blueblood

What about Kennedy? IMO the Liberal party needs a complete overhaul and needs to be more accomodating to rural Canada. Doing that they will get their majorities.

What's wrong with speeding it up. The market was going there anyway. With this in place we can export even more oil. If Government legislation increases our GDP, then we'd be stupid not to go for it. I believe that biofuel will increase our GDP and I believe minimum wage legislation won't.

Who'd form government? Well this is some very wishful thinking mind you, all the MP's would form government. You'd have all types from different stripes and ideologies. Sure it would be a mess come election time and strict rules would be necessary, but sifting through all the options at the people who would run for public office, one would truly get the best one for the job (or the best campaigner). Once all the MP's are elected they then vote for a Prime Minister and the Prime Minister then selects the cabinet. I personally think it's better as legislation can get through and there's no partisan bantering, you wouldn't get the party dictatorship that occurs sometimes. In the end it becomes more of a competition. One can only dream.

that's almost getting into the territory of maximum wage, I wonder what the debate would be on that

One reason that the English-speaking countries are almost all solid democracies, i.e. US, Canada, UK, Jamaica, Barbados. Israel is an exception, and shows many of the weaknesses of rep-by-prop. All solid democracies (nearly 100 of them) use some form of proportional representation. The only exceptions are Canada, the US, and the UK. That's because we are too stubborn and obsessed with tradition to change a dead horse. In FPTP, voters usually end up with two choices - the Demopublicans and the Republicrats. Sorry, I want more choice than that. And I actually want to know that my vote counts for something. That's what democracy is all about - one voter, one vote. Not "one voter, 0.2 votes another voter, 3 votes" depending on how they vote. Why not disband the party system and have all the MP's run as independants then? I'd be all for that.

Taxes were dropped there long before there was anything going on out there. The oil sands were barely profitable, which is why evil Martin and Chretien gave them subsidies - to keep them afloat. It wasn't the low taxes that produced the boom. The boom was the result of the price of oil quadrupling. If the price of wheat quadrupled, Sask and Man would be swimming in money too. If the price of fish quadrupled and there was any left to fish, the Maritimes would be swimming in money. Without taxes changing the slightest bit. ???? Not all oil comes from the sands, most of it comes from drilling rigs. Oil costs lots, why isn't it developed in NFLD??? In time the price of oil would have been high enough to make the oil sands profitable. Put the corporate tax rate at 10% with low average wages and large unemployment and watch the magic work. It worked in Ireland, why can't it work in eastern Canada. Yup, a true free market is a solution, the dumping will stop and the prices will go up. The US and EU guys will have to respond to markets like we do. The biofuel industry will take care of this and the Africans will be able to start developing their Ag sector which in turn will lead to other things.

So you are doing wonderfully well but you cannot afford to hire anyone. Also, gov't rules help you out in the market but the "free" market is making everyone win. Do you read your own posts? I'm doing well, but after it's all said and done, it wouldn't make economic sense for me to hire someone, I don't need to be a bajillionaire, I'm happy where I am. The gov't created a market to market our grain in biofuel, something the greenies out east want as well. This market creates jobs and boosts the economy. The gov't can help out businesses other than throwing money at them. Look at the oil patch, the gov't dropped the corporate tax rate and it's booming out there, they set the rule that the tax is to be lower.

Hollywood mentality.....gimme,gimmie,gimmie I want it,I deserve it. Another question, if your parents stayed married(forever), are your chances better for a successful marriage? Like I said laziness, selfishness, and culture. How can someone want to be married, yet everything has to be their way? You can't have your cake and eat it too in something like this. The shit has hit the fan as far as traditional marriages go, it's time to put this old horse out to pasture. Parents is irrelevant, if your partner is the definition of selfishness and laziness and buys into this garbage urban culture, you my friend are up shit's creek without a paddle.

