Daily Digest September 27-28, 2008

The DAILY DIGEST: INFORMATION and OPINION from ST. JOHN'S to VICTORIA.
ARCHIVED at http://cdndailydigest.blogspot.com/

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Feds have raised $4.25 billion in the wireless spectrum auction

QUESTION: WHERE IS THE $4.25 BILLION NOW?

You may be adept at reading financial statements, I'm anything but. I go immediately to the bottom line and usually wait for others to raise errors or omissions.

Take a look at The Fiscal Monitor for July, "July 2008: budgetary surplus of $1.7 billion" http://www.fin.gc.ca/FISCMON/2008-07e.html .

I did to find reference to the $4.25 billion wireless spectrum auction income of that month. I couldn't find it.

This is a somewhat critical question because the April to July 2008 budgetary surplus of $2.9 billion is less than the $4.25 billion sale of assets.

There's a saying "Follow the money".

Now the  $4.25 billion wireless spectrum auction income has to be somewhere, right?  You read the July report and let me know if you can find it.

An article was written in August suggested "This year's surplus relies on the financial injection of $4.25 billion from the just-completed auction of wireless airwave licences, a one-time event." http://www.seemagazine.com/article/news/comment/deficit-could-spell-doom-tories/

Is there a relationship between the "one time event" and this headline? Federal surplus hits $1.69B in July:Surpasses target after flirting with deficit http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/story.html?id=c31f5ac6-e6be-4bb3-9d35-1fa9be2f85e1

In that economic competency is now high in the election debates the QUESTION: WHERE IS THE $4.25 BILLION NOW? demands an answer.

         Joe

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AFGHANISTAN -

Revealed: secret Taliban peace bid
Saudis are sponsoring a peace dialogue involving a former senior member of the hardline group
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/28/afghanistan.defence

US steps up Pakistan raids to thwart al-Qaeda 'October surprise' plot

US general: Taliban can't launch winter campaign

Afghan minister does not confirm Taliban talks
Reuters (09/28/2008)

Karzai's Popularity Slips in Afghanistan
The Washington Independent (09/27/2008)

Why the West thinks it is time to talk to the Taliban
The Observer (09/27/2008)

Taliban revival sets fear swirling through Kabul
The Sunday Times (09/27/2008)

As Crime Increases in Kabul, So Does Nostalgia for Taliban
The Washington Post (09/27/2008)

Black Widow's inhospitable beauty
BBC (09/27/2008)

Call for attack on Afghan drugs
FT.com (09/27/2008)

Afghan army: key to the end of the war
Zaman, Turkey (09/27/2008)

Life worsens for Afghan families
Canwest News (09/27/2008)

Afghan army slowly pulls itself up by bootstraps
Reuters (09/27/2008)

'A Surge Is Good'
Newsweek (09/27/2008)

Good night for McCain, better one for Obama
Boston Globe (09/27/2008)

Afghanistan's Karzai: 'I yelled, Bush smiled'
AFP (09/27/2008)

U.S. Afghan policy review sees no big changes
Reuters (09/27/2008)

McCain "Cut-and-Run" from Afghanistan,"Forfeited Gains" and Was Snookered by bin Laden
Huffington Post (09/27/2008)

Afghanistan slips under a blind eye
Sydney Morning Herald (09/27/2008)

Bush, Karzai discuss Afghan reconstruction, violence
USA Today (09/27/2008)

118 Hostages Are Released by Insurgents
AFP (09/27/2008)

Bush and Karzai Forgot the Elephant in the Room
USNewswire (09/27/2008)

NATO Hopes to Undercut Taliban With 'Surge' of Projects
The Washington Post (09/27/2008)

Party Promises

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080918/election2008_promises_080918/20080924?s_name=election2008&no_ads =

Poll's New Democrats have been reaping the benefits of an ongoing slide in Liberal support, a new poll suggests. MORE...

Layton guns for top job

Liberal support 'evaporating,' NDP creep closer to official Opposition: Poll

Harper suggests his opponents are hurting the Canadian economy by "talking it down" in this election campaign. MORE...

Liberals keep watch on wallets. MORE...

NDP dream scenario a Liberal nightmare MORE...

Heavy weather for Dion MORE...

A Liberal prophet without honour in his own party MORE...

A little cut and thrust, please MORE...

Fired candidate: Was Liberal lefty clobbered by her own swing?. MORE...

Harper stands by his man McGarry in tough times MORE...

How can voters take the NDP seriously? MORE...

TV footage unwinds into election ad snarl-up
Tories accused of another copyright violation. Acting on a complaint from the Liberal campaign, CTV is trying to determine if any of its news footage has wound up in the Conservative party election advertising. MORE...

Wake up from election slumber. MORE...

A tale of three candidates MORE...

Politics before the storm: questions for Harper. MORE...

PM embraces the 'ordinary people'. MORE...

Quebec again the front line in potentially critical election. MORE...

Separatist goon squad rides again MORE...

Stephen, Stephane who?. MORE...

Grits head for crater. MORE...

Bloc wedges back. MORE...

Harper has same image as Thatcher: harsh and humourless.. MORE...

