MableSpam

Totally against smoking. but i think ur experience of all people who whine are smokers is more of an anomaly. most people i know that make $25k/yr are non-smokers. but you were probably not trying to make that connection. my point was that it is much harder for someone with little money to pay for than someone with lots. I have never seen an example of a trickle down economy that did not make the richer richer and poor poorer regardless of work ethic (most people i know who are poor are hard workers...way more so than me) have you ever tried to live of $15k take home? my first year here, i lived off $12k just to see what the max i could save was...most people would find that tough as they have wants, i was lucky enough to not. rent is probably $200 higher per month now as well. I also wonder how many poor people know that AB will cover the payments. When i first got here and saw these, i did not pay them for 6 months (i moved shortly after getting my drivers and did not change my address until i had a permanent place) and when i got a bill after 6 months, there was no mention of assistance (that was 10 years ago mind you).

It is used as a poor tax. $44/mo is nothing on a $50k/yr salary, but it puts a dent in a $25k salary.

oops...wrong window. could a mod move this to us politics?

Can anyone dispute that Rebuplican hawks are the embodiment of James Taggert? giving contracts to their buddies and former companies without tender?

I completely understand why FOBs turn to gangs...they see their super intelligent, hard working parents (ask your next brown cabbie where he got his eng'g/med degree from) whom they have always looked up to slaving away at 1-3 jobs to try to make ends meet and wonder why they would want to kill themselves for minimum wage. Thinking of how "if this is all that this person who i looked up to is in this country, what will become of me?". The 1-3 jobs also means that the kids are unguided by tired immigrant parents whose traditional parenting style is ineffective in an MTV world. This is just one of many scenarios that breeds gangs and is completely kid dependent. Death/punishment...hmmm...that has done wonders for US crime rates. This is where i do not see how people fail to see a correlation between good social spending and crime. If we spent money on quality education, increasingly in poor neighbourhoods, and other endeavours such as sports and music, kids will have options othe then gangs. Education of FOB parents to integrate them into the new society would not hurt either.

i am for private health care...just without any public funding. i never understand why no one makes this distinction on the matter. if someone wants to pay for faster service, by all means go ahead...but taxpayers who cannot afford it should not subsidize others to get service before they do. jack's experience was with a not-for-profit clinic that was grandfathered...so it was indistinguishable to him as private. why do people always have to make it "us vs them"?

Kyoto: canada's co2 emissions are higher due, in good part, to exporting energy to the US...not sure how that should factor into the scheme of things. i do not think anyone is anti-american...what they are is anti-elitism, anti-nepotism, anti-us foreign policy, etc. i am anti-bush administration policies. they are the ones who say that if u r not with their policies, then u r anti-american. they make everything "us vs them"...if u have been to a us college sports game u will know how the "us vs them" is deeply embedded in american culture. why post heresay... http://www.bloc-harper.com/blocharper/speech.htm i agree with his canadian gov't disillusionment, but he is a little out there with quotes like: "The package included distinct society status for Quebec and some other changes, including some that would just horrify you, putting universal Medicare in our constitution, and feminist rights, and a whole bunch of other things." tough to misinterpret his stand on the place of women in society.