great to be able to voice back an opinion in a somewhat anonymous fashion. Keep it up brother!
One last thing. I wish I could download your show for my MP3 player (ie., wish you had a podcast of your show). For the days I miss it, it would be great to be able to go on your site and get to listen one way or another.
February 16th, 2008 at 10:16 am
As of Feb. 1, consumers started paying anywhere from $5 to $45 when buying items such as televisions and computers. Not a bad idea since these items have a lot of toxic material which will never breakdown. So I for one do not mind paying this fee but what I do mind is the goverments aproach to taxing fees. The fees will then be $5.65 to $50.85. But wait, some people are of the opinion that a fee is a form of tax and since HST is a combined provincial and federal tax then the HST on the diaposal fee is a tax on tax on a tax or a tax cubed. Only in Canada eh!
February 17th, 2008 at 9:10 am
Hi Andrew,
I am and have been for a while so fed up with the lack of leadership and vision at City hall!! We have a group who spend (waste) so much time on the SMALL stuff with a reactionary mindset! For example, the “cat bylaw”. This foolish bylaw which began by responding to such a small percentage of the population, will result (mark my words) in a soon to be rodent problem throughout the City. Give me a break!! We need so desperately Leadership! and Vision! Instead of these insignificant issues, lets focus on bold new ideas for putting Halifax on the map, growing this City, bringing prosperity to it’s residents. When I watch City council on TV, I just want to throw-up! I’m tired of being sick.
February 18th, 2008 at 6:44 am
Andrew:
Would loved to have called today but was unable to.
My rant is this; Mayor Peter Kelly, who I believe has done a decent job as mayor, and his attempt to play big time concert promoter. This is not a role for a mayor if this what Mr Kelly would like to do in life then I suggest that he hang up his chains of office and move in to this profession. I see nothing wrong with the Mayor supporting events for the city but it is not his job to lure these events. That belongs to an event promoter . Also in my opinion the reason Halifax has been having problems securing major acts is the treatment the announcement of the Celin Dion event received. The people in that industry are all connected and bad treatment of one will lead to others avoiding Halifax either in support of each other or fear that they will tared with the same brush as was used on Celin. In this case I believe the only people to blame for Moncton winning out in the event race are the People of Halifax them selves.
February 18th, 2008 at 7:43 am
Good Morning
I use to live in an apartment building with a group of younger kids who would walk the 30 mins to Uptown Saint John to ask for change. I was paying $575/month for rent and I assume they were paying the same. There were 4 or 5 of them in a 2 or 3 bedroom apartment with a dog. You always saw them coming home around 8 or 9pm with a huge pizza and a couple cans of dog food. Just because they ask for change doesn’t mean they’re living in a box. But on the other hand, I’ve also seen another person with a dog in Uptown Saint John who was living out of a shopping cart and when he asked for change and someone refused him or started to give him a piece of their mind, he’d say something to the dog and the dog would growl and show his teeth. It didn’t take long for the person to shut up and move on. If you’re going to use your pet like that then it should be taken away.
Adam from Saint John
February 18th, 2008 at 7:50 am
I think your question of whether or not someone, anyone should have a pet is not fair.
You should have asked a pet to get a real honest answer. Have a dog on, a cat on but the caller who says your animal feels abandoned when you leave is wrong. I have watched my son’s cat go to the door at 4PM and lie there waiting for the family to come home at 4:30. I thought he could read the clock!
February 18th, 2008 at 9:38 am
Why are the pan handlers back in action at quinpool and robie and the police just dont care. I was at that intersection last week and there was someone walking -in- the street on both sides of the road, and the cop care in the middle of the traffic did nothing. When the law first passed they left for a while, the streats were clear and you weren’t bothered in traffic. Now they are back and the apathy from the police is back with it.
Why bother passing these by-laws if we aren’t going to enforce it or care about it? But make sure you dont have any chickens, thats a real hazard to the city. Oh, and license your cat.
February 18th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Hey Andrew, me again. I just found out today that under current Canadian policy/law, consumer food products can be labeled “Product of Canada” as long as 51% of their production cost was incurred in Canada. For example, seafood broker “A” buys Chinese shrimp for $0.25/kg, then peels it, sorts it, puts it on a ring, boxes and shrink-wraps it for a cost of $0.26/kg. This is considered a product of Canada by our government, and none of us are any the wiser. Another step down the road to….you name it.
