Is California Boned?

Remember this post from a few months ago? Well, things are sliding from bad to worse to doomed.

As the Governator declares a state of fiscal emergency over legislator's inability to balance the California budget without raising taxes or brutally cutting programs, pundits say the state has no one to blame but itself.

This is going to keep getting worse before it gets better. The situation is bad.

The state that begat anti-government governor (and later U.S.president) Ronald Reagan is reaping its long-sowed karma. And it's more proof that the crazy, get-rid-of-government right-wing politics popular for the last 40 years--which go far, far beyond what used to be considered conservative--don't work.

Once again, I'm glad I live in Canada.

Links: Dog Blog, San Francisco Chronicle, Salon, Wall Street Journal.

Why I Love Canada

I love Canada because we have real seasons--not just hot, hotter and too hot.

I love Canada because even in a dysfunctional electoral system that makes people vote for politicians or parties they don't like or risk wasting their votes, we have four different parties represented in the House Of Commons. Not two like certain other so-called democracies.

Free, universal health care. Love it. Charter of Rights and Freedoms? Excellent!

I love Canada because as far as I'm aware, we haven't recently had any gay-bashing yahoo cops storm into a new gay bar and give some guy a brain injury and then be defended by their police chief with the "gay panic" defence. (Okay, sure, our RCMP have been known to kill foreigners, spy on musicians, be complicit in torture and occasionally gas non-violent protesters and babies, but they're not marching into gay bars and beating the crap out of people. It's something, right? Maybe?)

I love Canada because we freaking kick ass at hockey.

Happy Canada Day!

Six in the Morning

1. HOMELESSNESS RISING IN REGINA: A new study estimates 345 people are sleeping in our shelters every night. That represents a 28 per cent increase in the number of shelter users since 2006. It's a grim picture and something affordable housing activists have been shouting for a while now. Meanwhile, the city says affordable housing isn't their job, talk to the province. The province says we're doing all we can, talk to federal government. And the federal government? They're too busy cutting taxes, putting people in jail and trying to keep their fiefdom from flying apart they can't be bothered to do much on that score. (Leader Post)

2. LITTLE SOULS DAYCARE TO OPEN: The Souls Harbour Rescue Mission will be opening a new daycare facility in North Central thanks to $200,000 in funding from the province. (Leader Post)

3. HIV VACCINE NEAR-READY FOR HUMAN TESTS: If this thing works, it'd be great to put this scourge to rest. Good job science! And it's Canadian science to boot! (CBC)

4. CANADIAN UNEMPLOYED GETTING THE SHAFT: Apparently, our EI benefits are well below the OECD average. No kidding. (Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives)

5. UNION REJECTS AIR CANADA AGREEMENT: Saying they've taken enough pay cuts they don't want their pension mucked with, the union representing Air Canada workers rejected a deal with management and has stalled the airline's recovery plan. (Globe and Mail)

6. IT'S CANADA DAY! So I'm taking a holiday from number six. Instead, here's a little Rheostatics for our nation's 142nd birthday. And here's a little more. (YouTube)