Sunday, January 11, 2004
Canadian Justice:
Recently I heard a report that there are more persons waiting in jail for trial in Canada than there are persons who have been convicted and are serving sentences. In addition there are many cases where the person has waited longer for trial than there expected sentence upon conviction. Technically a person who has not been convicted is in fact an innocent person under the law. That means that in Canada we have more innocent people in jail than we have guilty people. Does anybody else see any problem with this. Considering the number of people serving sentences for non-violent crimes, this would appear to be a travesty of justice. While I don't recommend releasing violent suspects into the population, surely there must be a better way. Perhaps allocating more funds to the courts might not be a bad idea.
In a recent submission I suggested that tougher penalties for youth crime might also be a good idea. This alone will not solve the problem of youth crime and street violence. According to the experts, the problem is in fact not that simple. Studies have shown that tougher sentencing alone will not make us any safer. In the U.S., the laws and penalties are much more severe than in Canada, including the death sentence. Yet there crime rate is no better than ours and in fact in many places much worse. The problem must be addressed on a much broader scale and must include outreach programs, social programs, athletic programs and community involvement. Generally speaking, educated, well adjusted teens are not the ones committing the crimes. Our focus must be on producing these type of teens in our society instead of maladjusted, restless teens with no productive outlet for their passions.
Microsoft Again:
Tip to Retailers and Manufacturers:
It is my impression that manufacturers and retailers of computer equipment are obligated under law to sell items which at least have a chance of working as advertised. Knowingly selling anything which does not fulfill this obligation is fraud. In other words, any person buying any hardware equipped with Microsoft's latest releases are in a position to sue not only Microsoft but the manufacturer of the equipment as well as the retailer that sold it to them. It might be much easier to pressure Microsoft through the retailers than to go after them directly. Retailers are totally responsible for the quality of the products they sell under the law. This would make a real beauty of a class action law suit. Almost makes me wish I had gone into law.
Mail-in-rebates:
I will not buy anything that offers a mail-in-rebate. Companies offering them are fully aware that the average person will either not bother or will forget until the offer expires. Recent figures suggest that 80% of rebates will never be applied for. Companies, aware of this fact, find this a great way of advertising very low prices when in fact they will, in the end, not be forced to honour them. Why should we have to deal with the manufacturers at all. I shop from a retailer so that they will deal with them, not I. My recent comments to a Future Shop manager, " you deal with these reps all the time, you either hand it to them or mail it in yourselves. It is your job not mine, I will pay the lowest price at the cash or I will not buy it from you at all." Funny, he didn't take me up on it. Go Figure.
Welfare in Ontario:
I read an article lately which talked about a young woman in Toronto. It appears she was caught cheating on welfare in the recent past. This resulted in her obtaining a life-time ban for receiving welfare in the province. As a result she gassed herself and her young baby in her car. They are both dead. The resulting inquest recommended that this rule be changed as it is inhumane. It was further recommended that the welfare rate be increased, as it is impossible for a person to survive on current rates, and that this fact caused the cheating in the first place. I can't help but to agree. If this country can afford a four-hundred and fifty million dollar penalty for canceling the Sea King replacements then certainly we can afford to feed and house a young single mother and her child. We should all feel shame about this matter, as we let it happen.
Canadian-Syrian Arar:
On CTV Question Period today a woman fom British Columbia called in. She made the comment that if Arar was so afraid of Syria then why did he retain his Syrian citizenship. Clearly spoken by a fool who has never had to run for her life. In this country very few of us ever has. Many peolple come to our country to escape death and torture. Simply because they do come here doesn't mean they hate their country, only the current regime. These people often hold out hope that one day things will change and that they might be able to return to their homeland. This really shoudn't be that difficult to understand. Again, awareness and understanding is the path to enlightenment. While I fully support this woman's right to her opinion, it scares me to think that this level of ignorance, as to the plight of other peoples, still exists in Canada.
American Foreign Policy:
While watching a program recently I was able to make a few observations. The program dealt with U. Of Toronto's Citizen's Lab. Their mission was to help repressed people by increasing their security and communication problems. A very noble endeavor. However, one of the persons interviewed made a couple of points worth noting. While the intent of the lab was good, internet access was definitely not a priority. He said that he had spent a great deal of time setting up systems which proved totally useless. His mistake- he never asked the people he was trying to help what they needed. As a result his efforts had been wasted.
Perhaps we can extend this lesson to current American policy. The American people often believe that they are helping to bring the American Way to the developing world. This thinking is flawed for the following reasons.
First: They don't act on what those same people think they need, only what Americans need, on a take it or leave it basis.
Second: While they think that an American style government is what they need, they never take the time to find out what kind of government those same people want.
Third: Not every country in the world wants to become a little America.
Fourth: They always act out of American interests instead of acting in a manner which those same peoples consider to be in their best interests.
America: You must learn to act in all our interests and not simply your own if you truly want to be the leaders of the free world.
