scribblet

I did see it, but I do agree with others that Hannity isn't exactly an intellectual giant, but I do love to watch him give it to them. I wasn't sure whether or not Churchill was really having trouble with his mike, Hannity didn't seem to think so. That Ward Churchill is something else, from what I've read he's also misrepresented himself as having native ancestry. I love Fox news, partly because the left hates it so much, too bad we don't have an equivalent Canadian station. And yes, contrary to left wing belief, it really does have a variety of opinions and opposing views.

I tend to agree. I'm no economist but it seems to me that equalization payments artificially create afiscal imbalance and in actuality socialist type welfare payments. However, we do all live in the same country so I don't have a problem with helping out other provinces, the question is how much? Quebec is always demanding higher payments, usually from Alberta, but wants less fed. intervention when it comes to how they spend it. Should we really be giving in to Quebec's blackmail with no accountability from them? Maybe the feds. should reduce transfer payments and get out of the socialspending area all together. Taxes are way too much and I understand that manufacturing industry is leaving to go south, or China. Alberta has a right to object to other provinces increasing demands. Bilingualism across the country is unworkable and costs a fortune, it should be scrapped, at least IMHO, it would save us all a fortune.

Well, the debate seemed to show that Parliament supports the Afghan. mission some different degrees of course, the libs. fully support, for now anyway. It was their baby afterall, but I do agree with the Taliban that if the casualties increase, Canadians will not continue support the mission. Mind you, a head start on Easter vacation seemed to be more important to the MP's who skipped the debate, or they were just copping out.

Well, from the list of potential candidates, Harper might be in for a long time LOL Any bets on whether Belinda S. will quit politics the next election? She couldn't get the party to bend the rules for a leadership run, so, maybe she'll give up ?

Overpopulation is the most serious problem for earth and the root cause of the environmental problems and shortages etc. and is escalating yearly. If we continue breeding at present rate, the population will double to over 11 billion by 2035. I don't see abortion as the solution, there are many other choices, as in birth control and education, and that is a big problem for most developing countries. I wonder at what point and what kind of a crisis will spur people to action on this.

Can't say I blame him; after the relentless assault on his character that had taken place before he became Prime Minister, I wouldn't be very forthcoming with them either. Thats my take on it too, not just Harper but, Preston Manning and Stockwell Day both suffered the same fate too. Granted Stockwell was an easy target, but I think they went over the top with him. I'm guessing but I think that maybe part of the reason for the rise in Harper's support is because the public kind of like what they see with the press, as in, its about time somebody stood up to them.

How would you know where they are? Well, when I said I'm moving to New Brunswick and she said, "Oh! That's where I'm at," it was a sure giveaway. At least I think that's what she said...it was hard to understand, you see. Take your business elsewhere. That's what I do, can't understand call centre people because of cheap labour practices, then I'll use someone else's services thank you very much. Thats kind of hard to do. I really object to paying for the extended warranty when you cannot understand the technicians. Dell computers have their call centre in India, can't sell the computer so have to use their service. I sat on the phone for ages one time, and never did understand the guy, I hung up. I kept calling back until I actually got an english speaking tech in Ontario...got my problem solved, but he wouldn't give me a number to call him back. You just have to keep phoning until you get someone you can understand. Shouldn't have to do that.

What gives people the idea that they are entitled to anything from other taxpayers other than a reasonable safety net? It is insane to suggest that we should have to pay for a National Day Care program, it is insane that we would even consider embarking on another program that would likely result in a major cash drain. This is more from the 'gimmee crowed' , as in gimmee everything you've got, no thanks. If you can't feed em - don't breed em....

This is just a hunch, but does anyone else think the only reason the Liberals are opposed is that this will become AdScam 2? How else can they waste billions of dollars on a program that was estimated to cost in the range of 30 million? Probably, and once Sheila Frazer gets going, who knows what else she will uncover. The gun registry will be gone soon (and rightly so) but licensing will not be gone.

Parliament hasn't been sitting long enough for him to deliver anything, and delivery will also hinge on the opposition voting.

Good points Betsy, and Hedy Fry - sure - they only visions she had were burning crosses on lawns LOL I just wonder if Rae has a better chance than we think, it is probably only Ontario he has to worry about, if he sticks to his promise about not going negative it will be in his favour. Don't you think people have had enough of the scary, negative B.S. (not that B.S.) they aren't buying it anymore.

