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What's on today's (Sun Jan 29) show?

Follow me on twitter @TheRoyGreenShow.

A 21 year old Calgary Mom sent email about yesterday's segment concerning Vancouver minor hockey leagues banning body checking for 5-19 year old house league players.  Her words?  "We shouldn't have to change a sport for sissy parents".  And, "if they don't want their children participating in body checking hockey, put them in curling.  There's a challenge!
This Mom joins us as will Warren who wrote "typical reaction from the nanny state.  Anyone who does not agree is vilified as an uninformed boor."   They will both be on today's show.  Btw...not one email supporting the Vancouver minor hockey decision.  That's not scientific research, just what happened on email overnight to roy@roygreenshow.com.

Iran threatens Europe with a possible oil embargo while the U.S. investigates building a bigger bunker busting bomb; to take out Iran's nuclear facilities?
Mullah Omar challenges the U.S.  These and more major news stories from the Middle East with the Washington Bureau Chief of Al Jazeera, Abderrahim Foukara.

Hillbilly Heaven, a Hamilton restaurant is accused of a lack of diversity for posting signs like "things we don't have and never will: halal, rice, kabob, fries, wings, 1/4 chicken, Mexican and burgers".  Another sign reads "Our staff speaks English."  Hillbilly Heaven's owner Cameron Bailey on the show today.

When Tim Thomas refused to accompany the Boston Bruins to a White House reception because of his social network stated unhappiness with politicians he became the object of much criticism.  Did he deserve this?  Lawyer Chi-Kun Shi is back on the show.  She wowed so many some months ago when she spoke of politicians and governments assuming the role of parent while we the people have become the children.   Chi-Kun Shi has strong views on Tim Thomas.

If you're the guy who bites down on your lunch sandwich and finds a Post-it note from your wife demanding you be at a specific isle at Home Hardware at 6:10pm, are you being nagged?  Umm....let's see...   Elizabeth Bernstein writes a relationship column for the Wall Street Journal and her column on nagging this week was titled "Meet the Marriage Killer".  Elizabeth Bernstein joins us and is at www.facebook.com/ebernsteinWSJ.  

How much would a Super Bowl ticket cost you today?   Mark Yost, writes on the business of sport for Sports Illustrated and the Wall Street Journal and is the author of great sports/business books like "Tailgating, Sacks and Salary Caps: How the NFL Became the Most Successful Sports League in History."
Mark has the dollars info on the Super Bowl.  Like?  Well, typically a basic hotel room in a Super Bowl city will run you about $1000 a night!  We're not a the ticket price yet. 

Undercover Boss Canada is going to be a great TV series on the W Network starting this coming Thursday evening (Feb 2).  Corporate CEO's or senior executives go undercover as entry level employees in their own companies and find out who the unsung heroes among their employees really are.  The companies include Pizza Pizza, 1-800-Got-Junk?, Molson Coors Canada, Second Cup, Cineplex Entertainment, FedEx Express Canada.  Tom Howe is the executive director of Undercover Boss Canada and he'll explain more.  

twitter is @TheRoyGreenShow.
 

Some of today's show (Saturday, January 28)

First, as of now you can follow me on Twitter: @TheRoyGreenShow and Corus is building a page on Facebook which should be ready soon. Thank you to my friend Charles Adler for tweeting this info earlier this morning.

Today, in response to the RCMP apology for not closing the net and capturing serial killer Robert Pickton sooner, we'll have two family members of Pickton's victims join us.

Stephen Harper in Davos, Switzerland and Barack Obama in Washington, D.C. Both delivered their views of what will grow the respective economies of Canada and the U.S. and in the PM's case offered at least a partial prescription for growing the Canadian economy. We're all waiting for the OAS and perhaps CPP eligibility ages to change.
Catherine Swift, CEO/President of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (www.cfib.ca) and Linda Leatherdale, vp of Cambria Canada and one of Canada's best business journalists (www.lindaleatherdale.com) will deliver their no punches pulled views on Harper and Obama. We'll open the phone lines as well....

