My piano music book, “Pop Standards” by Hal Leonard has select classic pieces from the ‘70s. It’s sent me back on a childhood revisit this past weekend. As I write this I’m listening to the classic “Love’s Theme” by Barry White and Orchestra. The time was so innocent in many regards which was spawned by the music of the decade. There were so many happy (major keys) melodic songs. There was the one hit wonders. There were the indecipherable lyrics. There was the disco and Abba. There was Le Freak by Chic and Mike Oldfield, and “The Hustle”. There was Saturday Night Fever and Fleetwood Mac. There was Led Zepplin and Pink Floyd. There was the Eagles and Kiss. My sister was into Dick Clark’s American Bandstand and I actually saw the appeal although I was mostly playing baseball instead. The latter part of the decade had me thinking that dancing looked fun. I had no problem with it at all in spite of friends looking at me strange. There was the band “Heart” and the program “Midnight Special”. I was enthralled.
The years 76 and 77 had me focused on Littlle League ball but I had memorized the lyrics to Hotel California. I had the album and played it all the time along with Kiss, Destroyer. With the move to Kamloops from Cranbrook in grade eight – I didn’t think twice when school dances came around. I went to them all and I danced to Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way”, Bee Gees – “Night Fever” and “Stayin Alive”. There was Donna Summer, Blondie and Cheap Trick (Surrender), Foreigner, Journey, Asia, Trooper, and ELO. I was remarkably composed in refuting a friend’s insinuation that dancing wasn’t cool. I even overcame nerves and rejection in asking girls to dance.
Free form dancing apparently is not in right now. It could all change again one day. Culture could go through another period of revitalization having gone through a pandemic and the realization that part of the soul’s earthly journey is one of connection through dance.
In spite of the bit being brief, it was balance reporting. The Globe however neglects to mention that Michael Flynn was in the business of deploying his experience and contacts and an ex-military officer to consult / lobby foreign diplomats. Trump hired him during Trump’s campaign for the White House. What did Trump want from this man when he was campaigning for President? Kind of nice to know the context from which he confessed to lying to the American people. Of course, while this investigation of election meddling was going on, you had not only Flynn on the radar of investigators but Paul Mannafort, Roger Stone, Rick Gates, and Michael Cohen – all indicted. Here you have Trump claiming some kind of witch hunt when this was the company he was keeping.
The matter of deliberation specific to the lie as described by the Globe and Mail was in my opinion unrelated to the investigation of election meddling but must also be put in the context of Flynn pleading the fifth prior to a deal being struck for his cooperation.
I suspect that Mr. Flynn was leveraging his experience as a decorated military man and didn’t quite know the character of the man who had retained him during a presidential campaign. Flynn wasn’t doing himself any favours by apparently flirting with Russian women while on assignment and he apparently was administratively deficient in filing paper work associated with receiving pay from foreigners.
It’s a talking point I trumpet often with my clients. Your
money is yours and you must know what you are doing with it and where it comes
from. Somebody apparently forgot to share the message with Brett Favre. He will now return 1.1 million dollars to the
U.S. welfare system for money received for speeches that he did not give.
Investment advisors have been wrong often. Bankers are not
investment professionals and typically don’t deploy investment analytics as
they should in recommending investments. Nor, do they necessarily have a feel
for the economic pulse. Yes, they did
not anticipate a “Black Swan” event in the context of a risky political
environment. Portfolios have lost money and investors are assuaged with the
mantra that they are in for the long term.
It may be unfathomable to you that somebody can receive 1.1
million dollars and not know that it hit their account. I can actually believe
it when the numbers get big and individuals don’t have the right financial
professionals in place to question financial transactions. In fact, the
accounting profession had lost its way ten years ago in the context of
derivative books getting out of control while off balance sheet obligations
went unscrutinized. When internal controls get loose during times such as
these, temptations of the morally weak are incited. The environment right now
is really interesting and I’m paying special attention. Governments are
spending money like drunken sailors. The U.S. federal government just fired a
watch dog responsible for overseeing disbursements from the federal treasury in
the context of pandemic relief. There’s never been a more acute time in your
living history to be educated in finance.
While Canadians turn to twitter and laude the public
relations campaign by Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer, Deena Hinshaw, let me
remind fellow Canadian regarding the disparity of pay between her, and care
aides tending to the elderly.
You see, The Canadian Medical Association for decades has
ensured that Canadian doctors hit the gravy train right out of school with
automatic jobs because of ridiculously tight spots in medical schools. Entrance
standards at medical school have been set artificially high in order to serve a
market demand favouring doctors. Having
come to grips with the problem, the importation of doctors from abroad became
necessary.
The Edmonton Journal reports that Canadian doctors earn
$349,655 per year. Many care workers tending to the elderly have been earning
minimum wage. Do you see a problem here? Okay. Who do you think has the bigger
voice when negotiating pay? You guessed it. Doctors. Mostly, front line care
aides don’t actually have representation.
The health care budget in Alberta is near the 45 per cent range. Think about that for a minute. You as the taxpayer are so interested in your public health care system that you are willing to spend $0.45 of your provincial tax dollar to fund public medicare – yet today your Prime Minister has announced that the salaries of these aides for the elderly are going to be need to be topped up and you guessed it….there will be not mention of where this new money will come from.
