Opinion

OPINION: I think the Mayor and city councillors will lead by example and vote against pay raises for themselves of 18% and 14% respectively, on Monday.

Published

6 years ago

4 minute read

The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the writer and should not be interpreted as reflecting the editorial policy of Todayville, Inc.

Will the Mayor and our 8 city Councillors lead by example, have the discipline to stand by their principles and convictions of fiscal conservatism, and say no to a pay increase to offset a tax increase? I hope so. All us little people have to accept tax increases.
We have all suffered and we feel their pain. We all know of someone who has lost a job, shown up at their workplace to find it padlocked, had hours cut, pay roll backed, gone bankrupt, had medical expenses go skyrocketing, seniors boarding up rooms to save on extreme heating costs, had their vehicles repossessed, homes foreclosed, forced to go to food banks, forced to take on a second or third job to feed children, forced into early retirement, or just lost their life savings.
City council has talked about declining resources and rising costs for increasing taxes, franchise fees, bus fares, recreational fees, and other services even if you lost your job, seen hours cut, your rent increased, and had your car repossessed.
The Mayor and Councillors have all seen or heard these tales and have used them to cut spending and services for the good people of Red Deer.
On Monday November 26, 2018 they will be given the chance to prove their mettle, show their disciplined convictions to fiscal conservatism and not vote them selves a raise to cover the end of a tax subsidy, only they and not the average citizen enjoyed for years.
Unlike many of us who lose jobs, income, or bonuses suddenly and unexpectedly, they saw it coming.
Will the Mayor and our 8 city councillors suffer a perceived salary cut? Every business owner, tradesman and even the Alberta Government employees saw roll backs, cuts and decreased profits. Didn’t former Conservative Premier Ralph Klein roll back all government employees pay by 5% and kept frozen for years afterwards?
I say perceived because they are not actually seeing a salary cut but an equalization of taxes, compared to non-politicians. They had the benefit of a 1/3 tax free earnings subsidy which ceases to exist on January 1 2019.
The subsidy was granted to offset personal expenses peculiar to the role of being a politician. Politicians were also given expense accounts to cover the costs of these same personal expenses so the benefit was rather redundant. Some would call this unintentional double-dipping.
Being human they became accustomed to having the extra funds, forgetting the reason for them.
Now they are like the rest of society and facing a possible net pay decrease. So the question is; “If they do not vote themselves a raise, who will stay and who will go?”
October 2017 there were 2 candidates for mayor and 29 candidates for city council, how many of them ran for the pay cheque and how many would have withdrawn their nomination papers if they knew that the 1/3 exemption would end in 2019?
I do not believe any one would have withdrawn from the campaign and I do not think our mayor or any of our councillors will resign due to this hardship. Do you?
On November 26, 2018 will the Mayor and Councillors have the discipline and convictions to stand by their fiscal conservative oratories or will they just stick hands back in the public trough for more money to sustain their rather nice life style?

Follow Author

Francesco Ventriglia Praises Alberta Ballet and Konstantin Ishkhanov as A Thousand Tales is Set for Dubai Launch

Business / 6 hours ago

Canada should match or eclipse Trump’s red-tape cutting plan

Automotive / 14 hours ago

Nissan, Honda scrap $60B merger talks amid growing tensions

Arts

Trump’s Hollywood envoys take on Tinseltown’s liberal monopoly

Published on February 5, 2025

Todayville

MxM News

Quick Hit:

President Trump has appointed Jon Voight, Sylvester Stallone, and Mel Gibson as “special envoys” to Hollywood, aiming to restore a “Golden Age” and challenge the industry’s entrenched liberal bias. According to RealClearPolitics’ Ethan Watson, the move highlights the necessity of reclaiming cultural institutions from leftist control.

Key Details:

Trump’s Truth Social post described the trio as his “eyes and ears” in Hollywood, advising on business and social policy.
Hollywood’s leftist dominance, as seen in Disney’s political agenda and the cancellation of Gina Carano, has alienated conservatives.
Watson argues that Trump understands “politics is downstream from culture” and that influencing Hollywood is vital to shaping American values.

