Handsome Rob

I didn't try to justify a position or issue on anything. I just explained to you why Canadian gas prices are higher than the states. Given the fact that their market is 10 times larger, probably more so considering their energy consumption, it doesn't come as a surprise that business costs are going to be less. But the tax free cost is in the same ball park.

Compared to the Yanks I'd say Mulroney was a lefty.

I already posted in this thread, on $1.30/l, in BC, $.89/l is revenue. How much of that is profit is anybody's guess. I don't entirely believe this image, but the margins can't be that great either.

It's a scale, but the long term possibilities if worst case fear mongering come true: Potential Pros: -Kill the gun registry. Won't be missed. -Reform the senate. Ought to be looked at in the very least. -Gut the CBC. At least scare them into taking a neutral position. -Continue to rebuild the military. Potential Cons: -Screw with Canadian healthcare. I don't believe he could improve it from it's present dismal state. -Mandatory minimums, taking prison sentencing from way too weak to way too strong. -Furthering the war on drugs. -Increase ties with the yanks. I'm not an anti-american guy, but our hips are attached to their ankles enough. I'm an undereducated voter, not quite uneducated like what I would call average in Canada, well maybe don't care is a better word. One of the reasons I often read this site but don't post much without elections. But these are some of the things I think about, and thinking in those terms the potential pro's are a better alternative to the potential con's. I was more than happy with the Conservative-Liberal coalition, and I really wish we weren't having this election.

Didn't Trudeau try, and fail?

Yeah, Tommy Douglas sure was sending those dollars to those lazy bastards with broken feet. The NDP have played a role in many benefits we as Canadians enjoy. I don't support the NDP (Much), but I'm thankful they exist and respect them. I think a large part of the NDP bashing comes not from platform policies but from the types of people that support them. Like the ones that give unions a universal bad name.

Well before the Gov takes their cut, it's $.89/litre around here. The Yanks 30 Km away are paying $1.05/litre taxes in, so I don't think we're getting ripped off that much more. Course there was a class action down there against petrol retailers near the border for price fixing, because us Canadian suckers were more than happy to pay it which I often do.

In the same boat Scouter Jim. My Riding: Liberal - 40% - Candidate Not favored. Conservative - 40% - Candidate favored. NDP - 20% - New Candidate, but she looks good. Not exact number, don't want to disclose my exact residence on the internet, but the margins are correct. Governments I would vote for: 1) Conservative (Minority) 2) NDP (Never Happen) 3) Conservative (Majority) 4) Current Liberal Party Green et all are irrelevant here, little point in including them. I would ordinarily vote Tory, but am kind of disgusted at what they are doing, and fear the slim chance of a Harper Majority. The NDP has no chance this time around, but I think she'll do well and be a force in the next one. I don't support most things the NDP stands for besides how they conduct their affairs. The Liberals stand to get eradicated here, he is not favored, his traditional ethnic vote has publicly endorsed the Tory candidate. I've never voted NDP but I might. On the other hand I may vote Tory just to guarantee the Liberals don't keep the riding.

One would think that if Jack does well, it will be at Iggy's expense, not Harper's. The Tory's ought to be encouraging the youth vote.

Rehabilitation does good in some prisons as I have seen it on different shows. Does anyone here no for sure that prisoner can't be rehabilitated? ^^^^ Is this what you were trying to say? I would say a great many of Canada's incarcerated are one time offenders, or at least only incarcerated once. I cannot quantify that, it's an opinion. Even if nobody could be rehabilitated, does nobody deserve a second chance for non-violent crimes? I would also say that for people with 15 prior incarcerations, probably is going to re-offend. And such a person should be kept off the street for no other reason than to remove the burden they place on society. For discussions sake, lets say the fellow in the discussion above about the ATV & Auto Theft had 15 priors for B&E and Theft, and ended up getting killed in this instance. Wouldn't his further incarceration have prevented a murder?

Prisoner A agrees to work in the cafeteria for rewards such as resources to spend in the prison store, perks in the cell and things such as cable television. Prisoner A helps to keep the prison system functional, reduces labor cost, and builds habits of doing honest work every day for reward. Regardless of whether or not they carry on, it's worth it to try. Bored minds also tend to get destructive. Prisoner B doesn't have access to such programs, so prisoner B supports him/herself by trying to smuggle drugs into the prison, increasing violence, inputting nothing into the system requiring a greater labor cost to run the prison and generally making things worse. Which scenario is better?

He shot him at close range with a shotgun, and the fellow kept running and got away. If he wanted to kill him he would be dead. This is not the same as that deranged fellow up north that killed 5 would be invaders with an assault rifle, all with wounds to the back. This is a belligerent example, there are many others that don't invoke such an emotional response.

