sideshow

This can be answered another way too-laziness and lack of money. Many dont have the funds to attend university to get the degree in the first place, and many many more are too lazy-first in high school-they dont get the marks or they drop out, and second, they are too lazy to commit 4 years to university when they can go work for great tips bartending and party it up. And the same goes to other jobs as well. I mean plumbers etc. make good money. Lots of them are in the same sort of boat-work hard, make 60k a year-go on EI for 4 months in the winter. Same sort of deal as teachers get. But many people are too lazy to put in the first 4-5 years to apprentice and work the crap jobs for less money, be the grunt, etc. Its all me, me, me, now, now, now and they dont see the big picture. Teachers have it good-no question. As do many many other jobs. But they have to put in a few years of "sacrifice" first-which, like any other professional position is necessary, but not everyone is willing to.

I don't know if that is actually 'PC lingo', because there actually is a difference, though they might be able to be lumped together under 'mentally deficient'. Down's Syndrome is not really the same as schizophrenia, for example. 'Mental retardation' is making a comeback as a valid term, I hear. Charles Anthony makes a good point here... My biggest beef with society today is that life (for many) has become a big game of 'dodge the responsibility', and it is being taken to ridiculous levels.A prior thread was started about one man's action (Robert Latimer) in dealing with an extremely ill person...his daughter. He smothered her to 'save her from her constant torture', that being severe and painful disability(ies). The girl was over the age of 18, so he could have, theoretically, wheeled her to the end of the driveway (kicking her out of the nest, so to speak) where nature would have run it's course, and she would have starved to death (or been eaten, depending on where they lived). At what point should the 'burden' of caring for the severely handicapped be foisted on others (if ever)? Should someone be 'forced' to take care of those that cannot care for themselves, even in the most rudimentary fashion? I thought Latimers daughter was 12, but I may be wrong.

I dont hate the US at all. I dislike some of their foreign policies, and think that there is an arrogance level in their senior government that is a bit disconcerting, but in the end, Americans are just people wanting the same thing as Canadians-prosperity, health, freedom, etc. They have just followed a bit of a different (and not really that different) path than us to get there. Most Americans can be compared to most Canadians-there are desirables, and undesirables in both countries.

Well I guess you always know where the door is if it gets to be too much..... Ever wonder what you salary is based on? I mean where employers get these "arbitrary" numbers from?

Well with all of your education, expertise, and experience, I dont see how any union could hold you back. You seem so massively employable and so much in demand, that I would think there would be hundreds and hundreds of opportunities for you-rather than pigeon holeing yourself into a situation that you dont like-working in a union shop. Your ability to command an extreme salary and marketability would have me believe that the only reasons you could be held back by a union (as only 30% or so of Canadians are unionized) would be your own doing. I mean if people are offering you work, you have made more money, you are in demand, you have education, experience and skills, what are you whining about? Just go do it. Many others do, and don't complain about it.

The conservatives, just like the liberals have it all wrong. You should always pay your debts before making more purchases. We will pay interest on the national debt forever and ever. With these surpluses, they should ONLY pay the debt. As far as I am concerned, take the EI fund surplus, get rid of the Indian Act, sell the land to the Natives once and for all, tax them, cut most of the welfare that is thrown away to people that dont need it, tax the rich more, stop foreign aid, bring home the military, stop the feel good national, provincial, and municipal projects, and put all the money on the national debt. buck up, tighten our belts, and pay what we spent-decades ago and still paying interest on. government wastes way too much money that we give them. the sponsorship scandal is just the tip of the iceberg.

