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OISD

Okanagan Institute for Sustainable Development

Columnist Mr. Mischa Popoff

Re: your guest columnist Mr. Mischa Popoff, column “the vision of few imposed on all” February 16, 2009. I give credit to Penticton Herald for publishing Mr. Popoff views because a free flow of information and views, vitalizes democracy, even such that cannot be argued in reasoned terms. Mr. Popoff’s major premise in his recurring views is that tax on energy and gasoline and hence higher prices, doesn’t affect society’s behavior and ration consumption. Then inevitably his view must be that energy and gasoline are not price elastic, thus changes in price have no impact on demand or supply. Well, some still believe the earth is flat, and those who do not can draw their own conclusion, and I recommend

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We Should be Careful What We Ask and Vote For

Sometimes, we should be careful what we ask for and vote for – we may get it. Recently an aspiring politician to the right, under the label of “This Democracy”, wrote in a British Columbian newspaper, and joined the BC New Democrats dismissal of the BC’s government’s special carbon tax. Among other perplexing ends he claims that tax and hence higher prices on gasoline “won’t reduce gas consumption” and reduces CO2 emission in Canada, and carbon tax is “a tax on Western Civilization”. I trust when the society that makes up this Canadian democratic governed economy, consider such views. Uses common sense and call to mind that politics cannot be understood without the use of natural and social science and

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Rick Mercer’s Comments

Rick Mercer’s comments to Ipsos Reid’s December 2008 survey that Canadians lack basic understanding of their parliamentary system may not be rhetorical. How can a country function when half the population doesn’t know what the hell is going on and their own government actually likes it that way? If we want to protect this democracy we all have an obligation to wake up and get informed, because quite frankly, our members of parliament can’t be trusted with it anymore. In the Middle Ages, where there was no free speech and democratic freedom, Court Jesters could challenge society without the risk of being out of luck or worse, because it was a jest. The foundation for a democracy such as Canada’s

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To MP Atamanenko Canada Should Work with U.S.

Open reply, to the open letter from Honourable Alex Atamanenko, Member of Parliament, of February 4, 2009, to Honourable Jim Prentice, Canada’s Minister of the Environment. In which Mr. Atamanenko urged Canada, First Nations, and British Columbia to unequivocally oppose Washington State, to build a hydroelectric dam on the Similkameen River at Shenker Bend, near Oroville WA, and Osoyoos British Columbia, BC. Similkameen River starts at Manning Park British Columbia and crosses in to the US at Nighthawk, WA and is a tributary to Okanogan River (Okanagan on the Canadian side) and the Columbia River. Depending on the scale and water storage, the size of the dam could more or less affect Canada and British Columbia and that should be

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Election 2008 – Should the ‘First to the Post’ System be Replaced?

Election 2008 – should the ‘first to the post’ system be replaced? Democracy and the standard of living in the society that makes up the Canadian economy depends on understanding, produced by research. Understanding that emerges in society, by education, a free press and a free flow of information, vigorously discussed. Election 2008 should spur a vigorous debate in society about the ‘first to post’ single seat election system – the winner takes all. Raising the question, should the system be replaced with a proportional election system and why? As someone has put it, democracy gives society the right to replace one rascal with another rascal. Well, in a democracy at least the rascals know they can lose their job.

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Election 2008 Aftermath

Election, the silly time is over. After listening to the politics, I can’t help but think of John Cleese and Monty Python’s Final Rip-off, a harmless amusing satire. Contrary to real life politics, in which the politics our society decided to inject into parliament and government, October 14, 2008, is not a laughing matter, nor harmless. Particularly politics that seem to ignore that sustainable social satisfaction, good health, a sound ecology, global warming, and political stability entirely depend on a sustainable economy, produced by research that increases understanding. The election aftermath will show. Have we as a society elected a government that early enough addresses the issues in our economy that hamper sustainable economic development, that which is not private

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