Redistribution of Wealth, Civic Responsibility, Accountability

Budgeting and Accounting:

The first step in redistribution...

To begin with, government endeavors to serve the interests of all taxpayers. Imagine if we separated the taxes collected into two groups. 1- taxes collected from all corporate stakeholders including shareholders 2- taxes collected not associated with a corporation. I'll call the first group corporate and the second group public. Imagine if government fiscal policy dictated that corporate interests must be funded exclusively with corporate taxes and public interests with public dollars. This separation would serve to restrict corporations from having public funding. And it would eliminate public funded subsidies. It would discourage reduced corporate tax rates, lower royalty payments, discounted government services for corporations since those are the sources of their government funding.

This is common sense. If a business needs government handouts or preferential treatment to provide goods or services, it is a weak business. It should get its act together or consider becoming a government corporation. Instead, government lets the public fund it!

Redistribution of funding would protect the public from erosion of funds by corporate interests. It would also inform of us how much funding we actually have for social programs. Then, by direct democracy, voting on the merits of proposed legislation, the public can decide how to spend that money.

example one:

The BC government gives subsidies to the LNG [gas fracking] industry, corporations that wish to develop new means of making profit. The government also offers those same industries, royalty rate reductions, discounted electricity prices, exemptions on carbon tax. As it stands now, government is willing to reduce costs and payments for their corporate partners at the expense of the public. This government policy concentrates additional wealth in the hands of those who are already wealthy.

But perhaps fracking is really a bad idea to begin with. Perhaps the public does not approve of investment in the fossil fuel industry. Maybe they need proof that this is the right thing to do. If government and corporate interests decide to proceed without public approval, they must do so without public money. Furthermore, all risk and reparations for environmental damage must be paid by those responsible: the corporate stakeholders, making all partners in this venture fiscally and environmentally accountable for their actions. This should certainly include the shareholders/bondholders. Unethical investing should not be rewarded.

These ideas are part of an integrated new paradigm that encourages all citizens to carefully consider their actions and investments - civic responsibility. So, instead of public funding for corporations, the corporations could sell bonds or initiate an IPO. Wealthy folks have money to invest. If these potential stakeholders feel it is a worthwhile venture the corporation will sell its shares or bonds, and the investors will get a return. This policy saves the public money, re-distributes wealth and introduces ethical and accountable practices.

example two:

The same could be said of pharmaceutical companies that receive public funds to supply narcotics to addicts. It's one thing for the government to want to supply drugs to addicts and another to make the public pay for it. If there is a desire to have public funds involved, why not have a referendum and see what the public wants to donate?

I think that if government and corporations both believe it is a good idea to supply drugs to addicts when the public does not, they should sell the idea to their shareholders. Perhaps lower dividend payments to fund the project and see how that works out. Or perhaps investors would prefer a bond issue or IPO dedicated to this cause.

This basic approach of separating corporate interests from public interests will redistribute wealth. Shareholders and bondholders will consider the company policies and initiatives more carefully when they are footing the bill. Redistribution of wealth - no free ride from public funds.

Advantages:

Corporations and government both benefit from procuring the public's interest. They will better know what goods and services to produce, fostering greater efficiency and earning respect through cooperative policies.

Another boon is the knowledge of how much is available for publicly funded endeavors. Let the people decide what policies are good for them and how much money they want to spend on each one. Perhaps the public is not interested in deficit funding. Maybe they would prefer that government do what successful households do. Only spend what they can afford. We have to pay off our credit cards and loans. Governments just re-finance and/or sell off public assets - an inflationary path or even worse, bankruptcy.

More benefits:

And continuing with this new paradigm, categorizing public vs. corporate initiatives will also call into question the distribution and usage of the raw resources: land, timber, water, minerals in BC [and Canada]. Constitutionally it appears to me that citizens have reasonable claims . Revenues derived from these assets need to be divided up fairly between both classes of citizens: corporate and public. I do not see that happening now. Re-distribute.

Justified Criticism:

Government is all too willing to ignore the public interest when spending money. Have they forgotten that authority to govern is derived from the people. Government needs to be reminded by the public when they are amiss. If we begin to develop better attitudes and appreciation amongst government and both classes of citizens, the day may come when cooperation, inclusion, community and diversity become the fruit of governments labor rather than competition, combat, exclusion and division which are evident everywhere in this fall election.

