Wilber

I took that to mean the Block being the official opposition to a Conservative government.

That's the problem, you want to turn the clock back 150 years and keep a country that's run from Ontario with the West as an economic colony. There are now regions ne Provinces that have economy's and populations capable of standing alone as countries and they want that new reality reflected in their federal government. This westerner doesn't want out. I want in. I'm not an Albertan but about their oil. When has eastern Canada ever sold anything to any other province at less than the world price. Albertans contribute far more per capita in equalization than any other province yet get nothing but garbage for their trouble.

Healthcare premiums (here in BC) are not an option. You cannot "opt out" of the healthcare system. I got laid off my job (which had coverage) and never realized I had to pay a monthly fee... it simply never occured to me LOL A year later I got a bill for $1400. I went into the BC Access Centre (where you pay the bill) and said, "I have not been to a doctor or used any healthcare service in that year" -- but I had to pay it anyway. The lady says to me "you have to insure your car don't you?". "Of course", I said, "but I can CHOOSE to park my car, I cannot choose to park my body!" I was really miffed that I HAD to pay the premiums regardless of whether I wanted healthcare or not. You would have also got it whether you paid for it or not. How many other types of insurance can you buy retroactively?

Except for one province, every one of them is struggling to balance it's budget and provide the health care and other services that the Feds bailed on. As in the aviation world that I mentioned before, some government responsibilities have been privatized and made user pay, as well as user fees attached to government services that did not have them before. Meanwhile the Federal spending has grown at a greater rate than any other level of government and is forecasting huge surpluses. Our military is almost at the point where we will have to start over when it comes to most of its equipment and is having a tough time getting recruits because people have come to realize that our commitment to our military doesn't go much past lip service and showing the appropriate amount of public grief when one comes home dead. What amazes me is that they have been able to brainwash the public into believing that the present economic state is due to their fiscal prudence. It is the Provincial and Municipal governments that bit the bullet and deserve the real credit. I think our federal government needs to be reigned in. It is the most expensive and least accountable level of government we have.

I asked you if you thought Blair should be out of office because he went into Iraq. I didn't bring up Iraq, or connect the invasion to your so called neocons, you did.

Actually, if you read my posts you will see I don't use labels at all. I talk about issues and ideas. I don't people facists, communists, neocons or anything else. Heaven forbid a polititian that's not wishy- washy. They're a rare breed these days.

Well seeing as we don't really know, I guess it is just another label. Blair did go to Iraq and he is not a neocon, so what does that make him? Do you think he should be out of office as well?

Actually you are, and you're calling him a lier to boot. He has made his policy's pretty clear and as he will probably only have a minority if he gets in power, he will have to do some serious horse trading to get them implemented. It will be very difficult to go off track on any of them. Maybe that's why people don't see him quite so scary scary any more. He has also said he feels he can work with Layton although Layton swings in a different direction daily, so I wish him luck. Speaking of lying and crying, how many RCMP investigations do the Liberals have going so far?

Remind everyone what the National Citizen's Coalition stands for and that Harper was the president. Oh, and use that four-letter word "Iraq" a few times. That should do it. Got to admit, I was in favor of involvement in Iraq. It had nothing to do with Bush though, I was looking to Tony Blair for guidance. I guess he's a neocon to. After WMD was shown to be a fairy tale, I felt like I'd been had. I wonder how many others felt this way and could one of them be Harper? If there are a lot, saying "Iraq" a few times, probably won't do it. Who came up with the term neocon anyway? Couldn't have been a Liberal could it?

Founded by some dude called Jimmy Wales. Who's he? I can tell you that there are a lot more Federal user fees in aviation since Martin became Finance Minister. He's also passed off responsibility for airports to the municipalities and privatized air traffic control and flight service stations. I guess there is a bit of neocon in all of us.

Care to let us in on the source, or did you make it up yourself.

