REORGANIZING OUR PILLARS OF GOVERNANCE

"The chain of accountability, from voters to MP, from MP to prime minister and cabinet ministers, from ministers to the heads of government departments and agencies, and from senior civil servants to front-line managers to their employees, has broken down," Donald Savoie

I have been working my way through a couple of interesting studies and books on the need for a reexamination of our dysfunctional Parliamentary system of governance. I am a firm believer in the Westminister tradition. It has worked fairly well. However, reform is needed to right parliament. There needs to be a better system of checks and balances between the executive and parliament.

A couple of texts that make for interesting reading for me so far this summer are David Smiths "The People's House of Commons: Theories of Democracy in Contention", Donald Savoie's "Court Government and the Collapse of Accountability in Canada and the United Kingdom" and the Parliament We Want, prepared by Graham Fox and the Library of Parliament.

Partisanship has hi-jacked the select committee process through the past two minority governments. The committees do not seem to have the best possible approach or good public administration at heart. Instead political animals are using the committees to further agendas. All party consensus does not exist.

There needs to be more accountability for managing government. The passing of the buck between "High-level bureaucrats" and political actors has eroded accountability to the point where no one seems to accept responsibility when things go wrong (Cancer tests, sponsorship scandal). The roles and responsibilities of institutions and individuals needs to rethought and clarified through legislation. Career public servants should not enter the political debate or be drawn into it. They are not in a position to defend themselves and often are used as scapegoats by politicians who are are refusing to be accountable for policy directions.

Changes is needed. Desperately. The status quo is no longer sustainable. It is time we found a way to hold politicians and the structures accountable.

OBNOXIOUS BLOG COMMENTS

I have learned that if you're going to publish on the web and leave your blog open for comments you need to have a thick skin. Matt Asay at Workbench offers some advice on how to deal with obnoxious comments.

UNDISCLOSED REPORT SAYS FOOD PRICES ARE MUCH HIGHER THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT

The Word Bank has generated a report that indicates that the production of biofuels has driven up food prices 75 per cent worldwide. The unpublished report was obtained by the Guardian newspaper.

The report was penned by a senior economist says food prices rose by 140 pee cent between 2002 and 2008. The report places the blame on a large-scale push in the U.S. and the European Union (UN) to convert food crops to biofuel has tightened supplies and raised financial speculation. The figure emphatically contradicts the US government's claims that plant-derived fuels contribute less than 3% to food-price rises

It argues that production of biofuels has distorted food markets in three main ways. First, it has diverted grain away from food for fuel, with over a third of US corn now used to produce ethanol and about half of vegetable oils in the EU going towards the production of biodiesel. Second, farmers have been encouraged to set land aside for biofuel production. Third, it has sparked financial speculation in grains, driving prices up higher.

The switch to growing fuel crops will take land out of food production and increase the price of commodities such as sugar, maize and palm oils, says the report, which was jointly prepared by the World Food Organisation and the OECD.

The latest report in June on inflation and the Consumer Price Index indicates that Canadian's have been cushioned from surging food prices. There has been a few debates about that here on P&P. Prices may have increased for 10 per cent of the food products sold in grocery stores, however 70% of the food consumed by Canadians are produced within the country and have not been subjected to the same spikes as imported food. Stats Can actually indicates that prices are stable or are falling for most other foods. I would sure like to see a list of these falling prices?

Rising food prices around the world have sparked riots and unrest as costs surge for staples including rice, milk, tortillas and bread.

The truth is that only through a long, sustained and probably painful attack on oil consumption can the world hope to reverse the spiral in food prices.

GREEN SHIFT TO GET LEGAL SHAFT!

Jennifer Wright the founder of Green Shift, a for profit environmental consultancy based out of Toronto wants Liberal leader Stephan Dion to stop using the term "green shift". She says that many of her clients -- companies and institutions that sign up for her "green shift" program to use environmental goods, services and practices -- don't want to look like they're endorsing a political party platform.

Dion and the Liberals have a cease-and-desist order. They say they not in business and are not a competitor. The Liberal Web site, thegreenshift.ca,contains a disclaimer that it is not affiliated with the company. It looks like the issue will head to court.

I do not see how Wright's concerns about endorsing a political platform make sense. The marketplace is not confused, why would she be. Unless of course she wants to ride the greenshift debate for the publicity.

However if "Green Shift" is a trademark than the Liberals might have to reconsider. Frankly, I am surprised that the homework surrounding this conflict was not worked out well in advance of the liberal The Green Shift. It would make one believe that someone is not doing there job at the LPC.

Lets face it shift is the new word for change. Green has been an environmental word for protecting the environment for a generation. Liberals have been talking about a "green shift " for years. Environmentalists use the buzzword all the time.

As a matter of fact, if anyone wants to take the time to read through Environment Minister Dion's speeches you will find lots of examples of the use of green and shift. I am currently working my way through Linda Diebel's "Stephane Dion - Against the current" and Dion's is quotes a bunch of times using the word shift for change.

She is trying to trademark something without giving credit to the decades of green economic thinking that came well before her, and upon which she is dependant.

The Liberals obviously knew about the company and posted a disclaimer. They must have felt confident they weren’t violating any trademark or someone was asleep at the switch.

It just seems that this flap was so avoidable.

CANADA DAY QUIZ

Yea I know the day has passed but since I spent Canada Day doing other things like visiting the War Memorial, drinking rum and coke, I forgot to post this link. It is the Maclean's Magazine Canada Day Quiz.

