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And yet, the people of Canada don't want your single tier system. The majority want to allow private medical care. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> According to Shoop, above, even the Conservative party is claiming they want a single tier health-care system... Do you know why that is.... It's not like I believe either Martin or Harper, but they know what they need to say to get elected... and do you know why that is Argus....Because the MAJORITY OF CANADIANS WHAT PUBLIC HEALTH CARE!!!

I should buy you a beer mate... I agree with you 100%. Recommended reading to help turn you off NAFTA: Linda McQuaig's "All You Can Eat: Greed, Lust, and the New Capitalism"

I think a strong dollar will be fairly damaging for the Canadian economy... at least the manufacturing sector. Way back, when the NAFTA agreement went into effect, our dollar was plummeting.... rapidly... And the Conservative were sure to tell us about the sudden and growing trade surplus with the USA.... which they attributed solely to NAFTA... However, our lower dollar was incredible for Canadian business, not just exporters. Considerable chunks of our service sector, contract manufacturing, etc.. were flooded with American business due to the weak Canadian dollar. Now let's see if the tide's going out with the higher dollar....

One would wonder, with all of your huffing and puffing about "proving that the poor carry their weight", what you have against the poor... When, as we have already discussed, corporate and wealthy people are able to "legally" avoid paying huge sums of money... yet you have not once commented on a need for tax reform... just that the poor don't carry their weight, and that they get too much... Your protestations (above) seem rather hollow.. Would you rather pay for all services as you use them... supposing you need a pacemaker... and just have to come up with $20,000 to pay for it... or die... You say that you like choices, which one would you choose ??? And what if you didn't have the $20K... Then what's your choice... I like the fact that I live in a system that I may pay more into than I receive... if I'm lucky.... that I don't have to be the recipient of such services.... I would suggest a brief course in reading comprehension... I think we need more government... not less...

I will guarantee you that my taxes are completely and totally legal. I get away with what our system lets people get away with.... Without knowning the technical details of my tax situation, how could you possibly imagine doing so... The auditors who audited my taxes last year found nothing untoward. (I'll give you a hint though... My wife doesn't technically work for me... she's an independent consultant.) You really don't get it, do you... My taxes are completely legal. The tax system gives me the choices that you don't have, including the ability to go to the front of the line, with a high-end accounting firm who can get me the best service (because I'm willing to pay for it). Sort of like what you are advocating for our medical system.

And what choices do they (the USA) give the person who makes $8/hour... they aren't eligible for free health care because they make too much money... Is that one of the things you respect about the USA's system ????The system you appear to be promoting, is one in which you can pay for superior service, by taking the money intended for the public system, and augmenting it with money from your pocket. Effectively, you've taken money out of the public's pocket, and added a few dollars from your pocket to buy the service that you want. This leaves less money in the public pocket. The money that the public purse pays for hospital service is more than just giving the doctor who looked after you his dues. That money also pays for administration, maintenance, laundry service, heating, and much more... The funding received for a specific service, such as setting a broken arm accounts for these factors. Only a prescribed percentage of this 'fee' is for the doctor's compensation. I see a problem with taking public money to pay for the administration and running of a privately owned, for profit hospital... If, for example, 25% of current patients elect to go to a privately owned, for-profit hospital, that gets paid from the private purse, then the public hospital has suddenly lost 25% of its funding for heating, administration, equipment, etc... The public medical care system could compensate for the loss of income required to run the infrastructure of our health care system by charging 25% more tax to keep the system afloat.... If that is not a viable option, the public system will have to cut costs... by that, I mean services, staff, etc... Neither scenario is favourable to a right-wing conservative like yourself... So you should really think about what you are wishing for before you start advocating such a foolish option...

Quit lying! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Could you please elaborate on what the lie is.... Let's here the truth, according to shoop....

Yah... maybe we could make work camps for them... where they could do laundry for the hospitals or something, like at the Bernardo orphanages... but you could pay them $3/hour so they feel useful. Then they could fire that overpaid bastard who makes $16/hour doing the job now...

