Socialists, liberals, and other progressives are sure to love the latest demand from one of the far-left, socialist labor unions in Canada. The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP) is calling on the Harper government to establish another “crown corporation” — yet another expansion of the government — to compete against the existing privately-owned, normal, free-country-type companies.
I found this quote today not at Marxist.ca, but at the union’s web site, CEP.CA:
“If the government is intent on providing consumers with a fourth major carrier in each market it should acquire one of the struggling small telcos … and establish ‘Canada Wireless’ as a Crown Corporation,” says [union boss] Coles.
The socialist labor union is demanding that the state pull a Hugo Chavez and “acquire,” to use their word, one or more of the existing cell-phone companies, and start a new state-owned competitor. To compete against Canadian citizens.
Presumably by “acquire” they mean that government would democratically and in free-market-style “buy-out,” using taxpayer cash (hey why isn’t the source of the funds spelled-out? Weird!), one of the current competitors, rather than simply usurp one.
And this delightful plan is designed so that the state — the government — can compete in yet another area of Canadian commerce and life, against its own citizens.
Personally, I like the free people, free country, free market model, and capitalism, the best. So I’m against socialism and left-wing fascism like this.
Oh did I mention that today, the state-owned BC Hydro’s “subsidiary” Powerex (pretty corporate-sounding, huh?!) is agreeing to pay the state of California 3/4 of a BILLION taxpayer dollars to cover for Powerex’s massive foul-up back a few years ago? But I digress. Oh hang on — before I stop digressing, read the story on the massively in-debt, state-owned BC Hydro, especially the part where one of the bosses says today that as a result of this idiocy, “There will be no impact on the taxpayer,” right after he said, “I know there will be some folks over the next few days who say, well, if (Powerex) didn’t do anything wrong they should just fight it out in the U.S. court system. That is a huge risk to the taxpayers of British Columbia.”
Oh anyway. Hey that part of my headline where I say “NDP-affiliated union…”? Much like my article earlier this week about my jaunt over to Marxism.ca, in which I pointed out that Marxism.ca has a direct link to the NDP which is featured as a permanent tab in their header, the CEP features their NDP affiliation in their web site too, as a part of their “Policies” section. I mean it’s actually a “policy” of the union to back the NDP.
Lest there be any confusion, here’s the CEP’s official policy:
POLICY 611
NDP AFFILIATION
The CEP supports the New Democratic Party and will participate fully in all election and otheractivities of the NDP. To that end, the National Executive Board:
1. Urges all CEP Locals to affiliate directly to provincial sections of the NDP to the extent permitted by provincial electoral laws;
2. Authorizes the President to arrange for material to be sent to unaffiliated Locals explaining the process and benefits of affiliation;
3. Encourages all CEP Officers, members and National Representatives at all levels of the Union to become individual members of the NDP;
4. Directs the Secretary-Treasurer to establish a check off system for NDP membership dues (and remit to the Party monthly a cheque for the total amount deducted) for all Officers and staff who make the request;
5. Will annually budget an amount deemed appropriate, depending upon special activities, elections and Union finances, for political action within the framework of electoral laws.
Cool. A “check-off system” for NDP membership dues. What’s that for — to see who’s been naughty and who’s been a good little proletariat? Well then. That all sounds perfectly fascist.
You’d think the media would anxiously point out all this socialism/union/government/politics/crony-capitalism/fascism crap, and call them out on it. But no. It’s all cool to them. Especially to the unionized reporters at the state-owned, taxpayer-funded CBC!
Possibly the CEP could create another “check-off system” and instead of engaging in left-wing political and government activism, encourage members to pool their money together and start their own cell-phone company, and compete, like normal free people do in a normal capitalist county.
Better yet, get them to start a TV news channel, and “compete” against the state-owned, taxpayer-funded CBC. You know, risk their own damn money in a system totally stacked against them. We’ll sit here and watch that hilarity unfold.
PTBC was founded by Mr. Johannesen in 2000.
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