February 19th, 2008 at 8:42 am
Feb 19th - Paul McCartney gets divorced, his wife takes 50% of what hes worth… is it fair ? no.
Does this only happen to men? no… Kfed takes half of Britney and their kids! lol…
The divorce rate is 50% and if your worth something you better get a prenup… and even then he would have to have a really good lawyer because there have been cases where prenups get thrown out. Iam sure he could afford it though… but now? maybe not.
Years of his own brainwashed love songs got to Paul I think… maybe we’ll see a darker paul come out of this… lol… I know I wouldnt be to happy about losing more than half a billion…
February 19th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Every day for the last couple of years I’ve ben listening to your show. I work in construction so it is impossible for me to call. I have a portable radio clipped to my belt, headphones to my ears and of to work I go. Both you and tom make my day tha much better. Now, regarding the homeless owning a dog, I don’t think you’re listeners really got it . We all know that most of the homeless could probably take care of there pets, The thing is, that It’s not bad enough that they think we have to pay for there cigarettes an tattoos, but now they expect us to pay for there dog food to… outrageous … if they want to choose not to work (most of them do anyways) the government should find a way to tax there revenue… no pets for the homeless say I.
February 20th, 2008 at 9:37 am
RE: Heather Mills
Assume Ms Mills lives to be 100.
Accepting that Paul McCartney’s net worth is 1.7 Billion.
Divide that 1.7 billion by 100 years = 16 Million a year
She was married to him 4 years
4 X 16 Million - $64 Million DIVIDED by half = $32 Million for Heather Mills
EH? lol
February 20th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Do you know what makes no sense to me at all?
As many of may know, they had a refinery fire in Texas and the price of oil goes sky high on the markets.
Now I could understand the price of gas going higher in the USA if they can not refine oil into gasoline, and if they can not refine it, should there not be extra oil on the market and the price go of oil down, I not correct in my thinking?
Why should the fire in Texas affect the price of unrefined oil if they can not refine it except to make the price go down? Canada, China, India and all other countries will continue to refine oil with no problems and there should be extra available, not less and the price should go down because of the extra.
Oil companies have always blamed the high price of oil because of short supply due to hurricanes etc. Seems they will look for any excuse to gouge us.
Some thing wrong some place!
February 27th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
1. The caps that limit the number of taxi cars on our roads absolutely has to stay in place. When I started this business in 1993, I was able to work for only 60 hours a week and still had enough to eat. These days a 60 hour week seems like a vacation. I regularly work 80 to 100 hours per week now and am still 3 months behind on my power bill. Working these new hours allows me to earn almost as much as I did in 1993. Due to my recurring rheumatoid arthritis, my ability to accept other employment is extremely hampered. This will explain to those of you who earn much more money than I do why I do not run off to Alberta like everyone else. It also answers what I am sure you all are thinking – ‘If you don’t like it, leave’. Of course there will be times when things will be busy and you have to wait for a cab(rush hours, booze hours, concerts etc… although most of that does not apply to me as I am a Dartmouth zone cab) but thank God for those times or I might be on welfare.
2. We want to own our taxi licenses just as they do almost everywhere else. Please remember, taxi drivers work a horribly dangerous job with very long hours and stress and we deserve some sort of benefit for that. My own experiences driving taxi have included a broken nose, being vomited on, an attempted robbery, fellow cabdrivers having been murdered and many others beaten to within an inch of their lives, others having been hurt in other ways including stabbing and gunshot wounds. There are no savings plans for us, no vacation pay, no sick days, no rrsp’s , no pensions, no unemployment and no medical unless we can do it ourselves. Many cannot even afford a dentist. People on welfare have free dental for the love of god.
When my friend cabbie was murdered in Sackville 3 odd years ago, his taxi license was immediately confiscated by H.R.M to be given away at a later date. That license should have gone to his wife, who could have sold it had she wished, to help out her household after the funeral. The licenses we hold could be our pension plan, our nest egg of sorts( small value to be certain) or our expenses incurred in the very real possibility that our lives end unexpectedly or we are incapacitated due to things like knives, guns and beatings or even stress.