Recently I heard a report that there are more persons waiting in jail for trial in Canada than there are persons who have been convicted and are serving sentences. In addition there are many cases where the person has waited longer for trial than there expected sentence upon conviction. Technically a person who has not been convicted is in fact an innocent person under the law. That means that in Canada we have more innocent people in jail than we have guilty people. Does anybody else see any problem with this. Considering the number of people serving sentences for non-violent crimes, this would appear to be a travesty of justice. While I don't recommend releasing violent suspects into the population, surely there must be a better way. Perhaps allocating more funds to the courts might not be a bad idea.
In a recent submission I suggested that tougher penalties for youth crime might also be a good idea. This alone will not solve the problem of youth crime and street violence. According to the experts, the problem is in fact not that simple. Studies have shown that tougher sentencing alone will not make us any safer. In the U.S., the laws and penalties are much more severe than in Canada, including the death sentence. Yet there crime rate is no better than ours and in fact in many places much worse. The problem must be addressed on a much broader scale and must include outreach programs, social programs, athletic programs and community involvement. Generally speaking, educated, well adjusted teens are not the ones committing the crimes. Our focus must be on producing these type of teens in our society instead of maladjusted, restless teens with no productive outlet for their passions.
Microsoft Again:
Tip to Retailers and Manufacturers:
It is my impression that manufacturers and retailers of computer equipment are obligated under law to sell items which at least have a chance of working as advertised. Knowingly selling anything which does not fulfill this obligation is fraud. In other words, any person buying any hardware equipped with Microsoft's latest releases are in a position to sue not only Microsoft but the manufacturer of the equipment as well as the retailer that sold it to them. It might be much easier to pressure Microsoft through the retailers than to go after them directly. Retailers are totally responsible for the quality of the products they sell under the law. This would make a real beauty of a class action law suit. Almost makes me wish I had gone into law.
Mail-in-rebates:
I will not buy anything that offers a mail-in-rebate. Companies offering them are fully aware that the average person will either not bother or will forget until the offer expires. Recent figures suggest that 80% of rebates will never be applied for. Companies, aware of this fact, find this a great way of advertising very low prices when in fact they will, in the end, not be forced to honour them. Why should we have to deal with the manufacturers at all. I shop from a retailer so that they will deal with them, not I. My recent comments to a Future Shop manager, " you deal with these reps all the time, you either hand it to them or mail it in yourselves. It is your job not mine, I will pay the lowest price at the cash or I will not buy it from you at all." Funny, he didn't take me up on it. Go Figure.
Welfare in Ontario:
I read an article lately which talked about a young woman in Toronto. It appears she was caught cheating on welfare in the recent past. This resulted in her obtaining a life-time ban for receiving welfare in the province. As a result she gassed herself and her young baby in her car. They are both dead. The resulting inquest recommended that this rule be changed as it is inhumane. It was further recommended that the welfare rate be increased, as it is impossible for a person to survive on current rates, and that this fact caused the cheating in the first place. I can't help but to agree. If this country can afford a four-hundred and fifty million dollar penalty for canceling the Sea King replacements then certainly we can afford to feed and house a young single mother and her child. We should all feel shame about this matter, as we let it happen.
Canadian-Syrian Arar:
On CTV Question Period today a woman fom British Columbia called in. She made the comment that if Arar was so afraid of Syria then why did he retain his Syrian citizenship. Clearly spoken by a fool who has never had to run for her life. In this country very few of us ever has. Many peolple come to our country to escape death and torture. Simply because they do come here doesn't mean they hate their country, only the current regime. These people often hold out hope that one day things will change and that they might be able to return to their homeland. This really shoudn't be that difficult to understand. Again, awareness and understanding is the path to enlightenment. While I fully support this woman's right to her opinion, it scares me to think that this level of ignorance, as to the plight of other peoples, still exists in Canada.
American Foreign Policy:
While watching a program recently I was able to make a few observations. The program dealt with U. Of Toronto's Citizen's Lab. Their mission was to help repressed people by increasing their security and communication problems. A very noble endeavor. However, one of the persons interviewed made a couple of points worth noting. While the intent of the lab was good, internet access was definitely not a priority. He said that he had spent a great deal of time setting up systems which proved totally useless. His mistake- he never asked the people he was trying to help what they needed. As a result his efforts had been wasted.
Perhaps we can extend this lesson to current American policy. The American people often believe that they are helping to bring the American Way to the developing world. This thinking is flawed for the following reasons.
First: They don't act on what those same people think they need, only what Americans need, on a take it or leave it basis.
Second: While they think that an American style government is what they need, they never take the time to find out what kind of government those same people want.
Third: Not every country in the world wants to become a little America.
Fourth: They always act out of American interests instead of acting in a manner which those same peoples consider to be in their best interests.
America: You must learn to act in all our interests and not simply your own if you truly want to be the leaders of the free world.
# posted by Wil Smith : 6:10 p.m.
