Unsolicited Proposals to Government

Dear Dean - Danny - Ken

I want government to help finance and take an equity position in a new AM radio station to compete with the only commercial AM talk-radio in the province. I believe another AM station with talk radio may drive the rates of advertising down - then Government could save on advertising dollars. Businesses would have a choice - and that has to be good for the market.

CBC has AM radio but advertising is not permitted - clearly we need competition in the industry if VOCM/NewCap goes down there has to be another AM station to take up the broadcasting until the problem is fixed.

I want government to help finance Newfoundland and Labrador hydro build a system to offer distribution to my home. That way Newfoundland Power would have competition and that would drive my price down. Because Newfoundland Power has outages - business and consumers generally could rely on a redundancy of another distribution network.

I want government to take an equity position in another cable company both in rural and urban areas - Rogers needs competition in urban areas and Persona needs competition in rural - if there was a new company that serviced urban and rural areas business and consumers generally would get competition and drive the rates down.

I want government to subsidize and take an equity position in another local television station to compete with NTV which virtually has a monopoly. The only choice is CBC TV - but that's public and already beats the crap out of NTV's advertising rates by using taxpayers subsidies. (Oh yeah that's like this new fibre optic project).

I would really like government to take an equity position in a new 55 million dollar tour boat to beef up competition in Conception Bay South. Time to come into the 21st century with a state of the art tourism boat that would attract global business in the elite category. A vessel that could take out 30-40 people in a very comfortable and luxurious setting.

I would really like government to take an equity postion in an airline which would allow Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to fly within their own province at a price less that a trip to Europe - and while we are at it an airline that completes the Euro connection.

I would really like government to take an equity position in a couple of fish plants that could compete with Barry and Risley - one that we really own - and then use our crown status to pry the quota's back from FPI.

I would like government to take an equity stake in a new Pulp and Paper company to compete with the Quebec giants - where they would have better access to the natural resource - and re-open the Stephenville Mill.
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Where did this fibre optical illusion priority come from? Why was it kicked around Cabinet several times before we even knew of its existance? Who determined the priority? Where are the reports - or better yet the thousands of complaints on the lack of third and fourth fibre optic lines - are the number of complaints comparable to those from people trying to access health-care?

Sue's Blog asks you to open your mind and think about what Williams would have said if he was Opposition leader and this project was announced. Where's the copy of the deal? Where's the legal contracts? Can we drive a mac-truck through it? He would have asked that the proposed deal be tabled in the House of Assembly - debated in full - with a free vote.
What's with that David Cochrane? And while your at mulling that over - why did you compare Cooke aquaculture with this deal?
Unsolicited? We have been begging - screaming - shouting - and clawing every where we could -every fish show we could find - as many countries as the Premier could fit in a travel year and communities were shutting down - thousands of people were leaving. Unsolicited? My ass!
Then David you suggest that there was a 155 million dollar investment in the Cooke deal - you made it appear that this money was government money. Wrong! 20.5 million government - fed and provincial combined - and the rest of the 130 million was private.
Further Cooke does not sit on the Premier's Business Advisory Board nor sit on any Crown Corp of Newfoundland and Labrador - nor was he an underling of Williams in another business venture. You are the one David - who failed to make your case.