3. Open the zones! I am a resident of H.R.M. My taxi licence says H.R.M on it. I currently hold a Dartmouth zone rooflight. Why? Why am I a 2nd class citizen in my own municipality? Is Wal-Mart at Dartmouth crossing going to be forced to tell customers from Halifax to buy elsewhere as they only sell to Dartmouthians? Why am I perfectly capable of dropping off people in Halifax only to turn down fares in my own city because I am unworthy to pick them up. I must leave empty. There is no Dartmouth or county any longer. There is just H.R.M. There is already a blatant disregard for zones that has been allowed to continue for years by the city council and the taxi commission. I am a Dartmouth cabbie and yet I am allowed (Illegally, I believe and under the present rules unethically) to steal this business from what is obviously a destination which resides in the COUNTY! Halifax and Dartmouth cabs stealing fares from what should be a county taxi stand! I hear many arguments from city drivers over why this should be allowed including it is federal gov’t property, it is private property or that they were there first. None of these reasons hold water. Using this logic, all taxis should be allowed to work all federal government properties including the cruise ship terminal, Stadacona, CFB Halifax, maybe the Ralston Building. What a stink there would be then! To those cabbies who want to work the Airport when it is clearly not in their zone, I say this. Fair is fair. You cannot have all of the cake and get to eat all of it too. Allowing the zones to open will improve taxi response times during peak business hours as taxis which are idle will be allowed to help in any areas that are inundated with business. The taxi concentrations may shift for a short while but the spread will even out as taxis realise that too many cabs in one area dilutes business there and under-utilised cabs will drift back out of the high traffic areas to service other areas that need it. There will be some growing pains but like water sloshing around in a bowl, things will level out.
Two final little thoughts, 1. get rid of size restrictions on taxicars .All over the world they use hybrids and smartcars. Smart people. Save the environment and make the job more profitable.
2. One owner, one license means just that. For those of you you have 10, 20 and 60 licenses, tough ,eat it. I had to give up 2 licenses because of rules . The rules need to apply to all. Give those licenses to real cabdrivers. that will help solve our supposed taxi crisis. This is not a job for part-timers.
Thank you. Douglas Zwaan, HRM taxi with a Dartmouth rooflight.
February 27th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Sorry if i forgot to say who i was. Douglas Zwaan , 2nd class citizen and valueless human-being. Just ask the rowdy bar crowd or the people who have the power to do in our industry. We have a couple pols on our side. I hope they prevail.
February 27th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
God bless the squeegee kids! I love the squeegee kids. Many is the time when they cleaned my windows and the windows really needed cleaning. All done for cheap tips. Good for them. To hell with the uptight south-enders who dont want to have to see the world as it really is. but then the south-enders dont really see the rest of us as human-beings , we’re more just servants there to do their bidding and not be noticed or heard from. I almost always hand out change to the more needy and I am far from wealthy. I handed out change at the corner of Robie and Quinpool the other day and the girl accepting was very polite and very thankful and it made me feel better about myself. I watched as the Idiot in the Lexus rolled his eyeballs and shook his head and rolled up his window. I wished nothing but a car accident upon him as I drove off in my 12 year old intrepid. These morons have never understood the words ‘there but for the grace of God’ Doug Zwaan the cabbie.
March 18th, 2008 at 8:45 am
who ever made the deal to purchase the junk submarines from UK should get their butt down the hatch and get underway on one. they should also be made to fly on seakings. now our servicemen and women are forced to jump throuh time wasting political hoops. why did canada not build their own subs? hell, that would have created canadian jobs. boosting the economy. we have the technology, we just don’t have the politicians with brain power or guts. as far as i’m concerened there is very little leadership in the ranks of our government. as a 12 year submarine veteran, i lead from the front, not from behind a oak desk with a pair of $200.00 shoes that the tax payers bought for me.
March 20th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
I wish the opposition in the nova scotia legislation had more of a backbone than a JELLY FISH .The RODNEY MACDONALD government is at it again increasing user fees .I am 75years old and this government is the WORST I have ever seen .It is determined to TAX the people of N.S. into the ground.We are one of the highest taxed people in NORTH AMERICA and RODNEY wants us to be THE HIGHEST taxed people in north america.It is the only thing he is good at. Would the opposition PLEASE bring down this government before the harm they are doing is irreversible.WE can no longer afford this bunch of BOTTOM FEEDERS.Look at your tax forms to see how they rip us off . ATV owners know how bad it really is. I hope before anyone votes in the next prvincial election they really consider how BAD this party is .VOTE for any other party,but not the Progressive Conserative Party of N.S..This article is inserted by a life long Progreesive Conservative ,but no longer will I ever VOTE for ROGUES like we have now in the P.C. party