Speeches given on April 12th, 2001 at the Prince George chapter's meeting:
Is the Glass Half Empty or Half Full?There are understandable concerns that if BC separates from confederation persons on a fixed pension or unemployment insurance would be callously cut off and left to starve. I can assure you that we will never allow such a thing to happen. It may take litigation to force central Canada to pay out what has been contributed to, but in the meantime, we have a plan to insure that no one goes hungry. Under the current system there are several branches of government that deal with income "supplements". Pensions, unemployment insurance, welfare and worker's compensation. Under our system there will be one branch that handles them all. The current system is too top heavy and fractured to provide efficient service. In order for a person to get a small pension supplemented or welfare they must fill out forms to apply and then are forced to go from one agency to the next to get the forms filled out showing they are ineligible for those funds. They then must return to where they started only to be given an appointment days, or even weeks, later to find out what, if anything, they will receive. When people are in crisis, they need help NOW, not later! Another change we will make is to make it legal to sue the Workman's Compensation Board. Under the existing law they are immune from the courts. They are a law unto themselves, whose judgement is final, leaving no legal recourse for an injured worker to appeal a WCB decision. Under no circumstance should a public agency be above the law, and as WCB has proven in thousands of cases, when they are people get defrauded of funds that they were entitled to. Our court system is a joke! Every day judges are guilty of sexism and racism in our courtrooms, prosecutors gleefully spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to prosecute a child who stole a piece of bubblegum while letting real criminals go free. Laws that should never exist, like those against marijuana, bog down the system and are nothing more than a make-work project for the legal system. Ask any citizen, or police officer, if the system works and you'll get a resounding "NO!" Ask any criminal and they'll tell you it's the best there is. I'm proud to counted with the people in this room. You're the embodiment of responsibility and patriotism. Young and old, male and female, you're the living fabric of our future. Some of you may be here due to anger, some simply because of concern, but for whatever reason your voice needs to be heard. As you can see from those around you, you are NOT alone, you were simply unorganized until this evening. The goal of this movement is return ourselves back to who we really are, neighbors who help neighbors, rugged and refined individuals who sacrifice their lives to build a future for those who follow. Please don't misunderstand me, I'm not implying that you're martyrs. I'm simply stating that each of you have the guts and grit to know that if there is to be a better tomorrow it will be as a result of your labor today. For too many years we have heard promises, broken promises, that things will get better. Perhaps for a few people they have, but when 37% of people on welfare have college and/or university degrees, 50% of transit drivers have degrees in virtually every field of medicine and all fields of industry have been reduced to mere skeletons, it becomes obvious that all we've been hearing is the manure it takes to fertilize a new crop of crooks. The federal and provincial parties have manipulated us into believing that it's a matter of voting for either those that believe the glass is half empty, or, for those that believe it's half full. The truth is that they're both fooling the public because the glass only holds an ounce when it should hold a litre. The mechanical condition of government is a disgrace. Our economic engine is running on three cylinders instead of eight. It barely has enough power to limp along when it should be roaring like fiscal formula race car. The existing parties talk of tax cuts. The real issue isn't about returning a tiny fraction of that which was taken, it's about the ability to earn as much as we want! Nobody minds paying tax if, after it's deducted, they still have enough left over to have a great life. Why is the United States BC's biggest market for all commodities? Because BC is experiencing as close to negative growth as it can get. Why is our west coast ship building industry nothing more than a yacht club for dope dealers and yuppies? Because there's no other commercial or militaristic demand. Why is our health care in crisis? Because the federal government slashed their contribution letting BC citizens suffer and die so that they can "balance" a fictitious budget. Why are our tradespersons out of work? Because every lucrative contract in Canada goes to the east. Why is BC business experiencing a bankruptcy rate that exceeds all written records? Because our economy stands at death's door. So, what DO we do? If you're hoping to hear about tax cuts, employment re-training or incentives, then you're about to be sorely disappointed. The answer to re-newed growth in British Columbia relies on one factor; Industry. There are two forms of industry. The service industry which meets the needs of consumers and the construction/manufacturing industry