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I agree. Lets give Harper a majority so he can clean up Ottawa.

And, it might even do Iggy a favor, because once he has lost the power to take down the government, then maybe he'll focus on rebuilding his party.

   

Fuck that! ANYTHING but a Harper majority! He's an ideologue and trys to rule like one even with a minority. It's not like he'll have a sudden infusion of common sense to keep him in check with a majority.

ABC

   

In practical terms, what does this mean?

   

It means he will choose conservative ideals despite the wishes of citizens. Despite common sense even.
To see where I'm coming from you would have to be up to speed with the crap he's been pulling re the CWB. Despite farmers voting in favor of the single desk system (even after Harper tried to rig the board elections) Harper is still on a mission to see the board destroyed. Saying he'll "roll over" anybody that gets in his way.

Why? If it serves farmers, and is what farmers want, why is he sticking his nose in there? Because he's an ideologue and single desk runs counter to his free market ideals.

Give me another reason, I'm all ears.

   

I think Quebec is slowly becoming less of an important factor of relying on their vote to achieve a majority, after the last election how many extra seats were given out the last time ? something like 30-35 ? And Quebec got none of those. The Quebec population isn't growing as it should while other parts of the country is, so that means more seats again in the future.

Besides Quebec will be bloc territory for some time now, it doesn't matter what we do, what we give.

Its a given Harper is going to treat Quebec like the other provinces this time around, like he should be doing. He tried the old formula and lost because Separatists artists where able to equate a minor cut in arts funding to that of ethnic cleansing of the Quebec culture, ridiculously hysteric and fickle if you ask me. The Bloc where able to take that and run with it. Sad to see sheeple swallow it up.

   

Without Quebec, no party is likely to see a majority again.

Harper's "socialist/separatist" remarks are going to cost any possibility of seats in Quebec while he's in charge.

Stevie had better learn to play nice, or he's going nowhere fast.

   

Are the bloc not separtists Poquas ?

Duceppes quote from yesterday.

"Canada is a great democratic country, its just not mine."

Quebec is has mastered socialism in this country so , so what.

Like I said, with the seat gains he wont need them.

   

So when politicians implement any policy they can to stay in power, it's bad, but when they are elected and stick to their platform rather than pander it's also bad?

The Government of Alberta's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development released a study that was less than favourable of the CWB. "Given the significance of these hidden costs, we conclude the single-desk is a handicap for farmers. It also comes at a significant cost to taxpayers. Removal of the Canadian Wheat Board’s single-desk status would raise farm income and reduce the burden on the Canadian taxpayer." So not only would it eventually be better for farmers, it would be better for all taxpayers. Good policy should come before good politics and while I don't think Harper is the best thing since sliced bread, I will say he's doing the right thing here.

Source: http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agc2265?opendocument

   

You just linked to the government of Alberta to support your argument for Harper's policys? Do you not see the problem with that? I'm well aware of the anti-single desk argument, as is every farmer. Some even agree with it, but they are the minority. Farmers voted, and even with the illegal gag order Harper gave the CWB, and his spin machine turned up to max rpm, farmers told him to stuff it.

It's not good policy, it's right wing ideology. Just like cutting taxes while our economy was red hot was not good policy. It was the political thing to do.

If the intent of the Harper governemnt is to help barley producers by removing barley from the wheat board, kindly decipher the quote I have as my signature and tell me how that helps barley producers???

   

The intent is to have a more efficient market, reducing deadweight and administrative costs to the entire economy. The point isn't to favour certain small demographics.

Right-wing economic ideology, more often than not, is more economically efficient. The free-market is the least worst for deadweight and administrative costs. Cutting taxes while the "economy is red hot" encourages more infrastructural capital investment such that when the economy enters the downswing part of the business cycle, the additional infrastructural capital produces more efficiently. Would you have the government hike taxes when the economy is on the up swing?

