tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-118576472011-04-21T19:42:06.978-06:00.M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.comBlogger1211100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1117220590506554462005-05-27T13:01:00.000-06:002005-06-06T13:20:04.243-06:00

MOVED TO:WWW.MKBRAATEN.COMM.K. Braaten

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1117138078727904152005-05-26T13:54:00.000-06:002005-05-26T14:07:58.733-06:00

Well, I have been reading a lot of blogs and it looks like there are a lot of pissed off bloggers out there that are either:1) Fed up with corruption at the highest levels of government;2) Rightlyfully do not respect the Government because they failed to respect the confidence vote;3) Sick of having socialism forced on them;4) Mad that Ontario wont vote out the corrupt government5) Choked that

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1117101780275192702005-05-26T04:00:00.000-06:002005-05-26T04:03:00.276-06:00

My blog has a new address on the world wide web. It is:www.mkbraaten.comHowever if you access my page from the old address of mkbraaten.blogspot.com you will automatically be redirected to the new address.Thanks for reading my site. I appreciate your comments!M.K. Braaten

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1116967999223568462005-05-24T14:32:00.000-06:002005-05-24T16:31:28.896-06:00

UPDATE 2: Grandinite blog points out that there are some interesting people running this taxpayer funded $1 million dollar Adscam damage control office for the Liberals:Guy McKenzie - Was named last year by AG Sheila Fraser as someone who authorized sponsorship transactions involving departments and Crown corporationsUrsula Menke - Former inspector general of the Canadian Security Intelligence

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1116945386196547802005-05-24T08:23:00.000-06:002005-05-24T15:27:15.076-06:00

Well, I am watching the accountants presentation at Gomery, here are some updates:The cost of the sponsorship scandal was $355 million, not $250 million.Some programs were double funded, i.e. two government sources would fund a $3 million dollar initiative, twice. So Chuck Guite would have an extra $3 million to play with.Developing...4.5 million dollars paid to Montreal Canadians for advertising

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1116907275769605052005-05-23T21:52:00.000-06:002005-05-23T22:01:15.773-06:00

I have recently joined a new blogroll called "Alberta Blog." It looks pretty cool, its members are of every political stripe so it should be quite interesting. Anyhow if your blog is from Alberta click here to join up. Also, there is another blog that Aaron (grandinite.blogspot.com) set up called Non Corporate bloggers. Add the link to your site today!

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1116884306547307662005-05-23T17:26:00.000-06:002005-05-23T18:05:03.333-06:00

What a gloomy day today.Aside from the weather, this day isn't going well at all.Some times when you make a decision it's not easy to deal with the consequences of it because your decisions affect another person -- and that's the worst part.But sometimes something that affected you in the past can affect your current decision. And right now I am trying to figure out if it's best to learn from

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1116888139505045632005-05-23T16:29:00.000-06:002005-05-23T16:42:19.510-06:00

Here is another interesting comment from a reader in response to this post:Unfortunately, this is the result of the capitalist society we all 'buy' into. Essentially we are entering into an era that will reveal the ill-conceived notion that a free market economy could become so intricate, so scientific, as to affect every aspect of our lives. Think about it. Really step back and think about the

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1116886187126784952005-05-23T16:01:00.000-06:002005-05-23T16:09:47.130-06:00

I had an reader post a couple well thought out comments that I feel deserve their own posts. Last week I wrote:Being a member of the Conservative party is similar to being the #1 fan of the Vancouver Canucks.You always have so much potential, often come so close, but in the end, you always lose.Thank god there isnt playoffs this spring, I don't think I could handle both defeats. Then in the

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1116702864159207742005-05-21T12:23:00.000-06:002005-05-21T13:14:24.166-06:00

Man, I hit up the Green Day concert the other night at Rexall Place here in Edmonton. What a concert! I’m starting to feel old, as I remember I was a teenager when their first album came out in 1993; there were so many young kids there that probably weren’t even around when their first album came out!Sometimes life just passes you by. Too often are we so focused on the future, you know, 4 years

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1116617846302587082005-05-20T13:32:00.000-06:002005-05-20T13:37:26.306-06:00

Put away your lawn signs. I have just received confirmation from the office of Stephen Harper that there will not be an election this summer.

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1116551542665647222005-05-19T19:11:00.000-06:002005-05-19T19:12:22.670-06:00

People are googling "alberta blogs", so I know there are some of you out there who want to read blogs from Alberta.Starting a blogroll is tough, because it depends on network externalities - often the number of people willing to join is a function of people already in the blogroll. I need some good, pro-Alberta bloggers to answer the call.Here is what I am finding: Blogs Canada is not that great

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1116544486880823002005-05-19T17:12:00.000-06:002005-05-19T17:14:46.883-06:00

Being a member of the Conservative party is similar to being the #1 fan of the Vancouver Canucks.You always have so much potential, often come so close, but in the end, you always lose.Thank god there isnt playoffs this spring, I don't think I could handle both defeats.

