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[Novabonker]

It appears we do disagree.

"They were entitled under our judicial system to have representation"
 The only problem with that is where do those that don't own properties or have any money suffer this:
2002-2005

    * The BC government cut funding to the Legal Services Society – the provider of legal aid - by 40%;
    * They closed 85% of the legal aid offices throughout BC;
    * Reduction of 75% of staff;
    * Eliminated all legal aid Poverty Law services;
    * Eliminated all assistance for Human Rights complaints
    * Cut family law by 60%.

2005-2008

    * Minimal increases did not supported the demand for legal aid.
    * LSS sought and received pilot project funding from non-government funding sources, but those were tightened up in the face of the economic meltdown of 2008.

January 2009

    * The Legal Services Society announced huge cuts to staff and services over the year.

April 2009

    * Elimination of 38 staff positions (16% reduction) in the Vancouver and Surrey offices, including all staff caseload lawyer positions (resulting, for example, in the closure of the LSS family law clinic) and 6 LawLINE lawyer positions;
    * Reduction in LawLINE scope, resulting in coverage of fewer legal issues;
    * Reduction of public legal information services due to decreased staffing (reduction in fieldworkers and publications staff);
    * Family law: Family law services largely eliminated. Extended family services, which give lawyers extra time to complete difficult cases, reduced. Dispute resolution services, available to clients with significant family law problems but without safety concerns, entirely eliminated;
    * Criminal law: Category One offences, such as breach of probation, petty theft and failure to appear, no longer covered for adults;
    * Immigration and refugee law: Stricter merit screening introduced, restricting how many people will be eligible for legal aid coverage.

November 2009

    * LSS announced further cuts including the closing of five regional offices and the closing of LAWLine.

January 2010

    * Kamloops lawyers announced they were withdrawing services in opposition to legal aid cuts.
    * The British Columbia branch of the Canadian Bar Association will hold a ‘People’s Commission’ on the sorry state of legal aid in the province.

April 2010

    * LAWLine - LSS's telephone legal advice service will be discontinued.
    * The Society will close its regional centres in Kamloops, Prince George, Kelowna, Surrey and Victoria
    * Elimination of all of LSS’s civil non-family legal aid advice services, including LawLINE (staffed with lawyers and paralegals offering free telephone legal advice to low income people across BC), the Community Advocate Support Line (staffed by a lawyer who provides legal supervision, advice, and support to advocates throughout BC), and all but one staff position at the Nanaimo Justice Access Centre
    * Elimination of an additional 58 staff positions throughout BC, including all but five of the remaining LSS staff lawyer positions in BC.
The BC Lib­er­als have cut $22.4 mil­lion from the legal aid sys­tem since 2002- where does that leave the poorest , yet Basi and Virk get a 6 million dollar tab written off?


"While I and others share your concern for the poor, the aging and ailing in this province, we also realize that we can't afford what it would cost to create a perfect world."
I can get by without the latest tax cut, instead of watching my mother in law suffer for 1.5 years - so far - waiting for knee replacement.Now her hip is going as a result of not being able to walk properly.The reason for this malarkey? Lack of funding. How can one applaud tax cuts while suffering continues?

"Was Campbell perfect? of course not! but He's resigned. It's over. Get over it!
The next leader/ government will have their flaws as well. Save some of your disdain for them because they won't be perfect either."

Let's at the very least hope for some empathy, honesty and a willingness to work with and for the electorate, and not run the province like a tin pot dictator.

And don't worry- I have a ton of disdain that I'm willing to use.
BUT I'm still waiting for you to point out any inaccuracies from my earlier post........

[Terry Bodman]

The sad thing about this whole scenerio is that, contrary to what he said during his resignation speech, Gordon Campbell is not doing what is best for BC. Staying on until a new leader is chosen effectively makes it impossible for government to work properly. Regardless of our political stripe, none of us want or can afford that. I have every confidence that after a week or two of basking in the compliments coming his way, he will come to his senses and appoint an interim leader and then ride into the sunset. That would be best for us and for him.

