scribblet

Who does the GST cut really help anyway Scriblett? Martins idea for cutting the income tax is a much more solid plan. Ask all the economists who agreed with him. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Personally ( as said in another post) I believe it helps more people than you think. At least 7 million low income people pay no income tax now, a GST cut will help them as much as anyone. They too buy gasoline, pay for heat, hydro and various products. I don't know what else will be announced, but I'm guessing there could be an increase in tax exemptions and daycare credits announced later.

Everyone iseems to be concentrating on the proposal to cut the GST and Martin's promised tax cuts. I'm sure the CPC will introduce additional cuts in addition to the GST reduction, if so it could change the face of the debate. So what tax cuts do you think we should be getting? Personally I'd like to see something to offset the Health Care tax increase in Ontario, personally that was a double whammy for us, we are both on fixed incomes.

You don't know that he will change his mind, and you seem to forget, its a new party, different policies. Like I said, this CPC isn't much more than liberal lite.

Should we follow Australia and require citizens to vote? Wouldn't it be just more government intrusion into our lives ? http://www.fcpp.org/main/media_file_detail.php?StreamID=305

I thought health care was being fixed 15 years ago. So much for that plan. And since you bring up SSM and flip-flopping in the same post, why don't we talk about Martin? Regardless, Harper isn't taking anything away from anybody. The MPs would have a free vote, so it would be them who make the decision. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Not to mention the bizarre obsession with hijacking everything into an SSM rant. This is getting totally annoying, and is off topic, so maybe pointing out the forum rules would do. NO TROLLING/FLAMING Do not post inflammatory remarks just to annoy people. If you are not bringing anything new to the argument, then do not say anything at all. Some messages are not so much offensive as simply nuisance value. An example would be a person who persistently creates conflict without contributing anything useful. In newsgroup circles, such a person is known as a "troll". We define "trolling" as a message that serves no constructive purpose and is likely to cause offence or arguments. We define "annoying" as any message that results in a complaint from a registered user -- we will then decide whether to take action.

If the liberals should gain another government, how much would taxes have to go up to pay for Kyoto, and is anyone addressing this issue so far in the campaign, and how many more taxes can we handle. The Liberals are gearing up to fork out your taxdollars, so what is their party plan to pay for Kyoto, it seems to have been swept under the rug with the upcoming election. A United Nations conference on climate change in underway in Montreal. The purpose is to develop a roadmap to reduce carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) – more commonly known as greenhouse gases – when the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012. Unfortunately, Canada’s election campaign is diverting media and public attention away from this global meeting, which concludes on Dec. 9. Purchasing credits is no small issue, heck Ottawa allocated $12-billion to its climate plan and inn February, revealed they were considering spending $1.4-billion to buy credits abroad. Really, we said that would happen, and so it is.

Norman, should we cut all relations with Japan, France and Russia since these countries don't accept gay marriage? The issue is no longer whether or not we accept gay marriage. Gays and lesbians can legally marry in Canada. Harper's plan is to strip away those rights by re-visiting the C-38 legislation. In other words, he's looking to take away human rights which already exist. When in recent Canadian history has a leader of the Opposition campaigned on a platform of taking away existing human rights? And it would be laughable, if it weren't so sad, that any CPC supporter would view taking away those rights as a "compromise"? Japan, France and Russia are not fighting an election based on taking away human rights. Gays and lesbians never did have the right to marry in those countries. If they did have that right, it would be an exceedingly unwise politician who chose to start his election campaign by promising to "revisit" the human rights of one minority group. Canada did not cut off relations with Germany when Germany began to strip away the human rights of their nonAryan citizens. It was not until Germany invaded Poland in 1939 that Canada's relations with Germany took a serious turn for the worse. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> For God's sake man...it's not a HUMAN RIGHT. And Harper is not saying that gays and lesbians can't live together nor have the benefits associated with marriage. The party just does not agree with using the term "marriage", which until a year ago was reserved for a union between man and woman, to be used for a same-sex couples. Call it a civil union, call it whatever the heck you want...but calling it marriage puts a lot of religious institutions between a rock and a hard place. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thre's a good article today by Charles Adler which I think speaks to this issue. The only other thing I can say, is just not to feed the troll who appears to be stalking every post on this issue, and who seems to be exhibiting his own form of bigotry. Is that allowed on here? http://winsun.canoe.ca/News/Columnists/Adl...02/1334933.html snipped from the article: While I am OK with gays wanting to get under the marriage tent, I am not OK with gay rights advocates declaring that everyone I know who is opposed to gay marriage is a homophobe. Declaring that others have a mental disorder simply because they don't agree with you is not only rude. It's bigotry. And when all the usual suspects come forward to tell you that gay marriage is a human right, that's just flat-out stupidity. Human beings understand what human rights violations are. They don't need them interpreted by Liberal-appointed judges or other Liberal hacks who never concern themselves with marshalling the soldiers of reason in the battle theatre of ideas.

