Friday, March 09, 2007

Are Those Skills Or Shills?

Where'dThatDemocracyGo?
CronyVille



So I'm listening to Kevin Falcon field questions from Stephen Quinn on CBC Radio One this morning.......

And Mr. Quinn is actually listening to what Mr. Falcon is spinning, and then coming right back at him - straight on.

Which probably surprised Mr. Falcon (ie. he was likely expecting softballs from the Puffmaster Flash who was away, again, today), because the Minister actually let slip that taxes will go up as a result of his de-democratizing of rapid transit decisions in British Columbia's Lotusland.

But what I found even more interesting than that admission was Mr. Falcon's blatantly obvious 'talking point' that he was used to explain why the Lower Mainland's Translink board will now be appointed instead of consisting of democratically-elected members.

And that was that these newly appointed (ie. not elected) board members will have the right 'skill set' to run a multi-billion dollar operation.

When Mr. Quinn, in response, asked why the senior management team now acting under the currently elected (ie. not appointed) board could not use their 'skill set' to run the operation Mr. Falcon had no answer, but he kept returning to the this couplet over and over again, regardless.

Which, of course, is what a talking point is for when you are trying to catapault your own propaganda.

All of which left me wondering if any of the same business people with the appropriate 'skill set' that will be appointed (ie. not elected) to the new Translink board will also be some of the very fine folks who also have a different, but not necessarily mutually exclusive, 'skill set' that allows them to recognize when it is to their best advantage to make the appropriate political donations to the very same people who will be appointing them (ie. not electing them) to the said board.

You know, people who have the 'shill set' to know when the time is right to pay big money to take three hour cruises so that they can be blinded-by-the-light with people like, well, Mr. Falcon himself.

OK?

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