You are quite right that the status quo is that we have no choice. And just because it is the status quo doesn't it make it right. I for one am advocating change and choice. The biggest reason you are against it is that you favour the choice of the factory default radio. I don't know how much you know about manufacturing cars, but the more options they have, the more expensive it is to make all of the cars... My interest is in the common good. You could go to the USA where you have the choice to die because you chose not to purchase medical coverage... but what about the person who couldn't afford it..... They don't have a choice... So you want to put in a system that gives you more choices for you personally, at the expense of someone else's choice... And I also give the full amount that I am required by law to give, the full amount of taxes that are tabulated by my accountant, according to the prescribed tax laws. And my guess is that this amount exceeds the average...I would suggest that the laws that my accountant adheres to require change. If even a small percentage of current tax avoidance schemes were cut out, the health care system that we could easily afford would be phenominal.... and we wouldn't have mean-spirited people like you, willing to take away the health-care system from our poorest citizens so you could afford to pamper some of your own selfish interests with the few dollars you save.

... did you mean assumptions that you choose not to believe... And why might they be too long... because there's not enough staff ?? Why, are you going to come around sniffing??? And what part of the business do you specialize in... Draperies ?, plumbing, lumber... or business management....Your loyalty to your employer is admirable, but you have to draw lines and look at reality. Automated tellers replaced tellers... Automated checkouts will replace checkout staff...

Quite the contrary... You seem like you've got a "mad-on" for the poor, struggling people who may rip the country off for a few hundred bucks here and there, but don't seem to mind huge corporate tax avoidance... billions of dollars worth... I don't think it was ever a question... The people whom I call poor are the ones who can't carry their weight... and you've never ever benefited from our social programs... or education system.... or health care.... Wow... you're really an incredible example for the rest of us... Yep... and our governments haven't had the moral fortitude to fix the injustices in the system.... They, like you, want to blame all of our financial woes on the little guy.... Because the little guy doesn't have the resources to fight back.. (It's sort of a bully tactic).

It can go down..... but it doesn't... does it... And it won't, will it ???? But if it does go down in your neighbourhood... let me know...

And hopefully IT WONT EXIST IN 2006 !!!!!! But seriously, the party keeps having to morph into something that it thinks can survive.... I think the SES poll has taken that into consideration, and ignored all of the name changes.... but they just added up the redneck right-wing players.... (Sorry, I should have said "extreme right-wing players", because Paul Martin fits into the "right-wing player" group...)

I must be overtired, because I'm finding that I'm in agreement with shoop for once...

And these private oil companies got no exploration tax credits, r&d tax credits, investment tax credits, deferred taxation ??? Because it would appear to me that the Canadian governement gives a LOT of money to the oil companies, albeit mostly in the form of tax deductions, but a tax deduction is as good as a cheque for the same amount... If true accounting were done, you'd find that there was significant public investment in the technologies necessary to get it out of the ground....

In my neighbourhood, it was about $0.60/litre last year... Let me know if it dips into that region in your neighbourhood.... It'll be worth the drive to fill the tank in your neighbourhood if that's the case... So there's no collusion... You've put my mind to rest...

That's a very convenient analysis of a very misleading graph. Funny how the SES poll data is good when it serves your point... and not otherwise... And now they're at 4%... If my calculator is correct, they've lost 87% of their support since then..... wow.... Thanks for pointing this out.....

Ah, but I have outside income - and a brand new 50 inch TV!! Yaaayyyy! I bet "survivor" and "fear factor" look really good on that set.... Again, your defeatist attitude shows through.... I think that you should read one of my previous posts comparing efficiency in the American vs. Canadian systems.... Comparison of Efficiencies of Private vs. Public

The NDs have lost 4 points in Quebec from the previous SES poll. (That would be the poll you tout in your signature, so that means you do believe it's validity, doesn't it?) I'll have to agree, the liberal party has surged a bit in Quebec over the past few months, and yes, the polls show that the NDP has dropped from 15 to 11%... That's where your conservatives were four months ago. Funny thing though, because your conservatives have dropped 7% (to 4%) since then, and have less than half of the support that the NDP has in Quebec... That poll shows a very interesting graph as well.... Where only one party has had a (pretty much) constant growth in popularity over the past three years. The Liberals' trend is downward, and the Conservative trend is downward.SES Research Poll

