Federal prosecutors expanded their case against former Gov. Rod Blagojevich today in an indictment that drew more of his closest aides into the scandal and adds new schemes to the list of charges against him: Pocketing money funneled through his wife through a phony real estate job. Shaking down a powerful congressman. Running the state as a racket.

Coming nearly four months after federal agents roused a sitting governor out of his Northwest Side home in a predawn arrest — and weeks after lawmakers dumped him from power — today’s indictment of Blagojevich, his brother and four former top insiders could have been anti-climactic.

Instead, prosecutors added a few more chapters to the Blagojevich saga, further pulling his family into the pay-to-play conspiracy, revealing yet more confidants had turned on him and suggesting he was intent on corruption before he was even sworn in. The indictment carries a potentially lengthy prison sentence and possible forfeiture of his family home should Blagojevich be convicted.

After turning Illinois politics into an amusement-park ride, most notably for allegedly trying to sell President Barack Obama’s Senate seat, Blagojevich spent the day of his indictment with his family at  Disney World.

Blagojevich was indicted on 16 racketeering, fraud and extortion counts. Among the new, damaging allegations were that Blagojevich delayed a $2 million grant to a public charter school while trying to extort campaign cash from now-White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and threatened to withhold future state business from financial institutions that refused to hire his wife.

Blagojevich’s effort to profit, both personally and for his Friends of Blagojevich campaign fund, was so pervasive that federal prosecutors labeled the racketeering scheme the “Blagojevich Enterprise.”

“The primary purpose of the Blagojevich Enterprise was to exercise and preserve power over the government of the State of Illinois for the financial and political benefit of Rod Blagojevich, both directly and through Friends of Blagojevich, and for the financial benefit of his family members and associates,” the indictment alleged.

This day couldn’t come soon enough. I can only hope for a speedy trial. Did you know that 4 of the last 7 Illinois Governers have been indicated? As a resident of Illinois, I find it hugely embarrassing that Blagojevich and his cronies (including quite prominently, his wife) have absolutely no shame. It’s just priceless that the  Feds didn’t really move in until Barack Obama’s Senate seat was put up for sale to the highest bidder by the then-Governor of Illinois, the man we’ve nicked-name “Blago.”

Dope.

1 Canadian dollar = 0.813008 U.S. dollars

Ontario will rack up a record $14.1-billion deficit in 2009

Ontario will rack up a record $14.1-billion deficit in 2009 as it commits billions to infrastructure projects and job retraining aimed at pulling the province out of a recession, provincial Finance Minister Dwight Duncan revealed on Thursday in the tabling of his $108.9-billion budget.

The fiscal plan also proposes corporate tax cuts to ease costs for struggling businesses and stimulate investment in Ontario’s sagging economy, which has shed hundreds of thousands of jobs in recent years.

The budget forecasts a deficit of $3.9 billion in the 2008-2009 fiscal year, followed by a deficit of $14.1 billion in 2009-2010. It anticipates Ontario will run deficits for the next seven years, with a proposed return to balanced books no later than the 2015-2016 fiscal year.

The province and the federal government have also agreed to harmonize the provincial sales tax and GST into a single 13 per cent sales tax by July 1, 2010, which Duncan called the “next essential step” in growing the province’s economy and improving competitiveness.

It also allocates a $3.4-billion contingency fund, from which an unspecified amount can be directed toward a bailout package for the province’s beleaguered auto industry once negotiations with automakers are completed.

You know what alarms me about Ontario’s fiscal situation? Just last summer the Canadian dollar was worth more than the American. For the first time ever we spent more to vacation in Ontario at the cottage that in my entire life! And I was completely happy to do so. Happy for Canada, happy for Ontario. But in less than nine months time the Canadian dollar has plummeted to be worth roughly 80 cents on the American buck! Call me fiscally naive but that seems really out of whack. What the heck happened?! And so quickly.

Here in the States we are up a creek with no paddle but this has been building for many years. I have to think that the Canadian economy was in a fix 9 months ago but something was over-inflated and it appeared you all were fine. Best of luck. We’ve got a long slog too so at least you are not alone. Hate to consider this but I’ve been told that as the US goes so goes Canada about 6 months later and darned if  it’s not happening.

Second point. What is with the word “harmonize” when describing the fusing of  the provincial sales tax and GST into a single 13 per cent sales tax? Harmonize? Really? The politicians really know how to spin.

And 13%? Oi! Even with socialized medicine as a benefit and that silly baby supplement that families get– a 13% tax? We have the highest sales tax in the United States and it’s 10.25%. Honestly, when I really start comparing the two countries I have to believe that Canada is not better off than the States. What’s next? Your infant mortality rates going up and life expectancy going down? Do you really want to follow the muddy path that the States has followed– or is it too late? I hope not. On both counts.

