• Canadians may see less food in grocery stores, but experts say no need

    From August Abolins@1:153/757.21 to George Pope on Fri Jan 28 21:25:00 2022
    * Crossposted: CANACHAT
    * Original: CHAT

    Hello George Pope!

    ** On Friday 28.01.22 - 08:38, George Pope wrote to Erich B.:

    * "experts" say. . . :)

    WTH are they doing forcing a vaccine mamndate on truckers
    -- who connect with nobody -- they are isolated 24/7
    inside their cabs (modern ones, like the one my brother
    had, have tv, internet, hot plate, microwave, VCR, stero,
    & more)

    So an arbitrary power trip is slowing up the movement of
    necessary goods!

    Hmmph, so the booze & weed stores are iomportant, but f***
    truckers who bring that & more into our communities?

    Not cool!

    I'm with you on that logic/understanding. It makes no sense to
    impose strict jab-mandates on truckers who spend very little
    time mingling in crowded environments. The whole point of
    lockdowns and restrictions was/is to discourage crowding.

    The trucker's protest on Parliament Hill tommorrow ought to be
    interesting!

    Yup, I'm seeing lots of empty shelves -- how much you want
    to bet that the prices of the restocked supplies will be
    higher than they are now?

    I'm guessing 25-40% higher across the board.. .

    The federal transport minister says that the shortages are not
    due to trucking problems. He says it's due to shortage of
    labour higher up the chain before shipments. I don't know if i
    can trust the minister. He sounded very upset about the
    truckers taking a stance and organzing a protest to the
    mandates.

    --
    ../|ug

    --- OpenXP 5.0.51
    * Origin: Stare into this point intently ->.<- (1:153/757.21)
  • From Shaun Buzza@1:229/110 to August Abolins on Sat Jan 29 01:57:57 2022
    Unless you live here, in Canuck-istan, you cannot understand. Unless you have to choose between shit tickets and protein, YOU CANNOT UNDERSTAND!

    Read that again, make sure you heard what I just said.

    Food? I'm still trying to make sure my a$$ is clean!

    Remind me again how much you know about being a Cnuck?

    <(O_o)

    Sorry, i am a (huge) bit bitter tonight...I blame my coffee...

    McDoob
    SysOp, PiBBS
    pibbs.sytes.net

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A46 2020/08/26 (Raspberry Pi/32)
    * Origin: PiBBS (1:229/110)
  • From Mike Powell@1:2320/105 to SHAUN BUZZA on Sat Jan 29 11:12:00 2022
    Unless you live here, in Canuck-istan, you cannot understand. Unless you have to choose between shit tickets and protein, YOU CANNOT UNDERSTAND!

    Read that again, make sure you heard what I just said.

    Food? I'm still trying to make sure my a$$ is clean!

    Remind me again how much you know about being a Cnuck?

    <(O_o)

    Sorry, i am a (huge) bit bitter tonight...I blame my coffee...

    August is Canadian. So is Rob McCart, who sometimes posts here from my non-Canadian BBS.

    As best as I can tell, I am the only non-Canadian that posts here much.

    Mike
    --- SBBSecho 3.12-Linux
    * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)
  • From Shaun Buzza@1:229/110 to Mike Powell on Mon Jan 31 15:57:06 2022
    August is Canadian. So is Rob McCart, who sometimes posts here from my non-Canadian BBS.

    As best as I can tell, I am the only non-Canadian that posts here much.


    I feel like I owe everyone here an apology. Not just because I'm a Canadian...

    Sorry, i am a (huge) bit bitter tonight...I blame my coffee...

    I should have blamed the beer...

    Once again, I've had to learn the hard way: never mix internet and alcohol...

    (v_v)

    McDoob
    SysOp, PiBBS
    pibbs.sytes.net

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A46 2020/08/26 (Raspberry Pi/32)
    * Origin: PiBBS (1:229/110)
  • From Rob Mccart@1:2320/105 to MIKE POWELL on Mon Jan 31 00:36:00 2022
    Unless you live here, in Canuck-istan, you cannot understand. Unless you ha
    to choose between shit tickets and protein, YOU CANNOT UNDERSTAND!
    Read that again, make sure you heard what I just said.
    Food? I'm still trying to make sure my a$$ is clean!
    Remind me again how much you know about being a Cnuck?

