August1991

By the same logic, Canada should just admit the inevitable and ask for integration into the United States. This is the essence of the issue. In practical terms, the two languages cannot be treated the same way.We don't live on a polyglot continent; we live on a largely English-speaking continent. If there is any chance for Quebec to remain part of Canada, the rest of Canada must understand this.

Once again, MaSoupe provides a starting point. It isn't. But judging by the Olympics, some people like to compete and many more like to watch the drama. This may well be genetics.Yet we all know instinctively that the collective can benefit best from co-operation. Unfortunately, an individual member can gain more by being competitive and cheating. Hundreds of thousands of years ago, Conrad Black was the man-ape that pretended to help in the kill and then got up in the middle of the night to take more than his share. A scab. ---- Enter markets and prices, several thousand years ago. The competitive Conrad Black ape-turned-human still wants to win (by cheating if necessary). But inadvertently, market prices mean his efforts lead to co-operation and collective benefits. How? The mathematician John von Neumann was the first to make the answer explicit although Adam Smith had the first inkling. The mathematician John Nash made explicit when this doesn't work; that is, when competition in markets with prices doesn't lead to co-operation. Others before Nash had suggested as much. [incidentally, if you saw the movie A Beautiful Mind about Nash's life, the scene in the bar with the blonde is unfortunately and completely wrong.] In any case, von Neumann and the others were simply describing something that a much more intelligent, unknown person discovered several thousands years ago: Exchanges using the mathematical signals of prices are a marvel. Like written language, this is a useful skill but it takes time to learn the mechanics. Five thousand years after discovering writing, how many of us are literate? Allow our species, if we survive, a few more hundred years to understand this mathematical language better. "If we survive?" Given life in the universe, our planet has been getting almost straight "Heads" for the last 64 flips or so. What will our next flip be? Tails?

Call it kleptocracy if you will but nobody gets where Black got to without an extremely competitive nature.The protestant cemetery on Mont-Royal is higher up the mountain than the Catholic cemetery (the smaller Jewish cemetery is sort of in between). At the highest reaches, one branch of the Molson family has its mausoleum. But another branch put its mausoleum even higher. IME, these guys are competitive and ambitious like politicians but are not so egotistical. They are very, very independent. They prefer to run their own show. Eric Kierans, who died recently, fit the mould. Conrad Black created the wealth he is now accused of stealing. The best question to Black would be: If you're so smart, why are you in this mess?

nuire nuire, Ces termes sont des traductions directes : cause damage, cause damage to, damage, harm, injure, prejudice

More like Citizen Charles Foster Kane. Vain yes. But his sense of superiority is not hiding any deep rooted inferiority complex. Like the French and the Chinese, Black genuinely believes he's better.Don't like my grotesque, stereotyped generalization? Try this: Quote from some Web Site Incidentally, Black has a law degree from Université Laval but I don`t know if he's kept up his payments to the barreau.

Relativism arises because of combining Point 2 and Point 3. I don't see uncertainty and relativism as being synonyms, as you imply. I would add uncertainty to Point 3, where it truly belongs. Hence, Point 3 would read: 3. It appears that the consciousness noted above imbues each human being with a capacity to discern "imperfectly" or "without certainty" various elements of their environment and formulate preferences to act upon. This would eliminate Point 1. Also, in Point 2, why do you say "to some extent unbridgeably separate" and why is it only separate from other human beings and not the universe around one. I note too that you impose no conditions on your preferences. ----- So, we can say, je pense donc je nuis?

Am I the only one who has that thing in the lower right hand corner? Is it a virus? OpinionLab Otherwise, please get rid of it Greg. I have to contend with enough minor irritants in life. At the moment, I don't want to learn to live with more.

