Big Government And Crony Capitalism

[Anonymous]

We aren't just talking about the Ontario government or Obama's big,  corrupt, crony capitalist disasters either.

The year began badly for taxpayers all across Canada and it will certainly end that way.



But if you're a crony capitalist and think government should be doling out the grants to companies both minor and massive, then you had reason to be full with Christmas cheer this year.



On Jan. 4, Stephen Harper committed $250 million to fund research and development by major automakers.



This was a re-issue of a 2008 five-year fund. The excuse back then was the economic crisis.



What's the excuse this time around? After all, the fund goes until 2018.



To close off the year, on



Dec. 13 Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne delivered a big corporate kiss under the mistletoe to Cisco System's Canada division.



Taxpayers will dole out



$220 million to a company that, worldwide, had revenues of $49 billion in fiscal 2013.



"Cisco profit soars 56%" is the headline of an August 2012 CNN story. Huh. I wonder if Ontario taxpayers will see their incomes soar by the same amount.



You've also got to love the wording of the government's press release. The grant will create "up to" 1,700 jobs. Cisco is investing "up to"



$2.2 billion in salaries.



To be fair, the grant money is contingent on job creation numbers. But you've still got to ask: Why Cisco? Why now?



We could say a bad precedent has been set. But in truth it was set many years ago.



As Mark Milke notes in the second edition of Tax Me I'm Canadian!, according to Statistics Canada "between 1994 and 2007, operating and capital subsidies from federal, provincial, and municipal governments to business amounted to over $200 billion."



The big ticket funds make the front pages. But there are many smaller handouts given to various companies and sectors, too.



On Dec. 6, the federal government gave $1.4 million of tax dollars to Canadian lamb producers to improve "flock genetics, better feed management practices and reduced operating costs."



On Dec. 13, they announced $250,000 for "small- and medium-sized businesses in the biomass product sector." Those communities and workers directly benefiting obviously like these announcements. And the national media simply ignore them, because they flood our inboxes so frequently.



But why is the government picking winners and losers in industry? There's no need for any of the above.



It's not like there aren't banks out there willing to give loans. If it's a viable business, a private lender will give them the money for a good rate. Government should just get out of the way.



But sometimes government doesn't just finance an industry — it tries to dominate it.



Municipalities use plenty of tax dollars for this, too.



This year several cities threw good money after bad with the Bixi bike program. There is zero rationale behind the government running a bicycle rental program; leave it to entrepreneurs to figure out what cyclists want.



This was also the first year of the city of Ottawa's food truck program — in which bureaucrats told private operators exactly where they must park, approved their menus and even dictated the size of the font on their signage.



Nobody expected Wynne to govern like a fiscal conservative. But when Harper doles out the pork like this, you know the battle is lost.



As Ron Paul noted in his final speech to the United States congress last November, "in spite of my efforts, the government has grown exponentially."



Sad but true. At least he tried. That's more than can be said about most Canadian politicians.

http://www.edmontonsun.com/2013/12/27/a-crony-capitalist-christmas">http://www.edmontonsun.com/2013/12/27/a ... -christmas">http://www.edmontonsun.com/2013/12/27/a-crony-capitalist-christmas

[Anonymous]

I hope most Ontarians remember Wynn's gift to poor, starving Cisco systems during the next election. If they have forgotten their fuel poverty creating policies they must have amnesia.

[Odinson]

I gave up my hope for charity when I learned that charity is a business. And it is aimed at african children...



There are indian children in worse shape than african children.



Yet nothing goes to them.

[Anonymous]

I gave up my hope for charity when I learned that charity is a business. And it is aimed at african children...



There are indian children in worse shape than african children.



Yet nothing goes to them.

Some of the organizations in Canada that have charitable status is such a fucking scam.

[Anonymous]

I gave up my hope for charity when I learned that charity is a business. And it is aimed at african children...



There are indian children in worse shape than african children.



Yet nothing goes to them.

Some of the organizations in Canada that have charitable status is such a fucking scam.

