Craig Read

To quote Michael Douglas, Greed is good. It works. It is certainly not immoral. What is immoral is self satisfied rights expectations and whimsical victim fantasies. KK good post on the inferiority of socialist nations on crime and other stats in total in relationship to population vs. the US. Libs hate facts, they prefer crying, shouting or telling you that they are right and that's that. Libs should read about how economies work - you can't regulate, control or monitor human behaviour in the marketplace. Price points, supply, demand attributes and creative destruction are too complex to control. Socialist countries like Canada have more petty and total crime than the US - but of course the media never reports this. Ambition is the engine of the modern world. Capitalism is not only an economic program but a moral/philosophical one. Novak and others have laid out the moral imperative for capitalism and small gov't. Given the corruption, rot and waste of money in Canada and elsewhere i would assume that most thinking people would recognise that big gov't is not their friend. BTW the US has far too much gov't spend and gov't interference/pork barreling. Moral degeneracy can be traced in all ages to the time when life became too easy, money too free and expectations too political. Is it moral to run up massive debts and unfunded liabilities which in Canada total 2x the GNP ?? Who will pay for this ? Less gov't more self reliance and perforce, by necessity, higher standards of living. 'Grants' and 'Entitlements' break morality not enhance it. Can you imagine the ninnies in Canada today fighting WW2 ? No way. Moral rot is too pervasive and moral rot is endemic in many levels; -personal -business -gov'tl -media bias

Canadance - or Franada for Quebecers - formerly 'Canada' was not mentioned by Bush in his election speech / state of the union address. Good for Bush. Poland, Ukraine and El Salvador were cited. But not the daring, courageous and morally pristine Canadancers. source; Peter Robinson, former White House speech writer. Will King Paul II of Canadance bow to reality and repair our foreign and military policies ? Will he defeat anti-Americanism in our media, political elite and educational systems? Or will he say that the above while important are secondary to health care ? Or does it even matter ? After all reality is relative. Meanwhile the real world moves on.

Morgan, makes mournful reading doesn't it. Rather sad, that a state owned broadcaster has to lie and invent stories to satiate its bias. Truly mediocre. In a world of channels, broadband, satellite and digital convergence and information, a state owned mouthpiece is a legacy of the Nazi era. Maybe the Mansbridgeans as Steyn calls the CBC, will start to organise marching bands and anti-jewish documentaries [well okay, so they already do #2]. Here is a speech from Cdn Jewish/Business leader I. Asper Nov 10 2002. He states: He got the suspects right that is for sure. and; Good points. The Palestinians had a homeland - called Jordan. So now call up Jordan and ask them why they won't harbour these violent malcontents ? The answer is obvious - they are run by a thuggish mafia like clan, dedicated to their own monetary embellishment and violence against a democratic state. Supported of course by Int'l money and media.

King Paul II follows polls. His handlers and spin experts will never let him implement any far reaching reforms - why should they ? They are pigs at the trough and have nothing to gain through reforms except the spectre of losing votes. Without checks and balances Canada's federal system is easily hijacked and deranged. The party in power will never institute far reaching reforms in such a country. Canadance needs much economic reform and lower taxes to compete and to refocus social services from universality to competitive need. Consumer oriented reforms are the only means to achieve this. As well alliance structures, trade patterns and an adult foreign policy not to mention immigration and border reforms are necessary.

Look it, you can believe out of date suveys or the real world. The Unempl. rate is falling - hello - this means jobs are being created on the order of about 100.000+ on average per month. This will accelerate in 2004 to 150.000 on average per month. Since 2001 2 million net jobs have been created. Household surveys by the Bureau of Labor confirm the numbers. These are not payroll surveys which miss new company and self employed job creations. you can reference www.bls.gov/newsreleases/pdf or http://www.heritage.org/Research/Taxes/wm363.cfm From Brian S. Wesbury, the #1 ranked U.S. economic forecaster in 2001 (Wall Street Journal). Exactly. If the media would clue in that new job creationism and single person firms should be counted, then the economy is doing quite well. Most job losses are in gov't; manufacturing and transport. Job gains are in services and yes technology contrary to media obsession about IT job outsourcing [less than 1 % of US IT jobs are outsourced]. But i don't suppose reality will intrude on the liberals rush to judgement. Better to raise taxes, and have centralised health care to stimulate job creation.