Amateur hockey referees in fear for their personal safety? So declares a survey of refs in Canada. Former NHL referee and former Chief of Officiating for the NHL, now Chief of Officiating for the Central Hockey League, Bryan Lewis will speak this one, as will Scott Oakman, Executive Director of the Greater Toronto Hockey League. Open phones here too.

You'll hear a wonderful story of a 14 year old (Jacob Dunning) and his commitment to the homeless and the hungry. His first encounter with a homeless man happened when Jake was just 3 years old. Jake joins us and you can hear his song for the homeless at www.youtube.com/keepthechange2010. All profits from the song go to the homeless.

The Toronto Sun's Joe Warmington has been attending the Shafia murder trial in Kingston and will share what he experienced. You may read Joe's columns on the trial in the Sun at www.torontosun.com.

We have another and a different hockey story for you to comment on. Minor hockey associations in Metro Vancouver voted to ban bodychecking for house league players ages 5-19. This to reduce the potential for injury, particularly concussions. This doesn't sit well with my Vancouver studio producer Chad whose 11 year old son enjoys the bodychecking. It doesn't sit well with Green Show "Hockey Moms" panel member Sheila Gunn Reid. Sheila sees it as a social issue as well and will explain.
Professor Syd Johnson, professor of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology at Michigan Technological University supports the no bodychecking decision. She's Canadian and as I recall from our last visit with Professor Johnson, loves hockey. We may also have a parent who supports the minor hockey associations joining the panel. And...we'll definitely open the phone lines for your views.

Fair taxation? That's what Barack Obama is calling for, or is it just politics as usual?

Barack Obama, during the State of the Union address, called for the wealthiest Americans to pay their "fair share" in taxes in order to boost the American financial picture during these turbulent economic times.  This gives rise to the question of what "fair share" taxes might be and what the net result of any attempt to pass legislation to raise taxes on the so-called rich might turn out to be, other than a short term election campaign strategy.  This time for Democrats, but previously of Republicans as well.

The still presumptive GOP frontrunner for the Republican nomination to challenge Barack Obama for occupancy of the White House, Mitt Romney's tax rate of roughly 15% on more than $20 million in recent annual investment income, mostly capital gains and dividends, has come under fire as being immoral.  Romney himself has been described as immoral for paying only the required amount, although he also contributed another 15% to charities.

How accurate is that 15% tax figure really?  In order to earn dividend and capital gains income, income taxes would  have had to be paid first by the corporations in Romney is financially invested.  The U.S. corporate tax rate is in the neighbourhood of 35%. 

Why doesn't Romney then simply release his estimated effective tax rate?  A Wall Street Journal op-ed quotes Brad Melt, Romney's trustee, describing this as "a tempting exercise" but impossible because it would require the tax returns of all the underlying companies Mr. Romney holds. 

Politicians should also be careful about at whom they point the finger. 

Republicans are already reminding Democrats their 2004 presidential nominee John Kerry and his heiress wife Teresa Heinz paid tax at a 13% rate in 2003, on income of $5.5 million, a fact not ignored by the Bush campaign for re-election at that time.

The effective U.S. middle class tax rate, by the way, is approximately 9%. 

Without question the "fair share of taxes" issue will resonate through the U.S. general election.  There will be claims and counter claims, many, if not most purely political.   Consider Mr. Obama's suggestion that fairly taxing the ultra-wealthy will assist the United States financial picture.  The Wall Street Journal points to IRS data that just over 8,000 Americans earned more than $10 million in 2009.  Raising taxes on 8,000 individuals, or even confiscating their entire fortunes would hardly meaningfully dent the $15 trillion and climbing U.S. debt.  And that includes Bill Gates and Warren Buffett.

Certainly that Mitt Romney's tax rate was lower than that of Buffett's assistant is a politically useful headline and campaign tool and perhaps the American tax system is in need of complete overhaul. 

What is clear, even to the casual observer, is that the U.S. in order to stabilize its hugely concerning financial woes is in need of a bipartisan supported fiscal plan which eschews all Washington campaign trickery.   

Good luck with that in 2012.

