Political remarks of almost any kind are inflammatory. I've heard Bruxy over at the Meeting House say every ideologue thinks their view is balanced. I know I'm not balanced - Like Peter, the "rock", I'm like how the Leafs ought to be - passionate and with reckless abandon, sometimes to my detriment. But I wear my heart on my sleeve, and today I have a beef with credit cards.
There's a report today in the Star about the Federal budget changes to credit cards. Now I'm all for credit card clarity and increased education, but the numbers are kind of stupid. 23 companies offering 68 different low-cost credit cards? I guess the number of companies is low. Take the major banks, a majority of regional credit unions, and nearly every big box retailer, and I'd put the count at hire than 30 for sure. But the sample here has 68 low-cost credit cards? That's 3 low-cost cards per company! That's just wrong.
When I was in undergrad at WLU, introductory credit cards were a dime a dozen. I never did use those GM points, nevermind that had I thought about it I probably would have correctly deduced I'd never buy a GM car. But clearly, the card companies are there because credit cards are easy money. It's fail-proof, but certainly not dummy-proof. You can't cover your costs? Raise your rates. I can't read the fine print? My loss. I can read the fine print, but not understand it? Too bad.
I've heard stupid statistics outside too. Once I heard the average American has $12,000 in credit card debt. AVERAGE! $12,000! How many people are smart enough, like a good number of my friends, who have credit cards but never carry a balance? We bring the average way down. Who's bringing the average up!??! My money says credit cards are really a tax on the vulnerable with proceeds going to a distant corporation owned by lots of people who don't carry balances on their credit cards. I think James has something to say about that.
Says in the article, that Liberals want a 12% cap above prime. NDP want the cap at 5%. I would be happy with 10% or less. My point is this: Put limits on the profitability. You clean up the beach, and the pigeons won't s**t on the sand. If credit cards need to maintain profit at 5%+prime, you can bet the corporations will make sure there's a whole lot less defaults, and offer a whole lot less credit for people who can't carry it. It's simple regulation, but regulation in defence of those who need it most.
One of the great things working for Options for Homes is getting to see up close how things work. Options for Homes is, of course, an organization I'd written up before landing this gig. Home Ownership Alternatives is, in my opinion, the oft-overlooked cousin. Where Options helps the purchasers build the building, it is Alternatives (or HOA) that provides the partial financing that allows potential homeowners to become actual homeowners.
And while they work hand in hand, they are separate and the missio
n for HOA is broader. They are not beholden to Options projects and can work with anyone with a plan or a vision for home ownership for the people.
And so, here's a congrats to Home Owernship Alternatives who just got short-listed for an international award from UN-HABITAT, the United Nations arm for Human Settlements, by way of the Building and Social Housing Foundation, who are the primary sponser of the World Habitat Awards. (Talk about partnerships - things get mighty complex the bigger you get!)
At any rate, I think HOA is great, so here's their press release as well as a few quick facts about them. Questions, comments, anyone? What do you think of their model? With spiraling costs for housing in Toronto (notwithstanding a global economic downturn) and the sub-prime situation in the US that precipitated the same downturn, anyone have any thoughts about an organization like Home Ownership Alternatives? Think you might ever have a need for them? How much home can you afford?
HOA 2008 World Habitat Award Finalist
I am unabashed in my enthusiasm for the coalition of Dion, Layton with the support of Duceppe (to be technically correct).
But the Governer-General has spoken and while we don't know what she said, we can read into it by what he said. He, of course, being Mr. Stephen Harper, still Prime Minister of Canada.
And what I read leads me to give the guy a chance. There is a glimmer of hope here.
Quoting:
Darn tootin'. I listened to the excerpt of the speech today outside Rideau Hall on the Globe's site and what I gather is this. Harper now realizes he has to do what he says, and he has to listen to a very persistant, annoyed and annoying opposition - he may not respect it, or like it, but he has to show he is capable of it.He grudgingly acknowledged he has to make peace with the opposition parties. "Obviously we have to do some trust-building here on both sides."
The Prime Minister said he will spend December and January hammering out the budget. "My work over the next few weeks will be focused almost exclusively on preparing the federal budget."
He added that he hoped the other parties would work with him. "Canadians expect us to get on with this."
That's reason for hope.
Governer-General Michaëlle Jean and his discussion must have gone roundabout from the ideas of public opinion to separatist treason until they progressed to trust building and working together in the best interests of Canada. And I think he understands.
Dion has said there must be monumental changes, and that's fair. Harper has to change. He must learn to corral the opposition, to include a palatable budget and an agreeable stimulus. No more ideological cows and no more bullying.
If he can do that, then I can live with that. And Dion can go back to the Liberal's as the outgoing leader. (Don't blow this, Dion, you don't need to cling to power that wasn't yours to begin with!)
But make no mistake, Harper is what brought us the coalition, through both inaction, and negative action. He's going to have to work hard to set this straight.
Much has already been written and analysts are all over the recent news that the Coalition Is a Go. Thomas Walkom, a very bright columnist for the Toronto Star posited the best analysis for why the Tories went this way. And by this time, you should already have seen the resolve put forward by the NDP, Bloc and Liberal parties.
What I love about this whole thing is the Dion factor. Here's a guy who was a bit of a whiner throughout the whole campaign, and criticized for not being able to be wrong - and it says here the green shift was the surest plan for the environment and stimulating economic growth from it - losing both the hope of the voters and his own party. Here's a guy who also had a hard-nosed reputation of a smart academic, who fought hard for Canadian unity and always did the best he could, and had the admiration of his peers.
Here's the guy. Disgraced from the past election and yet ballsy enough to carry the leadership just a little bit further until the next convention. And now, because the situation is grim, the political climate is shaky (no matter how brave the leaders appear to be), the parties need to turn to someone they can either trust or blame. In either case, Dion is the one for the job.
His political career was to be over. He was to return to safer pastures. But for good fortune or bad luck, Dion will be the wizard to balance an angry elected minority, a diverse partnership with three very different personalities, and the one to offer a hope for a new kind of unity - one born out of diversity instead of conquest.
Oh, how good it is to be Canadian. And to see our leaders come together. Makes you want to hug someone. This move is sneakier and more impressive than May's entrance into the past election.
Here's hoping that Harper doesn't have one more trick up his sleeve. C'mon Jean, see this one through!
I guess I should throw my two-cents into the blogosphere. Like most of us outside the US, I was joyed to hear about Obama's leap into greatness. But I'm a bit timid about the whole thing. And time will tell if joy can become over.
I have a few scattered thoughts on all this.
And timidity doesn't come from fear of assassination or the coups of the republican setup of 2012, or the Clinton's possible maneuvering... Obama's great asset is his belief in his own rhetoric. That we ought not to fear, and we ought to try anyway. And while we admit to ourselves we are not that bold, certainly not me, I resolutely admire and stand behind Obama's passionate plea for a new politics.
