Conservatives McGuintied by Klein

[maplesyrup]

NDP will stop Klein and Harper's privatization agenda

PM calls Alberta Tories a threat

This is the first wheel today that has fallen off the Conservative bus.

More to follow.

[idealisttotheend]

I agree that Harper got McGuintied (great title MS) by Klien. It's that old Alberta foot in the mouth disease rearing it's head again. Now can the Libs and NDP use this the way the Saskatchewan NDP used the Crown protection issue to score major points. Maybe Martin should call the Alberta Liberal leader Kevin Taft to get some help. Taft knows health care very well and is an excellent politician,

[falling leaf]

maplesyrup

This is the first wheel today that has fallen off the Conservative bus. 

Thats a laugh maplesyrup after election day you will eat thoses words . Both Martin and layton are on the same page . The thing they know best to do is lie.

If Layton got in there would be no money left in 3 years.

Spend spend spend.

They will not protect the children of this country.

Harper is the only one going to do something about children being killed by porn loving men).

How about the terrorists Maplesyrup?

Martin said they have hand held weapons to shoot down planes. Then he forgot to tell the people of Canadian about the missing nukes 200 of them ( russian). Also about the chemical and bio weapons which could be used agaist us , how do you think layton would do as a leader under that type thing?

We do not have enough vaccine to protect our people from small pox.

Having down sized and almost putting our military into ruins how are we going to protect ourselves? O I know we will ask the USA to do it right!

Because when it really comes down to it we have our troops in other countries . Leaving only a few to protect us here. Not a pretty picture.

Now the medical plan I do believe if people in this country who have the money to do so pay their own medical in private clinics. It will take the strain of the public system

Less waiting for those who need it !!!!!!!

Vote Stephen Harper and you will not have to worry I am sure he could deal with anything that came his way .

[Stoker]

Maybe the Tories should use that latest report from the UN saying Calgary was the Healthest city in the world......

Calgary is in Alberta right?

Klien is the leader of Alberta right?

Klien is a Conservative right?

thats what I thought....

[maplesyrup]

Why do you think Klein stuck it to Harper?

This is turning out to be a nightmare last week of the campaign for the Consevatives.

[Reverend Blair]

I think Ralph is just too arrogant to keep his mouth shut, Maple. He was gloating more than anything. It was way premature and could well cost the Conservatives the election.

The Conservatives are getting desperate too. Look at this child porn thing. What's that based on? The fact that there is such a thing as artistic merit? Most of the world agrees that Lolita is a work of art, Harper would ban it. How about the fact that the good of the community means being able to discuss things? Harper would make it illegal to publish a book showing how child porn hurts children because such a book, if it were to be in-depth, would contain descriptions of child porn.

You can't stop child porn by driving it further underground and refusing to acknowledge it.

As with most things, Harper is depending on emotion and hoping that people do not think about the implications of what he is saying. He is simplistic, short sighted, and foolish.

[maplesyrup]

He is simplistic, short sighted, and foolish.

Rev Blair.......I am not so sure Harper is, but he thinks, or is hoping, the Canadian voters are.

[maplesyrup]

Klein couldn't keep his mouth shut

A controversial, but never published, caucus report would be released on new funding mechanisms. Alberta would impose a yearly deductible for health care tied to the income-tax system, so that all but the poor would pay for a certain amount of health care, up to a yearly limit — the theory being that such a deductible would discourage frivolous use of the system while raising money for it. Critics would call it a user fee by another name.

Regional health authorities would encourage more private delivery of publicly paid for services under the Canadian Health Act. If the federal Liberals challenged Alberta, fine. Premier Klein was ready for the fight.

Then came the federal election, and the Alberta government's torpedo tubes got stuffed, at least temporarily.

Federal Conservatives beseeched their provincial counterparts. Don't do it. Wait until after the federal election. Don't give the federal Liberals a target. The Klein Conservatives obliged, sort of. Some of their own caucus members, especially from rural Alberta, were nervous about the reforms. They needed reassurance. The reforms needed tweaking. Why not work a bit more on the reforms, and give the federal Conservatives a political break by remaining silent during the campaign?

