ReeferMadness

I object to that phrase - taxpayer's money. It implies that Canada is like a corporation and the more you pay, the more say you have. Of course, it is a lot like that but it shouldn't be. It's anti-democratic. It's citizens money, not taxpayer's money. And yes, as always, Harper is playing games.

Andrew Coyne has posited that this legislation is simply a gambit. The Conservatives themselves are aware that is unlikely to survive a constitutional challenge but they also know that having the SC overturn their legislation (however inane it is), it fires up their base. Harper's legions of gullible, poorly informed but wealthy followers cry "judge-made law" and run to their cheque books. Just in time for the election.

What color is the sky on your planet? Not only do the Cons outspend everyone else from party funds, they misuse public funds to pay for political advertising under the ridiculous guise of "information campaigns". But the most effective use of spin is Harper's legions of wealthy but poorly informed legions who will swallow whatever nonsense his spin doctors come up with. No matter how many brilliant, educated people who made the life studying political science said otherwise, Harper's ignorant, wealthy army actually believed that Stephane Dion was mounting a coup when he attempted to form a coalition government. These same wealthy, ignorant souls now believe the spin doctors when they're told that there is something unusual about the Chief Justice phoning to advise Harper. So, when you have legions of idiots who will repeat like bleating sheep whatever lies you spout, you hardly need the spin doctors. But Harper has them anyway. And in the context of this discussion, your tag line is so ironic.

What about proof that it will do him any good?

And yet, it seems to work so well for the Conservative spin team. Go figure.

I think you don't get my point. I will never feel represented by one of Harper's battle clones no matter how much consultation occurs.

Maybe but then again maybe not. Paradoxically, there are a lot of very right wing people with very low incomes. In fact, I used to be one of them.

Did I mention that his base has a lot of money but isn't very well informed? Just checking.

On top of that, you have to wonder why the PMO waited close to a year before complaining about the call. Maybe this is to rally his deeply ignorant (but wealthy) base before the election to start filling his coffers. Picking a fight with the Supreme Court (which is much despised by his very wealthy but deeply ignorant base) might just be an electioneering ploy.

There are two deeply troubling trends at play: - Harper politicizing what is supposed to be a non-political office (as he did previously with Elections Canada and with the Governor General when he prorogued parliament to save his political ass) - Harper thumbing his nose at an overwhelming consensus of expert opinion (as he has done practically constantly through his time in office) What makes these trends so disturbing is that Harper's base is evidently so ignorant and/or so ideologically committed that they will support him apparently unconditionally. These people are so paranoid, hyper-partisan or anti-government that no amount of information, logic or expertise will put any dent in their views. It's kind of scary, actually. It makes me wonder how far they would follow him.

Proportional representation would be a good start. Most of the time, I don't feel like the person who is supposed to represent me in the HoC represents my views at all.

If people can't be bothered to take a half hour to get to a poll once every 4 years, what does that say about democracy?

You're going to have to help me out. Are you really this obtuse or are you just trolling? I've cited lots of real world examples and your responses are basically that they can get something to identify them in a week or so. Are you suggesting that they hold up the election until the ID comes in the mail? Of course not. You just don't give a shit about those poor homeless people. Just like your deal leader.

I'm sure he's a very nice guy - for a war criminal. And he can exercise all the free speech he wants from his prison cell.

Anyone with an IQ greater than that of a cucumber can see that this is just one more attempt by the Cons to rig the vote. People without ID are overwhelmingly low income and this is not the demographic the votes for Harper. This is the most corrupt administration in my lifetime - possibly the most corrupt in Canadian history. Throw the bums out in 2015.

Sez you. And Chairman Harper. The dynamic duo.

That's rich. The guy who kisses the asses of the government that has consistently gone out of its way to suppress scientific evidence that doesn't agree with it ideology accuses me of having no substantive point. And I can easily come up with lots of examples of people who would have difficulty coming up with the requisite documentation. Homeless people. People who live in rural areas who have their mail sent to General Delivery. People who've recently moved. People who get their bills emailed to them and delete them when they're done. I've known lots of people who are too disorganized to find an old bill. Hell, I used to be one of those people. People who pay room and board have no utility bills. I just saw a post on the Huffington Post from a guy who said his wife couldn't vote without vouching. She doesn't have a drivers license and the bills/bank statements come addressed to him. Just because you lack the imagination to come up with scenarios where people lack ID doesn't mean they don't exist. And it's just plain wrong to disenfranchise people on the basis of solving a problem that nobody can substantiate. Your Dear Leader is just plain wrong and so are you. Hurts, I know but there it is.

Even for the internet, the level of debate on this issue is so low, it's disgraceful. Over the past several elections, the Conservatives have continually bent and broken Election Canada rules and for that they have been rightly criticized. In fact, if anything, they've gotten away with some pretty serious violations of election laws. So, the response of our Dear Leader Chairman Harper is to weaken Elections Canada and disenfranchise poor people. This is such an outrage that these guys should be tossed out of office. Instead, we have people who are so busy kissing Harper's ass and arguing technicalities that they can't be bothered to look at what's going on. Andrew Coyne should be an ideological friend of this government (he's a believer in smaller government, more accountability and lower taxes). The fact that he is one of its leading critics should tell you just how screwed up this government is.

Does your version of events end in a radiated planet?

Same thing. Money = power in the same way that mass = energy.

Not to mention worse corruption.

You've established nothing. Trying to apply one number across countries where the cost of living is very different is meaningless and pointless. Obfuscation and misdirection - that's what we've come to expect from you. If anyone has ever done the analysis to figure out the average sustainable level of living that could be had by all, I'm not aware of it. It would be interesting to know, however. More propaganda. Your investments may be increasing in value but that doesn't mean that you are "earning" anything. The word earning implies that you've done something to deserve it. And bleat like a sheep. Capitalism has ceased to be mostly about efficient production of essential goods and services. It's much more about market manipulation, asset theft through elaborate investment mechanisms and the mass propaganda known as advertising. The people are being manipulated on a grander scale than Stalin could ever dream but people cling to the feeble illusion of free choice. Part of the reason that the Soviet Union collapsed was that people ultimately saw that their system was based on a gigantic lie. Sooner or later (sooner if inequality continues to increase), people in the developed economies will come to the same conclusion. Some people can see through the elaborate ruse that is capitalism. It isn't difficult but it flies in the face of so much conventional wisdom that few do it. More is the pity.

The definition of "earned wealth" is highly subjective. It's ironic that right wing economists deride government efforts at wealth distribution. As time move forward, more and more economic effort in rich countries is wasted on free market services that do nothing but protect or redistribute wealth, like banking, security guards, lawyers and advertising. The amount of effort that actually goes into producing goods and services that people actually want becomes less and less. Automation and efficiency ought to be increasing peoples' options of working or not. Instead, technology is regularly used to enslave and oppress workers. Ironically, the accumulation of wealth in the hands of a few is a major drag on the economy. Poor people spend almost everything they have. Rich people just bid up the price of luxury property. The accumulation of wealth is a bad joke and the joke is on the 99%.

Actually, expending huge amounts of technical talent on designing derivatives that nobody can understand and smart phone apps that do nothing but waste people's time are the least efficient ways of advancing knowledge and progress. Billions of hours of brilliant minds are being wasted. We don't need to take stupid risks to advance knowledge and progress.

Smart parents will take their assets and turn them into annuities and gift to their kids the portion they don't need to cover their living expenses. The parents get to enjoy seeing how their kids spend their inheritance (or maybe not, in some cases). And the kids now have a vested interest in the parents living as long as possible. Win-win.