Latest Letter to the Editor titled: I Don't Understand

     During the Municipal election campaign last October the question was asked repeatedly about what would happen to our town's current debt obligations related to Development Charges if the expected funds did not come in due to the poor economic conditions. We were assured that would not happen.
     In March of this year we became aware that the town was working on contingency plans to cover shortfalls in development charges brought on by the economic slowdown.
I argued at the time that borrowing or issuing credits against future development charges has a cost to residents in that it takes away from the value of future development charges. I got the usual response: fiscally conservative councillors said I was: "bang on." others fell back on: "you just don't understand."
     This week at council, a developer requested that he not be required to pay a portion of his development charges at the usual time but be allowed to defer payment of $7 million dollars. In essence the Town will pay now and will be repaid later when the homes are closer to being built. This will allow the developer to "borrow less money." No mention of the fact that the town will pay interest on this money in the meantime.
     As I may not "understand," perhaps it would be prudent to consider what the person who has the best understanding of the town's current financial situation, thinks. That would be Paul Whiteside, New Teumseth's retired CFO, and current Ward 3 councillor. "We are not a financial institution ... we have expended that money ... and we have to make those principle and interest payments," he said at council Monday night.
To those who would charge that I again "don't understand," I agree with you. I don't understand why the Town should pay carrying charges on debt that the developer is responsible for in order to put him in a better financial position.
     I and many others are concerned about the Town's debt and I ask that council follow Mr. Whiteside's direction and not use the Town's resources to essentially lend money at our expense to developers.
Rob Holliday
Alliston

Consider.....

     I like to think of myself as obsessively focused on not being the victim. I have a simple goal: to make the world a better place. The method of accomplishment: to be part of the solution in everything I encounter. At work, in the community and in all aspects of my life. It disappoints me when I look around and I see people whose solution is apparently to complain. Apparently some feel that if enough people whine and complain something will magically happen. People will suddenly realize they are right and the world will mobilize around their Facebook page. I have a simple request: consider getting involved. Whatever your issue is that bothers you.....get involved. If it pisses you off that the government doesn't do enough to help the poor give time or money to the food bank.If you hate the way something is at work try fixing it. If you hate the Prime Minister get out and support another party to try and get rid of him. DO SOMETHING! Try it. You might like it!

Having Fun

     A friend put up a Facebook post today that talked about how much fun she had playing in the snow with her son and how she had forgotten how much fun she used to have playing in the snow as a kid. She went on to say she planned to do it again tomorrow. 
     This post really spoke to me because it speaks to my reply when people ask me how I have energy and time to do all the things that I do. The answer is I have fun. I try not to do things that aren't fun. When I have to do things that aren't particularly enjoyable I try like hell to have fun anyway. My boss's, boss's boss jokingly accused me of having too much fun at work the other day. I think most people I work with would tell you the job isn't fun at all and is an exercise in frustration. I try like hell to have fun. I enjoy the people and the stupid stuff that happens and I look for every excuse to make a joke or clown around. Don't get me wrong most people would tell you I work hard and I often get described as "driven". Yet I think everyone would agree that I have fun at work virtually all the time. That's the whole point. I can do all the things I do and keep going and going and going because I try to have fun all the time. I have fun working at the Food Bank, I enjoy my Relay for Life committee meetings and enjoy the hell out of the event itself. I have fun meeting and joking around with people when I'm door knocking or doing some other type of organizing for a politician. 
     The point is that I live like a kid. I get up early and stay up late because I don't want to miss things. This is why you can't get your kids to bed or to stay in bed. They have fun all the time. I don't wake up in the morning and go to work hating my job, complain all day and then come home and watch TV all evening. Everything I do I try to make a difference and have fun. It's an amazing drug that feeds on itself. Try it. Sounds like my friend did and had a great time. There is a real life lesson in her post. Think about it.

Legacy

     Heard a great quote the other day from Gary Vaynerchuk: "Legacy is greater than currency". As people in my life start to get older and closer to the end it really makes me focused on leaving a mark in the world. When I come to the end I really want to have left something on the world so that people know I was here.....so that the world will have been better because I was here.

