ID Nightmares

It seems that not too long ago when terrorism was not such a worry, not fully convinced it is now either but that is another topic, you could call on your Gov for pretty well anything. Presently in the process of replacing ID that was lost and man oh man what a nightmare that has been.

Being someone who became a Canadian Citizen in the eighties, my ID comes under constant scrutiny and in some cases has been refused as it is not encoded with holograms or some other futuristic tracking device and once again when presenting it as ID to replace my Drivers License it was scrutinized while I was basically told to sit and wait for their final decision as to whether I was a person of ill repute or was in fact the person on the ID... The next wonderment I found was that my old license was not considered valid ID as it had expired.

What is up with that. When it expires am I cleaned from the system or something. If they punch in the number into the computer will my information be gone... Not likely yet they refuse to take it and of course scrutinized my citizenship.

Finally I did come across a knowledgeable person who realized that my ID being very old yet it was valid and real. Gee you know that things are getting bad when even Gov. issued ID is not acceptable.

The hardest ID to replace in Ontario is the Health Card OHIP... Cant wait to see the fun I will have when I go next month to get that replaced... Whoo hooo...

Well here is my posing question for this post and I know it has been a while that is for sure.

Who made this statement... a little quiz for those who like to data mine...

"Any society that would sacrifice even a little liberty for security does not deserve either and will probably lose both."

Sick and Tired

I guess its kinda fitting especially in the land down south that so many new ailments seem to be arising. No wonder with the workload the average person has to contend with. A world of latch-key kids as families can't support themselves on one income unless it is far above the supposed poverty line.

I watch the TV and am amazed at the line of sales pitches that I see almost every day for medication sales. Man I can take a pill to wake up, one to settle my nerves before I go to work, another at work so I can keep my concentration as I'm so damn tired from working all the time. Then I need one to bring me down as my stress levels are so high because I did fall asleep at work anyway and almost got fired. Then I can come home and before bed I can take a sleep aid.

Man I guess as the drug companies are "legal" they can promote anything they want.. Still debating in my head how many of these frigging ailments are just sales pitches. In another fifty years we will be just what the government wants.. A zombie labor force that doesn't complain, does what they are told when they are told and they get to take all our money as well.

Let me tell you people... WAKE THE **** UP...

I can't believe how many people I talk to that just say "what can I do about it?".

For one thing, get the hell out of the house and vote. It does make a difference when we all do it. Man lets all vote for the green party, at least they are new and haven't been corrupted yet.

Here in Canada we had the Rhino party some years back and their platform was a joke... But what was scary, they almost got a few guys voted in. Even they would have been better as at least we would have been able to get high, and would have a 2 day work week and then there was the beer bonus as well..

Stop being sheeple and start being people. Remember that the government works for us and not the other way around. They do all this crap because we let them do it.

Enough is enough people start paying attention before its too late..

So my question to ponder today is...

Are you feeling sick today? What imaginary ailment have they convinced you that inflicts you?

have a great day... and remember: "An uneducated, unhealthy, frightened and demoralized nation is easy to govern"

Spend Those Dollars

Hi all,

Today will not be such a negative on the Government as more a rant at the money grubbers. I guess as I am out doing my thing I start to notice the little changes that are happening all around me and can't help to make note.

In the food store today I was happily perusing the entire store... Love to food shop, and the time came for the check out. I guess however that this will be a two part rant. As you will see.

Anyhow there I was with my cart full of goodies, I forgot to mention that I had a friend with me and she for some reason did not like the line up... to me two or three ahead of me is fine and more than willing to wait... the store however has the auto do it yourself check out option which she convinced me to try.

Well I have to say I am a technology guy and thought ok Ill give it a whirl... My deepest thoughts about the whole thing is that I am paying top dollar for the food in this place so Ill be damned if I am going to bag it all as well... I want some sort of perk for the premium pricing. But what the hell and onto the auto check out I go..

That will be the last time I ever use one of those useless machines. My god what a nightmare. There we are scanning the stuff, listening to a stupid voice telling me to put it in the bag and of course I had never done this before and did not know that you cant remove any of the bags. I guess it keeps track of the weight as well to ensure you don't chuck something extra in there... So of course when I lifted a bag the machine went haywire and now I am getting embarrassed.

One thing I hate to be is embarrassed. I grabbed all my stuff and put it back into the cart. The lady at the control thingy started nagging me about how the machine is partly ringing in items and I can't just leave like that... Now I have some short little munchkin in a purple bib telling me what I can and cannot do...

Of course however I try to maintain composure and told her nicely where she can put her machine and if she didn't let me go through regular checkout she would be restocking shelves. I chucked my stuff in the cart and off I went. Some time saver that is. What a shitty machine that is a waste of technology. The point I guess I am making is the fact that another job lost to a useless piece of equipment..

Technology is supposed to enhance our life and make it better... not piss you off and increase your stress levels.