I lived in Holland 7 years in downtown Amsterdam. Their immigration and multi-cultural policies are failures. Whole areas exist in Rotterdam and Amsterdam where little dutch is spoken and alienation is rife. Most crime is Muslim based, with the exception of the mafia that controls prostitution and drugs. Social services are inundated with poor immigrant support and the unemployment amongst the minorities were in the 30 % + range when i was there. Many immigrants in Holland from the Near East do not feel dutch, do not speak it that much, and due to lack of cultural/educational/linguistic integration have a much tougher time at finding jobs. In short they are not European but misplanted and resentful Muslims. The 'multi-tiered' system so beloved by Canadians leads to social breakdown and disrespect for the receiving country. It also inevitably leads to dancing in the ghettos after an event like 9-11.

Yes NAFTA is a failure. Canadance's economy has only doubled since 1988 and CUFTA. Good argument lefties. As for politics and economics Canadance should quickly re read some history. Trade and Alliance patterns are important and allies reward each other with preferences. Politics is not inferior to economics, in fact just the opposite is true. In Bush's speech Canadance was not mentioned. I doubt that anyone in Wash. has time for a bunch of moaners and whiners from Canadance, mouthing their rhetoric and UNO support. The reconstruction of military, alliance and foreign policy initiatives that adhere to worthwhile and moral patterns is mandatory for Canadance. Unless of course you believe that France is great.

Sure homicide rates are higher in the States vs. Canada. But petty crime rates are higher in Canada. Homicide rates in major US cities are declining - in Canada they are rising. Outside of homicides - which have many causes from urban congestion, race issues, gun ubiquity, to self defense, the US experiences less crime than Canada. [economist world in figures 2003]. Economically the US on a per capita, per income, and standard of living basis is 12 -15 years ahead of Canada. I posted on some other posts numerous studies to support this. CCLS - a Canadian think tank - states that Canada is at 1989 vs. the US. Ie. If we were the US we would be in 1989 not 2004. The economic gap widened during the 1990s and the pace is quickening. Normalise Canada's numbers for military spend and we run 4 % deficits not surpluses. This given an overtaxation of 30 % vs. US taxpayers. So the question is- where the hell is our money going to and why ? As KK posted Health spending is the same in both countries [public], the US has the world's best private care, technology and drug market - precisely because it has liberated its industry to respond to consumer demand. What Cdns don't clue into is that the only reforms possible in health or in any sector must be consumer centric. Think of eye care in the 70s - everyone screaming that you had to control and regulate it - too complex, poor could not access it and so on. Now ubiquity, access, price declines and innovation make eye care a commodity that all can afford. Canada needs more dynamism not less, unless of course you feel that Canadance is the model country of the future.

Morg, i read this ed piece and his book Mexifornia. Hanson is actually a prof at Cal state - very smart guy. So I am loathe to disagree with him, but he misses some key points. While i agree that laws must be enforced, the existing situation calls for some form of amnesty. So Bush's plan is good as far as it goes, but it does not address the FUTURE maintenance of the legal regime to limit immigration - this is its main flaw - not the granting of amnesty to people to move them into the real economy. 1. 8 million illegal workers now exist in the US - you can't deport 8 million people it is logistically and financially impossible. 2. The willing workers that apply for the program already have jobs. They will now move into the real economy and pay taxes openly. This will decrease social service burdens. 3. By moving into the real economy wage depression will be curtailed. This is necessary since about 25 % of US jobs according to Fox News are low waged based. 4. A by product might be a decrease in illegal centric crime including human trafficking. 5. We can track them and monitor them. Now they are faceless. It might add to security not detract from it. In his article and Mexifornia Hanson bases most of his distate for Amnesty on: True enough, but that is another issue not an immigration issue per se. What society does with the immigrant once he is landed is another matter entirely. Education, political issues, social issues - these do not lie in the purview of immigration. Immigration is mostly an economic program and perhaps humanitarian [with limits]. Assimiliation is of course the best policy but what has immigration got to do with assimilation if the reality is that more Hispanics are knocking at the door than anyone else ? Other policies must aid in assimiliation and blaming immigration for this problem is incorrect. Hanson also states: Again this is misdirected. Immigration has nothing to do with social liberalism and buying of votes. Granting special rights to latino's, gays, chinese, or anyone else is a political process not one that is premised on immigration. You don't receive your US visa with a stamp on it 'special rights apply'. In general Hanson's arguments are correct - but he attacks the wrong causations. Immigration reform and Legal enforcement of laws is mandatory - both will accomplish needed ends with different program reforms - but stating that Bush's plan is somehow responsible for social liberalism and favoritism is disingenuous and wrong.