Good thread. Let's tell Conrad Black jokes/anecdotes. I understand that he got Hollinger to buy FDR's memoirs so that Black could write the bio. (I haven't read it or even skimmed it but in fairness to Black, he's a damned good writer. His book on Duplessis is excellent. At first, some said he had help but judging by his other writings, and his personality, it's him.) Incidentally, I suspect Black's take on this imbroglio is that if you and he are partners, and as a result of something he does, your partnership receives $40 millon, he is generous to let you have $100 and he is more than entitled to $39,999,900. In his mind, that's $100 more to you than what you would have had if he had not done what he did. Everyone else thinks he's a crook of course.

I think someone in Calgary could challenge under the Charter.In Quebec, the Iles de la Madelaine (pop. about 10,000) have their own seat in the National Assembly where the average is about 50,000/seat. The argument is that they are a special community in need of one dedicated spokesperson.

**Sigh** How are you going to know they are vicious?

This an interesting thread but would you two please back off a little. And stop the skirmishes on such minor details as whether legal fees are a penalty (like damages) or a transaction cost - who cares what we call them... It seems to me the issue is the following (which TS raised at the beginning): 1) Can the State improve welfare by regulating private market transactions? I would add the directly related: 2) Can the State have a welfare improving role to play in establishing or enforcing contract law? 3) Is the State necessary in establishing and enforcing property law? Lastly, what is the State? I kind of like Hugo's definition. Imagine the State to be the mafia. The State can establish rules but, at the limit, it need not respect any rules. More likely, it will hem itself in by respecting some rules. Most democratic methods for choosing a government result in a State of this sort. The key distinction between a State and a community is that the State is a monopoly with obligatory membership; membership in a community is voluntary.

Do you suggest we get rid of all dogs or just the vicious ones?

Dear MS, If the refineries were separated from the retailers, what would stop the refineries from forming a monopoly and engaging in price fixing at the wholesale level?But there's another problem. There are different corporations that own different refineries (retail chains). You suggest that these corporations have formed a "monopoly" and are fixing prices. IOW, they must be working together. But I just saw a cool movie which showed me that The Corporation is a psychopath with no feelings and no sense of loyalty. What stops one corporation from cheating on the others and trying to take a bigger piece of the pie? I understand The Corporation is also greedy. Yours, Confused in Montreal

So TS, how much are you expecting to inherit?

This quote is from the G & M article linked above: This NYT article is more explanatory: Could we forbid arbitration under Islamic law (sharia) but allow it under Catholic law (canon) or Jewish law (beth din)? MS and Kimmy apparently believe that Sharia establishes rules that are contrary to Canadian principles. TalkNumb merely wonders whether parties are free to accept the contract terms (including an arbitration clause). As to MS and Kimmy, you are stating that you want the State to be involved in fixing terms of private contracts between individuals. The State tries to do that now for many arrangements, why not marriage too? But then don't say that we live in a free society where diversity is encouraged. The State will be setting terms for an intimate relationship between two people. (I recall a famous phrase in thios regard...) As to TalkNumb, I can see the State providing protection for a child. But you are suggesting that we treat Muslim women like children. Is this what we really want to do?

What else is it supposed to be labelled? That makes Canada's labour productivity five times greater than California's! Uh... Protectionism? Do you mean Canada is a country of brainwashed automatons? Are you brainwashed? I think that's what BC Ferries did. A German firm was deemed best.

Surrounded? On one side, the water is frozen year round. On another side, the Americans and Brits ganged up to take away our coastline. On the third side, true there is water. The fourth side is land. Anyway, most Canadians live near fresh water, not the ocean.

From MS link above: This implies a large gender split. The election is nine months from now in May 2005? The NDP leader is new, unknown and a woman? The Green's are taking about 10% of the vote? The NDP vote is concentrated in the south in certain urban ridings? With 36% of the popular vote in BC, the Tories got 22 out of 36 seats. What are the chances of Campbell getting re-elected?

MS, I've managed to understand finally, after all your posts, that you seem to like the NDP. But I'm curious, whom do you dislike more: Liberals or Conservatives? Do you see a difference?

