Strona 12 Dokoñczenie ze strony 11 Reaction to election results was hot and laud. Poland is a new democracy after 5 years of German occupation plus 45 years of Russian rule via a puppet communist government. A controversial „Round Table” agreement, securing a peaceful change, brought grave side effects such as facilitating all kinds of privileges for the huge group of communist functionaires and collaborators, leaving lots of old structures intact e.g. judiciary, and lack of disclosure of secret police informers who penetrated all levels of Polish society. PiS government was a first conservative one in the free Poland. Many Poles believe blindly in the need for „honest” politicians and fail to understand that money rules and western democracies mastered a „capitalism with the human face”, where the needy are taken care of via government legislation, corporate citizienship, and social programs. Polish political scene features all kinds of parties. In this election, I found one of them interestingly attractive, the Polish Women Party that used in the election a quite misleading „<strong>No</strong>thing to Hide” picture featuring the party leaders. I went for a week in mid- <strong>No</strong>vember to Poland to check out after-election moods and talked to many friends an people on the street. My ad-hoc ‘research’ in Warsaw and Krakow indicated not necessarily enthusiastic, but definite support of the change. My family and friends include passionate supporters of both PO and PiS, so I had to be specially diplomatic to remain friends and not to upset anyone in the family. An electoral division was rather visible along the lines PO-younger, cities and PiS-older, country. Many PO fans I talked to seemed to be still obsessed with the alleged Poland’s „loss of reputation” due to incompetent previous equippe (my comment: quite in contrary, Poland have enjoyed a significant rise in reputation, at least in America, due to the great economic performance plus in England and Ireland, n imminent fall of America and upcoming dominance of Russia (possibly some cleverly planted Russian propaganda), and the need to seek „deep understanding” with our „reformed”, now friendly neghbourghs, Russia and Germany. Many, from all political sides, displayed sensitivity to Russian crude demonstrations of their nuclear arsenal and energy mono-poly. On the other side, many PiS fans were reflecting their party’s visible post-election loss crisis. Lots of denial, blaiming others, and dubious explanations. <strong>No</strong> one could explain to me why the old, tainted judiciary system was left intact, leading to eventual failure of the poblic figures’ secret-policeinvolvement verification process. Why the past government got preoccupied with fighting corruption, using TV SWAT-style arrests of non-violent suspects, often for petty allegations that were later often dismissed. I wonder when we will start seeing things closer to what they really are: Russia, an eternal collossus on the clay legs (great power politics but no real, nation wide wealth and productivity), America, still not only symbol but the closest approximation of capitalistic democracy (just watch the primaries to see the gruelling process of the making of the future President of the USA, and this is only the beginning), and powerless „cultured” Europe, slowly loosing their identity. America vs. Europe is covered in great detail in the book „The Future of Europe - Reform or Decline” recently written by Italian economists Alberto Alesina (currently Professor of Political Economics at Harvard University) and Francesco Giavazzi (Professor of of Economics at Bocconi University). They claim that unless Europe takes action soon, its further economic and political decline is inevitable. Quoting hard productivity figures and historical re-ferences, they blame European „social market economy”(Soziale Marktwirtschaft, developed in Germany, previously known for high productivity). Without reform, continental Western Europe’s overprotected, overregulated economies will continue to slow and its political influence will become negligible. This doesn’t mean that Italy, Germany, France, and other now-prosperous countries will become poor; their standard of living will remain comfortable. But they will be declining and become largely irrelevant on the world scene. Authors outline the steps that Europe must take to prevent its economic and political eclipse. They state that Europe has much to learn from the market liberalism of America. Europeans work less and vacation more than Americans; they value job stability and security above all. Americans, Alesina and Giavazzi argue, work harder and longer and are more willing to endure the ups and downs of a market economy. Europeans prize their welfare states; Americans abhor government spending. America is a melting pot; European countries - witness the <strong>No</strong>vember 2005 unrest in France - have trouble absorbing their immigrant populations. Alesina and Giavazzi give prescriptions for how Europe should handle worker productivity, labor market regulation, globalization, support for higher education and technology research, fiscal policy, and its multiethnic societies. Their wake-up call rings loud and clear for anyone concerned about the future of Europe and the global economy. Also, European leaders seem to have no problem with