A Fragmented World

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/01/24/tasha-kheiriddin-too-busy-to-play-the-political-game/#ixzz1BzgECxxH

      A friend sent me the link to this article from the National Post suggesting it was similar to some things I have spoken to on here. I agree with a lot of the points in this article especially the talk about people just being too busy with their own lives. We live in a world where we are surrounded by more choices everyday. I'm always amused when products try to keep their market share, ratings etc. up to the same levels as previous years. The best example of this was the efforts of Monday Night Football to maintain the same share they had previously by trying all sorts of things such as bringing in Dennis Miller, changing game times etc. The reality was they didn't have a problem it was just the fact that there are more choices and people are paying less attention. Not surprisingly none of these things made any significant difference to the ratings. Same problem with  politics in my opinion.

Change the world....or go home.

     I read that there is a sign on some doors at Microsoft that says: "Change the world...or go home." Very cool. I believe when a person's time comes that's what they are going to want to have done. Left a mark on the world of some size.

Why I do What I Do

     Those of you who know me know that I spend a lot of time giving back or as I call it trying to make the world a better place. I'm often asked by people why I do these things. I have a variety of anecdotal stories that I tell to answer the question depending on my mood. The reality is that I am a huge believer in reverse engineering everything. Or as Stephen Covey calls it beginning with the end in mind. 
     I have spent some time thinking about what I want to see when I get near the end and look back on my life. A quote I really like is: "One day your life will flash before you eyes. Make sure it's worth watching." That's the reason. I want to leave the world a better place. We all need a main goal that drives our life story. I can't think of a better one.

Linchpin

     I'm reading Seth Godin's book Linchpin for the second time. A really good book that tries to change the way you think about work. One of the interesting things he says in the book is that if you are waiting for instructions on what to do next at work you aren't indispensable. The more you need to be instructed the easier it is to replace you with someone cheaper or a machine. Godin talks a lot about art at work in the book. The idea that the job you show up to do every day where you handle insurance paperwork, put parts on cars or answer the phone is your job. Everything you do beyond that in order to make a difference is what sets you apart or is your art. The things that come out of your head and set you apart. It's a really key point that ABC (Attendance Based Compensation) jobs where you just have to show up to get paid are the jobs that are disappearing. There is always a spot for people who show up everyday and add value by coming up with new ideas, innovations, improvements etc. 

Fundamental Logic

     Many of you know that I complain about our school system. I think it's broken. I think it hasn't acknowledged the invention of the internet and how it's changed thinking, research etc. Anyway that's a different post.
    I flew to St. Louis on Wednesday. I had a carry on bag. The flight was on a small regional jet where anything larger than a briefcase doesn't fit in the overhead compartment. For that reason the flight utilizes the sky check system. For those of you who aren't familiar this means beside the stairs of the jet is a rack. You place your bag on it and the rack is then rolled to the back of the plane and loaded into a cargo hold. When you reach your destination the rack is brought out and your bag is returned. In St. Louis we exited the jet through one of those tunnels so the bags are brought to the door of the tunnel. After waiting until everyone else had their bag I notified the baggage handler mine hadn't come. He said it obviously didn't get loaded. I explained that I hadn't checked it but had carried it to the plane myself so it's virtually impossible that it didn't get loaded. He then stated that it hadn't been loaded or it would be here. I again attempted to explain how unlikely that was. The handler proceeded to explain to me that 98% of all luggage arrives safely however mine was obviously in that 2% that doesn't. I explained to him that I was quite confident the 2% that get lost were bags that are checked at the counter and go with the rest of the checked luggage requiring sorting by tag, transportation to the correct plane etc. as opposed to ones that are hand carried by the owner and placed on a rack beside the plane. He then explained again (clearly becoming exasperated) that 2% of luggage doesn't make it. I finally gave up and started to walk inside to find someone who could help me......or maybe actually go back to the plane and check? Not surprisingly there was a banging on the door and another handler handed my bag to the one I was talking to and said: "missed one".
     This is exactly what I'm talking about. We need to teach fundamental problem solving skills in school because this kind of thing happens quite often if you look around and watch people. Our schools churn out
smart people just not logical ones. That's great if you need someone to write you a book report but I want my luggage.