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1116540307636441302005-05-19T16:01:00.000-06:002005-05-19T17:25:56.670-06:00

Government wins vote, stays in power. Cadman votes for corruption.So, I guess, because the Liberals had their budget passed, there's no reason for an election in the spring? That's apparently what the media is saying. I guess the Liberal's are no longer corrupt. Hmm, its kind of hard to understand that logic.

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1116477364441690002005-05-18T22:33:00.000-06:002005-05-18T22:36:04.446-06:00

Apparently the Tories are going to release more tapes in the morning. The media seems eerily silent about this, though it is quite late. Anyhow, go to Coyne's thread regarding this new twist.Also check out what Warren Kinsella and Paul Wells have to say.

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1116473368304931322005-05-18T21:17:00.000-06:002005-05-18T21:29:28.310-06:00

Well, it looks like this tape could hurt the liberals.I dont get it.The liberals have been implicated in the biggest financial fraud in the history of our Country, they have stolen money from us, they have not paid it back, they have sold off judgeships, they have presided over the biggest financial mismanagements in Canadian history (gun registry), and currently are now being investigated on how

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1116454987271428962005-05-18T16:17:00.000-06:002005-05-18T17:04:50.880-06:00

Ah the good old Canadian Press.This amused me:"Chuck Cadman said Wednesday that his riding constituents indicated in a poll that they don't want an election -- and that he must listen to them."That's what I'm getting from this (poll)," he told The Canadian Press. "It's only one factor. (But) it is a major factor because I have to represent the views of my constituents."He said a poll of 600

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1116439117739665672005-05-18T11:57:00.000-06:002005-05-18T11:58:37.743-06:00

Watch Peter Mackay's interview right here

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1116394015643706752005-05-17T23:07:00.000-06:002005-05-17T23:26:55.646-06:00

You know, I was thinking about the technicalities of the non-confidence vote last week and according to the strict, literal interpretation of the constitution, the non-confidence vote was not technically an official non-confidence vote.However, all the experts that commented on the matter raised the point that the spirit of the vote meant that it was a non-confidence vote, regardless of the

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1116303816875472452005-05-16T22:22:00.000-06:002005-05-17T14:31:31.436-06:00

The corporate takeover of the internet was inevitable the minute corporations figured out how to generate a profit from it. Back in the early 90’s, the internet was relatively free of corporate interests. Though, by the end of that decade corporate interests had largely taken over the internet in the areas of commerce, news, and marketing. Avid internet users, such as me, often gave up on the

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1116281788150822262005-05-16T16:12:00.000-06:002005-05-16T17:00:35.000-06:00

Looks like the Tories know for a fact that they will win the vote. How do I know this? Well, they've already released election style radio ads. Though, the voice over kinda sounds a bit creepy: Click here to listenOne thing is for sure, based on this ad, I think this campaign is going to be 'R' rated.Update, here's the other one:

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1116271540844617902005-05-16T13:22:00.000-06:002005-05-16T13:26:36.523-06:00

Here is a photo that I made up. Its of Paul Martin, in the Prime Minister's Office on Friday after losing the non-confidence vote. As you can see, he doesnt want to leave:

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1116270818661604352005-05-16T13:12:00.000-06:002005-05-16T13:13:38.666-06:00

I made some minor changes to the appearance of my blog. Let me know if it messes up your browser or anything.M.K. Braaten

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1116196569461396852005-05-15T16:26:00.000-06:002005-05-15T16:43:35.740-06:00

Its funny how a picture speaks a thousand words. These two pictures, in my opinion represent Paul Martin of past and of present. A man who's future Prime Ministerialship was said to be of a future legend, but when he finally got there, he proved to be a dud.So much promise back in 1990:15 Years later, Paul Martin has proven to be a sad spectacle in the eyes of Canadians (even Liberals). Here is

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1116190859154892692005-05-15T14:56:00.000-06:002005-05-15T15:00:59.156-06:00

Why on earth isn't Stephen Harper criticizing Paul Martin and the Liberal party for making our country look like an international embarrassment?The international press has been reporting that Canada is doing this for political purposes. Now that Sudan has rejected Martin's recent ill thought out plans for invading Sudan, Canada just looks stupid.

