willy

Hey Daniel, We got rid of the red in Tory for a reason. My memory isn't short. I like where the party says it is going and it needs grass roots supports to hold them to account. In the Conservative Party where you have to win a nomination meeting this can happen.

Yes it was low. No the 2nd ballet won't be made public. Rumor in the party is that Tony would have done well on the second ballet. The proportional voting system seems to be part of the reason some western voters didn't participate. The voters list turned out to be better than I thought.

I will suggest that old Liberals are welcome into the Conservative folds, but be ready to change the way things are done. Things will be different: We will decentralize the power base in Ottawa. We will have parliament vote on though decisions. We will have elected senators. We will have commons appointed judges. We will have a truly independent ethics commissionaire. This government will lead and make positive changes in Canada. We will give power (funding) back to the provinces to manage health and education. We will address the shortage of resources for our military. We will deal with industry and environmentalist when we work to limit the effects of climate change. We will stay out of your lifestyle decisions. We will lock up criminals and leave them in jail for the term of their conviction. We will ensure those who need help will get help and we will have the resources to do it. This is the emerging Conservative Party and all are welcome to come along for an exciting ride where a great country can be made better.

Galahad, can you work for the Liberal party in the next election? As a Conservative I would appreciate you on their team. Harper will help lead a strong team. Belinda for her lack of polish will be a valuable asset to the party as maybe Minister of Industry. Tony is strong on policy and will benefit the team as maybe the next Health Minister. Harper and his young team will out pace Martin to a victory. Get use to seeing things not go your way, but don’t worry it will be for the better.

So cgarrett, how is this wealth measured. Do they have big bank accounts that hold cash? Do they own a number of personal homes? No, a few individuals own large organizations. Jim Pattison a good example. He probably does take home more than you or me but to use his net worth as a basis of comparison doesn't equate. I would not seek equity. I would focus on those in society with the lowest living standard and figure out how to give them a leg up. Don't spend time figuring out how to make successful people poor.

I agree somewhat with Pellaken, but you missed one other little aspect of racism. It is also about power and keeping power. The differences are then exploited as a foundation to separate and subjugate. The problem is race gets mixed up with culture. Black, White, Asian people all come from varied cultures. The challenge is not to recognize a race as anything more than skin and bone features. Cultural differences are true differences. I can disagree with a cultural difference. I believe some of the worlds cultures subjugate women and promote hate. I would like not to accept those into our culture. When our culture reflects hate we should also work to change it.

Pellaken I was not on this forum a few months ago. If I was I would have shared my opinion and that should not be confused with facts all the time. Our friends in the NDP should ask more questions and then we might be able to call them Conservatives if they get good answers.

I can write the editor of any news paper in the country, I can go to church on Sundays and I will be voting tomorrow.

You are right August 1991, Harper is not a Quebec Lawyer. "still he's no Trudeau, Parizeau, Levesque, Bouchard."

This election 308 seats will be sought after across the country. The party to win the most seats forms government. If the other parties represented in the house have enough seats to out number the government they can vote down laws. This is a minority government. If it is a budget that is voted down it is called a vote of non confidence. The governor general will dissolve the house and we will have another election. During a minority government the government has to garner support from other parties to govern.

Moderate Centrist: Some people in all nationalist parties would go for the death penalty. Parties that stand for breaking up the country are traitors. Harper has positions and you might not like them, but you don't have to vote for him. I am glad he is in federal politics because it gives me someone to vote for. I am not a socialist so I can’t vote NDP. I believe that the person I vote for will actually attempt to do what they say, so I can’t vote liberal. Harper will do what he says and it will make this a better country. How is being for prisons a bad thing? Are you suggesting we don't put rapists, murders and thieves in jail and leave them there a while? I guess punishment is not politically correct.

Aw, I see open tolerant views all around. If you are for gay marriage you are open minded, and if you are a member of any organized religion not. Give your head a shake and realize marriage is a meaningful institution for a number of people.

Maplesyrup a reality check. It is not smearing the Liberals when they are corupt. Too much evidence to list. We are only talking about a change in Government because the Liberals have been cought.

Manning would not endorse Stronach. They differ on way to many issues. He is just being a statesman and building bridges.

Well then let this be the first bold prediction. Trust will be a big issue in the next election.