LOL yep, and guess what Rabble is on strike !!!! Oh and here we go again with the 'secret agenda' etc. etc. So far that has been a crock, and still is. The public aren't buying into it anymore.

IMO the CPC have a good chance to win a majority, maybe not the biggest . It will be refreshing to have some forward looking policies and change for the better. The CPC ran an excellent campaign and have done a great job promoting their vision of a change for the better. People seem to realize now that they are not the scary party as portrayed by the media. I like their proposal to give the auditor general more scope, I believe the public wants that badly. I'm not up on the farm issues to be honest or what should be done, but Harper did tell farmers that in the weeks and months to come they will take action on the agriculture sector. Not sure what that will or should be.

Agreed, its nonsense, I'm surprised that Harper is doing this, do you have a link to that? I'll be writing to them ASAP.

The company is Stelco steel of Hamilton, they asked permission from the Ontario Government to invest the empoyee pension funds and were given that permission and then they lost the money through poor investments. Those that were unionized will get some, those was were not may be out of luck. I don't know about the gov't giving them permission, or why it si the gov'ts fault, but orwhat that is about, all is that Stelco went bankrupt, and employees are at the bottom when it comes to getting any money. I would think that this makes a good case for employer's getting out of the pension business and employees investing their own funds. A larger RRSP contribution room would help. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3MK...113/ai_n9775841 Stelco Inc. won't be spared from having to make special payments to close a $1-billion gap in its pension funding once it emerges from bankruptcy protection. In a letter to the Hamilton, Ontario,-based steelmaker, James Arnett, the Ontario government's special adviser on the steel industry, told the company that it "will not be entitled" to the pension contribution exemption when it emerges from protection under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA). Essentially, Stelco was granted a pension holiday in 1996 that permitted it to stop funding its pension plans on a solvency basis. Instead, it could fund them on a going-concern basis and pay into the province-wide Pension Benefits Guarantee Fund...... It is my understanding that the gov't originally spared them from making special payments because of the financial problems, its not all cut and dried. There's an interesting article here on how many plans are struggling because of low interest rates and the markets. http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2006/03...1506544-cp.html Just how the federal government can help is now being considered as part of a major review initiated by the federal Finance Department almost a year ago, says Karen Badgerou-Croteau, managing director of private pensions at OSFI. "The Department of Finance and government will ultimately make the decision as to what sort of relief, if it goes that way at all, would be appropriate for the industry," she said in an interview. Extending to 10 years the current five-year deadline for paying pension shortfalls was among the suggestions contained in about 120 submissions made last year to the federal review. Much less popular was a government-run insurance scheme that plans would pay into in case one fell into bankruptcy. But any change to the pension laws may be stalled by the change of government.

Good grief Charlie Brown, the Toronto Star must be having a brain fart, not a bad article especially for the Red Star. Stephen Harper not so scary after all, Lord luv a duck, what next., maybe they'll advocate a CPC majority in the near future http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentSe...ol=968350116795 Canadians are tired of being second-rate, says Rondi Adamson Apr. 9, 2006. 01:00 AM I don't think I'm alone in this. Since the election of Stephen Harper, I have heard several variations on the following, from friends, relatives and acquaintances who had previously felt a Harper victory would mean the immediate suspension of every Canadian's civil rights, a military draft and refusal of medical care to anyone who couldn't pay cash up front: "You know, he seems to be doing a good job. He's really not so scary and some of his ideas are worth giving some thought to." This evidence of an apparent shift to the right is anecdotal, of course. And it might be, in part, because the Conservatives only have a minority and cannot effect drastic changes. So voters are willing to live and let live, knowing it might not last long. But there is also empirical evidence of a change in the Canadian mindset, and a willingness to challenge what we have been trained to see as our "national identity." Two years ago, during the federal election campaign of June 2004, a Leger Marketing poll revealed that a majority of respondents supported the right to private parallel health care for Canadians. A year later, the Supreme Court opened the door to private health-care access. Since then, Alberta and Quebec have been taking great leaps in that direction. In truth, prior to the legal blessing, they had already been leaping. Which is another indication that Canadians have, for some time, felt frustration with the status quo. When Harper visited Canadian troops in Afghanistan, the trip — if not our role in that part of the world — was met with public approval. Canadians might still not be able to get their minds around the idea of our soldiers doing the worst part of a soldier's job — killing or being killed. But the days of rejecting Canadian military participation at the outset, and disapproving of any perceived support for that participation, appear to be fading — albeit slowly. I don't think this change is because of Harper, though, depending on his actions, he might be able to help it along. I believe Canadians are coming to understand that the Pierre Trudeau-era vision of Canada is dated, ineffective and nothing more than a de facto commitment to mediocrity. Socialized health-care didn't deliver what Canadians wanted. Big government doesn't offer better schools, or choice in childcare. Nor does it prevent crime.