 

 

some of what you'll hear on today's show: Sunday, January 22, 2012

Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party and member of parliament will join us to share her thoughts and views on U.S. President Obama's denial of permits for the building of the Keystone XL pipeline.

Tea Party member and executive director of Regular Folks United and university professor Ron Miller will speak to Newt Gingrich's South Carolina Republican primary vote win.  Mitt Romney has announced he'll release his 2010 income tax information on Tuesday.

Margaret MacDonald is an 82 year old B.C. woman who tells a story of being bullied by RCMP officers, accused of and charged with drunk driving, was shouted at and made to stand outside in the midnight chill for two hours, having to "beg" to go to the bathroom.  This all stems from a driving incident and Ms. MacDonald told me she was stone cold sober.   So many listener emails about Margaret MacDonald that we're speaking with her today.  The B.C. Attorney General is looking into the situation which saw Margaret MacDonald fined, have her car towed and charged by police.  She is out $6,000 and can't afford it (had to hire a lawyer).  This 82 year old senior also suffered a stress related heart attack.

When a 12 year old girl kissed a 12 year old boy on the cheek at a Florida school, the vice prinicpal called state authorities and made an emergency call to the county Sheriff worrying about sexual harassment.  We'll have that story for you
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the fact that (hang on to your mittens)....some Texas school districts have their own police forces and they have issued Class C misdemeanor tickets to children as young as 6 for misbehaviour.  The children have to attend municipal court and can be fined up to $500.00 and more!  This goes on their record and can cause difficulties later as far as college admission and job searches are concerned.  Texas state legislator Helen Giddings introduced legislation to put an end to this practice.  how did that turn out?  We'll ask Representative Giddings on the show today.

A massive labour rally in London, Ontario yesterday (labour estimates 15,000 in attendance) to challenge the lockout of CAW members by Caterpillar International.  Ken Lewenza is the president of the CAW.  He'll join us and talk about the lockout and the fact that Caterpillar, according to the CAW, is looking to cut wages by as much as $18.50 an hour.  Maximum pay at the plant is $35.00 we're told.  Is Caterpillar's intent to close the London plant and move the jobs to Indiana?  London, by the way, is the second hardest hit Metro area in Canada as far as jobless rates are concerned.  You may not be a union supporter, but this situation deserves a real review and by the federal government!

Catherine Swift, CEO/President of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business and Linda Leatherdale, one of Canada's leading business journalists at www.lindaleatherdale.com, and the Green Show's MONEY panel will address the MP Pension plan. I'll read an email from NDP MP Wayne Marsten sent to me about the plan. Mr. Marsten believes many MPs took a pay cut to become members of parliament.  I like Wayne and have known him for years, but come on, most MPs were earning more than the $157,000 base salary? That we need proof of..! 
Linda has real concerns about the gap between the most wealthy and the average person and finds herself siding with Bob Rae (that's a first) on one point at least.  She'll explain.
and small business in Canada (CFIB reps them) have complaints about treatment by Canada Revenue Agency auditors.  Catherine will explain.

We'll talk about the Costa Concordia Captain Francesco Schettino and how he and the Italain coast guard captain Gregorio De Falco have become to Italians a metaphor for what's wrong in their country.  Dr. Donato Santeramo from Queens University will explain
and
staying with Schettino, what's the difference between fear and cowardice?  When does cowardice begin to make its presence known and felt in a situation where fear is present?  Dr. Stanley Coren, professor emeritus in psychology at UBC speaks to that.  Congratulations as well to Dr. Coren for being a finalist for the Maxwell Medallion from the Dog Writers Association of America.  When he's not dealing with human psychology, Dr. Coren is one of the world's most widely read and admired authors on books on dogs.

Remember you can listen back to shows on this blog.  Just access the podcast section.

 

some of what you'll hear on today's show. Saturday, January 21, 2012

The MP pension plan issue with Canadian Taxpayers Federation executive director Gregory Thomas.  An MP sent me an email explaining why the member of parliament pension plan and remuneration package is fair.  I'll read it on air.

