Community

“Economies of Scale” is a distant 2nd to “Political Control”

Published

4 days ago

“Economies of Scale” has been the go to response by politicians when they want to centralize operations. There is some validity to this response.

Wal-Mart is in a scale all it’s own, so big it controls the pricing of items around the world. The local mom-and-pop store cannot compete.

Pension funds are so large they monopolize the markets and small fund managers cannot compete.

Provinces quote; “Economies of Scale” when they centralize purchasing, education, health care and other services.

The E.U. benefited from large scales in business, health care and even immigration.

So in all intent and purposes there is some validity in “Economies of Scale”.

There have been many tales of businesses raiding their employees pension funds for expansion, to cover losses, to cover bonuses, or to keep the doors open.

The C.P.P. is a huge national pension fund, well managed with double digit returns which is often 3 times the returns of a smaller Alberta provincial pension fund.

Now we are hearing tales of Alberta Oil & Gas businesses needing or wanting to raid pension funds to cover losses, to cover bonuses or to keep the doors open. There is discussions in political circles of raiding the Alberta provincial employees pension funds to the tune of a billion dollars for oil and gas investments. These same political circles are looking at the C.P.P. or Alberta’s citizens portion of.

The C.P.P. enjoys “Economes of Scale” and in a large diverse market offers envious returns on investments. Unlike smaller, less diverse pension funds.

The Alberta politicians know this but they want control of the pensions to subsidize businesses for political reasons. Having control is much more important than “Economies of Scale” to a politician.

Control is most important to other levels of government, too. The city of Red Deer is looking at establishing a new police force other than the RCMP. They know it will cost more in taxes and they will have less access to more specialized services but the city will have more control.

Fiscal conservatism is much less important than having control.

Politicians of all levels will take our tax money to hire lawyers and fight for control of everything.

We only have one pocket to draw from to pay for all these services and court cases and political control issues.

What ever happened to the much lauded; “Economies of Scale”? Too many political kings wanting control of too many things, all putting their hands in our pocket, that’s what.

When the world is becoming more globalize-oriented it appears politicians are striving for isolationism to feed their need to control. All at our expense.

Community

When a $708,000 building permit is only worth $176.70.

Published

2 days ago

December 6, 2019

Garfield Marks

The city reported total building permit values for November. It made many sit up and take a second look.

For example a $708,000 building permit for building a stage for Rogers Hometown Hockey really means temporarily assembling a stage with an arbitrary value of $708,000.

The city did not spend $708,000 building a stage but they did collect $100 for the permit and $76.70 for the completion report.

When you look at the $11.5 million in building permits announced by the city for November you could assume that there would be $11.5 million in construction to be done in the next year.

Not if the permits cover items like temporary assembling of structures for events.

Including such items I believe inflates the value of actual building permits. In this instance it was a double edged sword as it inflated the total value but created concern of value for money if the city had spent $708,000 to build a temporary stage.

The value of the release also gives us insight to government hypocrisy or the possibility thereof.

Another permit is for $1.2 million for Alberta Health Services to renovate their Administration Offices. This during talks of rollbacks in pay and lay-offs for front workers and nurses.

$1.2 million would pay for a lot of nursing.

Governments of all levels manipulate their reporting and sometimes it comes back to haunt them, like this one.

Community

Kipp Scott’s Top 7 Winter Car Care Tips

Published

2 days ago

December 6, 2019

KippScottGMC

Getting your winter tires put on is something we generally think about as a way to prepare our vehicle for winter weather but is that the only thing you can do to avoid being in an accident this winter?

Here are 7 tips to help you keep your vehicle in top-notch condition this winter:

1. Make sure you check your wiper blades. Wiper blades usually have a lifespan of a year; however, it is always recommended to get a new pair for the winter months.

2. Check your battery. Batteries have a harder time operating during the winter months than they do during the summer. If your battery is already weak during the summer, it could quickly could turn into a dead battery as soon as the temperature drops.

3. We put antifreeze in our cars for two reasons – one is to keep the engine from overheating and the other is to protect the engine block from cracking during extreme cold.

4. For every 10 degrees of temperature drop, tires will drop 1-2 pounds of pressure. It is important to keep your tires within the recommended PSI to maintain traction, handling and durability.

5. Wax the Headlights and the Taillights! Unnecessary little detail? Think again. Did you know that the slippery surface which results after waxing the lights makes it less likely for an icy coat to build up on them? This helps make it easier and quicker for you to clear your car after a night-long snowstorm and, also makes your vehicle more visible to other drivers.

6. Windshields get dirty very quickly on those wet wintery roads and you can go through fluid very fast. Make sure you top it up regularly and have an extra jug on hand, in case you run out.

7. Use full synthetic oil. Synthetic motor oil’s main reason for working so well in the winter is because of its abilities to withstand the extreme temperatures. The chemical makeup of synthetic oil makes it much less likely to congeal or freeze up.

Our highly qualified technicians are always happy to provide you with exceptional service in a timely manner. Allow them to demonstrate our commitment to excellence –

Call to book 403.343.6633 or book your appointment at kippscott.ca