I was forced into a union (no you werent-you voluntarily took a job-if you dont like the rules, look somewhere else) because of a ridiculous CBA (ridiculous to who? the majority voted on it, so that must mean the majority does not believe it is ridiculous)that wouldn't allow me professional status in a professional position because I hadn't finished my degree yet. If they were to strike, as they are an irrational bunch of power hungry crazymen(according to who-you, the bitter guy without a degree?-once again, an emotional, not intellectual statement), I'd lose alot of money. That's why I hate unions. They forbid workers from negotiating privately, they hurt business(prove it. business seems to do quite well it seems. look at CNs profits. billions). If my boss thinks I'm worth more (read, you kiss ass, no boss pays more than they have to)(I took a slight paycut because of the union paybands), tough shit, you do what the union tells you to do(the union doesnt tell you to do anything-a contract is negotiated between the union, on the employees behalf and the employer). I'd also cross the picketline in a heartbeat. Kick my ass, slash my tires, whatever, I'll take my salary and the respect of my managers over a bunch of union rednecks(once again, bias shown, and prove that they are rednecks) anyday. You see, unions can't function without the strong armed coercion against those that dissent(prove this statement. what authority do you have? have you studied labour history? have you been involved in the collective bargaining process? or just watch a lot of Fox News?). They are far worse in limiting bargining power than pre-union(you are obviously very ignorant of the facts historically. please study and come back to us). I have no power to negogiate or change my contract, where as when I had professional status, I'd be able to make things flexible for myself whenever.(if you are such a professional, and so employable and everyone wants to pay you more money but the big bad unions keep you down, why not sell your services elsewhere? you are in great demand are you not?) Trust me, when I finish school, I won't think for a second before putting in the stop payment on the union dues(if you are in a non union environment you can do this. excepting for religious reasons, you are required (the Rand formula ) to pay the dues-such is life). Unions have lowered my personal standard of living signficantly(prove this statement-you havent even finished school yet), and my economic freedom is severly infringed upon by their existence and strong armed tactics.(once again, would love to see some proof other than a misguided tangent)

Nicely put. Net warriors are a dime a dozen. People that actually stand up for what they believe in are much more rare. I can say that I exercise my rights-i have demonstrated, I vote in all levels of elections, have campaigned for individuals, forced my union to do its job, and I use my ability to lobby my MP, MLA and councellors when I need to. And to be honest, they are usually adequately responsive-from all parties.

You need the connections to run a proper government. $50-60k earners don't have 'em. I was forced into a union because of a ridiculous CBA that wouldn't allow me professional status in a professional position because I hadn't finished my degree yet. If they were to strike, as they are an irrational bunch of power hungry crazymen, I'd lose alot of money. That's why I hate unions. They forbid workers from negotiating privately, they hurt business. If my boss thinks I'm worth more (I took a slight paycut because of the union paybands), tough shit, you do what the union tells you to do. I'd also cross the picketline in a heartbeat. Kick my ass, slash my tires, whatever, I'll take my salary and the respect of my managers over a bunch of union rednecks anyday. You see, unions can't function without the strong armed coercion against those that dissent. They are far worse in limiting bargining power than pre-union. I have no power to negogiate or change my contract, where as when I had professional status, I'd be able to make things flexible for myself whenever. Trust me, when I finish school, I won't think for a second before putting in the stop payment on the union dues. Unions have lowered my personal standard of living signficantly, and my economic freedom is severly infringed upon by their existence and strong armed tactics. I wont even touch this one-so many misconceptions I would get RSI responding.

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. And if i lend my friend my car, or give him a ride somewhere? Is my friend profiting without compensating the automobile industry?

Look.....Americans ARE NOT setting CDN laws. Ours is different and they are lobbying for a change. Got it? Of course I have dubbed a tape. THAT IS NOT ILLEGAL in Canada . It is not illegal to tape, copy nor loan a copy to a friend. What we are talking about is making a profit from dubbing taping or selling copyrighted material. Sheesh.. Read the thread through and then think, count your fingers and toes, and breath. Then respond. The only issue is not about making a profit-I can see that that could be out of bounds and agree with parts of the "pro" argument. My argument (for the most part) is about the copying and/or distribution of the product for non financial gain (for instance uploading music to a p2p site for others to download-i make no money, i have paid for the cd originally, thus i am simply sharing a lawfully gained product). If you read Riverwinds argument, he believes (and for all i know he may be correct, but i disagree at this time and would argue it more if you like) that is illegal and/or wrong that someone copies a movie, song whatever and distributes it even WITHOUT a profit being made, because at the point of purchase we have entered into a contract with the manufacturer to not do this. Thus it is illegal to dub a tape and/or give it to a friend. Please try to follow the thread though and then respond my friend.

Do you really think that way? Read your own post and show us your own hypocrisy. Here is a hint, "someone will fill the void" ...umm...why would they, you will only steal from them. This has to be the most frustrating thread I have read. It does seem that "some" in this thread are being obstinent for some perceived media slight. They would never make this arguement if they were face to face with anyone. I know I would. And if you are comfortable with corporations from other countries setting canadian laws on how you can use a product that you purchase with your own dollars, thats your right. I just dont agree. I would bet that most of the people in the "pro" camp for copyright protection dubbed a music tape or two as a teenager. THIEVES! ALL OF YOU! (and hypocrites ).