Diving Deeper:

President Trump’s latest move to reshape Hollywood has the entertainment industry buzzing. By appointing Jon Voight, Sylvester Stallone, and Mel Gibson as his “special envoys” to Tinseltown, Trump is signaling that conservatives no longer need to cede cultural institutions to the left. As RealClearPolitics’ Ethan Watson writes, “Donald Trump understands something many right-wingers haven’t for a long time: It’s time to take back institutions.”

Trump, who has long criticized Hollywood’s liberal slant, sees the entertainment industry as a battleground for shaping public opinion. “Although studies have shown that many Americans, particularly younger people, are unaware of the biggest news story of the day, nearly all of them consume media produced by Hollywood,” Watson notes. This cultural dominance, Watson argues, has been exploited to push a left-wing agenda, alienating conservative voices.

The case of Gina Carano exemplifies Hollywood’s intolerance toward dissent, Watson writes. The former “Mandalorian” star was fired by Disney in 2021 after posting a historical comparison on social media. “In truth, her cancellation was most likely due to her mocking pronoun virtue signaling and COVID-19 precautions that were essentially an entrance fee into the upper echelons of Hollywood,” Watson states. The politicization of entertainment didn’t stop there—Disney executive Latoya Raveneau openly admitted to inserting a “not-at-all-secret gay agenda” into children’s programming.

Watson pushes back against the idea that conservatives should simply “build their own” Hollywood, arguing that the industry is too integral to American culture to be abandoned. “Casting it aside would be like trying to create an alternative to Mount Rushmore or baseball – it’s irreplaceable,” he writes. Trump’s decision to highlight conservative-friendly stars like Stallone, Voight, and Gibson sends a powerful message: conservatives in Hollywood no longer have to stay silent.

Trump’s envoys are a step toward restoring balance in an industry that has become a one-party echo chamber. “Hollywood, along with social media, has become the ‘town square,’ the medium by which Americans share ideas,” Watson explains. With leftist cancel culture stifling dissent, Trump’s initiative is not just about entertainment—it’s about ensuring freedom of expression in America’s most influential industry.

Business

USPS suspends inbound packages from China, Hong Kong

Published on February 5, 2025

Todayville

MxM News

Quick Hit:

The U.S. Postal Service has suspended the acceptance of inbound packages from China and Hong Kong, citing security and policy concerns. The move comes as President Donald Trump enforces new tariffs to curb the flow of synthetic opioids into the United States.

Key Details:

The suspension affects international parcels but does not impact letters or flat mail from China and Hong Kong.
Trump signed an executive order on Feb. 1st, imposing a 10% tariff on imports linked to China’s synthetic opioid supply chain.
In response, China has announced retaliatory tariffs and launched an anti-monopoly investigation into U.S. tech firms.

Diving Deeper:

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has announced the immediate suspension of inbound package acceptance from China and Hong Kong, a move aligned with President Donald Trump’s recent efforts to crack down on illicit drug trafficking. While the suspension blocks parcels from entering the country, it does not impact letters or flat mail, according to the USPS statement.

The decision comes as Trump signed an executive order on Feb. 1st, imposing a 10% tariff targeting Chinese chemical companies accused of fueling the fentanyl crisis in America. The order alleges that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has subsidized firms exporting fentanyl precursors, which are frequently used to manufacture synthetic opioids that have contributed to tens of thousands of American deaths.

“These companies exploit international trade loopholes, using fraudulent invoices, deceptive packaging, and re-shippers to evade detection,” Trump stated. The administration argues that these tactics enable the smuggling of lethal drugs into the U.S. under the guise of legitimate commerce.

China has responded swiftly to the escalating trade measures, announcing countertariffs on key U.S. exports, including coal, liquefied natural gas, crude oil, and agricultural equipment. Additionally, the Chinese government has initiated an anti-monopoly probe into Alphabet Inc.’s Google while adding U.S. companies PVH Corp. and Illumina to its “unreliable entities list.” Beijing has also imposed export restrictions on rare earth metals essential to high-tech industries.

The USPS suspension, combined with the new tariffs, signals a renewed push by Trump to hold China accountable for its role in the opioid crisis while reinforcing his America First trade agenda. With tensions mounting between the two global powers, further economic retaliation from Beijing remains a possibility.