Harper may be many things but he's not 'mean-spirited'.. MORE...

Green Shift shuffle. MORE...

Election is making me feel green. MORE...

There's money in that entertainment industry. MORE...

National unity? Who cares?. MORE...

Keeping tabs on loopy candidates MORE...

Real election questions  MORE...

Doing the city-rural two-step is a ballot box flop MORE...

It's called infrastructure
Imagine if you built a house and then didn't make any repairs to it for 50 years. That's essentially what municipal, provincial and federal politicians have done with regard to maintaining and upgrading our urban infrastructure. MORE...

NDP surge in cities as Liberals languish: Poll

Layton guns for top job

Liberal support 'evaporating,' NDP creep closer to official Opposition: Poll

Opening Liberal acts offer contrast to Dion's main event

Tory candidate accused of making offensive statements

Liberals call for the resignation of 'unfit' NDP candidate

Latest CPAC-Nanos Tracking
CP 39, LP 25, NDP 19, GP 9, BQ 8

Ignatieff makes pitch to NDP, Green supporters

"It's sad to see what we built up get pissed away" Kinsella

Stephane Dion blasts Harper for 'low blow' tactics

New Liberal attack ad

Harper edges closer to majority

Liberals projected to lose almost all close races

Tories well ahead of Liberals in Ontario's swing ridings: poll

Tories projected to win seats in Ontario, B.C.
 
Agency waited 5 days to issue recall
Officials slam CFIA for alleged conflict of interest in handling tainted meat crisis

Listeriosis death toll rises to 19

Fortress to flophouse?

Liberals already musing about potential leaders

A federal pension horror show
A chilling tale of bureaucratic deceit that could cost the government tens of millions of dollars

Ottawa appeals court ruling on Gomery findings

How the Tories hijacked Stéphane Dion's image

Tory candidates tight-lipped
PM's communications director says there's no reason local Conservative candidates should be talking to national media.

'No suggestion' of RCMP probe

Liberals hobbled by own reforms

Dion in need of converts

Wrecking-ball Harper accuses Liberals of being anti-Alberta, pro-recession

Dion slams Harper for accusation Liberals cheering for recession

Harper, Dion exchange fierce barbs over economy

Harper's homecoming

No tradeoffs for Quebec: Charest

Dion angling for a spot in history he likely doesn't want

Liberal candidate: The Green Shift is not "revenue-neutral"

Liberals criticize Tories' judgment on Bernier-Couillard affair

RCMP probe of Couillard still active as patronage allegations surface

Harper defends Calgary candidate, blames 'gotcha journalism'
 
Dion ditches candidate over remarks about 9-11

Stunned Candidate learned of ouster from reporter

Grudge matches and bellwethers in the 2008 election

Provinces slam Tory art cuts, call for post-election meeting

Federal surplus hits $1.69B in July

Two Canadian soldiers injured in Taliban attack

Top Afghan policewoman shot dead

Harper picking democrats in U.S.

Tories Near Majority, Grits and NDP Tied

Leaders in battle for Toronto votes

NDP to pledge $400/month child benefit

Layton to release platform in Toronto on Sunday

Half of voters against idea of coalition

May: Strategic voting doesn't work

Vote-swapping websites target city ridings

'It's crunch time,' Ignatieff warns NDP, Greens

It may be 'too late' for Dion

Baird skips debate

Parties comb Web for controversial comments

Candidates done in by the skeletons in their (online) closets

Grits, NDP engage in a little mudslinging

Google vetting

'Best to leave before you get thrown out'

Critical campaign. Weathering storms from sovereignists, federalists

Child's appeal fails to get to Harper

Belinda's seat a toss-up

How to fix the Green Shift

Press gives Dion puffin print for birthday

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OPINION AND INFORMATION
 'Who Killed Canada?'  A 2008 Election Primer
 
This hard-hitting, fast-paced Canadian information video, packed with graphs, statistics Canada figures, OECD comparison studies, produced by John Riddell, is based on Mel Hurtig's "The Truth About Canada".
 
It looks at how we treat our own people; considers the effects of the FTAs and the highly secretive Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) on the Canadian economy; and assesses Canada abroad in Peacekeeping, Foreign Aid, Afghanistan, and Global Finance.
 
"...we are no longer the country we think we are, and no longer the people we think we are." --from the Preface, The Truth About Canada
 
This 75 minute video, containing information you will simply never find in the media, is a post-election must-see: an informed citizen = an informed voter.
 

Visit:
Who Killed Canada

Harper's Plan to Make You Fear Minority Governments
http://thetyee.ca/Views/2008/09/26/MinorityFear/

DISPATCH: THE FEDERAL ELECTION COSTS OF CRIME-FIGHTING
Tory plan to tip scales of justice not without provincial trickle-down
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080926.BCDISPATCH26/TPStory/TPNational/BritishColumbia/

Canada's raw log exports could increase

Canada won't be spared by cash crunch
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/reuters/080928/canada/canada_us_column_canada_markets

Canada Liberal decries "right-wing" U.S. ideology
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/reuters/080927/canada/canada_us_politics_ca

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