Except does anyone actually see the liberals or democrats as leftist? I see them both as centrist parties with the cpc and republicans as right. only the ndp and perhaps the bloc in my opinion can be described as left of center. and the greens appear more center to right in most matters other than maybe the environment.

Who cares about Texas? The thread title is "Hollywood muscles Canada". In other words, the US companies are putting pressure on their government to put pressure on our government to change our laws. I say boo hoo. If they don't want to release their movies, music, whatever here-whatever. Someone will fill the void. They will lose much more in profits than they are "losing" (and i use that term as loose as possible) now, and really, maybe it will encourage some industry in Canada rather than our lazy nature to rely on the US for our entertainment. And maybe we dont get to watch "Survivor"-wont make or break my life.

Maybe I will copyright copyrighting. I will retire richer than bill gates.

I guess I am spinning my wheels here, but I would say again that I never agreed to any contract upon purchase. The fact that the creator of the product (note, not the seller of the product) has put a disclaimer on it really means nothing-as evidenced by Canada's copyright laws. I don't see why as a Canadian, we should be subjected to a foreign countries laws. If the US feels like they need to pass such laws to "protect" their industry-that is their right. But they don't have the right to enforce them here. If the movie industry wants to wait to release things in Canada, so be it. Their choice. They just stall the massive profits that they will eventally make. And if we have to wait an extra three months to see a movie, who cares? As well, if they decide not to release things in Canada at all, whatever. People will go south of the border, or people will use digital means to get it one way or the other. I think that the industry needs to think outside of the box, and stop trying to continue its massively profitable monopoly, and stop trying to have government regulate entertainment. I mean really, we are talking about music and movies, not health care and military spending.

Just out of curiosity, what is your problem with, and what is your wife's problem with the union(s)? Do you feel that you would be better off without a union? And if so, how would that be since you feel your wife is overpaid? Oh, and I hope you don't tell her that too close to bed time-a couch is never as comfortable as a bed.

Good point. I agree that that is exactly what would happen. And we would probably see an increase in fees, and maybe even less efficient machines-due to every two bit operation coming out with machines and probably not servicing them properly. At least the banks have the means to keep up their ATM's and service them properly.

The liberals should have made Stephen Harper their leader-then they could merge with the conservative/alliance/reform and create one party and keep us from having expensive elections over and over again to basically flip a few policies back and forth.

I'd like some of what Jerry is smoking. It seems to distort reality more than anything I have ever heard of.

Well I can agree with the argument that Riverwind and others make when a DVD or whatever is copied and sold for profit. What I cannot agree with is when someone purchases the DVD and freely distributes it-via, lets say P2P sites, or whatever. Since they have purchased the product, and then distribute it without any profit whatsoever, I dont see what is wrong with that. For instance, if I want to buy a car and give it away, my choice. No profit made by me. The argument that that person I gave it to would have possibly purchased another car is weak-maybe, maybe not. But its a case of what ifs. This industry is making a killing. As for the artists, actors, etc. I feel sorry for them and their lost profits. It must be tough living in those mansions and having to slum it because of the "theft" of their fans.

LOL! Your math is bang on, and that is the point-equity has already been achieved. But nurses overpaid? Oh my! The things that I have seen them have to do I think most in society would not want. Not all of them, but many have to deal with some pretty gross circumstances. At this point in time, I feel that nurses are adequately compensated-for a job well done.

I disagree with "intellectual property rights". Why does Disney care if I make a copy of mickey mouse like 60 years after the fact? How much money do they need to make?

I disagree with "intellectual property rights". Why does Disney care if I make a copy of mickey mouse like 60 years after the fact? How much money do they need to make?

I use a simple formula for marriage: Treat my wife good. Don't cheat on her. Always put our love for eachother first. These are easy things to do, and are fulfilling. Marriage was my lifelong vow of bonding. 16 years as a couple, almost 11 of marriage, and things are stronger than ever. Everything we have been through over the years has only made us stronger as a couple. But it takes hard work at times. Like anything else.