http://www.torontosun.com/Comment/Commenta...02/1334962.html Only in Canada would a proposal that the state must provide its citizens with timely radiation treatments for cancer provoke cries that it's all part of a plot to privatize our health care system. But that's what happened yesterday when Conservative Leader Stephen Harper unveiled his plans to reform medicare. One measure he proposed would establish guaranteed wait times for patients -- an idea first advocated by Senator Michael Kirby (a Liberal), who co-chaired a study into the Canadian health care system. It's a sensible, compassionate concept. It means that if the state cannot provide timely medical care to an individual -- say, 10 working days for radiation therapy after being seen by a cancer specialist -- then the state must act. ...... meanwhile - back at the ranch While Harper stressed "there will be no private, parallel system" under his proposal, Prime Minister Paul Martin and NDP Leader Jack Layton nonetheless accused him -- as usual -- of wanting to privatize health care. They even attacked him for saying he wouldn't shut down private medical clinics -- the same private medical clinics that the Liberals have allowed to flourish in several provinces for the past 12 years. Back in the real world, even Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh said yesterday that the Liberals are looking at care guarantees as "the next logical step."

Are you sure they are the crappiest on the market, and its not just an incorrect perception? After seeing Hargrove's mugshot with Paul Martin, I'm wondering if Buzz isn't angling for a senate seat. What a sell out he is.

The CPC believes in a seperate definition of a SSM. They're only opposed to the use of the term "marriage". <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Which seems to be lost on some people. There are lots of smear artists around the internet as it gives them the freedom to spread their propaganda, hate or innuendo pretty well at will, it gives anonymous twerps the ability to spew out invective and destroy real debate about valid issues. I still havn't seen any actual facts on how many CPC members are these so called 'religious zealots' and no definition of what one of these is, or a definition of a Christian fundamentalist. These terms are bandied around too easily with no source or backup to prove them. Simply because some says that in a blog, or a liberal newspaper 'journalist' decides to promote that theory, it isn't necessarily true. The liberals have their share of those 'nasty Christians' too. It appears that Anti Christian bigotry is the last allowable prejudice, and its showing on here with a lot of the same spam or dare I say, zealotry.

Norman, I invite you to look at the entire picture. Politicians call each other things all the time, and certainly during an election. You're going to have to grow tougher skin because the campaign has only just begun. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I think Rick Mercer gets it - http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/story.h...7d-3821cbdd5297 Rick Mercer, host of Rick Mercer Report on CBC Television: I would have to give it to Stephen Harper in the first week. The Liberals started out by acting hurt about the organized crime cracks, but after 15 years of the Liberals, almost every Canadian has called them far worse than connected to the Mob. Nobody is going to buy Paul Martin playing the sad clown. And it's embarrassing to see the Liberals accuse Harper of not loving Canada. It's something you'd expect from someone in Grade 5.

Actually he does: he specifically mentions the "religious zealots and Bible thumpers surrounding Harper and his party." Not Christians in general. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Too generalized I think, plus we don't know that "religious zealots and Bible thumpers are surrounding Harper and his party. That's a broad brush painting conservatives as a stereotype, and we know they are meant only to denigrate, without any real discussion. What exactly do those terms mean, and to whom do they actually refer - I think this is pretty close to stepping over the line here. What constitutes a bible thumber, is there such a thing as a Koran thumper, or a Guru Granth Sahib-thumper. And would it be acceptable to use those terms when referring to Muslims or Sikhs ?

Then the NDP is the party for you, friend! In 2004 the ND's proposed a combination of eliminating the GST on essentials and instituting an inheritance tax, so you can count them out of you rlittle formulation. An income tax cut for middle income earners and an increase in corporate rates (Canada's corporate rate is lower than the U.S's!) would ease the tax burden on the most productive segment of our society. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> LOL - in some respects it might be, but I don't like the socialist concept that all people should be equally poor. All people should be given equal opportunity, but there's no guarrantee there will be an equality of outcome. I also believe that lowering the corporate tax rate would help stimulate the economy and provide more jobs.