Former Toronto Emergency Task Force leader of Special Weapons Team One Jimmy Bremner will talk about the depression and suicidal thoughts which followed his shooting of a young father who took a doctor hostage at a Toronto hospital on New Year's Eve 1999, and the PTSD police officers live with.
Jimmy Bremner's book is Crack in the Armor: A Police Officer's Guide to Surviving Post Traumantic Stress Disorder.

Dr. Charles Doran is the director of Canadian Studies at Johns Hopkins University.  He'll speak to U.S. President Barack Obama's decision not to support the building of the Keystone XL pipeline.

What's likely to take place in the South Carolina Republican Primary?  Will it be Newt, Mitt, Rick or Ron?   John Quincy of WTMA "The Big Talker" where he produces the Morning Buzz Show will join us.

Ron Foxcroft, named Canada's Entrepreneur of the Year who built his companies including Fluke Transport and FOX40 International from the ground up will talk about the challenges a business owner faces in these difficult economic times. Ron was also an NCAA basketball referee for many years and voted one of the 52 best sports officials of all time in North America.  His FOX40 whistle is used by the NCAA, NFL, NHL, CFL, FIFA, NBA and NCAA.

Just some of what's on today's show.....
Roy 

MP pensions vs the best of the rest

For years now we've covered the question of MP/Senator pensions on the show and for years you have expressed your opposition to the grossly inflated pension scheme parliament decided for itself.  For years nothing has been done by elected representatives of the people (think about that term) to bring their pensions into line with the best of the rest.  That's all most people asked for by the way. 

Now, with the global economic picture remaining one of real concern, with people worried about their personal financial reality and with most Canadians not having access to a private pension plan from their employers, it is particularly galling that members of parliament and unelected Senators continue to plunge into the trough and vote themselves the kind of lifelong parting gift unavailable to the very people who fund this misappropriation of funds.  You will have noticed that unlike at virtually any other time and over any other issue MPs and Senators are united as far as their view of their publicly funded pension is concerned.  They are, wait for it, entitled to their entitlements.  Some have stated that considering what they sacrifice to become MPs coupled with the uncertainty of them keeping their jobs, that the pension is entirely justified.   

Sacrifice?  How many of the 300+ sitting in parliament were earning more than their MP salary before being elected?  As far as job uncertainty is concerned, ask 100 Canadians at random how secure they feel these days.

I will be speaking to this issue on the shows this weekend.  You should know though that unless there is a constant public demand for a reduction of the MP/Senator pension formula nothing will happen.  

We'll talk about it on the weekend. 

anyone watching the Republican candidates for president? and at least on Canadian MP appears to believe the outrageous MP pension plan is justified.

Last night's GOP hopefuls for the Republican nomination should have held their debate in a large tent to signify the circus these campaigns have become.  How can Barack Obama and the Democrats not be grinning from ear to ear as they observe the Republicans attempt to destroy each other and gang up on the presumptive front runner Mitt Romney?

Mr. Obama has his share of difficulties and is presiding over a national U.S. economy which, were the Republicans intent on winning the White House, would be a rich opportunity for election campaign attack.  Instead, (and I'm the last one who would be giving Democrats advice), the Democratic election machine might just isolate insults and attacks Republican candidates have hurled at each other and turn them into effective television election commercials.  This race for the GOP nomination has turned into a Demolition Derby.  The question has to become whether the eventual winner (likely Romney) will be able to politically survive the verbal broadsides fired at him by his nominally fellow Republicans.

Americans just told pollsters there is a more than 80% disapproval rating of the job Congress is doing on behalf of the people.  That would be both Democrats and Republicans.  Consider that for a moment.  If you run a business, small, medium or large, if your customer base declared an 80%+ dissatisfaction rate with your product, what would you do to remain in business?  Improve your product, or complain about your customers?

