2012-04-12

Learning is dangerous

You would think that schools, ie. the places our children go to learn, would encourage children having access to the single most important, influential, and historically significant book ever written, rather than voting on whether to end said access. Especially since said access is free.

You also wonder how many of those same administrators and teachers opposed to allowing access to said book also encourage teaching those same children about anal sex.

2012-03-30

An Idiotic Suit

I was reading the WFP and came across this article, "Province sued over child support".

The just of the article is that a women with three started getting $750 in new income in the form of monthly support payments from her ex-boyfriend and because of this the Manitoba government has reduced her $1,279.19 in social assistance accordingly.

The WFP starts this poor reporting with the statement, "A Gimli woman has initiated a class-action lawsuit against the province for forcing mothers on welfare to turn over child-support payments." While the byline and another line or two, mention this is simply a reduction of payment due to a new source of income, the WFP repeatedly makes absurd statements that somehow the government is taking money from this women.


Also, the entitlement this mother just oozes is a sorry statement on society. She actually states:
 "What right does the government have to take that money and use it for bridges and streets and things?"

Re-read that sentence. Now think about it for a second.

What kind of spoiled, entitled brat do you have to be to say something like that? Taxpayers provide her with over a $1000 a month (likely not including all the other benefits, such as child tax benefits, she gets from the taxpayers), then the government (rightfully) forces her boyfriend to pay $750 a month to care for her kids, and she complains that she is being stolen from so that the government can use taxpayer's money to benefit taxpayers. It's mind-boggling.

The government even resumed full payments when her boyfriend stopped paying. Mind-boggling.

"The monthly budget is difficult to live on as it is but when they withheld my support payments, it made it really tough," Miyai said. "I'm behind on all my bills. I'm spending the money my parents set aside for university."
Her income didn't change, so she fell behind on her bills. I'm sure this is somehow the government's fault.

(Also, look closely at the background of the picture; there might better reasons why she is behind on her bills).

The legal argument being made her is one of the most ludicrous I've heard of in a while.
"Miyai states child-support payments belong to the children, but the province's Family Services Department considers the money as income for the parent and deducts that amount from regular income-assistance cheques."
...
In court documents, Miyai states the province's seizure of the child-support payments is a violation of the children's charter rights, and wants the court to rule it unlawful.
I don't know what more to say about it. I hope this case gets thrown out and both she and her lawyer get penalized for wasting the courts' time and resources.

2012-02-27

Robocall Scandal: An Analysis by Riding

So, the robocall scandal has been in the news lately. I was curious as to the correlation between ridings that had complaints, ridings with location changes, and ridings that hired RMG. So, I charted all three. Riding Complaints came from here, while RMG and Voting Location Changes came from here. (The lists have been pared to eliminate multiple entries of the same riding). Under types of complaint, it goes Complainer (by party, Private citizen [PC] or source) - Complaint (Voting Location Misdirection [VL], fake party member by party, and other as appropriate).


Ridings with Voting Location Changes Complaint by Riding Ridings That Hired RMG Type of Complaint


Abbotsford


Abitibi--Baie-James--Nunavik--Eeyou
Ahuntsic


Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing


Argenteuil-Papineau-Mirabel


Avalon
Avalon
Beauport-Limoilou
Beauport--Limoilou
Bonavista-Gander-Grand Falls-Windsor
Bonavista--Gander--Grand Falls--Windsor


Brampton West


Brampton--Springdale
Bramalea-Gore-Malton


Brandon-Souris




Brant


Burnaby--New Westminster

Cambridge Cambridge PC – Robocalls


Cardigan
Central Nova


Chambly Borduas


Chambly Borduas




Charlesbourg-Haute-Saint-Charles


Charleswood--St. James--Assiniboia
Chicoutimi-Le Fjord
Chicoutimi--Le Fjord
Chiliwack-Fraser Canyon
Chilliwack-Fraser Canyon


Dauphin--Swan River--Marquette

Davenport
NDP


Delta-Richmond East
Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River


Don Valley West
Don Valley West


Drummond


Dufferin-Caledon


Dufferin-Caledon

Edmonton East
NPD – VL


Edmonton-Leduc


Edmonton-Sherwood Park


Edmonton-Strathcona
Eglinton-Lawrence Eglinton-Lawrence Eglinton-Lawrence LIB – Fake LIB

Egmont Egmont LIB – Fake LIB

Elmwood-Transcona Elmwood-Transcona NDP – VL

Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca Esquimalt--Juan de Fuca PC – Fake LIB
Essex Essex
NDP

Etobicoke Centre
LIB – Poll Shutdown(?)
Etobicoke North




Fleetwood--Port Kells
Fredericton
Fredericton


Gaspésie--Îles-de-la-Madeleine


Glengarry--Prescott--Russell


Glengarry--Prescott--Russell
Guelph Guelph Guelph LIB – Fake LIB/VL

Haldimand-Norfolk Haldimand-Norfolk LIB – Fake LIB

Halton Halton EC – VL

Hamilton East-Stoney Creek
LIB
Haute-Gaspesie-La Mitis-Matane-Matapedia
Haute-Gaspésie--La Mitis--Matane--Matapédia
Jeanne-Le Ber


