Did I Mention I Get Useless Emails?

Got another today that was full of exclamation points telling me that I could bring my (useless) text book to a (boring) symposium (I'm forced to go to) so I could get it signed (by someone I don't care about)!!!

Great!! Like, that's fantastic!!! Just like Chester A. Arthur, that's totally A. awesome!!!

Thanks for telling me!!!!

It's good to be Albertan

Yesterday's Alberta budget set a number of fiscal records. Here are the highlights, stolen from the Mop and Pail:

A $4.1-billion surplus, the highest initial projection in the province's history;$1-billion injected into the Heritage Savings Trust Fund, bringing the total to $14.7-billion;

A $300-million corporate tax cut;

$735-million in new spending for health care, with the total outlay exceeding $10.3-billion;

$13.3-billion for roads, bridges, hospitals and other infrastructure over three years;

A $500-million fund for cancer prevention, treatment and research;

$72-million to finance courts and pay police, judges and jailhouse informants;

$32.4-billion in revenue, including $11.3-billion in oil and gas royalties and other energy income;

A $30-million reduction in health-care premiums for 140,000 low-income Albertans;

$77-million in individual tax savings;

$127-million for long-term health care over three years.

Yee haw! What's interesting to note is the coporate tax rate has dropped to 10% from 11.5%. I'm not sure what our tax rate is in Saskatchewan, but I believe it's somewhere in the 15-17% range.

I really think the province has to play ball when our next door neighbour's rate is so low. We have to match it or this province will continue to shrink, even right in the middle of a natural resource boom.

Also interesting were the job numbers for February which were released. They showed another month of job losses. This makes 6 consecutive months of job losses. Now, I don't want to get all technical or anything, but economists have a specific term for 6 months of losses.

It's called a recession. Is anyone else picking up on this?

Another Day, Another Useless Email

Received from the ESS:

People who have not bought tickets to grad are not allowed to come to
grad at all.

Well whoop-dee friggin-doo. Now, I realize that maybe some people might think they can bring whoever regardless of tickets. I can see that. However, I can also see this as some kind of exclusionary event. I imagine (or is it reality?) that "if you're not one of our clique who bought tickets, you can fuck right off. You ain't crashing this bitch".

In any event, sweet Christ on the cross, please take me off your email list.

4 weeks people. That's it.

Holy Fucking Shit

I own a home. The responsibility is beginning to dawn on me.