Self interest is for the collective good, and you say people pay you for this. Would that be an example of their self interest? Enron was self interest. Tyco was self interest. Nortel was self interest. Tax fraud, money laundering, inflated prices, weapons builders, and tobacco and alcohol producers. (and I do drink and have smoked) All great capitalists and all were not good for the collective. I right and lecture on ethics. You should take my course and I hope you would enjoy it. I do believe that honest ethical business can produce profits but I do realize that bad can not be good. I do not argue that exchanging value for goods is not bad. A mutual exchange, for mutual benefit. We can do this for our community, our employers, and our family and hopefully for God. Not because it is in our self interest but the opposite, it is to learn how to be selfless by the spirit. Note I said by the spirit as by our very nature we can not do this ourselves. In my religion we are called to be good stewards. I know this is a very religious statement, but this is a Religion and Politics board. We need laws to govern business because of self interest but we must live with it because the world is fallen. The original question is how we reconcile that with our religion. I don’t have to reconcile it because Gods revelation in the Bible gives me the context to live in this world. I don’t think a logical argument will bring you to Christ but it does explain how I think the world works. A second thread should be started on what is Public Good. Do education, health care and jobs bring some kind of self actualization that gives life purpose? Politics, economics, and science do not answerer a very important question. What is our purpose? Is it in the Public Good to ask that question? Say the law of scarcity did not exist, would we be happy.

"I just have a simple question if greed is evil, how can you feel right in believing in your religion and living in a greed-based economy?" First: August1991 Your reasoning is flawed. By demonstrating self interest as an example of why greed is good you are circular reasoning. Self interest and greed are the same thing and therefore can not prove each other. You are using your reasoning to deny the state we live, our human nature. That being said. To simply answer the first question. (Christian Perspective, some might assume all religions are the same and they are not) We are by our very nature and choice sinful. This is why the capitalist system works so well. By our very nature self interest is very important to us. Gods revelation to us the Bible would say this is very bad and deserving his displeasure. Jesus calls us to serve one another. You might say that you know many Christians that don't do that. Ergo we are sinners and need Gods grace.

I had the pleasure of meeting Ian and taking a course with him in Vancouver. His is a character for sure. He should stay retired. A cheery enough guy but I do have to say a little coo coo.

The lists are not being tampered with. This is not some Liberal junk. The CPC has merged two parties, changed electoral boundaries, and added over 100 000 members in a couple of months. This is no easy task and they are having problems keeping up. By the day of the leadership vote the lists will be in place. Let us hope the staffers in Ottawa work it out because we all need a credible challenge to the liberals.

The latest scandal could help the legs on the liberal demise. National Defense/HP contracts Possibly $350 Million paid through HP to subcontractors that may not have done anything. I don't care about their policy or what they are going to do about this mess. I JUST WANT MY WALLET BACK!!

Another day, another scandal. Look for the Liberal numbers to trend down as then news gets worse. Harper wins and a platform in place expect them to pick up 10 - 15% across the country in an election. These are traditional gains for the Reform/Alliance during elections. Liberals and CPC dead heat to the end. NDP will pick up support in large urban areas. Note the false logic of above. Percentage of support is not a good indication for seats. Broad base support in the low teens and low 20s can still mean little to no seats. When the PCs got removed in 92 they still had 20% of the vote.

Sanctity of marriage. I pondered on this a little while and came to this conclusion. The government is the wrong group to sanctify anything. To an earlier stated point, heterosexuals should not be able to marry unless it is sanctified. Churches are the appropriate group to define when God sanctifies something. Government should only set up legal agreements that are based on property sharing and a contracted commitment. All couples should have this right. The buzz word would be a Union. Religious groups should not enforce teaching on a secular culture and that culture should recognize when religious revelation has shaped our institutions. There are limits to how culture should impact religious design. Note I believe that there is a fundamental difference between people who see the world as a creation and those that think it just happened. The premise for basing what is right and wrong is just different, and this difference needs respect for all points of view to co-exist. We should have the freedom to live within our faith and its institutions and for others to choose their own path.

Arar was attached to Al-Qaeda. If we are to believe the CBC. Good luck with that association.

Black Dog, It is not fiscally responsible to tax the heck out of our own businesses and drive them out of the country. Kyoto is not fiscally responsible. Getting out of fossil fuels before we have alternatives is not fiscally responsible. Socially progressive is not enforcing a secular view on all the religious communities in Canada. Democratic reform is not likely with Layton. He won’t have time or the money after messing up the first to pillars so badly. That is not to say I don't trust him to do what he says he will do. I just don't think it will work.

Trust will be a big issue in the next election. I am interested as the Liberal numbers have leveled off how much people really care about trust. Are we now at a point where we accept the lies and stealing?