    August is Canadian. So is Rob McCart, who sometimes posts here from my MP>non-Canadian BBS.
    As best as I can tell, I am the only non-Canadian that posts here much. MP>Mike

    I read the original post above last night and hesitated to comment on it. Seeing it again, I feel I should put in my 2+ worth for what it's worth. (2+?)

    Not everyone shares the same experiences and I wouldn't directly confront anyone on what they live with. All I would say is that, basically, Canada
    takes pretty good care of it's people, especially lower income ones. Taxes can be higher for higher income people but that's the price you pay for a half decent (not fully decent) health care system that, admittedly, does cut some corners and delays some treatments trying to save some money. Even though
    drugs and procedures cost much less than in many countries, we still fork out over $5000 a year for every person in the country for health care and you can make about $22,000 a year before you pay a penny in income tax, helping out those low income people some. I could go on and on about support for low
    income people and the elderly but I won't bore those who live with it in
    Canada or any from other countries who may not care. I'll just add that it could be a lot worse. I would not want to be poor in almost any other country in the world.

    I said that funny.. I'm not what most people would call poor, and definitely not rich, but I could not have lived the life I did here in many other places in the world and am grateful for what this country has provided.

    I comment only to point out that not everyone is in dire straits here, in fact pretty much everyone I know is living a quite decent life even in these
    trying times. Hopefully things will eventually get back to a more normal situation since this pandemic does make it hard on a lot of people.

    Rob
    ---
    * SLMR Rob * Here's to our wives and sweethearts - May they never meet
    * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)
  • From Shaun Buzza@1:229/110 to Rob Mccart on Mon Jan 31 16:47:23 2022
    Taxes can be higher for higher income people but that's the price you
    pay for a half decent (not fully decent) health care system that, admittedly, does cut some corners and delays some treatments trying to save some money. Even though drugs and procedures cost much less than in many countries, we still fork out over $5000 a year for every person in

    I've already made clear that I was not within my right mind when I said that, yeah?

    Having said that, some of us who are hanging from the bottom rung with a
    pinky still have to choose between rent, food, or TP. I would never have thought of myself as a Liberal, until they started talking about Universal Basic Income. And, having just survived 2+ years of pandemic BS, I have to agree! $400 ($5000/12=$412) a month is impossible to live on!

    I was lucky. I qualified for CERB, and even CRB, for a while...all of which just ran out. Now what? I still need to eat, and wipe my ass, hopefully in a warm bathroom...

    Before you ask, no. The company I used to work for no longer exists. And I am too old and far too pissed off to learn a new job.

    McDoob
    SysOp, PiBBS
    pibbs.sytes.net

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A46 2020/08/26 (Raspberry Pi/32)
    * Origin: PiBBS (1:229/110)
  • From George Pope@1:153/757 to August Abolins on Mon Jan 31 13:20:34 2022
    I'm with you on that logic/understanding. It makes no sense to
    impose strict jab-mandates on truckers who spend very little
    time mingling in crowded environments. The whole point of
    lockdowns and restrictions was/is to discourage crowding.
    The trucker's protest on Parliament Hill tommorrow ought to be
    interesting!

    I'd rather Trudeau stfu & let them get back to delivering goods.

    The federal transport minister says that the shortages are not
    due to trucking problems. He says it's due to shortage of
    labour higher up the chain before shipments. I don't know if i
    can trust the minister. He sounded very upset about the
    truckers taking a stance and organzing a protest to the
    mandates.

    Well, Trudeau has come out vocally against the truckers' actions & called them some nasty names in the process, so any of 'his' ministers aren't going to say differently. . .

    I'm all for the restrictions on restaurants -- having to check vaccine passports, wearing masks, until at your own table, etc. but what has any of this to do with truckers who, like my brother was, are happy to cook their own food in the cab?

    & crossing the border shouldn't be subjected to a vaccine check either -- here in BC, when you cross into Canada as a commercial trucker, you have a transponder on your truck that lets you go right through (or so it was until now, maybe?)

    The shipper &/or receiver pay the import fees.

    Even regular non-comomercial visitors who shop in the USA can do a voluntary declaration & file it by email after their trip.

