Scotty

Moderated doesn't mean you get to stop people from speaking an opinion which offends you. Not until Jack gets a majority of course, and then passes laws banning free speech where it offends people.

Only by the bloody americans.

Any responsible government is going to stick to it once they're in one of those things. Chretien or Martin would have made the same speeches. And from what I've seen of Layton he's not a man to be pushed off something once he's set his mind to it. If he had us go into Sudan do you think he'd call it off after a few casualties? I don't. As for Iraq, who knows how it might have gone. The Ausies went in there, stayed for a year or so, took no casualties, and then left.

I think they think they are...

So far Harper has resisted imposing any morals on anyone, and his economic program, up until the three amigos forced his hand, had straight runs of surpluses. That likely wouldn't have continued into the recession, but all in all he's been reasonably competent with the finances.

To repeat, I don't care if John Baird dances around in parliament in drag wearing a tiara. I don't care if Harper puts a saddle on Ignatieff's shoulders and rides him around the commons yelling "Yee Haw!" and hitting him with a horse crop. I care about how the actual nation is governed, not the ridiculous nonsense at the House or the silly feuding between the Hatfields and McKoys that takes place on the Hill. None of that affects me. Are you suggesting that Harper has been able to do nothing his party wanted doing over the last five years in his minority governments? He's appointed 2 supreme courts and a huge passel of judges, for one thing, instituted changes in prisons, paroles and court policies, as well as sentencing laws, with more to come. In fact, in my opinion he could have had them all through by now but I think they've been ragging the puck to keep the crime thing alive for political purposes. So that's just on one subject. They've also done a fair start at reforming immigration to make it more responsive to Canada's needs, as opposed to the needs of foreigners and immigrant families - which I expect a Layton led minority to reverse, with Liberal help. I also expect higher taxes, and more power to human rights commissions, employment quota systems and a radical change in foreign policy.

Yeah, but Izzy is dead, and corporate Canada only cares about hiring people who make money. The owners of the newspapers don't care what the editors do as long as they make the most possible money. Pierre Peladeau might own the Sun but he also owns some very left wing newspapers in Quebec. He doesn't care. He just cares about all of them making him money.

Quebec has the same natural wealth as Alberta, perhaps more. The reason they are a have-not province is their incompetent socialist governments, their laid back, casual workers, their corrupt business practices, and their interminable nationalist linguistic stupidity. Empty the province of Quebecers and move in the same number of people from Ontario and points west and Quebec would be a Have province overnight.

This is a silly argument over technical word usage. The point is Alberta pays the feds ten bucks. Ontario pays the feds ten bucks. Quebec pays the feds ten bucks. Then the feds spend fifteen bucks in Quebec, eight bucks in Ontario, and five bucks in Alberta. The other two bucks being spent on administration of course.

Of course it does. Do you know nothing about how equalization works?

Or all that money could be spent within Alberta on really top rate social services.

How come it doesn't bother you that Quebecers are Quebecers first and Canadians a very distant second - if at all?

Cue the conspiracy theories... No doubt Libby Davis would agree with you, as I understand she's fond of them.

See, I don't really get that. I don't need Harper, or whomever is PM, to be warm and fuzzy and friendly. I don't need to like him. All I care about is if the man is moderately competent at his job, and Harper is - which is more than you can say for Ignatieff. As for Layton, like I said, his policies are a shambles of economic nonsense and his 'team' is largely made up of screwballs and far left ideologues who haven't had a fresh idea since the cold war. People who want to take a chance putting them in because Harper isn't warm and fuzzy are idiots.

It's not pandering when you look at the three and make your assessment based on logic and common sense. No one sensible could possibly choose anyone other than the Tories from amongst these three. Most of those people who have just rushed to support Layton have very little idea what he stands for or what his platform is about. Only Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party have shown the leadership, the bullheadedness (let's call it what it is) and the discipline this country needs. He has built the Conservatives into arguably the only truly national party, and during his five years in office has demonstrated strength of character, resolve and a desire to reform. Facing up to Our Challenges Despite opposition efforts to present Mr. Harper as a radical, his tenure as prime minister — which now extends more than five years — actually has been marked by steadiness and constancy. The main question in this election is about who can steer Canada forward during uncertain economic times. Given Mr. Harper’s record of intelligent, sober leadership, and the many question marks associated with his opponents, his Conservatives are our clear choice in Monday’s election. Conservatives a Clear Choice in Uncertain Times Harper is the leader who has shown he understands the need to control public spending, who will stand up for a strong, unified Canada, and who will focus his policies on the needs of taxpayers. Harper isn’t perfect. We’ve been critical of him before and will continue to hold him to account in the future. But he’s our best option right now, when we need a firm hand on the tiller of our economy. A Tory Majority Would Be Best For Canada

well, I've been paying taxes for 30 years. I rather doubt some 20 hr old in college can claim that.

Your view that we could get a fighter plane for 1/4rd the cost which wouldn't be a piece of junk is pure fantasy.

There were a lot of great men in office in the nineteenth century. How many can you think of over the last fifty years?

Why? What've they done to earn that right?

Hmm, Look at how pissed off Iggy is over the way he's been demonized by the Tories. Now picture being a Reform->Alliance->Conservative MP, and being demonized as every nasty thing under the sun for decades by the Liberals, who never missed an opportunity for a drive-by smear. As ye sow, so shall ye reap, eh?

Most of those things are either official NDP policy, or grow out of official NDP policy. Not that YOU, of course, would have ever bothered to read what NDP policies are. Your vote was based on the neato shiny colours of their signs, and that everyone was talking about them as the next big thing you had to get in on quick.

Why would you imagine the government has the time, inclination or money to put into monitoring what the average joe is doing with his or her time? I know people working in the RCMP. That place is as cash strapped as any agency in the government. You think they have the money to put into cataloging what porn sites you visit?

I would expect Harper to be doing a full-court press with the media, to be far more earnest and desperate to get his message out. He doesn't seem to be doing that. Today's nanos poll puts the tories at 37.8 points, very, very close to the 40% said to be the area of majority territory. But with the NDP strength that number might be lower. According to Nanos the Tories are now at 47% in Ontario. The NDPs big numbers are in large measure because of Quebec, but they might not translate into that many seats, and the Tories' support in Quebec has always been localized in a very conservative part of the province which is least likely to be attracted to Layton's socialism. Another thought. As people begin to take seriously the possibilty of the NDP actually winning, or at least, winning enough to take power in a coalition, there are a lot of people out there who could get wary and decide they can't afford to vote Liberal, but will switch to the Tories to try to ensure they get a majority so as to block Layton from power.

That's not the way it is. If you're talking to Quebecers, a lot, it's almost like they don't think of themselves as being a part of Canada, I mean, not really. Yeah, they realize they are, technically, but they don't really feel or think of it that way. They are Quebecers and they live in Quebec. That other amorphous blob of colour on the map around Quebec is not something they put much thought into. In fact, until recently you'd have a hard time finding anyone from Quebec who knew much or cared much about federal politics beyond what they think of as Quebec's 'rights' being observed and Quebec getting the money they feel it is owed.

I talk about a lot of stuff with a lot of people. I like talking to people. I'm not really much into sports, though, so I'm mostly talking about what people are talking about, be it local events, crime, politics, etc. It's not like I'm at a service counter passing out forms, ya know.