Moving across the border (to here at home), the C.D. Howe Institute is challenging the MP pension plan.  Canadian taxpayers funded about $65 million last year just in pensions to individuals who once sat in Canada's parliament, but no longer do so.  Sixty-Five Million Dollars!  That's one year's pension payments for out of work former MPs and the odd retired appointed Senator and at least one MP (I'll try to hook that MP up for comment on this weekend's shows) appears to believe, if he's being accurately quoted, that the pension plan is only fair, considering the amount of work MPs do, compared to those Canadians who don't have a fancy office in parliament!

Hang around parliament long enough and it can be very rewarding.  Gilles Duceppe is a case in point.  The former leader of the BQ, whose main objective politically was the destruction of Canada as a nation, and who was fired by his own constituents in Quebec on May 2, last year (election day) isn't going to be hurting for a payday anytime soon.  Mr. Duceppe is reportedly eligible for an annual $140,000 pension payment from Canadians, for life!  

 

 

 

 

some of what you'll hear on this weekend's (January 14-15) shows

More from the father whose family received death threats and whose ten year old daughter was the subject of an emailed sexual assault threat.  Threats that were sent from a computer at the school the little girl attends with her brother.  We'll hear from the Director of Education of the involved school board as well.

Threats of physical harm to Canadian politicians. Sure we have differences and sometimes very strong differences of opinion with politicians and legislative efforts they introduce or support.  But threats of death to democratically elected managers of our affairs?  That's going to be a compelling case for dissauding some very talented and caring people from entering the political arena. We'll talk to a Toronto councillor Georgio Mammoliti who has been on the receiving end of such threats of physical harm.

Are we on the edge of a precipitous crash in global stockmarkets?  Harry Dent Jr., a U.S. market and economic outlook analyst and author of The Great Crash Ahead believes the Dow may sink to 3000 and house prices in some parts of the U.S. may drop an additional 35%.  He has made accurate predictions in the past.  Could he be correct this time?  You listen and decide.

Former Quebec cardiologist Guy Turcotte who killed his two children, but was declared "not criminally responsible" (NCR) is apparently saying he would like to practice medicine again and have another relationship and perhaps more children.  He may well be released from the psychiatric facility where he's being held and treated now.  And released sooner than later.  Is that acceptable?  Turcotte stabbed his five year old son and three year old daughter more than 40 times!  Two Canadians directly familiar with NCR will join us.  Carol deDelley whose son Tim McLean was killed on a Greyhound  bus in Manitoba by Vincent Li, and David Van Duzen who from age 12 lived with Mary Richards and her family in British Columbia.  Mary Richards was killed by her son Raymond Irwin.

Are his fellow Republicans destroying Mitt Romney for the Democrats in the run up to the 2012 U.S. Presidential election?  We'll have that story from Washington from seasoned political observer and columnist with the Washington Times, Jeffrey Kuhner, as well as a story about pressure beginning to mount on Canada's members of parliament concerning their trough-grazing pension plan which cost taxpayers some $65 million last year. I know you'll have strong views.  Green Show contributors Catherine Swift, CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business and Linda Leatherdale, one of Canada's foremost business journalists at www.lindaleatherdale.com will join us.

Canada's federal Minister of Natural Resources Joe Oliver will be a guest and speak to the Northern Gateway pipeline and his declaration that there's an international effort underway to "hijack" the environmental assessment process for what the Minister in an open letter identified as a "radical ideological agenda".  

U.K. columnist James Delingpole will follow the Minister of Natural Resources with his tribute to Canada and his recognition of the fact that this country won't roll over and simply accept the global warming alarmism of the UN crowd and opted out of the punishing (to developed economies) Kyoto Accord.

Many listener emails to roy@roygreenshow.com over the fact that a man with 78 criminal convictions in Canada was nevertheless released from prison and then became the subject of a police warning.  What listeners want to know is how does someone with 78 criminal convictions still rate release from prison.  Scott Newark, former Crown Attorney and former head of the Office for Victims of Crime in Ontario will respond to the listener email question. 

and should your right foot be just a little heavier...maybe?  It appears most Canadians believe that to be the case!   I know some of you will be ready to scream about this one.

Just some of what's ahead on the show this weekend.

 

Quebec NDP MP moving to Liberals. Is the BQ disappointed?