    I say put the restriuctions on the exact points of multiple contact (bars, restaurants, community centres, libraries, & the like)

    It makes no sense -- here in BC, you must prove you're vaccinated to enter any restaurant that serves alcohol AND has table service. But McDonalds, who has faer morer people tracking in & out & congregating in huge lineups, is exempt (buyt kmust wear a mask -- yeah, like there's enforcement -- you think my local franchisee is going to hire goons to evict non-compliant customers, & lose many customers forever in doing so?

    But the twonks in positions of authority, are loving these times & the opportunity to let out their inner schoolyard bully!

    --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-5
    * Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)
  • From August Abolins@1:153/757.21 to Shaun Buzza on Mon Jan 31 19:56:00 2022
    Hello Shaun Buzza!

    ** On Monday 31.01.22 - 16:47, Shaun Buzza wrote to Rob Mccart:

    I was lucky. I qualified for CERB, and even CRB, for a
    while...all of which just ran out. Now what? I still need
    to eat, and wipe my ass, hopefully in a warm bathroom...

    I took CERB for 3 months. Then there was this "threat" by the
    gov't that many people will need to pay it back. At that point,
    I decided I wasn't going to take that handout. It was rough
    going after that, for sure. Being self-employed (retail, no
    employees) my biz did not qualify for CRB.

    --
    ../|ug

    --- OpenXP 5.0.51
    * Origin: Stare into this point intently ->.<- (1:153/757.21)
  • From August Abolins@1:153/757.21 to Rob Mccart on Mon Jan 31 20:26:00 2022
    Hello Rob Mccart!

    ** On Monday 31.01.22 - 00:36, Rob Mccart wrote to MIKE POWELL:

    countries, we still fork out over $5000 a year for every
    person in the country for health care and you can make
    about $22,000 a year before you pay a penny in income tax,
    helping out those low income people some.

    I think the threshold is lower. Even people living solely on
    gov't pension (approx $1400/mo) are still calculated to owe
    taxes.

    I comment only to point out that not everyone is in dire
    straits here, in fact pretty much everyone I know is
    living a quite decent life even in these trying times.

    It depends on the location. I see the homeless in my town. Many
    people have hardly enough to have plumbing and hydro at their
    homes. Many cannot afford home insurance or basic home
    maintenance and homes fall into disrepair.

    Hopefully things will eventually get back to a more normal
    situation since this pandemic does make it hard on a lot
    of people.

    A segment of the population will remain struggling.

    --
    ../|ug

    --- OpenXP 5.0.51
    * Origin: Stare into this point intently ->.<- (1:153/757.21)
  • From Mike Powell@1:2320/105 to SHAUN BUZZA on Tue Feb 1 15:50:00 2022
    Once again, I've had to learn the hard way: never mix internet and alcohol...

    If you are reading the political echoes, or sysop echoes, sometimes that is
    the only way to read them. :D

    Mike


    * SLMR 2.1a * "My eyeballs nearly popped out!"
    --- SBBSecho 3.12-Linux
    * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)
  • From Rob Mccart@1:2320/105 to SHAUN BUZZA on Wed Feb 2 00:31:00 2022
    Having said that, some of us who are hanging from the bottom rung with a
    >pinky still have to choose between rent, food, or TP.

    Sorry to hear things are so bad for you, and a lot of others. As I said
    before, I wouldn't comment directly on someone else's situation. Only you know where you stand and what you are going through. That said, the gov't has
    passed out a huge amount of money trying to support as many people as they can and they can't keep doing it forever. Hopefully before too many more months this thing will start to reverse itself or get so mild that we can finally Safely treat it like the Flu and get back to living our lives.

    My situation is different since I'm on pensions now so my income is
    guaranteed, if not too high, and my only worry is shortages of things I need
    to buy and the rising costs of gas and groceries, but that is minor compared
    to what a lot of younger people have had to put up with.

    I was also self employed the last 33 years I worked so it's a long time since
    I had to put up with others telling me what I have to do or the threat of losing my job, although at times you lose your income for a while so it's not all a bed of roses..

    Hang in there.. this too shall pass..

    ---
    * SLMR Rob * ...and the universe responds by creating better idiots
    * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)
  • From Rob Mccart@1:2320/105 to AUGUST ABOLINS on Wed Feb 2 01:01:00 2022
    person in the country for health care and you can make
    about $22,000 a year before you pay a penny in income tax,
    helping out those low income people some.

    I think the threshold is lower. Even people living solely on
    >gov't pension (approx $1400/mo) are still calculated to owe
    >taxes.

