From: brewnoser2@gmail.com   
      
   They took pride - for 40 years - of not having a provincial sales tax - like   
   the rest of the provinces.   
   They took pride in having the lowest corporate taxes of any province in Canada.   
   They took pride in earning $40 or $60/hour in jobs that paid less than $15/hr   
   in other provinces.   
   They took pride in having oil and gas and having a ready and willing customer   
   for it just the other side of the border.   
   They took joy in telling other provinces that the oil reserves were 'theirs -   
   all theirs' and not to ever consider them a Canadian resource.   
      
   Remember Trudeau's National Energy Program and Alberta's reaction to it? . . .   
   _______________   
      
   (The Story from archives)           
      
   In October 1980, Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau introduces a tougher,   
   more rigid national energy program (NEP). During a decade-long energy crisis,   
   the federal government wants more control over the country's energy. Ottawa   
   also says that Alberta'   
   s oil profits must be shared throughout the country. Alberta's Premier Peter   
   Lougheed says he'll take Trudeau's NEP to the courts.   
   __________________   
      
   Well, times have changed - and Alberta's reckless deals with the foreign oil   
   companies they invited into their province put very little into the coffers   
   for Albertans.  They just allowed Albertans to 'live well' off the proceeds of   
   their dirty industry.   
      
   And now, with their 'all eggs in one basket' industry doing back flips into   
   recession, the Albertans suddenly WANT HELP from other Canadians because their   
   Conservative governments didn't look after them too well financially - and   
   certainly didn't plan    
   for the basket of eggs to drop.   
      
   And - know what?  . . .  other Canadians are finding it very difficult to feel   
   sorry for Albertans.     
      
   And - know what else? . . . . Albertans did this before and didn't learn from   
   the experience.  I guess it's time to let them learn a lesson from the latest   
   one - without our help.   
   ____________________________   
   CBC News Posted: Jan 19, 2016   
      
   Letter from oilpatch worker to Trudeau incites backlash   
      
   Many readers believe struggling oil workers frittered away oil wages and 'only   
   have themselves to blame'   
      
   A plea to the federal government to ease Alberta's economic pain isn't getting   
   much sympathy from readers, according to the oilpatch worker who wrote an open   
   letter to Justin Trudeau, appealing for assistance in the ailing energy sector.   
      
   "I've seen a lot support from the west, in the prairie provinces, but outside   
   the prairie provinces, outside of oil country, it's mixed reviews," said   
   Lloydminster's Ken Cundliffe during a Tuesday morning interview on Edmonton AM.   
      
   "I finally brought myself to read a few comments online last night and it   
   looks like it's going to be pretty challenging to try to convince Canadians   
   from outside the oil provinces that we could use some assistance."   
      
   Cundliffe's letter paints a grim picture of Alberta: families are struggling   
   to cope, crime is escalating, even suicides rates are on the rise.  Since the   
   letter posted was posted to Facebook on Jan. 10, it's been shared nearly   
   10,000 times.   
      
   A Husky Oil operator, Cundliffe said he's disappointed to see backlash from   
   commenters who  aren't convinced that Alberta is deserving of federal   
   assistance.   
      
   "They say, 'Alberta has made their bed.  They've got oil for their economy.    
   When it crashes, why should we bail you out?'"   
      
   Cundliffe said attacks on the character of Alberta oil workers have been even   
   more disconcerting.   
      
   Many readers believe that struggling oil workers have frittered away their oil   
   wages and "only have themselves to blame" for any financial problems, he said.   
      
   "Not everyone is like that.  Not everyone has bought the big trucks and wasted   
   their money.  There's a lot of young families that are hurting.  I don't know   
   how to get that stereotype stopped," said Cundliffe.   
      
   "I've seen some of those criticisms of myself, and I don't think I should have   
   to explain myself.  I don't want to be ashamed of what I have.  I've worked   
   hard but if I lose my job tomorrow, things can change very quickly."   
      
   Although his letter is short on solutions for Alberta's financial woes,   
   Cundliffe does suggest several policies be adopted.   
      
   Among them, he suggested a review of both the equalization payment system and   
   the cap on the length of employment insurance.   
      
   Although Trudeau has not directly acknowledged Cundliffe's letter, he has   
   waded into the debate around the energy sector's ongoing financial crisis.   
      
   When questioned about his priorities for Alberta during a Monday cabinet   
   retreat in New Brunswick, Trudeau acknowledged the need for more financial   
   support in the oilsands sector, and promised to travel to the province in the   
   coming months.   
      
   "It's good that he's acknowledging that Alberta is struggling," said   
   Cundliffe. "but hopefully, it's not just talk, hopefully it's more than that."   
   ____________________________   
      
   http://assets.nationalnewswatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/M   
   C2589-770x506.jpg   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)