Originally Posted By markcanada The last time Canada had a "Conservative" government in power . . . we had record deficits, high unemployment, and a tanking economy. The GST (Goods and Services Tax) was brought in with the promise that merchants would lower prices because the GST was "replacing" other taxes. . . never happenned. The Free Trade agreement was signed, causing massive job loss in Ontario as many companies moved their operations to places with lower labour costs. The Conservatives were also just as prone to use politics to further their own end, bypassing federal contract rules to award a multimillion fighther aircraft contract to a Montreal firm, instead of to the better priced and better technically qualified Manitoba based company. There were also accusations that the Prime Minster at the time was involved in kickbacks from Airbus, but these could never be proven (either he was innocent or his staff were better at operating the paper shredder than Liberals were). The current Conservative party is actually a merger of the old Progressive Conservative Party and the Reform party. Prior to the merger, the leader of the Reform party promised a rival leader candidate that if he gave him his support, he would not merge the party with the Conservatives. After winning the leadership convention, he quickly broke this promise for political expediency. The current Liberal government, while having been more fiscally responsible, has also been mired in corruption, kickbacks, arrogance, and questionable competence. Faith in politicians in Canada is at an all time low. Neither of the two leading parties garner much trust from the general public. The most likely outcome is another minority government with neither party having sufficient seats to govern as a majority. But thanks for your interest. : )
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>Faith in politicians in Canada is at an all time low. Neither of the two leading parties garner much trust from the general public.<< Pretty much like America at the moment.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom Gee I wonder who's fault that is? Could it be the "we hate America and George Bush crowd"
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan Who's fault is it? Both sides contributed to the cynical feelings the average American has about politicians in general with daily doses of bickering, misdirection and wasteful out of control spending. Poll after poll shows that approval ratings for both parties on the national level are falling, which means there is plenty of blame to go around. But you go ahead and blame just the one side all you like if it makes you feel better.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom Here is my proof. << Who are you calling angry? Nov 30, 2005 by Michelle Malkin ( bio | archive | contact ) Email to a friend Print this page Text size: A A Janeane Garofalo, left-wing actress-turned-Air America radio host, is a miserable woman. Last week before the holidays, she turned up on cable TV. No, not to count her blessings -- but to rant against conservative journalist Bob Novak, author Ann Coulter, and the Fox News Channel. She didn't have anything better to do for Thanksgiving? Accessorized by a permanent scowl (hard to believe she was once considered a comedienne), Ms. Garofalo accused conservatives of having "an anger management problem." Without a trace of irony, the frowning Garofalo griped about "right-wing partisan hacks" who "are always on the verge of punching somebody or always behave as if they've just been cut off in traffic." This, dear readers, is a classic case of liberal projection. Like CNN executive Jonathan Klein, who derided Fox's audience as full of "angry white men, and those men tend to be rabid," and liberal comedian Bill Maher, who also railed that "Republicans need anger management" and are possessed with a "vein-popping, gut-churning rage that consumes the entire right wing," Ms. Garofalo crossly blames the Right while denying the pathological wrath and fury that characterize the unhinged Left. Who are you calling angry, Ms. Garofalo? You want political road rage? Let's start with Al. Take your pick: Sharpton. Gore. Franken. Yearrghh! Now, open your eyes: It isn't out-of-control conservatives tossing Molotov cocktails at police officers in San Francisco, burning American soldiers in effigy, and smearing pig's blood and feces on the walls and windows of military recruitment centers across the country to protest on behalf of peace. It isn't rage-blinded conservative professors who embrace fragging (the murder of American soldiers by their fellow soldiers on the battlefield) as a legitimate anti-war tactic. It isn't vengeful conservatives torching SUVs, condo developments, and research facilities, and targeting biotech and pharmaceutical company employees and their families to protest on behalf of the environment. It wasn't mad conservatives sporting "F--- Bush" license plates, punching cardboard cutouts of the president, and vowing to secede after losing the 2004 presidential election. It wasn't rabid conservatives who gloated over