    I may have misspoke because the people I used to figure that out are on pensions and I guess part of that is not counted as income so the number
    looked higher to me.. I appologize for that.

    A segment of the population will remain struggling.

    Definitely.. No question a lot of people are suffering through no fault of their own and that sucks..

    Also, as far as the trucker protest goes, I think it's hard for the gov't to support that too strongly because so many people who are against gov't policy are heavily behind it. I can't believe they haven't come up with a better way to deal with cross border trucks, either let them go through if they can stay in their vehicles for the most part or have a depot where loads are dropped at the border and picked up by a driver from that country to complete the delivery. This could be done in both directions.

    Something that was mentioned, but was quickly shut down because it doesn't make for exciting news, is that 90% of the truckers are vaccinated, they are mostly not against vaccines, and a large number of them participated not strictly against Covid restrictions, but against 'bad conditions' - many pointing out the new Carbon taxes cutting into their already reduced incomes at the worst possible time and fuel prices the highest in history.

    Arguably there have been unpopular good decisions made during this crisis and
    a lot of bad decisions too. It is, for now, to be endured and I believe this will come to an end one way or another, before too long. By that I mean it won't go on forever as some are suggesting. People adapt to things both mentally and physically.

    Plus viruses tend to mutate to a less harmful state because it does them no good to kill off the 'host'. Omicron is the first step there, not quite as dangerous but easier to catch, great for the virus. However it will act like
    a booster shot for everyone, not just those who've been vaccinated, and may eventually get the percentage of people with strong immunity coverage so high that it stops spreading altogther.

    ---
    * SLMR Rob * My 2 cents for what it's worth.. (2 cents?)
    * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)
  • From Shaun Buzza@1:229/110 to Mike Powell on Wed Feb 2 18:25:51 2022
    If you are reading the political echoes, or sysop echoes, sometimes that is the only way to read them. :D

    Mike

    STOP STALKING ME! \(@_@)/
    (that's a joke, I say 'joke', son!)

    I am definitely never going to read, or post in, POLITICS again. I am probably going to speak up in some sysop echoes, though; after all, I'm a SysOp, too! t(-_-t)

    Cheers!

    McDoob
    SysOp, PiBBS
    pibbs.sytes.net

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A46 2020/08/26 (Raspberry Pi/32)
    * Origin: PiBBS (1:229/110)
  • From Ward Dossche@2:292/854 to Shaun Buzza on Fri Feb 4 13:00:23 2022
    Before you ask, no. The company I used to work for no longer exists. And
    I am too old and far too pissed off to learn a new job.

    Not even as a male-prostitute? :-) :-)

    \%/@rd

    --- DB4 - Jan 26 2022
    * Origin: Hou het veilig, hou vol. Het komt allemaal weer goed (2:292/854)
  • From Shaun Buzza@1:229/110 to Ward Dossche on Fri Feb 4 13:11:50 2022
    Before you ask, no. The company I used to work for no longer exists. A I am too old and far too pissed off to learn a new job.

    Not even as a male-prostitute? :-) :-)

    Dude, I'd really go hungry if I tried to do that. I could never accept a male client, and I can hardly get females to look at me even now, let alone get
    them pay to see me naked! (o_O)

    McDoob
    SysOp, PiBBS
    pibbs.sytes.net

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A46 2020/08/26 (Raspberry Pi/32)
    * Origin: PiBBS (1:229/110)
  • From August Abolins@1:153/757.21 to Rob Mccart on Sun Feb 6 13:16:00 2022
    Hello Rob Mccart!

    ** On Wednesday 02.02.22 - 00:31, Rob Mccart wrote to SHAUN BUZZA:

    Having said that, some of us who are hanging from the
    bottom rung with a pinky still have to choose between
    rent, food, or TP.

    ...the gov't has passed out a huge amount of money trying
    to support as many people as they can and they can't keep
    doing it forever.

    The same gov't has made it difficult for many small businesses
    to qualify for particular handouts too. Instead, a lot of those
    businesses decided to close permanently out of frustration.

    This is what should have happend: if businesses were ordered to
    close or reduce operations, then ALL businesses should have
    been treated equally, and that includes banks and financial
    institutions. It is ludicrous to force a restaurant to reduce
    capacity by 50% and yet the very financial institutions that
    may have a vested interest in the success of that business can
    still factor 100% of interest owing.

