Gang packers

[TOM4CWB]

Parsley,

I believe the CWB staff are really not to blame here!

I spent all day yesterday with thalpenny working on saftey nets, the bottom line is that CWB staff can be the most efficient and hard working people on the face of the planet, but if the vision of the CWB is to refuse to deal with these issues they can do nothing!

thalpenny, or even CEO Greg Arison can do nothing with out the Director's permission. They will be fired if they do.

Since Minister Goodale has stepped out of the sphere of influence, the vision of the CWB has further suffered!

WHY?

If the Minister responsible isn't responsible, and doesn't complain, then steady as she goes, full steam ahead, they believe they are all doing their job, and doing it well!

After all the directors are getting $500.00/day, life is sweet, even if we do complain (Except for Jim Chatenay who has taken the weight of this whole problem to heart).

The sad part is that this CWB ship has hit the shoals, has taken on water and is listing badly.

Most of the directors feel they can power there way through the waters, and by sheer power alone save the ship.

Sadly, the ship is headed directly for the rockey shore and if someone doesn't steer it in a different direction and stop it from taking on water, it will either sink or smash into the rocks and be destroyed.

CWB lack of accountability to the CWB Act is the biggest hole letting in water into the hull, but the root of direction, the "Monopoly" headset is the direction steering this towards the rockey cliffs!

The "Monopoly" is not even in the CWB Act either!!!

If the CWB is to survive they MUST position themselves to market all Canadian grains, and to get to the point where they must drop the "monopoly" headset and be willing to compete and become the most efficient effective value adding marketer on the face of this planet!

Is the CWB willing meet this challenge?

Are Canadian farmers willing to allow them to meet this challenge, and overcome it?

[TOM4CWB]

Parsley,

I have been doing some driving, therefore some late night thinking again...

It occurs to me that the single pricing structure of the CWB is driving commercial processors of wheat and barley into larger and larger organisations!

Even US marketers are forced into this treadmill, to compete against the CWB and AWB...

The result is that we in western Canada are as responsible for creating these multi-national corps as anyone on the planet! This is because of the CWB "Monopoly"

Why?

The more powerful a force is in the marketplace, the more damage can be done to smaller entities that must deal with it.

Therefore the "fight fire with fire" principal comes into effect!

If I can create an alliance with more power than the CWB, then I can actually turn dealing with the CWB into a competitive advatage for my organisation. Why? Because now I have more market power than the CWB and can manipulate these markets to my benefit and to the detriment of the farmers who participate in CWB!

So it doesn't matter if it is railroads, grain handlers, or processors, the larger the entity, the better equiped it will be to take advantage of the CWB. How?

1. Internal information linkages from a larger network can and will exploit least cost inputs and most profitable business practices.

2. Containment of these information networks, and realisation and management of their beneficial nature for this large company, will stop entities like the CWB from gaining access to this important intelegence information.

3. Pure political and monetary power! The bigger my organisation is, the harder it will be to stop my activity simply from a inertia and economic standpoint.


Balance, the world economic systems seek balance. If any one entity is too powerful, human nature trys to create another force to balance this power!

[parsley]

Tom4CWB, as farmers, we need to keep our eyes focused on the amount we deposit in the bank forwarded to us from the CWB pooling accounts. That's what counts. Show me the money, so to speak. Complaining to the companies handling the grain will get us nowhere. Or comparing who has built the biggest fort.

Remember, the CWB has legal obligations written by Parliament. One of those obligations is for the CWB to send the Federal Government the bill for export licensing costs instead of downloading it on the pooling accounts. They aren't.

The CWB legal counsel has a legal and professional obligation to follow the law. The staff in general are supposed to live up to their professional responsibilities. The accounting firm obviously doesn't follow the law. Halpenny may feel loyalty to the Directors, but heart tugs do not supercede the Director's legal responsibilities. And the bottom line is ...the law is being ignored. Certainly in the Enron fiasco , the accountants were shady,as well as a whole lot of other so-called professionals, and most everyone would agree there is a general decline of ethical business practices and of integrity among the professionals these days....right across North America.

And maybe that is why farmers have to demand some answers. Someone has decided not to follow the Act here. But who? And why? And of course, how much is owing?