Ronald Reagan's death or John Ashcroft's pancreatitis. It wasn't a gut-busting conservative journalist who vowed to kill herself if Dick Cheney ran for president. (That would be the perpetually aggrieved Helen Thomas.) It wasn't hate-filled Republican officials who reportedly screamed "faggot" and "fruitcake" and "I'll break your nose" at their political opponents. (Those were all Democrats: Pennsylvania state legislator Vincent Fumo, California Rep. Pete Stark, and Virginia Rep. Jim Moran, respectively.) It isn't fanatical conservatives joking about the assassination of President Bush and the execution of his Republican aides. (That, Ms. Garofalo, would include your Air America colleagues. But I'll forgive you if you weren't tuned in to them. Few are.) And it wasn't ruthless conservatives who cheered last week when a liberal Bush-hater wrote on the popular DemocraticUnderground.com website last week: I am an American, Born and Raised, but I am NOT a citizen of BUSH'S America. I want nothing to do with the country these people have created. And for those who support them, Let's get Something Nice And Sparkling CLEAR: Stay The [F---] Away From Me. Stay OUT of my personal space. I want NOTHING from you. I want NOTHING to do with you. I want NOTHING to do with your "vision" of what the world should be. What DO I want from you? Honestly? I will freely admit there are days, and they are becoming more than not, that the Alien at Area 51 in Independence Day and I share quite a common ground on the answer to that question. And I am NOT apologizing for it. In the words of the Late, Great Bill Hicks, about the most conciliatory thing I can say for those people at this point is simply this: Kill Yourself My Christmas wish for Ms. Garofalo and her ilk: a mirror and a clue to make the yuletide bright. In the meantime, when vein-popping liberals start seething about the rage of the Right, the wisest action for peaceful right-wingers I can recommend is this: Duck. Michelle Malkin is a syndicated columnist and maintains her weblog at michellemalkin.com.>>
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan Yeah. And now someone on the other side will find a similar hateful thing, and back & forth and 'round and 'round it goes. To be blunt, if you think only one side is responsible for the cynicism, you just don't get it, but that's exactly what has turned people off to both sides.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom I don't think both sides are inocent. What I'm pointing out is that there is no way the Republican's can come close to what the unhinged Democrat's have been doing.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom The "blame everyone" sceme doesn't help. Judging by the number of American flag bumper stickers on the highways I believe there truely are many many flag waving, Patriotic people in this country. The truth of the matter is that the unhinged Democrats alligned with the mass media have daily been attacking the President and our troops in harms way.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan Sure they can. Look back at the Clinton years. You'll find some pretty wild stuff being said back then by the Republicans, too. Anyway, this thread is about Canada throwing out the very liberal for the not as liberal party. ; )
Originally Posted By Lake Nona If a new govt is elected 23/01/06, are they going to lower the taxes on Molson? Understand that one of the Canadian leaders wants to lower the GST (or go south tax) from 7.5% to 5%.
Originally Posted By Shooba The Conservatives would lower the national sales tax. A good election ploy, but not necesscarily the best economic plan. Lowering a sales tax will most benefit the wealthy, the people who spend lots. I'd prefer to see personal income taxes lowered, which would provide more of a benefit to the lower/middle class.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <<The deficit declined under Clinton before the Republicans took the House.> <But was never a surplus.> You can't go from massive deficits under Bush I to surplus overnight. One would have thought that was obvious, but that would have deprived you from trying, however clumsily, to make a "point." The reality is that Clinton reversed the trend and got it started in the right direction, finally. <<From '95 on we had a mixed govenment, but with Clinton proposing the budgets, that the Congress did not appreciably change.>> <Except to balance them.> Once again, the budgets Congress approved were NOT appreciably different from the ones Clinton proposed. I challenged you months ago to find an example - any year will do - of Congress altering Clinton's proposed budgets in any appreciable way, and you couldn't. Guess you still can't. And that's because they don't exist. What Clinton proposed and what Congress approved never differed by more than a small percentage. Clinton started the process moving with a Democratic congress, and he kept it going, balancing the budget and running a surplus by the time he left, as he said he would do. We all know what happened when both branches of government fell into Republican hands.
