Price Gouging

Price Gouging, if I remember correctly, there are some laws that are supposed to protect us against price gouging. So if these laws do exist, then why are Canadians suffering from price gouging? I know as the owner of a car that we are being gouged at the pumps every time we put gasoline in our fuel tanks, but with inflation on the rise, and our dollar on the rise, how are we going to compete with the American dollar?

I found an article on the CBC website entitled Hotter inflation report sends Canadian dollar to 33-year high above $1.03 US that mentions that the soaring dollar should force prices down as most of our goods are imports from the United States. In this article it mentions that it was inflation that pushed our dollar to a 33 year high, but how are we actually going to compete while we our prices are way too high? If Canada wishes to continue enjoying having our dollar at or near par with the American dollar, prices are going to have to deflate a little.

If you reduce the cost of an item, the consumer is going to have more disposable income afterwards, which in turn can be spent on other goods and services. Even a small change like bringing our cost per litre of gasoline down by say ten cents per litre, on average, you will have anywhere between 2 and 10 dollars extra after you fill up your gas tank. What would you do with that little bit of savings? I know that making the cost of a product more affordable, consumers are more likely to purchase the item as well as purchase more items. I'm not an economist, or a financial wizard, but I am tired of seeing inflation on the rise as our dollar becomes more and more competitive in today's markets.

In closing, if you are a Canadian that's just as fed up as I am about high prices, speak out, don't stay quite like a good little Canadian. Every body needs to hear you stand up for yourself, stop corporations from taking advantage of the cash in your wallet, after all, didn't you work hard for that money?

Addition: After a comment on this post I felt the need to mention that a lot of companies have blamed inflation on the cost of oil. Since Canada imports a large portion of oil from the U.S., with a stronger dollar, shouldn't us consumers see the same benefits the refineries are seeing?

A Brave New North America

Welcome to the twenty first century. Now to go along with the E.U. the N.A.U. is gradually being formed. It starts with the Security and Prosperity Partnership (S.P.P) agreement formed between, President George W. Bush, Prime Minister Paul Martin, and President Vincente Fox. The S.P.P. is just a stepping stone towards a much larger agreement, conceived in secrecy and will ultimately be demanded by the people.

Do you want to know what people will cry out for? It is the North American Union (N.A.U.). It is an alliance much like the European Union (E.U.) and is only the second of two more similar forms of government breaching the shadows on the horizon. The story is just now breaking news, well at least to me, I have been unaware of it until now. I don't have enough information to fully draw a conclusion as to whether or not this North American Union will be for all the citizens of our continent a good move. I have been actively searching the website setup for the purpose of informing citizens on the S.P.P. as well as looking for more information on how it affects Canadians on the Canadian site for the S.P.P. I will undoubtedly report more of my findings as time goes on.

What I have learned from these websites is that, the S.P.P. is not a step towards a larger governing body such as the North American Union. Although there is an awful lot of conspiracy theories that are pointing towards the formation of a North American Union. New technologies are being developed for the implementation of the Union as well as pictures posted of the Amero. All of this is based on reports in the media.

I am still doing more research on the topic and will continue to post more on the subject of the North American Union. I am very interested in the affect the Union would have on the Canadian economy, as well as the growth potential the S.P.P. has towards our economy. As a Canadian, I will endeavor to research the affects of the S.P.P. on our economy and will report more details as I find them.

To be Continued...

More Than Meets the Eye!

I don't usually post any kind of review, but I have just finished watching Transformers, the recent movie. I must say it was by far the best movie I've seen in a long time. The graphics were awesome, and my favourite part of any action movie, the explosions were awesome! I highly recommend that you go out and get a dvd copy from your nearest store! Its worth watching over and over!

A Soaring Canadian Dollar Part 3!

In my previous installment of this title, I mentioned the N.A.U. (North American Union) and the "amero." Well I've done some more searching. I have found another article about just how little the average Canadian knows about this N.A.U.. In Canadians Completely Unaware of Looming North American Union Keven Parkinson (the author of the article) explains just how little Canadians know about the N.A.U. which disturbs me.

The N.A.U. has been conceived in secrecy and will affect everyone on the North American Continent. Unfortunately, the only nation that will benefit from it right now is the United States. Mostly because their once strong dollar has been failing, allowing doubts to surface about the stability of their economy. Canada will suffer if the debut of the N.A.U. happens within the next three years. Apparently the slated debut of the N.A.U. is in 2010. I'm learning more and more every time I search for more information on this Union.

As a Canadian, I am concerned because the dollar value of goods and services is higher in our country compared to the United States. Not only is the cost of goods and services higher here, the price goes up as you move west in our country. Another thing I am concerned about is what will happen to our health care. Canada is a world leader in providing health care for its citizens, what will the N.A.U. do to that system? Are we going to have to deal with the U.S. system of privatized health care that financially ruins many Americans? Granted our taxes are higher here, but that is for the most part to fund our health care system. Lets not take for granted our access to doctors and lower costs on prescription medications.

If this Union does debut in the next few years, are we going to be forced into the union or are we going to demand it? As of now, with the limited information I have on the subject, I am opposed to it, what about you whats you opinion on the North American Union?

Card Games

Do you remember the game, Go Fish, or Crazy Eights? I do, thankfully I have learned how to play a variety of other card games. My favourite would have to be Texas Hold 'em Poker. I'm not the greatest player, but I can hold my own when the cards are coming my way. I have tried different websites like Party Poker, but I would have to say the my favourite was always the Texas Hold 'em Poker on Pogo. Sometimes I won, sometimes I lost, but I loved the graphics in the game, even if they were a bit basic.

A Soaring Canadian Dollar Part 2!

Have you heard of the "Amero" or the "North American Union?" Well all this is new to me. Recently I have come across some rather disconcerting news, if you look hard enough you can find more information on it. I will definitely be doing more research on the topic, but here is some speculation based on what I have read and heard so far. An article of note on the topic of the N.A.U. (North American Union) is Debut of the 'amero' written by Judi McLeod, which is the inspiration for this post.

The collapse of the American Dollar and the rise of our Canadian Dollar has been fore casted. According to some sources, the collapse of the American Dollar was planned many years ago behind a curtain of secrecy. The purpose is to help usher in the "Amero" as the currency of the "North American Union." All of this information that I have come across sheds a new light on free trade agreements between Canada, Mexico and the United States. The strength of the E.U. (European Union) and the "Euro" illustrates strength in numbers, but can a similar system prosper here between Canada, Mexico and the U.S.?

A stronger Canadian dollar illustrates to many economists, the high cost of living here in Canada. Minimum wages are relatively higher here in Canada, for instance, an employee at McDonald's wage in Alberta or British Columbia is higher than it is here in Ontario. But here in Ontario, the Minimum wage is currently on a rise towards $10/hour. The cost of living has increased throughout the years and Canadians are suffering from price gouging every where we turn. How would a centralized currency affect the Canadian economy?

My opinion is that a N.A.U. would serve to drive prices down here in Canada, but would that really be good for the masses? Initially, if the cost of living for Canadians was reduced, the increase in disposable income would help out many Canadians throughout the country, and our GDP would be on the rise based on the increase in disposable income. However there is a draw back to falling prices, the reduced cost of products and services will in turn reduce wages across the board as companies reduce operating costs to increase profit margins. I'm no financial wizard, but reduced wages will force people to search for better paying jobs and most likely affect the national unemployment rate.

To Be Continued...