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You asked who else claims supplementary benefits while collecting EI. Many companies, both private and public, top up maternity benefits, which are also funded through EI at 55% of salary. Some do it as a bonus after the mat leave ends, some do it as an ongoing benefit throughout. Its seen as an incentive for mothers to return to their jobs after their mat leave expires. I received just such a bonus 12 years ago, working for a University. My point is that CAW is not alone in offering top ups. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Exactly. And what exactly is wrong with that policy? Why are people in Canada so afraid that someone else is going to be treated well? Melanie, Were you in a union that ensured you received good and appropriate benefits? I am so tired of the right wing nonsense attacking unions as if they were some kind of plague. Without unions, the workers of our society we would not have weekends, holidays, sick leave, vacation pay, overtime pay, maternity benefits, etc. Are some of you people that stupid to not want that and to not realize that you deserve that?

Interesting reading the stats, even here in wild rose country, 11 out of 14, or 79%, believe that global warming is a major concern, that needs to be addressed.

Let's all settle down. No one is forcing anyone else to respond to trolls. If you think someone is being a troll ignore them or report them, but for the love of God, and I don't even believe in God, please stop whining about it. Give the moderator a friggin' break, eh!

Good point. Thanks.

- see my previous post!

And that is already happening. Our society is evolving mainly in a healthy way. Do you remember hearing about the shows "Fathers Knows Best"? Or "The Honeymooners"? Or "Archie Bunker"? Do you think those shows would be acceptable on TV these days? Of course not. Times have changed. Remember when smoking was acceptable? Remember when Bush was credible? (that's a joke, as he never was). Well it is the same for the locker room. Women are accepted in mens' locker rooms now. It is not the same for men because men are too ignorant when it comes to sexuality or nudity, generally speaking. Let's face it, most men are stupid!

Argus It is too bad you have such a low opinion of Canada, and Canadians. What is keeping you from living somewhere else?

Lancet is a scientific medical journal, but you know better, I'm sure. For those of you who have attacked Livingstone it appears that actually he is quite a reasonable and responsible man: There has to be a shoot-to-kill policy, concedes Ken Livingstone

What do you think governments are? They are the people we have chosen to represent our interests. Government is us. If we don't like our government fortunately we live in a democratic society, and we can turf them out at the next election. It's not perfect but it sure is a lot better than China, isn't it?

That is the past, and we need to live in the present. A female hockey player is currently suing because she is not allowed to be in the boy's dressing room. And she has legitimate reasons for her beef. She is not asking to go into the showers with the boys just the dressing room where everyone is appropriately attired. Why do we make such a big issue of nudity in the first place I have no idea. We all have bodies.

Well at least it has cleared up something for me. Bob Rae was never really an NDPer. He always was a Liberal in sheep's clothing.

Governments do whatever they want in terns of security so why should taxation be any different?

Third Anniversary of the Downing Street Memo A war based on lies. Where have we heard that before? WW1 & WW2 if my historical perspective is correct.

Everything is so simple, so black and white, eh! And Egypt is allied with who? Speak up I can't hear you. And Egypt is holding what prisoners?

Star Serospace has announced that it is moving its HO from Mississauga to Edmonton. Is this the beginning of the end of Ontario's dominance of Canada's business community? When the bombs started going off in Quebec a lot of the business HO left, leaving Montreal to become a branch plant. Is the same thing now going to happen now between Ontario and the West? I mean think about it. If you were a business where would you locate your head office in Canada? Spar Aerospace leaving Mississauga

BHS Thanks for another substantial post.

The question for all of us is do we want to end up living under the conditions that Israel lives under? We are definitely headed in that direction unless saner heads prevail.

Ex-CIA Officers Rip Bush Over Rove Leak I think President Bush has more trouble on his hands than he knows what to do with. It is one thing to be at war with Iraq, but to be at war with the CIA will end up being 100 times worse for the president. I agree that he should of immediately moved to discipline his people when they outed Valerie Plame. That is if he wasn't involved in it himself. Just imagine, the president of the United States impeding CIA recruiting procedures.

BHS I know that for you the only deaths in Iraq are the US ones. Fortunately the rest of the world know the reality. It sounds like you would be a good journalist in some some extremely conservative publication in the US, there is no market for such garbage in Canada, where you could do all the red or Commie baiting you want.

Stereotyping doesn't do any good in my opinion whether one is talking about a muslim extremist or an Albertan red-neck. I think the following article is misleading and we need to focus on what we have in common instead of what drives us apart: Closeted gay community of Alberta still avoiding altar

I disagree. We can do whatever we want, including changing eating habits, through taxation. Tax the crap out of bad food, just like we do with alcohol and cigarettes, and I don't know what we are waiting for to tax mj, and make the good food available to as much of our society as possible through lower costs to the consumer. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> And when you've taxed everything there is to tax, and some people still live longer and have happier lives, what will you do then to cut them down to size? Also interesting to note: this proposal goes against notion of a pluralist society, in that it creates another way that wealthy people (who can afford to pay the taxes on luxury foods) have it better than poor people (who have to stick with their government-issue boiled turnip or whatever the latest health fad stipulates). <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Do you believe Canada's health food guide. I don't. Apparently they were all set to publish it when secret milk industry corporate lobbyists forced the government to double the quanity of milk in the guide. The guide has some good stuff in it but some is BS.

Over 100, 000 people have died in Iraq and you are worried about 2,000 soldiers. Give us a break. As they said in an Irish paper today, Iraq has 100 Londons every day! What I was referring to is that if we don't get a handle on dealing prpoerly with the world community, we are going to lose all our freedoms in the name of security. Do you want the world to become a giant Israel and for us to all live like the Israelis do now? Thanks but no thanks.

I disagree. We can do whatever we want, including changing eating habits, through taxation. Tax the crap out of bad food, just like we do with alcohol and cigarettes, and I don't know what we are waiting for to tax mj, and make the good food available to as much of our society as possible through lower costs to the consumer. Labelling is another problem. perhaps manufacturers shouls be forced to put the ingredients, etc., in as big lettering as anything else on the label. and could we not also force corporations to set up on their websites all the nutritional information we require to make informed decisions as I wish we would do away with most of the wasteful packaging we see in the stores. And when are we ever going to bite the bullet on the metric system? Thank you Mr Mulroney for screwing that up as another sop to your corporate friends. How can people compare prices easily with two different systems?

You probably have no idea what it is like to be a minority.