April 23, 2015
Welcome to Rising Tide, Newfoundland and Labrador's newest political blog and activist group!
Rising Tide is the brainchild of Ryan Young, a local political activist and advocate for social justice. The goal behind the project is to bring together like-minded individuals to stand up to the undemocratic injustices that the people of this great province are facing at the hands of their political leaders. We are also committed to bringing issues of injustice into the eyes and ears of the public and to letting people know what is really happening within our provincial political landscape.
Right now, in the media we have issues like dropping oil prices, Bill 42, and the Don Dunphy shooting making headlines. Granted these are important issues that deserve the attention of the public, but we cannot allow ourselves to get caught up in these sensational stories so much that we lose sight of the human issues that are happening all around us as well. Last night we attended a very emotional forum on housing that was hosted by the opposition Liberals. Hearing the housing plight of seniors and single parents brought tears to our eyes but yet there was not even any mention of the event in the media today. If the media is not willing to tell the stories that need to be told then it is up to those of us with a voice to tell the truth and spread the word.
Newfoundland and Labrador is at a crossroads. We have had a chance to play around with "have" designation, but the vast majority of the people are still very much "have not." The middle class aka the "working poor" are the hardest hit, while the very bottom of society who depend on welfare and disability benefits can barely maintain even the most modest existence. We have watched this province boom but yet the average person is actually worst off under the widening of the provincial income gap. It is time to demand that we all have a chance to benefit from our new found wealth. The current drop in oil prices is temporary. Those revenues will be back, but it is how we plan for that now that will determine the fate of the people as we move into the future.
Now more than ever we need strong leadership and we, the people, must hold our leaders accountable to all residents, not just the richest few and the political cronies and special interest groups. For more than a decade now we have enjoyed a flood of cash into our economy but yet we find ourselves right back in debt again the moment the arse falls out of the oil biz. And who will bear the cost of the deficit? Certainly not the retiring members who wont even miss the reduction of eight seats in the House of Assembly. It has already started on the backs of campers and hunters and we suspect there will be plenty more service cuts and fee hikes in the months to come. But still election style politics are alive and well as the premier constantly boats of how much they have spent in the past and promises a new "legacy fund" to cushion us from future falls. It's a great idea, just one that is ten years and two dollars too late. But I guess w should not expect much when our own finance minister admits he can't quite get the math right.
The issues are many and our numbers are few, but like a rising tide, the will of the people cannot be stopped. Make no mistake, we WILL be loud and we WILL be heard. Join us on our journey to make Newfoundland and Labrador a place we can be proud of again. Together we can rise the tide and make a difference!
Rising Tide NL
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