err

But isn't it interesting that they cite expensive American health care costs to the companies as one of the biggest reasons Canada fares better... And isn't that a great argument in favour of our PUBLIC health care system ????

Taxes are the source of revenue that pay for things that we consider necessities.... roads, policemen, schools, hospitals, clean water, and much more... These things all must be paid for, somehow.... If we were to follow your ideology of lowering taxes for the sake of lowering taxes, then why don't you list which of the things that we consider as necessities that we should cancel... or maybe which segments of the population that we should cancel them for... As you suggest, educaton and healthcare are primarly under provincial jurisdiction. If the federal government is cutting the funding (via transfers, etc..) to the provinces, it is in fact controlling spending in these areas. Just as if shopping for groceries is your wife's jurisdiction, and you don't give her the money to buy the groceries, who should be blamed for not buying the grocieries... As for your last argument "don't you think you are a much better person to decide the fate of your hard earned dollars rather than...." Well, if the government just stepped back and let everybody make their own decisions based on their own best self interest, (or should I say selfish interest), then who would help who... and what system would be there for the majority of our society.... Would we have public health care, public schools, public clean water... I don't think so... The road you recommend we follow is the road to the disintegration of the fabric of our social safety net...

Ignorant as can be... sounds like you voted for them....

"spend money on things that aren't your concern?????" - the welfare of the people of Canada should be the top concern of the government!!!!! The NDP are just keeping the Liberals a little more honest... The "NDP" budget is nothing more than Jack Layton making Martin keep his election promises.... Did you actually listen to Martin's last throne speech ??? I had to look twice, because it sounded like he was reading one of Jack Layton's scripts.... however, when he was elected, his budget was like a Mulroney budget... It is good that we have someone like Jack Layton to keep the Liberals true to their election promises... and true to the citizens of Canada....

Currently, the federal government takes your money, and gives you less than what you used to get for the same amount of money... Less health care, less social security, less assistance for education... less, less, less... If they were just trying to balance the books, I could understand their actions. However, when most of the cutting of our personal benefits is to finance tax cuts for corporate Canada, it is harder to take. Especially, when corporate Canada's tax rates are 4% lower than for our neighbours to the south. It's not like they need to lower them any more to be competative. Cybercoma, why don't you explain to me why we should have long waiting lists for surgery, poorer education system for our children, less social safety nets for when we need it... just so that corporate Canada can have even lower tax rates.... When they are already 4% lower than in the USA ???? Currently, we can afford to pay down our deficit, keep lower corporate taxes than the USA, without taking any more away from the citizens of Canada... In fact, we can affort to get back some more back of what we used to have... Maybe, the sooner you (and your neo-con friends) understand that, the better off we all will be...

It was nice that Jack Layton provided most Canadians the opportunity to see what each political party stood for: The Liberals, for breaking their election promises. Also for holding the rights of corporate Candad above the rights of Canadian citizens.... again wanting to take services from citizens to give to Corporate Canada, who have to suffer the fact that their tax rates are only 4% lower than their USA counterparts. The Conservatives, who have outright said that spending on citizens of Canada is a complete waste of money. No more money should be spent on improving the plight of the poorest, on education, or on health care.... It should all go to corporate Canada (note that this is the Liberal's favorite too). The NDP, who want to spend some of the citizens of Canada's money on the citizens of Canada. On the poor, on health care, on housing, on education... I think that the only party that has improved their image and standing in the recent months is the NDP.

It's interesting that Toyota has figured out that by treating its employees really well, that it can keep the unions out. American/Canadian firms could learn a thing or two....

Wow, "I miss Reagan", did you actually put this quote on the bottom of your post on purpose to discredit yourself. The conservatives prepared for war against whom... Iraq .. with all their weapons of mass destruction.... or were they interested in whom they should attack.... Should it be the easiest target that has the most oil ??? You should probably do some more reading, where you might discover that the Bush found 9/11 to be a wonderful OPPORTUNITY to wage a war that they had been planning for a long time. Your Conservative heroes just wanted to jump in bed with Bush? without caring anything about the truth really was ??? And this war wasn't about 'Liberating' anyone.... If you think it was to stop an evil tyrant, you should look up the "Prevention of Genocide Act", where the Democrats tried to block the sale of the helicopters used to gas the Kurds, and the Republicans struck it down. The Americans can have no moral authority here... And neither do your conservative heroes. Given what has just transpired in England, you should be glad we weren't Bush's bum buddies over in Iraq....