Maybe to your paycheque.... but Martin's cut $100 Billion in corporate taxes.... that's not much ??? Harris cut Ontario's taxes by over $14 Billion, creating a deficit greater than $5 Billion.... That's not much ???? Your assertion that these cuts are minimal demonstrates clearly that you are not in tune with the realities of the situation... Would you care to cite the cuts made to health care? In round figures, please. How about 8000 nurses in Ontario... (or was it more .. Quebec cut 13,000 nursing jobs)... 14 hospitals in the GTA... plus, plus, plus... Paul Martin is a Tory, disguised as a liberal... His fiscal policies should make that obvious to you.... You say that the Tories actually increased health-care spending. Giving construction contracts to Tory-friendly construction companies to tear down a wing of a hospital here and there, build another few hospitals... and at the same time cutting real health-care services -- that is not increasing real health-care spending... Harris's actions should be punishable by jail time - padding your friends' pockets with public money is wrong. Your analogies continue to be quite "simple" or perhaps "simplistic" would be a better term, and highly innacurate. I'm trying to use "simple" language so you understand it... Your assumption is probably as wrong as your argument. Just because someone is left of centre, it doesn't necessarily mean that they are poor. These kinds of assumptions in your arguments show the limitations in your perception. You have indicated that you are a public employee, fourth down on the chain..... From this, I highly doubt that I could be jealous of your financial position.... Following your argument, why don't we just pay the extra $10/visitor to our public hospital.... If $10/visit will do the trick, then lets pay for it (through our taxes)... because it will probably be a lot cheaper than your idea of paying for 2 entire systems..... plus the $10.

Excellent post mirror.....

It seems to me, and to many Canadians (through published polls) that Mr. Layton's proposals, like the recent budget amendment, are to benefit Canadian citizens.... Did you read Mirror's Globe & Mail link... where even the NAFTA negotiators think that Canada should do something along these lines... Maybe you should advise them, since you're obviously way smarter than everyone else. <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Remaining a doormat probably hurts more though.... and for longer...

... The fault was originated in Ohio , at a "private" electricity generator who came online, not synchronized with the grid, an did incredible damage. This fault took out the grid for a large portion of the USA as well, so it's not just Ontario's outdated equipment at fault. You try to speak authoratatively on this matter, but you're speaking anal excrement.

Plundered it by pouring more and more money into it, you mean? It isn't that the system was "plundered" it's that health care costs rose enormously, far beyond what governments could accomodate without drastic raises in income taxes (uh oh, all the lefties just had an orgasm). Did you mean "were willing to accomodate" at the same time that they were cutting the tax base. (ie. Tax breaks for corporate Canada and the wealthiest is more important than health care for all) Doctors salaries are too high ???? I don't know if you pay attention to these things, or just like to try to talk authoratatively and bluff the other people who don't know... Doctor's salaries are probably a little too low... hence the shortage of doctors... the slow service, etc... Okay, by all means, fix the bus. Unfortunately, you can't. Your mind is incapable of even imagining how a bus might be fixed other than pouring more and more money into its fuel tank in hopes that somehow will encourage the bus to work better. Ontario recently pumped billions into its health care sector, but most of it just went to increased wages. ... and buildings.... I think that they've realized that the Tory strategy of severely cutting health care budgets did not cause a significant improvement in medical care in Ontario. They're trying a new approach.... financing it.... You're showing your ignorance, big time.... Don't think so. Let me give you an orgasm... tax increases! Tax increases! Big tax increases! There. Was it good for you? I don't think that I need argue too much... You're doing a great job of making yourself look _______ (fill in the blank yourself). You seem to be having a difficult time understanding the difference between public an private, so I'll type "real slow" for you. Maybe we should use a simple analogy.Suppose your dad owns a candy store. He says that you can get free candy from the "family store", but if you want to go to the competitor's candy store, you'll have to pay for it yourself. Using your logic, you think that you should be able to go to the competitor's candy store and charge it to your family's candy store....