So here is the outcome of the 2010 Alberta Government Budget...
Money Government gives themselves: Municipal Affairs- Budgeted program expense for Municipal Affairs is over $1 billion in 2010-11, an increase of $421 million or 69 per cent from the 2009-10 forecast.
Campaign Donors!: Energy- Budgeted program expense for Energy is $456.5 million in 2010-11, a $50-million or 12.3–per-cent increase from the 2009-10 forecast.
More Donors... Finance and Enterprise - Budgeted program expense for Finance and Enterprise is nearly $1.1 billion in 2010-11, an $82-million or 8.2–per-cent increase from the 2009-10 forecast. The increase is mainly due to the costs associated with the Teachers’ Pre-1992 Pension liability.
Students... Advanced Education and Technology - Budgeted program expense for Advanced Education and Technology is over $3.2 billion in 2010-11, a $205-million or 6-per-cent reduction from the 2009-10 forecast.
Workers... Employment and Immigration - Budgeted program expense for Employment and Immigration is $1.1 billion in 2010-11, an $87-million or 7.3-per-cent reduction from the 2009-10 forecast.
Homeless... Housing and Urban Affairs - Budgeted program expense for Housing and Urban Affairs is $490.8 million in 2010-11, a $112-million or 18.6-per-cent reduction from the 2009-10 forecast.
So I was given this really valuable egg about a year ago to take care of for a while. I'm supposed to watch over it until it is ready to hatch . I was really happy to get this egg cause thats what I do... watch over valuable eggs until they're ready to hatch.
Some of the eggs get a little bit battered up on their journey to get to me but I've got a pretty good set up to put them in and with some care and attention and sometimes a little bit of ointment we can usually get them cleaned up and healthy again before they are ready to hatch and move along. I thought this one was in pretty good shape but after looking at it really closely I noticed that it was cracked in quite a few places.
I figured that was okay cause like I said I have a good set up and lots of ointments and stuff so I thought I could get it cleaned up at least enough to hatch and move along. The eggs pretty much look after themselves but everyday at least one of us on the team will pick up the eggs to clean them up a bit and then we sit them back down and get on with the day.
About six months ago I had to pick up the one little cracked egg cause it's cracks started opening up and well it was basically cracking to pieces. I picked it up and held it carefully in my hand so the pieces all stayed together.
Now don't get me wrong I did not just simply hold it. I tried to put glue in the cracks to hold them together, I taped the outside of the shell to give it more strength, I put sensors on it so I know if the cracks are getting disturbed... My team did everything we could think of to just hold it together and mend it so it could hatch and move on. It became really hard to work and take proper care of all the other eggs with one cracked egg clenched in one hand... some things you need two hands for... somethings you just can't do with a cracked egg in your hand. My team was really happy that I picked up the egg when it first cracked and we did a great job of thinking up ways to fix and reinforce it - but my boss came in and said we need to give the egg back because it was too broken for us... we are an egg hatching facility and not prepared for if an egg were to start cracking and leaking they said we must give the egg back. I cried and fought because I had put a lot of work into the egg and getting it patched up, I had spent a lot of time with the egg and knew just how original and valuable it was and secretly it had become my favorite egg... I really wanted to see this one hatch.
I put the egg down but also got to keep it. It held together pretty good but it also didn't seem to progress... it doesn't seem to want to hatch. Then a few months ago it started to crack again... I picked it back up and started working one handed once again.. my team starting to question why we were holding it again... they say that surely we have put enough measures in place that the egg should be able to be put down... but I am worried about the egg. I am holding it and it doesn't feel very strong at all. The team says that it should be ready to hatch by now since we have had it quite a long time... they think I should put it down or give it back to it's owner cause the other eggs are suffering... I just can't do certain things with one cracked egg in my hand. I do think that logically they have a point but the egg is cracking again new cracks that are developing while I'm holding it in my hand! I clench harder to give it more support but it still cracks more... so I clench harder to really give it more structure but it keeps cracking and I think WAIT am I now cracking it by holding it to tight??? I don't think I can keep this egg anymore... I can't get it to hatch and I can't get it to stop cracking so I think I am going to have to give it back to it's owner before it gets broken.
I pray that my egg is stronger than I think. I pray that the glue and tape and all the ointment I have smothered on it are enough to hold it together until it hatches and has healed it enough for it to hatch well and strong. I ask for a hundred and one angels to go watch over it if I can't anymore... and I just really hope that it doesn't crack and break... cause that would break my heart more than anyone knows.