Reminder

This link will take you to the House of Commons official website. Please read the introductory paragraph. A basic premise of our parliamentary system is the principle that government must be accountable and responsible to the ultimate authority for their power: the people.

Canadian Parliamentary System - Our Procedure - ProceduralInfo - House of Commons of Canada (ourcommons.ca)

GOVERNMENT FAVORS CORPORATE CITIZENS

A look at health conditions in the Sunshine Coast riding

My message is one of hope for all those who are without adequate health services in a province that is unbelievably wealthy by virtue of our vast natural resources. It is almost incomprehensible that the struggles of so many not only exists but continues to grow.

I write these words as both a reminder and an appeal to the very wealthy and powerful for the need to re-distribute rather than concentrate great wealth amongst themselves. The very rich have the greatest capability to influence government at this time. Let us all recall that the role of government is to provide the greatest good for the greatest number. This is the essence of good government. Yet, it clearly is not happening. And it is very important to acknowledge that the general public is not creating this problem - they are the victims in this scenario. Leadership has brought us to this place.

In many ways the struggles for adequate health services affect the same folks that are having difficulty finding suitable housing. As the wealth of our province focuses more and more in the hands of the few, there is less to go around for the general public. This translates into a lack of funding for qualified professionals and programs that could create and develop health services and assistance for those in need. Furthermore the implementation and policies of some existing programs have generated contention within our constituency to the point where compassion for those with the greatest need is disappearing. Some neighborhoods feel threatened by the presence and actions of those receiving health and housing care from current government projects.

So you may well ask, where is the hope I mentioned earlier? It is close at hand and rests in the hands of all the citizens in our riding. On October 19 you can take the first step and vote Greg Reid as your Independent MLA. By doing that, you will hold political power in the BC legislature, and I as your public servant, will provide you with the means to vote not only on health issues, but all matters of government in this province for the full term of office. We will form a powerful lobby group and just like corporations, we will influence the decisions made at the ministry level. This can affect our municipal government decisions as well because municipalities receive funding from the province and fall under the provincial municipal act.

public or private member's bill for BC housing:

AGRICULTURAL-FOREST PLANNED COMMUNITIES

definition of an agricultural forest:

Land usage purposefully planned and developed to redeem a forest area to produce a food supply that reseeds and renews itself once established. Produce is derived from the harmonious growth of carefully selected crops and forest plant life that are symbiotically compatible.

This can also be described as a specific and advanced example of a well-known principle called Agroforestry or Forest Farming

Here are links to introduce some of the basics.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/nac/practices/forest-farming.php

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/agriculture-seafood/agricultural-land-and-environment/agroforestry#forestfarming

Crossing all political boundaries -

blue - business/investment opportunities

red - music, arts, dance, film, literature, performance development

orange - unique and eco-friendly social housing and community facilities

green - sustainable, organic forestry and agriculture, and green urban living developments

think: colony farm, company town, co-op, commune, university all rolled into one

Funded by all levels of government, private tax-incentive style investing, individual members, citizens at large

These villages will address:

Housing problems

-take the pressure off municipalities and existing affordable housing programs

Social welfare and community assisted living for seniors and disabled

-occupational therapy, gardening, arts and crafts, food preparation, site maintenance

Food Security

-growing food for the community and selling the surplus

-developing agricultural forests on clear-cut areas

Industry

-Sustainable forestry practices

-development of secondary manufacturing sector ie. wood products for export ie. artisan wood products

-development of alternative housing and agricultural practices/technology

-integrated eco/ethical clothing industry and soil renewal

Denica Riadini-Flesch – A Lineage of Craft | WaterBear

Employment/Job creation

-everyone has a job and receives an income

Education

-for all ages, taught by professionals/members of the community

-export our successful model for living to other areas of the province etc.

Mental Health and spiritual development

-support personnel and programs and special housing for all who need counseling and assistance to promote emotional health

partners include provincial and municipal governments, regional districts, private investment, individual investors, members

for the development and settling of - ALR, crown land forests, forest leases zones, deregulated building areas, reclaimed industrial areas, existing private lands including farms

With a vision to reclaim clear cut areas, contaminated sites, poorly managed land, desert and wasteland by establishing self-sustaining agricultural-eco forests in conjunction with the development of ALR with the same ethos.

Hempcrete, alternative building structures built from local wood products.

