Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Showing posts with label RAM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label RAM. Show all posts

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Stephen Harper dumps the RAM: A tale of Treachery and Bad Manners

Call it a slap in the face. Call it a kick in the bum with a frozen boot. Call it a royal raspberry.

Call it what it is – a betrayal of Edmonton, of Alberta, and of history.

Late Wednesday afternoon, Alberta’s new infrastructure minister Jeff Johnson got the phone call delivering the ugly news.

The federal government has pulled its long-promised funding for the Royal Alberta Museum – that’s $92 million, yanked out from under our collective Albertan noses.

That money was pledged to the province, by a past Liberal government, almost a decade ago. It was Ottawa’s gift to the people of Alberta, a symbolic gesture to mark our centennial as a member of Confederation.

Sadly, we still seem to be second-rate members.

Without notice, warning, or consultation, the feds have reneged on their deal. Johnson insists the province is still committed to the RAM project, but that he can’t sign the deals he needs to sign by the Nov. 16th deadline. As a result, the project, so often delayed, has been delayed once more.