    The best that we got out of banks and creditors was temporarily
    deferred payments oweing. Most credit card companies just
    deferred for 6 months. But meanwhile interest accrued on top of
    that. After that period, they factored in all monies for the
    previous 6 months. However, retailers had no luxury of
    earnings like that. What business was lost was lost forever.
    There is no way to catch-up and make up for reduced business in
    the previous 6 months. I'd love to have the privilege to
    expect no lost revenue in those 6 months!

    The govt's have interrupted and messed up the business-model of
    many legitimate and hopeful businesses, yet those same gov'ts
    are extending privileges to financial institutions.

    Hopefully before too many more months this thing will
    start to reverse itself or get so mild that we can finally
    Safely treat it like the Flu and get back to living our
    lives.

    But the damage is done. Respectable businesses have lost
    revenue, forever. Meanwhile, debt collection has been allowed
    to proceed as if nothing ever happened. There is total
    imbalance in that equation.

    My situation is different since I'm on pensions now so my
    income is guaranteed, if not too high, and my only worry
    is shortages of things I need to buy and the rising costs
    of gas and groceries, but that is minor compared to what a
    lot of younger people have had to put up with.

    There's your chance to reduce your standard of living like the
    rest of us! ;) I have adjusted to live on a very limited set
    of food basics. It's not pretty, but it's still primarily
    wholefood based and healthy.

    Hang in there.. this too shall pass..

    It may pass.. but the damage is done: financially, and
    emotionally. I can understand how exiting this hell-hole of a
    planet that the gov'ts have created can be a better option.
    --
    ../|ug

    --- OpenXP 5.0.51
    * Origin: Stare into this point intently ->.<- (1:153/757.21)
  • From Rob Mccart@1:2320/105 to AUGUST ABOLINS on Tue Feb 8 00:50:00 2022
    ...the gov't has passed out a huge amount of money trying
    to support as many people as they can and they can't keep
    doing it forever.

    The same gov't has made it difficult for many small businesses
    >to qualify for particular handouts too. Instead, a lot of those
    >businesses decided to close permanently out of frustration.

    I know you speak from your own experience, and not everyone was
    able to get access to help, but I would be willing to bet that
    Canada passed out more money to businesses for Not working than
    almost any other country. They tried to 'purchase' the most
    protection for the economy without totally bankrupting the
    country for the next 100 years.

    Of course ANY concessions from financial institutions is
    always a surprise if you ask me.. And the only way the gov't
    could control what banks charge would be to take them over.
    The only time the gov't ever had any control over banks was back
    during the mortgage meltdown a few years back, controling things
    like the bonuses the higher ups gave themselves, but the banks
    sure paid those gov't loans back fast to get control over that
    stuff back.

    It should maybe be noted that the number of business bankruptcies
    per year during the pandemic was LOWER than in the 2 years before
    the pandemic started.

    The situation sucks for a huge number of people, some a Lot worse
    off than others, but this thing was thrust upon us and there's
    really no way to prepare for something that only happens about
    every 100 years or so. Honestly I was amazed the gov't did as much
    as they did. Maybe moreso since we have a Conservative Premier in
    Ontario and I really expected him to err WAY on the side of keeping
    people at work rather than protecting their health..

    The system was far from perfect, no question. Not nearly enough
    monitoring of things. They wanted to get help to people Fast rather
    than controled. A friend of mine who owns an Automotive place
    almost went bankrupt because the gov't made it so easy to get the
    CERB payments. He lost his 3 mechanics because all they had to say
    was they found it 'safer' to stay home than go to work, and he was
    blocked from replacing them, their jobs were protected as long as
    the place didn't declare bankruptcy. Meanwhile, you could go into
    one of those 50% capacity bars in town and find those mechanics
    there getting drunk with their friends on their 'paid vacation'.
    I'd say that a mechaninc who doesn't even have to talk to customers
    and each having their own garage bay shouldn't be too terrified of
    getting Covid at work.

    I doubt you could find anyone who hasn't lost something through
    this thing, even if it's just shortages of things and higher bills
    but I don't feel the powers that be totally blew things, regardless
    of choices made that excluded some people from more help.

    It could have been a lot worse for a lot more people.

    ---
    * SLMR Rob * Be naughty--save Santa the trip!
    * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)