So a veil of silence fell over Alberta's plans —until this week. Now those plans, still not made public, are part of the federal Liberals' desperate late-campaign effort to save a minority government.

The Klein government, in cahoots with Conservative Leader Stephen Harper, wants to destroy medicare, charged Prime Minister Paul Martin. Yesterday, he challenged the Alberta Premier to make public his plans before election day, a demand Mr. Klein is sure to reject. So, the fight is on, the one the federal Conservatives had hoped to avoid.

Thanks Ralph.....more seats for the New Democrats, eh?

[Argus]

I agree that Harper got McGuintied (great title MS) by Klien.  It's that old Alberta foot in the mouth disease rearing it's head again.

And what exactly did Klein or Haper say which qualifies as "foot in mouth". This sounds like nothing more than dishonest fearmongering by Liberals and socialists to imply that Klein is somehow going to destroy health care in Alberta, and that somehow he is in cahoots with Harper. In fact, Klein said he hadn't even spoken to Harper in six months, and that Alberta's health care system has nothing to do with Harper or his plans. This is not a wheel falling off, just another indication of Liberal and NDP fearmongering, dishonesty and desperation.

And I still remember the moderater at the debate asking what Jack Layton planned to do to address the explosively increasing costs of health care other than throwing more and more money at it. Jack's answer? Avoided the question entirely.

[Argus]

A controversial, but never published, caucus report would be released on new funding mechanisms. Alberta would impose a yearly deductible for health care tied to the income-tax system, so that all but the poor would pay for a certain amount of health care, up to a yearly limit — the theory being that such a deductible would discourage frivolous use of the system while raising money for it. Critics would call it a user fee by another name.

First of all, your link doesn't lead to anything relevent. Second, Alberta's health care system is better than that of most provinces. Third, Klein appears to be trying to actually do something to address the problems of health care, which is more than Paul Martin or Jack Layton have indicated they're willing to try. So far neither man has offered up a single solitary idea on reforming health care except spending more and more - and more - and MORE - AND MORE money on it.

Anyone with more than half a brain knows our present system is unsustainable no matter how much money you throw at it. But the Liberals and NDP have treated the Canada Health Act like a bible, to be worshiped and prayed to nightly, defending every word and phrase against all comers with the zeal of a religious fanatic defending God's word. Health care costs now consume almost half of all program spending for Ontario. It's probably higher than that in other provinces. And your solution? Spend more money! Bah. One of the reasons I support the Tories is the hope that they will actually try something new, experiment, find a way to improve health care. If that means tearing the Canada Health act apart then so be it. The goal is better health care for the country. I don't care how they do it.

[takeanumber]

It's true.

Like Klein.

Love Harper.

[playfullfellow]

How in the heck are we supposed to pay for all this extra stuff the Liberals and NDP want to throw at the healthcare system? The people who run the healthcare system dont want to change things, they just want more money so they can give themselves more. Everytime there is a funding increase, the unions are their with their hands out, bang, there goes the majority of the extra funding. How in the heck is higher wages going to improve things if people have a lousy work ethic to begin with? As for Klein, well he is pretty rough around the edges but he is a very proud Albertan. He believes in the Alberta people. Has he always done the right thing, nope but he does try to alleviate problems. Klein also feels the healthcare system is being abused by people. It is just not people who abuse the system, it is also doctors too. You get doctors who want to see a patient almost every week once they get to be over 65 so they can pump people full of pills and junk. What is the average doctors visit now? 10-15 minutes at the most. If you have a pain, they give you a pill. You have a fart stuck, you get a pill. How many pills do doctors hand out to patients at the cost of taxpayers? And people buy into all this clap trap that they need to see a doctor and get a pill everytime they feel a bit off. I have absolutely no problem with people who go to see a doctor for legitimate reasons. I also see no problem with going to see the doc once in a while for a check up once you are over a certain age. But I do have a problem with people treating old age like a disease and popping people full of pills and a lot of times these pills do absolutely nothing to help people. Heck, I know my pharmacist knows more about medications than a doctor does.

