Wilber

Posit has got it. The governments which have the most affect on our daily lives, the most accessible and accountable are the ones closest to home, municipal and provincial. The last thing I want is to have even more control over my life given to the least accessible and least accountable, the federal government.

To paraphrase. Life is a temporary phase which, ultimately will lead to the fading away of the state.

Personally, with the exception of being able to impose the death penalty, I think the provinces should have more control over criminal law. Different regions have much different problems with regard to crime and should be able to tailor their laws accordingly, as long as they comply with the Charter.

That's your problem, you figure the rest of the country owes you. I'll ask you again, how do you figure Atlantic Canada would be better off if it hadn't joined Confederation? Just saying it was probably a raw deal isn't good enough. Anyone can say that.

Thats one of the dumbest things I've ever heard.

Interesting the US still feels that way when everyone else has moved to coins. The smallest Japanese bill is 1000 yen or around $8.45 USD. UK 5 pounds =$9.65 USD. 5 Euros =$6.55 USD. When I have several bills in my wallet I feel like I have a bit of cash. Often when I am in the US I'll end up with a big wad of bills in my wallet but when I go to buy something, I find they are all ones from change I have received and I don't have enough money. It took a while to get used to but I wouldn't want to go back to 1 and 2 dollar bills. I have got Susan B dollars as change from government operated machines in the US.

Those who make the effort and put up the resources to create in this world do. For them it is a very big problem. Government privilege and cronyism has never created anything. People who create, create things. You said this If you don't care, no one is stuffing them down your throat or making you pay for them. There are many more people out there who rely on them who care very much and don't much care that you don't care. You intimate that because someone occasionally makes something that is a dud or dangerous everything else they have done has no merit and is of no use to society. Swiss Family Robinson was a book, not reality. In order to have something to knock off, someone else has to create it in the first place. It seems you are a Luddite. Thank goodness your view that most technological advances are more than we need didn't prevail two hundred years ago, 50% of children wouldn't be making it to their first birthday and those that did would be lucky to make it to 40. Or do we just give protection to those things you deem to be really needed.

Canucks are worth watching. Best in the NHL since Xmas. Third in the conference. 17-2-1 against eastern conference teams over the past two seasons. Just whipped Tampa 5-1 the other night. Minnesota whipped Buffalo 5-1 last night.

I haven't watched it either but I wouldn't be surprised if some non muslims don't like the way they are portrayed. That's life in a free country. It would be a scary society where you could please everyone. I don't know what drug they would all have to be on.

If the west continues to grow economically and in population at a greater rate than the rest of the country, the political status quo will be unsustainable. I don't know when that will be or how we will correct it but without reforms, unity will be in real trouble. A good example is California. It started out as a territory, dwarfed by eastern populations and their economies. It is now the most populous and wealthiest state in the Union. The American system has allowed its political influence to reflect that change. There will come a time when we will have to do the same or the country will likely fail.

Why is it fair to say that?

What if the whole country goes in the dumpster, will you still feel you are owed prosperity by the rest of the country? Yes, because it was promised as terms of Confederation. Figures. That attitude is much of your problem.

If they want.

Then why do people howl when certain Americans or Canadians want to at least encourage immigrants to act like Americans or Canadians, or suggest that certain people are better off not coming since they want to import their barbaric cultures here? Good question. Misplaced guilt? It's something that only seems to afflict tolerant western style societies. Others don't seem to be bothered by it, if they do it, they do it out of courtesy, not guilt.

Exactly Nor will they have them if the people who develop them can't make a reasonable return on their investment. Ignoring of course all the beneficial drugs they have developed. Do you drive a car? Should we all do without cars or any other product because some of those built are lemons and some others are downright dangerous? How would that enhance your freedom? I don't understand the question. Many of the advances we enjoy today have come at great cost in lives and property to those who believed in them and were willing to commit to them. Often at some cost to the environment but I don't see many of us rushing to give them up.

Actually, I like Japan very much. The people can be very gracious and tolerant of our "barbarian" ways but it is not a multicultural society the way we understand it. It is their country and that's just the way it is. I don't judge them because of it.

Of course, but it looks like it is hypocritical to say that one side has been more hypocritical than the other on this issue. It's a wash. Come election time, I can't imagine how either of them could stand up and claim to be champions of the environment with a straight face. But they will.

For example it is not difficult to find night clubs in Japan with a sign in English, "Japanese Only" beside the door. And it is legal.

No, you are lending him your car which you have bought and paid for. You are not giving him a copy that you have made of your car.

What it boils down to is that some feel they have the right to profit from what someone else created without compensating them and others don't. And so it should be. You have paid for the product, your friend has not. Your friend is profiting without compensating. Having said that, I don't think that is what these people are upset about. They are upset that others are using their products to make money without compensating them for their investment and labour.

What if the whole country goes in the dumpster, will you still feel you are owed prosperity by the rest of the country? What is your definition of prosperity, someone else paying your way?

Well that sure sounds like a free market to me. We'll institutionalize all the R&D. If you aren't a university employee or student don't bother designing or developing anything because we'll steal your ideas and put you out of business.

What new products do farmers develop that they can't get copyright protection for? Anyone can be forclosed on if they don't pay their bills.

Ya, who and how?

Who is going to loan money to, or invest in a company that can have products which took years and a fortune develop ripped off by the first fly by night who has invested nothing? Feel free because there is no way in hell I would. Investing in the fly by night wouldn't even be worthwhile because there would be nothing to copy.