Don't know about you guys but this kind evil curls my hair - and I have to wonder, at the risk of being accused of bigotry or the like: Is Afghanistan (and Iraq) really worth dying for, when they evidently don't want freedom and democracy in any way shape or form. Sometimes I just think we (western world) should just walk away from them and let them go at it. Forget them, no trade, no aid, nothing - just walk away. Okay, I know, the average joe and Jill only wants what we want, but really, can we do anything about this and women's rights there at all, when it comes down it. Will they ever respect peace and rights and enter the 21st century? It brings to mind a science fiction piece I read once. Alien spaceships (are there any other kind) arrive and hover over all major cities in the world e.g. New York, Tokyo, London, Toronto etc. cut a long story short, they stop the fighting and insist on peace - it happens .... Don't you just wish something like that could happen. http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentSe...72154&t=TS_Home When we kill enough ... they will quit' Taliban spokesperson sees parliamentary debate as sign of weakness KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - As MPs gather in Ottawa to discuss Canada's more combative role in southern Afghanistan, a senior Taliban official and coalition commanders painted two disparate images Sunday of where the war is headed. In a weekend interview with The Canadian Press, insurgent spokesman Qari Yuosaf Ahmedi said the Taliban are convinced the resolve of the Canadian people is weak. As suicide attacks and roadside blasts increase, the public will quickly grow weary, he said. "We think that when we kill enough Canadians, they will quit war and return home," Ahmedi said in an interview, conducted through a translator, over a satellite telephone. Given the fact troops are already deployed, Ahmedi suggested Monday's House of Commons debate as a sign of indecision among Canadians. In addition to his fire-breathing rhetoric, the Taliban's public relations spokesman claimed that the insurgency had recruited 180 suicide bombers for operations in and around Kandahar over the next few weeks.

That's embarassing to all Canadians. It's ignorant attitudes like those people displayed that give us a bad reputation. I've heard the same anecdote about the USA booing the Canadian anthem when we weren't joining in Iraq. Who cares? It's not "hatred", it's booing at a hockey game for goodness sake. Not it isn't, they are not booing hockey or hockey players, they are booing them because them simply because they are American.

Hmm, looks like the left wing is feeling the heat, and looking for some religion - I did wonder at the left and are they all really secularists, apparantly not. Tommy Douglas was a babtist minister, of course. Is the left now trying to reach out to those on the left who do attend church? Generally speaking these days hostility towareds religious MP's seems to be directed at the conservatives but there are many religious left wing folks out there. read more here: http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentSe...ol=991929131147 Faith and the left New Democrats pushing for a faith caucus say their spiritual life underpins their commitment to social action OTTAWA—Sitting in a fair trade coffee shop a few blocks from Parliament Hill, Christopher Duncanson-Hales does something few on the left have dared. He speaks openly about how his faith brought him to both social activism and politics. "It's the idea that you are there for something bigger than yourself," he says. Duncanson-Hales, president of the Carlton-Mississippi Mills New Democratic Party riding association in Ottawa, is a leader in a movement to bring faith more into the party's mainstream. He knows there are others like him — in his riding association, across the party and sitting in Parliament. To accommodate them, Duncanson-Hales' riding association is sponsoring a resolution to the New Democrats' policy meeting next month to set up a faith and social justice caucus. The move has sparked a heated debate within the NDP and highlighted some strong divisions between those who come to activism through their faith and those who count religions among the problems they are trying to address. Long-time party activist Tarek Fatah has gone so far as to say he might quit if the NDP goes too far in formalizing ties to religion, particularly groups with conservative views on homosexuality or the role of women. "If my theology isn't coming out in my involvement in the community, it loses something for me."