Please tell me you are reading the sarcasm displayed here....?

Would that show up on the budget?

What I would like to know is why such events of either kind receive funding at all while the ever present lack of homeless shelters manifests itself, city infrastructure falls apart, out here in BC we had to stop kids summer programs for lack of money.... Pride & The stampede both could easily recover the public funding without breaking a sweat. Break out the donation bins, if 10% of attendees through in a dollar you're solid. Heck they could even turn a profit. To suggest that either event requires public funding to function or "Return the public's investment," is silly.

Please show us where in fact those two have ever occurred. Thanks I don't know about 'more rights,' but in these sorts of cases the "Victim" faces far more severe punishment than the offender. Farmer charged for chasing, shooting thief Farmer charged with shooting alleged thief overwhelmed by support You don't steal ATV's & Pick-up's because you can't feed your family. Deterrent does play a role in this sort of thing. Watching David Chen, it seems fairly clear where the overwhelming majority of Canadians stand on this, although the offender in that case seems a wee bit different. Regardless, continued catch & release will only bring more vigilantism. Not to be taken as American style put-everybody-in-prison, but looking at re-offense rates it appears that things aren't operating as they ought to.

Wouldn't you say any gains Layton makes will be at the expense of the Liberals, thus giving the Tory's more seats?

Ignatieff said increase to 6%, implying that it isn't happening today. If it isn't wrong, it certainly is misleading.

Can somebody please correct my ignorance? Ignatieff just promised a 6% increase in health care payments through 2014, Harper says this has been ongoing since he took office. Which one is wrong?

Twice per ballot. Not hard to count ballots twice.

New "Old" teachers showing up for green pastures. Most other teachers out the door by 1445 to hit the course. A retirement school I mean a place to finish ones career. Lacking the typical problems of the city like teen-gangs, poverty in the student body & such. Well when a teacher shows up in court, is found guilty and gets fired, it's kind of hard not to notice. Have not seen a teacher removed for any other reason. There may be discipline and write-ups going on behind the scenes, but it has never been followed through to the end. These days I know a couple of teachers there in the community who say much the same thing. Doesn't speak for the whole system, but an impression. Funding, class sizes, capital grants, etc, etc. There is no negotiation. One side cuts/doesn't raise enough, other side complains forever. Perhaps there are unexplored alternatives? I don't think it's fair to students to be punished for 10 years of previous 'grinding down' that they had nothing to do with. Perhaps "approaching expiry date" teachers can move on to writing curriculum, working in administrative tasks or a whole slew of other ideas? Has anything been explored beyond status quo? I totally agree. It's not necessarily anybody's "Fault" but we can't make room for complacency.

My experiences do not match. I'm 10 years out of a teacher retirement school, a quiet moderately wealthy community in suburbia where teachers go to enjoy the golf course. In 12 years of schooling, about 6 that I remember clearly, I had 5 teachers that cared, above and beyond, really par excellence. Another dozen or so that educated me, and the rest that couldn't care less. VHS into the TV and out for a stroll. I don't entirely blame the teachers of course, the majority of the student body didn't care either, and both elementary and secondary school consistently rank in the bottom half of the provincial rankings. As far as performance reviews and being held accountable, the only time I have ever seen this is when somebody is charged with sexually based offenses. (3 of them at my HS in the last 10 years, plus one more unfounded that resulted in a guilty verdict nonetheless) It matters not what something is designed to do or what it appears to do, it matters what it does. I don't know too much as far as the ever happening battles between schools and the provincial government, but one thing that has jumped out: The teachers union/School board (Most of those who made a career out of it go on to try and run for the NDP locally) flat out refuses to give an inch of ground, and the government responds in kind. The thing that makes the school board/teachers union look really bad is that there position has not changed through successive Liberal/NDP/Liberal (Conservative) governments. It takes on the appearance of, "It will never be enough." Kind of hard not to assign fault at that. The part that makes me really sad is that for every terrible teacher two years from retirement, their are twenty 25 year old's itching to make a difference, that have to move to Timbuktu for a chance at a job. Anecdotal as heck, I'll freely admit. But to call the situation an unfounded success I think is a bit much.

If the Chicken Coops @ Torontanamo Bay didn't do it, something tells me this won't either. How to interpret that, I am not sure.

Not to suggest that I approve, but you would prefer a bunch of promises that can't be kept? Harper promising to show fiscal restraint, however honest it may turn out to be, has to be called an improvement.

Try playing with the controls at the end. It doesn't move your position, it moves the parties positions around. You could be anything you wanted to be.