-Computer printed homes

News : Twente Additive Manufacturing (twente-am.com)

Daniel Pape 604-740-2623

truestarsunshinecoast@gmail.com

Vision for power

with a focus to be fueled with alternative energy projects and clean energy

Features

Complete villages built in park-like settings with detached homes, apartment housing, schools, large community dining hall and higher education campus, health center embracing all forms of treatment disciplines, arts center, sports complex, sports fields, general store, artisan shops, street musicians, murals, hiking/biking trails, foraging, outdoor learning center, swimming and water sports and free transportation system. Gourmet cooking school, music school, art programs, research center. Library of books and films. Singing and dancing every day.

These villages have no social borders. Citizens from all walks of life are welcome. The community is modeled upon natural systems like forests and riparian zones, mountains and plains. Bio-diverse and socially diverse.

Who is eligible?

Everybody!

-Those currently in social programs: low income, seniors, disabled, homeless .

-Those who are ineligible for social programs but have needs not being met.

-All combinations of people - singles, couples, families, extended families that want to live, work and play in a co-operative community environment

-Professional people to fill many of the responsible positions of the community.

-opportunities for advancement based on merit

Here's the outlook on Government housing assistance to the Sunshine Coast:

Housing BC has recently helped the qathet region with over $5 million in subsidies for seniors, low income families, homeless, renters and other folks in difficulty. Over $22 million has been spent and 111 housing units have been built within Powell River for single parents, disabled, homeless, low income families. For the whole sunshine coast BC Housing also has plans for an additional 417 homes.

Nonetheless, the need for housing outstrips what is available and affordable. And, at the local level, there are complaints leveled at BC Housing from the public regarding the implementation and social impact of their programs. It will be up to municipalities to deal with many of these problems. Citizens will have to work with regional and municipal governments to have their grievances addressed.

Anyone who builds a home well understands how bureaucracy and red tape generate higher costs and consume time. The construction industry and municipal planning departments are riddled with requirements and regulations, fully understanding how they raise the cost of construction and lengthen the time of completion.

Yet this inefficiency continues. The end buyer ultimately paying for it in the final price of the home.

It would be possible to build high quality homes at a fraction of the cost in a deregulated area. Until the government and the construction industry as a whole are prepared to accept and allow this to happen, the housing problem has little chance of improvement.

Summary:

Government funding and programs are ongoing for providing affordable housing for everyone yet more and more people are experiencing difficulty finding adequate shelter for their needs. The Province of BC needs to promote a new wave of incentives and deregulations for developers with cutting edge and innovative building programs coupled with community focused housing and innovative agricultural, forest and land reclamation projects. Instead of suppressing the new technologies and bowing to the pressure of status quo housing, our government has to open the doors to the wild and wonderful ideas coming from the private sector while simultaneously allowing the existing construction industry to plod along doing what it does.

The integration of job creation, social services, community planning, housing, harvesting of natural resources, land reclamation, arts and cultural development, is the wave of the future. Satellite self-contained communities of this nature are well represented in the Agricultural-Forest Planned Community proposal.

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More great information on agricultural forests and food sustainability

Transforming food systems with trees and forests - ScienceDirect

HOUSING & Agroforestry

This fall, I'm running as an independent candidate for the provincial legislature. If elected, I will initiate a new era in politics with the advent of direct democracy. After the election a user friendly and secure phone app will be employed to allow the voting public in the Sunshine Coast riding [POW] to continue their involvement in the decision making of our provincial government for the next four years. By virtue of quickly and easily electronically casting a ballot, they will regularly be able to either ratify or veto legislation put forward by the government. This has never been done before and it represents an opportunity to vote on approximately one hundred bills for the full 4 year term.

Contrast this with the current situation whereby citizens only have a brief democratic moment in the voting booth to select a candidate. Once a selection is made, the voter is marginalized from any meaningful involvement for the next four years, especially if a majority government is elected.

THE IMPACT OF POLITICAL PARTIES

Furthermore, with political parties, successful candidates are not representing their individual ridings. That is not possible. Parties require strict allegiance to the party platform from their members. Keep that in mind when listening to what the candidates are saying.

