Alberta Politics & Government Thread 3.0

[para transit fellow]

the UCP continues to push the envelope...

Alberta bans ‘explicit’ books in school libraries starting Oct. 1
https://globalnews.ca/news/11283634/...rary-book-ban/

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Locke

Ah. I think I understand now. The AISH recipients would be paid the same amount overall as the Government wants to 'yoink' the additional $2400 that comes out of the Provincial pocket.

Its like when Disability insurance companies try and get clients onto Canada Pension Disability payments. The client receives the same amount of money in the end but less of it has to come from the Insurance company.

So instead of getting a supplement they'd just get the same as always.

What incentive does that give people who havent applied for the DTC (which, if they're on AISH they probably already have) to then go out and do it? That doesnt make any sense.

"Here is some cost and hassle for nothing."

Albeit, that is still pretty stupid.

Well, to join this conversation late, one of the egregious parts of this is that AISH recipients have to apply. It’s mandatory. So, at their expense, they have to apply in order to have the benefit effectively clawed back.

It’s appalling.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Originally Posted by para transit fellow

the UCP continues to push the envelope...

Alberta bans ‘explicit’ books in school libraries starting Oct. 1
https://globalnews.ca/news/11283634/...rary-book-ban/

Make The 1800s Great Again

It’s so embarrassing. Handholding and kissing, the humanity!

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by Amethyst

I have the same question. I have friends who still test every time they get sick. I don't see the point, when nothing would change for me. If it gets serious enough that I need medical care, they can test then.

One reason would be to know when it would be sensible to get your next vaccination (IIRC 3-6 months after infection). Especially if you have to pay a bunch of money for it now (or in the beforetimes you just want to be a responsible member of society and not waste resources)

[MarchHare]

Of course the Bible received a special exemption from the UCP book ban. We gotta make sure the children of Alberta have access to a book that, in its very first chapter, describes two young women getting their father drunk and incestuously raping him while he's passed out.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Slava

Well, to join this conversation late, one of the egregious parts of this is that AISH recipients have to apply. It’s mandatory. So, at their expense, they have to apply in order to have the benefit effectively clawed back.

It’s appalling.

That is stupid, but again, if they know that the benefit is going to be clawed back...why do they have to apply? Most AISH recipients already have DTCs, some might not but they'd likely be a minority, but if they know that the application is going to net them nothing...why apply? They cant be forced to. They're being 'encouraged to' which, I agree is appalling, because the Government wants to skim them.

They have to apply if they want the supplement, but if they know they're not going to get the supplement anyways then why do it? Why go through the process and the expense? Why jump through hoops to end up exactly where you started?

From the Provincial Government perspective, this is greasy as all hell. The Federal Government is going to give Disabled people an extra couple hundred bucks a month? If the UCP had just STFU and let them do it then it would literally have been no skin off their ass.

The Province pays the same as always and AISH recipients get an extra few hundred bucks. All they had to do was nothing.

[para transit fellow]

The UCP seem to believe that disability is a moral failing

'Why kick a person when they’re already down?': UCP eyes potential cuts to AISH program (sept 2020)
https://calgaryherald.com/news/polit...o-aish-program


Alberta budget 2025 cuts AISH funding by $49-million (Feb 2025)
https://www.rmoutlook.com/local-news...llion-10298637

[Locke]

Originally Posted by para transit fellow

The UCP seem to believe that disability is a moral failing

'Why kick a person when they’re already down?': UCP eyes potential cuts to AISH program (sept 2020)
https://calgaryherald.com/news/polit...o-aish-program


Alberta budget 2025 cuts AISH funding by $49-million (Feb 2025)
https://www.rmoutlook.com/local-news...llion-10298637

Lol! That is ridiculous!

"We're going to sewer 77,000 people into hardship over 3 years to save $77 million out of a $1.7B Budget Item!!"

Talk about Dumpster Diving for nickels.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Locke

That is stupid, but again, if they know that the benefit is going to be clawed back...why do they have to apply? Most AISH recipients already have DTCs, some might not but they'd likely be a minority, but if they know that the application is going to net them nothing...why apply? They cant be forced to. They're being 'encouraged to' which, I agree is appalling, because the Government wants to skim them.

They have to apply if they want the supplement, but if they know they're not going to get the supplement anyways then why do it? Why go through the process and the expense? Why jump through hoops to end up exactly where you started?

From the Provincial Government perspective, this is greasy as all hell. The Federal Government is going to give Disabled people an extra couple hundred bucks a month? If the UCP had just STFU and let them do it then it would literally have been no skin off their ass.

The Province pays the same as always and AISH recipients get an extra few hundred bucks. All they had to do was nothing.

Ya, your last two paragraphs are why it's so clear that the cruelty is the point. They view the disabled with scorn and disdain, which is ironic as ####, because each and every one of them is taking far more taxpayer dollars in their years in government than any disabled person. Hell, they've handed more money over to Preston Manning for bull#### COVID reports than any other person who actually needs money to survive.

[MRCboicgy]

Well you know, they probably had some sin in their life that resulted in them becoming disabled, so really, they deserve this. Gotta make sure the right people get enriched and such.

Yeah, I've pretty much equated modern conservatism to prosperity gospel.

[Codes]

I know the conversation has moved on, but I wanted to circle back and reiterate what others mentioned. I'm not a virologist, but I work closely with human respiratory viruses.

