Sta.sh
Theme
.
this journal 
Total prizes reach 1000 
But of course there are always the rules......
Please please please fave the journal!
Make another journal about this giveaway and provide a link of that journal in the comments (this will help spread the word about this giveaway)
Happy Permanent disclaimer: I'm severely behind my messages lately and I will probably always be! Yet I do love this part of dA more than anything. So if I don't always comment, I will often fave or full view whenever possible! My comments aren't always long, creative, original or thoughtful. I hope you'll take them as they are meant - heartfelt - nonetheless!!! Thanks for your patience! LZ
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Hi and welcome Friends, Watchers, Guests and Passers-by,
On, October 17, I let you know that I joined a committee to publicize the fact that the governing body of the Canadian province where I live (where Vancouver - which is not the capitol - Victoria is- is), is not fully completing their job of representing us democratically in the legislature.
They are hidden away somewhere, perhaps in Maui, rumour has it that others besides the premier like to meet there for read and surf-a-thons, making laws and spending money and not EVEN WRITING IT DOWN!!!!
Our postcard campaign is going well, and I was going to scan it and post it here then we got a .pdf file of it and I wondered if anyone can tell me how I can upload that....??? Anyone? Please?
We're also now charged with getting up to four (4) letters to editors written on the subject. I've managed one and had planned to write Part Two when I posted the rest of the series No Democracy In BC which I did last night. So here's the rest of the story:
I got an email from my friend with the listserve yesterday with an article byJon Kesselman, a UBC economics prof, from the Vancouver Sun about how pathetic welfare rates in BC are (unfortunately I couldn't find an on-line copy of this article and the email of it that I got is rather long so if you'd like to read it, please comment or note me), so I thought I'd write a letter to the editor yesterday. Here's what I wrote:
~
October 27, 2006
Re: 'Dust off old "Six Bucks Sucks" buttons' article
YET THERE IS NOTHING TO BE DONE IN THE LEGISLATURE:
Dear Vancouver Sun Editor;
Today's special article by Jon Kesselman, UBC economics professor, reminds us that employable single people who have no other income except social welfare are living on less than $6 per day, yet there is nothing to be discussed in the legislature.
This is a huge issue and encompasses far more than just the need to raise the rates, which has not been done in 8 years despite a rise in the cost of living of 30%. This is just the tip of the iceberg of related economic issues that need to be looked at now BEFORE blood does begin to flow in the streets.
Maybe then the fact that the fall legislative session has been cancelled will be considered news fit to print.
LZ
Vancouver
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The very next day - today - our premier Gordon Campbell [I can hardly type his name, I dislike him so strongly. No other premier has received so many death threats.] - seemingly simultaneously - said he might do something about it when the next budget comes out which could be anytime after March 2007 if he should ordain that legislature meet, that is. Otherwise, who knows?
[link] (source Canadian Broadcasting Corp - still our publicly owned media outlet)
I also sent the letter to my friend's political listserve and now I'm sending it to you. I know some of you are BCers and/or Canadians and even if not you might consider writing a letter to any powers that be. We as a province are already under numerous UN sanctions for our failures to meet standards towards women, children and employees. I'm sure there are plenty of people that would like to know how hypocritical Canada is becoming in so many ways.
The last eight (8) of my images are intended to represent some of the themes of the current situation in BC. Of course I could go on a huge rant about this but I'll refrain cuz I know how you hate that!
Thanks for your interest, patience and tolerance in reading these letters and articles. There'll be more to come with my art dedicated to it.
LZ
PS Please, if you do decide to take any action about this or any other political cause, let me know! I need to hear the cheer. Also somewhere I saw I stamp or button that said something like, "Artists against war." If anyone knows where to find this, could you let me know? I'm also looking for Vancouver clubs, Canadian clubs and cat clubs. Naturally I've found some but if you know of any please comment or note me! Thanks!
!!! !!! LZ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please take the time to view my friend's galleries! I'm always finding new and fantastic artists at dA! Check out my favourites gallery for my picks of their work!
Clubs:
The Faery Godmother Project [link] :thumb34193518:
ImagersFractalDDs
[link]
![[link]](http://ic1.deviantart.com/fs10/i/2006/153/e/4/Suppor_Faery_Godmother_Project_by_faery_godmother.jpg){kind=link}
I bet this guys haven't live
as homeless or just earning
a living just enough to survive.
We spend so much time trying to wrap our heads around the kind of poverty that our ancestors left behind in the "old countries" and elsewhere that it's nearly impossible to imagine that those "left behind" now can't imagine how there can be poverty in Canada.
This $6/day also assumes that one has been able to find accomodation in the first place. Also that one has been able to find a place that includes all rent and utilities for $325/mo for one. This is patently impossible in almost any place in BC. I pay $640 for a rather scummy bachelor PLUS hydro, phone, net (you know I'm now on a pension and working part-time). I don't have renter's insurance which resulted in some huge partly unresolved troubles when my landlord flooded my place 3 times (I partly lost the arbitration). Well, you can imagine the problems.
We've now just heard that the premier is going to raise the lowest (proportionally) rates in Canada AFTER the new budget comes down in Feb. Whoo hoo! Meanwhile.... more will die from exposure and lack of proper housing. We have ppl sleeping everywhere outdoors in obvious places as well as in hidden camps, caves, tents and so on.
It's hard for ppl outside the province to realise and understand how this is possible. I was trying to explain to an upper-middle class woman I met at the peace march on Saturday....she understood but I don't think had really ever thought it through completely - what does it really mean for someone who is completely unable to work. We have got to stop thinking in terms of everyone being able to work.
Anyway, I'm now thinking I'll leave the article up since there have been almost no comments at all. I get the feeling that no one reads my political journals anyway!!!! (Despite the fact that I have almost 100 watchers!!! - Oh well!)
So thanks so much for reading and commenting!
Your welcome.
What about $6... in Poland you could survived one day for this money, however don't be surprised, that behind eastern borders od Poland, people living for 50 cents per day.
Can you imaginate it?
'Cos I don't, but it's really real.
Wow... and totally scared...
I should have posted the whole article and the whole explanation. It doesn't make sense in world-wide terms. It's also hard to understand that Canada has one of the highests costs of living in the world. We also have weird things like freezing cold weather 3/4 year so being homeless means death here. There are many other mitigating factors. Sounds like I'm being defensive now!!!
Of course I realise that there are countries that are in far worse condition than we are. That's why we have budgets for foreign aid (haha - which maybe works, sorta), we don't like that this welfare money (and other social money) is there but being used for war and other nasty stuff here in Canada as well as abroad!