Robin Cowdrey wrote:

> You can also blame the ****ing Americans when it comes to the price of
beef.
> When BSE was identified in a single beef carcase in northern Alberta in
May,
> 2003 (the animal was from a farm operated by a recent immigrant from the
> US), the US closed the border to Canadian beef, in spite of the fact that
> there had been unlimited movement back and forth across the border for
> decades, i.e. we share our germs. The US producers welcomed the ban since
> it enabled the price of their beef to increase because of decreased
imports.
> The Canadian public rallied around their farmers and bought lots of beef
but
> wondered why, since there was such a glut, the price didn't come down.
> Today a report was issued by the Alberta auditor general enlightening us
as
> to why this happened. The US owned packing plants in Alberta apparently
> bought cheap and sold at the market price. Along the way they increased
> their profitability almost three fold. They also had the unmitigated gall
> to take over two hundred million dollars from the Alberta government in
> handouts to the industry because of the crisis. When pressed to open their
> records to investigators, they refused. Now, of couse, we know why! The
> North American Free Trade treaty is being used as a way of ripping off
> Canada and Mexico.
>
> I shouldn't be surprised since this is the American way. Profit rules!
>
> I haven't been near this ng for quite a while but have monitored it for
the
> last week or two and seen quite a few familiar faces. I must admit that I
> like you individually and have even met one or two of you. But
collectively
> I don't like you. And I understand why the rest of the world doesn't.
>
> I've read suggestions that we should start hitting you back where it
hurts,
> i.e. restricting energy exports (and we have a lot of that here - once the
> oil and gas runs out we have plentiful supplies of oil sand and coal).
Hard
> to do against a country that takes 88% of our exports (Did any of you know
> that? We are your biggest trading partner. Obviously we have to look
further
> afield since you continue to abuse us.). Sounds like "The Mouse That
Roared"
> but those of us that think are p*ss*d off....at you guys and f*ck*ng
Ralph,
> our premier.

wow, such hostility. go watch a hockey game, drink a molson and eat some
back bacon eh? ;-)