Here, ladies and gentlemen, is the sort of thing I like to see: the government being held accountable for it’s spending practices.
“Each year, the government is spending tens of millions more than necessary,” Fraser said.
In one of the three reports she submits annually to Parliament, Fraser looked at six government agencies that administer drug plans to various groups, including aboriginals and Inuit, veterans, the military, some immigrants, inmates and some parolees.
She said the agencies did not use common cost-saving methods in its drug plans.
In one case, federal programs could have saved $13 million if they used the Defence Department’s practice of going for the lowest-cost alternative.
— ‘Government wasting millions in drug programs: Fraser’, CBC News
Note that there is no suggestion of eliminating services, or reducing them. There is only the idea that the services the government does provide should be managed as efficiently as possible. That is the first step towards fiscally responsible government. The second step is, of course, eliminating needless spending altogether, followed by reduction of the national debt.
Government should provide as few services as it can, and run those services as efficiently as possible. In that way, the things that need to be provided by the government (coin, courts, defense, basic health care) can be, but superfluous programs are not there to waste our tax dollars.
If the article only whets your appetite, there’s a nice summary, and the report itself to gorge yourself on. [Geeky sidenote: the Feds use Lotus.]
Posted on 24 November 2004 in Uncategorized
1 Comment »
Back in highschool I was hopelessly addicted to a show called Almost Live! It was a sketch comedy show produced in Seattle. (One of the benefits of BC is Seattle television like KING 5 and KCTS 9.) Now, I’m not going to talk about how Bill Nye got his break as Speed Walker, the speed walking superhero, on Almost Live!, or how Pat Cashman (the ‘Phil Hartman’ of the Almost Live! cast) did the voice-overs for Bill Nye The Science Guy (nor how that show was produced at KCTS). I am not even going to expound on the comic brilliance of the John Report, insult the city of Kent, or reminice fondly about the Lame List.
Instead I will mention one little clip that was shown on one episode, just once. That clip was of William Shatner singing Rocket Man. It was really poor quality video, and it had been heavily processed back in the ’70s when it was produced… but the simple horror of three William Shatners on screen at once, all singing an Elton John song, has stuck with me to this day. And I still think it’s one of the most insane things I’ve ever seen.
Well, it turns out that that performance was part of the 1978 Science Fiction Movie Awards. And, yes, it is available on the Internet. Right here. Share and Enjoy.
Posted on 17 November 2004 in Uncategorized
Comments Off
Okay, so here’s the video, and here’s the original intro:
This is a car advertisement from Germany. When they finished filming the ad, the people who made it, noticed something moving along the side of the car, like a ghostly white mist.
If you turn up the sound, you can also hear whispering. The ad was never put on TV because the unexplained ghostly phenomenon frightened the production team out of their wits. Watch it and about halfway through (after the car comes from behind the trees) look closely and you will see the white mist coming up from behind the car and then following it along the road!
So, turn the volume up and watch carefully… then draw your own conclusions.
via bob cogdon
Posted on 15 November 2004 in Uncategorized
Comments Off
2005-03-05: Fixed the image link.
Posted on 5 November 2004 in Uncategorized
4 Comments »