[skaha]

--the legislature has been in session less than with any other government so what does it matter if Campbell is there or not... his caucus claims it is run on consensus and do not have a dictator so get on with it.

[bluesteele]

I find it very difficult to find one iota of respect for Campbell. Respect is something that is earned, not an automatic given with a proven liar not on my list. The crowing about a quarter of BC residents receiving an HST credit only shows one in four live in poverty. We have the dubious distinction of having the highest child poverty rate as well as the lowest minimum wage.The acrid stench from paying 6 million in legal fees to Basi -Virk allowing them to keep the properties they own while cutting legal aid to the poorest of the poor. The constant spray of bovine scatological matter that even now continues is disgraceful and disrespectful to the electorate. Lies did him in, as well they should have. A small list, by no means complete:

Gordon Campbell lied pre-election about our BC deficit

Gordon Campbell lied when he said he wouldn`t sell BC Rail.

Gordon Campbell lied when he said he would honour the HEU signed negotiated contract.

Gordon Campbell lied when he said there would be no expansion in gambling in BC.

Gordon Campbell lied when he said that implementing the Carbon tax was the equivalent of taking 400,000 cars off the road each year.
(Drumroll please)
The lie that did him in:
Gordon Campbell lied about the HST.

X2

AF has drank the Gordito koolaid. It's too late for him me thinks. 

Campbell IMO has been the absolute worst premier in our provinces history.

An absolute liar. An absolute disgrace.

[marmot]

Some people do not understand the ramifications of privatizing BC.  Period.  If there is any one agenda that the liberals have pushed, that is it.

Look at trends in health care, child care, environment, policing and education as a result of privatization, less government, and less taxes...  are they positive or negative trends?  You don't have to be a rocket scientist to answer correctly.  You may have a little more spending money in your pocket at the end of the day but you're being snowed.... all that crap you have to pay for as a family, education, extracurriculars, daycare, health expenses, dental etc.... the list goes on.... do you really think that extra money in your pocket will cover what a PROPER system would be covering for you?

It's astounding to me that some of you with families can't see the forest through the trees.

[chris gadsden]

What I wrote a few months ago is now coming true each passing day.

Trust lost In BC Liberals

I have to agree with Randy White’s statement that the B.C. Liberal rein as government will come to an end in the next provincial election. (Former conservative Conservative MP predicts election defeat for B.C. Liberals July 27, by Robert Freeman) Bringing in the HST I feel has signaled the final death blow to Campbell’s government and for most of his cabinet ministers and MLAs. Many other issues and decisions made over their term as government has seen the voter lose confidence in the BC Liberals. As in many causes governments lose power as it is their own actions that defeat them. In other words, they defeat themselves.

One reason I feel why Campbell and his finance minster Colin Hansen were forced to find another way to bring in more revenue is because their government cut taxes starting back when they were first elected. – a total of 37 percent since 2001, the Premier said in a previous article defending his government’s stance on bringing in the HST on July 1. When we see the financial mess we are in now, how wise a move was that to cut these taxes so much? We now have had a ballooning deficit the last few years with the news now filled with how our education, and  health care services that we so treasure in British Columbia continue to suffer. Many other ministries, including the Ministry of the Environment, have been slashed. The Liberal party always boasts about these tax reductions but it leads one to ask was it more about using this statement time and time again just to get elected two more times than good fiscal management? The proof now seems to appear in the pudding; because of the financial mess we are in the Liberals, in a desperate move have had to bring in the HST to try to prevent our deficit from growing even more.

Then we had the 2010 Olympics that I have to admit I enjoyed along with most  British Columbians and people throughout the world. We were all thrilled by the accomplishments of many of our Canadian athletes. However, I believe our tax base in British Columbia is too small to be able the afford the tax dollars that had to be spent to put this two-week party on. More money added to our deficit. Where do we get these funds from? Hansen must have asked himself. Well the HST now appears to be the latest one while core services continue to face financial hardships.