One charity that I doubts about is cancer research. What percentage of that money is actually being spent on r & d?

[Odinson]

I gave up my hope for charity when I learned that charity is a business. And it is aimed at african children...



There are indian children in worse shape than african children.



Yet nothing goes to them.

Some of the organizations in Canada that have charitable status is such a fucking scam.

Never ever give anything to the Unicef or red cross. If you wanna help some1, then establish a bank account in the bank near them. Or just appear bearing gifts like food... Canned goods.



Charity is a business. Many companies take part in charity because it reduces their taxes.

[Anonymous]

I gave up my hope for charity when I learned that charity is a business. And it is aimed at african children...



There are indian children in worse shape than african children.



Yet nothing goes to them.

Some of the organizations in Canada that have charitable status is such a fucking scam.

Never ever give anything to the Unicef or red cross. If you wanna help some1, then establish a bank account in the bank near them. Or just appear bearing gifts like food... Canned goods.



Charity is a business. Many companies take part in charity because it reduces their taxes.

I never heard that about either of them Odie?

[Odinson]

Some of the organizations in Canada that have charitable status is such a fucking scam.

Never ever give anything to the Unicef or red cross. If you wanna help some1, then establish a bank account in the bank near them. Or just appear bearing gifts like food... Canned goods.



Charity is a business. Many companies take part in charity because it reduces their taxes.

I never heard that about either of them Odie?

The vast majority of their funds goes to their big salaries and the rest are being raided by brigands. By vast majority, I mean over 80%.



I saw many destroyed UN armoured troop carriers. Painted white... Just laying in the ditch...

[Anonymous]

Never ever give anything to the Unicef or red cross. If you wanna help some1, then establish a bank account in the bank near them. Or just appear bearing gifts like food... Canned goods.



Charity is a business. Many companies take part in charity because it reduces their taxes.

I never heard that about either of them Odie?

The vast majority of their funds goes to their big salaries and the rest are being raided by brigands. By vast majority, I mean over 80%.



I saw many destroyed UN armoured troop carriers. Painted white... Just laying in the ditch...

Many churches spend much of their tithe money on salaries and overhead too.

[Anonymous]

I never heard that about either of them Odie?

The vast majority of their funds goes to their big salaries and the rest are being raided by brigands. By vast majority, I mean over 80%.



I saw many destroyed UN armoured troop carriers. Painted white... Just laying in the ditch...

Many churches spend much of their tithe money on salaries and overhead too.

Big evangelical churches are big biz and not a fucking charity. Ted Haggard admitted that.

[Obvious Li]

ALMOST ALL charities are a scam especially the red cross and those save an african child ones...i think the Salvation Army does real good work and deserves credit...one of the biggest scammers is my favorite shopping establishment...Value Village...what a bloody scam that is.....but you can sure find good shit there....so what the heck.....someone gets rich and i get a good buy....wheres the harm ?????

[Anonymous]

ALMOST ALL charities are a scam especially the red cross and those save an african child ones...i think the Salvation Army does real good work and deserves credit...one of the biggest scammers is my favorite shopping establishment...Value Village...what a bloody scam that is.....but you can sure find good shit there....so what the heck.....someone gets rich and i get a good buy....wheres the harm ?????

Goodwill is another scam too. However, the organizations that are purely political and yet milk our charitable tax status are the Suzuki Foundation and all the various TIDES funded political NGO's. They are not even close to being charities.

[Odinson]

The red cross, UNICEF, the church are all a hoax.



They always show some videos and pics of some little black babies with flies in their eyes this time of the year. Send 20e to your god child... Only to realize that she/he only gets a fraction of the money.

[Obvious Li]

i particularly like the ones where some washed up has been celebrity walks around holding some little black baby and trying to extort the folks back home......stupid idiots should mind their own business....take lots of class A drugs and commit sucide...like a good celebrity should...... :ugeek:

[Odinson]

You mean like Madonna... That old coot should stop.