This is the way the pros do it. Designer districts! WSJ

I was thinking about this. Parrish called Americans morons, then she got re-elected in her riding. Conclusion? Call Americans idiots. The federal government taxed us, gave money to Quebec ad firms who then gave the money (provided services) to the federal Liberal Party. The Liberals got re-elected. Conclusion? Do it again. Let me understand this properly. PM PM is still PM. What does he conclude? Herle knows how to deliver. Conclusion? Get Herle to do it again. Whether you are NDP or Tory, these are the facts. Draw the conclusions...

Sometimes you eat in, and sometimes you order out. Same diff. I'm surprised we're even discussing this. I am certain that absolutely nobody posting here made their own shirt. They bought it. IOW, they ordered out. Or outsourced the job. But I have friends who grow their own tomatos. Eating in. Same principle applies to ships and BBM's "equipment". Can we move on? You want to impose a very strange tax. We won't pay money to the government, we'll pay with our time, two years! Will women have to pay this tax? Old guys?----- PS. The issue ain't fairness or equity.

That was exactly what many idealists, John Reed and others, believed the Soviet Union would achieve. Human beings are brought together now and work co-operatively to achieve a common good. They do this through markets but you apparently have no understanding of this. Soviet Union, Cuba, North Korea, Eastern Europe. Sweden and the UK have had to change their social democratic policies. Tony Blair, Felipe Gonzalez and Bill Clinton are all evidence of a new type of Left Wing leader - the old tax-and-spend policies don't work.These are examples of different degrees. I don't mean that James Callaghan and Kim Il Sung are identical. I'd like to see statistical evidence of this claim. But income comparisons are difficult to make. Would you rather be a poor kid in a school in a Parisian suburb or a poor kid in a school in the Bronx? In which society is it more likely that you'll have a chance to make your way in life?In any case, the goal of society surely should not be "equality". We are all different in our own ways. Some people like to work 70 hour weeks and to assume great responsibilities and risks. Others prefer to work 35 hour weeks and not take the workplace home with them. I'm not certain what you mean by these statistics. North America has a bigger drug problem? The last time I checked, white incarceration rates in the US and Canada were about the same. The history of blacks in the US is hardly pleasant. But it was the State that condoned the sale of human beings. Huh? Countries that adopt free markets become rich. This wealth is not confined to a small group. It means poor people in western countries live better now than at any time in history.Please eureka, understand how markets work before arguing that the government is necessary to protect us against the rich and greedy.

There are NO economic benefits from building houses. If we could build houses in 5 seconds using crazy glue, the world would be a better place. Please understand clearly the word "cost" and the word "benefit". Building houses is a negative, a cost to society. Having houses, living in them is a plus, a benefit to society. How does this pertain to BC ferries? Building boats is a negative, a cost to society. Having boats is a plus, a benefit. The way for a society to be rich is to ensure that benefits are greater than costs. By all accounts, building the boats in BC would incur greater costs than benefits. BC would lose. IOW, it apparently costs less to have the boats built abroad. ---- ceemus, it is your kind of logic that leads people to believe that if the government hires people to dig holes in the ground and then fill the holes up, this will lead to economic growth. It is the same logic that uses "job creation" as an economic measure. Jobs are a cost to society; what a person produces while working is the benefit. Oranges? According to your logic, growing oranges in BC greenhouses would be good for the BC economy. (Think of all the infrastructure that would be required! The multipliers and spin-offs would be enormous! The R+D and investments required would all be good. And this would keep lots of money in the BC economy.) IOW, your arguments in favour of a BC ship building industry could just as easily be used to justify a BC orange growing industry. (I think you'd agree with me that the benefits of oranges would be less than the cost of growing them in BC greenhouses when compared with the cost of importing oranges.) Now, does this seem to be a sober analysis to you?

My understanding is that their judicial system is based on kangaroo courts.