Jerry J. Fortin

Face it folks, things just are not going to get cheaper, they are going to get more expensive. The federal government already has enough debt load to worry about, and unless they can figure a way to increase its revenue streams and reduce their expenditures then we will always face funding crisis decision making. No matter what you cut you anger one group or another, yet expenditure reductions are going to have to happen anyway. To be the government right now means to be making some tough choices. For starters you have only minority to work with, then there are the regional expenditures that further divide political support, then you come up against the big daddy of them all which is revenue streams dependent upon economic conditions. That is a lot of variables to deal with. A solution from inside the box of political correctness will not function this time.

I will suggest that mandatory participation in the democratic process is a way to enhance our democracy. It is a way to make the government hear what the people have to say. I don't think its a bad thing.

Or limited experience at best, I agree.

Or a good hanging. This is a very troubling scenario. One that I don't think very damned many citizens in this nation care to see go without our own form of justice being interposed.

Or a good hanging. This is a very troubling scenario. One that I don't think very damned many citizens in this nation care to see go without our own form of justice being interposed.

When is the next round of junk bond mortgage mutuals due anyway, it is soon of that I am sure.

This thread merely proves the passion of the posters on the topic. Specifically you are viewing an American responding to a health care issue in their own nation and Canadians trying to support their beliefs in their own system. There is little room for tolerance on these grounds so a natural response is one of anger and fear.

There is an interesting kind of murder for you. One you need to commit to defend your honour. What century is this? I am very sorry for having to describe a citizen in the manner I feel compelled to, but this is how I feel. The savage who committed this crime needs to be made an example of. Perhaps with being treated in like manner according to their own traditions.

When you get older you get used to it. You eventually discover there is room for both of your feet in your mouth by complete accident.

There was this perfect guy once, nobody liked him. Eventually they put him on a stick and he died. We all make mistakes.

Did you read where I said voluntary basis?

Okay, fair enough explanation. Let me run this by you then; begin a process of taking kids just out of high school on a volunteer basis and start training them up. Raw talent, boot camp them and send them north. Get some boots on the ground up there for starters. Initially the exercise will be lesson in logistics, creating a viable supply train to maintain the force structure up there. Once there, train these new recruits as tradesmen, electricians, framers, plumbers, masons, etc. just to build permanent operations bases, again stretching the supply chain and coordinating logistical efforts. You can get four years out of these folks and they could opt out with a profession when they leave, or the can elect to stay in. The more adventurous and capable ones can focus on more military training, and the best and the brightest of those can be drawn on as new officer material. What you get is a group of people trained in the north and living in the north that are full time military citizens. Its only a start, but with todays economic environment it gives kids somewhere to go and something to learn and itt provides a discipline they can draw on for the rest of their lives. What I am getting at is a large scale operation that will serve to put people into position to develop the north. We could look at what the Romans did, handing out land upon completion of service. I guess my point is that the north is a very important place and we need the politicians to be able to see it for what it is, the last frontier left in the nation.

A smart move in this nation from a legislative position would be to reduce working hours to 32 a week with overtime for everything above that. Add more stat holidays, at least one a month and increase annual vacation entitlements. Just one more thing, lower the retirement age and pension qualifications down to 80 points or 50 years of age. All of these things will reduce the workforce and actually cause people to be hired to lower the employment costs of business. Yes business will pay for these changes, so why not reduce their tax load accordingly? There are in fact many ways the government can approach the problems, but that would take a spine, and a brain.

It should start now, but it won't. At least not until the citizens start electing representatives that are accountable to them instead of party leaders.

Well folks, you can start getting used to this kind of thing if you are not already. The reality is that we are losing manufacturing jobs to the third world, and we have been losing service industry jobs to that same third world one way or another. Since the economic downturn we are now even losing retail jobs with the fall of franchises. The only growth in employment is in the area of part time employment, and lower paying full time positions. The banks are doing just fine in this country though. Sort of like stock brokers, you know what I mean. Whether you buy or sell, you get to pay the man. In business no matter how you add up the numbers you use banks and pay interest due to the lag between accounts receivable that are due and accounts payable, you borrow for day to day operations like wages and utilities. Private citizens borrow money too for big ticket items and all sorts of other things. So in good times and bad times the banks still have business walking in the door, unlike most other operations. Meanwhile back at the ranch in the House of Commons, elected representatives continue to vote themselves raises and collect huge benefits while on the public dole. There is no fire seen and the smoke obscures their views of the reality of the common citizen.

You are a brave person, I will give you a spot behind me at the wall where you line up to get shot.

Come on folks, trust the central bank! Look at it this way, how much market confidence can you get by saying it ain't over yet? This is a way for those economic whiz kids to say go on out and spend some money. What they don't say is, just because you don't have any money, or a job for that matter, we will still make some credit available to you. Oh, and by the way there will be a little inflation to go along with everything else, so the interest rates will go up a tadd.

The same trend continues, the only constant is change.

Dude, there is a new era coming, of that I have no doubt. The combination of economics and the relatively new globalization efforts of corporate interests are slowly changing our politics. I am convinced of this. The current public perception is that governments ought to be more involved in economies, that is supported by recent efforts at stimulus, on the other hand there is now a rift between citizens who think this is a good thing and those that think it is a bad thing. The gap widens everyday. The entire planet waits for the day, which is soon coming that will see India become the most populous nation. Fully 42% of the world population will exist on a single continent, Asia. There is the future seat of production and consumption, and there is where all profit motivated ventures will focus. That is the emerging market that everyone is concerned with and for good reason. Transportation and commodity pipelines will form between the two nations, but unless something changes quickly then there will be an ideological rift between them. This will create two separate camps of suppliers, that will compete against each other for market shares in both nations. Times will indeed become interesting.

I will be damned! A political party of independents is exactly what I have been screaming into the wind about for years! You can expect to hear from me very soon, I am willing to help out in any way I can!

It seems that as a whole the people desire a government that can actually do something. I guess that means the possibility of a majority will put some fires in political bellies.

Your logic and reason are clouding my fantasy! Army Guy we need to aspire to something, that is how we have always done our best. I am sick and tired of watching the military, my dad was a 35 year guy, making due with what they have. They deserve better for their efforts. Look at the bigger picture and tell me that building what we need isn't the right way to go. Tell me that training all of those needed recruits isn't in their and the nations best interests. Is what we are now doing in the north a credible defensive strategy? Or are our forces acting as a doorman capable only of scurrying out of the way in case of trouble?

Yeah I guess. You poor Yanks live in the glass house for sure. You are the nation with the bells and whistles, hard earned that they may have been. Canadian honour remains intact, one citizen cannot change that.

You just don't get it do you BC. You are watching a disgruntled Canadian citizen, and using that to judge a system from another nation to justify the position of your own nation in its attempts to formulate reforms to its own system. That is very sad. I would hope that you folks figure out what you want soon, because your citizens need that decision to be made. Your government is spending much political capital in this effort, and your tax paying citizens will be stuck with the tab in terms of deficit and debt. It certainly isn't my balls being kicked, but yours for listening to some foreigner telling you this and that and how relevant it is to you. You go ahead and believe who you want and do what you want with your own system. We could not care less what you do, its none of our business. It ain't my problem dude.

You may as well bust your own balls BC. We live here and we know what is best for us. You folks don't seem to have figured that out yet for yourselves, be patient and wait, you will get there eventually.