Chuck U. Farlie

But they also just got an 8% increase on any services that they require - like transportation, construction, lawyers, etc, as well as increased gas, diesel, and heating oil - more on electricity, etc etc... At the end of the day, it sounds like certain manufacturing companies might get a break (a small one once you add up all of the increases), while every other company - in particular service companies - will get the shaft just like the rest of us.

Efficiency? They are harmonizing the taxes and then offering piles of exemptions and need to create a rebate system! How is that efficient? To me it sounds just as confusing as it works now!

There are certain businesses that this will hurt particularly hard, that I hadn't thought of until it was mentioned on talk radio. Trucking firms... small ones with offices only in Ontario... will now have to charge their customers 8% more with HST, making it much harder to compete with other provinces and states. Construction companies... now have to charge 8% more (before it was just the GST). And especially now, when companies are already struggling or failing, McGuinty is going to make it even harder on them? This will be a boom for black market stuff though. My brother, the owner of a small construction company, can either decide to raise his rates 8% (which he will have to do with some customers), or he can offer to work for cash for even more customers. Another knee-jerk not thought out plan by McGuinty... way to go.

Sounds more and more like McGuinty is going to harmonize the taxes. For most things, it won't effect me. It definitely would for a new house. The other place is used cars... now you only pay PST if you buy a used car privately. That will change. You will also pay more for heating oil. Supposedly when the Atlantic provinces harmonized, the taxes they paid on gasoline and heating oil doubled, but don't we already pay both gst and pst on gasoline?

Great article Waldo. Thanks for finding it and posting it. States what a bunch of us have been saying in numerous posts here, including:

I am conservative because I voted conservative and I have fiscally conservative views. A person can be devoutly religious and believe in evolution. My parents are both devout Catholics, yet they still believe in evolution. It was a science question to determine how much he understands about rudimentary science. I have never heard about Ujjal Dosanjh, but if they are not a medical doctor then I don't think they should be in that position. The minister of anything should have a background in that subject or they hold absolutely no credibility.

Argus, I am getting tired of you trying to turn this into a left-right issue. I started this thread and I am a conservative. I would have jumped all over this irregardless of political affiliation because I don't think that the minister of science should be someone who doesn't have a clue about science. This was also not an anti-christian thread, it was an anti-ignorance thread. I don't care what religion this minister is - even if he were a muslim I will still call him out if his statements show complete ignorance of the department he is in charge of. Goodyear himself is the one who brought religion into this: It was not a religious question. It was a science question and he is the minister of science. Since he proved he doesn't know the first thing about science, he should be out of that position. And I would say the exact same thing no matter if he was liberal, ndp, muslim, hindu, jew, or atheist!

Why should the public give any credence to someone who believes in fantasy? alta4ever keeps saying that evolution is 'just a theory' - meanwhile creationism and all religions are just a fantasy. You can't even call what you believe a 'theory' because there is absolutely no evidence to back it up what-so-ever.

I had no idea so many Canadians were so openly ignorant and just plain stupid. Unbelievable. I suppose I too was ignorant for somehow thinking that this uneducated, ignorant, and delusional belief in creationism was somehow concentrated in the American South. I am making no comment what-so-ever towards Christianity, that is another story. I am talking about creationism. Anyone who believes in creationism is so far out of touch with reality that I believe they should hold absolutely zero power as they have no sense of logic, no education, and no clue! (By the way Alta4ever... before labeling me a left-wing koolaid drinker... note that I am actually a (fiscally) conservative atheist.

Evolution isn't a theory, it's observable fact. Thus, to say that you don't "believe" in it means you're quite simply ignorant. The method or system by which evolution works is still theorized (ie, evolution through natural selection), but whether or not living organisms evolve is not up for discussion, it happens and it's a fact. Anyway, we are talking about a theory in the scientific sense here... already observed many hundreds of thousands of times... not the common English definition of theory. If this minister of science refuses accept something such as evolution, what are the chances that he is going to understand or approve of the investigation of the genetic code, for example? The danger is what he might not allow funding to go to simply because his ignorance and religious belief stand in the way. His not believing evolution of itself is not a big deal, but is evidence of his overall ignorance and his lack of qualifications for the job.

