Look out Alberta. Saskatchewan may soon become an economic power house that will rival Alberta. The intellectual midget we have for a Premier recently floated the bold idea of lowering our drinking age to 18 in an effort to “stop the outflow of young people to the province of Alberta!!” Perhaps he thinks if they are looped they won’t be able to find there way out.
Here is a good example of what’s wrong with this province. The Lands Branch that lease’s out crown land here has had many complaints as to the fact that there assessment fees are out to lunch, with many in the drought areas only getting about 30% of the use of their grass land for the past number of years. They are charging for something that doesn’t exist and if you don’t pay they threaten to cancel the lease.The NDP solution...get the lessee to sign a legal document turning over all management decisions for 5 to 10 years and they will drop the fees by 50%. The government employee will then come out and tell the lessee when to put cattle in, and when to take them out, and how many! What an insult to those who have been managing their grass well. Get the picture….the Lands branch will take in less revenue, BUT create more jobs with in the department. And at the same time get a tighter grip on the means of production.
My brother and I both started cattle related business’s about 5 years ago and in my case to help survive on the farm as it is to far to the city for a job. Drought and grasshoppers had rendered the farm a total loss the last few years and so started up an enterprise. And it has been good. Only to be torpedoed by BSE. Has anyone calculated the damaging ripple effect this has had on cattle related service industry?
We lost a dear old friend lately. A lady of great character and insight, and a large family. Here are some entry’s from her journal that were shared at her funeral.
“You do not grow old; you grow old by not growing.”
“If you move with the crowd; you’ll get no further than the crowd.”
“When 20 million people believe in a dumb idea …it’s still a dumb idea.”
“Simply swimming with the tide… leaves you nowhere.”
After a while, you learn the subtle difference
Between holding a hand and chaining a soul
And you learn that love doesn’t mean leaning
And company doesn’t mean security
And you begin to understand that kisses aren’t contracts
And presents aren’t promises
And you begin to accept your defeats
With your head held high and your eyes wide open
With the grace of a women, not the grief of a child.
You learn to build your own roads
On today, because tomorrow’s ground
Is to uncertain for plans, and futures have
A way of falling down in mid-fight
After a while you learn that even sunshine
Burns if you get too much.
So you plant your own garden and decorate
Your own soul, instead of waiting
For someone to bring you flowers
And you learn that you really can endure
And that you really are strong
And you really do have worth
And you learn and learn…and you learn
With every goodbye, you learn.
And one of her last entries was…
“Death is not the extinguishing of light, but the putting out of the lamp, because the dawn has come.”
I have become addicted to reading you all each day. Thanks to those who have had the patience to read me. I have learned a lot…have enjoyed the debates and shared your frustrations.
My prayer for all the Agri-ville family is that God will bless you in all your endeavors for 2004. And when we see that light at the end of the tunnel…it won’t be a train.
Happy New Year
Here is a good example of what’s wrong with this province. The Lands Branch that lease’s out crown land here has had many complaints as to the fact that there assessment fees are out to lunch, with many in the drought areas only getting about 30% of the use of their grass land for the past number of years. They are charging for something that doesn’t exist and if you don’t pay they threaten to cancel the lease.The NDP solution...get the lessee to sign a legal document turning over all management decisions for 5 to 10 years and they will drop the fees by 50%. The government employee will then come out and tell the lessee when to put cattle in, and when to take them out, and how many! What an insult to those who have been managing their grass well. Get the picture….the Lands branch will take in less revenue, BUT create more jobs with in the department. And at the same time get a tighter grip on the means of production.
My brother and I both started cattle related business’s about 5 years ago and in my case to help survive on the farm as it is to far to the city for a job. Drought and grasshoppers had rendered the farm a total loss the last few years and so started up an enterprise. And it has been good. Only to be torpedoed by BSE. Has anyone calculated the damaging ripple effect this has had on cattle related service industry?
We lost a dear old friend lately. A lady of great character and insight, and a large family. Here are some entry’s from her journal that were shared at her funeral.
“You do not grow old; you grow old by not growing.”
“If you move with the crowd; you’ll get no further than the crowd.”
“When 20 million people believe in a dumb idea …it’s still a dumb idea.”
“Simply swimming with the tide… leaves you nowhere.”
After a while, you learn the subtle difference
Between holding a hand and chaining a soul
And you learn that love doesn’t mean leaning
And company doesn’t mean security
And you begin to understand that kisses aren’t contracts
And presents aren’t promises
And you begin to accept your defeats
With your head held high and your eyes wide open
With the grace of a women, not the grief of a child.
You learn to build your own roads
On today, because tomorrow’s ground
Is to uncertain for plans, and futures have
A way of falling down in mid-fight
After a while you learn that even sunshine
Burns if you get too much.
So you plant your own garden and decorate
Your own soul, instead of waiting
For someone to bring you flowers
And you learn that you really can endure
And that you really are strong
And you really do have worth
And you learn and learn…and you learn
With every goodbye, you learn.
And one of her last entries was…
“Death is not the extinguishing of light, but the putting out of the lamp, because the dawn has come.”
I have become addicted to reading you all each day. Thanks to those who have had the patience to read me. I have learned a lot…have enjoyed the debates and shared your frustrations.
My prayer for all the Agri-ville family is that God will bless you in all your endeavors for 2004. And when we see that light at the end of the tunnel…it won’t be a train.
Happy New Year
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