THE MESSAGE:
“The absence of effective State, and, especially, national, restraint upon unfair money-getting has tended to create a small class of enormously wealthy and economically powerful men, whose chief object is to hold and increase their power...”-Theodore Roosevelt 1910.
THE QUESTION:
Tony's 3 Opinion Polls
EMAIL YOUR RANKINGS FOR EACH POLL TO: tony@tonyat10.com
1) WHO ARE THE UNFAIR MONEY GRABBERS?
RANK THE GROUPS FROM 1 TO 10 (10 BEING THE HIGHEST)
BAY STREET, WALL STREET BROKERS
BANKERS
POLITICIANS
PONZI SCHEMERS & CON ARTISTS
CORPORATIONS
PRO ATHLETES & CELEBRITIES
CRIMINAL GANGS AND CARTELS
CHARITABLE FOUNDATIONS
INHERITANCE
INSURANCE COMPANIES
2) YOU DECIDE
ALLOCATE WHAT % OF YOUR TAX DOLLARS WOULD BE SPENT ON EACH OF THE FOLLOWING:
Job and Family Security and Health CareTHE QUESTION:
Tony's 3 Opinion Polls
EMAIL YOUR RANKINGS FOR EACH POLL TO: tony@tonyat10.com
1) WHO ARE THE UNFAIR MONEY GRABBERS?
RANK THE GROUPS FROM 1 TO 10 (10 BEING THE HIGHEST)
BAY STREET, WALL STREET BROKERS
BANKERS
POLITICIANS
PONZI SCHEMERS & CON ARTISTS
CORPORATIONS
PRO ATHLETES & CELEBRITIES
CRIMINAL GANGS AND CARTELS
CHARITABLE FOUNDATIONS
INHERITANCE
INSURANCE COMPANIES
2) YOU DECIDE
ALLOCATE WHAT % OF YOUR TAX DOLLARS WOULD BE SPENT ON EACH OF THE FOLLOWING:
National Defence
Education
Resource and Energy Development
Environment
Immigration
International Affairs
International Affairs
Science and Technology
Agriculture
Emergency Relief Funds
Bernie Madoff
Jacob Zuma
Al Gore
Rob Ford
Dalton McGuinty
Allyson Redford
David Suzuki
Donald Sterling
Kim Jung Un
DALTON McGUINTY
THE HUFFINGTON POST
She was a premier who cut the earnings of others while jetting herself and her friends around in government aircraft, showering her inner circle with six-figure salaries that dwarfed those earned even by top people in the White House.
The spiral to Wednesday's resignation began weeks ago, when it surfaced that she had spent $45,000 on first-class air tickets and a government plane to go to Nelson Mandela's funeral in South Africa.
Other revelations fell like hammer blows: Redford using government planes for a vacation; to fly her daughter and her daughter's friends around; to go to a family funeral in Vancouver.
There were calls for her to repay the money for the South Africa trip. She apologized, but at first refused to pay the money back, and then did so only after tensions within her caucus spilled into the public realm.
She was punished in the polls, with some suggesting that as many as four out of five Albertans had turned thumbs down on her leadership and preferred the Opposition Wildrose as the next government.
"Dr. Suzuki, I wonder if I might introduce myself," I said, or something like that. "I'm Vivian, Vivian Krause," I said. He kindly stood up to shake my hand, I believe, but my name didn't seem to ring a bell so I added, "I've been trying to write you letters." Still, he didn't seem to place my name so I added, "I have a web-site, 'Fair Questions,' " I mentioned, adding that I would really appreciate it if I could speak with him or meet with him.
Then, he placed me, or so it seemed. "You're the fish farmer," he said. I had barely begun to explain that yes, I used to work in fish farming - seven years ago - but before I could say much Dr. Suzuki looked me straight in the eye and started telling me to f**k off. Not just once. Then, suddenly, he seemed to catch himself, and quickly sat down.
Within hours of embarking on his bender, witnesses reported seeing Suzuki joyriding a Hummer down the Trans-Canada Highway while spraying aerosol cans out the window.
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS OWNER Donald Sterling has been banned for life by the NBA in response to racist comments the league says he made in a recorded conversation.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he will try to force the controversial owner to sell his franchise. Sterling also was fined $2.5 million, and Silver made no effort to hide his outrage over the comments.
"I fully expect to get the support I need from the other NBA owners to remove him," Silver said.
Silver said a league investigation found the NBA's longest-tenured owner was in fact the person on the incendiary audiotapes released over the weekend.
"We stand together in condemning Mr. Sterling's views," Silver said. "They simply have no place in the NBA."
Silver said Sterling acknowledged he was the man on the tape.