And if the truth were offensive, would you stick your head in the sand and pretend it didn't exist. I think that someone who has aspirations to politics as you have expressed about yourself, that you should look at all points of view an critically analyze them. Only when you can see your position from multiple vantage points and critically defend your position against the various arguments from those positions, will you be ready to run in any political race. If you refuse to read any articles that are critical of Tory leaders or their philosophies, can I call you the "Big Blue Ostrich" ??

An interesting comment from the referenced article... Interesting, in that you Conservative types push privatization (& P3's), but this article plainly states that our public health-care system reduces the costs to businesses, and that health-care costs in the more expensive, American private system make Ontario more attractive to business.... Excellent observation "Big Blue Machine".... Maybe we could start a forum on this.... PS. Did you ever get your hands on "The Quick and the Dead" about Brian Mulroney ??? Interesting reading...

In the United States, corporate taxes are at least 4% higher than corporate taxes here in Canada. Personal taxes in the USA are much lower than in Canada. What I would suggest to have "fairer taxes" is that we not continually cut corporate taxes, at the expense of the citizens of Canada. By that, I'm referring to the fact that as a result of Martin's barrage of corporate tax cuts, we have had cuts in public medicine, education, and much much more.... but personal tax cuts have not matched corporate... not even close... In fact, a large percentage of Ontarians have had their taxes increased as a direct result of provincial "tax cuts". Large tax cuts cut more tax from big business and the wealthiest 1% of the population that they do from other 99% of the public. Much of the burdon of the provincial costs, ei. social programs, were moved to municipal budgets so that Ontario could afford to implement the tax cuts. As a result, property taxes have gone way up, provincial tax cuts have ended up being miniscule in comparison, and services have been cut.

Your choices of reference seem to all come from an extreme right-wing perspective. Try reading about Tommy Douglas, or other people who are not on the extreme right wing if you want to be able to honestly evaluate your position.. or theirs... Since you choose Brian Mulroney as an inspiration, try reading "The Quick and the Dead"... about Brian Mulroney.

And where should we jump... from the pan to the fire ?? Until you have a better solution that what we have, you probably should not make any moves...

Against Abortion - try running in Iraq... advice.. If you don't want one, don't have one... Imposing your religious beliefs on others doesn't fly any more.. at least not in Canada... Pro Free-trade - I think you should learn more about it. Free trade only has a few areas where there are continuous disputes with the USA... Steel, Softwood Lumber, and Cedar shingles.... the only three things that Canada can make cheaper than the USA can.. You should further learn that taxation is only a the tip of the Iceberg... what lies beneath the water is much bigger, and is the reason to fear free trade.... Canada's health and safety rules are secondary to US companies wishes in doing business with Canada... and much much more.. Read Linda McQuaigs book All You Can Eat: Greed, Lust, and the new Capitalism. Your "Pro Gay Rights"... except treating them as equals... sounds shallow .... Cutting Taxes and paying the debt - How about fairer taxes...... Banning the right to strike... Should you just stop at the lazy good-for-nothing teachers (Mike Harris's words), or why not a whole plethora of civil servants... If they want to eat, they should work... shouldn't they ???

Yes... the old age pensioners... most often portrayed the "baby seals" hurt by inflation.... in ads sponsored by big business...

I think the public will see that it will benefit based on what you call NDP influence. Actually, it was the NDP who kept Martin true to his word on his Liberal election "promises".... which, being the fiscal conservative that Martin is, he had no intentions of keeping. Martin was elected on his promises, so I think the public, except for some of the narrow-minded conservatives (reformers in sheeps clothing) will be glad that Martin had to keep his promises.... Out of curiosity.... do you think the public would rather give extra tax breaks to companies like Shell, Esso, or Sprint, if they have to have it taken from them, or should it be spent on the interests of the citizens of Canada. I think that Harper's obvious choice in this matter is part of the reason he will never be trusted by Canadians. Aside... excellent post Kimmy.

