Friday Questions

What is it about some Albertans that makes them get so upset about increased charges for text messaging, yet merely shrug their shoulders in response to the toxification of our rivers and lakes, killing of water fowl, and government subsidization of the Big Oil companies. No one seems to blink an eye when the Alberta government announces that they will use 2 billion dollars of taxpayers money to build a carbon capture and storage pipeline/system, yet make Canadians pay 'too much' for their iPhone data plan, and they virtually stampede to the company headquarters in protest. (And I do mean virtual - most of what people do these days is virtual, not actual.)

The 'stampede' had quite the effect though, with representatives of two companies being summoned by the Industry Minister to explain themselves. Minister Prentice sounded very concerned when he said, "While I have no desire to interfere with the day-to-day business decisions of the two private companies, I do have a duty ... when necessary, to protect the interests of the consuming public." Oh yes, the consuming public must be protected.

Funny how the Environment minister never summoned the oil company execs to Ottawa to be held accountable for their actions when 500 ducks died, or when the Athabasca river is continually ravaged and polluted and boreal forest and wetlands devastated. Oh, that's right, those companies are only accountable to their shareholders.

Why does the 'free market' apply more to non-renewable resources than to cell phone plans?

Is this not a tragedy and a travesty, that people are more attached to their cell phones than to the Earth?