“I was driving from one meeting to another when I just happened to turn VOCM Back Talk on”.

The above quote would be more likely to come from some provincial politician, or wanna bee, than me.

Actually I was listening to Back Talk on the internet yesterday when near the end of the show Danny Dumaresque, the liberal candidate for this riding, phoned in.

Danny D wanted to express to the host, and the people of this province, his shock and horror at the high cost of living up here. Seems Danny D has been traveling the riding and has discovered that it cost $280.00 for a drum of stove oil [his words]. One woman pointed out to Danny D that a packet of processed chicken cost $18.00. He expressed concern that some people on old age security have to choose between heating their homes of having some finger lick’n good in the winter months [paraphrased].

Well gee Danny D, what will you be able/willing to do about it if elected?
My answer; sweet bugger all.

Liberals were in power for years, PC’s for last 4 years, nothing has ever been done about the high cost of living, the higher proportional taxes we pay, no indexation for the higher cost of living differential, no break on taxes applied to heating or hydro bills, no breaks or specials on getting from here to Goose Bay by air. No action taken to address the absurdly high cost of parcel post.

People living in the north do get a meager Northern Residence tax Deduction, but the people in Lake Melville get the same break as people further north where costs are much higher. Plus, at the moment people on diesel generated electricity get a meager deduction on our hydro bills, this does not go far when the other ever increasing costs are factored in.

This week I received two calls from provincial pollsters. A short sweet four question pole on the provincial election. Did both of them, both of them did not include the candidate from the Labrador Party. So yesterday when I was asked which candidate I favored out of three [the NDP was added in the second] I mentioned that one was missing. Pollster said that “the Labrador Party candidate must have just been nominated and not in time for the pole”. ‘Not so” said I, “his name was on list from the start, you guys just don’t pay attention”. Matter of fact the NDP candidate was only nominated mid week but his name was there.

Very unfair IMO, very mid/south Labrador navel gazing, very typical.

Man o man, the Okalakatiget Society can’t cop a break on the construction of the New Media Centre. First soil conditions [legitimate hold up] then a disinterested contractor [arse holes doing other work], now when things get under way again the weather steps in to put the project further behind schedule. Trouble is that weather will be a major factor dictating how things progress from now on. Rain to wet snow at the moment and footings and concrete still have to be put down. Then again it could be Burma or Darfur or some such place, be thankful for where we are, eh?