Freshinit

At least Layton is expressing his party's priorities rather than buying votes through composing caricatures of relatively insignificant proposals. His fiscal spending relies on heavy taxation. He sees Alberta oil as the prime sugar daddy of his long term projects; like more efficient energy usage in canadian homes. Or better yet, Layton should be imposing import tariffs for the Americans aswell, using the Softwood lumber dispute as his justification. In which he could easily take back $5billion in lost American tariffs. He could even play around with the idea of keeping the tariffs after the $ 5 billion is gained back, since America is so dependent on oil.

I saw him just last night at dixons pub in SE Calgary. He polished off a few pints.

Your signature is what makes your points invalid, for your stupidity is already outlined in the footer of all your posts. Ignorant fool.

I wouldn't go that far. At least metal had the pretense of being music. Rap is nothing more than bad, borderline-illiterate, urban poetry set to a beat. To top it off, the beat isn't even created by a drummer, but by a computer. Which poses the question, if there are no musicians, is it music??? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> How incredibly ignorant of you. Borderline illiterate? Since when did politcally minded people judge things by their cover? Maybe if you searched deeper down than MTV, you'd realise it's much more than 50 cent. There are massive underground communities. Ambitious MCs, spitting possitive freestyles, talking about life and everything in it. If anything, hip hop is the most literate of all styles. It is a genre that focuses on a message through wording, not high pitched singing that covers maybe 20 or 30 words throughout the whole song. Compare me "yellow submarine" with ANY one of "Atmosphere's" hip hop songs and come back to me and tell me what song is more thought provoking.

As I've begun to age, and perceive the things through older eyes, I've been contemplating the importance of certain elements that influence my life. What is true value in my life and the collective life? I've found that the former is much easier to assess than the latter. So I've tried to dig down and search for the root of everybody's basic neccesitiess. Clean water, clean air and essential nutrients. However, when watching my provincial representatives debate such necessities in our legislative assembly, I sense an apathetic tone on the conservative side each time an environmental issue comes about. Just recently there was a chemical spill somewhere in Alberta, I cannot recall the exact location. However what I can recall is the kinds of questions Liberal and ND MPs were asking the Environmental minister and the types of answers he was giving. When asked to justify the reason why it took 3 days for any Governmental official to even step foot on the Chemical spill site, the Environmental minister (under Ralph Klein) started to speak in numbers. He would bring up some number of dollars in which the Albertan Government was investing into such circumstances and act as if it was a dignified response. Or he'd top it off by saying he had a one week vacation planned with his wife and kids, yet he was so rudely interupted by this Environmental disaster. Why are political representatives so incapable of admitting when they have failed? I think it is this kind of indoctrinating nonsense that keeps society from progressing.

If Mr Layton was true in his fiscal beliefs he would not be cooperating with the liberals. The NDP party has simply made unacceptable health care demands, andif the liberals were to please these demands they would be betraying their platform and the voters who put them in power. Politicians are representatives, thus they should always represent what their voters want, not subdue themselves to mindless political games. It's this type of parliamentary behaviour that widens the gap between the electorate and the politicians.

The Korean war was a success in that is halted the North Korean invasion of South Korea. Vietnam was a total loss in that nobody saved any nation from communism.

Kimmy, I guess when I say Calgary is lacking culture I mean it's lacking historical significance. I am sitting down in December to apply to various universities. My hope is to major in political sciences somewhere out east, prefferably Ottawa.

Canadian culture is under an alarming attack by hollywood. If anything, our Government should be putting more towards the arts. Helping those individuals who excert creativity and picturesque ambition. The "melting pot" of American pop culture isn't halted by imaginary borders. As a male fresh out of adolescence I know this, as I can tell you more about another country's way of life then I can my own.

Is that your rebutal? Simply comparing the conditions I had outlined to those in other provinces? Alberta is the core base for Christianity. Albertans drive more heavy duty vehicles than other provinces. No other festival in the country glorifies meat eating, steer roping or horrid country music more than the Calgary Stampede. Albertan "culture" is merely the effects of an oil rich land. We all know how the neo-cons always make their way to the money though.

I am an 18 year old Calgarian and I plan on casting my first ever vote. It will be for the liberals. Some hyped up scandal is not enough to keep me or any informed citizen away their ideology. I believe it would be a bigger crime to waste our tax dollars on things like an enlargened military. I believe it would be a moral injustice to loosen our gun laws. Conservative MPs are always bashing the Liberal caucus for not toughening up sentences for crime. Can we not just look at the States? Primarily California, they have unregistered guns up to their necks and a stiff "three strikes you're out" policy and they have the largest prison population in the entire country.

I believe politicians are too smart to actually believe in a faith. They do it to gain support and votes from ordinary citizens. Christianity is merely an attempt to justify right wing economic thinking. Neo-conservatism is the basis for materialistic culture and the electorate's dependency on it. If people are so close to god as they claim to be, why the monopoly on the earth's ressources, technology and education? Why did I watch a full story on Paris Hilton and her boyfriend driving home drunk, today on primetime FOX news, rather than learn about the civil unrest in several African countries? Why was O'reilly not formulating a plan on how to bring basic infrastructure to undevelopped nations today on the factor? Instead I had to watch him do an entire segment on a bill concerning teenage girls and their will to keep their abortion private from their parents? We have a huge media crisis in the 21st century and I personally believe it's been brought on by right wing ideology. A free market is only moral if it is available to everybody.

