Should Stephen Harper resign?

[Topaz]

let's face it having a military for all countries very high debt and the Tories said they will look at it again in a couple years, well, the cost of billions if not trillions to do this is still there and where is the money going to come from. This government has made deep cuts to pay for the debt, the only choice for them or any party is to raise taxes.

[jacee]

More 'Harperspeak':

Canadians are getting too wise to the government's misuse of public funds for party propaganda. So ...

Ottawa axes questions from post-advertising polls

Government has started omitting survey questions that often lead to negative answers

http://www.cbc.ca/m/news/#!/content/1.2652475

Ottawa has quietly stopped asking Canadians questions that risk getting the kinds of answers the government may not like.

Under federal advertising rules, Ottawa must survey Canadians on the impact of ad campaigns over $1 million and post results online. Those surveys have now shrunk because revealing questions have been dropped.

The move follows a torrent of criticism that some of Ottawas multi-million dollar taxpayer funded advertising promotes the government, not government programs.

[jacee]

What Harper knew ...

http://m.hilltimes.com/2014/06/06/pmo-lawyer-perrin-left-post-one-day-after-duffy-payment-documents/38734

Mr. Perrin had been in on the PMO negotiations with Senator Duffy since mid-February, copies of hundreds of emails showed, including several that showed Mr. Harper was aware, at least generally, that Mr. Wright was going to take care of Senator Duffys expense woes, while at the same time keep him wholea phrase that meant the money would not come out of Senator Duffys pocket.It was one of several concessions the PMO agreed to while Mr. Wright strove to defuse the Senate scandal in a way that does not lead to the Chinese water torture of new facts in the public domain, that the PM does not want, as Mr. Wright put it in another email Cpl. Horton filed in court.

[cybercoma]

Of course Harper knew. Anyone that thinks otherwise is deluding themselves. He's a control freak. Nobody blows their nose int he PMO without Harper knowing. Sometimes that's a good thing, but it's laughable when he tries to distance himself from it when it's a bad thing.

[bush_cheney2004]

Like a broken record...."Blame Harper".

[scribblet]

Darned and here I thought 'Bush did it'

[On Guard for Thee]

I certainly enjoyed watching Harper dance the funky chicken in QP when Mulcair, in his succinct lawyerly fashion got to his feet and said simply "just show us the check"

[jacee]

Tax freedom day!

http://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/canada/today-s-tax-freedom-day-arrives-later-than-last-year-fraser-institute-1.1860735

But Tax Freedom Day is arriving one day later than last years date of June 8 because the average Canadian familys total tax bill is expected to increase faster than its annual income, economic policy expert Charles Lammam told CTVs Power Play.

Lammam notes that while total taxes will increase by 3.2 per cent over the last year, the average Canadian familys income will only increase by 2.1 per cent.

And the feds blame the provinces for debt, and the provinces blame the feds for downloading.

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[Smallc]

Tax freedom day is such bull. No one pays over 40% of their income in tax.

[cybercoma]

Tax freedom day is such bull. No one pays over 40% of their income in tax.

Well, you pay income tax. Then whatever's left over is taxed at roughly 13% every time you buy stuff. Then buying gasoline it's taxed even higher. Booze and cigarettes is taxed even higher still. I think when you add it all up, 40% is probably pretty close.

[Smallc]

Well, you pay income tax. Then whatever's left over is taxed at roughly 13% every time you buy stuff. Then buying gasoline it's taxed even higher. Booze and cigarettes is taxed even higher still. I think when you add it all up, 40% is probably pretty close.

I don't know, it seems like a pretty large exaggeration considering only about 32% of the economy is taxed according to most analysis.

[jacee]

I don't know, it seems like a pretty large exaggeration considering only about 32% of the economy is taxed according to most analysis.

What's the other 68% ?

I want to buy some of that!

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[Smallc]

What's the other 68% ?

I want to buy some of that!

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The other part is money that isn't eaten up by taxes at any level of government.

[Shady]

Tax freedom day is such bull. No one pays over 40% of their income in tax.

That just isn't true.

[Smallc]

Well, no it's not true, some people do. That's certainly not the average, as, again, far less than 40% of the economy is eaten up by taxes.

To put it another way, there's no way that the US and Canada should have tax freedom days that are two months apart when they are only separated in terms of economic taxation by 5%.

Edited June 10, 2014 by Smallc

[Shady]

Well, no it's not true, some people do. That's certainly not the average, as, again, far less than 40% of the economy is eaten up by taxes.

To put it another way, there's no way that the US and Canada should have tax freedom days that are two months apart when they are only separated in terms of economic taxation by 5%.

But you just said that nobody does. Now you're saying that some people do. Damn right they do. Between federal income taxes, provincial income taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, energy taxes, and health taxes, it certainly hits many people.

[Smallc]

But you just said that nobody does. Now you're saying that some people do.

I wasn't being literal. I shouldn't have phrased it that way.

[jacee]

The other part is money that isn't eaten up by taxes at any level of government.

Examples please?

What kind of money isn't taxed somewhere?

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[Smallc]

Examples please?

What kind of money isn't taxed somewhere?

.

It's all taxes...only a certain percentage of it is eaten

[jacee]

It's all taxes...only a certain percentage of it is eaten

Can you explain how?

.

[Smallc]

Can you explain how?

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A certain percentage of the economy is taken up by taxes...in Canada that number is about 32%.

[ParkdaleCon]

If Harper is going to resign before the next election, logistically, I think he would have to by the end of this year...

The Tories have been doing slightly better in polling these last few months and the shine and glamour of Trudeau does seem to be waning a bit. The Conservatives still have a good shot of winning a plurality of seats in 2015, and I find it extremely hard to believe Mulcair's NDP and Trudeau's Liberals would form a coalition to topple him. So I think Harper still sees a path to victory in 2015 and will not pass up the opportunity to take on Trudeau in a general election.

My gut is saying he stays... if the Cons only win a slim minority though, he will probably step aside.,..

[Big Guy]

Traditionally, Canadian PM's try to create an international profile and potential positions for themselves for later. Harper has been spending a lot of time on the road trying to raise his international profile. This may be an indictor that he is ready to step down.

[cybercoma]

Harper's too proud to resign. He'll die in office if it's up to him.

[Big Guy]

Harper's too proud to resign. He'll die in office if it's up to him.

Interesting. Why do you feel that staying in office is a matter of pride? I look at any resignation of a PM from office the same as anyone else retiring from a successful career. I would look at having been a PM of Canada for any length of time as a success. Many politicians retire for various reasons and I have never seen that as something negative or detrimental to an individual. If I was a politician I sure would retire before I was voted out. Retirement is the individual making the decision when it is time to leave. Being voted out is the public making the decision when it is time to leave.

Would anyone not prefer that they made their own decision?