However, I was happy and now in the line to pay for my soon to be bagged by someone else groceries. I noticed however that the person in front of me was paying for her groceries and what does she pull out of her purse but the damn Visa.

My god my jaw just about hit the damn floor. Paying for frigging food with a damn credit card. How bad is it when people have to finance their food?

Credit card debt is one of the biggest problems in the budget of many households and it is of course by design. The banks charge you to put money in your account, they charge you to take it out and they charge you when you use the electronic convenience of spending it.

How badly would it damage the economy if we all said screw this and took all our money out of the banking system and just dealt in cash? Actually it would totally destroy the modern economy and force us to find a better way that does not inflict such devastating costs on the average hard working poor guy. In reality just a revamp of the banks and what they charge would suffice. Again however it is the Government that allows this sort of action in the first place. I had to get that dig in.

So I guess my thoughts for today are this...

Should there be massive reforms in the way banks do business?
Is technology implemented long before the consequences of the implementation are considered?

Thanks for listening

Good day to all..

I was thinking today about several things, as usual and once again started to get angry... This seems to happen a lot. In most of my life anger has never been a factor and still isn't unless I start thinking about the Government or someone brings it up... As soon as they do then off I go.

Anyhow, I started reading articles about new laws and one that really got me was the new law here in the land of oppression is the NO SMOKING IN YOUR CAR WHEN CHILDREN ARE PRESENT. Now please don't get me wrong. I agree that second hand smoke is not a good thing. Myself being a smoker fully realize how it can affect people and in fact do not even smoke in my own home as I have many non smoking friends and try to take them into consideration.

What really bothers me is the false pretense in which they apply these laws. So lets go back fifty years and think of the advertising we used to see for cigarettes. They were everywhere. Not only were the tobacco companies making a killing but so was the government. Those tax dollars were just flowing in.

Now however it is a different story. The revenue that they bring in is now badly offset by the cost of health care associated with smoking related illness. Ok so in some ways I understand that to

EI - Employment Insurance - Government Pot Of Gold

Well being as I had a direct run in with these people I figured I would rant today on them. EI.. the mandatory Employment Insurance deducted premium that they don't like to pay you.

Looting of the EI fund: Billions owed to unemployed

This to me is just another masquerade benefit that the Gov just doesn't want to pay anyone. If a system is properly administered then there should not be a 57 billion dollar surplus. The money must of course be available to meet possible rises in need if the economy turns sour but 57 Billion when the whole country only has 35 Million People. I think there is something drastically wrong here. But once again we just let them get away with it. Some of the things that happen in Canada and the U.S. would just not be tolerated in the more advanced European countries... French and British citizens would be burning cars in the street if something like this happened and nothing was done about it.


But then again they have governments that at least are still fearful of the people and they cannot get away with such acts. We on the other had are afraid and take it.

Anyhow there I go again... I have paid into the EI program for many years. Being an IT guy we sometimes change positions a lot and it is very common to work for yourself and of course claim this as "Other self employed income". One however cannot contribute to EI when you are self employed as they are concerned you will pay a higher premium somewhat doctoring your income and thus be able to claim the maximum benefit when you did not earn it... I guess I can see their point but what about those who are legitimate. I for example worked many years for one company and decided when a good opportunity came along I would take the chance. Things however did not work out as expected and I wound up finishing a contract for myself and was then unemployed.

The first place I went was to EI.. With past earnings I would have collected the maximum benefit and thought I could live on that no problem. The max is 477 a week. If you live on a budget then this would suffice at least until other employment was found. I was however turned down as I did not apply within one year of leaving the contributing company and therefor was not eligible to collect. I of course voiced my opinion and after being basically ignored as "rules are rules for the benefit of everyone" I left totally pissed off. Of course now forced to apply for social welfare which at $572 a month doesn't even put a roof over your head let alone feed you. That is another joke we will discuss in a later rant. Oh yes didn't qualify for that either as I have pension plan and RRSP's and such and you have to be destitute to qualify.

The joke being the rules that are there to protect everyone. No... the rules are there so they have every excuse to not pay you and thus build up fantastic surpluses that the Government can use for whatever they want and never get penalized for it.

So here is my questions for comment.

Should EI and Social Welfare be combined? Should people have to surrender their life's savings and pension plans to be eligible for assistance when the economy is not their fault?

Final Statement: If people do have to lose all they have worked for before they are eligible for assistance does that not mean that the taxpayer not only has to support them when they retire as they have nothing of their own, but they are also forced into poverty because of the low income they receive... Also should not the social welfare at least pay families an amount that is at or above the poverty level instead of less?

Rich Getter Richer And We Just Suck It Up

Well today is another day and time for my A.M. Rant. I talk to many people in my day and sooner or later the economy becomes a subject even if only briefly. Most however are simple conversations of how the jobs are gone for now and how one can make ends meet. Some more concerned with the drastic losses their pension plans have taken and how they are going to make it up. At this rate they may have to work a few more years to break even again.