which opens up new opportunities for the service industry. They are totally dependent on each other. When there are new areas of the province being opened up, the need for steel, lumber and other building materials is great. Foundries, mills and factories work around the clock. As more people are employed, more consumables and services are purchased, driving the economy headlong toward prosperity. This is where traditional politics run into a "Catch 22" situation. They lack the money to fund capital projects, but without capital projects, the economy stagnates and dies. One project that we need to initiate is a coastal highway system. British Columbia has the most beautiful coast in the world, a coastline that is worth trillions of dollars in prime ocean view real estate, billions from tourism and is a gateway to massive untapped geological resources. While some may scoff and say that the coast is too rugged, and/or too expensive to develop, there is no longer an option to do anything else. For every mile of road stretching north from Vancouver, thousands of jobs will be created. Each new home and business will require BC manufactured products from concrete and lumber to furniture. New communities will pour millions of dollars of property tax into government accounts each year and will provide tens of thousands with steady employment. So how would this new superhighway be paid for? The solution is to use other people's money. To be exact, the US government's money. W.A.C. Bennett proved that huge capital projects can be completed, and at the end of the day are not only paid for by the US, they also hand over a cheque for millions just for the right to access the services supplied by the projects. Why did the US pay for the dams? Because they needed the power. Why would the US pay for our highway? Because they desperately need to access Alaska's resources of water, hydro, oil and natural gas. The highway is the most direct, and in the long run, the least expensive and the most environmentally safe method of tapping those resources. It's a win-win situation for us. I could go on for hours listing the hundreds of ways we have have available to jump start our economy, but until BC is freed from the bonds of a federalist agenda and existing provincial political structures, nothing can be done. One thing is certain, there is NOT ONE federal or provincial political party with the vision to help us. It's all up to us. We all know that there's no one person with all the answers to our plight, but by combining our individual abilities we WILL accomplish miracles, and right now miracles are what we desperately need. Thank you for coming tonight, I believe that by the time you leave this evening you'll have hope again, hope that has been withheld from you for far too long. Political Parties or Democracy?The first point that I'd like to address is why we remain a movement instead of falling into the polished political pit that has swallowed good government. Our belief is that the peoples power in government has become as mythical as the unicorn. True power has been seized by corrupt organizations called "political parties" that pit neighbor against neighbor, husband against wife and brother against sister. Their mandate has always been to divide and conquer, while ours is to unite. Their mandate is to stamp out individualism and to force conformity, ours is to restore personal rights and to foster the growth of each individual to their full potential. If we were to stoop to political party's tactics this movement will have been nothing more than an exercise in futility. I assume that you are all here tonight because you're tired of feeling helpless, frustrated to the point of tears and want to stop the madness that's spread from sea to sea across this great nation. There was a time in Canadian politics when a person was elected by individual merit. A time when personal charisma and professional ability determined leadership. The early politicians were trappers, farmers, merchants, doctors and lawyers. Some were rich and some were poor. However, they all had one common goal, to do the best they could to represent the needs of their constituents. It was a time of heated debate in government houses where punches were as likely to be thrown as insults are today. The bottom line was that the people had true representation and that no law could be passed and enacted until there was a clear majority that supported it. As the nation evolved organizations began to form called political parties. On the surface they appeared to be good ideas, bands of people fighting for common causes and ideals. Unbeknownst to them they were the beginning of political vigilante groups that would later murderously march to bring death to democracy. The fundamental problem with a political party is that it governed by its own constitution and/or policies. That constitution dictates what platforms or issues will be addressed, who can participate and dilutes its candidates' ability to remain focused on the needs of their individual constituencies. Political parties practice segregation by belief, dividing communities by policy, rather than uniting them on issues of common need. Soon Liberals hated Conservatives, socialists rejected capitalists. A paternal order of politics was established and became firmly entrenched. In order to find common ground new parties were