Sterling is immediately barred from attending NBA games or practices, being present at any Clippers office or facility, or participating in any business or player personnel decisions involving the team. He also cannot participate in any league business going forward.
It's unclear how Sterling will respond, and a lawsuit certainly seems possible.
Sterling's lawyer, Robert Platt, declined comment when asked by ESPN whether Sterling would dispute or respond to the league's actions.
Imagine the horror of being born and raised in a forced labour camp in today's world. Escape From Camp 14 Blaine Harden
Harden writes the story of Shin Dong-hyuk
3) WHO IS THE WORST?
RANK FROM 1 TO 10 (10 BEING THE HIGHEST) WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING UPSET YOU THE MOST.
RANK THE WIMPS (See the synopsis for each candidate below)
Robert Mugabe Bernie Madoff
Jacob Zuma
Al Gore
Rob Ford
Dalton McGuinty
Allyson Redford
David Suzuki
Donald Sterling
Kim Jung Un
WIMP OF THE WEEK: Let the polls decide
ROBERT MUGABE
Zimbabwean opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party has reportedly threatened to take to the streets to dislodge President Mugabe's regime.
Mugabe is running the country down and reducing the entire nation into "virtual paupers".
Sikhala of the MDC said Zimbabwe's current slide to disaster was so fast that if left unchecked the MDC would lose its entire support base through hunger.
Zimbabwe's economic environment continues to look dire with reports indicating that thousands are losing their jobs as companies continue to shut down citing viability problems.
Mugabe is running the country down and reducing the entire nation into "virtual paupers".
Sikhala of the MDC said Zimbabwe's current slide to disaster was so fast that if left unchecked the MDC would lose its entire support base through hunger.
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| Mugabe's retirement home under construction |
Hopely Farm is home to thousands of people displaced by Operation Murambatsvina. Operation Murambatsvina ('Operation Drive Out Rubbish' or 'Operation Restore Order'), started in 2005, was a campaign by the Zimbabwean government to forcibly clear slum areas around the country.
According to the government the operation was meant to crack down on illegal housing and commercial activity and to prevent the spread of infectious diseases but the UN estimates that 700,000 people were directly affected through loss of housing and livelihood. It is thought that the urban poor were targeted because they have become the popular base of the internal opposition to the regime of Robert Mugabe.
BERNIE MADOFF
In December 2008, Bernard Madoff revealed that the asset management arm of his firm, Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities, was "just one big lie". In what he described as a Ponzi scheme, it's estimated he took his investors for a cool $65 billion over the course of nearly two decades. And he didn't just con fat-cat billionaires and celebrities (such as Zsa Zsa Gabor, Kevin Bacon and Steven Spielberg); humbler individual investors, banks and even charities lost money in the scheme which wasn't revealed until Madoff himself confessed his crimes. In March 2009, Madoff pled guilty to the charges against him, and he was sentenced to 150 years in prison the following June
One reason that Madoff was so successful was that he was a highly respected, well-established and esteemed financial expert -- his reputation was bolstered by the fact that he helped found the NASDAQ stock exchange and served a term as its chair. What's more, at the same time he was running his scheme, he was also running a legitimate business. He earned his investors' trust because whenever they requested a withdrawal, Madoff's investment company got their money to them promptly. In addition, unlike other Ponzi schemers, he didn't tempt investors with unbelievable returns. He reported moderate (albeit, suspiciously consistent) returns to his investors.
JACOB ZUMA
It has made progress since becoming a full democracy in 1994. But a failure of leadership means that in many ways, South Africa is now going backwards. After 18 years of full democracy, South Africa is one of the most unequal countries in the world.
Three-quarters of white pupils complete the final year of high school, but only a third of black pupils.
Under apartheid, a role in the ANC was about sacrifice and risk. Today it is a ticket for the gravy train. Jobs in national and local politics provide access to public funds and cash from firms eager to buy political influence.
The public protector, who looks into public-sector misconduct, is investigating reports that hundreds of millions of rand are to be spent on improving Mr Zuma’s private homestead in the village of Nkandla.
AL GORE
If greenhouse gasses produced by mankind are behind the roughly one degree increase in temperature over the last century, then why did the global temperature go down from roughly 1940 to 1975 even though mankind's production of greenhouse gasses was skyrocketing during that same time period?
"the Earth-is-going-to-burn-us-alive" crowd cannot answer the most basic questions about the theory that they haughtily insist is so beyond reproach that there should be no more need for debate. In fact, the most ironic thing about the global warming argument is that Al Gore and Company have declared that it's settled, but they have to use scary stories about cities being flooded a hundred years from now and fake tales about polar bears drowning to sell it. If they're on such rock solid scientific ground, why doesn't the science speak for itself? Does anyone remember Sir Isaac Newton or Albert Einstein trying to get people to buy into their scientific theories by coming up with doomsday scenarios?
