Stoker

Ahh......a fellow Westerner Could tell my that slow speach and dull persona Let's go grab our smell hounds and unregistered firearms, load up the 3/4 ton pick-up and goes a hunting them there Evil Easterners

It's funny, you bring up how bad past Torie governments were, but in the same breath, you call these guys different (western rednecks).........who said that Harper was a born again Harris and Mulroney? Was Harris and Mulroney western rednecks? I don't see the connection.......please explain....you see I'm just a poor western redneck that has been sucking hind tit, hence don't have that big of a artsy fartsy Edu-ma-cation as you do.......I'd be sure to clear this up....since us Western rednecks are most likely going to decide who governs the country with this election.

Thats a chicken and the egg debate if I've ever seen one Why should we pay for things now that our Children will benefit from? Well once you get your magic wand and create another country or countries that have the same demand for our goods as that of the United States.....and once you get your magic wand and create another country or countries that have the same goods that we want.....and once you get your magic wand and create another country or countries that will defend us for almost no cost to us......then we should continue the "debate" about telling the United States to go stuff it One more thing.......if we did find all these wonderful, robust countries, when we tell the United States to poke it.....whats to stop the United States from carrying out their "manifest destiny"? Oh yeah....your magic wand

*Straps on Tin-foil hat* If the war was just about Oil......why didn't Bush allow drilling in the Alaskan game reserves? If I was a "Machiavellian GOP President", I'd let my buddies drill in Alaska, in my fist term, well fighting "proxy wars" in the Sudan and Afghanistain to contiune the war on terror (Well keeping my approval rating). Only once I was relected I would invade Iraq. Yet, it almost seems like Bush was willing to risk his job to go to war.....it's like........it's like there was or there was thought that there was an important reason to go to war......me wonder what that is

I don't care which card they have as much as I care what they spend the money on......if somebody wants to borrow money to improve something that is important to me......I say fine.....it's when my money is going to waste that i get pissed off.

Exactly There's people that use credit to purchase necessities, and then there are people that use it for going to the bar when they can't afford it......... Harper doesn't look like a bar fly to me...

Do you really think that if the Peanut farmer had of won, the United States, hell the world, would be were it is today? Scratch that, after all, I'm sure people of your ilk would have prefered the Evil Empire to prosper.....Am I right?

You (among others) seem to think that Canada could do hunky dory without the United States, why is that? Also, why is it that you (among others), think that to be Canadians, you must put down the Americans? Does the Left have a collectively (pun intended) small penis? Can a Canadian not be a Canadian if he or she also likes our relationship with the United States?

I agree with you on getting "better equipment, better leadership, and a proper rotation between tours", but the most important thing in any nations Armed Forces, is the people. There is no point buying "all the goodies" if we can't keep people in the Service..... I noticed how you said the "pay rate is more than sufficient", well you tell me why the Armed Forces is having a hell of a time keeping/recruting skilled trades people?

If they do go into debt........so what? Most people go into debt with a car loan, credit card or a mortgage. If we need to go in debt so be it, just as long as the reasons for going in are of value to taxpayers. I don't mind running up the Visa for a short while to boost defence spending, Healthcare, Education and tax cuts to jump start the economy further.....not Sponsership deals, gun registry, the "arts" or corperate welfare......... Why is it ludicrous? Isn't Harper going to be doing alot of the same type things to Canada, that Reagan did to the States (thats if he forms the government)?

I never said that Harper would be the equal of Reagan, just the Canadian version

So you would punish the ones that do go over sea, because of the ones in the puzzle palace? Isn't that backwards logic? As I said, because of frequent moving and the locations of most of our current bases, the quality of jobs for military spouses is not as great.......hence I agree that military families should be compensated for it. Like the old saying goes, never judge a person until you walked a mile in his shoes and in this case boots...

So what do you think? Harper, like Reagan, is in favor of tax cuts, restoring our Armed Forces, reducing government bureaucracy, increasing our standing on the world stage, improving our relations with our biggest neighbor and trading partner, and most importanly, making Canadians proud to be Canadian again........ And maybe well's he's at, Harper might just destroy a Communist menace

I'm not suprised that you have a bug up your bum about poor ole Ronnie Ray-Guns........he did after all halt Communism..........

IIRC, US forces are not taxed if they live in base housing and if they buy products from base stores (like our CANEX) their items are tax free.. WRT to pay, 4k might seem like a fair amount to you, but you go find another person that makes that figure that is not in the forces, and ask them how many months of the year are they away from their families....and to boot, are most likely spending that time in a "very stressful" enviroment. Also, most families can have both spouses working, but in the case of the forces, most likely due to frequent postings and the lack of jobs in the towns were most of our bases are located, it's very difficult for the other spouse to have a decent job........ So the average Canadian earns about 39000 a year, so combined, thats about 80K per household for a two adult family. Now a member in the Forces making 45000 a year, in most cases, their income is not supplemented as much by the other spouse (if any)........So military families put up with more stress for less money Yeah they really deserve that.

Come on Maple......whats next, Shrek 2?

