Saturday December 9, 2017
Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday December 9, 2017
tree
Tuesday January 24, 2017
Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday January 24, 2017
Welcome to the White House website, home of ‘alternative facts’
In just one weekend, the website has posted false statistics about rising crime, when crime has actually gone down over the last eight years and has ripped down sections about climate change, civil and LGBT rights
If the reader needs evidence that the White House is shifting towards a dictatorial, opaque administration, look no further than its own website
US Presidential Wall Chart by Graeme MacKay
Peruse the site at your own leisure; no need to access this evidence via the “dishonest” media.In just one weekend, the website has posted false statistics about rising crime, when crime has actually gone down over the last eight years. It has ripped down sections about climate change, civil rights and LGBT rights. It has also failed to update its website in a timely fashion, including the executive order section, despite the President having already signed several, including “easing the burden of Obamacare” which threatens millions of Americans with no health care coverage.
The President, his press secretary, senior adviser and chief of staff have all attacked the media in the last three days, saying they have been “deliberately dishonest”.
Press secretary Sean Spicer walked out of his first press conference on Saturday after an angry speech about how the media reported the crowd size at Donald Trump’s inauguration. He did not take a single question. The press briefing part of the website has not been updated.
Senior adviser and former campaign manager Kellyanne Conway defended her colleague, saying he provided the media with “alternative facts”.
The gaffes continue. On the White House’s official page of First Lady Melania Trump, staff added the name of her jewellery brand and then swiftly deleted it after they were accused of promoting her commercial venture.
The same page also reads that Melania Trump “paused her studies” at university to pursue modelling, whereas the campaign’s previous website said she had completed a degree in Slovenia.
Selective curation to advance a right-wing agenda is also being carried out on the website of the US government’s supposedly independent House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. In the “news section” there is an article by right-wing outlet the Washington Examiner, which accuses the director of the Office of Government Ethics, Walter Shaub, for making negative comments about Trump’s alleged conflicts of interest but failing to report alleged conflicts of interest under Obama. (Source: The Independent)
Thursday November 15, 2012
By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator, Thursday November 15, 2012
Fallen acorns a threat to kids with allergies
A York Region mother is fighting to have oak trees removed near her child’s school, fearing that acorns could pose a deadly threat to students with severe allergies.
Donna Giustizia said the young trees on property owned by the City of Vaughan next to St. Stephen Catholic Elementary School are littering the area with acorns. The school, meanwhile, is nut-free to protect students with potentially life-threatening anaphylactic allergies.
“A false sense of security is putting a sign on the door that says nut-free and there’s nuts all over the place,” said Giustizia, who has two teenage children with anaphylactic food allergies, one of whom attends St. Stephen.
“I’m not a crazy mom, I’m not asking for anything that’s not already there.”
Giustizia appeared before Vaughan’s committee of the whole last week to plead for the removal of the trees.
Several councillors at the meeting questioned the precedent that removing the trees might set. Thornhill/Concord Councillor Sandra Yeung Racco wondered whether removing these trees would mean having to remove oak trees from other public properties where children with allergies might be exposed.
Councillors referred the matter to staff to prepare a report on the issue. City communications manager Ted Hallas said in an email that staff wouldn’t release details of the report before it is presented to councillors. (Source: Toronto Star)
Thursday May 26, 2011
By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday May 26, 2011
Budget will phase out political subsidies
The government will table its post-election budget on June 6, a document that will implement the Conservatives’ promise to phase out political subsidies.
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty made the announcement Wednesday morning on Parliament Hill.
“On Monday, June 6 our government will reintroduce the next phase of Canada’s economic action plan, a low tax plan for jobs and growth,” Flaherty said.
The document will include several updates to reflect election promises, but Flaherty said the budget will be almost identical to the document that was unveiled prior to the election. The original budget died when the election writ was dropped, and never went to a vote in the House of Commons.
Among the changes: the budget will make good on a Conservative election promise to end political subsidies.
“We will include phasing out the per-vote political party subsidy as according to what was set out in the platform…which was a phasing out,” Flaherty said when asked by CTV’s Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife.
The budget will also set aside $2.2 billion to fund an agreement the government hopes to reach with Quebec to create a Harmonized Sales Tax.
With the Conservatives’ new majority government status, there is little doubt the budget will pass.
New Democrat Leader Jack Layton lashed out over the elimination of the political party subsidies, suggesting the move was damaging to democracy (Source: CTV News) http://www.ctvnews.ca/budget-due-june-6-will-phase-out-political-subsidies-1.648866