Why I will still vote for Stephen J. Harper in 2015

[waldo]

You're the one with the picture of Harper in your profile.

which has nothing to do with my request/challenge to MLW member 'PIK'... asking him, in regards his statement, "Who are you trying to kid. Vote NDP, do you even understand what they stand for. Enough of the BS."... just what does the NDP stand for.

since you're hot to jump in, perhaps you could step-up and also advise, to you, just what does the NDP stand for?

Edited December 8, 2013 by waldo

[Keepitsimple]

Waldo.......I can't help but notice that you personally have not taken a stand on what party you would support - and why.....at least at this point in time. You've got lots of criticisms but will you take a stand, hey?

[waldo]

Waldo.......I can't help but notice that you personally have not taken a stand on what party you would support - and why.....at least at this point in time. You've got lots of criticisms but will you take a stand, hey?

huh! Given you're forever, over and over and over again, announcing "to the board", that you have me on ignore... just how have you noticed?

[Spiderfish]

Personally, I want to see Harper run in the next election and see him lose and he will if it IS a HONEST election.

Are you implying that if he wins, it can be concluded that the election was DISHONEST? Wow...win win for harper haters.

[BC_chick]

delusions of grandeur, hey!

but really, this is huuugggggeee!... that a hyper attacker of most anything even remotely "leftist", that a long-standing fervent Harper partisan, should come out so! Thanks for qualifying and distinguishing Stephen "J." Harper from all those other Stephen Harper's out there!

Too funny.

[jbg]

since you're hot to jump in, perhaps you could step-up and also advise, to you, just what does the NDP stand for?

Based on a reading of the NDP charter, admittedly some years ago, that the NDP believes in a "progressive" and activist government, and redistribution.

[Spiderfish]

Are you in Calgary, August? Cuz that's the only place that anyone can "vote for Harper".

That may be your POV, but its delusional.

[cybercoma]

PIK, can you describe (one of) your boogeymen... to you, just what does the NDP... stand for?

Violent Communist Revolution. He doesn't realize there's a Marxist-Leninist Party that's further left. The NDP is the same shade of Red to him.

[cybercoma]

Based on a reading of the NDP charter, admittedly some years ago, that the NDP believes in a "progressive" and activist government, and redistribution.

Let me help you out here: http://xfer.ndp.ca/2013/policybook/2013-04-17-PolicyBook_E.pdf

[Jimmy Wilson]

huh! Given you're forever, over and over and over again, announcing "to the board", that you have me on ignore... just how have you noticed?

OK...

Seeing as I don't really have a bone to pick with anyone...

Who do you favour?

[Jimmy Wilson]

Violent Communist Revolution. He doesn't realize there's a Marxist-Leninist Party that's further left. The NDP is the same shade of Red to him.

I was going to say Stalinist Communists...Who,if given power,will begin with the requisite purges and gulags for the "undesirables"...

[Remiel]

You always were very good at dressing up your lack of judgement, August. I mean that as a backhanded compliment.

You could spoil your ballot. That is an entirely legitimate thing you could do. There is absolutely no reason in our system that one cannot both respect the institution of the ballot and at the same time tell everyone on it to screw off.

To vote for Harper though is to embrace a state of willful blindness as to the absolute lack of conservation in his manhandling of public institutions.

[Jimmy Wilson]

You always were very good at dressing up your lack of judgement, August. I mean that as a backhanded compliment.

You could spoil your ballot. That is an entirely legitimate thing you could do. There is absolutely no reason in our system that one cannot both respect the institution of the ballot and at the same time tell everyone on it to screw off.

To vote for Harper though is to embrace a state of willful blindness as to the absolute lack of conservation in his manhandling of public institutions.

That's an interesting point...

I mean to say that if one is "conservative" or something to that effect,one must want to conserve something?

What is it exactly that these Conservatives are trying to conserve?

[On Guard for Thee]

Are you implying that if he wins, it can be concluded that the election was DISHONEST? Wow...win win for harper haters.

Well the last time he "won" there remains a cloud over the process. Remember Robocalls?

[On Guard for Thee]

Are you implying that if he wins, it can be concluded that the election was DISHONEST? Wow...win win for harper haters.

Well the last time he "won" there remains a cloud over the process. Remember Robocalls?

[Argus]

PIK, can you describe (one of) your boogeymen... to you, just what does the NDP... stand for?

The NDP champions the underdog. That's fine if you're the underdog. I'm not. I'm white, male, heterosexual, and upper middle class. The NDP has no interest in my welfare. Quite the contrary. An NDP government would impliment changes to taxation and regulation to improve (or attempt to improve) the lives of visible minorities, gays, the disabled, the poor, and to some extent, women, and it would pay for all this improvement by taking from me. It cares about the environment, and would help to protect the environment by implimenting changes to regulations and taxation - at my expense. The NDP, like a lot of those on the Left, is very easily offended by politically incorrect thought, statements or behaviour, and would tend to want to impliment restrictions on freedom of speech and expression similar to what we've seen in places like France and the UK. As someone commited to freedom of speech I find myself strongly opposed to that. In addition, of course, the heavy base of support they have in Quebec among nationalists would tend to influence any policies towards benefiting Quebec - at my expense.

All of this and more makes it patently clear the election of the NDP is not in my best interests.

Edited December 8, 2013 by Argus

[Argus]

Well the last time he "won" there remains a cloud over the process. Remember Robocalls?

I wouldn't callt that a cloud so much as a tiny puff of smoke.

[TimG]

The NDP champions the underdog. That's fine if you're the underdog.