Originally Posted By DouglasDubh <You can't go from massive deficits under Bush I to surplus overnight.> True, but you claimed that the last time we had a liberal government, the budget had a surplus. That was incorrect. <Once again, the budgets Congress approved were NOT appreciably different from the ones Clinton proposed.> Except that the ones the Congress approved caused a surplus. <I challenged you months ago to find an example - any year will do - of Congress altering Clinton's proposed budgets in any appreciable way, and you couldn't.> It's not that I couldn't, it's that I didn't need to. You can spin it all you like, but it's a historic fact that before the Republicans came to power, President Clinton was projecting a deficit for the next ten years. After the Republicans won control of Congress, President Clinton argued against cutting the budget enough to run a surplus.
Originally Posted By thenurmis Hey you lib vs con wankers get out of the Canadian thread eh, take your issues to the corner drop your gloves and have just have at her. but do some where elce maybe on a thread aboot America eh. IT's a bit of a joke that the gov, got the boot on a vote of non confidents, being that they were looking at calling a spring election any how. All this did is push it up a couple months. If any thing it has the conservitve party looking like a bunch of problem children, and the feeling here has been more of one rallying to back the libs , rather than over throw them. But thats only in the land of liberals (Vancouver) The rest of BC is pro con. and I have a feeling that, they will have there day in the sun. Unless old Mulrony gets his smilin mug back in the news. Good old Brian the one man wrecking crew of the Canadian Conservite Party...If I was in charge of the Lib camp, I would do my best to get ol' Bri out there front and center. They would get the needed majority gov for sure .
Originally Posted By Beaumandy It doesn't amtter who runs Canada. America is the only reason that country can survive.
Originally Posted By TomSawyer We'll apologize for Beau's attitude if Canada apologizes for Celine Dion.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <<You can't go from massive deficits under Bush I to surplus overnight.>> <True, but you claimed that the last time we had a liberal government, the budget had a surplus. That was incorrect.> Okay, the last time we had a mixed government with a Democratic president submitting budgets that the GOP congress did not change in any appreciable way, we had a surplus. Once we got the GOP in control of both branches, we went back to deficits. <<Once again, the budgets Congress approved were NOT appreciably different from the ones Clinton proposed.>> <Except that the ones the Congress approved caused a surplus.> If they had left them completely alone we would have had a surplus as well. This is what you either don't seem to understand, or DO understand but are dishonestly trying to spin anyway. Congress never changed them more than a paltry amount. <<I challenged you months ago to find an example - any year will do - of Congress altering Clinton's proposed budgets in any appreciable way, and you couldn't.>> <It's not that I couldn't, it's that I didn't need to.> LOL! Beyond weak. <You can spin it all you like, but it's a historic fact that before the Republicans came to power, President Clinton was projecting a deficit for the next ten years.> It's you who's spinning, as we all can see. Clinton had already brought the deficit down before the GOP takeover, and underestimated how good his economy was going to be. <After the Republicans won control of Congress, President Clinton argued against cutting the budget enough to run a surplus.> Argued how, and with whom? The budgets HE proposed turned a deficit into a surplus eventually. Again, show me where the budget HE proposed was altered more than a small amount by the Congress. You can't.
Originally Posted By Lake Nona >>LOL, I like Rush, the band from Canada and hockey.<< I like when you go to the duty free shop before the border and you get the GST back because I am a US citizen and spend 19.50 CDN for a case of Molson Dry. In Quebec, you do not get the TVQ tax back. Where's Shaina Twain in this thread? From Timmins,Ont.