Kamloops-Thompson-Caribou


Kenora
Kenora
Kitchener Centre Kitchener Centre Kitchener Centre
Kitchener Conestoga Kitchener-Conestoga Kitchener Conestoga LIB – VL

Kitchener Waterloo Kitchener-Waterloo EC


Kootenay-Columbia


Lac-Saint-Louis
Lambton-Kent-Middlesex


Laruentides-Labelle


Laval-Les Iles


Leeds-Grenville


London-Fanshawe



London North Centre
LIB – False info about LIB

London West London West LIB


Lotbinière--Chutes-de-la-Chaudière


Louis-Hebert


Malpeque
Manicouagan




Miramichi


Mississauga Brampton South
Mississauga East-Cooksville Mississauga East-Cooksville Mississauga East--Cooksville LIB


Mississauga South


Mississauga--Erindale


Montmagny--L'Islet--Kamouraska--Rivière-du-Loup


Montmorency--Charlevoix--Haute-Côte-Nord

Mount Royal Mount Royal LIB – VL
New Burnswick Southwest




New Westminster--Coquitlam
Nickel Belt



Niagara Falls
LIB – Fake LIB

Nipissing Timiskaming
LIB – VL


North Vancouver


North Vancouver


Nunavut


Oak Ridges - Markham

Oakville
LIB – Fake LIB


Oshawa

Ottawa Centre Ottawa Centre NDP

Ottawa Orleans Ottawa-Orleans LIB – VL
Ottawa West-Nepean Ottawa West-Nepean
LIB
Ottawa-Vanier


Oxford




Palliser
Parkdale-High Park Parkdale-High Park
LIB/NDP – Fake LIB


Parry Sound-Muskoka

Perth-Wellington
LIB

Peterborough
CON – Misinformation


Pickering-Scarborough East


Pierrefonds—Dollard
Pontiac


Port Moody-Westwood-Port Coquitlam
Port Moody--Westwood--Port Coquitlam

Prince George-Peace River Prince George-Peace River LIB – VL


Quebec


Regina--Qu'Appelle
Richmond Hill
Richmond Hill


Richmond-Arthabaska


Rimouski-Neigette-Temiscouata-Les Basques
Riviere-du-Nord


Roberaval-Lac-Saint-Jean



Saanich-Gulf Islands Saanich--Gulf Islands GR
Saint Boniface Saint Boniface
LIB – Fake LIB


Saint-Hyacinthe--Bagot
Saint-Laurent-Cartierville


Saint-Maurice-Champlain


Sarnia-Lambton Sarnia-Lambton Sarnia-Lambton The Sun – VL


Saskatoon--Rosetown--Biggar


Sault Ste. Marie
Scarborough Centre




Scarborough Southwest

Simcoe-Grey
LIB
Skeena-Bulkley Valley
Skeena-Bulkley Valley
Souris-Moose Mountain



South Shore-St. Margaret's South Shore--St. Margaret's NPD – VL


South Surrey--White Rock--Cloverdale

St. Catharines
LIB


St. John's East
St. John's South-Mount Pearl
St. John's South - Mount Pearl

St. Paul's
LIB – Fake LIB

Sudbury
LIB/NDP


Surrey North

Sydney-Victoria Sydney-Victoria LIB – Fake LIB/VL
Thornhill



Thunder Bay-Superior North
NDP
Timmins-James Bay




Tobique -Mactaquac
Toronto Centre




Vancouver Centre
Vancover Island North
Vancouver Island North


Vancouver South


Vaughan
Vegreville-Wainwright



Wellington-Halton Hills
LIB


Welland
West Nova
West Nova


Western Arctic
Westlock-St. Paul




Whitby-Oshawa




Willowdale Willowdale
LIB – Fake LIB
Windsor West



Windsor-Tecumseh
NDP

Winnipeg-South Centre
LIB

Winnipeg South
NDP


York Centre
York West


Yukon
Yukon


Red indicates that the Riding hired RMG and there was a complaint. Blue indicates a complaint. Green indicates a complaint and that there was a voting location change in the riding. Yellow indicates the complaint doesn't seem to have to do with the present scandal.

From this we can see that:

  • 43 ridings with reported incidences, 2 of which are not really related to the present scandal. 
  • 15 ridings in which RMG were hired had incidences (out of a total of 98 were RMG were hired).
  • 15 ridings with incidences did not hire RMG and did not have a location change.
  • 11 ridings had incidences in which there was an actual polling change.
More analysis could be done, but this is enough for me for now. Feel free to link here and add your own analysis.