LOBBYISTS AND CORPORATE INTERESTS

Sometimes corporate, party and public interest align. Nonetheless, during those four years of democratic drought, we will see history repeat itself whereby the needs and wishes of the public are neglected and overridden by the objectives of special interest groups [lobbyists] that have funded the campaigns of many candidates and then apply great pressure, directly and indirectly, to our elected officials, primarily the executive. A partial list of lobbying groups include corporations, trade unions, public unions, financial institutions, insurance companies, environmental groups, associations, foreign countries, delegations, and the Privy Council of Canada. These special [self] interest groups also often hire professional lobbyists to work on their behalf.

THE BUSINESS OF MINISTRIES AND CIVIL SERVICE

One only has to look at the public record to see hundreds of entries for professional lobbyists with government officials in every ministry . Every day, special interest groups are applying pressure to elected and appointed officials. The interests of the people of this province are nowhere to be found as the primary focus of the day to day business of government. The lobbyists have nailed down that position. It is no wonder that only half of the eligible voters voted in the last provincial election. The futility of the existing system is glaringly obvious to those who are willing to honestly evaluate what is going on in government.

THE REALITIES OF DRAFTING LEGISLATION

I have no doubt that many of those who enter politics have honorable and good intentions and feel that they will be able to make a difference. Once elected and integrated into the existing party system of government, they discover that they, like the public, have been marginalized. These MLAs cannot act on their own; if they belong to the majority party they must vote as one on pieces of legislation. Bear in mind that only a handful of people in government control legislation: the executive: that would be the premier and cabinet. Unfortunately, they appear to be dancing with powerful and pervasive forces, the ones that fund political campaigns and parties: the corporate partners.

THE VETO POWER OF DIRECT DEMOCRACY

Consider this. Imagine that the premier and cabinet are persuaded by corporate partners into drafting a very unpopular piece of legislation. One that is truly unwanted by the public and a threat to the quality of life for many citizens throughout BC. This has happened, more times than we may care to admit. By implementing direct democracy and having every citizen who wishes to vote say, yea or nay on the issue, the people of the province form a protective shield around our politicians. The premier and cabinet can no longer be held responsible for the outcome. By proposing the legislation and putting it to a house vote and passing it, they have dutifully performed their duty to the corporate partners. But then it is time for the people to perform theirs – they vote. What then can the lobbyists and corporate interests do if the people veto? How then will they seek revenge - on the whole population? In a true democracy people are an essential ingredient in keeping the government accountable. The shear weight and magnitude of the public are needed to offset the tendency of unchecked power that could corrupt a handful of politicians, placed in a precarious position by the way the political party system functions. This power of the people is guaranteed constitutionally. Never forget that! source:

Canadian Parliamentary System - Our Procedure - ProceduralInfo - House of Commons of Canada (ourcommons.ca)

SUMMMARY

I do hope that I have adequately revealed my message of hope. It is simple, effective, cooperative, innovative and immediately available to the public. We can change this system of oligarchy. It is far easier than one might think, it is completely legal and requires no legislation to begin. The move to reinvolve the public is the essence of democracy and the role of government is to fulfill the social contract between the people and those they have chosen to provide governance. This concept is enshrined in the venerable concept of "the role of government is to provide the greatest good for the greatest number".And the role of the people is straightforward. We are obliged to weigh in when government is making an unwanted decision and defeat the forces that led them down that road. Again and again.

A RECENT EXAMPLE OF FAILURE

Let me close now with a very recent example of failure and betrayal by government and the importance of direct democracy. A great travesty could have been averted. The overwhelming number of citizens in BC recognize the importance of our logging and forestry industry in harvesting a great natural resource that provides essential goods to local and global markets as well as jobs and economic benefits to the province. But very few citizens, including many foresters, wanted to see the magnificent old growth trees decimated for any reason. They were a treasure and a heritage that we wanted to preserve and enjoy for so many good reasons.

If we had direct democracy in place during the last term of government, the trees in Ferry Creek would still be standing The people would have risen up and vetoed the action, rescuing the government from a very bad decision. Instead of tree huggers being thrown in jail, the RCMP would have been blocking access to those responsible for the falling and removal of those trees. The special interest of a very small and ill-intentioned group would have been stopped dead in it's tracks.

CALL TO ACTION

Now I hope the good citizens of BC will hear this message and seize this opportunity to embark on an adventure in better government. For the first time in the history of our province, the public is being invited to take its rightful place in government. The constant presence of a voting public is the essential ingredient to solving the problems of today, healing the errors of the past and creating a better future.

The Rationale for Direct Democracy by Greg Reid