ROB FORD
CBC NEWS
Rob Ford touted his "proven track record of success" in an interview with host Matt Galloway on CBC Toronto's Metro Morning radio show today, despite a year in which the Toronto mayor has been mired in scandal.
Ford spent much of the interview talking about his record as a fiscal conservative who's helped boost business in Canada's largest city while controlling costs at city hall.
"We're booming," said Ford, who is seeking re-election in the Oct. 27 vote. "Tourism is up, taxes are down. When people go to bed at night, they can trust me with their hard-earned taxpayer dollars."
Later in the interview, Galloway asked Ford about some of the scandals that have enveloped his office in the past year, including his admission to smoking crack cocaine and pending extortion charges against his friend and former driver Sandro Lisi.
Galloway: "Why should anybody trust anything that you say?
Ford: "I have a proven track record of 14 years of success"
Galloway: "And part of that track record is you lying about smoking crack, lying about a reporter being in your backyard … lying about saying you weren't going to drink anymore, and you were caught again drinking …. So based on that, why should anyone trust anything that you say?"
Ford: "Was I perfect? No. I'm not a criminal … I haven't been charged with anything. Don't call me a criminal, Matt, because I'm not a criminal."
Galloway: "You've admitted to buying drugs, you've admitted to smoking crack … those are behaviours I think that a lot of people would characterize as criminal and as not becoming the office of mayor. Do you think those behaviours should be considered alongside the rest of your record?"
Ford: "It's part of it. What you're saying has been said for the last year, over and over. People are blocking it out. If people want to judge me on my personal life, go ahead, people are going to judge me on my record."
During the interview Ford once again stated his often-repeated line that he's saved the city "a billion dollars."
WITH JIMMY KIMMEL
Jimmy Kimmel > “No, I’m just saying I was so drunk I don’t know what happened that night.” The Ford brothers broke into laughter, and Rob Ford said: “I used that excuse one too many times myself.”
DALTON McGUINTY
CHRISTINA BLIZZARD SUN NEWS
Let's take off the Liberal rosy glasses and examine just what McGuinty's legacy is.
This is the guy who allowed the provincial debt to double in nine years. Got a problem? Throw money at it.
This is the guy who didn't hold the line on public-sector salaries when he should have in 2008. Anyone with any sense could see when the economy tanked that provincial coffers would plummet.
This is the guy who allowed his election campaign team to make the call to shut down an unpopular power plant. They did that in the middle of an election -- and we're only now finding out the cost of that decision.
Energy Minister Chris Bentley was facing a contempt motion in the legislature over government foot-dragging producing key documents on the gas plant when McGuinty shut everything down.
This is the guy who forced hated wind turbines -- a blight on the landscape -- on rural Ontario.
This is the guy who sat on his hands while $1 billion of tax dollars went down the drain in the eHealth boondoggle.
This is the guy who allowed the outrageous Ornge air ambulance scandal to fester -- despite warnings something was horribly awry.
McGuinty wants to be remembered as the Education Premier, yet in his final few months in office his ham-fisted government steamrolled their former teacher friends with Bill 115. Then they repealed the law, no doubt hoping teachers wouldn't notice they'd taken away their banked sick days.
This is the guy who used the Public Works Protection Act to bring in a secret regulation that led to mass arrests and a suspension of civil liberties during the G20 Summit in 2010.
Sure, the Liberals have a lot to thank McGuinty for. He brought them back from the political wilderness. He gave them two majority governments. Got Liberal insiders some cushy contracts.
For the rest of us, though, for people who like to see accountability in spending and good government, his legacy is murky at best. Yes, he's personally a very nice man.
The Liberal legacy of unaccountability, overspending and mismanagement will continue unabated.
ALLISON REDFORD
THE HUFFINGTON POST
"Quite simply, I am not prepared to allow party and caucus infighting to get in the way of building a better future for our province," she told supporters who jammed the ground floor of the rotunda and looked down from the floors above.
"That is why I am announcing today that, with a profound optimism for Alberta's future, I am resigning as premier of Alberta effective this Sunday evening."
"That is why I am announcing today that, with a profound optimism for Alberta's future, I am resigning as premier of Alberta effective this Sunday evening."
Redford's fall was the stuff of Greek tragedy, a ruler of immense power in a province bursting with newcomers and leading the nation in growth, done in by her own hubris.
