Martin vs. Harper - Good vs. Evil

[Michael Hardner]

If it's a matter of letting people feel enfranchised, perhaps we can add one extra MP for every party that earned 5% of the vote or more.

So given the current levels of support, the Greens would end up with one extra seat, as would the CPC, NDP, Libs and Bloc.

That would give people a voice without affecting the balance of the H of C too much. The Liberals will be accused of gerrymandering if they try implementing a full PR scheme in a minority government.

[noelandmero]

Thank you caesar for youre wonderful constructive criticism. I am glad you you are such a wonderful debater and that the only thing you can argue about is the grammar in a post.

Now back to business, if there was to be a two tier system in Canada, what sorts of services do you see being most beneficial as a privatized company? I feel that the essential services emergency room services, life saving techniques, post surgery treatments should stay as the public type system. I feel that things like MRI's and other sorts of testing should be private systems, if people can afford to pay, why shouldn't they get service right away? This could help off-set the cost to the public system. User fees for people over a certain income level shouldn't be a problem either.

I feel quality of life type services that are medically necessary but not medically urgent are the best services to have delivered both publicly and privately. A good example would be knee replacement surgery, this is definetly a medical necesity but not medically urgent. So if you would like it done now and you would like to pick youre doctor you pay. On the other hand you can certainly wait 6 months to a year to have it done and have a doctor assigned to you it will then be free. As long as the doctors in the public and private system are the same it can not be argued that the wealthy are getting the best doctors. This type of solution lowers the cost of public healthcare, decreases waiting times in the public system and allows doctors to have some control over there own finacial destiny.

[Reverend Blair]

Oh...let's start at the bottom.

Noelandmero....My grandmother in Saskatchewan got her knee replacement surgery in a couple of weeks. Do others have to wait longer? Yes, my grandfather on the other side waited two years for his hip replacement. Of course he turned it down three times because they kept trying to send him in during harvest or seeding, and his was diagnosed much earlier because he isn't nearly as stubborn as Lucy about going to the doctor. Hey though, let's all spout about how long it took for Ed and never mention Lucy.

Michael...Who cares what they get accused of? I've accused Paul Martin of having sexual relations with pigs and he never wrote to say I was wrong. I've accused Stephen Harper of committing consensual sodomy with George Bush, and when Stephen never complained I said that he must have liked it. Stephen has never once contacted me to deny liking it.

I think it's time we had something closer to democracy than our present system gives us. I do not think we can rule by having a referendum on everything, although I do think that for major electoral changes a referendum (with clarity, open debate, and maybe a cage match) are needed.

The reason I don't like referenda on most things is the same reason I think the Supreme Court should be free to strike down unconstitutional laws. There is a tyranny of the majority problem in any full democracy. We become a lynch mob really easily. The Supreme Court helps to limit that, holding too many referenda supports it.

Caesar...I want more fringe parties. I say that as a supporter of the NDP, likely the party that has the most to lose from fringe parties. The reason new parties pop up is that people do not feel represented by the old parties. Just because I do not agree with those people's views does not mean that they do not deserve representation though. Proportional representation gives them some influence, a way to be heard.