started, but, soon they too fell prey to the flaws and faux pas' that any party will always be guilty of. It wasn't long before the "party" was being elected instead of the "person". Instead of campaigns being run by focusing on personal worth, they became a contest of orchestrated defamation. To step back for moment, it's important to remember that the pioneers of this land came for one of two reasons. Either they were employed by outside interests to exploit the land's resources, or they came to escape the oppression of monarchies and/or religions. Monarchies and religions are highly organized political systems. In a monarchy, acceptance is restricted by birthright, in religion it's restricted by spiritual belief and conformity. Both suppress personal freedom, both allow a select few to control the masses. Take a close look at modern political parties and you'll see amazing similarities, For instance compare the federal Liberals to a monarchy. Chretien is king, under him are his cabinet's princes and princesses, then come the dukes, counts and countesses, earls, etc. They enact, and the people do as they are told, or the king's scarlet clad soldiers (in this case the RCMP) cast them into prison. Now compare their party to religion. Chretien is the pope, the cabinet are cardinals and MPs are the Jesuits. Unless you swear to believe what they prescribe you're declared an infidel and enemy of the faith. Unclean and outcast. Repentance your only salvation. The way our political system was designed should have guaranteed that true regional representation would always exist. To a small extent it still does, but in name only. Whether it's the NDP, Liberal, Western Reform, Social Credit or the Green party, they strip constituents and candidates of their individuality in order to appeal to the broadest base of voters. This is not democracy, it's communism. The party's comrades use fear, shame and intimidation to gain power and then appoint positions by using a perverse pecking order. Once in control their message to the populace is clear, do as you are told and you can continue to live, but only according to "our" terms. Oppose them and you WILL suffer their wrath. A vote for a political party is as close to Marxism as you can get without the label. The NDP are the children of communism, the Liberals are the spawn of fascism. I don't think I need to explain my analogy of the NDP, but will take a moment to validate my claim about the Liberals. In Nazi Germany, Hitler ordered the citizens to be disarmed. The Liberals passed Bill C-68 and ARE disarming the citizens. In Nazi Germany Hitler passed laws declaring the Jews as subhuman and herded them into concentration camps. The Liberals passed the Indian Act, classifying them as subhuman and herded them into concentration camps called reserves. I could go on all night about the revolting similarities. The last ten years should have sent a loud message to the people of BC, give a party a majority government and your voice will not be heard. But, instead of learning a lesson, they stand on the brink of repeating the exact same mistake again with the BC Liberals. At least the NDP fought for BC's autonomy, but if you believe for one second that Gordon Campbell will oppose his federal Liberal backers, then you're about to be savagely slapped in the face by political reality. Replacing one majority government with another makes as much sense as flushing the toilet into the bathtub to save the septic system. If there will ever be a day when we have good government again, it will only be when the people understand that unemcumbered regional representation must be restored. True free votes, not the stinking lies we always hear from political parties that "their candidates will have free votes", when, if they even so much as try, they're suddenly shipped off to Siberian back benches. We need men and women willing to stand forth on their own, who're willing to fight daily for the best deals they can get for their constituents with only their conscience and constituency direction to guide them. Accountable politicians with accountable actions. As long as political parties are legal the Mafia and the Hell's Angels are the weakest threat to us. At least they have honor in their ranks, political parties have absolutely none. Political parties, ladies and gentlemen, ARE the real organized crime in Canada. Get rid of them and good government will be restored. Your choice in the upcoming election will be simple, will you vote for a political party, or for democracy? As much as I wish that I could tell you that it will all turn out ok, I know as well as you do that that would be a lie. The polished political machines have efficiently scared the people so bad that, despite the fact that they are very aware that they're being driven toward a cliff, they are more than willing to just close their eyes and run like hell directly to destruction. The only immediate hope we have is that some independent candidates are elected so at least there is some form of opposition. I urge you to move heaven and earth to help them. As separatists our real chance will come over the next few years. A chance to rebuild public power and to separate ourselves from falsehoods. By organizing now, we can spread the truth about freedom, and the truth will set the people free. Yes, we dare to dream, but we also dare to DO! Thank you. |