tml12

Is it just me or can anyone else believe that this thread is still up in the top 5???

Wonder how long it's going to take Harper given the limited mandate Canada, I mean, Ontario gave him...

Just as often as conservative governments except the devastating left by conservatives extends beyond just finances. Gee I wonder what all that deficit fighting was all about? Don't tell me, Don Getty was really an NDPer. Alberta is waiting for a liberal government now to clean up 88 years of Conservative devastation, right?

Wow this thread returns from the dead... I'll take the Stampede and summer in Banff/Canmore/Interior BC over Ontario anyday. And I've lived half my life in both. And since your into the picture contest: http://www.ualberta.ca/~rrothery/wallpaper...ains/windy2.JPG (I've climbed a few there) Calgary looks cooler on TV (never been west of Toronto...)

I will be setting my country up this weekend...mid-terms the last few weeks have kept me a little crazy... You at school in Montreal tml? I had no idea... what are you taking? I'm setting up my country now, despite that I have an impossible mid-term tomorrow! Yeah I study political science and canadian history...double majors (probably). I thought everyone pretty much knew I was a university student, early 20s, etc. But regardless, that's cool. You have a mid-term today. Good luck...mine is canadian anthropology which is a bit difficult but anyhow, mainly an emphasis on irony, etc. in canadian culture (I have been up since 4AM studying and the coffee just can't keep going down quickly... ) Hopefully, we'll both do well!!!

Sounds almost like the liberals .... maybe not Na, Quick question. What do you do about telegrams? Is it wise to respond to these? Next, we have to answer another question about our country everyday? (i.e. today was compulsory voting). You technically don't have to answer a question every day, but if you have more than 5 in your "to do list" then they stop piling up. The only requirement is that you log in and do something once every 30 days, or else your account expires. What region are you guys in? Want to start our own region? We could ask Greg for a forum to discuss nationstates issues. I am in the Pacific region. My population is growing and I just joined the UN. Yeah I am open to any addition...

I doubt I'll reply. My country will grow on its own right.

Agreed. Who cares if it pleases the left? Let it please the Canadian business community and the majority of Canadians who want a better work/travel/continental relationship between the two countries.

Sounds almost like the liberals .... maybe not Na, Quick question. What do you do about telegrams? Is it wise to respond to these? Next, we have to answer another question about our country everyday? (i.e. today was compulsory voting).

Ladies night as far as I know doesn't bar men from entering. Heterosexuals are barred from entering certain clubs in Toronto. If that's not discrimination then what is ? You can't open a restaurant with a sign that says 'no gays' can you ? Years back there was a case about a gym that caters to women only. A man went in and was denied admission. He made a fuss about it...I don't know though what happened to that case. There are men's golf clubs which bar women entering...

Well put Sage.

www.nationstates.net

"You claim U.S. conservative speaks in two languages: one for the rural good ol' boys and one for the city slickers. I don't buy that analysis because even the moderate stance you claim they put forward is rejected by urban voters." Fair enough...I agree. "Well, we have two completely different electoral system, so using electoral success as a basis for discussion here is a flawed exercise. But it's kind of interesting that you'd suggest the Democrats and CPC are somehow polar opposites: I would suggest they don't really differ much at all, which would, in turn, indicate a more rightward tilt overall south of the 49th." The Dems are pretty left of the CPC.

"The Republic of Tenetia is a tiny, devout nation, notable for its compulsory military service. Its hard-nosed, hard-working population of 5 million are highly moralistic and fiercely conservative, in the sense that they tend to believe most things should be outlawed. People who have good jobs and work quietly at them are lauded; others are viewed with suspicion. The medium-sized, moralistic government juggles the competing demands of Religion & Spirituality, Law & Order, and Healthcare. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 15%. A robust private sector is led by the Automobile Manufacturing, Beef-Based Agriculture, and Basket Weaving industries. Crime is moderate. Tenetia's national animal is the cheetah and its currency is the tenetian dollar ."

You two...distracting me from mid-term study...good thing the exam is tomorrow so I can set my country up and invade uOttawaman's "Scandinavian Liberal Paradise" with it's minimal defence spending. Let's see: aside from a mandatory draft and military service for all men aged 18-24, how else can I make my country powerful...

He hasn't had one day as PM in the House of Commons and you can make a bold statement like that???

