A Ballet in Three Parts

 Uxbridge has passed an indignant resolution demanding the Province pay 100% of the plan to restore purity to the waters of Lake Simcoe. They point out no development is  planned in the villages and hamlets of the Region.

York Region doesn't get excited about  trivial stuff like that.

In Aurora, we just tack on a supplement  to  water bills of  metered properties to pay the ransom.

We figure people won't notice piddling little sums. Certainly they will  never  guess  they're being shafted by their own elected body. 

Developers  pay for  pond construction. It means new home buyers pay in the price of their homes. It's part of the overhead. Properties are  then assessed at market value,  price  paid, and taxes are paid on  taxes forever and a day.

I heard a cost figure to build a residence is forty-per cent of the market price.

Sixty-per-cent  is  cost imposed by taxes of one level of government or another.

A figure this week indicates current  house prices are ten-per-cent over-valued. It happens in a heated market.  Couples  bite off more than they can chew, then when the market cools down, they  discover the house is worth less than the mortgage. The down-payment is swallowed up. They have no equity.

And who cares? Buyers  never know how they've being shafted. They don't even want to.Who can blame them?

People think those dastardly wealthy developers make so much money they deserve to pay.

But they don't.

I watched a feature on Bernie Madoff, billionaire jailbird, this week.

The amazing thing about the story was how eager  organisations and individuals were to shovel money into his hands.

How much was already  known by the public finance control agency, ten years before he was apprehended.

His status in high society was such, he was untouchable. He was a generous contributor to charities in accordance with his status.

He was paying more interest to clients  than they could get anywhere else. Clients were not  allowed to ask certain questions.  Bernie was King. He was making them money.  So... doubts were set aside.

On the day he was arrested,  Bernie  looked pleased.

Like......look at me! I fooled you all !  I will be forever famous and the lifestyle I enjoyed was worth every minute

A modern-day buccaneer.

That was before the  eldest  of his two sons took his own life.

Bernie will probably write a book.

Like Conrad Black.

Bernie  may not be an exalted guest on our T.V.talk shows. He is not Canadian.

Ah..but wait a minute !  Conrad isn't Canadian either. He gave it up to become a  Noble Lord wearing silk stockings and satin knickers with rosettes and ribbons at the knees , red robes trimmed with  ermine and  a constant supercilious smile.

Strutting about the stage like a character in the Nutcracker Suite

I watch that every Christmas and marvel.