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1116130727232524372005-05-14T22:17:00.000-06:002005-05-14T23:02:43.166-06:00

Martin Breaks Promise to Restore Education FundingCanadian Federation of Students, Ottawa, 23 Feb 05Despite a record surplus, Prime Minister Paul Martin failed to deliver on an election promise to increase core funding for post-secondary education.“During the election Paul Martin promised to restore core funding by creating a dedicated transfer payment for post-secondary education of $7 to $8

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1116110742293086212005-05-14T16:43:00.000-06:002005-05-14T16:45:42.310-06:00

This is just too funny.ALLERGY ALERT - Undeclared nuts in COCK brand MATSAMAN CURRY PASTEOTTAWA, May 9, 2005 -- The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning people with allergies to nuts not to consume Cock Brand Matsaman Curry Paste described below. The affected product contains nuts which are not declared on the label. This alert is of concern to those individuals who are allergic to

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1116027979967081332005-05-13T17:45:00.000-06:002005-05-13T17:46:19.973-06:00

Sudan rejects Canada's offer of military advisorsOTTAWA (Reuters) - Sudan has rejected a Canadian plan to send military advisors to the troubled Darfur region, saying Ottawa had not consulted Khartoum on its plan, the Sudanese embassy said on Friday.Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin announced on Thursday a C$170 million ($136 million) aid package for Darfur, where thousands of people have been

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1115973815086965372005-05-13T02:32:00.000-06:002005-05-13T02:43:35.093-06:00

Thankfully, Chuck had the time to do a real translation:I'd be careful of taking Google Language Tools or Babelfish too literally when attempting to parse for hidden meanings. Here's my best shot at a more colloquial translation, i.e. this isn't a transliteration, but it's the best I can do at preserving, in English, the meaning of the original French. Or at least the best I can do near midnight.

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1115949740946037232005-05-12T19:52:00.000-06:002005-05-12T20:02:20.956-06:00

This past week, when I was watching the testimony of Benoit Corbeil, there was a part of the testimony that I figured would be on the front page of the news, but mysteriously, it wasn’t mentioned in any news story regarding Corbeil’s testimony.I have found an online translator for the testimony, as it has yet to be translated on the Gomery website. Let it be clear, during the Testimony, Corbeil

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1115938225654255532005-05-12T16:22:00.000-06:002005-05-12T16:50:25.660-06:00

At first when I read that Stephen Harper is aligning himself with the Bloc to bring down the Liberals, I didn't think the negative publicity about would stick. However, I forgot about how the Canadian media would react. Right now, in the media, Harper is looking like he is 'in bed' with the separatists. Reading this link tells me that this alliance is not helping Harper, only hurting him.

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1115877235511692412005-05-11T23:53:00.000-06:002005-05-11T23:53:55.516-06:00

"If a nation violates all accepted standards of responsible behaviour, the question is: do we, the international community, have a responsibility to protect – in this case, to protect a country’s people from their own government?" --quote from Paul Martin on his visit to Washington, D.C., 29 April 2004Thanks to http://eitherorr.blogspot.com/ for that info.

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1115866427617145842005-05-11T20:51:00.000-06:002005-05-11T20:53:47.626-06:00

Check out this great article, adapted from the tale "The Emporer's New Clothes" and written by Aaron at grandinite.blogspot.com, here is an excerpt:MANY, many moments ago lived a Prime Minister, who thought so much of his government that he spent all his money (and more) in order to maintain it; his only ambition was to be always in power. He did not care for his backbenchers, and the House of

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1115846955110164692005-05-11T15:27:00.000-06:002005-05-11T15:29:15.116-06:00

Harper moved a motion to adjourn the house. The vote will be at aprox. 4:00 MST.

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1115835624919031692005-05-11T12:18:00.000-06:002005-05-11T12:20:24.923-06:00

The people have spoken. Call an election.

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1115689453815574132005-05-09T19:31:00.000-06:002005-05-09T21:01:50.126-06:00

Whoa. Everyone must listen to this recent radio show, Rob Breakenridge: The World Tonight. When Beryl Wajsman (who is going to testify this week at Gomery) was a guest he talked about how we should be demanding an investigation about:As Finance Minister, why Paul Martin systemically changed the tax code to loosen the rules for off-shore corporations, transferring jobs to 3rd world countries (and

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1115677542221369762005-05-09T16:22:00.000-06:002005-05-09T16:25:42.226-06:00

Aaron at grandinite.blogspot.com writes an excellent peice on the current geo-political make up of Canada:The Canadian political landscape these days can best be decribed as a fight between Canada's older, more established Eastocracy and its newer, wealthier Westocracy. The Eastocracy has made Prime Ministers of rich, Quebec-affiliated Lawyers such as Trudeau, Mulroney, Chretien and now Martin,

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1115672578550179382005-05-09T14:56:00.000-06:002005-05-09T15:02:58.556-06:00

Today in the House, the Tories tabled a motion of non-confidence that could be voted on as early as tomorrow. The House Leader stated that the motion was valid even though the Liberal party objected to it. Perhaps this was the threat that Harper mentioned earlier today when he stated that the "(Liberal) decision is unacceptable...and there will be consequences as soon as (Harper) returns."

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1115672118394790122005-05-09T14:53:00.000-06:002005-05-09T14:55:18.400-06:00

According to Benoit Corbeil's testimony, he mentioned that he was threatened via a phone call about talking to the inquiry about judicial appointees.