My Children

     I saw a cool line today: "My children will do it better." It made me smile because I believe that. I believe that while your children struggle and lose their way sometimes from about twelve to twenty they eventually come to behave like you. One of the motivators that drives me is the need to set a good example for them. One of my favorite quotes is: "The best way to have your children grow up to be the type of adults you want them to be is to be that person yourself." So think about it.....think about what you want your kids to be like and then work to be that person yourself. I've always loved the Jack Nicholson line: "You make me want to be a better man." I feel that way every time I look at one of my kids.

Showing Up

     A couple of years ago I read a book called Showing Up For Life by Bill Gates Sr. (Microsoft Bill Gates' dad). In it he speaks to the concept of showing up. It's about making a difference in the world by helping, by taking ownership, by being part of the solution and not part of the problem. Ever since I have referred to the efforts I make as showing up and tried to make a conscious effort to always be someone who shows up.
     Yesterday I came across a quote I liked: "The world is run by those who show up". About three years ago I decided to start showing up although I wasn't familiar with the term and that isn't what I called it. My decision was that one of my fundamental goals in life was going to be to be a leader in the community. In order to do that I started volunteering my time to various charitable causes. Youth centre, food bank, in school mentoring, literacy council, the Relay for Life and others.
     As my profile rose in the community through my volunteer efforts people started to ask me about local politics and encourage me to get involved. I supported a couple of candidates and wrote a couple of letters to the editor during the recent municipal elections in New Tecumseth. Around the same time I got involved with a local Doctor who is working to become the Conservative nominee in our riding in order to run in the next Federal election. As an offshoot of that activity I have done a lot of research and have become a member of the Conservative Party on both the Federal and Provincial levels.
     Back to the quote: "The world is run by those who show up". I am continually amazed that once you get involved you can have a lot of influence over how things happen. Show a willingness to get involved and form some well thought out opinions to go with some work ethic and try to do the right thing and people will welcome your support and ideas and allow you to have influence in the world. It's easy to stand on the sidelines and throw stones but it doesn't accomplish anything. Find a cause you can believe in and pursue it. I promise you won't regret it.
    

How Much Should We Subsidize Political Contributions

     I, like most of the population, had never really thought about how donations related to politics were handled for tax purposes. I had always vaguely assumed that donations to any politician or party at any level would be handled the same. I had also figured that they would either be refunded for tax purposes the same as charities (17% of the first $200 and 34% after that) or the same as RRSP's  where the amount contributed comes off your income so tax rate would be the same as your marginal tax rate. Which for most people who would be well off enough to give money to a politician or party would be between 34 and 40%. 
     Today based on some comments I saw on Facebook I did a little investigating. Here is what I found out:


-Donations to a municipal politican do not get you a tax refund (except in Toronto which has it's own rules).


-Donations at the Provincial level get refunded: 75% of the first $372, 50% of the next $868 and one third for anything above $1240 but it can't exceed $2481.

-Donations at the Federal level get refunded: 75% on first 400, 50% on 400-750 and a third from 750 to the max of 1275.

     This really shocked me. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it because I haven't given it enough thought yet. My knee jerk thought is the upside is it encourages people to contribute and get involved. The immediate downside reaction is that it's so much more than charities. I don't think I would support raising the charity one to the same level because then it's almost entirely government funded though. These are just quick thoughts though. Very surprising information though. 

The Chicken Or The Egg

     I often wonder about whether people believe something because of where they are in life or if they get to where they are in life because they believe in that something? I got thinking about this again because a friend sent me a video and at one point in the video the negative person is seemingly down on "taking personal responsibility". It got me to wondering whether I'm successful because I take personal responsibility or if I believe in personal responsibility because I'm successful? Do people who believe the system is unfair and screws the little man not try hard enough or not take enough personal responsibility and thus not become successful or do they come to the conclusion that the system is unfair after they fail because it's easier than admitting it may have been their fault?