Did we watch the same show Maple? I heard one of the hosts (Your Comrade Moe perhaps?) say that the Liberals were going to be pretty much a none factor in the Province.....so with that said, who is going to be in second place (assuming the Socialists take first ) The pot party perhaps......maybe the Rhinos? Now didn't Comrade Moe also say that the Tories should have most of Northern/the interior/north island of BC locked up? And didn't he also say that voters in some of the ridings in greater Vancouver (where the NDP is not a factor) that people should vote Conservative as opposed to Liberal.....I find it kinda strange that a "Party" member like Moe would throw his support behind Harper...don't you? All i seem to remember, is that some of the urban ridings will be a fight between the Tories and the NDP.

i saw the same show MS.......I'm pleased to hear the Martin is in third place in my riding, then the NDP in second, with the Tories in first

Having one Conservative trait doesn't make a socialist a moderate......... I've always found the NDP puzzling, in that for a party that gets so much support from Unions, I'd think they would be a little more "inviting" towards their Union members employers.......... Now if I was a gay, anti American, tree hugging, fuzzy forest creature lovin, unionized worker, I'd most likely vote Green.

I'm really quite enjoying watching the vote splitting done by Comrade Organizer Layton's party to the Libs......now add to the growing support of the Tories, I'm getting more and more confident each day that we will see a Conservative government....... Two questions though: 1. How much vote splitting is going on between the Greens and the NDP? Nation wide and in BC would be nice 2. If the NDP doesn't show a marked improvement in the number of seats it gets (and if Jack doesn't win his seat) will the politburo sack Jack?

Using that logic, perhaps if we cull our nations police forces, the crime rate will drop

No, we do deploy Task groups of usually a couple CPF, a 280 and a AOR, on top of vanguard and/or single deployments with NATO and USN carrier battlegroups. Opperation Apollo was an extreme case, and not only our Navy was/is tired from the war on terror. Think of it this way, the standard for most navies is a three to one ratio, in that to keep one ship deployed, you need three ships at home for Refit/Training/Attrition. We have: 12 CPF 3* Destroyers (Huron is the 4th) 2 AOR Now it is planned that the two AORs will be replaced by three ships, and it's foggy if CADRE will go ahead to replace the 4 DDGs. Now Harper plans to replace the DDGs, and purchase at least two LHDs, now if you factor in the three planned AORs and the current CPFs, that gives us: 12 CPFs 4 DDG 3 AORs 2 LHDs with a deployable task group of about: 2-3 CPFs 1 DDG 1 AOR 1 LHD That still allows a ship for NATO, and allows us a surge capacity if we need it.

I agree with you about paring down the bureacracy, but other then perhaps CFB Goose Bay, what bases would you close? I'd actually like to see the Coast Guard given more modern, lightly armed patrol vessels......then keep the Kingstons for Reserve Traning and mine countermeasures IIRC, 80 CF-18s are being upgraded, but I think that the other 40ish Hornets in storage should be upgraded as well. I couldn't agree more with you about the Airlift though. The three Brigades should be fully manned, then perhaps look at raising a fourth. I agree that the Leos and M113 need to be replaced, as does a large percentage of the Armies trucks. The 20k ships, sound exactly like what the Tories want to get. That figure of 12 billion is incorrect.......it's closer to about 5 billion......they want a scaled down Burke class destroyer, and they cost about 1.5 Billion per....as far as the FFG plans go, I think that plan has been scraped. They just signed a contract to buy about 60 Abrams for slightly less then what we will pay for the same amout as we will pay for the MGS Like Australia, we have also commited a sum of money to the JSF program (In hopes of getting defence contracts) so there is a glimmer of hope that the current government is looking that way. Two to three escorts and an AOR? Why that already sounds like a Canadian Task Force.......we already deploy groups that size together.....been doing that for a while As I've said in another thread, if the Armed Forces of countries like Spain, Australia and the Netherlands are already doing more with the same level of funding as us, there is not one reason that we can't do more with the Tories plan to increase defence spending by close to 10 billion dollars.

That fee is correct, and it was under ole Jean..........but if we go with AugstaWestland (the original company from the 90s) helicopter, the EH-101, they will take the 500 million off the purchase price. The Heavy lift Aircraft (C-17), would cost about 300 million per.......as for the tanks (Abrams or Leo IIs) in the ballpark of about 5-7 million per and Thats exactly right, and we are one of the very few forces that don't do that........thats why we are in such a sad state.

If Eurocopter was trying to sell 28 helicopters to DND, when AugstaWestland and and Sikorsky are offering the same number for just over half the price, I think you can see why they are out of the loop.......not to mention their contender the NH-90 was not up to spec. The Labs are not being retrofited, they are being retired, now that the Cormarent is in service. As for needing more, never heard that, but the price tag og the Ch-149 is peanuts. I doubt that very highly........the Navy is has the ongoing CADRE program that the Libs might cut, reguardless the new Destroyers were counted into the purchase of the Sea King replacements since they won't be an addition to the fleet but a replacement for the 280s.