Grey County Update: English Status Seekers Through | 1being

Grey County Update: English Status Seekers

Through you honourable Warden Milne,

It is interesting how our democracy works, that ethnicity of councillors often reflect that of the electorate. After having done some ethnic analysis based on last names, it seems that Grey County Council is fairly unique in that we have a Scottish plurality, though also many English come in second, as well as two Germanic, two Eastern European, one Irish and one Italian.

Pertinent to the county finances is the book "Millionaire Next Door" by Thomas Stanley, that does an analysis on the proclivity of people of various ethnic origins of becoming millionaires. It found that Germans actually have a disadvantage in comparison to the average, seemingly because they have a focus on cleanliness and appearances, though as Jesus says "The meek shall inherit the Earth". At least here in Grey County the Germanic people own a significant amount of the land and so it's good to have Germanic representatives to speak to their issues, and the Amish and Mennonites are actually some of the best prepared for the end of fossil fuels. Wheras the English were two or three times more likely than average Americans to become millionaires due to colonial heritage, the Scottish 6 times more likely due to frugality, and Eastern Europeans 7 times more likely due to entrepreneurship.

Now perhaps the most problematic culture I have read about is actually the English, as described in "Watching the English" by Kate Fox. Now this isn't to say that our English heritage councillors or members are afflicted by the same ailments as described in the book. However much of the counter-productive habits of Englishism have unfortunately been perpetuated in North American culture in general, so it is good to be aware of them, to avoid the pitfalls.

The most significant issue with English culture, is that they have a tendency to dislike their own family or especially their children, preferring instead to chase after status objects to impress strangers and for their personal glorification. In the political realm this has both financial and social repercussions. The financial issues being the pursuit of vanity projects "for appearances" and to impress strangers, often to the detriment of the actual locals living in the area. A prime example would be the current UK administration, which has two tier policing that allows undocumented immigrants to get away with violent crimes against the natives, while putting the natives in prison for complaining about it. Or closer to home, where Trudeau seems to value the opinion of the WEF and emulating the CCP more highly than Canadian Citizens our heritage and the basics of how we came to succeed in the first place. Fortunately Premier Doug Ford eventually decided to go with what the citizens wanted instead of the real estate investors in terms of the green belt, so there is hope.

Now if you have identified that you have room for improvement in regards to how loving and kind you are towards your family and children, then now is as good a time to start as any. Remember that by learning to love and accept them, make time for them, listen to them, and help them in the ways that you can, you are modelling how you behave towards your constituents. Are you respecting the free will and divine spark within your children, or are you letting outsiders or social mores dictate how they will live their lives? While there is room for seeking outside help when we need it, ultimately the decision of how our children/constituents live, needs to take into account their own free will and the divine within them. We can set up our children for success by giving them the tools and space (land) to learn to accomplishing things for themselves, that is what builds self-confidence.

With the rise of fossil fuels England created the Enclosure Acts, to take land away from regular people, and give it to wealthy industrialists to raise sheep, so they could spin the wool in factories. It was the start of "1984" Ministry of Information double think, in that they told peasants the people that with land to grow their own food and firewood they were "serfs" or slaves, and that to become free, they had to go to the city and become a "free tenant" or wage slaves, dependent on "the machine" to meet all one's needs (notably many were not fooled, but were forced off their land by legislative/zoning means). Certainly it has brought about some mass manufacturing luxuries, however we are speeding towards "net zero" by running out of fossil fuels. So the challenge is reversing the Enclosure Acts, as best as we are able, at every level of governance, so that our children may be able to put food on the table for their grandchildren (or great-grand children as the case may be).

India, China and Russia are ironically leading the way, in India 70% of people have access to agricultural land to grow their own stuff, in China 55%, in Russia it's 45%, in Canada it's 3%, in US 2%, in UK 1%. With such large percentages of the population ready and able to grow their own: India, China and Russia should fair quite well in the case of loss of fossil fuels, easily maintaining at least half their populations. Canada and US on the other hand, at present is on pace for 90%+ mortality rates within decades. But the Ministry of Information has people in a mindset of "hubris" or the "pride that comes before the fall", believing that "the machine" will always deliver.

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Recently read "Mass Starvation" by Alex de Waal and it states "second-degree famine crime is committed by an official recklessly pursuing policies that have already proven their faminogenic tendencies. These constitute the largest number of famine crimes by far." Most likely historians of the future, will look at the west in this way, because we know homelessness is rising, we know food security is dropping, we know fossil fuels are finite and are being phased out, but many governments in Canada at all levels continue to pursue policies to intentionally increase land prices and limiting supply and access. Even when much of the rest of the world is in a much better position than us, with much less land disparity, and much higher survival chances.

There are many possible solutions, too many to enumerate here, but a small sampling may include the municipal and county level. Things like at the urban municipal level supporting urban agriculture program for people to start acquiring the skills to grow their own food in their yards, as it is a five year learning curve. At the county level could provide an Agroforestry program at Sydenham campus, or through Georgian college to assist local farmers in integrating edible and useful trees and shrubs into their farming system, and drawing on international permaculture expertise. And at the rural municipal/county level could have community land trusts with agricultural land available for residence, and-or having land matching services to match urban residents with rural land owners that are willing to lease some land, and-or zoning reform to make it easier for people to camp out while they farm a sustainable size lot.

And maybe the staff have some questions about some aspects of how we can help the transition here? I'm always looking for ways to be of service and I'd be willing to offer potential solutions, that the staff and council may decide to implement. And I can be there to make sure those that are decided on get done, and have tangible results, to improve constituent joy, and thus help with re-elections.

While I’m offering these ideas through this email, my hope is that we can work together as a team to explore these solutions. I believe that collective effort, collaboration, and genuine teamwork will ensure the best outcomes for Grey County. As the Confederation of Planets once said:

"But rejoice that you have had companionship and as you walk into your future, let the knowledge of a companionship that has been tried in the fire and has remained lovely be your strength and your armament. You have been soldiers. You shall continue to be so. Let those deep feelings within guide you to each new day and each new field of battle in which love and fear strive. And as you are unafraid, know with certainty that you are old soldiers, and that you can and will persevere. Not as you think the Creator has in mind for you, but as you receive from the Creator those opportunities which spring up day by day. ... You have begun to attempt to become a social memory complex and you will continue in each relationship, and in the relationship within yourself, to be more and more harmonious as a comrade in arms. But remember always the great and sturdy team that you were and are in your honest and single-hearted desire for the truth." L/L (1991/09/22) May you be blessed,