The worst thing about the NDP is their policies provide short term gain to some groups but in the long term often harm the people they claim they want to help. i.e. blocking industrial development and subsidizing uneconomic pet projects will increase unemployment in the long run and mean fewer people will be able to find jobs. Edited December 8, 2013 by TimG

[Argus]

The worst thing about the NDP is their policies provide short term gain to some groups but in the long term often harm the people they claim they want to help. i.e. blocking industrial development and subsidizing uneconomic pet projects will increase unemployment in the long run and mean fewer people will be able to find jobs.

I wouldn't disagree with this. Often such policies are poorly thought out and ideological in nature. The cliche being they take money from those who have it and give it to those who don't. In the long run that means those who get the money feel less need to worry about self-improvement or finding better jobs, and those who have the better jobs and the skills see no practical benefits of them since the state is taking their money away to give to others. You wind up with something like in communist nations, where nobody much bothers to work hard or improve anything because they don't need to and won't benefit from it.

Before Harrs clamped down on welfare (the cruel, evil man) 10% of Ontario was on welfare benefits. The more generous you make them, the more people will decide that working some crappy job isn't worthwhile.

Edited December 8, 2013 by Argus

[Keepitsimple]

OK...

Seeing as I don't really have a bone to pick with anyone...

Who do you favour?

Forgive me - I forgot that I can't see any of Waldo's original posts - only see reposts from people like Jimmy here......so I see Waldo still has not declared the leader/party that he currently supports - or would be inclined to support - and why. What's so hard about taking a stand - if only to inspire continued debate? I may not agree with Waldo's ideology but I can surely respect his stamina. C'mon - lets see Waldo pick a party/leader and tell us what he likes - and doesn't like......as opposed to just trashing other peoples' views.

Edited December 8, 2013 by Keepitsimple

[waldo]

Waldo.......I can't help but notice that you personally have not taken a stand on what party you would support - and why.....at least at this point in time. You've got lots of criticisms but will you take a stand, hey?

huh! Given you're forever, over and over and over again, announcing "to the board", that you have me on ignore... just how have you noticed?

Forgive me - I forgot that I can't see any of Waldo's original posts - I may not agree with Waldo's ideology

Simple, c'mon... if I'm on your ignore list...

Ideology? Why not just use the word you really want to use! Simple, do I complete you?

[On Guard for Thee]

I wouldn't callt that a cloud so much as a tiny puff of smoke.

Being hoodwinked out of your democratic right to a vote may be a puff of smoke to you, I tend to agree with the criminal code of Canada that says it's illegal.

[jbg]

Forgive me - I forgot that I can't see any of Waldo's original posts - only see reposts from people like Jimmy here......so I see Waldo still has not declared the leader/party that he currently supports - or would be inclined to support - and why.

I assume Waldo is CPC all the way.

[ReeferMadness]

When Canadians finally come to their senses and get rid of this odious man, he will have racked up quite an impressive legacy. He inherited a financial position of a string of surplus budgets and managed to add something like 150 billion dollars to the federal debt. He encouraged record household indebtedness by some poorly considered changes to mortgage insurance. He made the weak Liberal record on the environment look positively glowing in comparison to his absolutely dismal track record. He established a policy of dismissing inconvenient knowledge by defunding science that was discovering it. He lowered the level of democracy in this country through voter suppression techniques, wedge issue politics and by negative campaigning at a level that rivals American politics.

But, I think that the greatest Harper legacy will ultimately prove to be the diminishing of Canada's reputation on the international stage.

Whether it's the environment, foreign relations, peacekeeping or refugee policy, Canada seems to be diminished in the eyes of some in the wider world.

[Argus]

When Canadians finally come to their senses and get rid of this odious man, he will have racked up quite an impressive legacy. He inherited a financial position of a string of surplus budgets and managed to add something like 150 billion dollars to the federal debt.

This is always the weakest and dumbest argument the Left uses against Harper. While I'm not a particular admirer of his fiscal record the fact is there was a long and deep international recession which raised unemployment and diminished federal tax income. There was also (and remains to an extent) an ongoing issue with oil exports which is costing the treasury billions. And the three 'progressive' parties demanded the government put in place a very expensive stimulus package, or threatened to take over and do it themselves. Even several years later the Liberals were demanding the stimulus be increased. So while the Conservatives can be blamed for lowering the GST (which I disapproved of), and corporate taxes (which I - and the Liberals - approved of but which I no longer do) blaming them alone for the deficit is absurd.

He encouraged record household indebtedness by some poorly considered changes to mortgage insurance.

Debatable. Some was his, some was the previous government, and none of it has had any ill affects to date.

He made the weak Liberal record on the environment look positively glowing in comparison to his absolutely dismal track record.

I think a large part of this is simple that what the Liberals did was largely tolerated and got little publicity, while everything the Tories do is looked on with extreme suspicion. I don't think they're really much worse than the Liberals were.

He established a policy of dismissing inconvenient knowledge by defunding science that was discovering it.

I think it was more a case of certain scientists who have, today, set themselves up as ideological champions, virtually all on the Left, self-declaring as enemies of the right and being treated as such.

He lowered the level of democracy in this country through voter suppression techniques, wedge issue politics and by negative campaigning at a level that rivals American politics.

Hyperbole and nonsense. The Liberals championed negative campaigning and nasty politics in Canada for decades, and nobody seemed to take issue with it. Then the tories took it up and suddenly they're acting like Americans and being mean. PHhht.

But, I think that the greatest Harper legacy will ultimately prove to be the diminishing of Canada's reputation on the international stage.

The one thing I almost entirely support is their move towards a more Canada centred foreign policy. Good on them. We should support our friends and condemn our enemies, not pretend we're 'neutral' in order to garner ethnic votes.