Also the fish farm issue has been handled so badly, they continue to ignore the evidence provided by Dr. Alexandra Morton and others – just another example of how they really do not seem to care about the environment and our wild salmon that are a cornerstone of British Columbia. The same wild salmon that have helped build our province with these salmon substantiating our First Nation people for thousands of years. This issue is a prime example how the government has stopped listening to the people, they I believe have become too arrogant and self-centered. If they do not like what you are saying and it is not on their agenda they tune you out, hoping you will just go away.

I know being a government MLA or a cabinet minister is not easy and some time hard decisions have to be faced but over the years but I have seen this once fresh government change and lose touch with the people, the people that put them in power to represent them. Transparency on so many issues disappeared. Many other ways of being good government slipped away also, we are all familiar with them. Two years ago I was so disillusioned and left the party and did not renew my Liberal membership. I am glad I did as the way the HST was brought in it would have been the final nail in the coffin for me as it now will be for this once great party in less than three years time from now, if not sooner if recall is successful.

Where do I go from here, back to my family roots of the NDP where my mother’s cousin’s son Grant Notley was the NDP  leader in Alberta before he was killed in the 1980s in a plane crash? Or will it be another party that will surface in the months ahead that will garner my support?

All I ask of the next government, is please do not do what the Liberals have done – lose the trust of many of us, over 700,000 voters who signed the anti HST petition. The people have spoken and the B.C. Liberals will now pay the price as Randy White says, in the not too distant future.

Chris Gadsden

[alwaysfishn]

Some people do not understand the ramifications of privatizing BC.  Period.  If there is any one agenda that the liberals have pushed, that is it.

Look at trends in health care, child care, environment, policing and education as a result of privatization, less government, and less taxes...  are they positive or negative trends?  You don't have to be a rocket scientist to answer correctly.  You may have a little more spending money in your pocket at the end of the day but you're being snowed.... all that crap you have to pay for as a family, education, extracurriculars, daycare, health expenses, dental etc.... the list goes on.... do you really think that extra money in your pocket will cover what a PROPER system would be covering for you?

It's astounding to me that some of you with families can't see the forest through the trees.

I think that I make better decisions with money that is in my pocket, than the decisions government makes when the money is in their pocket!  There is no such thing as a "PROPER system" if government is running it.

[WildRod]

Thanks very much for our insight Chris.  You are very diplomatic and I greatly appreciate that!  You are very in tune with the issues effecting our province and I appreciate many of your insights, so thanks for taking the time to post.  I think you are completely correct when saying that political leaders often create their own demise.  Although I'm not an advocate of Campbell, I don't disagree with some of the actions he's taken.  I disagree with the process taken to execute the party's desires.  And this boils down to ignorance towards public oppinion, which can't be blatently dismissed in his role.

Thanks again!

[Novabonker]

I own a service based business and some of the carnage I've seen from the cuts are just plain disgraceful and do nothing to inspire me as to where we  have gone under Campbell's iron fisted reign. Here's how putting a few hundred dollars in people's pockets have affected those that need:
- A company that ran group homes for disabled adults closed all 4 homes they operated. They had initial cuts that made things a lot tougher, but because of the commitment and compassion of the operators they crunched numbers and cut staff, often working long hours. Again, another round of cuts found them unable to continue the fine work they did. The only solution was to shut the houses down. But there was money for tax cuts.
- A non profit society that aided street kids with getting off the cycle and getting a fresh start in their lives, ran a group home and detox center - gone. First round of cuts saw them, by order of the ministry that funded them, double the capacity with no increase in funding. That was a tough pill to swallow, but then another round of cuts they were forced to close because there wasn't enough money to continue and the lone option was to shut down.But there's money for tax cuts.
- A senior's care home I do work in is in shambles. The few staff that the society ca retain- because of funding cuts- are only there because of personal dedication. They're so overworked and overwhelmed that the term "care" is an unfunny joke. But there's money for tax cuts.

I've seen lots of other things that make me cringe, too numerous top compile here.
But I have a few more bucks in my pocket. The simple politics of greed come ahead of looking after the most vulnerable. The costs of the tax cuts eats away at the entire fabric that makes for a civil and caring society.
But I got a few more bucks in my pocket!

