GWiz

Did you mean CONFIRM instead of refute? - In accordance with the Broadcasting Act, the Board of Directors is responsible for the management of the Corporation. The Board is made up of 12 members, including the Chair and the President and CEO, who are appointed by the Government. - Thanks...

I agree with "stupid media" whole heartedly... But there is more to it... Have you ever watched question period? Have you EVER seen the "Government of the day", in particular the Harperites (which resulted in the Contempt of Parliament finding and their downfall), give a straight answer to an opposition question? I haven't! I rest my case...

Right on the money... Excellent! I believe that's called "putting your money where your mouth is"... At the very least one should find out WHO your local candidates are, WHAT a candidate stands for, WHY they are running for election, HOW will they represent YOU and his/her other constituents in Parliament... That's called making an INFORMED choice in a DEMOCRACY which whatever you may think about Canada's "political system" is a hell of a lot better that what most of the world has...

Kudos on an excellent and well thought out post... Harper demonstrates unscripted words can turn a campaign around quickly - “Whoever leads the party that wins the most seats on election day should be called on to form the government,” Ignatieff wrote. “If that is the Liberal Party, then I will be required to rapidly seek the confidence of the newly elected Parliament. If our government cannot win the support of the House, then Mr. Harper will be called on to form a government and face the same challenge. That is our Constitution. It is the law of the land.” - - Then, toward the end of the statement, he asked Harper a question he might try to avoid for the rest of the campaign. - “Does he agree with how I have described the workings of our democratic system?” asked Ignatieff. - Took a while but I'm glad Ignatieff took my advice on how to handle the "coalition question"...

Always nice to agree with you Bill... You're absolutely right... I'm not one bit surprised... Just as long as no one gives me the media is "left" argument when they are obviously VERY "right" slanted (media=corporations=Harper Corporate Tax Cuts) I have no problem at all with what you state my friend... When I say "it's the media stupid" it clearly makes the case that in Canada, just as it is in the States, the media has a significant influence on our election outcomes... That's very sad in IMHO... Perhaps even a defining factor in The Problem with Elections, which is the heading of this thread...

I'm afraid the problem is as simple as these four words - "it's the media stupid"... On Friday a Historic Event took place... Something never before seen in the History of Parliamentary Democracy, not just in Canada, but in the world, a Government was toppled by three opposition parties because it was found in CONTEMPT of PARLIAMENT... Since Parliament is our, Canadians' voice in our Government system, the Harper Regime was found to be in contempt of Canadians, all Canadians, you and me, Joe and Jill ordinary Canadian, regardless of party... BUT was that what the media portrayed as THE top news story of the day? Nope, it got barely a passing mention... Why, because it was much more "interesting" to go after Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff and ask an unanswerable red herring of a question put forward by none other than Stephan Harper himself... Instead of talking about the Harper Regime's unprecedented waste, scandals and corruption which precipitated the current election the media "ran" with Harper's planned "topic" about a non-existant coalition... In Harper's own words - - We'll support the government on issues if it's essential to the country but our primary responsibility is not to prop up the government, our responsibility is to provide an opposition and an alternative government for Parliament and for Canadians. -

Exactly what "activity" would that be? Posting a publicly available link to a Globe and Mail article, or acknowledging the poster that originally found a very relevant link to a Globe and Mail article very germain to my thread? Incidentally, what happened to that thread, since it's no longer there and I received no notification of anything pertaining to it? What kind of "public forum" is MLW anyway, perhaps the "welcome mat" needs to be replaced... I can't seem to find anything in the R&G against it, feel free to enlighten me...

Nice to see you back Jack... Exactly right, the BLOC was a direct part of the Harper-Duceppe-Layton coalition... Not so in '08... Ain't gonna happen regardless this TIME around, unless maybe post election depending on the outcome...

You said, "What are the answers? You know, for us single digit IQs." Nope... No surprise at all... The masochist(you) wants the sadist(me) to beat the crap out of him (give you the answers and make you look the fool you are in this case)... BUT the sadist(me) being a true sadist(me) simply answers NO; knowing full well that is what will hurt the masochist(you) the most... So you see Shady, I'm just being me, dealing with someone like you that wouldn't have the mental capacity, by your own admission, to understand what I'd be telling you in the first place... Have a nice day...

Jack Layton alluded to it today as well... Layton even stating he would make it a part of the campaign and show it around with Harper's signature on it should Harper choose to make the "coalition issue" part of his rhetoric this TIME around... Owch! Good on you Jack... Show Canada what a Harper-Layton-Duceppe coalition looked like...

