Talk about a Slow News Day

[Rich]

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/cbc/080815/cana...watermelon_nain

 

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Basically the product came in with the wrong price tag. They took it to the back and re-priced it.

 

What's next? Details on how a cat drank out of the toilet without getting it's feet wet?

[forrest]

It is a badly written article, the meat of the issue is at the end of it. The fruit imports are supposed to be subsidized.

 

The government program is the problem.

The subsidized price is $38. $38?! How the heck is $38 considered an affordable price for a watermelon?

 

forrest

[Roy]

Watermelons are $5.99 here today. Large ones too!

 

If someone wants to hook up with me to fish Labrador, let's haul 10 watermelons up there and our gas is paid for.

[Canuck2fan]

How exactly isn't 39 bucks a fair price? Think about the size of it and what each pound of freight costs to move up there by air. That watermelon had to be between 10 and 15 lbs. Seems pretty reasonable to me actually for something flown in..... Aviation fuel isn't going down in price while other fossil fuel prices are soaring. The real shame about it all is that in all likelyhood the melon won't get purchased and will wind up being binned instead of being eaten.

[Tybo]

If the melon gets tossed.

the market can claim it as a loss on their taxes.

Edited August 16, 2008 by Tybo

[JohnF]

This is more a commentary on how our gov't uses our tax dollars, I suspect. Not that I disagree with subsidizing food costs for isolated parts of Canada, but a subsidy that results in a watermelon retailing for $35 is kinda silly. Who's gonna buy it at that price? So why bother wasting a subsidy on it? Take the amount of subsidy wasted on that melon times however many melons were subsidized and then consider how that subsidy could have been used more effectively. Mebbe there should be better criteria for how subsidies can be used, not abused.

 

Of course, that's only my opinion.

 

JF

[Canuck2fan]

This is more a commentary on how our gov't uses our tax dollars, I suspect. Not that I disagree with subsidizing food costs for isolated parts of Canada, but a subsidy that results in a watermelon retailing for $35 is kinda silly. Who's gonna buy it at that price? So why bother wasting a subsidy on it? Take the amount of subsidy wasted on that melon times however many melons were subsidized and then consider how that subsidy could have been used more effectively. Mebbe there should be better criteria for how subsidies can be used, not abused.

 

Of course, that's only my opinion.

 

JF

 

The unfortunate reality of any government spending is that the government being the largest single consumer of goods and services in any country will always pay a higher price than you or I would for something. I used to get so worked about it but after seeing it so often it doesn't even faze me anymore. I especially like when large C conservatives own businesses that deal with government. One minute they are sqawking that our taxes are killing us they are WAY to high.... The next they are giving out quotes at 3 times the price you would be charged whenever the government is buying something from them. The justification is always everyone else does it why shouldn't I. Same thing with insurance claims too LOL. It is just a vicious circle.

 

The sad thing is that a lot the people who scream the loudest about government not spending money wisely would likely find themselves in deep financial trouble if the government ever stops over spending.... Money is just like manure you have to spread it around to any good and the governments in this country sure do that all right.

Edited August 16, 2008 by Canuck2fan

[kentooley]

I got better news!!!

 

We're alive and able to fish!!

[JohnF]

I got better news!!!

 

We're alive and able to fish!!

 

Yay! And the taxes on fishing aren't too bad.

 

JF

[forrest]

How exactly isn't 39 bucks a fair price? Think about the size of it and what each pound of freight costs to move up there by air. That watermelon had to be between 10 and 15 lbs. Seems pretty reasonable to me actually for something flown in..... Aviation fuel isn't going down in price while other fossil fuel prices are soaring. The real shame about it all is that in all likelyhood the melon won't get purchased and will wind up being binned instead of being eaten.

 

Where does it say the watermelon was flown in? Maybe it was trucked in?

 

Where do you think our fruit comes from? Usually its not from here and I have never paid even a fourth of what that watermelon cost. On top of that the importing of those types of food is subsidised so that people can actually afford nutritious food.

 

$39? only the rich can afford that for a watermelon (not hte most nutritious of fruits) what about the rest of the people?

 

forrest

[blarg]

while im not 100 percent sure and am too lazy to check, i dont believe anything is trucked to nain, its in a remote part of labrador.

 

"The next they are giving out quotes at 3 times the price you would be charged whenever the government is buying something from them"

 

that quote is very true, the companies doing the flying up there are milking it for all its worth, and we are paying for it. if there is gov't money to be had they will fly in almost any conditions at any time. they are all too happy to send two or three small aircraft into tiny communitiees everyday instead of one larger and more efficient flight a couple times a week. the inhabitants dont mind obviously, but if you live in a remote area you shouldnt expect the same type of service you recieve in southern canada. you would be amazed at the number of flights in and out of these places daily.

[Canuck2fan]

Where does it say the watermelon was flown in? Maybe it was trucked in?

 

Where do you think our fruit comes from? Usually its not from here and I have never paid even a fourth of what that watermelon cost. On top of that the importing of those types of food is subsidised so that people can actually afford nutritious food.

 

$39? only the rich can afford that for a watermelon (not hte most nutritious of fruits) what about the rest of the people?

 

forrest

 

I believe the watermelon was flown in I could be wrong, but so what if it was trucked? The same logic about the high cost due to its weight would still apply. To have anything of that weight shipped that far north it is going to be big dollars. High grocery prices are just a fact of life when you choose to live that far north or in a community with remote access.

 

Actually where the fruit comes from is irrelevant in this case since the bulk of the cost is the weight of shipping that watermelon the extra distance it has to go in the case of that community. (Although as someone who works in food service I know a bit about where things come from.)

 

I think you are missing the obvious point here which is WATERMELON is not a dietary requirement it is a LUXURY and if you can't afford it you go without. Just like this weekend when I went shopping I decided I would rather have lean ground beef at a 1.79 than striploin steak at 9.95 a pound. We all have to make choices on what food is worth to us. I am sure there are tons of people who chose the steak and I hope they enjoyed it!!!!

Edited August 16, 2008 by Canuck2fan