geoffrey

When the Easterns get off there lazy welfare asses and come fill our jobs, then you can bitch about where the bitumen goes. We can't find anyone else to work. They are all busy fishing 2 months of the year for EI. You want us to send you money to fix your manufacturing... how about you send some of those mindless overpaid autoworkers out here to work on our oil projects. If there isn't any labour, we have to send it south.

I didn't know that fossils like yourself still existed. Thanks for enlightening me.

Evidence of this? Harper's economic views are far more modern than direct investment in dying industry. McGuinty's economics and proposals to help manufacturing are why manufacturing is where it's at today. I think your right gc. None the less, McGuinty needs to be a little more careful in what he says... though than again it's McGuinty. How did Ontarians re-elect this guy?

Every day that I consider what is happening in Caledonia and elsewhere, I'm closer and closer to the conclusion that we really need to just end the reserve system and force these people to integrate into society. They seem to have adapted to the western values of alcoholism and obesity quite well, maybe they can pick up employment and education too. There is no reason to continue this nonsense in a civilized country. End the concept of Indians in general, cut off all special funding tomorrow, force them into the cities, and force them to work for their money. End of the inequity right there. It's too bad that some white guy coerced some Indian 300 years ago into signing some papers, but tough shit. I shouldn't pay for it. And Indians shouldn't benefit from it. It's time this ends. If all people are equal in Canada, I'd certainly like to see it applied to superior racial treatment Indians get in this country. Such ridiculous racism shouldn't exist in a modern nation, especially one that pretends to be progressive like Canada.

I just saw the clips on TV today. Taft comes across as a shrill whiner. He doesn't have the class to lead our province. Stelmach was respectable, but not assertive. Mason was typically boring. Hinman was impressive, concise and to the point. Unfortunately I don't think he did enough to attract votes or for people to take him seriously. The big winner? Stelmach because he didn't lose. The big loser? Taft. He is such an annoying little brat. And he needs to learn to shut his mouth while others are talking. Disrespectful, rude, arrogant. That's how I'd describe him. Definitely not someone to be taken seriously as a leader.

I meant financial incentives directly to managers. You get 1% bonus for every 1% you come in under budget, something like that.

With Dion's support so low, Harper won't need 40%. Chretien did it with 36% because of the vote splitting. The NDP and the Liberals or even the Greens may split that vote up enough for a majority win. I think the issues polling is most telling. No one likes Dion on anything.

Financial incentives for coming in under budget.

Of course it should be recognized. The majority of people want to leave. So they do. The details can be worked out later. The bottom line is that Kosovo decided it wanted to be independant, so there it is.

There is two sides to this one Dancer. All provinces except for Ontario agreed to have the same rules and recognize each other's decisions. It's Ontario that won't let go, not the rest of the provinces. The other 12 have agreed with this already. Why won't Ontario go along? Because they want the power. Not that it's much real power anyways.

Pardon me MSJ... I looked at government debt in general, not just that of the Federal government (so, Federal, provincial and municipal). You can find that here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_count..._by_public_debt (referenced from the World Factbook) Canada is 64%, United States is 36.8%. That's pretty consistant with the numbers I saw previously.

Yes you do. Because it's a holiday for Ontarians. Maybe, but that's their choice.

Those plants are not unionized, far more productive, have more satisfied employees and the companies pay less per employee. That's why they make money and the big 3 do not. Union automaking doesn't work anymore. The U.S. national debt is smaller than Canada's when measured as a % of GDP. That was a bank policy issue, not a government one. It could happen here. Many companies were hugely affected by ABCP in Canada as well.

Canada and Ontario are still behind other more productive economies in terms of long work weeks and less vacations. The Swedes are much more productive than us, and have many more vacation and shorter work weeks. As are the Aussies.