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1115666208705272112005-05-09T13:06:00.000-06:002005-05-09T14:32:05.536-06:00

So far Corbeil has implicated the following for taking dirty money: Bourassa Riding - Current Liberal MP Denis Coderre Two of Jean Lapierre's special assistants: Irène Marcheterre, director of communications, and Richard Mimeau, a Martinite who is Mr. Lapierre's special assistant for Quebec.Update:Corbeil says that he felt that in his meetings with Chretien and Martin, that they inferred the '

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1115658068388073892005-05-09T10:57:00.000-06:002005-05-09T11:01:08.400-06:00

Now this is an excellent article:Secular liberals show open contempt for traditionalists.BY JAMES TARANTO, Opinionjournal.comI am not a Christian, or even a religious believer, and my opinions on social issues are decidedly middle-of-the-road. So why do I find myself rooting for the "religious right"? I suppose it is because I am put off by self-righteousness, closed-mindedness, and contempt for

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1115602567583765412005-05-08T19:24:00.000-06:002005-05-08T19:36:07.676-06:00

And you think the sponsorship scandal is about to heat up, check out the Oil-for-food scandal!In April two investigators resigned from the UN oil-for-food inquiry because they believed that the Vocker report was a whitewash.However, since then, the US Congress subpoenaed all of the documents from the investigators.Now, the US Congress is about to name names regarding who is involved in the

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1115589644823068822005-05-08T15:34:00.000-06:002005-05-08T16:00:44.976-06:00

Did anyone see the documentary Minority Report: Inside Election 2004 last night? It would make even made Michael Moore cry just for its sheer liberal propaganda type of direction! It was aired on CBC NewsWorld last night at 8 MST. Basically the documentary gave the impression of how the 'underdog' Liberals fought back the big bad Tories to win the election at the last minute. The whole thing was

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1115579670652277372005-05-08T13:06:00.000-06:002005-05-08T13:14:30.660-06:00

Aaron at grandinite blog, wrote this interesting piece about the latest deal between McGuinty and Martin. Its a pretty good analysis on how Paul Martin made himself look like he solved the problem when really he didn't do much at all. Here's an excerpt:I'll tell you what - Ontario is about to get even more alienated once it finds out that these promised funds are not "promised" at all. There is

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1115494271655849942005-05-07T13:26:00.000-06:002005-05-07T13:31:11.660-06:00

These mayors (edmonton, vancouver, and toronto) that are sending out dire warnings in the media about how a non-confidence vote will kill the "new deal for cities' makes me laugh at how stupid they look.First of all, these same mayors were whining last election about this apparent 'new' deal for cities. Yet a year later, and likly an election later, they are still complaining. Whats the big rush?

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1115492203342711502005-05-07T12:50:00.000-06:002005-05-07T12:56:43.346-06:00

Less-than-Prime Minister Paul Martin has allegedly offered to send troops to Sudan in an attempt to buy off David Kilgour so that he will vote for the government in a non-confidence vote.How bad is it that our current Prime Minister, so desperate for power, sends our troops -- who are undoubtedly under trained, under funded, and under prepared --to a country where over 300,000 people have died in

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1115404381672573362005-05-06T11:38:00.000-06:002005-05-06T12:35:42.236-06:00

Many of todays papers are saying that the Liberals are bouncing back from a their low points in public perception based on this SES research poll that was released yesterday. In my opinion, this is a seriously misleading question. And using elementary econometrics theorem I will attempt to explain why its misleading.Firstly, the question is an indirect, stated preference type of question and it

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1115398738548350312005-05-06T10:56:00.000-06:002005-05-06T10:58:58.556-06:00

The National Post writes today that "a woman who launched a three-year battle against the television mob show The Sopranos says Joe Volpe shrugged off her complaints that the show stereotyped Italian-Canadians when she approached him for support five years ago."and:"He told me The Sopranos hadn't caused him any problems -- it hadn't hurt his career or affected him at all," Ms. L'Orfano told the

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1115398421240482812005-05-06T10:51:00.000-06:002005-05-06T10:53:41.246-06:00

Mr. Corriveau brought envelopes filled with cash in the amounts between $75,000 and $100,000 in $20 and $100 bills to the Liberal offices of the Quebec wing.And why this isn't front page news today?

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1115342597375550182005-05-05T19:22:00.000-06:002005-05-05T19:24:22.683-06:00

Well, since everyone else is doing this, I figured I would make a photo as well.