Excellent post on hate crimes and Quebec. I too wonder about hate crimes and what they really are. If an old lady is stabbed to death its murder. If a gay person is stabbed to death its called a hate crime and given a higher status, murder is murder. Why, we don't know what a person is thinking when they commit that act. Does this mean that the old lady is a less of person and less worth of justice - or what ? Aren't all murders and attacks hateful ?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}> Actually I was going to say the same thing, ignore him, don't feed him. As long as you reply to this type of thing, you feed him and give him for room to repeat the same verbage over and over again. If you get angry at it, then he wins, this type of poster is only interested in stirring the pot.

Actually, I'd like to see GST be removed from family essentials like diapers, baby forumula, etc. and also remove it from natural gas and electricity for residences. This would be easy to do. But there may be some economic arguments against tinkering with how and where the GST is applied. The ease using the GST program is that is is almost universal in its tax base. As well, any business that uses at least basic software like Simply Accounting or Quicken can easily keep track of and remit GST. 7 million low income people file income tax forms but pay no income tax ( many file for the gst rebate, child rebate etc) therefore Paul martin's income tax cut would not help these people at all yet they like the rest of us, continue to pay the 7% gst. So we could say that it implies that the Liberals and NDP are against tax relief for the poorest members of our society. Isn't that usually their argument?

We have to agree to disagree on this, and spots do change, even the liberals spots, many time. However, Paul made promises just before the writ was dropped, in fact I believe his pre election promises added up to considerably more than the surplus. I don't think he cut programs when he did this. IMHO the surplus is due to over taxation, we need to get some of it back at least.

Excellent response, repetitive comments like that are a bit worrisome, indeed, borders on intolerance.

He may have said that, and who would disagree really, but we have to pay them. Could you point to the party platform or policy statement that says it will reduce social programs, the CPC is not the Reform or Alliance, and is more old Red Tory than anything. Liberal Lite actually - minus the corruption.

Jack is looking forward to being a big power broker again, but wouldn't bet on him siding with the CPC. Somehow, if its a minority gov't they will have to work together, we sure don't want another election in another 18 months, but thats the average lifespan of a minority gov't.

Oh Oh, not looking good, so much for peace ! http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/story.h...be269f65&k=8817 Palestinians let militants back into Gaza JERUSALEM -- Palestinians have allowed up to 15 militants wanted by Israel to return to the Gaza Strip, violating a U.S.-wrested agreement that was to have let Israel monitor who enters the area from Egypt, Israel Radio reported Friday, citing Palestinian security officials. The entry of the Hamas militants - including one of the group's founders - through the border crossing at Rafah threatened to set off Israeli economic sanctions, which would further batter Gaza's already shattered economy. Palestinian officials say anyone with a Palestinian identity card can enter Gaza from Rafah.

Weren't you going to give me a number for all these "religious zealots" that are "surrounding" the Tories? And a definition of just what you think a religious zealot is? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Just drive by slander, underhanded methods of demeaning a party instead of sticking to discussing actual policy and platform.

I think you'll find that as the CPC reveal more policy and pick up in the polls, you'll see more of these type of attacks. They can't paint Harper as 'scary' any more, so have to resort to other underhanded methods of charactizing Harper and the CPC. Obviously I'm conservative, but I'm no religious fundamentalist, I've been involved in 3 ridings over the years, and none I knew were 'religious fundamentalists'. The CPC has a some sure they do, so do the liberals. Harper maybe religious but he doesn't wear it on his sleeve nor does he push it, and he has been successful at curbing some of the more strident ones. Randy White isn't running this time BTW. Actually I'd go so far as to say that people who use this bogeyman of 'ooo he's scary he's a Christian' or whatever, are showing a broad streak of intolerance, something liberals usually profess not to have. Lets hope these type of posters stick to discussing actual policy and platform, and don't bring in the 'evil Christian bogeyman' etc. Or at least, they can start a separate thread on it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}> Harper doesn't believe in deficits, but considering that Martin managed to give away almost 3 times the surplus before the writ was dropped, Martin was heading for a deficit. I think the GST cut is a good move, it helps the low income familes the most as they don't a lot in income tax anyway. Lowering the GST helps with heating, gasoline, phone etc. etc. They will be releasing more of their platform as time goes on. I'm guessing we'll see an increase in basic personal exemptions, and child care credits.

I think its a good move, it reduces the tax on just about everything all people buy, including gasoline, heat, hydro etc. Heck the average house price in the GTA area just went down by what, $2,000.00 ? The liberals can't do it because they won't be believe, they promised it before.