And that's exactly the attitude that should awaken those out here to seperation. We're no colony my friend, we fund confederation in Alberta. Canada would be a much poorer nation without us. We run the show now. Ontario had it's time, but it's over now that the endless government subsidies to weak business models has ended. Toronto's finance industry now is based on getting money for oil and gas out west. The TSX is based on oil. Ontario is based on Alberta's oil. Each Alberta produces nearly twice as much economic value as each Ontarian. The reality of 2008 is much different than the realities of the 80's. Without Alberta GDP: 1,206,282,000 Without Alberta Population: 29,279,000 GDP per Capita: $41,200 With Alberta GDP: 1,446,307,000 With Alberta Population: 32,649,000 GDP per Capita: $44,299 We provide 20% of the economic activity of the country having just over 10% of the population and increase the GDP by 7% just by being here. Ontario's GDP per capita according to StatsCan is actually below the national GDP per capita, meaning the province is a drain on our economic well being in Canada. Thanks for coming out though. Reality sucks hey.

We should be intolerant of extremists and terrorists. Do you think 200 years from now the US will celebrate a day for the 9/11 hijackers based on the fact that some in the States were intolerant of these people? Riel was involved in a major slaughter of police officers. You don't celebrate that. Ever. If he was a democratic dissident, then by all means, but he resorted to violence to acheive his means and that's inappropriate in a civilized society. And it absolutely should not be celebrated.

That's unforunate, because my point is quite accurate and clear. You'll find it's not worth your time unless your legitimately involved in your business. You know you can't just get cash back from your expenses, it's deducted against revenues right? Beyond that, your proposal to move to GST only just further moves the tax burden away from business. Which is great IMO. But counter to what your trying to accomplish.

It simply can't be allowed to pass because it's hypocritical nonsense.

About time you Ontarians joined us civilized folks in Alberta in having a February holiday.

Canada isn't a Christian country. That's a load of crap. Then bow your head and pray to yourself. Religion has no place in state institutions. If someone believes in God, then they are free to pray to him and do whatever. Those that don't are free from the constant annoyances of religion. If a legislature needs religious guidance, then he can ask for it. But saying the Lord's prayer before a session is ridiculous and should have ended years ago.

Let me just be the rational asshole for a second here... If the thing isn't alive, what does it matter? You shouldn't be able to harm a woman, but if the pro-choicers are right, then no one can be liable for killing a lifeless lump of flesh. Assault is really as bad as it could possibly be. It only harms the woman, the fetus is just worthless. If anyone can murder an unborn child, than the mother can as well. There can't be two ways about it. It's human and has human rights or it doesn't. This half way stuff is nonsense feminism. What BS.

Tough. That's not rational. So our laws not need to reflect that. If someone can make their beliefs work with society, great. Otherwise, too bad. There can't be special exceptions for irrational behavoir. My religion tells me that I should dance in the streets naked every second Tuesday and to carry a 5 foot broadsword to work. Should society adapt? Why the difference? Isn't all religious freedom the same? Monothesism is progressive?

The accelerated CCA also exists for many manufacturing applications. It essientially just defers income tax expense into a longer term liability. It's not a tax break for anyone that understands how this works, just spreads the tax effects revenue earned on expensive equipment over a long period. The government does lose the time value of the earnings but realises the nominal value of the taxes quite closely (unless there are overall corporate tax changes).

Income tax in this sense works much like GST. It's not charged on inputs, only on the finished product. I really don't see the difference between the two systems and how small business deals with it. For all realistic purposes, Business does not pay GST at all. I understand that your concerned with a few small business owners stretching their 'business' expenses further than allowed... but remember this is breaking the law and people are reassed and sometimes charged as a result. The laws and regulations work. Perhaps enforcement is too lenient.

Come to Calgary, we've got lots of jobs. Or Fort Mac. The government shouldn't be in the business of propping up (aka "revitalizing") towns just because they look nice or that people like living there. Alberta has a labour shortage (and now Saskatchewan and BC are feeling labour tightening) because the government encourages people to not work and be unemployed bums. The solution to unemployment is quite simple. Put these people on a bus and move them out here. We can put apparently skilled autoworkers to use out here. They may have to realise they've been overpaid all along and their union bosses won't protect them, but hey, that's real life. The government should never get involved in this sort of activity. This is a primary reason for my dismissal of equalisation. The Federal government tends to act completely contrary to our (Alberta's) interests when Ontario or Quebec are weak or vice versa. It esclates economic imbalances more so that it corrects them. The fundamentals are jobs and inflation, not government spending per capita. We shouldn't be funding the machine that is making us suffer with high inflation.