Will strong religious beliefs bring a more moral government... I think not. George Bush thinks God speaks to him. Christian evangalists visit him at the Whitehouse every Monday... He goes to church regularly.... But his good Christian morals allow him to kill tens of thousands of Iraqis... for oil... Is that the kind of Christian morals we should push for in our government... How about we elect politicians whose fiscal policies, social programs, law-making, etc... will benefit the most Canadians, independent of religion... and leave religion to the truly religious....

Suggested reading: "Shooting the Hippo" by Linda McQuaig. Wealthy people's assets depreciate with inflation. Big business, Bay Street, etc... don't want the value of their assets eroded. Their assets are more important than the lives of working people, so if you have to raise interest rates high enough to choke half of the population to get control of inflation, then that is what is done... High inflation will cause high employment, loss of house and home, etc... It is sure to cause high unemployment... High unemployment without high inflation must surely be a better bet.... There is a better chance of recovery....

Just south of us, they have a president who is really religious. The Christian Evangalists visit him in the Whitehouse every Monday. He goes to church every week. He even thinks God talks to him. His strong religious beliefs make him feel he has to fight "stem cell" research in case even one life is spared for research.... Unless of course they are Muslim... in which case it doesn't appear to matter to him if they die in the tens of thousands at a time.... So is it better to have Christians in power.... or do you have to ask yourself if Bush is a Christian in terms that Jesus would have accepted.... Or our leaders... I think that we have to beware of politicians that hide behind a cross.... to trick the naive... with some phoney sense of morality.... Our politicians should probably concentrate on running the country, its social programs, and its legal system, etc.., and leave religion to the churches.....

I dunno, he found over 4 billion for Jack Layton pretty easily. Isn't it funny how he can find lots of money when his position of power is threatened. Not really.... Paul Martin is a fiscal Conservative, and doesn't seem to mind that our medical system is deteriorating, as long as he pays down his deficit and gives his golfing partners their tax breaks. How about another reason why our health care system costs so much. A huge chunk of our health care costs are prescription drugs. Brian Mulroney, in his bid to satisfy his golfing partners who own drug companies, set the time limit before a drug can be copied by a generic drug manufacturer to 20 years from what it used to be (7 years). Do you think that this move has put any downward pressure on drug prices.... How many billions of dollars a year has that increased our health costs ???? (Brian Mulroney should be considered a TRAITOR by Canadians.)

I'd vote for The Terrible Sweal Because his opinions are clearly better though out than the rest of the neocon tripe that I've read in this newsgroup. But if I were forced to pick between the federal leaders, it appears, as was proven so clearly in the past weeks, Jack Layton is the only one who appears to be genuinely concerned with the Citizens of Canada.

Today's polls, announced on the CBC show that HARPER HAS LOST HIS LEAD. It would be stupid for him to call an election right now. So he's going to have to try to appear to keep his word and pretend to try to bring the government down.... while telling a few MPs to stay at home, because he probably won't win an election right now. The only party to benefit from this whole thing is the NDP party, shown to be ahead of the Conservative in major urban centres....

Kimmie, One of the only reasons that the "Conservatives" are as high as they are in the polls is because ignorant people associate Harper's rednecks with the old "Progressive Conservative" party. And there are a lot of ignorant people out there who think things like "My daddy voted for the Conservatives, and my grand-daddy voted for them too, and I'm darn well going to vote for them too", without any concept of what they stand for... other than "Less taxes" The new Conservative/Reform/Alliance party, that chose to call themselves "Conservative" chose the name for just that reason. However, thinking people don't usually do things this way. They're scared of the Conservative/Reform/Alliance party for very good reason. PS. Todays polls show the Conservative/Reform/Alliance party has lost their lead... Harper's going to have to call the vote for non-confidence (because he promised he would try) and then tell some members to stay at home, because they know that they will lose an election if one is held this spring... funny, heh ???

To quote John Lennon (for all you Conservatives, it was John Lennon from the Beatles.... not the Russian dude) One of the great things about Trudeau was his position that he would not bend over for the Americans!!!