The spiral to Wednesday's resignation began weeks ago, when it surfaced that she had spent $45,000 on first-class air tickets and a government plane to go to Nelson Mandela's funeral in South Africa.
Other revelations fell like hammer blows: Redford using government planes for a vacation; to fly her daughter and her daughter's friends around; to go to a family funeral in Vancouver.
There were calls for her to repay the money for the South Africa trip. She apologized, but at first refused to pay the money back, and then did so only after tensions within her caucus spilled into the public realm.
She was punished in the polls, with some suggesting that as many as four out of five Albertans had turned thumbs down on her leadership and preferred the Opposition Wildrose as the next government.
DAVID SUZUKI
Then, he placed me, or so it seemed. "You're the fish farmer," he said. I had barely begun to explain that yes, I used to work in fish farming - seven years ago - but before I could say much Dr. Suzuki looked me straight in the eye and started telling me to f**k off. Not just once. Then, suddenly, he seemed to catch himself, and quickly sat down.
David Suzuki in an Australian Interview > on the very first question he is revealed as a complete know-nothing. His questioner tells him that the main climate data sets show no real warming for some 15 years.
Suzuki asks for the references, which he should have known if he knew anything of the science.
His questioner then lists them: UAH, RSS, HadCrut and GISS – four of the most basic measurement systems of global temperature.
Suzuki asks what they are.
Anyone interested in global warming should know right there that Suzuki has absolutely no understanding of what he is talking about. He is a complete phony!
His lifestyle is supported by his charitable foundation. He owns 4 properties, 1 valued at over $8M, a boat, and flies by private jet!
On one bender weekend he is heard to say: “I think I poured oil into a lake,” And while scanning through photos on a digital camera. “Oh god, there I am dumping batteries in a salmon hatchery to increase their mercury content.”
Within hours of embarking on his bender, witnesses reported seeing Suzuki joyriding a Hummer down the Trans-Canada Highway while spraying aerosol cans out the window.
DONALD STERLING
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| NBA COMMISSIONER ADAM SILVER (LEFT) DONALD STERLING (RIGHT) |
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS OWNER Donald Sterling has been banned for life by the NBA in response to racist comments the league says he made in a recorded conversation.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he will try to force the controversial owner to sell his franchise. Sterling also was fined $2.5 million, and Silver made no effort to hide his outrage over the comments.
"I fully expect to get the support I need from the other NBA owners to remove him," Silver said.
Silver said a league investigation found the NBA's longest-tenured owner was in fact the person on the incendiary audiotapes released over the weekend.
"We stand together in condemning Mr. Sterling's views," Silver said. "They simply have no place in the NBA."
Silver said Sterling acknowledged he was the man on the tape.
Sterling is immediately barred from attending NBA games or practices, being present at any Clippers office or facility, or participating in any business or player personnel decisions involving the team. He also cannot participate in any league business going forward.
It's unclear how Sterling will respond, and a lawsuit certainly seems possible.
Sterling's lawyer, Robert Platt, declined comment when asked by ESPN whether Sterling would dispute or respond to the league's actions.
KIM JUNG UN
Kim Jong-un became the leader of North Korea in 2011, having inherited his position from his father Kim Jong-il.
In February 2013, North Korea held its third underground nuclear test. The act has been roundly condemned by the international community, including the United States, Russia, Japan and China. In the face of further sanctions, analysts have stated that Kim's continued focus on armament while calling for U.S. peace talks is a strategy of positioning North Korea as a formidable entity and cementing his standing as a regional leader.
North Korea has been mired in poverty and economic ruin, with a devastating famine in the 1990s and food shortages that have continued for most of the population, affecting its school system as well. The country also reportedly has a concentration camp system with torturous, horrifying conditions for thousands of prisoners.
Mr. Shin was born in a North Korean forced-labor camp and then found his way to freedom. In his account Mr. Shin claimed to have been a helpless innocent witness to the execution of his mother and brother when Mr. Shin was only 14. He had indeed been helpless, and he had the torture marks to prove it.
But Mr. Shin’s original account omitted a crucial detail: He was responsible for the executions. He had snitched to a prison guard about an escape his mother and brother were planning, knowing full well that escape plans were punishable by death.
Mr. Shin admitted that he had made this trade-off to get more food and an easier job at school. And he said he had done it without regrets. He thought that his mother and brother deserved to die.
Mr. Shin did not spend his imprisonment missing love, joy, civilization or comfort, because he had never experienced such things. As the spawn of a “reward marriage” — considered “the ultimate bonus for hard work and reliable snitching” — he had no real family ties.
THE QUOTE:
“Life is like a dogsled team. If you ain’t the lead dog, the scenery never changes.” – Lewis Grizzard
THE CLIP:
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