As long as I am living in this country, no such act will ever be passed. The patriot act is not to protect citizens from identity theft or to allow the military to more efficiently protect you. It is a monumental step in taking out civil liberties. Do you ever wonder why Bush talks in 4 word sentences? Or why the White House representative can't answer simple questions? Or why Donald Rumsfeld manages to go hours with the media without ever really revealing any information? It is because of the patriot act. By allowing the Government to withold information from the general public, we are allowing for lowered accountability, which leads to corruption. Dick Cheney's second hand man involved in CIA leaks? What does Bush have to say about it? A 30 second tib bit of nonsense on how Scooter Libby is a patriot. Bush tells the country they will be shifting the majority of the American spending budget towards the halting of weapons of mass destruction. Then we find out the motive was false. Who's held accountable? Obviously not Bush. Why? Because the patriot act allows him to sway away from the details.

Projected revenues estimated BY THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION. It's this kind of propaganda that get's normal blue collar folk to vote for conservative Governments. The economy is on a downfall, and bush is going to leave a democrat to clean up the mess.

Gee, I thought our economic prosperity was due to our natural ressources, not neo-conservatism. The only reason Alberta is right winged is because of our potential for oil, which attracts money hungry neo-con American businessmen. I view Albertans as an attempted cultural invasion from our neighbours to the south. If the United States can't take over our vast piles of natural ressources through military invasion, why not encourage loosened borders and free trade and culturally breed the leftists out? The irony lies in the fact that I was born and raised in Alberta, and have never lived anywhere else in my entire life. However I think it takes an insiders opinion to really let people know the truth about a province with such an ego. Growing up in Alberta has deprived me of real culture, and exposed me to a materialistic lifestyle in which I have had to fend off with every weapon at my disposal. I am approached by some sort of christian weekly, who is keen on "saving me". My breathing is air is smoggy, for all you ontario folk; Imagine driving home in rush hour with 50 heavy duty ford 3500s excreting smoke into your lungs. Every year we have something called the Stampede in Calgary. An event that attracts cowboys from all over to come show us the latest in animal harming techniques, or how much meat they can pack onto one plate, and how much country music they can pump into your ears.

Economically, seperatin would be a bad idea for Quebec. As of right now Quebecers are enjoying their treats in the form of transfer payments. Alberta's surplus is helping to keep their economy afloat. Regardless of the seperation, I think the english invasion of French culture is inevitable in the long run. What do the french expect to do? Ban all english media and subdue their youth to a limited source of information?

I was reffering to the average 18 year old's perspective. For most youth, this cheque just means free booze and weed for the next month, nothing more. As for the futile nature of $1.2 billion in bringing down tyrannical Governments, maybe in the Middle East, this is Africa we're talking about. There's a key difference between the middle east and Africa, oil, and the profits oil brings.

As an 18 year old Calgarian, this cheque is like a present from God. However, as I view it in the big picture, this is a huge waste of our tax dollars. Our surplus is the result of poorly planned fiscal policy by the Klein Government. On a moral standpoint, I would like to see this money invested in Basic African infrastructure. African slave labour was a major contributing factor to the creation of the American economy, and indirectly the Canadian economy. Now that we have reaped the benefits of such labour and have advanced technologically on an unprecendented level, I say we give something back. Basic survival necessities such as food, clean water and healthcare are not available. If this $1.2 billion would be invested into unilateral militia forces such as the U.N, we could bring down African tyrannies and set up long standing democratic Governments. After the initial overthrow of at least one country, it would provide hope to citizens of neighbouring countries. Much like a domino effect, revolutions would arise surrounding this newly independent country. Infrastructure comes later, with self sustaining African economies.

The Bush administration has breached NAFTA agreements, thus they should held responsible. I certainly hope Paul Martin will continue pressuring the Republican Government. A viable solution would be to impose export tarrifs on energy flow. Canada is sitting in a pretty powerful situation at the moment. For China is a superpower in the making, in need of constant energy supply. So if the Americans want to lose their # 1 energy exporter over a softwood lumber dispute, be my guest, because we're the ones sitting on the valuables, not the Americans, thus we are the ones with the power, contrary to popular belief.

I personally cannot find a purpose in legalizing hand guns, or their use in self defence for that matter. The only person who would need to use a hand gun for self defence is a person who is being attacked by somebody with a hand gun. Hand guns serve no purpose, and if target practice is so important to firearm owners, confine it to the facilities which offer target practice. People who shoot guns need to find a better hobby, one that doesn't put the lives of Canadians in jeopardy. If you're so eager to shoot things, either move down to the states or pop in a videogame.

The money will be placed in a fund when the Gomery commision is complete. You can't determine who frauded what money, so money will be allocated according to Gomery's verdict.

Intelligent design lies in the natural tendencies of mother nature and any living creatures encompassing it.

I'm a liberal thinking Calgarian. So I've been exposed to a cowboy or two who always seem to find a reason to bring up ones ethnicity or race. Most people aren't blatently racist, however I find it odd how easily some people can brush off racist remarks. I guess in the name of civility it is best not to respond to such a comment, however the comfort in which some of my fellow cityfolk use the 'N' word leaves me feeling uneasy. I guess I shouldn't be so critical, it's not as if we have white lobbyists abundant in our streets, or the weekly lynch mobbings. But these racist tendencies clear a path for prejudices in everyday life.

The Gomery scandal is not enough to change my vote. If the conservatives were ever to pass a budget, it would result in fiscal policies I do not agree with. I do not wish to see my tax dollars go towards military expenditures. The Gomery scandal has been blown way out of preportion.

The Canadian Liberal Government has chosen to set it's priorities elsewhere. If America wishes to see support from this sovereign nation, they should learn to spread international aid more thoroughly. The bush has turned the media into a bundle of propaganda. Using scare tactics to win support, Bush has left the average American in utter indoctrination. On a global scale the situation in Iraq is relatively small, so why is the American Government putting so much priority on this one country? I can't seem to connect the dots, ACTION: 2000 deaths on Sept 11th REACTION: 8 years of aggressive American foreign policy