Is the term "American People" condescending?

It annoys me when Barak Obama uses the term "American People". Can't he just say "us" or "we Americans". Or how about just plain "Americans". Doesn't the term "Americans" refer to people who live in the United States of America?

You don't here Canadian politicians refer to their countrymen as "the Canadian people". Lucien Bouchard was big on saying "le peuple Québécois", but most of the time he would use "les Québécoises et les Québécois".

I'd just like the Harvard educated big shot from Hawaii to say "we the people of America" once in a while...

Passport Fee is a Poll Tax

This is one that has been bugging me for a long time: the passport fee is unrelated to the cost of the passport.

Part of the cost goes to consular services. So if you need a passport to go to Boston, once, you will pay the exact same fee as globetrotters. How does that make sense?

It will make even less sense next year when you will need a passport to drive or walk across the border.

So I say abolish the passport fee. It should be paid via taxes.

Insurance claims data: more port police required (and take the bus)

This document from the Insurance Breau of Canada gives some indication as to the relative risk of different vehicles, the AB column is the one that tells us the relative frequency of injury claims. Keep in mind that young, less experienced drivers are more likely to be injured and they are also more likely to buy less expensive cars.

In fact, it would be useful to have an all things being equal comparison.

Still, better than nothing (PS, take the bus).

Interesting statistic on the site, BC and Quebec have way more car thefts than other provinces. I assume it is because of their ports (NS is diluted by being included in Atlantic Canada.)

Obvious conclusion, we need to spend more on port police.

New Windsor Highway Should be Elevated

1.2 billion dollars for a six lane highway that will lead to a traffic jam (the border). Please. "Below grade to diminish the effects of exhaust and noise". What? Below grade leading up to a very high toll bridge!?

This is what should be built: An elegant elevated four lane highway with no interchanges. A Southern Ontario version of Montreal's Decarie is a bad idea. Below grade highways, in addition to being expensive, are noisy and stink of exhaust.

The 6 lanes is the really silly part. Unless customs processes trucks at 100 km/hr, what is the point of that? In fact, you could argue that this new highway should be elevated and two lanes (one in each direction). After all, won't it be a 12 km queue for the border? And vehicles leaving the border are at trickle anyway...

The 20 minute commute... by foot.

The May 5th issue of BusinessWeek has an interview with James Kunstler, author of The Geography of Nowhere.

The best thing about living in Moncton, pop 80,000, is that it takes 10 minutes from one end of town to the other, maybe 15 during the 4 to 5PM rush hour.

Now some people do live out in the country and spend a good deal of time and money commuting, but the vast majority don't. Out of 20colleagues I asked, at 20 minutes, I have the longest commute. But that is 20 minutes by foot!

Many Monctonians have ocean side cottages less than 30 minutes from downtown, and only go on weekends!

Now granted, contrary to say Montreal, Ottawa or Toronto, fewer people take the bus. In fact, given the lousy public transportation, the average Monctonian probably spends more money on transportation than the average Torontonian.

So what is my point? I don't know, I just have so much free time I needed to waist some... :-)