While I fully agree that there are many Palastinian parents who love their children too much to allow them to take part in agressive activities against fully armed Israeli soldiers, I think that there are also many on both sides of this conflict that live vicariously through the violent acts of their children. Israel is an invading force. They are the only nation in the world that does not have declared boarders. Everyone talks about how Palestine wants to eliminate Israel but that is not happening. It is Israel who is eliminating Palestine. Well, I don't have any declared boarders either, Back in 1949, Israel did agree with each of its neighbours on ceasefire lines that also defined the westbank and Gaza. As far as parents hating Israel more than loving their children, I believe Golda Meir would still believe that today, and so do I. The teaching of hatred in PLO schools is embedded in their curriculum, parents do encourage their children to commit violence, they believe that turning their kids into human bombs makes them a martyr. Taking sides - I side with Israel for the most part. Israel consists of less than 1% of the total Arab territories -- 6 million Jews surrounded by over a hundred and fifty million Arabs ...most of whom want to see Israelis dead and in the sea. Maybe if Israeli terrorists were deliberately blowing up Palestinian school buses; using their kids as human bombs; rabbis were denigrating Arabs as "the sons of monkeys and pigs," and if Israelis danced in the streets celebrating 9/11 and the deaths, I might not be so sympathetic to them. I'll be more sympathetic to the 'Palestinians' when they recognize that Israel and its people have a right to exist, and when that happens, maybe they will be ready for their own state.

Every time a car bomb or suicide bomb goes off, the majority of those killed are almost always Iraqis, killed by Iraqis and other Arabs, not by Americans. Thats the killer isn't it, it seems to me that Iraqis are killing more Iraqis than anyone else. The Egyptian president yesterday, made quite a strong statement on this turning into a civil war, he actually said the U.S. should not leave or it will get worse. Wonder where this will all end - I'm guessing it won't end until the U.S. gets a democrat President ?

Looks like the Nascar fans didn't take the bait, good for them. http://www.nascar.com/2006/news/opinion/04...line/index.html NASCAR's governing body called a network television news magazine "outrageous" on Wednesday, saying it tried to provoke anti-Muslim reactions from spectators at last week's race for a story about growing U.S. sentiment against Islam.

Hamas should renonce violence when Israel does. As for recognition, given that Israel (and its apologists) don't even recognize the existence of the Palestinian people in practice, I fail to see why the P.A. should pay the concept any lip service. Why are people surprised that a country made of people with nothing, surrounded by a hostile armed nation, should have nothing? Obviously the Plaestinan leadership has proven corrupt, but accusations like the one above lay the blame at the feet of all Palestinians, a grossly unfair tactic, given their circumstances. 6 million Israelis are surrounded by 150 million hostile Arabs. The 'palestinians' would have more today if they concentrated on building an infrastructure and an economy instead of bombs. The heart of the whole problem is the real goal of 'Palestinians - that of using violence and their kids as human bombs to achieve their wants rather than negotiating. Israel is always blamed for something they never started, yes their position has been hawkish and tough, but who wouldn't be tough when they are killed indiscriminately almost on a daily basis. The EU also said yesterday that they will be cutting off aid.

Well, CPP is based on employee/employer contributions, therefore lazy people who don't work, won't receive it will they ! Old age pension is a different matter, but if we eliminate that then there should be a drop in taxes to compensate, or maybe people should be required to pay into that too ?

No one has a problem with helping people who have been ill, come upon hard times etc. etc. What has been said over and over again, is that some people object to permanent welfare (for able bodied/minded people). Asking that people take some responsibility for their own actions and learn to stand on their own two feet, isn't heartless, its tough love. As far as the statement re: "Then there are the people who worked hard all their lives, had a good retirement coming and are told" oh by the way we lost all our retirement funds, the government said it was okay". Could you be more specific and give some source. If a company can no longer fund their retirement program, or has lost its pension assetts because of poor management, bankruptcy etc. how is that the governments fault, maybe you could clarify that. I do disagree with a company raiding the pension plans and taking the employee's funds, but the issue of pension surpluses and who owns them is complicated. Not only that, surpluses are smoke and mirrors, accounting and acturarial projections based on conditions which can change.