RTR - i agree - of course jobs are being created the unemployment rate is falling and is at its lowest level in years. 9 million US worknig age people are out of work - out of a total working population of about 200 million. This is not too bad - the natural unempl. rate is usually around 4 % - full employment is difficult to achieve for reasons of economic cycles, regional disparities and capital flows. The media does Bush no favor by not quoting the real numbers.

Morgan, there is another thread on the Amnesty question re Immigration. I will reply to you on that thread on those issues. Re the SN address - Bush hit the high themes that will sweep him to victory. It appears that the Dumbo's have figured out that 1. Dean IS an idiot. 2. Clarke is a coward who can't fight wars and knows nothing of economics and 3. It is NOT the economy stupid. Bush hit the major themes well, and if he stays on message will easily win reelection.

Any time you hear a conspiracy theory - it is wrong. Little Jewish gnomes with green shaded hats don't control the world, or the Fed Reserve Board, the Free Masons are not behind every war and conflict and and no the US did not go to Mars to detract attention from Iraq. Good grief. As if going to Mars is like driving to Buffalo for the weekend. Govts are extremely complicated and it is facile and naive to suppose that conspiracists abound able to manipuluate huge depts, large egos, and budgets and thousands of people. Mars was is a project in train for over 5 years - Nasa needed some success after the Challenger crash last October. Bush is one of the most effective Presidents in recent memory. He is finishing the job that should have been done in 1991 in Iraq. He turned around the economy that Clinton let explode in a disastrous bubble and he has now stimulated foreign investment in the US [$88 billion in Nov. double originally forecasts!]. This means the US $ is headed back up. I predicted the loonie will hit mid 60s within one year on another post. If the US economy keeps roaring and FDI keeps increasing this forecast is plausible and there is no doubt in my mind the loonie will fall and the U$ will rebound against all currencies. [esp. true once rates in the Us rise which they will]. We don't need nor want the mental midget party back in Washington. Frat party days are over. Time for the adults to finish some important work.

That a boy Pell. Your question addresses 1. Economic liberalism and 2. Social Conservatism and philosophy. #1 is contract based and the various complexities of supply and demand which the state nor any central body cannot possibly understand, let alone regulate, operating in a world of solid laws, contracts, right protections and institutional governance structures is the only way to allow society to develop. Otherwise we can return to feudalism. #2 is premised on different ideals other than individual economic freedom and contractual obligations. Family, social construction, morality, cultural history and social peace are premised on natural rights, family strength, education, historical understanding, some strain of faith [can be secular as well], and a culture of ethics. As Neal said, sluts like Spears or Madonna do nothing to further our society, but only debase it. Likewise Gay Marriage. What happens with sectoral, segmented rights is that the whole is sacrificed for the minority few. Historically we can see that this is when society starts to break down.

Jobs jobs jobs. 'Jobless recovery' says the Media. Hooey. Over 2 million jobs have been created in the past 2 years. But in their rush to aid the Dumbocruds the US media will keep telling you that jobs are a disaster. Oh really ? Let's look at the facts. 1. The Media is using the out of date and irrelevant Payroll surveys of jobs - which does not capture new, growing or very small firms which create jobs. Household surveys show that 2.4 million jobs have been created in 2 years, the Payroll surveys shows a flat or slightly declining market. Not counting, small, new or single proprietorship creationism is folly. 2. The reality: Employment rates are HIGHER than ever, and the unemployment rate which i feel is a very bad indicator [subject to gov't manipulation] is lower than in the past 20 years. -current 5.7 percent unemployment rate -1970s average was 6.4 percent, -1980s average was 7.3 percent -1990s average was 5.8 percent. But the Clinton loving media will just ignore the 2 million jobs created. Hillary for 2008 !! and a return to the good old days of bad foreign policy and economic bubbles !!!

What many libs and tearful socialists don't quite get, is that economics does not trump politics [as Marxian theory stipulates]. In fact it is the opposite. The Aussies are now being given preferential treatment in Natural Gas contracts with the US. The reason is obvious. I wonder if King Paul II of Canadance will rectify our massive political and foreign policy problems that will affect our trade and economic relationship with the US. Then again we can always 'diversify' our trade with France. Currently according to http://www.gov.nf.ca/Budget2000/economy/im...by%20Canada.JPG Canada exports about 3 Trillion cubic feet to the US. A level that has not changed much in 10 years. [note the US consumption estimates of 31 Trillion CF would include the 3 Trillion of Cdn production as domestic not imported, ie. Canada's share and % of the US market will fall]. Canada could easily with some better economic and political policies make a killing from an expanding US demand for NG. But don't count on reforms from King Paul II. Too many votes would be lost.