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1115335482047985022005-05-05T17:17:00.000-06:002005-05-05T17:24:42.070-06:00

We should wait for the Gomery commission to report, after all, the Liberals are the ones who started this commission.B.S.I think its pretty sad that in this country, people are worried about which parts of the government are charged with criminality. In my opinion, the simple fact that our government is under criminal investigation is enough for me to discern whether they are fit to be in

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1115325827313924932005-05-05T14:41:00.000-06:002005-05-05T14:44:12.786-06:00

What Western Canadian's fail to grasp is the concept of what voting against the Conservative Party and for the Liberals means for our bargaining power at the table of Confederation...For far too long, Western Canadians have never truly had a say in the matters of our country. Except for the rule of JohnDeifenbaker and a short term of Joe Clark, Prime Ministers for the most part have been from

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1115325605007368152005-05-05T14:36:00.000-06:002005-05-05T14:54:49.026-06:00

When we talk about the sleaze of Canada's Liberal government, it is now apparent the No Down Payment Party of Smilin' Jack Layton is not adverse to his own form of prostituting himself to sleep around for money in the guise of supporting the Liberals. In return, this socialist ho' gets his hands on the public's tax dollars to obstensibly 'make parliament work' which is why we all came to Ottawa

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1115323649719035322005-05-05T14:02:00.000-06:002005-05-05T14:07:29.726-06:00

The Conservative leader prepares to try to oust Paul Martin, a prime minister who is down but not quite out.Click here for the economist's article

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1115268678740789822005-05-04T22:15:00.000-06:002005-05-05T11:18:53.576-06:00

What do I want to write about tonight? There are so many things to talk about in Canada regarding politics and our current government.But who cares? If I write about it, what will it do? It certainly will not change the voting patterns of a certain province.Whats the point? Continualy, Canadian citizens are served with scandal after scandal, and continualy the majority of Canadians re-elect this

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1115241071399833392005-05-04T15:10:00.000-06:002005-05-04T15:11:11.406-06:00

Mr. Paul Martin, please resign.

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1115237581197265172005-05-04T13:59:00.000-06:002005-05-04T14:13:01.340-06:00

Man, I come back home to Canada only to find out the the left wing has reneged on their 'disgust' for the Liberals? I am absolutely disgusted!What happened?Martin fundementaly changes their budget, and now Ontarions (according to the Tor Star) are saying that its a good deal and that Harper is pro-big-bad-business because he is not supporting it?Wow.Less tax cuts for business mean less foreign

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1115077528199280332005-05-02T17:40:00.000-06:002005-05-02T17:45:28.200-06:00

After two days in Las Vegas *sheesh* and two days at the Coachella music festival, I have landed in San Diego, California. Though I have been trying to keep tabs on what has happened the past week; it looks like I have a lot of catching up to do. Liberals are back on top in Ontario? Jeez. Anyhow I will post later when I am back home in good o'l Canada...but right now I gotta go surf!

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1114558267488921912005-04-26T17:28:00.000-06:002005-04-26T17:31:07.486-06:00

Well, Im going on a vacation so I wont be posting till next monday...untill then, visit the links on the side of this page.-m.k. braaten

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1114556037938507532005-04-26T16:48:00.000-06:002005-04-26T16:53:57.940-06:00

So now that Martin changed the budget to try and stave off a collapse of his government, it shows us all that whenever Martin get's into trouble in the house, he will hand over some more money to the NDP.

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1114539477702120932005-04-26T11:57:00.000-06:002005-04-26T12:30:14.003-06:00

I noticed that a post I wrote a couple days ago titled "CBC killed audit story'' received much attention as my traffic spiked considerably. However, I just wanted to make one thing clear, is that in my article, I never explicitly claimed that CBC killed the story. It was simply a bad and misleading headline for the story (hey it was late alright). In fact, it’s quite opposite, I just mentioned

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1114533867375913432005-04-26T10:00:00.000-06:002005-04-26T10:44:27.376-06:00

If Martin wants to wait for the Gomery report so that Canadians can discern who did the wrong doings then why did he fire Alfonso Gagliano immediately? Isn't this hypocritical? I mean, to Alfonso Gagliano's credit, he wasn't charged with anything, yet he was fired. Shouldn't have Martin waited untill the Gomery report before he fired Gagliano?Also, if Mr. Martin didn't know about the sponsorship

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1114530025532842152005-04-26T09:38:00.000-06:002005-04-26T09:40:25.533-06:00

"You can't go stripping away piece by piece by piece of the budget.... If you engage in that exercise, it is an absolute sure formula for the creation of a deficit."-Finance Minister Ralph Goodale, reacting to the Tories request for changing the budget.Funny thing is, he said this a few weeks ago...I doubt he's saying that today.

