Thursday 8 September 2011

Working in Ottawa today --New Class Wars

Good morning folks and folkettes, I will be working in Ottawa today.
Will be a tad late getting into the office, the A320 that we took us from Toronto was originally scheduled to fly to Vancouver.  Ottawa being much closer would not consume as much fuel as was supplied for Vancouver and would have left us overweight for landing.  Apparently putting fuel into a plane is much much easier than removing fuel.
Why we are on the subject of consumables.. I have read a few accounts in the last few days about certain U.S. municipalities criminalizing the feeding of their city's hungry and homeless.
Eh?  Oh yes.  Orlando, Florida, which one of my brothers may once have described to me as a great series of highway exit ramps to not take, passed legislation back in 2006 making it a code violation punishable by 6 months in jail and a $500 fine to feed people in public parks.
The city's finest have begun arresting members of groups such as "Food not Bombs" for feeding the hungry.
On the opposite end of that country San Diego, California, has taken a slightly different approach, and instead of passing new laws, simply cites the fact that parks, street corners and church parking lots are not zoned for eating.  This writer will comment that no such zoning exists, not in San Diego, not in Toronto.  Similarly no special zoning exists for breathing, kissing or the wearing of loafers.
That city's food programs have all but disappeared as the city moved against church groups and the Salvation army which also shut down its meal program.  I could only find info on one group trying to fight back, the Pacific Beach Methodist Church has filed a suit against the city after code enforcement officers cited the church for conducting a once a week feed program.
Now this is the type of class warfare one expects to see the press report on, unlike Fox News report that Warren Buffet is unfairly targeting the rich for taxation with his comments that he and his ilk should be paying higher taxes.  Fox News also reported that "Just because someone is wealthy, it doesn't mean they are rich and have extra money to pay higher taxes."  Fox News also wants the IRS to do away with the loop holes that allow lower income families to pay no or little tax at all.
The new IRS motto:  "All should pay their share of taxes, including the homeless, hungry and indigent."
Have a good day.  Make a donation.

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