I in many ways laugh to myself as to me the whole thing is by design. The governments that we elect to serve us are the same people that are screwing us over and they do it with a big happy smile on their faces and it just ticks me right off. I realize however that as long as we let them get away with it the more they are going to control us.

I best however change thought as I will end up off topic which seems to happen a lot to me as I get so angry and then off I go.

One thing I have always tried to do is put things in a simple perspective that everyone can understand. So here goes... another of my statements and then my posed question.

When I got my first job and let me tell you that was a long time ago it was as a dishwasher at the hotel that my mother managed. She felt I was thirteen at the time and was now old enough to start earning my own pocket money. I in fact loved the sense of freedom even though at that time. 1972 my hourly rate was a whopping $1.82/hr.

I remember clearly the first paycheck that I received and it was a handsome sum of $28.80. Wow I was ecstatic and did not know what to do with all my money... I felt proud and rich... Easy to do at that age. It was Christmas time and I decided to buy my mom and dad something nice for the season and purchased them their first blender. I know and yes that meant shakes so I did have an ulterior motive. None the less however they were happy with the gift and mom spent hours making every sort of concoction she could think of. It was awesome.

Those however were the days when someone of my age with a letter from parents could purchase cigarettes. I would merrily make my way to the store for my parents to attain their smokes and I remember clearly the cost of them. A large pack of kingsize cigarettes was 76 cents. A carton was $5.45. Wow... can you imagine.

Now I use cigarettes as an example as they are easily related to. There are many products that would work equally well and I use a few of them for comparison sake but these always seem to hit home with most people especially smokers.

So at 76 cents a pack for smokes and earning $1.82 an hour works out to be 2.39. So bottom line in 1972 earning a measly $1.82 an hour I could purchase 2.39 packs of cigarettes for my one hour of work. As I sit and look at different products some are more and some are drastically less. I look up old newpapers and check out prices in the advertising at the time and make my comparisons.

What I have noticed however is that certain commodities have had less inflation attached to them. Things like food and fuel for example. Now my mind again starts to click away and sees the association for certain products. Fuel is the lifeline of today's world and would if increased too much affect the entire economy which was have seen of late with all the test pricing etc. Food must remain as much of a constant as possible as people have to eat or do they?

Today however still being a smoker I purchase my cigarettes from the First Nation Peoples at a generous savings and thus can still afford this unhealthy luxury but should I need an emergency pack and treat myself to my normal brand that I will not mention I will pay from $10.25 to $10.85 for a pack.

Now here is the kicker. The minimum wage in Ontario now is $9.50 an hour. Did you get it already or not? Well here is the math... For my one hour of work today, I can only buy .9, that is point nine packs of cigarettes.

Now apply this ratio to a thousand different items that we buy each and everyday and then also look at the taxes that we pay what the hell is left for us?

Each year we are working harder and longer just to maintain a level ground and its not happening.

Is this also by design? I honestly believe that it is. Large corporations are given massive tax incentives to promote employment yet they are allowed to charge whatever they want. This really seems to be a North American trait.

I will go into the many avenues of price hiking and basically theft but those who have not stepped out of North America will not see it... That is all we know and we accept it and live with it even though we are taking it from behind without even a kiss.

So here is my question for today?

How can politicians put be proud to say they have "Raised minimum wages for the benefit of the people" when they allow the large corporations to do what they want and eat up any benefit we get?

And by the way, it is getting worse.

Welcome to Govonca

I would like to thank all those who now and in the future visit my blog.

I know the name sounds somewhat weird but many may have already guessed the dig that I am making with the name... Those visitors who reside in Canada especially from the oppressive province of Ontario or mini America as I call it may recognize the implication more readily...

Yes... Govonca is a name that is derived from a very common list of sites here in my merry homeland... Most provincial government websites end in the fashion of:

gov.on.ca

And I being someone who has reached his boiling point with government red tape, lies and basic crap have now decided to make my opinions public.

When is enough... enough?

This is in fact a site dedicated to all the people who are in one way or another sick and tired of increased government whips and chains. Sick and tired of paying tax dollar after tax dollar and seeing nothing for the people.

I have decided to do what I can to make people more aware of what is happening in our world today especially North America by posing many questions in the hopes of raising awareness and hopefully some critique as well. I just love a good argument.

I guess this ends my initial introduction for my blog and I hope as I add to this forum each and everyday visitors will be able to see what I see and together maybe we can all make a difference.

Quote of the day... not sure who said it but to me it really sums up the mentality of the Canadian government and our south of the border buddies attitude towards the general population that make up these once great nations...

"An unhealthy, uneducated, scared and demoralized nation is easy to govern"


This is the North American attitude towards its people and we are letting them get away with it...

So does it make sense that North Americans are in relation to the rest of the civilized world, unhealthy (Poor or nonexistent health care); uneducated (at least not without excessive cost), scared (especially of the government) and demoralized (excessive amounts of debt).

Hmmm... Could these things be by design?

I would love to hear thoughts, comments on this my first question.