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1114492237893512372005-04-25T23:08:00.000-06:002005-04-25T23:10:37.893-06:00

Oh these are just too funny:http://www.madashell.caandhttp://www.conservativelife.com/fiberals/

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1114484072077657772005-04-25T20:50:00.000-06:002005-04-25T20:54:32.076-06:00

From the Canadian Press:Gagliano wondered why the sponsorship inquiry did not investigate how Martin financed his own run for the Liberal leadership. "Certain communications firms that were close to Mr. Martin, Earnscliffe to be exact, took in . . . millions of dollars," Gagliano said. Link

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1114469532710103202005-04-25T16:51:00.000-06:002005-04-25T16:52:12.710-06:00

"This government has made it easier for foreign-born strippers to get into this country and find work in their field than foreign-born doctors and MBAs," -Stephen Harper, Monday, April 25, 2005.

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1114445359918023112005-04-25T09:18:00.000-06:002005-04-25T17:03:15.603-06:00

I think we should all take the time to celebrate this new same sex union of MP's in our Parliament. Everyone, I am proud to introduce to you, this fine couple...Jack and Paul Dithers! Not only have they created a civil union, they are also amalgamating their parties and it is to be called The New Dithers Party. Now that they are together, they can now share the same goal: dithering.You see, this

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1114391443382001022005-04-24T18:57:00.000-06:002005-04-24T19:10:43.383-06:00

-Of course no one wants an election; whoever does? The media is the reason why this issue is even, well, an issue.-Why isn't Stephen Harper unveiling some plans for reforming the government system so that corruption can be crippled - this would gain a lot of votes.-Why arent the media reporting on the links between Maurice Strong, Saddam Hussien, Paul Vocker, Paul Martin and Power Corporation? (

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1114377094953475392005-04-24T14:50:00.000-06:002005-04-26T13:11:53.836-06:00

Update: Please read this Last week, after my research (here and here) on the Liberals 'Audits' created a firestorm in the media and the House of Commons, I received an email from a CBC investigative journalist wanting to do a piece on the story. He was planning on investigating the conflict of interest regarding the Liberals and the accounting firms that had conducted the 'audits'. After several

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1114298117056549532005-04-23T17:08:00.000-06:002005-04-23T17:15:17.056-06:00

Here are some things to consider:If Martin dramatically changes the budget, he will look even more desperate.Who is to say that everyone of the Liberals or NDP would vote in favor of the Liberals? How many centrist Ontario voters (who despise the NDP) will be turned off by the Liberals new alliance with the NDP and subsequently vote Tory?I think this move is only going to hurt both the Liberals

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1114289041555197832005-04-23T14:40:00.000-06:002005-04-23T14:44:01.556-06:00

Riding a new wave of support, the Tories have the backing of 40 per cent of Ontarians, compared to 36 per cent for the Liberals, 20 per cent for the NDP and four per cent for the Greens.As part of the survey, 377 of the 2,000 interviews were conducted on the evening of Martin's nationally televised address. The poll found that of those interviewed that night, there was a "spike" in support for

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1114198621266089032005-04-22T13:34:00.000-06:002005-04-22T13:37:01.266-06:00

The Paul Martin-Power Corp-Oil-for-food connection just got a bit more interesting:The Canadian company that Saddam Hussein invested a million dollars in belonged to the Prime Minister of Canada, canadafreepress.com has discovered.Cordex Petroleum Inc., launched with Saddam’s million by Prime Minister Paul Martin’s mentor Maurice Strong’s son Fred Strong, is listed among Martin’s assets to the

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1114150596330907312005-04-22T00:13:00.000-06:002005-04-22T00:16:36.330-06:00

Last time I checked, Kenneth Lay of Enron still has to go to trial even though he apologized. Consequences, Mr Martin, dont for get about the consequences...a sorry just doesn't cut it.

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1114055741577689062005-04-20T21:14:00.000-06:002005-04-20T22:25:12.246-06:00

As of right now, the opposition parties are preparing a motion that will vote non-confidence for the Paul Martin Government. Essentially, at this point, Martin is only filling the Prime Minister position; indirectly he has no authority in Canada because of the impending collapse of his government. However, tomorrow night Paul Martin is delivering a televised national address to the nation.

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1114008461472542472005-04-20T08:46:00.000-06:002005-04-20T08:47:41.473-06:00

Im quite busy this week so I my PPD (post per day) rate will decrease signifigantly untill the weekend. -mkb

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1113934015532428232005-04-19T11:47:00.000-06:002005-04-19T12:06:55.533-06:00

Of course this is barely mentioned in today's Canadian papers, mainly because of a foreign policy announcement that probably will never make it into gov't policy, given the plight of the Liberal party. Nevertheless, in what is now appears to be typical liberal fashion, dementia and vauge personal relationships, Strong stated that he couldn't 'recall a single instance in which [he] had any contact

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1113929074389296692005-04-19T10:37:00.000-06:002005-04-19T11:10:48.273-06:00

"Anybody who is found to have known that people are kiting cheques, that people are falsifying invoices - me or anybody else - should resign...anybody who knew that kind of thing was going on and let it happen, they don't belong in public life." - Prime Minister Paul Martin Feb 15, 2004 Does that include this? Or what about this?

