PC Leadership

[cowman]

Ah, but don't forget the Turner Valley Gas Plant that spewed lord knows what contaminates into the river last year during the flooding because it hadn't been properly abandoned !!!

[cakadu]

That's interesting that you make the comment cowman about getting compensated for having your piece of paradise drilled in. We tend to put a price on things we value and in your case it is your land, as it is in mine and I'm sure many others' as well.

Because we have attached no monetary value to the mountains, does that then mean we do not have to work to preserve them and the surrounding natural areas for future generations?

We don't yet have any type of value on water - even though we cannot and have not ever produced any new water. Every drop of water we have is not new water - it has been recycled through eons of hydrological cycles.

We tend to rely on technology to help us with whatever challenges we face. Yet, in the case of water and land, technology will not help us to create new land or new water. Yes, technology will help us to desalinate water, but that will only deplete existing water supplies, not create new water.

We now pay more for a litre of bottled water than we do for gas. More and more people are having to turn to bottled water because they either cannot or will not trust the water supplies they have.

What sort of legacy do we want to be leaving for future generations who have no say in what their idea of "paradise" is?

[cowman]

Well Linda, you know I agree with you quite a bit on the water thing? I think water injection in oil and gas wells is about the dumbest thing they ever did!
I do have a slightly different view of this world in that I believe it will last, just as long as it is supposed to? I have kept the companies out of the area I consider my greatest assett...the land where my springs are. Maybe not the smartest move financially(own the mineral rights)...but then I've done a lot of dumb things in my life! And despite my liking money...there really are some things more important in life?
Now I'm not "way out there", I realize someday its going to happen? I tell my son "When the time comes do it...but wait until I'm dead"!

[ivbinconned]

I suggest some of you take a drive east of the 36...Cessford, Wardlow and eastward. Lots and lots and lots of native grass, with lots of lease roads and pump jacks!!! If it were not for the resourse activity, there would be even fewer people living out there.

[ivbinconned]

cowman, you have protected areas of your farm that you consider to be environmentally significant from exploration so explain why you feel that the Pekisko Group should not have the ability to do the same ?

One thing for sure if Preston Manning is chosen as leader and Premier protecting the environment will be a much higher priority.

[skhadenuf]

Just wanted to ask you guys, now that you're done with Ralph Klein is there any chance we can somehow parachute him into power over here in Saskatchewan? I don't know the politics of why Mr. Klein was given the relatively low approval rating, but I can tell you he'd be welcome here. As an outsider looking in and it's not really my place to say but many folks here feel that where Mr. Klein started and where he took Alberta it maybe was a bit disrespectful ending. I know most people say he should have known when to quit, but the fact was he was going to, and even on his worse day would you guys trade him for what we have here?

[skhadenuf]

Ralph bit the bullet when he was first elected and initiated cut backs, decreased the government bureaucracy etc. but in the past few years he has allowed government to grow, his government is spending millions of dollars on unbudgetted items and the rank and file PC party members decided to send him a message which they did.

Any government that is in power for too long seems to develop an arrogance and forget who they are there to serve.

[cowman]

Well I agree with you that Ralph was treated fairly shabby! But Emerald is also right...Ralph let the "spendthrifts" take over and he was ready to go?
And emerald, if Preston is going for more environmental crap and limiting drilling...well I'm sure not going to vote for him! If Dinning is going to throw it wide open...then he's my man!
And on the Pekisko thing versus me: I own my mineral rights and have not re-leased them, I assume they don't...other wise there is no problem? Now I had them leased out when the landman came calling, but they have since aspired and I chose not to re-lease them. As I said I do a lot of dumb things...as the boy likes to tell me all the time!LOL
But that is okay, he'll have his day...but not... today.

[cowman]

I would doubt if Dinning is planning on throwing the entire province wide open for resource eploration and extraction because he has said more about land use and preserving land uses for the future than any of the candidates so far. Now Mannning has said a lot too but he isn't a declared candidate as of yet.

I will suppport someone who feels that people come first, and the opinions of the public are something the government needs to listen to. Dinning is from the original Klein era where public consultation was and still is a farce.

[Ron]

If we are looking for a new recycled premiur, why not phone Lucien Bouchard. He sure did a lot for Quebec (just kidding, maybe)

[ruggb]

Sorry if I offend the Albertans out there but all this fawning over Ralph is bugging me.
skhadenuf we sure do need a change in Sask. but not Ralph. He wouldn,t have lasted 2 years anywhere outside Alberta. It,s easy to look good when you have billions to play with. Look at Stockwell Day. Looked like a hero in Alberta. Looked like an idiot on the National scene.
We need some tough leadership.
Just my opinion

[ruggb]

I wouldn't say that Stockwell looked like a genius here, he was a smartass, and a pain in the butt for the party, why do you think that Klein was so anxious for him to go into federal politics ???

I think that all provinces need people with visions and able to paint with a broad brush vs thinking of only today. Leaders need to be leadership material first and foremost.

[ruggb]

Thanks for the info. Hadn,t thought of that. Maybe I didn,t give Ralph enough credit.

[ruggb]

Ralph had people to advise him, keep his cabinet ministers in check etc., but when Rod Love, Ralph's main advisor decided to leave government anad work for himself, things started to fall apart. Ralph hasn't really had any control over caucus for the past couple of years, and the bureaucrats have been running the province.

Time for a change, and likely when the new leader is in place, there will be a good housecleaning in government.

[wilagro]

emerald1: The house cleaning is long, long overdue. Some of these old PCers think that they own this province. The smugness is apparent in most of their public pronouncements and appearances.

I say, kick their asses out and run in a new crew.