What can you do?

It is easy! From 8:30 – 9:30 local time turn off all lights and non-essential electrical appliances to support an increased awareness of environmental issues. See below for unique ways to mark Earth Hour 2009 with friends and family.

10 Ways to Mark Earth Hour

• Attend local Earth Hour events or organize one.
• Go outside and look at the stars.
• Find a great viewing spot to see your town or city go dark at 8:30 p.m.
• Take pictures and send them to Your Weather.
• Go for a lantern walk through a park.
• Patronize local restaurants and businesses taking part in Earth Hour.
• Gather your family or friends for a candle-lit dinner.
• Meet your neighbours at a street or block party.
• Have an acoustic music jam.
• Talk to your children about how much electricity your family uses. Brainstorm ways to reduce it.

Source: WWF-Canada
From the official video source: Official Earth Hour 2009 video. Earth Hour is on March 28th, 2009 at 8:30pm. More at http://www.earthhour.org

Support Earth Hour by making your own video and adding it to our Earth Hour Global group here:
http://www.youtube.com/group/earthhourglobal/

Earth Hour images can be downloaded and shared from our flickr photostream, including Shepard Fairey Vote Earth artwork: http://www.flickr.com/photos/earthhour_global/

Canada Source

Also running: Everyone!

Jake Pothaar for the Family Coalition Party, Independent Jason Taylor, Bill Denby of the Freedom Party, the Green Party’s Mike Schreiner and Liberal candidate Rick Johnson.

Source: CTV
VOTE

That could never (in-a-million years) happen here in the States in that powerful of an area of  the country which I submit, makes Canada a place of more choice and in some senses less oppression, than the USA. <counts> Six guys running for this seat! Six distinct partys including some familiars like The Greens, Independents, and the Freedom Party. Looks like the Christians are in there now, too. Yay. At least they clearly identify themselves.

Source

Canadian Air Force Fighter Jet

Canadian fighters scrambled to turn back a Russian Bear intercontinental bomber over the Arctic within 24 hours of  US President Barack Obama’s visit to Ottawa last week.

The Tu-95 turboprop was approaching over the Northwest Passage but never crossed into Canadian airspace after two the interception by two Canadian CF-18 fighter jets, Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay said today.

The Canadian pilots told the Russian aircraft “to turn around, turn tail and head back to its own air space, which it did,” MacKay said.

“I’m not going to stand here and accuse the Russians of having deliberately done this during the presidential visit” on Feb. 16, MacKay said, “but it was a strong coincidence.”

Russian Bearcat Fighter Jet

Russian bombers have stepped up patrols approaching U.S. and Canadian airspace to press Moscow’s jurisdictional rights and access to the potential mineral wealth on the Arctic frontier.

On Jan. 27, two Tu-95s were intercepted and turned away from the Alaska coast.

I was quite tickled by a number of photos taken in Ottawa yesterday.

In re: the maple cookies which Obama tried to buy for his daughters, Sasha and Malia: He must be freaking the Secret Service right out.

Take a look at the looks on their faces  when Obama wanders into a shop  to buy a souvenir–they are intensely staring at the arms/hands of every person that is near Obama.
CLICK to enlarge!

Several Canadain News Reports:

Why are they not scanning the room? Because there’s more guys just
steps away. The Secret Service hardly make a secret of their Now the weather. 

When then-U.S. President George W. Bush took office in 2001, he chose Mexico instead of Canada for his first foreign visit, and relations with Canada suffered throughout his presidency. To blame the decline of Canada-U.S. relations entirely on his choice to go to Mexico rather than Canada is overly simplistic. In my opinion it was just an early symptom and harbinger of a a serious chill in relations between the two largest trading partners in the world.

Today, the newly- elected U.S. President Barack Obama is preparing for his first trip outside of the United States and he’s going to Ottawa, Canada. This particular visit will be quite short–just 8 hours– but hopefully it can begin to set  the tone for much warmer relations between the two countries which are often characterized as similar to members of the same family with the last eight years being akin to a family feud.

On the agenda is a visit to Ottawa, a meeting visit with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and select parliamentarians, a press conference, a brief meeting with U.S. Embassy staff, and then back to Washington in the evening.

It’s a bare-bones whistle-stop visit, but his administration is counting on it being enough to lift the tenor of relations between two strong and interdependent neighbors.

“Canada is a vitally important ally,” said Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs when he confirmed the trip late last month. “The President looks forward to the opportunity to speak with Prime Minister Harper and visit our neighbor to the north.”

