There Are Two Ways To Acquire Wealth. Earn it or Steal it.

You'll have to excuse my terrible photoshopping skills,

2010: A Canadian Review

I don't know about you, but personally 2010 was a great year for me. Here's what happened in Canada:

It's The State, Stupid!

Recently people, namely activists and some who champion 'liberty' have been decrying big businesses for one reason or another. Whether it be Walmart for Janet Napolitano's Big Sister announcement or the boycotting of Amazon for pulling Wikileaks from their servers. We're even supposed to approve of hacking into credit card companies because of their “anti-Wikileaks” stance.

I would like to clear a few things up, although to many it may seem pretty obvious.

The IMF On Canada

The IMF (International Monetary Fund) released their report on Canada last week. Let's see what it says:

Recent data point to a further weakening in the economic recovery

A jobless recovery is no recovery at all. Of course there is going to be further weakening, throwing money at problems rarely fixes anything.

Keiser Report Talks About Canada

Nicole "Stoneleigh" Foss from the Automatic Earth was on the Keiser Report talking about the Canadian housing bubble. Here's the link, interview starts at 13:40.... warning: towards the end the interview Max and Foss start going on about "man-made" global warming and the "evil" Alberta tar sands.

It amazes me that for all his knowledge on the financial situation, Max really hasn't educated himself on the climate change issue.

RIP Don Van Vliet, "Captain Beefheart"

This really has nothing to do with the subjects of this blog, but Don Van Vliet or "Captain Beefheart" was a huge inspiration for me, he changed the way I listened to music. I even have the cover of Trout Mask Replica tattooed to my leg. After a long battle with multiple sclerosis, Don died at the age of 69.

He will be missed.

Semi-Multicoloured Caucasian

Electricity + Sure 'Nuff 'N' Yes I Do

For those of you that are interested in the man's life, but not his music (it is rather challenging) here's an excellent documentary available via youtube.

Toronto Star Says No Housing Bubble

I noticed Ben over at Financial Insights has already debunked this Toronto Star article so be sure to check that out (and while you're there be sure to check out my guest-post). As it's the holiday season my posts won't be as frequent now. But I'll be back in January writing Monday – Friday.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!


If you visit this blog regularly or take a look at my previous posts, you'll find that I like to pick on the Toronto Star a lot. That's mainly because the physical paper is delivered to my house everyday. I don't subscribe to it, the people I live with do. But the temptation is too much. I know if I pick up the paper I'm only going to find Leftist propaganda, particularly in the business section where every economic fallacy known to man is purported as truth. But I gotta do it (it motivates me to write these rebuttals).

Do you think future generations will be taught in school that old-fashioned newspapers were really just propaganda for the State?

Here's some propaganda – Our housing market to side step U.S. style bubble by Mark Weisleder.

Conrad Black is a Moron

Lately the National Post has been biased on the side of individual liberty & economic freedom; featuring editorials by Peter Schiff, and criticizing Carney when Carney was criticizing gold. They're still statist, but for a national newspaper, that's a given. I don't understand why Conrad Black writes editorials for them however, his economic views would better suit the leftist Toronto Star. Like all statists, Conrad wants to spend other peoples money. I think he helped create the National Post, which explains how he gets away with writing the most idiotic things. Prison life really did a number on his mental capacity.

Here are some more suggestions …. of policies that could revive the federal Liberal party, though they would be equally becoming to the government.

Okay Conrad, let's hear it.

The North Pole Economy: A Christmas Story

Carrots are a good way of treating reindeer to a little snack as they help Santa do his once-a-year trip around the world delivering toys to children. Yes, carrots are nice but milk and cookies are a must and not because Santa enjoys them personally. In fact Santa Claus is lactose intolerant and has been on a no-cookie diet since 1987. The real reason we leave milk and cookies out is because these resources are the fuel that drive the North Pole economy. It's too expensive to keep cows producing milk in Arctic conditions and imported cookies from Canada are subject to various taxes and regulation. So Santa maintains his North Pole civilization by making exports a driving factor, and in return for these exports he gets cookies and milk. This is basis of the North Pole economy.

Keeping Interest Rates Low

My favourite thing about getting news online are the comments. No longer do letters to the editor need be to thought-out and expressed coherently. No longer are the opinions of the readers filtered through the editor's pick-and-publish criteria of newspaper letters. On the internet, one can read a story and immediately comment on it. Then other people can disagree and before you know it, the comment section has become an online debate.

I like going to the CBC website to do this. For those who aren't aware, the CBC is a Crown Corporation (fancy term for State-sanctioned Media) and more often than not, portrays the State in a favourable light. A perfect example is the current debate on low interest rates. The CBC is not alone in editorial slants that praise the BoC's work. Plenty of news outlets praise low interest rates as helpful to Canadian families, and criticize Mark Carney when he tries to raise them.

This post is a brief overview of what interest rates actually are, and why keeping them artificially low destroys the economy.

