CanadaRocks

Remember the recent scandal over the flag stuff in quebec? There were no jail sentences as I recall. Remember all the times People have evaded jail as they live above the law? How many examples can you find of where our laws have been broken, and merely stepped over as inconveniences? It would be one thing, if all citizens were equal under the law. It is quite another when they are not. Just because a Person has violated a law, does not mean that their value to society is at an end. You yourself, might perhaps go to jail for unpaid parking tickets if you collected enough and refused to pay them. Does that mean that you then would have no further contribution worthy of societies notice? People do go to jail to pay for crimes, but when we take away their vote, it is society itself that does the paying ..again.

I believe if we call it what it really is, we would call it a social sickness, that to the best of my knowledge at this point, remains incurable. It is entirely likely that the answer lies in prevention, detection, and isolation from society, or from any possible encounter with the subject of the sickness ie: children. Thinking that we can simply "outlaw it" and thereby solve it seems very unreasonable. I believe as well, that it is very likely that when used as an election issue in this manner it is with the hope of working on resolving it that is the real heart of their why, but instead that the fears and abhorences of society are being played on for an emotional vote. That these comments were released just after an occurence hit mainstream media would seem to support my conclusion. Don't play on my emotions to get me to vote for you. Show me that you really are seeking answers and solutions that will truly make a difference. Show me the latest up to date knowledge on the topic by our foremost educators in the field. Show me their conclusions as to what will wind up being the greatest preventative, and then, THEN .. take those steps into law firmly and with conviction. Not as some political ploy, but because it is the right thing to do for our children's safety.

I really love when we discuss idea's in this forum rather than political candidates. The former at least offers some hope in my opinion. As much as I resent rapists, murderer's, pedophiles, and certain other groups having any say, and to some degree fear what input they may have, all Canadians should have the right to vote period. Elections are NOT merely about where tax monies go. Elections are about the attitudes which will prevail regarding all aspects of life in Canada. Once we begin removing the right of one group of Canadians to vote, we open pandora's box. With enough money, and power, the rich could easily begin finding and promoting *reasons* for any group that does not hold their interests not to vote. Once we have said prisoners cannot vote, and welfare persons cannot vote, what is to say that next we do not say people who are not fully cognizant of all pertainent issues cannot vote? After all the average Canadian is not, as these forums are so fond of saying, capable of understanding all the issues, as even at the best of times we do not, or can not (security reasons) possess all the information. What this line of thinking will eventually lead to, is that only those who possess all the information, should have the right to vote and this, would be a very select group indeed. When we say goodbye to allowing all Canadians to vote, we are saying goodbye to democracy, and hello to elitist tyranny. Something else to consider. If your right to have a say in how your life is managed is removed, then what recourse is left to you if the situation is unbearable? That recourse, as history is shown, is hopelessness, and hopelessness is where chaos and lawlessness live. There is a reason that slavery was abolished. There is a reason that as puny and inneffective as voting is, it remains a right of all People under the law. Take away the last vestige of control and hope a Person has, and you won't need to look at history, it will come to your door and bite you in the ass.

I am definitely for a null vote to indicate lack of confidence in any of the choices listed. We do have some ignorant people voting this is true. Soveriegnty doesn't mean jack chit if most of your business's are owned by foriegners, anyone wish to tell that adage about "the man who has the gold makes the"? Here so far our politicians foolishly allow 60% + to Canadians I know better. The only way thats handy at all is because if the other countries already own Canada in all but name whats the point in warriing with us. We vote for people who sell out our social programs? Who squander government money like in that recent quebec scandal? I smell scapegoats on that one. We vote in people who when 70% + of Canadians say decriminalize marijuana, we're offered was it 5 grams? We vote in people who take away a new mothers baby nutrition allowance saying they would only spend it on beer. We vote for people who take the mentally ill out of homes like they did in toronto, and put them out on the streets. We vote people in who promise to get people off welfare, and do it by reducing eligibility, hand out dead end jobs that only last as long as the contracts, and have clause they make recipients sign so that if the recipient makes a slip, they can be cut off it for life? Just where would we pu them then? In prisons at $250 a day rather than $500 a month? We vote in people who when our government could afford what its people need through the control of the creation of money, these people changed it so private banks and citizens who own the private banks which now create the money as debt, and oh yes Canada's in debt now all right we're drowinging in it and must sell off our business's to outsiders, and aren't we doing great? I could go on, and on, and on, with the purposeful blunders made by those we've elected, and I suppose many of you could. Where are the leaders who care about all Canadians? Where are the leaders who care about the issues more than popularity? Our parents gave us a good country. We're selling it off piece meal pretending everythings ok. It's not ok. Everyone wants to leave things up to the other guy. Everyone wants to pretend if we turn a blind eye everything will be ok. This is a democracy? Our people should all vote. It should be mandatory. It should be law. But then again? That would be change right? We might actually start to think if we have to vote we expect results. ..maybe we would start to care about the issues We've made some pretty stupid useless laws in the past. Of course, what politician in his right mind would ever pass a law that ensured the involvement of all Canadians of voting age? There shouldn't be mandatory voting because it would bring out ignorant voters? No, I think just the opposite, considering what I've seen thus far I'm convinced they are the only ones who are voting. It's time we rousted the smart ones out to vote while we still do have a country to vote in.

