Quote of the Day/Week/Month/Year

[Pliny]

Stephen Harper, PM of Canada:G & M

Lower costs for consumers? There is only two ways a government can lower costs for consumers. One is price controls the other is making "money" scarce.

Edit: Ok! Three. They can lower taxes.

Edited May 22, 2008 by Pliny

[August1991]

Patrick Moore, 61, founding member of Greenpeace:

“There are over six billion people on this planet, all of whom need food, energy, shelter and materials,” said Moore. “By initiating campaigns against nuclear and hydro power, wood and vinyl, the Greenpeace agenda would have us deny people basic needs, and that runs completely contrary to true sustainability,” said Moore.

Link

[jdobbin]

No much really. Most gasoline taxes are excise taxes. In Montreal for example, there is the federal 10 cent/litre excise tax and a provincial 15.2 cent/litre excise tax. Then, there is a 1.5 cent/litre municipal excise transit tax. The Quebec government recently added a 0.8 cent/litre carbon tax. These are flat taxes that together add 27.5 cents/litre to the price but don't change regardless of the selling price. (In fact, governments receive less revenue through these taxes since consumers buy less gasoline when the price is high.) In addition of course, there is the 7.5% QST and the 5% GST added to the retail selling price.

I saw regular gasoline at 1.39 per litre in Montreal today. At such a price, the seller received 95.6 cents and governments received 43.4 cents.

Note that this does not include the royalties paid to governments for exploiting the crude oil.

That's funny because the Canadian Taxpayer's Federation says that each time gas goes up 10 cents, the federal government take goes up $100 million. Do you deny their numbers? Because if you do, those are the same numbers that the Tories used in 2005 when they criticized the Liberals.

Do you remember the promise where the Tories said in 2005 that they would drop the excise tax if the price went over 85 cents.

http://www.nationalpost.com/scripts/story.html?id=515286

The Conservatives are hoping that commitments they made while in opposition have been long forgotten by the voters. In 2005, the Tories promised to remove the then-7% GST charged on the 10¢ federal excise tax on gas, and to drop the GST completely when prices exceeded 85¢ a litre. Back then, with gas at $1.14 a litre in Montreal, Stephen Harper said the Liberal government was collecting a windfall from taxes on the back of soaring gasoline prices and offered relief of up to 5¢ a litre.

"There's no reason for the federal government to profiteer when consumers are hurting," he said.

Now that they're in power, the Conservatives are having sober second thoughts. The prospect of an extra $100-million in the federal kitty for every 10¢ rise in the gas price is an irresistible temptation for a government flirting with deficit.

Mr. Harper claims the government has done its bit by cutting the GST by two points, but even my wobbly arithmetic can figure out that this is, at most, only half of the price-cut commitment he made before the past election.

[Pliny]

That's funny because the Canadian Taxpayer's Federation says that each time gas goes up 10 cents, the federal government take goes up $100 million. Do you deny their numbers? Because if you do, those are the same numbers that the Tories used in 2005 when they criticized the Liberals.

Do you remember the promise where the Tories said in 2005 that they would drop the excise tax if the price went over 85 cents.

http://www.nationalpost.com/scripts/story.html?id=515286

So the Tories have reconsidered their position and turned socialist, a little to the left, to get people out of their cars and onto their bikes and riding transit as they should be. Why should you complain? They are catering to your every need.

[jdobbin]

So the Tories have reconsidered their position and turned socialist, a little to the left, to get people out of their cars and onto their bikes and riding transit as they should be. Why should you complain? They are catering to your every need.

Oh, is that what it is? And I just thought it was another string of broken promises from the Tories?

[Remiel]

What is there, exactly, to prevent the price of gas from being raised up to the price it would have been with the excise tax? I would rather that money be in the hands of the government than in the hands of the oil companies. At least we see some good from it that way.

[Pliny]

I would rather that money be in the hands of the government than in the hands of the oil companies. At least we see some good from it that way.

I am posting my first quote.

[Pliny]

Oh, is that what it is? And I just thought it was another string of broken promises from the Tories?

They are politicians. How much is your vote? If the Liberals had never abandoned principle for votes or never broken a promise I would take offense. You needn't tell me about the shortcomings of the Tories. All political parties are guilty of sacrificing principle and policy in their manoeuvring for position. Harper is not immune form this political disease.

Then there is the opposite side of the fence. Those who remain loyal to their party regardless - they don't make good politicians though.

[eyeball]

What is there, exactly, to prevent the price of gas from being raised up to the price it would have been with the excise tax?

This should be in a thread titled Question of the Day/Week/Month.

[August1991]

Talk about thread drift....

That's funny because the Canadian Taxpayer's Federation says that each time gas goes up 10 cents, the federal government take goes up $100 million. Do you deny their numbers? Because if you do, those are the same numbers that the Tories used in 2005 when they criticized the Liberals.

Annual gasoline sales in Canada are about 40 billion litres. A price rise of 10 cents means that GST revenues (now) rise by 1/2 cent per litre or about $200 million. Since purchases of gasoline decline with the price rise (and some gasoline is GST exempt), the fed's take will be less than $200 million. $100 million is a conservative guesstimate.

What is there, exactly, to prevent the price of gas from being raised up to the price it would have been with the excise tax?

