I awoke this morning with a minor headache and a minor government. Let’s just hope that this doesn’t turn out to be a major headache for us. As for other misquoted minor politicians, who reportedly claimed, then later disclaimed, that we as Cree live in opulence. Sixty grand for a vehicle, I ask? Just some car salesman’s wishful thinking, I hope, or otherwise, if it is true, then tell me who’s ripping us off again. Sixty grand? Gimme a break, man. At a meeting recently, (which was held for other reasons) the topic came up and we scratched our heads wondering who dished out enough money to pay for the outrageous claims of a small town mayor (purportedly so, but reportedly not). Fifty-five, maybe, but not sixty grand for a vehicle.
I have to applaud those brave people from Ouje-Bougoumou, for their efforts are definitely better when it comes to community building, and those guys down the street should learn from those examples brought up from a community of people who used to have nothing but hope, to a new community built right, from negative-scratch. Any one who said, or who could even write those words, claiming that the state of poverty was the better solution for aboriginal peoples, could not have been more wrong. After all, it is their (non-native) non-sustainable recessionary economics that made things as they are today, where we as native people have fended for themselves for centuries earlier than the word enterprise was invented.
Wealth can be a good thing, and for those who stand to benefit, they should be happy and put their wealth to good use. If I were to buy a second hand bazoo and have it die on me a thousand kilometres from the nearest garage, and pay through the nose for repairs and towing, I curse the day I heard that we, as Cree, are opulent, and spend our money foolishly on expensive vehicles. Expensive you say, (and rather indignantly, to boot), come and live up here and I’ll show you expensive.
Yep, I’m pig-biting mad and ready to chew out anyone who dares say that we Cree are opulent and living a care-free lifestyle, with nothing but checks and wads of dough coming out the wazoo. I’d like to see someone come up here to shop and buy things one day, and I’m sure we can do it ourselves, for a cheaper price, rather than getting the highest un-negotiated price at the car dealer. And look at the insurance rates, I can’t insure even a perfect driving record-backed policy for under two grand, whilst the south enjoy at least a grand less for good coverage. And for what? Having the highest accident rate in Canada (at least in southern Quebec, where the vehicles outnumber the entire population of Crees). I’m sick of being singled out as the red herring or patsy, when it comes to the reasons the economy fails in single industry towns.
And another thing about opulence: Why is there a growing trend toward purchasing rock-solid econo-cars that can carry five for $10 worth of gas? Because it’s getting more expensive to live in the north. D-uhh.
Meanwhile, I’m sure that nonnative businesses will subsidize their sales slump by passing the buck to us consumers anyway. So things are bound to reach sky-high prices.