Viruses are extremely diverse and can cause an incredible array of diseases. You have DNA viruses and RNA viruses with different genomic structures that undergo evolution via different mechanisms. Some evolve very slowly (measles) and others very quickly (SARS-CoV-2, influenza).

Generally, there are two broad categories of evolution in viruses: genetic drift and genetic shift. Genetic drift is the slow accumulation of mutations over time, while genetic shift marks a sudden and significant change in the genome.

SARS-CoV-2 can undergo a form of genetic shift called recombination. This can occur when two different SARS-CoV-2 viruses infect the same host simultaneously and effectively trade out parts of their genomes with one another. This can result in a virus with a new genomic backbone and unique combination of mutations that can alter the new virus's properties (things like the ability to evade certain immune responses, the ability to more easily enter cells or even different tissue types). Importantly, recombination has the ability to alter the spike gene, which is what our vaccines are derived from, and depending on how dramatic that change is, it can greatly affect the efficacy of our current vaccine formulations.

Influenza has a segmented genome, and undergoes another form of genetic shift called reassortment. Similarly, if a host is simultaneously infected with two influenza viruses, they can exchange entire segments. And again, similarly, if the right segments get changed out (i.e., the hemagglutinin gene), this has the ability to render the current vaccine ineffective. This is also how pandemic influenzas are born: co-infection and reassortment between human, avian and/or swine influenza viruses.

This is why we monitor circulating viruses and compare them against the current vaccines and attempt to project which viruses next year's vaccines should be based on.

And also why you might not be as tanky as you think!

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Slava

Well, to join this conversation late, one of the egregious parts of this is that AISH recipients have to apply. It’s mandatory. So, at their expense, they have to apply in order to have the benefit effectively clawed back.

It’s appalling.

I’m in the process of doing it for my brother. It’s a major PITA. His assessment of mental disability was done decades ago by a doctor who’s now retired. So we have to jump through all the hoops again, from square one. Just so the Alberta government can offload maybe a couple hundred dollars a month onto the federal government, with zero benefit to my brother.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Maybe we could get crazy and just go back to encouraging vaccinations and making them free and readily available.

I know, extreme leftists are wild. What can I say.

Now that's a great point, I can't believe someone hadn't already suggested th-...

Originally Posted by TorqueDog

You want the Alberta government to start paying for vaccines again, I'm 100% on-board, they should never have stopped covering them in the first place.

Oh. Huh. I knew it sounded familiar.

Originally Posted by Codes

I just wanted to touch on this point.

Viruses, especially SARS-CoV-2 and influenza, have the propensity to change relatively rapidly. This can render immunity from prior infections and/or vaccinations less effective or even ineffective. That's why vaccine formulations are reviewed annually for these viruses.

So you might not be as tanky as you think!

Absolutely, and to be clear, I still get mine when it's updated. It'll be a nuisance to have to go to a specific health clinic rather than just pop in at a nearby pharmacy, and I'm curious to know how they'll assess eligibility for immunocompromised patients. Are they going to check Netcare and see my IV-meds, or are we doing the honour system again?

[puffnstuff]

https://theijf.org/alberta-used-list...ial-in-schools

Alberta used lists of America’s most banned books and a controversial database to identify ‘inappropriate’ material in schools

Internal emails show how education ministry staff compiled pages of book titles that could be restricted through new content guidelines.

Hint, one of those websites they used is associated with Moms for Liberty...and yes that group is as bad as it sounds

[Locke]

WHY in the ever loving HOLY #### are we ####ing BANNING BOOKS??!?!?!

[puffnstuff]

Originally Posted by Locke

WHY in the ever loving HOLY #### are we ####ing BANNING BOOKS??!?!?!

Because books are woke!

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by Locke

WHY in the ever loving HOLY #### are we ####ing BANNING BOOKS??!?!?!

Because Danielle Smith and every last imbecilic deplorable 'Bertan who voted for the UCP sees Fahrenheit 451 not as a cautionary tale but as a guidebook to be followed.

[direwolf]

Originally Posted by Locke

WHY in the ever loving HOLY #### are we ####ing BANNING BOOKS??!?!?!

It's beyond infuriating and incredibly worrisome. And as a formerly proud Albertan, it's f***ing embarrassing. Never in my life did I ever think we'd see books being banned in this country, but here we are with the UCP government jumping gleefully into the fascism game.

I don't know what it's gonna to take for Albertans to finally wake the f*** up and remove these reprehensible scumbags from office, but Alberta is heading down a very dangerous path right now. I certainly don't envy Nenshi and the ANDP. They've got their work cut out for them, that's for sure.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by direwolf

It's beyond infuriating and incredibly worrisome. And as a formerly proud Albertan, it's f***ing embarrassing. Never in my life did I ever think we'd see books being banned in this country, but here we are with the UCP government jumping gleefully into the fascism game.

I don't know what it's gonna to take for Albertans to finally wake the f*** up and remove these reprehensible scumbags from office, but Alberta is heading down a very dangerous path right now. I certainly don't envy Nenshi and the ANDP. They've got their work cut out for them, that's for sure.

Well then they'd damned well better get to goddamned work and start actually doing something!

[IliketoPuck]

Originally Posted by Codes

snip...

And also why you might not be as tanky as you think!

What a fantastic post! Thank you for sharing. I found it really informative and interesting to read.