Something else I'd like to add on this topic of marijuana. I think if our so called leaders had any real concern about respresenting the Canadian people they would bring the choice of what to do on this issue to us in the form of a referendum and settle it. Ignoring what the Canadian public wants and deciding we are incapable of chosing for ourselves is nothing but bunk. I wouldn't be a bit surprised to learn that some of these politicians are privately profiting in one way or another by keeping it illeagal. And if any of them care to disagree? Then the next time a political figure is caught with marijuana I want that person convicted and removed from office. Its utter garbage that there are one set of laws for the majority of Canadians, and an special set of "if a political figure is guilty of a criminal offense it will be swept under the carpet without conviction" laws. I'd imagine if most Canadians lived above the law we wouldn't give a damn either if the laws were ever changed.

Something else I'd like to add on this topic of marijuana. I think if our so called leaders had any real concern about respresenting the Canadian people they would bring the choice of what to do on this issue to us in the form of a referendum and settle it. Ignoring what the Canadian public wants and deciding we are incapable of chosing for ourselves is nothing but bunk. I wouldn't be a bit surprised to learn that some of these politicians are privately profiting in one way or another by keeping it illeagal. And if any of them care to disagree? Then the next time a political figure is caught with marijuana I want that person convicted and removed from office. Its utter garbage that there are one set of laws for the majority of Canadians, and an special set of "if a political figure is guilty of a criminal offense it will be swept under the carpet without conviction" laws. I'd imagine if most Canadians lived above the law we wouldn't give a damn either if the laws were ever changed.

I think its pretty obvious by now that marijuana is heading for legalization, whether an inch at a time, or all at once. Canadians do have a lot of truly important issues to be addressed, so why was taxpayer dollars and time being wishywashy? The liberals want to be wishy washy? The conservatives want to be wishy washy? Play this out for years maybe? Perhaps wait for another few billion tax dollars go into fighting a losing proposition? These men don't seem much like leaders, they seem more like beaurocrats who glory in red tape nightmares. Decriminalizing is not the answer I believe, but at least its a progressive step in the right direction, and implies that at least one would be representative of the People is trying to be just that. What are the latest opinion polls on legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana? Are either of them less than 60% for it? No, in fact the perecentages are signficantly higher and have been for years. Sounds like Layton is the only one listening.

Considering that some countries don't even allow their People to vote, voting is both a right, AND a privilege in Canada today. Even so, a great deal of input on how our country is ran is lost. As other forum members have pointed out quite often a large segment of this lost vote is from our young People. Overall so far as I know, the consensus is that many of the Persons who don't vote validify this as not believing their vote will make a difference. Yet I wonder, if we would see a far different Canada if voting were mandatory? Are we not doing a disservice to our fellow Canadians, to ourselves, and to Canada itself, by allowing a large proportion of our People to opt out of the voting process? There is I believe a category on the vote form which says "none of the above." This represents a null vote for those who don't like any of the choices presented. I strongly feel that as a member of a democratic country we are all accountable for what our country does, or does not do. I also feel that many of those who do not vote feel by not doing so, they are making a statement. However if thats so, then their voice is, and will be ignored. Voting, should be made a mandatory social responsibility, who or what you vote for, including a null vote, should be right and privilege.

