Saskatchewan's Pamela Wallin is the latest senator to be hit with a scandal involving expenses. Apparently, Wallin needed approximately $320 000 to travel to and from Saskatchewan from Ottawa and surrounding area last year. Wallin, a native of Wadena, says she goes home as much as she can; which was 168 days last year. That's still $2000 per trip if she makes a trip every second or third day; which I don't believe for a nano second. I know she's a popular figure around our area, but this is just as wrong as Mike Duffy, Patrick Brazeau, and Mac Harb; who I wrote about last week.
My feeling is that in this day and age of technology, you do not need to be back and forth so many times (as she claims) in order to, effectively, represent Saskatchewan in the senate. And, if you like Saskatchewan that much, then stay here and resign your seat. Boy, the news media is sure doing something wrong when Pamela Wallin spends $320 000 a year on travel back and forth from Saskatchewan and I haven't got a hot clue how that benefits this province when it comes to senate business. Somebody enlighten me please. Something else I dislike about Canadian media right now is that stories about Wallin, Duffy, etc. will go by the wayside of something else in no time at all and these people will continue to get off scot free.
I didn't get any emails last week either as to what benefit the Senate really is for Canada.
Here's another good one: Liberal leader hopeful Justin Trudeau has earned about $1-million in speaking fees since he announced his intention to run for federal office in 2007. Sound unethical? It should, but he has broken no Parliamentary rules and that's even worse. Evidently, there are no regulations in place preventing federal politicians from making extra income from giving speeches. Amazing, since talking to school boards, library associations, youth groups, and charities should be part of their public duty anyway.
Now that this colossal waste of public money has been revealed to the public, I don't want to see any more complaints about mis-spending on First Nations Reserves in Canada. We need to clean up government officials on Parliament Hill before we tackle anything else. And, folks, we are a long way from doing that. As Jay Boyd said to me the other day, "We, as Canadians, have a right to install new crooks as MPs every four years." My opinion is that people like Wallin, Duffy, Theresa Spence, and anyone else who has, allegedly, abused public money should be put on trial and, if guilty, thrown in the clink.
Former country music star Mindy McCready's troubled life came to an end on Sunday when she committed suicide. It was her third attempt at ending her life and comes just weeks after her husband died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds. What's most sad is that this poor woman was a suicide waiting to happen and there wasn't anything anyone could do in order to prevent it, apparently. She leaves behind two kids, one of whom is just nine months old. Tragic. What's frustrating is that there are no answers. Mental illness is something I can't even begin to understand.
I'm not sure I'll ever be able to cheer for Dwight Anderson; but it's good to have him on the Roughriders. The Defensive Back has said some pretty rude things to Rider fans over the years (I have personally heard a few from my seat near the visitors' sideline) and he has some other issues (such as playing selfishly) too; but the guy can play football and will be the best at his position that the Riders have had in recent years. Re-signing Linebacker Tyron Brackenridge was key. Sure, they've lost Odell Willis and Shomari Williams in free agency this month; but I found Willis to be inconsistent and Williams was a borderline bust.
I couldn't help but laugh at Evander Kane's suggestion that the reason why Winnipeg Jet fans are so critical of him is because of his race. I guess Kane never bothered to look across the dressing room to see how loved Dustin Byfuglien is.
I wonder where all those people are who suggested the Jennifer Jones curling team had reached the end of the line in 2011 after they lost the Scotties final to Amber Holland (Saskatchewan). That was the year Jones, despite winning three Scotties' titles in a row, made the move to Kaitlyn Lawes at Third and dumped Cathy Overton-Clapham. The highly decorated, and popular, Overton-Clapham skipped her own team that year and advanced to the Scotties by winning the Manitoba playdowns. Yet, it was Jones who won Manitoba in 2012 and finished as a second runner-up at the Scotties and you can bet after winning Manitoba again in 2013 (despite recently having a baby ) that she will be in the mix this weekend again.
There are not many feelings better than the one you get when you see, first hand, the positive impact you can make on the lives of others. I'm not usually sappy; but I got that feeling one day last week and it was pretty darned cool.
Nice person mentions this week to Ashley Restau, Don Ruf, Wanda Guay, Rick Dillabough, Darcy MacMillan, Bruce Luebke, and Darren Hardy.