I scored a 70% but should have done much better. Questions about comedians aside!

Give it a try and let me know how you fare.

A MASSIVE SHOCK

Every now and than you have to sit back and think before you press the publish button. This is one of those times.

A 3o year old British man was killed when he was electrocuted in a freak accident in Thailand last week. The man died when he stepped on a exposed power cable concealed by flood waters. The man was an oil worker who loved to travel and by all accounts loved to live life to the fullest.

His 70 year old father told the local media that the news of his son's death" came as a massive shock."

I hope Scott is enjoying the afterlife and looking down at his dad and thinking, thanks pop. Funny one!

THE RISING COST OF MILK

I alluded to this yesterday. Milk prices are on the rise. The rising cost of fuel, feed and fertilizer is slamming the dairy industry like a perfect storm. Consumers will be paying much more for cheese, yogurt, ice cream and butter. Producers want an increase of 3.5 cents per litre on industrial milk!

The Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association is opposing the request, saying any further increase in the already high cost of dairy will price items like cheese right off restaurant menus. Hence the rub, at what point do increased prices force consumers to change their buying habits. As they buy less of a product the industry goes into decline. Hell stagnation!

Ron Reaman of the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association told CBC news, "No longer. It's just not price competitive and effective to sell double cheese on pizza, for example."

Cost increases for dairy farmers normally occur in February but the industry says the situation is so dire that an off-schedule hike adjustment is needed now. Fertilizer was $275 a tonne last year. This year it costs $750 a tonne!

The increase if approved would be in the range of 4%; so much for that core inflation rate of 2%. Of course this could lead to a debate about the regulated and protected supply system that exists in this country for milk, eggs and poultry. A debate for another time perhaps.

Milk prices in Newfoundland and Labrador increased by eight cents a litre this week. That's 16 cents more for a two litre. I was searching through some grocery receipts. It appears that I was paying about $3.59 for a 2 litre last spring. That same container of milk will cost me $4.27 at the local corner store today. A 58 cent increase or 19% increase in price. Stores are engaged in a price war with many selling milk for lest than cost to keep customers.

So much for those core inflation rates of 2 and 3%.

REAL INFLATION IMPACTS

More inflation stories. My neighbors are retired. They bought a top of the line, fully loaded Dodge Caravan last summer to provide lots of comfort as they travel through the province, the country and the United States in the summer. They spend most of last summer in Western Canada and Alaska. No road trips this summer!

This morning while bringing the garbage to the curb, my neighbor and I started talking about lawns and the problem we seem to be having with moss after a long damp spring. He points to his driveway and says "I had to trade the van". There in the driveway was a new hatchback. Why? I asked? He shrugged his shoulders and said, "Can't afford to keep gas in it anymore". Right there and than I witnessed the real impact that soaring prices are having on real people who are watching their buying power erode daily. At what point do folks on fixed incomes make significant life changes so they can afford groceries and to heat their homes? If my neighbor's are any indicator, consumers have arrived at the tipping point.

This leads back to my concern about inflation. As I continue to argue, inflation is a huge threat. The official numbers and targets do not reflect seem to reflect the real increases in prices impacting everyday people. As the problem grows so will the demand for higher salaries to compensate and with that higher prices. Those on fixed incomes and non indexed pensions will fall further behind. The impacts can be catastrophic.

How deeply has the increase in fuel cut into my neighbors budgets? I would argue that it is not that steep in absolute dollars. Lets face it, the savings on insurance taxes this year alone should offset the increased cost of fuel. The psychological impacts of increasing prices made them change their behavior. This is the what the threat of inflation can do to the economy as a whole.

SEX AID IN JUICY SLICES

The little blue pill and the big green melon have more in common than one might think. Watermelon is rich in citrulline that can trigger production of a compound that helps relax the body's blood vessels, similar to what happens when a man takes Viagra!

Found in the flesh and rind of watermelons, citrulline reacts with the body's enzymes when consumed in large quantities and is changed into arginine, an amino acid that benefits the heart and the circulatory and immune systems.

Bhimu Patil, a researcher and director of Texas A&M's Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Center says "Watermelon may not be as organ-specific as Viagra, but it's a great way to relax blood vessels without any drug side effects."

Stocks in Pfizer pharmaceutical were unaffected by the news. One would need to eat about six cups of watermelon to get enough citrulline to boost the body's arginine level to have even a minimal effect.

Regardless of the Viagra like effect, watermelon is high in vitamins C,A, B6 (pyridoxine), B1 (Thiamin), with traces of potassium and magnesium. But in particular, it is a dense source of lycopene.

Its a little humid here again tonight, I feel a little thirsty. I think I'll run down to Sobeys and pick up a watermelon.

REPLACING A POLITICAL GIANT

Tales of Dictators and Ferries screams the headline over the editorial in The Nor'wester the paper that serves the White Bay area that up until this week was represented by Tom Rideout. If you listen to political scientists from MUN the resignation will not impact the Williams juggernaut.
Read the editorial. It may not impact the government's provincial numbers but there may be some change in the air in at least one seat, Baie Verte - Springdale. It is going to be hard to argue for putting someone in on the government side when you had the Deputy Premier and he could not address your road, water and sewer problems. "A political giant" one local mayor called him.

Time will tell. The by-election date has to be announced by the end of the month.