Unfortunately and perhaps naively I voted conservative last time. Not that I am socially conservative at all - I am not, but I am fiscally conservative. Now that the 'conservatives' have abandoned any sense of fiscal conservatism while at the same time appointing creationalists as the Minister of Science, I think I am done with the conservatives. The problem is, now who do I vote for? There is absolutely no party that represents my ideals.

From http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/sto...y/National/home How can we have a 'Science Minister' who clearly, from his own statements, doesn't give science much credit?

A post I made awhile back, but disappeared included: I wonder why more criminals have not adopted the muslim look. It would be a perfect disguise including an excellent place to hide a weapon, especially in certain areas of the GTA where completely veiled women are a common site. I wonder how the public would react to completely covered people then???

It is too bad that this gruesome act wasn't attempted somewhere in the USA. Then maybe this Tim fella would still be alive, and the world would be short one psychopath - no police (much too late) needed.

I don't think this 'case' needed to become a case at all. The conversation should have been: TS: I want to join the women's only gym, but I am a guy. O: Sorry, you can't join. Come back after you've had your sack cut off. So simple, and easy. The guy is a guy, so not allowed in with the woman - can it get any simpler than that?

A couple of days ago this story was on the radio about a gym owner in St. Catherines who opened a 'women's only' section of his gym. A pre-operative transsexual applied to become a member, but admitted he was a guy. The gym owner didn't say no, but first said let me see what my rights and obligations are. The human rights commission in Ontario told the gym owner he must give equal access to the transsexual, but had no answer when the gym owner asked about the rights of his woman clients - who don't want to share a shower room/change room with a man. It is absurd that the human rights commission is even hearing this case. If you are a man, dressed like a woman or not, you should not have any right to enter the woman's change room. The result, if this were allowed, is that women would stop using these gyms... because how are they to know that transsexual in the corner isn't just some pervert out to get his rocks off? Fulton (the gym owner) went to mediation first, but was then asked to offer a settlement to the transsexual. He refused to settle, and instead decided to allow himself to be taken to the HR tribunal and take his chances - despite the legal fees, etc, that he will incur. Madness. http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/593117

What annoys me is that it seems as soon as you are critical of Obama you are considered racist... you have to be careful who you criticize him in front of. Listening to Oakley this morning on AM640, some woman called in and suggested he belonged to the KKK because he was always critical of Obama... I really hope this guy can live up to the hope, as well as Ignatief calling him a 'political genius'... but I don't he will ever accomplish as much as people expect him to.

WIP, I found it best, quite a while ago already, to just put Oleg on ignore and not bother to read his drivel. To do so, in case anyone doesn't know, click his name - click view profile - click options - click ignore user.

Does anyone know of a property tax calculator or spreadsheet of tax rates for cities throughout Canada? I am looking for something like this: http://www.thestar.com/Article/349083 but this one is only for the GTA. I want to compare the major cities in Canada and figure out which city is the most affordable to own property in - I easily found charts that compared the cost to buy a house and the ranking of those cities, but now I want to compare the property taxes paid on these properties.

I guess the lesson that should be learned is next time those non-conservative ridings should vote conservative. ;-)

The problem here is that the doctors should not have made this woman pregnant. Just because the science exists, doesn't mean we need to use it just because someone wishes so... this woman gets impregnated in India by doctors who only care about the money she will pay and not the consequences, and then she returns to Canada to have our health care system sort out the many problems because her body is too old to handle a pregnancy. From this CBC article, just look at what this has done to her:

Whether they were worse off or not depended on whether the old men left their assets to their Indonesian family or with their 1st family back in Britain, Australia, Canada, or where-ever... if they didn't have the foresight to leave money to the Indo fam, then they were much worse off.

In a way I feel sorry for the kids though, because chances are they may barely spend much time with old' ma before she kicks the bucket. I knew a bunch of old drunks who fathered kids with women 1/2 their age when I was living in Indonesia... unfortunately for the kids, dad hardly ever made it to their 10th birthday.

Another good one:

I like this video of us 'monkeys'... http://www.wimp.com/ourlife/