What is your fascination with free markets? If anyone in this country should be afraid of our "free markets", it's farmers. Chances are that if farmers were left to the "free market", you'd be farming 0 acres, not 2000. It's easy for you talk about free markets when some poor minimum-wage guy is getting screwed by them. But if farmers are getting screwed, it's "Farmers feed cities!" and we'll drive our tractors on the highway and to Parliament until someone insures that we are protected from the free markets. Sorry buddy, things doesn't work that way. It's either free markets for all, or intervention when the free markets are getting people screwed for all. Take your pick and stick to it. Consistently. Those guys are wasting their time, I can assure you I don't participate in that nonsense. I don't collect CAIS, I'm making it. This biofuel thing raising prices is doing more for us than any handout ever will. Gov't rules regarding supply are beneficial as it helps out in the market. Biofuel is helping with the longtime flooded market. By creating a free market, we all win. I'm a business man, I adjust with the times.

I personally believe that they should throw the whole laws regarding marriage out, in today's society they have no practical use. I believe that in our country today traditional marriage no longer works and is pointless. Because lots of marriages turn out lousy, there is no point in having them in the first place.

If Gilles were to say that, he'd sign away the BQ to oblivion forever. He'll never admit that a Federalist government has done good for Quebec. He has said before that if it's good for Quebec, he will support it. Obviously, there will be a lot of goodies in the budget for Quebec. He can always say that it's a good budget for Quebec (thanks to his party's efforts in Parliament) but there is more work to be done. Or if his numbers don't look good, he'll say that the budget doesn't go far enough to solve the fiscal imbalance, so he'll vote against it. Quebeckers need to send him back to Parliament with a bigger caucus, so that he can fight for them. Everytime he gets a caucus big enough, more useless crap starts up in Quebec that is funded by the ROC. If they seperate they are legitimately screwed if they want all their little perks.

In a failed market, where does the money for paying the workers a minimum wage come from? If the costs are too high, the employer will either close up shop or make cuts. I can't expand my outfit past 2000 acres because I couldn't hire someone good full time at a competitive rate and stay profitable. Hence I limit myself to what I can do. An employer has to make profits or there is no point in doing business, that's just human nature. Just remember if a business has to shut down it's employees make NO wage. If a recession hit with ridiculous minimum wage laws in place, we'd be on the path for some big trouble.

The 60's, laziness, culture, selfishness

But then, as prohibition proved, there would be more problems. I'm not saying there are no problems resulting from smoking pot. I'm just saying they aren't particularly serious. And who are these people who don't smoke pot because it's illegal? I think there are lot of people who smoke pot and don't tell anyone because it's illegal--millions and millions of them. I don't think there is anyone who would smoke it but is intimidated by the law. Look at it this way, what would you rather have people getting their illegal fix with pot/booze or crystal meth/heroin/coke? If you legalize pot, it goes up the ladder? Where do you draw the line? I'd prefer it at pot, better kids doing the whole illegal thing with something harmless than something harmful.

Come now, A small town of 500 has a few more things than that. If people are willing to work for 1 dollar an hour why not pay that amount, the owner has a right to make money too. If another manufacturing thing came to that small town and started taking employees, then the manufacturer would have to up wages to keep his workers employed/attract new ones. This actually happened in my town, a big company was about to set up shop manufacturing oil rigs, the car dealerships and the equipment dealerships were scared to death because they'd have to pay higher wages in order to compete. Something like a 7 dollar an hour raise. 10 to 17. Farmers can't find farmhands to work because the oil rigs are taking them away with their higher wages. Why should the employer be punished for making a profit? If the employer is paying 1 dollar an hour, the employees are going to say forget it and work somewhere else. It's a fine line the employers have to play with, they have to keep them happy at a reasonable cost. By the same token I believe that the rest of society should ensure that there is a balance that keeps the employer still able to keep the employee happy, that the employer can still make a profit, while the consumer can still afford to do business with the said company. The free market does this. In times of recession I think that this is true. Nowadays especially out west, you won't have a business long if you are only willing to pay 8 bucks an hour, the employees will go somewhere else and your caught. I think that in recession having a sky high min. wage is bad news. Let the market set the min. wage. Point taken. I can see why if we have welfare then we have to have min. wage. But the market should set it. If the businesses are only paying 1 dollar an hour, the guy is going to say screw it I'll go on welfare I make more there, the business in turn suffers. That's why most businesses pay out quite a bit more than welfare as they have to compete with it for people.