The real story isn't that rookie New Democrat MP Lise St-Denis moved latitudinally along the desks of parliamentary opposition parties.  The real story is that the first defecting rookie NDP MP from Quebec didn't slot him or herself alongside the tattered remnants of a formerly robust Bloc Quebecois caucus.

As much as Quebec nationalists attempt to downplay the thrashing administered to the BQ by the province's voters on May 2 of last year, the caucus of two remains a stinging rebuke of a party which once boasted status as Her Majesty's official opposition, as well as the movement which in 1995 came within a decimal point of beginning the process of leading Quebec out of Confederation.

With the Parti Quebecois stumbling, the first NDP parliamentary defection, had it been to the Bloc instead of the tottering Liberals, would have been trumpeted by sovereignists as a victory.

At the outset of last year's election campaign Gilles Duceppe's dream was, as I wrote at the time, to lead his BQ from the parapets of Stornaway.

A few days later I passed along a question asked by sovereignist: "how long do you think it's going to be before the ranks of the BQ may become supplemented by defectors from the NDP?  Remember, Layton's caucus is populated in large party by Quebecers, including soft nationalists.  People exposed to and most comfortable not with Ottawa and the rest of Canada, but with Quebecois thinking and Quebec politics."  He went on to predict NDP parliamentary neophytes would experience seductive lobbying from PQ and BQ supporters.

He may be correct.  In fact, I would bet on it.  About the seductive lobbying.

Will members of the Quebec NDP caucus eventually defect to the BQ?  More than likely; and sooner than later I suspect, should Thomas Mulcair receive a particularly nasty drubbing in his chase to succeed Jack Layton as Stornaway's principal resident.

However, for now, neophyte politician Lise St-Denis abandoning the NDP for the Liberals, is no victory for Bob Rae and perhaps not even an entirely significant loss for New Democrats.  It is though a lost bragging opportunity for sovereignists.

Oh well, there's always Randy Cunneyworth to moan about.

some of what you'll hear on today's show (Sunday, January 8)

The Supreme Court of Canada will decide whether doctors have the right, over family objections, to decide to remove life support systems from patients they assess to be in a vegetative state and beyond any chance of recovery.
You'll remember the Canadian Baby Joseph story of just a few months ago which made international headlines on the same issue.  
Today we'll talk to Mark Handelman, lawyer for Baby Joseph's family and Dr. Larry Librich, Director of the Joint Centre for Bioethics at the University of Toronto.

Harold Smeltzer is back in prison.  In 1980 he abducted, sexually assaulted, then murdered 5 year old Kimberley Thompson of Calgary.  For some time now Smeltzer has been granted unescorted passes from a halfway house Correctional Service Canada placed him in. We'll talk to Kimberley's sister Tina and perhaps her mother Evelyn as well.  The website is www.kimmieslaw.ca.

An alarming story of big government bullying the little guy comes out of the U.S.,  a Toronto contest offers cash and possibly a car to smokers who quit for the month of March.  This is sponsored by the Canadian Cancer Society.  Is this worthwhile?  I'm sure it's well meaning, but I'll re-introduce a very controversial initiative to stop smoking.  It consists of placing smokers who won't quit at the end of the queue for expensive smoking illnes related surgeries.  That's already being done in some nations and Canada has a few examples of this as well.  Michael Perley, executive director for the Ontario Campaign for Action on Tobacca will be my guest.  OCAT also represents the Cancer Society.  We'll take calls. 

Five police officers from Grenada are facing manslaughter charges in the death of Oscar Bartholemew who lived in Toronto, but was a citizen of Grenada.  Chris Doucette of the Toronto Sun is in Grenada and will join us.

A father will tell about death threats delivered to his children and according to police, the suspect list is down to 16 individuals at the school the children attend.  There has been a court case concerning where the kids should now go to school.  We'll talk to the father.

and another sexual harassment charge against the RCMP by a female RCMP Constable.  Corporal Catherine Galliford and former RCMP Constable Sherry Benson, author of Women Not Wanted will speak to this.

There's much more....
Roy