Winter again...

If there's anything good to be said about Winter this year, it's that we were more or less prepared for once.

The Mustang and the Ninja are safely out of the snow.

I meant to get the Ford 4000 tractor out of the snow too, but you can't get around to everything.

There was a couple of winters here at Falling Downs when the Ford was our go-to snow clearing technology.

You'll notice that there's not an app for that. No, to clear the snow out your drive still requires old-school technology.

But all this snow has got me cruising the Kijiji ads for used sleds.

I've had a few, but nothing for many years.

When you've got the Family Responsibility Office and various other government offices lying in wait to pick the fat off your paycheque every week there's not much chance of a sled in the garage. And by the way, they don't just pick away at the fat; they get right down to the gristle.

But that's behind me now.

So I've been contemplating a new sled. You can get a nice deal on a new  MXZ TNT. The TNT moniker always gets my attention. Way back in the first wave of sleddery the TNT Ski-Doos were the go-to hotrod for the snow.

Unless you got your hands on a Rupp Nitro... which I actually did for a brief moment way back when.

The new sleds are a fool's bargain though. Ten thou for something you might, if you're lucky, get six weeks use of in a calendar year? That's retarded.

Better to comb those Kijiji ads for something a little older that's got some life left in it. Like that 800 Arctic Cat I saw tonight. Clean and tight and almost like new. The guy wants $2200.

Think I'll offer him $1500 and we'll see where things go.

The blissful ignorance of outsourcing Statscan duties to Kijiji

Nothing against Kijiji; we bought a nice used tent trailer with just a bit of mould on the tarp off Kijiji at a good price. Crank up the roof and open up all those side windows, and you don't even notice the mould! At least when there's a decent breeze blowing.

But should Kijiji be the default source of information for the federal government after they've carved $30 million out of the Statscan budget?

The Canadian Labour Congress thinks not.

The editorial board of Canada's newspaper of record thinks not.

And it's not every day that those two see eye to eye...

So it is good news that the Harper gang has dropped Kijiji as a source of vital statistical info to guide their policy decisions.

But have they restored funding to Statscan?

Of course not! Here's why; it's easier to govern when you're flying in the dark.

You have total freedom to just make shit up!

That explains our economic policy, our First Nations policy, our education policy and our foreign policy!

Hey, who needs facts when you're always right anyway?