Which doesn't explain why they stiff in urban areas. BD, Explain what you mean. The only reason why Canada seems like a more left-wing country is because Canada's urban areas are more poweful electorally than America's urban areas.

I will be setting my country up this weekend...mid-terms the last few weeks have kept me a little crazy...

I won't disagree, but I do think you're countering your own point here. You're right in that the neocons (for lack of a better term) don't show their real agenda to American voters. But how do they market themselves? As the party of God, guns, and (anti) gays. Social issues take up a disproportinate amount of space on the U.S. conservative agenda: economics are secondary. Given the amount of success they've had with this approach (and with the "war on terror"), they are obviously resonating with a significant chunk of the U.S. population. Now, a party that tried the same approach here wouldn't get within sniffing distance of Parliment, which is why our Cons are trying like hell to moderate themselves. And look: it worked. The Republicans are only the party of God, guns, and anti-gays in rural areas. In urban areas, they are the party of lower taxes and tougher crime, in fact, just like the CPC here. I don't see the difference, only reason Harper had to moderate his platform was because Canada's urban areas have more power and are more concentrated than with the electoral system in the States. You think if New York and LA and San Francisco, etc. had the power in the U.S. their equivalents (Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver) have in Canada, we would be looking at constant Democratic majorities down there. Same if the Prairies and Alberta had the kind of power Middle America has there. We would be seeing constant Conservative majorities with a pro-life platform.

However, being opposed to political correctness does not mean that I am also opposed to "tree hugging" or "gay loving". First of all, the environment is a precious and fragile resource, so quite frankly everyone should be tree hugging. Without trees we'd be dead. Period. Finally, let's not start another gay argument in this thread. I am in favor of same-sex marriage because it is the right thing to do. Go refute it in the SSM thread. The left has taken political correctness to an unbelievable level. Here's an academic institution I suggest joining...http://www.safs.ca/

A woman would knowingly have to falsely accuse someone of a crime and possibly see them wind up with a criminal record and go to jail. I don't doubt someone would try it but I don't think there are many people who would go that far. Certainly not an epidemic. It would sure up the incentive to use proper birth control in the first place. Fatal-attractionesque cases do happen but yes they are rare.

"Conservative" is a broad term and, as you imply, covers a lot of differnt factions from economic libertarians to religious extremists and everyone in between. I've tried to narrow down who it is I'm talking about when I use the term conservative here, but obviously labels have limitations. But I happen to believe that American conservatives are far more factionalized than there Canadian counterparts and that the strength of those factions tilt the movement far further to the right than Canada's Cons. (Also: I suspect we're working on different terminologies here. I'm not sure what you mean by "neocon".) Canadian cons are much more marginalized and divided than American cons. The neo-con movement only pretends to speak for regular conservatives and that is how they united them. In reality, neo-cons have their own big government, military spending agenda they don't market to your average American conservative who may vote for Bush but not support, or even understand, neo-conservatism.

The Liberals? Moderate/Centrist Libertarian??? I think the "Libertarian" word scares a few people off, partly because people envision it as a place without any government, or at best very minimal amounts. Basically, the "no govt except for solving law problems" ideas which the current libertarian party espouses. I agree though that there isn't really a fiscally conservative/socially liberal party on the Federal scene yet, and most people know the Liberals are looking to move to the left (with daycare, etc). But individuals who think like that do not take into consideration that libertarians are very moderate in their thinking. Anarchists believe in no government...I would argue most libertarians argue that government needs to be lessened, not eliminated.

I think we can agree on that... Although the verdict is still out on PM Harper...

Absolutely...there seems to be this idea in Canada that far left thinking is a godsend, while far right thinking is the devil incarnate, political ideology taken too far right OR LEFT is inherantly not a good thing. Ever hear of the saying "everything in moderation", well it definitely applies to politics, and lets just say the NDP aren't too moderate! I live in the Windsor area where two NDP MP's were elected federally...boggles my mind how people holding such far left wing ideologies get voted in. The only answer i can honestly come up with is that the people are not informed as to the ramifications of such a parties ideology, or what would happen if god forbid they formed government (as in Manitoba...has to suck, I feel for ya!) One possibly good thing I've heard about from Manitoba recently is the socialized auto insurance..... I would be interested to hear some different perspectives and opinions. Socialized auto insurance? My suggestion is you buy a book by Adam Smith for your left-wing friends next holiday...