Maplesyrup does have a valid point I feel. Movies often put a familiar face on unfamiliar situations. A million children die in a far off land and few among us shed a tear, but should your own child die most of us would ache for a lifetime. It is more than possible that the more popular the movie is, the greater likelihood that its issues will be given that sense of familiarity and believability. ..especially when those issues are real ones already facing us, even not if quite at that point ..yet I've always felt that right wing politics focus, is to say to hell with the issues, the people at the top need more money. If the right wing, are entrusted with the choice of either a) gathering more money to themselves, or taking expensive steps towards dealing with real threats like global warming etc ..then without a doubt, I'd say until that tornado/earthquake/glacier hit, a right wing goverment would focus on denying it and concentrate on making more money to fortify their own position while telling the majority of Canadians .. pfft .. its just a snowjob ignore it and vote for me because I'll lower your taxes by cutting a few more programs you won't miss anyway !! I'm glad mayple syrup brought this up, after the people I know have watched it, I'll have to ask them to see if their opinion on the importance of global warming issues has changed. Cheers!

Well, I expect that compared some I might seem dumb as a post, but I have a question. If we could lower personal taxes for everyone without cuts to services, fund education as we'd like it to be to ensure the best quality & success rates, lower tuitions, invest in government projects, invest in social programs that work, increase rather than decrease healthcare, AND pay off the National Debt.. and if that was a system at work already in Canada prior to 1974 ...what the heck are we waiting for? Lets get it back! Are we masochists bent on doing things the hard way?

• Cigarettes to rise $2.50 a carton by tomorrow while a case of 24 beer goes up 45 cents on June 21st and wine goes up 15 cents

Health Organizations Urge Finance Minister Ralph Goodale to Close Loophole for Roll-your-own Tobacco, Increase Cigarette Taxes

These are interesting figures, but misleading? Heathcare should be measured by services of the same quality available to all Canadians recieving public health insurance is it? When; we cut back on the availability of health care, we cut back on the types and quality of medications paid we cut back on the services offered we cut back on medical staff replacing them with delays we cut back on spending and lower wages drastically clients to the health care face longer and longer waits we degrade our healthcare system Why measure ourselves by "the other guy" ? Why not measure ourselves by what we think is right? You go to hospitals time to time, for yourself, for others. Measuring not by the standards of your private healthcare insurance, but by those things controlled and in place for public health insurance alone, .. do you feel that "our healthcare rocks!" or do you feel .."this sucks"? If it rocks on 100x less than other countrys are spending then fine, why pay more just because they are? and by similar measure If our health care is sucking on 100x more than the other countries are spending then too bad, looks like to have the health care quality we consider to be appropriate, why spend less and have less, just because they don't?

While the Canadian Action Party is currently championing the idea of money created as profit rather than debt, our country was founded with this idea, saw some of its best decades with it in place, floundered when the policy of creating money as profit was changed to creating it as debt in 1974, the concept was originally championed by Abraham Lincoln as the page listed here shows in Lincolns address found at the bottom of the page. Please help me to learn if this concept can be an answer for Canadians because if it can be, regardless of which party comes to power, we need to get them to return Canada to this policy as quickly as possible to benefit us all.

This thread seems to be a discussion of who should shoulder the costs of society, and yet does it really matter so long as the ones who pay can yet have a reasonably good style of living? (which of course at present is definitely not the case) "Boomers" do deserve a break, for many reasons. Fact is we could all use a break and again, for good reason. Why should one generation or group live in poverty while another lives in luxury? Is there not a way that we can all bonus? What if instead of money being created as debt, it could be created as profit? If money were created as profit, (and yes I'm no economist so feel free to educate me until I understand) then we could ensure that every Canadian child didn't leave school until they had a trade of some sort via grants to cover most college/university, or encouraging a means to better living for our aging population, especially some of them ..ever seen some of the "homes for the aged" across our country? Some of them are very, very nice, as the one my grandmother was in. Attentive, compassionate professionals ensuring medication, comfort, company ..and in pleasing surroundings. Other homes I've seen are rather the opposite, dispassionate "I'm here for the check so don't make it any tougher than its got to be" kind of places. There are a lot of things we could do to make life better, for all of us, if our government had enough money to help us create a Canada where EVERYBODY wins, to varying degree's acording to ability of course, but no body loses is a good place to start. Lately I am troubled by a monetary policy I've read that is put out by the Canadian Action Party. If I understand correctly how implementation of that policy would affect Canada and Canadians, then we could use the money created as profit to build a Canada that ensured a good style of living for all Canadians wihout incurring the immense debt that creating money as debt currently does. Return the power of creation of money from the privately owned banks to the Bank of Canada the original soverign creater of money. If this could make us all winners, why don't we say who cares what party has it, lets get that idea implemented! Here's a link to the idea I'm talking about. Is there some overwhelming consideration not evident? Why can't this make all of us live and not just survive? Tax us sure, but make sure we can well afford them! ..or if this idea won't work? Why won't it work? Specifically please.