"It may not be true, but it's legendary that if you're like all Americans, you know almost nothing except for your own country. Which makes you probably knowledgeable about one more country than most Canadians." From what I've seen lately when Canadians are asked about their own history, I'd say he's right. They do know a lot more about their own country than we do about ours.

The same Gomery report that exhonerated Prime Minister Martin? The same Gomery report that praised Ralph Goodale? The same Gomery who was appointed by the PM who appoints everyone else that is supposed to hold government accountable. Oh, I forgot, that's supposed to be Parliament, but all they do is sit there and stick up their hands when the leader tells them. There were 170 odd Liberal MP's sitting when Shawinegate, HRDC, Adscam, and a myriad of other scams were going on and there wasn't a peep out of any of them. Why, because Canada has bastardized the parliamentary system to the point where everything is run out of the PMO and there is no accountability for anything unless the Auditor General finds it. Why do we bother with a Parliament at all. Tony Blair lost a vote in the Commons a few weeks ago because he couldn't convince enough of his members to support his bill. The government didn't fall, no body got kicked out of caucus. It's back to the drawing board to form a consensus that his caucus can support. That's the the way a parliamentary system is supposed to work. The Prime Minister serves at the pleasure of Parliament, not the other way around as in Canada. This country is in deep do do and unless something changes, we can just look forward to more of the same.

It depends in what context it is used. If it is used with the intent to insult, it is taken that way. After all "bastard" merely means one who's parents weren't married but it is seldom used that way these days.

A lot of big connected boys made a fortune because of Goodale's handling of the income trusts and the little investor got screwed as usual. Whether it was corruption or just plain incompetence only time will tell. Either one is a good reason to be gone.

Haven't seen it but lots of guns you say. Curious, considering most of those illegal guns arrived on the Liberals watch. Considering the thundering success of the gun registry, they are the only ones to tackle this problem. I'm sure they'll get right on it.

Now that is scary scary, or maybe it's just pathetic.

Sounds interesting. Tell me more In the 2004 election Paul Martin parachuted 5 of his hand picked people into BC ridings even though others had done all the work involved in getting those ridings nominations. When a leader does this he is basically saying this guy is my MP, not yours. So much for Martin's commitment to correcting the democratic deficit in this country. He wants power concentrated in the PMO every bit as much as Chretien, he is just more hypocritical about it. I would never vote for candidate that was selected in this fashion, no matter which party they came from.

Unlike the Liberals who parachute candidates into ridings, the Conservatives have always left it up to the local riding associations. It makes for some odd choices at times but it's called democracy. This is how Chuck Cadman ended up running as an independent instead of a Conservative last election. I'm sure Harper wasn't happy when he didn't get the nomination but he felt it was not his place to overrule the local association. After all, it is their MP, not his. The Liberals have no such scruples. Democratic deficit be dammed.

"scary scary always works. They'll still get a minority" I think that if the Conservatives do one thing that is even slightly scary scary you will probably be correct. The Liberals can be as scary scary as they want and it doesn't seem to matter. When the Conservatives were seen to be arrogant and corrupt, they were reduced to 3 seats. When the Liberals are shown to be arrogant and corrupt, they still have a chance of forming a government. Makes you wonder what this country's values really are. It sure makes it easier for the separatists to argue that this place isn't worth hanging around. Too bad

Scary scary has limited traction this time but will still influence some Record is a minefield with new mines going off weekly Values same as record Possible NDP voters a limited resource Too late for a new leader this election Right now their best hope is that the Conservatives blow up.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}> Well put Shoop

Interesting. The first two posts included a question and a platform. The rest has been four pages of wrangling over that one platform. Does anyone else have a platform or is this it? Hope you get your question answered somewhere.

Well done. It's good to know something about the people who spend half their lives it the Aholes of the world, looking after our interests for very little money and not much respect, until one comes home in a body bag.

One other thing. I worked with some ex US military types who had been in Somalia. They had a very high opinion of the fighting qualities of our airborne regiment. When I told them it had been disbanded, they couldn't believe it.