Ever hear the story about the masochist and the sadist?

"Dear Leader"; who, what, where!

Hmmm, the noose or the guillotine scenario, eh... Hey, it's Harper, the guy that has no respect for Parliament anyway, don't count anything out...

Why thank you, I didn't think you cared... Though I must say that I'm having a bit of trouble fiquring out what "hilariously poorly spoken" means in english...

Right now, having just heard all the opposition leaders speak, the bigger question is will Harper let the opposition get to Friday or will he shut down Parliament tomorrow and go to see the GG on Saturday to get the election ball rolling himself...

Cool... Thanks...

I'd call that simply a smart Christian thing to do... Especially since he was promoting his book at the TIME... You know, "when in Rome, do as the Romans do", simply a smart way to do things in another country... - Etymology First attested in medieval Latin si fueris Rōmae, Rōmānō vīvitō mōre; si fueris alibī, vīvitō sicut ibi (“if you were in Rome, live in the Roman way; if you are elsewhere, live as they do there”); which is attributed to St Ambrose. Proverb when in Rome, do as the Romans do 1.behave as those around do Derived terms when in Rome (ellipsis) - All in all a well thought out and TIME tested way of doing things... Good for Ignatieff for being so thoughtful of the people around him at the TIME...

It's over? GREAT! Anybody here know the "shelf life" of Radioactive Iodine-131 in drinking water?

I guess... I'm too new on this board to be judgemental about the people on MLW... I can only go by what they post and reply accordingly... As long as AW is happy with what she has and thinks she knows, that's really all that matters... Personally I have no axes to grind nor an ego to stroke, so it matters very little to me what people say or do on a board like this... I'm here to have some FUN, meet some new people, share some of my vast knowledge, perhaps even learn something new, and simply observe people, which is what I do...

All in all it's way too early to make any predictions as to what will transpire during and/or post the upcoming election... For the CPC, being the "law and order party", their misdeeds will become amplified and things like calling itself "Harper Government" and election fraud will turn off a lot of elderly voters... A record deficit $56 BILLION spent last budget and another $30 BILLION deficit budget this TIME around will make true fiscal conservatives look for alternatives... 25%, a very significant number, of the electorate going into this election are unsure as to which political party would be the best stewards of the Canadian Economy... It's Ignatieff's first election as Leader of the Liberals... Who knows, he may surprise, he has that opportunity now... Ignatieff has, in my view, the best "bench strength" of all the parties, which may turn into a big plus... If Ignatieff doesn't put too much of the spotlight on himself during the election and re-establishes the "Liberal Brand" the Liberals chances could improve significantly... The NDP will maintain their base, but beyond that there's a good chance that the electorate will see it as an important 2 party race to see who will form the Government... The NDP may be in a tough position and get squeezed out if it becomes a real horse race of an election... The BLOC are somewhat in the same position as the NDP but they have far less to gain or lose... Throughout the country there will be many ridings where the riding candidate will make the most difference, which is as it should be, so that is still the biggest unknown factor... One thing is for sure, regardless of what transpires in an election, in a free and Democratic country like Canada, Canada will get exactly the Government it deserves, as it always has, regardless of the outcome...

OK... Lessons cancelled due to lack of interest... You've got my number if you need more help... Have a nice day... Next patient please...

I know, you've been a complete pussy cat since we first met here on MLW... That's why I never understood why some people here don't like you... Maybe it's because you trash the US so much, like with what you just said about the Bush admin., I just don't know why people here wouldn't like that...

Exactly right, although Layton's not taking the crumbs Harper offered him surprised more than just me, it took a lot of CBC and CTV pundit types by surprise too... Especially since a lot of prominent NDPers were "Leaning" in the opposite direction from what Layton did in post budget reading interviews... That's why I'm saying that Layton will be having some very interesting caucus meetings coming up, and then there's still the amendments portion of the budget before Friday when the shit ostensibly will hit the fan via a Liberal non confidence motion on the "ethics" and corruption of the Harper Regime and not the Harper Budget itself...

Interesting answer to my question which was > "Does/did what Canada does/did on the international scene matter as much as what George W. Bush did during his 8 YEARS as President of the United States? Yes or no will do..." > That YOU think the 8 years of the Bush/Cheney administration was a complete farce, a position I totally agree with btw, is a most interesting and surprising answer indeed... Thank you...