The Romance is Over - NL on Death Watch

As I sat down the other morning - looked at the beautiful blue sky and dancing ocean - something happened.

I was listening to CBC Radio to a story about Quinlan's fishplant in Bay de Verde. Primarily it was regarding the import of workers from Thailand to process crab.

The "shock" value is they could not find 20 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to take the employment - rate of pay $12/hr.

Here are my questions:

1. How much does it cost to bring 20 Thai workers to Canada?

2. How much does it cost to house and feed them?

3. Where is the FFAW on this story?

4. What is up people?

So I gulped hard and listened to another story about an Otto Young from Twillingate and how he has essentially turned an old beauty salon and couple of outbuildings into cabins for tourists looking for icebergs and scenery.

It also talked about Otto's later in life discovery that he was a model boat builder and artist. Very folksy, charming, and romantic - it really turned my stomach.

Yes that's right - it made me feel ill.

There is nothing charming, quaint, or pleasantly poetic about a place - my country - Newfoundland and Labrador becoming extinct.

I am actually tired - exhausted - from fighting for the survival of one of the greatest food baskets in the world - our fishery.

The story about Otto would have normally warmed my heart and promoted feelings of pride - but today - after a month where we've seen a half dozen fish plants were eulogized - it just rubbed me very wrong.

I watch Darin King - the latest political clone of ineptness - blabber on and on about nothing and everything. I - Darin - am a Minister - and may yet be the next Premier - thinks he.

The ladies, Kathy - Joan - and Susan are like a trio of hen peckers on a partisan journey of retribution. They have the power to destroy and so far a fine job is being done.

Kathy was muttering something the other day about Harper and the fact he represents all Canadians whether they voted for him or not. Well Kathy - if he took a page from your book he would learn he is not being vengeful enough. 

So now we are on death watch for the Corner Brook mill - time for the violinists to begin.

The same old garbage will spew - it is not the end for Corner Brook - we will recover - we will recover.

Meanwhile as more industries are lost weekly - the apparent need for power increases?

We must take our collective ostrich head out of the sand and boot these people out. We are going to leave nothing but debt and leave our children and grandchildren destitute.

Our culture so rich and unique - disappearing - under the watchful eye of the House of Assembly.