Stoker

If you want something that you didn't earn, that is lazy.

If we didn't have more important issues to address like defence, healthcare, education, debt reduction enviroment, uneployment etc., then yes, the case could be made that we could be doing more in space.

I think you best go and read history..........We had the most powerful nation in the world on our side The Americans could take Canada, if they wanted, with their National Guard units most likely.......

ceemes, are you wearing your tinfoil hat? As I said above, the United States doesn't need to invade Canada........even if Water and Oil do start getting scarce, do you forsee a (potentail) Canadian Prime Minister refusing to sell oil and water to the States? (Other then Layton)

Where are we going to get the 3.4 billion then?

The Americans spend over 13 billion dollars a year on NASA..........Where is our government going to come with the almost 8.5 billion dollars (CDN) to meet our end of the NASA budget?

So you are going to pay the additional costs with your paper route?

The reasons may or may not be based on dollars and cents, but the ablitiy to carry out any such plans is very much tied to what funds are avalibale. Money is the only reason, in that the money that we spend on bilingual programs could be going towards more pressing needs that would benefit all Canadians, not just a certain cultural group.

Well not a direct threat towards us, a Danish warships sent a party of sailors onto our soil in the arctic, without our authorzation.........With that said, I doubt any nation could really invade Canada, other then the United States....... That brings up the question........why would the United States invade us? Not over resources, it's cheaper for them to purchase them off of us then it would be to invade us.

You brought up the term superiority, I used it in responce. I think that a person the speaks English does have an advantage over another person that doesn't mind you. Money is a secondary factor? No money, no programs.....doesn't sound secondary to me. I've a question of you: let's say that the Manderain speaking population surpasses that of the French speaking population in Canada, would it not be fair to have Manderain to take French's place?

Of course it will never happen, my argument is that these minority groups are not being hurt by it (AFAIK). They still maintain their culture and language with out billions of dollars of federal tax dollars.......so why can't the French? I got it, I just don't see the relevance. Where? Did you mean the entire "national fabric" thing? To be quite honest, yes and no. Yes in that English is what most international trade/air traffic etc is done in, so since that is the case, I would say yes, that having a grasp of the English language would put sombody on a superior footing when compared to someone without. No, in that if another language had taken English's "spot" as the language of trade etc, then no, English would not be superior.......the before mentioned language would. SO you wouldn't care if the government made all languages Canada's offical language? You wouldn't mind the increase in taxes and/or the decrease in exsiting services to help fund this zany idea?

Sure you have, now say why some languages can't. Do you see French more superior then Hindi or Madarian for example? When did this discussion move on the topic of wife beating? And yes, you are skirting the issue, perhaps because your eyes have been opened onto the fact that you are infact a hypocrite, in that you have come to the realization that language programs, well a nice gesture, are not fiscally feasible nor prudent.

CANADIEN, quite skirting the question, since you beleive it the right of Canadians to have "language rights", why shouldn't the Chinese Canadians, Indian Canadian etc... be entilted to the same "rights" as French and English speakers? Now come on oh wise one, tell us why that is? *Then I will turn your answer around on you, and use that as another reason to oppose fedral funds going towards bilingual education.*

Who's the bigot again? I don't care if people in Quebec speak French or not, what I do care about is if they are doing it on my dime. I'm frugal, some might say cheap, but I'm not a bigot like you! I wonder how many Chinese-Canadians, who had ancestors work and die on the railroad feel that they are not part of the "national fabric".......etc. You see, after these pages of chasing our tails around in circles, you have finally let your true colours be shown......that being one of a bigot. My question to you, In your opinion, when will "Mandarin, Italian or Punjabi" become part of our national fabric? 10 years? 50 years? 100? 1000? never? And if, in your opinion "Mandarin, Italian or Punjabi" do become part of the national fabric, will they too be entitled to schooling in their own tonuge at the taxpayers expense? And then when do we cut-off language training to certain groups?

So if the Dashnyamd family moves to Vanacouver from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, young Genghis can be taught in Khalkha Mongol at any public school? Now perhaps MS, you will try and answer, why it is that minorities are guaranted language rights? IOW, why should I pay for a "special type of schooling", when there is a perfectly good English public school?

Do all minorities have the right to be educated in their native tongue, at taxpayers expense? Infact, show me another nation on this planet that deems it a right. As I said before, I've no problem at all if a minority group wants to teach their children in their native language, but it should be either in a private school or in a public school, if the majority within that province are willing to float the bill. I'll repeat the same question that i asked of eureka "Do all minorities have the right to be educated in their native tongue, at taxpayers expense?" If there are that many French-speaking communities in the Maritimes, with my idea, they could pay for French education at the provincial level. WRT small "pockets" of French speakers outside of Quebec, their schools could be private or purhaps the additional funding could be paid for at the municipal level. Look around you. Everything outside of Ontario is not peachy keen Your "abnormal" country, as it is, is on borrowed time. Quebec will go, then hopefully the West won't be far behind. Perhaps another example to decribe Canada would be the formor Yugoslavia.

Do you know what Democracy means? If the majority of people out west don't want French education programs, why should they? And if the majority of Canadians wanted English as the sole offical language, why shouldn't they have their wish? Whats "most of the population"? You have rocks in your head if you don't feel that Western Alienation is real.....what about the Quebec separatists? Now I don't disagree that most Canadians consider Canada their country........for now.

I agree. And well the East is at it, insult British Columbians as well.......

I've yet to see any reasons why we should pay for French programs, added to the lack of reasons why we (as in the West) should stay in confederation. Hardships? And what hardships would the West be facing? Facts There might be hardships for you in the East, but I've not seen any evidence to prove that we in the West would feel any.... Seabee, do you understand what Anglo-Saxon means?

Great example!!! And as I'm sure you know, the colonies left eventually...........

Rule Britannia, Britannia rules the waves I guess.........but back to the mater at hand. If you go any look back at the different European empires in the mid-1700s, I say very much so that French Canadians are indentured to the British Crown/government for it fairness. What denial? Are you perhaps losing something in translation? How would the Province be given the people a "bone"? I'd see it as the Provincial government doing it's democratic duty towards the majority's will. Change it. Change it. Change it, or face further Western alienation, which in turn will lead to Western seperation. Pick your poison I guess........either way, Quebec's free ride won't last forever. See above. I'm glad that an issue deemed important by many a Westerner provides a chuckle for you.........just keep chuckling, in the end, be it Quebec seperates, we seperate or both, the Western "carrot" that dangles on the pole held by Ottawa for Quebec won't last forever.

Good, now if your fellow French Canadians felt the same way, we would have not a problem. And the Government is there to serve the citizen right? What if the citizens want the laws changed?

So if we don't have to be bilingual, why are you opposed the Western Provinces not having to pay for bilingual programs? You seem to have a hard time grasping this point......trust me, there is no metaphysical, hidden agenda. If I'm in favour of getting rid of something, how can the before mentioned "something" not exist? I'm truely sorry if you have such a low self-estem surrounding your culture that you feel you are a second class Canadian..........Perhaps, if your culture was left to fend for itself, and succeeded, you in turn would feel better about yourself. I feel empathy for the French Canadians situation, for if my culture lived and died on the whim of another culture, I too would feel lousy. Very Good point fleabag......kinda of like Darwin meets laissez-faire

Good, the feeling is mutual

Who would be proud of a failure?