FLUNDERING JEEZE!

Not really into poetry, but guess john has a way with words. Must admit it doesn't do anything for me to highlight the current state of muskrat, maybe it gives the current state of the province in general, but no big deal there, except I observe that we have gone from rages to riches to rags again in a decade. And maybe there is some "flundering" or frustration within the province and the blog in general, as to where this all will end.

More "ball-faced" lies as that dithering fool tries to BS his way out of his on-record support for the Muskrat debacle…

http://www.thetelegram.com/news/local/2017/7/27/ball-says-now-is-not-the-time-for-forensic-review-of-muskrat-fal.html

https://bondpapers.blogspot.ca/2012/12/not-with-bang-but-whimper-nlpoli.html

Such infuriatingly disgraceful attempts to BS the populace after the fact only serve to reinforce this squirming individual's image as a weak, useless premier trying to absolve himself of the Muskrat debacle for his own purely selfish political interests.

You're done come the next election, bud… NL voters have had quite enough of your sniveling BS.

I am the first to admit that I don't do much research on muskrat, but I do read what others write and hense their research. But I do ask questions on this blog. One question that I have asked before is where is the funding coming from to build muskrat. I know the provincial government has put in a couple billion, I think the number for borrowing through federal loan guarantee is around 8 billion. If muskrat has reached almost 13 billion and headed for 15 has some say, where will that other 5 billion come from? The financiers will not loan us that kind of cash, and at a high interest rate we can't borrow that kind of money. Assume the Feds will not sign for any more loan guarantees, are we not already over a barrow. A project not completed and no financing to complete it, sounds like de java all over again in the upper Churchill where bronco went bankrupt and Quebec had to throw in their cash and finish it. I am not suggesting this by any means, but someone more knowledge than I am should have some prospective on this. Maybe that's the easiest way to stop the project, run out of financing. A few months ago Marshall added another billion to the cost, did he or Dwight happen to have that in their back pocket. Maybe the silly media has the answer to that question, but won't share it. Or maybe they can be brave enough to try and find out. Maybe this is the best kept secret by everyone else, and I am the only person in the province that hasn't discovered or seen the answer. Someone!!! Please inform me!

Contractor is in place now to do a safety check of all the towers installed on the west coast that one contractor did. That part was to be complete this september now with the review/safety checks its a set back of about one year to get equipment to each tower. Today the word from employees is that this safety equipment has to go to Labrador and 115 towers has to be checked ASAP. Two pieces of equipment with oversized clamps will hold the tower in place while the anchors are checked with the power lines attached. They will have to put those matt's will have to be put out again.

We have a problem with the party system. It is far too difficult for good people to run for office. We end up having to choose between different coloured turds. Not only are the politicians often stun and corrupt, they are morally bankrupt. How is is possible that computers of MHAs are often full of porn yet they have the nerve to call up OCIO and complain things are running slow? The technicians have to delete gigabytes of porn and exterminate the malware and of course keep their mouths shut. ATIPP coordinators looking for e-mails and documents are disgusted at the porn they encounter. Somehow, once elected they feel they are above rules. Rules are for us. They are the elite, untouchable and aloof.

What would happen if someone was to ATIPP all the porn on executive computers? That would be a hoot.

If a new party every rises and takes over, it needs to fire all deputy ministers, assistant deputy ministers, directors and managers. This would need to be followed by a public job competition for qualified people. To be fair, these new management hires would need to belong to a bargaining unit so that they couldn't be fired for doing their jobs.

(Sorry for being off-topic) I was wondering if there was any developments on that submarine line proposal to export electricity to Massachusett?

FWIW, HQ just made its own proposal today. It involves different scenarios (with or w/o wind power, combined with up to 3 different power line proposals)

http://m.wbjournal.com/article/20170728/NEWS01/170729945

Stupid.

This is a link to Emera's website and an interesting article about Emera's subsea cable from New Brunswick to Massachusetts. This cable enables Emera to sell wind energy at a fixed price to Massachusetts for a period of 20 years staring in 2022-just in time for back up power from Muskrat Falls to be online. People this will effectively eliminate any chance of electricity from Muskrat Falls to be sold at premium prices since we have to have over 1/3 of the capacity available for Emera's reserve. What that means is that Emera will only buy electricity from MF's IF their isn't sufficient wind generated electricity to supply their demands. It could conceivably that we would go months without selling any electricity other than here on the island even though we were led to believe by previous administrations that the sale of power to Nova Scotia was to be the icing on the cake. We now have a disaster in the making in that if Gull Island is ever developed or that even in 2041 when the Upper Churchill is reversed, Emera will control the flow of electricity into the USA with this new Subsea cable. What a disaster in the making this whole boondoggle is.

http://investors.emera.com/file.aspx?IID=4072693&FID=389635469

Emera's subsea power line proposal is still interesting as it would bring an additional player&capacity to US interconnexions.

Also, NL would have more options in the post 2041 negociations (just for a portion of UC production thought).

(And hey! Could propose a second subsea cable alongside if needed)

A recent study shows that food insecurity is a big problem in coastal Labradror, with the degree of insecurity 4 times greater than Nfld, and 5 times grater than Canada as a whole.
Ball last year did away with the Air Foodlift Subsidy, as a part of budget 2016. I suppose , like closing libraries, taxes on books and the levy tax, little was missed, except for sugar foods and beverages, bad for health , that was left untouched.
Ball now supports the feds doing more to help Northern Canada offset high food costs.
Ball says their budget in 2106 compensated for dropping the Air Foodlift subsidy in Labrador, (most of Labrador cut off from coastal steamer and no roads)
That 2016 budget had a new Labrador "Aboriginal Nutritional and Artistic Assistance" program , intended for "nutritional programs, community freezer programs, food banks, and promotion of artists and artistic endeavours"
As we know , Honest Ed walked away with about 6 milllion dollars, for creating a boondoggle fiasco, that will cost some 15 billion dollars,that included making local Labrador food unsafe from methylmercury.
So what was the dollar value of this new program for food assistance.
Hold on!
It was $50,000.00, for all of Labrador!….. and that was to be divided up, 20,000.00 to each of the two Inuit groups, comprising many communities, and 10,000 for the Innu Nation (5,000.00 per Innu community).
For Christ's sake……….does our government intend to starve these people as happened to the Beothic, while squandering 15 billion on a useless project. Nflders …..kind , generous , friendly people we are told…….how can we turn a blind eye and let this happen? Make no wonder the elders are choosing to go to jail in protest.
Winston Adams
Ball…and he Minister for aboriginal affairs.