Disappointed With One Sided Story

    http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/12/31/downtown-library-branch-may-close-in-new-year/


In my opinion this type of article being run in a national newspaper is disappointing. The media should hold itself to a higher standard than this. The entire article is based on the comments of one source and is very light on facts.
     Questions I have after reading this: Why is library staff proposing this branch be closed? I'm sure it isn't random. What are the reasons for putting this particular branch forward for closure? What other options are being considered to deal with a smaller increase than the board wanted? It's important to note that's what this is. Not funding cuts but an INCREASE that is smaller than what the board wanted. The source for this article specifically cites inflation as one of the pressures that lead to the request for the 3.3% increase. The 2.2% would be essentially exactly the same increase as the rate of inflation in 2010. Why does the board require an increase greater than the rate of inflation? What are the financial pressures that lead to this request? The most important question I have is what is library usage? Is it up or down? Intuitively and based on other things I have read I suspect that the usage is down significantly. Am I wrong or is the library board asking for increased budgets to deal with a smaller customer base? What is the recent history of usage increases or decreases? What have the budget increases been in recent years?
      At a minimum tell us what the money is to be used for because it takes ten seconds on Google to find out that the 2.2% increase covers inflation? So why the extra? My point isn't whether the library budget should be raised 3.3% or 2.2%. My point is that it's disappointing that the media allows itself to be used as a mouthpiece to further an agenda without bothering to ask the questions that would make this article tell a complete story.Or does that not make a good headline? "Proposed Library Budget Increase Equal To Inflation Causes Library Staff to Propose Closing Branch" just doesn't have the same ring to it does it?

Don't Buy The Simple Explanation

     An important political debate gets increased attention this week due to tax changes that took effect in Canada January 1st. The corporate tax rate drops while the amount we pay personally goes up slightly due to inflation and increased EI and CPP premiums. The non Conservative political parties say this is our government taking money from the worker and giving it to the corporations. This overly simple explanation is wrong. These parties and their supporters hope that people will form their opinions based on the five second explanation or the headlines.
     Studies of corporate tax rates shows that there is a direct relationship between wages and corporate tax rates. As corporate tax rates go down wages go up. This is because capital (investment) goes where the corporate rates are low. The more capital investment in a country per worker the more wages go up. Capital needs labour and as the demand for labour goes up.....you guessed it the price of labour goes up.
     The response from those opposed to cutting corporate tax rates is "our rates are already low enough.....or lower than the US etc." This is also wrong. Studies show that there is a direct relationship between the difference in tax rates of neighbouring countries and wages. The greater the difference in the tax rate between Canada and the US the more wages will rise. Your wages. Easily offsetting the increase in personal income tax.
     Please do some reading and thinking for yourself and don't allow the anti-establishment people and media to sway you with their simplistic argument that you are subsidizing the corporations. Read information and talk to people on both sides of the issue and form an opinion based on facts not sound bites and headlines. 

Part of The Problem or Part of the Solution?

     One of the things that I've been thinking about lately is the value of participating in the political process. I first got involved by attending town council semi-regularly. I was shocked when I saw how few people attend. I then morphed into a letter writer. I have written several letters to the editor of our local papers. I think the reason I typically have felt compelled to write is because I think a lot of people's opinions are shaped by what they read in the paper.When an article or letter in the paper misrepresents a situation or portrays only one side of an issue I think it's important that it get corrected. I was asked by numerous people to run in the 2010 Municipal election. Ultimately I decided it wasn't the best time for me personally because of the age of my children. I was also lucky that a good friend that I respect decided to run in my area so it made the choice very easy. I knew we would be well represented so there was no need to feel pressured to run. 
    I think most people feel that at the Provincial and Federal levels of politics we are having trouble finding people we believe in to represent us. I recently met a doctor who is seeking the Conservative nomination in my riding. In order to support that I decided to join the party which I had been considering for some time. I think ultimately it comes down to realizing that the only way to enact any real change is to become involved in the process and attempt to drive change from within rather than standing on the outside throwing stones at the people and the process. 
     The National Post ran a question recently asking readers why they wrote letters to the editor and I thought this response was great. I particularly like the line about standing on the sidelines.

•  I write letters mostly because it indulges my need to express my ideas, especially when confronted with reasoning that I feel is not grounded in reality. There is only so much nonsense I can read before I take to pen in hand (really email) to vent my frustration. Also I believe democracy can only work if we are vocal about the issues we are passionate about. Standing on the sidelines and complaining offers no value. Expressing oneself in print and publicly owning an opinion is participating in discourse that can lead to change.
— Gary Rose