You and many other farmers support the CWB, I understand that. Dissolving the CWB seems to be part of Harper's platform and he's been most successful at winning the Prime Minister's seat. If somebody supports free-market principles because it means a better economy, if that person tries to improve the economy with a policy that is free-market, is that person simply an ideologue?

   

Quebec's probably a write off because I've seen no evidence thus far that the Tories have managed to rebuild there after the Bernier debacle eliminated their main pointman in that province. Cannon's probably a good go-to guy but with an Anglo last name he just doesn't have the ability to win over the locals in the same way Bernier could have if he hadn't acted like such a big doofus.

A majority would be nice but I don't see it happening. Between the "gotcha!" media desperately hunting for any Tory slip-ups and their own innate tendency to have a candidate or staff underling do or say something really stupid, I'd call it another minority either identical to the current one or even slightly reduced in numbers.

   

Kinda assuming the Conservatives can still count on their 10 or so seats in the Eastern/Central part of the province.

Let's face it, the Bloc is a joke. Like you said, there are many ''sheeple'' that will take everything Duceppe tells them. Defend Quebec's interest is his only slogan. But at the same time, there is the QC media factor. I know, not the 1st time saying this, but with the several ''biased'' journalists in this province, it's no surprise that there is still plenty of Bloc/PQ support.

Agree that it's time to get a majority or else there are gonna be elections every so often.

   

No offense, sounds like you are new to this issue. The wheat board brings farmers grain to market, they do this while not turning a profit. Grain brokers, who would replace the board in Harper's version, would turn a profit. Less money for farmers, more overhead. The wheat board also saves farmers millions in frieght costs. Being the largest seller on planet earth gives you the abillity to negotiate great deals on the farmers behalf. The majority of the board is elected by, and accountable to farmers and farmers alone.
You have to pay the piper sometime buddy. If downturns call for huge deficits, the opposite is also true. Who balances the check book at your house?


No, doing so even when it is not a good idea makes you an ideologue. You said it yourself "Right-wing economic ideology, more often than not, is more economically efficient". I don't think Harper recognizes the 'not' times. I voted for him the first time, I have voted against him ever since.

   

I theory, I agree with what you're saying. What I disagre with is the notion that the Conservative Party of Canada represents right-wing economic ideology better than the Liberals. I don't see the Cons being 'right' of the Libs and, given that we're stuck with a choice between two pretty much like-minded parties on the political/economic spectrum, I have to make my choice based on something else.

If that "something else" is social justice, then I'll likely lean Liberal. The Conservative Party, IMHO, is chaulked-full of mean-spirited Alliance/Reform idealogues that have read way too much Ayn Rand (and understood very little of it). As an Ontarian, the memory of a majority Provincial government run by that sort is too fresh in my mind. Mike Harris' secret agendas played out once the majority was in place and I fear the same thing from Harper.

If I vote purely on economics, then I'd also vote Liberal, given that Harper just implemented the most left-wing budget in Canadian history. I cannot support ANY party that runs a $50B budget deficit, especially when we've spent the past 20 years learning how crippling it is to manage a Federal budget when a third of total spending is pissed-away servicing debt. On the other hand, I'm very disturbed by Iggy's support of the Iraqi war (though I'm certain Harper would also have supported the war), the ease with which he allied himself with separatist bastards last fall, and a host of other uncertainties.

All I'm left with, then, is a choice between 2 parties, neither of whom I have much faith in. So then I have to think about my particular riding. The incumbant Conservative is a walking corpse and the Liberal candidates in recent elections have ranged from tree-hugging kooks to whiney rich brats to religious fundamentalists. So I'm likely to vote Green as a protest vote. If enough of us do that, maybe the Big 2 will start to get the message that they've BOTH been poor governors of our land.



The point on the Business Cycle is irrelevent. What IS important is that we are on the downslope of the Laffer Curve. I wouldn't support any tax hikes, whether the economy is rising or falling. If we want to raise tax revenues, we need to REDUCE tax rates.

   

Voting for May.....I just can't do it Lemmy.

   

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