[maplesyrup]

Grits not out

Ralph's medicare makeover gives Liberals new hope

By RICK BELL, CALGARY SUN

 

By all accounts, it is their best conference call in a long while. Three times every week, the federal Liberal braintrust, the PM's top political pros from across the country, are on the phone, plotting their plays in a game where the one with the most X's wins.

The anticipated unveiling of Ralph Klein's medicare makeover two days after the federal election, drawing attention to questions of what Stephen Harper would do to rein in Ralph if the premier goes against the Canada Health Act, has Grits grinning.

So do the freshest CPAC numbers showing a slight bump up for the party. Of late, they've had little reason to turn their Liberal lips upward.

[playfullfellow]

No one even knows for certain yet what Klein proposes for his new healthcare plan. And, so far they are only proposals, nothing written in stone yet. Will Klein go against the Feds if he feels he is right, of course he will. Will we go through some troubled times, probably. But until the whole story is out, it is like chicken little. Does the healthcare plan need to be fixed, of it does, we can all agree on that. We just can't agree on the course needed to do so.

The country is split on what is the best course of action to fix healthcare. So why don't we allow a province to try a different method as a test study and see where it goes and what needs to be tweaked to make things better? As things stand, The Liberals and NDP want to throw more money at it but no plan on how to fix it once that money is gone. How does that help us? We blow a tonne of money and 3 years from now things will be exactly the same as now. What then, throw more money at it?

Healthcare spending is out of control and there is no plan to fix the situation. Without a plan, things will only get worse. At least Klein is going to have a go at it. Will he succeed? I don't know, it will depend on what he proposes to do.

[caesar]

Well, as he is a premier and not supposed to be a dictator; shouldn't the people of Alberta be advised on what his plans are so that they can have some input. Democracy means that the people have the last say in government. We should not be only democratic on election day.

A note of interest; We have 2 extreme right wing Premiers out west. One Liberal, one Conservative; both have had problems with alcohol. Does Harper like the bottle too?????? Just a question.

[takeanumber]

Not sure.

But Klein is a bully.

And he's arrogant.

Worse than Chretien ever was.

Conservatives don't often compare him to Chretien though, because that would be admitting fault with themselves.

And you know, term limits in Alberta is a no-non topic.

[caesar]

If Klein has some good ideas to help save our health care system and cut down the ridiculous waiting times; He should speak up and share it; not hint about trying some new system 2 days after the election. That sounds like a childish act. If he has ideas; share them with his own constituents; get some feed back from the people. This is supposed to be democratic countries. ALL YEAR not just for election day.

[Remus]

I don't believe Klien has every liked Harper much like Klien was never fond of Manning either. I think he wants to be top man in Alberta.

  Well, as he is a premier and not supposed to be a dictator; shouldn't the people of Alberta be advised on what his plans are so that they can have some input. Democracy means that the people have the last say in government. We should not be only democratic on election day.

Klien will most likely run his next election campaign on these health care reforms, which may be as soon as November.

But Klein is a bully.

And he's arrogant.

Worse than Chretien ever was.

Conservatives don't often compare him to Chretien though, because that would be admitting fault with themselves.

And you know, term limits in Alberta is a no-non topic.

Chretien never had 60% of the popular vote as Klien gets. Chretien was not as good at keeping major election promises as Klien has been.

We have 2 extreme right wing Premiers out west

Klien is hardly extreme.

[idealisttotheend]

Klien and Chretien are really almost identical. Klien is not the extreme right winger he is made out to be, he's actually a comprimisor, centrist and natural "man of the people." But there are elements of his party that push him far to the right and so he comes off as an extremist. The fact that he cannot fight those elements of his party off though will leave him to be judged by history on those elements' values if he is not careful. Democracy is very sick in Alberta these days, there is little opposition, government exerts undemocratic control of the media (by withholding information or appearances by ministers on media they feel is "unbalanced") and Alberta's "public affairs" beaurau (read, spin doctors) is larger than Ontarios. Unless the NDs and the Liberals unite in opposition and at least hold the PCs to the centre could it could indeed lead to disasterous consequences including to the unity of our country.

As to the health care reforms: they are clearly based on ideology and not good economics. If Mr. Klien is so proud of them then he should not be afraid to talk about them before the election.