What would prevent the price rising? Uh, some things called supply, demand, elasticities and incidence.

[Remiel]

Exactly, August, supply and demand. If the government shaves a few cents off of the tax, the market will adjust it to the same price that it was before the tax was removed. You know, I think they call it the " equilibrium price " .

In any case, let the thread hijack end here. If anyone wants to continue this discussion, they can move it to a new thread.

Edited May 25, 2008 by Remiel

[guyser]

If you grow up in a culture of violent hatreds and bigotry - as most immigrants have done .....

Gold jerry gold !

[Pliny]

“Taxes have gone up far

too fast in our city. We’re

seeing young families

moving out of our city.

We’ll have a city where

we’re all very rich or own

a business. That’s not the

city I want.’ Vancouver Mayoralty Candidate Raymond Louie

24hrs Vancouver Thursday May 22, 2008 http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/PDF/

Edited May 29, 2008 by Pliny

[August1991]

First Lt. Andrew Grayson, 27, US Marine:

"I was the one that had to look at myself in the mirror. To take the easy way out, you are the one that has to live with that." — Marine intelligence officer Andrew Grayson, after being acquitted in the alleged cover up the killings of 24 Iraqis, talking about his refusal of a deal that would have reduced charges and kept him out of prison.

IHT

Context:

The same network newscasts that hyped the 2005 "alleged massacre" by U.S. soldiers in Haditha are so far ignoring the acquittal on all charges of Lieutenant Andrew Grayson on Thursday. Grayson was accused of attempting to cover up details of the events surrounding a raid that lead to the death of 15 Iraqis. However, Grayson's acquittal was skipped by ABC's "Good Morning America," CBS's "Early Show" and NBC's "Today" show. (CNN's "American Morning" covered the story only as a news brief.)

Link

[Pliny]

First Lt. Andrew Grayson, 27, US Marine:IHT

Context:Link

Thanks.

[August1991]

Hillary Rodham Clinton, 60, erstwhile Democratic presidential candidate:

“The way to continue our fight now to accomplish the goals for which we stand is to take our energy, our passion, our strength and do all we can to help elect Barack Obama, the next president of the United States,” she said in a speech before cheering supporters packed into the ornate National Building Museum, not far from the White House she longed to govern from.

“Today as I suspend my campaign, I congratulate him on the victory he has won and the extraordinary race he has run. I endorse him and throw my full support behind him and I ask of you to join me in working as hard for Barack Obama as you have for me,” the New York senator said in her 28-minute address.

G&M

[August1991]

Fred Thompson, 65, failed US Republican presidential candidate commenting on the US Supreme Court's decision about Guantanamo detainees:

In reading the majority opinion I am struck by the utter waste that is involved here. No, not the waste of military resources and human life, although such a result is tragically obvious. I refer to the waste of all those years these justices spent in law school studying how adherence to legal precedent is the bedrock of the rule of law, when it turns out, all they really needed was a Pew poll, a subscription to the New York Times, and the latest edition of “How to Make War for Dummies.”

Link

[August1991]

Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, speaking in Saskatoon about the Liberals' proposed carbon tax plan:

"The National Energy Program was designed to screw the West and really damage the energy sector and this will do those things," Harper said at a news conference. "But this is different. It will actually screw everybody across the country."

Canwest Edited June 23, 2008 by August1991

[Pliny]

Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, speaking in Saskatoon:Canwest

You should qualify what "this" means. It is the "Liberal Carbon tax plan". Well, you posted the link anyway. I had to read it to find out what Harper was talking about.

[Fortunata]

"The National Energy Program was designed to screw the West and really damage the energy sector and this will do those things," Harper said at a news conference. "But this is different. It will actually screw everybody across the country."

That Dion - he is just scary*scary*scary!

[Pliny]

That Dion - he is just scary*scary*scary!

For a minute there I thought someone had stolen your handle then I realized you were being facetious. That's a nice alliteration "Facetious Fortunata".

[M.Dancer]

The wrong thread? Impossible. All threads that involve you are essentially the same.

[Argus]

Gold jerry gold !

Most of our immigrants come from places like Pakistan and China and east Africa - lands in which violent bigotry is fairly well-documented. So how is the quote incorrect?

[guyser]

Most of our immigrants come from places like Pakistan and China and east Africa - lands in which violent bigotry is fairly well-documented. So how is the quote incorrect?

First off I have no idea where or in what context I said that. Probably in response to one of leafless' pedantic posts.

But moving on... as for your assertion "most" come from Pakistan China and E Africa....

if that were true then....well you know.

China is #1 , so for that you are correct.

Pakistan, in the number 4 spot followed by the USA...such a violent and bigotted spot n'est ce pas?

E Africa, not even in the top ten.

Sorry what were you saying?

FYI

China - 155,105

India - 129,140

Philippines - 77,880

Pakistan - 57,630

United States - 38,770

South Korea - 35,450

Romania - 28,080

Iran - 27,600

United Kingdom - 25,655

Colombia - 25,310

[August1991]

George W. Bush, US President, referring to Dmitri Medvedev, President of Russia:

“You know,” Mr. Bush said, “I’m not going to sit here and psychoanalyze the man, but I will tell you that he’s very comfortable, he’s confident, and that I believe that when he tells me something, he means it.”

NYT