Parsley

[TOM4CWB]

Parsley,

Do you know how the CWB can get out of these problems?

Do you think the CWB itself knows how to deal with these problems?

Does Minister Goodale know how to fix the CWB's problems?

Does integrety even matter when it comes to interpretation of the law, if the Minister responsible doesn't care, will anyone else care, (that counts of course...)?

[parsley]

Tom 4CWB, you asked four questions and I'll make some comments :

1. Do you know how the CWB can get out of these problems?

- First ...by recognizing there is a breach of the CWB Act

- Second... Acknowledging to farmers that money was taken from their pool accounts when it should have been paid by the Government.

-Thirdly.....Putting those very real losses back into farmers' pooling accounts.

2. Do you think the CWB itself knows how to deal with these problems?

Technically, it really should not be difficult. If it is, they need new management.


3. Does Minister Goodale know how to fix the CWB's problems?

He'd better. He is ultimately responsible for seeing that Parliament's wishes are being followed. If the CWB is in breach, so is Mr. Goodale. He is a Minister of Her Majesty.

4. Does integrety even matter when it comes to interpretation of the law, if the Minister responsible doesn't care, will anyone else care, (that counts of course...)?

A lot of farmers most certainly do care , and we count the very most. It's our livelihood. We need to be very aware of the age-old tactics that have been used against farmers:

....alienation, intimidation, and humiliation.....

Recognize any? We need to recognize these tactics when they are employed to work against farmers' needs . Particularly when we are demanding accountability from those who are supposed to serve us.

By the way, Tom4CWB, integrity always matters.

Parsley

[TOM4CWB]

Parsley,

NOW I agree that what you say is, supposed to be, the way it SHOULD be in a free and democratic society!

But, is this a reality in Canada today?

How do we wake up the CWB directors and Minister Goodale that our human rights are being breached?

[parsley]

I am quoting from two recent comments on this site.

1. rodbradshaw under the heading, Farming with subsidies, posted Feb 6, 2002 9:03, says:
"........ the case where farmers have a single desk selling agency
(CWB), we don't have them working in our best interests"

Obviously, rodbradshaw is not a happy camper with the CWB. Are you a farmer, rodbradshaw?

2. BEAVER MINES, Alta. beef producers Keith and Bev Everts on February 7, 2002 with direct quote from the article:

QUOTE:
Bev said the dual roles of marketer and producer have taught them a lot: "We know how animals that are slow to finish hurt us. We see how each animal performs. We see the statistics and get to see what makes
money right down to the store level. You learn a lot about raising cattle when you see what packers and wholesalers have to do to sell beef."
UNQUOTE

Obviously, the Everts LIVE the imporatance of being a marketer! Pretty hard to tell them they aren't capable, isn't it?

The thing is, farmers need to simply TAKE their industry back. Nobody is going to do it for you.

Demanding answers is a heck of a good start. Really demanding.

When you start to demand answers, you can immediately identify your allies. You're pretty much on your own at first. Like starting a fist fight in the back alley because a guy just robbed you and a bunch of his bloody thugs attack as well . Try to Alienate you. Humiliate you. Intimidate you. Most of the 'well-paids in fancy cars' drive by, because they don't want to "get involved". Then a few guys that understand decency...integrity...that's where it comes in Tom4CWB, get in the action because they don't like what's going on.

And all of a sudden there 's a good solid demanding allied crew. Unrelenting and demanding.

The 'well-paids in fancy cars' will soon parrot what you're demanding when they find out you're winning the fight. Politicians will scramble to catch up. And changes will be made because you made it happen.

Farmers can make it happen.

Parsley

[TOM4CWB]

Parsley,

Now, how do we make this happen?

Do the CWB Directors that run it care?

Does Minister Goodale care?

Will the Sask. or Mb. gov.'s do anything about this?

... farmers may care... but do they care enough?

[rodbradshaw]

Parsley
Yes, I am a farmer but I have diversified my operation so that I don't have to deal with the CWB unless I want to. There is power in a marketing organization as long as the principles are kept in the fore front. Unfortunately the CWB's principles never had the producers interests in mind. Just read the CWB act.

Rod