The Bush Years

Over the years, there had been exceptions to the “first-stop-Canada” rule, but the enmity between Bush and then-Prime Minister Jean Chretien — a strong supporter of multinationalism who enjoyed excellent relations with Bill Clinton and Al Gore — gave Bush’s move the air of a deliberate slight.

In truth, many presidents have visited other countries ahead of Canada. Indeed, some never ventured north at all during their tenures in the Oval Office. But in the modern era — given the massive trade partnership between the two countries, as well as their energy interdependence and the mutual commitment to NATO — Bush’s decision raised hackles. What started perhaps as benign neglect or a minor diplomatic snub took hold like a prairie fire with a series of successive gaffes.

In his address to Congress following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Bush thanked more than 20 countries for their messages of support but failed to acknowledge Canadians for their response, which included providing safe harbor to passengers on more than 200 transcontinental flights who were left stranded when the U.S. closed its airspace. Bush never publicly refuted false claims made by members of his own administration and conservative pundits that some of the terrorists had entered the U.S. from Canada. And he repeatedly referred to Britain as the U.S.’s closest ally.

In April 2002, Bush showed little remorse after four Canadian soldiers on a nighttime training exercise in Afghanistan were killed by a bomb dropped from a U.S. F-16, the pilot of which claimed that the Canadians fired at his plane.

In the run-up to the Iraq war, the Bush administration used an unprecedented diplomatic full-court press to pressure Canada, already a key partner in the war in Afghanistan, to join in the invasion of Iraq.

Bush did ultimately did reach out to Canada, visiting in late 2004 after securing his second term He even went to Halifax to thank those Canadian communities that welcomed the diverted passengers in the days after 9/11. But Canadians saw it as too little, far too late. To make matters worse, Bush’s reelection had many moderate and secular Canadians questioning whether they still had much in common with their American friends and business partners. Source

Enter Obama

While President Obama’s visit is largely symbolic, there is some real business to be discussed. Topping the list will be the future of the North American economy, especially the financial sector, manufacturing industries, energy security and trade. The latter is suddenly a hot topic for many Canadians after U.S. congressional leaders earlier this month tried to include “buy American” provisions on federal spending related to the stimulus package, a clear violation of the spirit of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

The White House cautiously denounced the protectionist measures and the provisions were tamped down some, but Canadian business leaders remain unnerved by the prospect of the costly legal battles these measures would ignite.

The two leaders are also likely to discuss integrated security, Obama’s commitment to devoting greater military attention to Afghanistan and the closing of the Guantanamo Bay detention center.

Both sides are clearly aware of all that is at stake in restoring the health of the North American economy, and will use the meeting to heal wounds and rebuild a friendship between good neighbors.

Read more from GlobalPost.com.

OTTAWA — Barack Obama’s highly anticipated visit to Canada will result in a virtual lockdown around Parliament Hill and restrictions on airspace around the national capital region as the U.S. president makes his first official stop on foreign soil.

The trip is scheduled to last only a few hours on Thursday, but it has already sparked a massive police and security operation that will restrict everything from pedestrians, guided tours and cars to the movement of members of Parliament in and around the House of Commons.

It’s really hard to read this type of news. I realize that all the choices are tough but I’m disheartened to see that Canada truly has morphed again–back into a 10X smaller (in population) version of the United States.

Last I spoke with my favourite aunt on the topic of the US and Canada she said, “as the United States goes, so goes Canada six months later.” This was just last summer and according to news reports then the Canadian housing market was still strong. Now, it’s in free-fall like here the US. Yesterday, I saw that the Canadian government had voted to bail out their automobile industry with millions of Canadian tax dollars–exactly as is been debated (and all but finalized) by the US federal government.

Now this. Canada actually got worse grades at the United Nations Climate Conference than did the United States. I have to agree that is indeed a mark of shame.

Mark of Shame for Canada

The UN climate conference in Poznan, Poland, was a “mark of shame” for Canada, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May said on Saturday.

Delegates from poorer nations were angry at Canada for not meeting its commitments under the Kyoto protocol, as well as all industrialized countries for stalling on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, May told CBC News.

During the conference, which began Dec. 1, Canada won several Fossil of the Day Awards, announced by Climate Action Network International, a group that includes more than 400 non-governmental organizations.

“It was embarrassing being a Canadian at these meetings,” May said.

“Canada, unfortunately, was about the worst performer here, and that’s saying a lot. That means worse than the United States with the lame-duck Bush administration, still doing what it can to obstruct.

“But in the negotiations, Canada, I say, won. It’s really a mark of shame,” she said.