For all the problems booze causes it should be illegal. If you don't think pot doesn't cause problems it's time to come out of your box. I've seen people who chain smoke pot like cigarettes. I've seen people develop problems on pot and booze. Public Opinion decreases the occurances in things we don't like, not education. There are all sorts of info on drugs now and they have people come into schools and talk about it. Drunk driving has always been illegal, the only reason it went down was because of public opinion. There are people who don't smoke pot because it's illegal. Making it legal makes it easier for pot to be pushed onto people who normally wouldn't smoke it (like drinking)

Well, alcohol prohibition is a reasonable parallel case study. What happened after prohibition ended was the government made a lot of money from selling alcohol, and organized crime lost a major source of revenue. Why did your scenario not play out so that bootleggers are competing with the government? Probably because your theory is like me--half-baked. Weed is so much cheaper and easier to produce though. Making home brew is a big pain in the ass. It's also way easier to regulate alcohol production. Also EVERYBODY drinks now, and there are lots of people with drinking problems, why run the risk of something else.

No, a government should elected by the majority of voters. If no single party receives 50+% of the popular vote, the government should be a coalition government (2 or more parties). Having a government elected with as few as one-third of the votes is undemocratic - the majority does not have a voice. I agree, if I may add, there is a problem with people who just don't vote in the first place that there is a huge problem.

It would sure help out Atlantic Canada that's for sure.

They can do it subtely. For example seriously cutting the corporate tax rate to placate the income trust issue. This will have the anti-business crowd of the far left clammoring for blood and forcing Dion's hand for him. It would be a good political strategy AND a wise economic move. See? Christ, I should be a strategist. 10% corporate tax rate and a muzzle on the unions. A good economy is good for all.

Well, then we are screwed for sure because we can never beat China, India and other developing nations with their $1/hr wages. Ireland pulled her off. Which is why I consider outsourcing the penal system with their $0/hr wages.

After making a huge fuss about Chretien and Martin using the jets, I would actually expect him to act as he said at the time, i.e. that the PM should not be using them. If that story about CPC reimbursing part of the flights whereas the LPC didn't reimburse them at all is true. (See my link earlier in thread) You have to give Harper some credit for trying. Mind you I'm throwing a big IF in there, if I'm wrong about that then he's being a hypocrite.

With the pile of foreign investment in that country due to low wages and low corporate tax rate, the demand for low wage workers was so high that in itself it ended up having to pay higher wages to attract workers, the country got rich. I'd say Alberta has that luxury, the socialist paradise of Quebec doesn't. I'm quite happy where I am. I care for the sake of our economy and national pride. I've stated in here previously about my worries. Look at it this way if I was a company and the tax rate of country A and B was X and the min. wage of country A was y and country B was y - 2, where would I set up shop?

Are you suggesting that we lower wages so that at some point in the future we'll be rich enough to worry about lower wages in Eastern Europe? Going to have to do something, when a country with no natural resources is upstaging us on the international scene as far as wealth goes there is a big problem and it needs to be addressed. Drop the corporate tax rate and "official" min. wage. In Alberta a person doesn't get paid less than 15 bucks an hour for a minimum wage job. Competition is a much better minimum wage setter than gov't policy.

A lot of conservative governments too. Witness California, B.C., Japan. etc. The states is either right or far right. The environment is #1 on the greens agenda. Do much die hard supporters of the CPC care much about the environment? The thing is the tories aren't losing out to them, the Liberals are. With left minded voters having a choice b/w three parties, it makes it that much easier for the tories.