Cartman

Hugo, Would you not agree that doing nothing about a known problem is also an immoral choice?

The Chinese are also buying a lot of coal from us. Some mines are increasing their work forces because of the greater demand.

In some ways I agree with you. I have actually worked in a union and have found that lawyers are more efficient and derive better settlements. Why? Because they do not care whether a company makes money or creates jobs as does a union. All lawyers care about is winning and making money for themselves. Lawyers do both very well. Be careful what you wish for.

Sarcasm about here I want to reopen the debate as to whether women should have the right to vote.

Well...it was a great thread. :angry:

I enjoy the free time as well. Gonna watch the boys in red and white make us proud today.

Dear Comrades, I hope you all enjoy this consumerist holiday as much as you did the socialist/interventionist Halloween. Merry Xmas and Happy New Year. Cartman

I want to be clear, I am NOT saying that violence in hockey is acceptable at all, but the above is an important point to consider. Moore's hit on Naslund was really dirty and was ignored by the refs. It was so dirty that the entire Vancouver team was saying to the media openly that they were going to get him. Why was Moore on the ice when EVERYONE was waiting for this to happen? Why was he in the game? Violence in hockey is wrong, but it is hypocritical to say that Bertuzzi is an excellent player because he can score and be intimidating at the same time, but then turn around and condemn him.

But IMR, would it not be anti-Canadian if I asked Greg to change my name to "I miss Lenin"?

I was hoping you would react to this issue NC. I accept the argument that NFLD requires time to develop this industry and become a "have" province. I do not, however, believe that any province has the right to demand exemption from natural resource taxation forever and simultaneously expect the benefits of transfer payments forever. Some time ago, August created an interesting, if largely ignored thread, asking why Albertans should exclusively benefit from our/their natural resources. If memory serves, there was no good reason ever given. BTW, I am not arguing that people from NFLD are demanding as much, but Williams sounds rather harsh and quite demanding.

True enough Black Dog, but when I played hockey (minor and jb), I fought a lot. In front of everyone else, the coaches and others reprimanded me for fighting which I did almost every game (when not suspended). Once I was inside the locker room, however, they told me things like "atta boy 'Cartman', that'l getcha into the NHL" or on one occasion where I was really being a goon, I got a pat and was told "that's it, don't ever let anybody get the better of you". I think that there is a difference between what you are told officially (fighting is just terrible) and what you are taught (fighting is what will secure your career). Bertuzzi is a big boy from a working class background where I suspect that being a "complete" player includes being rough, tough and responsible for his team. This is not pc, but is it not interesting that one of the best Vancouver players (vs one of their goons) was the one who dropped Moore when several threatened him openly for the hit on Naslund? I think that Bertuzzi did what he was always taught to do and then when he did it too well, the league pretends to come down harshly on him. Why else did he get such a wimpy sentence? I suspect that the NHL and the courts do not want to confront this openly and that this is why Moore was not allowed to attend the recent court hearing. They do not want to confront their hypocrisy.

I thought this to be an interesting link on equalization payments. Check out the bar chart. http://www.fin.gc.ca/FEDPROV/eqpe.html

http://sympaticomsn.ctv.ca/servlet/Article...?hub=topstories Why should NFLD's resources be exempt from taxation when calculating equalization payments? If they are exempt, will they not just receive more dollars derived from Alberta's oil royalties?

Agreed. I will give you this point. But, I certainly hope you are not suggesting I am a Canucks fan!! :angry: Flames all the way. What about my other point which I think is more important?

You are right to an extent, but recall when it used to be legal to hit from behind and players would push each other's heads into the boards with much force. He crossed the line, but I am not sure he crossed it very far. Everyone is upset at the result of his actions and not the actions themselves. Had Moore not been so badly hurt, nobody would have remembered this. What I am trying to say is that the intent to injure (i.e. violence) rarely seems to be of concern, it is only those instances that result in serious injury. Some argued that much of the head trauma came after the original fall when everyone on the ice jumped on top of them. If Moore sues him, I suspect this will become important.

Good point. This is the tricky part. Bertuzzi was taught for years to be a tough customer (and a star). So, what is an appropriate punishment? I will never understand why they put Moore on the ice when the game was well in hand, particularly after all of the threats against him. I find it interesting that when you look at the videotape of the hit on Moore, many fans appeared to be applauding the hit only to judge it as inappropriate after the damage to Moore was known.

What do you think Bertuzzi should have received? Should the state bother to intervene if they are not going to hand out stiffer sentences?

No, I do not think they are receiving public salaries but I believe that Basi received $54,000 in severance.

No, they are not tied. Read the results. The distinct possibility exists that they could be tied, but chances are that they are not tied. You could reduce the standard error in this poll to demonstrate that the NDP are ahead.

Well, dynamite was used for mining purposes but I sure would not want someone walking around with it on the streets. Just because something has a useful purpose does not mean it should be open season for it. Would it cost so much money? How do you know? Sure, the gun registry cost $$, but I worked in the electronics industry for some time and we never spent much registering thousands of CD players, DVD players, TV's, VCR's etc. Maybe the gun registry was unique. Why do we not get angry about cars being registered? We even pay for this registration and cars are not weapons. The only serious problem with registering knives I can see is that they can be made at home. Yeah yeah...I deserved that one. But really, I suspect that there is a very serious problem in Calgary right now even if you do not hear it much in the media. From police reports and what hundreds of my students are telling me, things are bananas here.

Knives are serious weapons and they are often used to hurt people. Obviously, they should be controlled. It seems that every weekend I hear of another stabbing in a Calgary nightclub. The question is whether it is possible to actually have some sort of a registry. I suspect that people could easily make knives on their own. My father was a machinist and made a pretty scary looking machete for clearing brush on x-country ski trails in the mountains. So, I am not sure one could count them all. As an aside, I have never understood why the gun registry was so costly. We register cars, fridges, stoves, DVD players etc etc and it never went crazy like gun control. I have heard that in Germany some fancy registries went overboard because of their complexity.

Personally, I wish they would show some European hockey or more junior hockey. If there was a media alternative, the two sides would get this deal done but fast.

Yeah, after you get permission from the feds.

The players want a free market. It is the owners who want to deviate from a free market. The owners claim they need laws to stop themselves from overspending. If an individual/corporation demands too much money, do not hire them. Seems easy enough. Let the market decide! If Jack Layton said that any Canadian corporation or individual should have a profit cap, people would be up in arms screaming "socialism!" Goes to show you, it is not what you say that matters, it is who is saying it.

Then they would bring more guns into Calgary nightclubs. Check out the # of stabbings in Calgary clubs...it amazes me.