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1113882052622912772005-04-18T21:29:00.000-06:002005-04-19T11:11:28.733-06:00

Apparently the best way to eliminate the democratic deficit is to simply eliminate democracy all together. Kind of like this .*Update*Warren Kinsella is going to serve Scott Reid with a lawsuit. He wrote on his website:I AM going to sue former Earnscliffe employee Scott Reid. And he's going to have pay out of his own pocket, like I will. This is in repsonse to Scott Reid saying that Kinsella lied

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1113859392358147452005-04-18T15:06:00.000-06:002005-04-18T15:38:33.973-06:00

Apparently, instead of purchasing new military equipment the Government has a better solution. According to a commons committee, the navy should review the way it trains its sailors so they can combat the inherent dangers of decrepit military equipment provided to them, notably firefighting. It appears that our government figures that training our sailors how to fight and combat enemy fire isn’t

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1113858023576679012005-04-18T14:56:00.000-06:002005-04-19T11:12:05.123-06:00

Watch this flash clip. Just think of all the juicey campaign ad's the tories will be thinking up. Hopefully its similar to this one.From: http://www.anticorruption.ca

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1113856314644309582005-04-18T14:24:00.000-06:002005-04-18T14:31:54.646-06:00

Last week in response to Opposition MP's question regarding the Liberal audit Scott Brison told the truth. In fact while doing so he contradicted his previous statements.Since I dont have a transcript of last thursday's question period in the House I will paraphrase what he said. When a Tory MP questioned him regarding the audit Brison noted that "sometimes 'reviews' are even more comprehensive

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1113789505446708452005-04-17T21:50:00.000-06:002005-04-17T20:53:05.236-06:00

Last fall the Gomery commision hired forensic accountants to investigate where all the sponsorship money went. They will be publishing their report in the coming weeks. This is the type of investigation the Liberals should have conducted on their books but likley if there is any money that did go to the Quebec wing of the party, this investigation will probably find it.Ottawa Sun's Greg Weston

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1112499858741192282005-04-17T20:41:00.000-06:002005-04-17T15:48:06.876-06:00

Alternate title: Utilizing government purchasing power to regulate costs of privately delivered public healthcareSome times dependency on the state is economically better for citizens’ then pure private enterprise. However, a simple minded approach often used by proponents of 'free market capitalism' is that state dependence never benefits the citizens of the state as a whole. I argue that

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1113765680539617102005-04-17T13:05:00.000-06:002005-04-17T13:21:20.550-06:00

Warren Kommishoner forwarded me this site which documents alot of scandals of our ruling government. I put some on this post but there is much, much more at the source :In the beginning, 1993:1. Liberals flip flop on promise to rid G.S.T.2. Chretien concurred with Alberta on the idea of a Triple E Senate, then turns around and said, the idea was a joke, and treats it as such, by refusing to

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1113713458265752572005-04-16T22:48:00.000-06:002005-04-17T00:35:17.240-06:00

INTRODUCTIONHistorically, the perception of accountants has been one of integrity, ethics, and assurance. In recent years, however, several high profile accounting scandals have shaken this reputation, casting a less then positive light on the profession as a whole. While accountants are considered an integral part of the capitalistic system, many outsiders now look at the profession with disdain

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1113685080784248842005-04-16T14:57:00.000-06:002005-04-17T00:36:56.763-06:00

The Right Honourable Paul Martin Prime Minister of Canada Office of the Prime Minister 80 Wellington Street Ottawa K1A 0A2Dear Prime Minister: This past week you told Canadians that you have the moral authority to govern. When you became Prime Minister you told Canadians that you were accountable to us citizens. Being a leader means accepting responsibility for not only your own actions but also

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1113684243258580942005-04-16T14:41:00.000-06:002005-04-17T00:38:53.076-06:00

It's the story of a place called Mouseland. Mouseland was a place where all the little mice lived and played, were born and died. And they lived much the same as you and I do.They even had a Parliament. And every four years they had an election. Used to walk to the polls and cast their ballots. Some of them even got a ride to the polls. And got a ride for the next four years afterwards too. Just

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1113610280706776602005-04-15T21:27:00.000-06:002005-04-17T00:40:10.416-06:00

This makes me embarrassed to be from Vancouver. - mkbEarly federal election would be 'stupid,' says Vancouver mayor VANCOUVER - Vancouver Mayor Larry Campbell says he hopes that nobody does anything that would force a federal election before Prime Minister Paul Martin delivers on his promise to share gas tax revenues with municipalities. Campbell and other big-city mayors had fought for the

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1113578882456289862005-04-15T09:21:00.000-06:002005-04-17T00:40:51.940-06:00