RBC Loses Triple-A Rating

Anyone that visits this blog regularly knows that I'm bearish on Canadian banks. Particularly the Royal Bank of Canada. This bank appeared on a G20 list of too-big-too-fail banks, and the list that came from the Fed showing how much RBC received in bail-out money.

And now Moody's has downgraded RBC's triple A rating.

Keep your eyes on RBC, I imagine things are only going to get worse from here.

Toronto Star Has Gone Communist!

I know it's a left-wing 'liberal' paper – but this is ridiculous. Isn't liberal supposed to mean limited government? Hayek was right. The Star had a field day when Don Cherry called Mayor Ford's opposition 'pink kooks'. Now it looks like the Star is proving Cherry right by driving another mile down the road to serfdom.

Here's last Saturday's editorial by John Cartwright, The President of the Toronto and York Region Labour Council.

“Wealthy stockbroker drives by nine men who have been locked out of their jobs at the First Canadian Place...“The watch I’m wearing is worth more than you earn in a year. Get out of my way!””

You can see where its going to go from here.

Bank of Canada: 2011 Is Gonna Suck!

The Bank of Canada released it's Financial Review report yesterday. It's Friday so I'm not going to pick apart the entire report. I might do that next week, so in the meantime here's a summary via the CBC.

The Fed Bailed Out Canadian Banks

I've always maintained – without a shred of proof – that Canadian banks would be on a secret Fed-bailout list. I found it hard to fathom that our financial system was somehow immune to the recession. I know Flaherty bought some bad mortgages, but was that it?

Apparently not.

Heeere's The Recession!

Remember that recession we had two years ago? It's coming back!

Stolen Documents from the Bank of Canada

Forget Wikileaks - Canada has its own little scandal involving Mark Carney, stolen documents and a mysterious list that groups RBC with other "too big to fail" banks. Like Julian Assange, there's another first-rate thief Canadians can thank.

Freeman on the Land: A Perspective

Who are Canada's 'freemen'?

There's no doubt that the internet has led to a mass awakening in humanity. The secret of money is no longer a secret, the State as a parasitical entity is finally gaining acceptance and nearly everyone knows what fractional reserve banking is. The internet is supreme – information has been freed. Speaking of free, here's something called the Freeman on the land movement. Steps you can take to legally opt-out of the State.

Crazy idea on the internet or a legitimate way to discharge debt and avoid paying taxes?

Doctors Start Using Logic

Look beyond tax hikes to fund medicare: study

"If we raise the money privately, then obviously some people will have better access to care, quicker access to care than other people."— Dr. Irfan Dhalla

I've been saying that for years, it's nice health-care professionals are now using reason and logic to come to their conclusions. If Canadians aren't ready for complete privatization then perhaps the State should abolish the income tax and establish a Health-Care Tax. Make this tax voluntary and we're in the right direction toward a profit-and-loss enterprise.

But of course that's not going to happen anytime soon.

Canadian Whiners of the Week

Microsoft appeal on i4i patent goes to top court

“The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a $290-million US dispute between Microsoft Corp. and Canadian technology company i4i Inc. over complaints that the former's ubiquitous Word program violates one of i4i's patents.”

Here's the deal – without Microsoft's revolution in computer software a Canadian company like i4i Inc would have never come into existence. i4i are claiming Microsoft stole their software, so instead of improving on their own software, thus making Microsoft's “ripped-off” version obsolete, they've run to the State like a kid crying because he didn't get his way.

Patents stifle innovation, creativity and everything else that's great about free enterprise and the flow of ideas. Running to the Nanny State because Big Evil Microsoft innovated on one of your ideas is the definition of getting a free lunch.

Free markets are the guarantee that no one gets a free lunch.

Canada Sucks

The stimulus plan is the dumbest idea I've ever heard of. All it did was add $100 billion to an already $500 billion dollar federal debt. If you include the provinces and municipalities then the figures stands at $1.1 trillion. That is the amount that has been stolen by Canadians by the criminal class we call Democratic Government. And these figures don't even take into account the real amount of inflation - or unfunded liabilities.

Drill Baby Drill! (Just do it in private)

Arctic offshore drilling review underway

“Gaetan Caron, chair of the federal regulator, met privately with Northwest Territories Premier Floyd Roland and Energy Minister Bob McLeod in Yellowknife on Nov. 24 to discuss infrastructure, devolution and the oil companies that are eager to start drilling.”

Well now, this is terrible news. Not the drilling part, the part about a bureaucrat regulator, a bureaucrat premier and a bureaucrat minister meeting to discuss the drilling (sounds like the beginning of a bad joke).

Cultural Treason – Things Not To Say in Canada

It's that time of the year again. The holiday season when boyfriends across the country meet their girlfriend's parents for Christmas dinner. Meeting her parents can be the most gut-wrenching experience in a young man's life, especially if her Dad is a big French-Canadian.

So when sitting around the dinner table making conversation remember the saying about never discussing religion and politics. I don't remember what that saying is, so if you're not Canadian stay away from these subjects if you want to look good in the eyes of her Canadian family.