grave demographic/civilization challenges that e.g. encourage islamization (EU refusal to acknowledge christian roots and an official, unprecedented ban on on ”antiislamism”; criticizing any other religions is acceptable). According to some, the possibility of establishing first European caliphate in France is now clearly on the horizon. I hope Poland will not blindly follow the weak side of EU; standards of bureaucratic inefficiency, Soziale Marktwirtschaft ideas, oversized expectations and low productivity. If anything, let’s look at least at the British and Irish models clearly embedded in principles of creativity and high learnability, features displayed by so many Poles. Let’s remember that Brittain’s Margaret Thatcher restoration of economic sanity is now quoted as an example to follow in business literature worldwide. Curios from Ontario politics <strong>No</strong>thing is new in the provincial politics. As described in the September NK, a disastrous failure of „Leadership matters” ‘tarzan’ John Tory (who opened the educational Pandora’s Box trying to equalize the best part of the Ontario public education, seperate (catholic) schools with the private religious schools, left the ruling ‘transformer’ Dalton McGuinty in a majority power position. Ontarians didn’t even blink since in reality things were not bad and in the boring election process the only opposition commited political suicide. John’s party is desperately looking for a leader pretending that nothing has happened. The public remembers his election antics and is rather disinterested in any oposition to what they have chosen. Funny happenings regarding our madia-untouchable police are not helping in their already low standing in the public opinion. OPP Chief Fantino expressed his regrets that courts can take away driving licences and impound cars for recently imposed exceeding 150 kmph, he wants 130 kmph, pretty much current traffic speed on the overloaded highways. Police still endorses illegal, extremaly dangerous slow driving in passing lanes and lays illegal charges for blinking lights to warn upcoming motorists where the police is customarily hiding in the bushes with radar traps. Courts recently let go a big bunch of corrupt cops (media published a picture of them laughing after their acqital) for „too lengthy judicial process”. Local Toronto politics are even more interesting. City councillors spend huge money on their extravagant expenses and enjoy a myriad of perks, Taxes go up and services go down. David Miller is Mayor of Toronto known for his white elephant projects and raising taxes. Bizzarly narrowed strip of the St.Clair West is now famous 1-15/02/2008 N o 03 (<strong>945</strong>) Mieszanka noworoczna: Parê ciekawostek z prze³omu 2007/2008. New Year mix: Some curios from the turn of 2007/2008 Jaros³aw Kaczyñski Polish Women Party Alberto Alesina Francesco Giavazzi John Tory Dalton McGuinty Mayor David Miller with locals as a „David Miller Parkway” where raised-platform two-thirds of space (on which occasionaly crash luxury cars driven by seniors inhabiting wellto-do Forrest Hill) present a vast emptiness with a lone streetcar showing every half hour or so. The remaining one-third is a continuous traffic jam. The Renaissance of the SPK building nn 206 Beverley St. in Toronto A historical monument of the Polonia activities in Toronto, the Polish Combatants Association SPK building on 206 Beverley St., is going through a rapid increase of important activities. ‘Taking Your Breath Away” ball, full of amazing events, marked a new standard for the Polonia’s entertainment. It was a world-class happening organized by Polish-Canadian Artistic Initiative. It featured a great time for everybody, magnificent masks, art exhibition and auction, in the completely redecorated hall for this event by the team of volunteers led by Joanna Dabrowska, to her magnificent design. The enchanted audience, almost 200 people strong, expressed their wish to have more events like that in the future. Fun with masks The SPK building has also became a busy meeting place for the Association of Polish-Canadian Engineers in Canada and their Toronto Section. The great novelty here are new high caliber and profile conferences, seminars and engineering forums organized within a framework of the stratigic alliance with the Totonto Section of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), almost a half-million strong, largest organization of professionals in the world. After the higly attended, successful events ‘Reactor Designs for the Upcoming Nuclear Stations Worldwide’ conference in May 2007, ‘Communication Solutions’ seminar in October 2007, and ‘Engineering Forum for Nuclear Energy for Ontario” (see two pictures, the audience and the panel) in January 2008, next comes the ‘Engineering Forum for Nuclear Energy in Ontario’ on March 27, 2008. Renewable Energy Forum Panel of experts in action Panel of experts in action Continued on page 18
N o 03 (<strong>945</strong>) 1-15/02/2008 Strona 13 Miêdzynarodow¹ Kartê Telefoniczn¹ a otrzymasz dodatkowo ... Kup któr¹kolwiek z tych kart w wiêkszoœci punktów handlowych w Ontario i ... Oderwij górn¹ czêœæ karty przed lub po u¿yciu i ... Oka¿ górn¹ czêœæ karty w Przy zakupie du¿ej (large) pizzy z minimum trzema sk³adnikami (toppings) w regularnej cenie
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