These were posted on a website by a 'supposed' MP however I can't gaurantee its validity but it seems quite correct. -mkbEveryone has heard that the Liberals have been preparing their upcoming election strategy today. A confederate within the hierarchy has leaked the main talking points the Liberals will follow during the campaign. Conservatives might be surprised to learn that it is only more of

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1113510137802591212005-04-14T14:16:00.000-06:002005-04-17T00:41:35.006-06:00

Well, more audit talk in the house today. It looks like I may have started a firestorm with my research last week. Since I just watched this on CPAC I can't give an exact transcript but I will attempt to (very loosely) paraphrase from a non-partisan perspective (like usual). In Question Period today Conservative finance critic Monte Solberg questioned the Liberals on accountability. Solberg

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1113498033256913802005-04-14T10:46:00.000-06:002005-04-14T11:01:36.016-06:00

One of Canada's leading forensic accountants dismissed the accounting reports commissioned by the Liberal party - and held up as proof that its books are clean - as 'half-baked' because they fail to track the money that was never recorded by party officials in the first place. Forensic auditor Dr. Al Rosen, a chartered accountant and a certified fraud examiner, said the Liberal party, notably

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1113446139780321152005-04-13T20:27:00.000-06:002005-04-17T00:42:13.990-06:00

Just thought I would pose a reminder about the Liberals idea of healthcare:Source: Team Martin Said:We know the public administration principle of the CHA already provides flexibility on private delivery” (Pierre Pettigrew, Minister of Health, Speech to the Health Policy Summit, April 20, 2004)"Public administration is the principle, not public ownership. There's a difference between public

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1113375296572633472005-04-13T00:50:00.000-06:002005-04-17T00:45:22.880-06:00

Update- from the Globe and Mail: Canada may need to buy Kyoto creditsCan someone explain to me how purchasing credits to meet our emission requirements actually constitutes a real reduction of emissions?Oh, its because it doesnt.This is beginning to look more and more like a money grab.The new Kyoto plan will be unveiled today. I read it early this morning and it is quite amusing. About as

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1113341856246680252005-04-12T15:27:00.000-06:002005-04-12T20:21:35.050-06:00

This keeps getting worse and worse...for the Liberals.The Montreal firm that conducted the review (or audit if you talk to a Liberal MP) on the Quebec wing of the Liberal party's finances, Samson Blair Deloitte & Touche, the same firm that has donated over $100,000 to the party, has previously employed Liberal MP Pierre Pettigrew, Minister of Foreign Affairs, as vice president.From his website:A

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1113338911817316652005-04-12T14:09:00.000-06:002005-04-14T19:40:15.566-06:00

Update: A producer from CBC has contacted me regarding this and there may be a potential story on it...Ill keep you posted.Today in Parliament the Tories exposed Liberals regarding their "audits." Perhaps some of the parliament IP's that I have had visit my site read these two articles that I wrote over the weekend :Were the Liberal Party's finances "audited"? (part 1)Were the Liberal Party's

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1113330649216928042005-04-12T12:26:00.000-06:002005-04-14T19:44:01.866-06:00

At the end of the Second World War the US Dollar (USD) assumed the position of the world’s reserve currency.[1] This was a likely choice because the American economy was thriving and its currency was backed by gold. However, as economies grew larger and gold became scarcer, the USD essentially began to restrain its economy because the money supply could only be increased relative to world supply

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1113288211718253242005-04-12T00:41:00.000-06:002005-04-12T00:46:42.460-06:00

I wonder if this is because of this?Though the timing is quite odd; I wrote it Saturday and then the subpoenas were filed Monday.I dont think so...but what do you think?

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1113257232220147802005-04-11T16:05:00.000-06:002005-04-14T19:42:26.703-06:00

The PWC EngagementContinued from part 1 (below)I finally got around to looking at the PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) ‘audit’ which is available on the Liberals website (see part 1 for link) once again it’s not an audit but a specified procedures report (SPR). An SPR is simply a request by the client (Liberals) asking the accountant to look at specified parts of their financials, nothing more.

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1113209244715175982005-04-11T02:21:00.000-06:002005-04-11T10:07:29.060-06:00

Conservatives: Nationwide-36% Ontario-40% Quebec-18%Liberals: Nationwide-25% Ontario-33% Quebec-15% NDP: Nationwide-21%Bloc: Nationwide-12% Quebec-50%A full 60% of respondents said they think the Prime Minister should be held accountable for the sponsorship mess.

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11857647.post-1113174775338609412005-04-10T16:58:00.000-06:002005-04-14T19:46:38.810-06:00

Click here for part 2Currently the Quebec wing of the Federal Liberal party is embroiled in a corruption scandal. According to recent, yet unproven testimony, the Quebec wing systematically laundered money during its abuse of the sponsorship scandal. The Quebec wing has recently said that it cannot account for millions of dollars of illegal kickbacks that supposably were filtered through it. In

M. K. Braatennoreply@blogger.com11