[burnaby]

Curious why those "For a few more bucks" aren't down in the States. Many of my colleagues relocated South for more bucks provided by the capitalist lifestyle after thankfully getting cheap education here. Everyone luvs tax cuts, but not at the extreme cost of decimated social services. Our rich Southern neighbors has some of the worst slums for a reason.

As for privatization and the argument Gov't shouldn't run any business take a look at Power/Electricity fiasco in California early this decade. Free power market almost bankrupted California that has now gone full circle back to regulation/gov't control.

[marmot]

I think that I make better decisions with money that is in my pocket, than the decisions government makes when the money is in their pocket!  There is no such thing as a "PROPER system" if government is running it.

This is exactly the attitude I'm talking about.

If you would rather be in a system with no health care, no money for education, no social assistance.... basically NO social support of any kind... you really have no clue what you are giving up.

THAT is what privatization means.

Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.  We have MAJOR issues with accountability and responsible spending in government that ALSO leads to damage to our social programs.  This is where people like you who are frustrated with government spending should turn your attention.  The kicker is that the more government wastes our tax dollars, the less we trust it and the more likely we are to forfeit government funded programs (which has for the most part been the liberal and conservative agenda anyways)... win win for them.  

A good society IMO is one in which its citizens care for one another and treat their role within society responsibly.  You HAVE to understand that pure capitalism, which is the slope we are gradually sliding down, is not the answer to that... in fact it is the antithesis of a healthy society.  I find it so sad that people have such a hard time noticing this trend, and realizing where the road leads.

[alwaysfishn]

This is exactly the attitude I'm talking about.

If you would rather be in a system with no health care, no money for education, no social assistance.... basically NO social support of any kind... you really have no clue what you are giving up.

THAT is what privatization means.

Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.  We have MAJOR issues with accountability and responsible spending in government that ALSO leads to damage to our social programs.  This is where people like you who are frustrated with government spending should turn your attention.  The kicker is that the more government wastes our tax dollars, the less we trust it and the more likely we are to forfeit government funded programs (which has for the most part been the liberal and conservative agenda anyways)... win win for them. 

A good society IMO is one in which its citizens care for one another and treat their role within society responsibly.  You HAVE to understand that pure capitalism, which is the slope we are gradually sliding down, is not the answer to that... in fact it is the antithesis of a healthy society.  I find it so sad that people have such a hard time noticing this trend, and realizing where the road leads.

I think you may have it backwards....    The trend is towards socialism rather than towards capitalism. 

Before 1917 there was no income tax in Canada. It was put in place to help pay for the war and was to be a temporary measure.

[marmot]

I think you may have it backwards....    The trend is towards socialism rather than towards capitalism.  

Before 1917 there was no income tax in Canada. It was put in place to help pay for the war and was to be a temporary measure.

So the privatization of highways, public transport, power, health and education.... those are trends towards socialism....  if you can't see what's going on you need to change prescriptions.  

I'd like to hear your take on education, healthcare, and policing.  Do you think they should be paid for by individuals, or by a collective and supplied to everyone??? If the answer is what I think it will be, there is nothing to debate as we probably disagree on what a "good" society is at a fundamental level.

[alwaysfishn]

So the privatization of highways, public transport, power, health and education.... those are trends towards socialism....  if you can't see what's going on you need to change prescriptions. 

I'd like to hear your take on education, healthcare, and policing.  Do you think they should be paid for by individuals, or by a collective and supplied to everyone??? If the answer is what I think it will be, there is nothing to debate as we probably disagree on what a "good" society is at a fundamental level.

My prescriptions are fine (according to my optometrist) 

You could be right about the debate idea. When you ask a question and then answer it, debate is rather pointless.     

[burnaby]

alwaysfishn> are you a politician. Notice you state you can do everything better yourself, yet has yet to provide any facts to back up your premises.

Thus far there is nothing to debate with you as you have not made any points beside trust me, I can do better.

Realize it's not fair you're the only one on GC's side. Come up, where are the rest of his 9% support, we want to hear from you, come out of the closet.