Stephan Harper Criticism

[niss]

I guess I was being a little unfair with the Mein fuhrer comment.

I guess Harper is closer to a stalin. They both had great PR campaigns.

[AdamB]

Well, to me, getting taxed as much as we are is criminal. Why is the govt able to take such a chunk out of my hard earned money without even asking? It is important to note that this tax was implemented as a measure to help the war effort - and was temporary. 80 years later, we're still stuck with income tax.

The government took money, and liked it.
Should they have gotten rid of income tax after the war? Apparently, they didn't think so.
They quite obviously thought it was completely O.K. to scam people out of their money - and the people didn't seem to care much. And people still don't think much of it.

How do you propose we fund roads, health care, police forces, the military, a multitude of government services, etc?

Do tell. This ought to be interesting.

It just baffles me that roads, and general infrastructure existed before income tax, and that governments seemed to deal with it quite nicely in the past.

Of course the money has to come from somewhere, and we all have to chip in if we want to have the services we have. However, seeing the govenor general buy a 300 000 dollar carpet, or politicians buying hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of booze for their expensive parties (M. Maire de Montreal), i can't help to think that our tax money is somewhat ... misplaced.

Those are two examples i thought of off the bat; i just generally think that the hard earned money of citizens is very mismanaged/abused by our government. It's almost like they think their citizens owe them money. The government believes it is entitled to our income taxes - to the point where it's now more criminal (in terms of length of jail sentence) to evade taxes than it is to rape another human.

Now, a perfect government is a very idealistic idea, and it won't happen. Politics are hopeless; give any man power and he will become corrupted, at least to some degree.

Let me try to explain myself a little better -

If we agree that stealing money is bad, and we assume that canadian taxpers' money belongs to the taxpayers (it does, by the way) then we can agree that people who steal or misuse those public funds are stealing OUR money.

I want to see people who misspend public money (OUR money, not theirs) held criminally accountable for stealing citizens' money, period.
Until i see that happen, i will continue thinking politicians are crooks.

And as a sidenote, was anybody really surprised to hear about the sponsirship scandal? Seemed like business as usual for our friends up top. Spending our money to buy our votes.

All that said, i really AM just ranting, and i realise it can't be easy to run a country.

[Rockie]

Niss

Smarten up.

[niss]

You are right, it was quite the comparison, Harper doesn't have a moustache.

[BigB]

No your not an idiot. You're just from Ontario. Both are similar of course. The difference being I tolerate people from Ontario where as I tend not to tolerate idiots

Classic!

[Icebound]

..

Harper's ideology (and opinion of Canada) in his own words:

http://www.seekgod.ca/cnp.stephenharper.htm

His speech to the "Council for National Policy", posted... appropriately enough... on a website called "SeekGod".

A little dated, perhaps, but still quite interesting.


...

[xsbank]

"Ban vegetarianism?"

I tried asking my kids tonight over dins who they were planning to vote for and the response (they are MY KIDS) was sad, actually. I second that assertion to educate yourselves - find out who the best candidate is and vote for them.

What do you do when you live in a riding that has re-elected a Liberal 4 times? My vote, which I will cast anyway, will not be any use whatsoever to screw a Liberal!

Elect a Liberal! They learned a lot last time - this time, if you re-elect them, when they get into the trough up to their elbows, they will be wearing gloves!

[niss]

I am voting liberal not because I believe Dion is a good leader, or because I like my MP. I am doing it simply because I think Harper works as a Minority. I could vote NDP but God forbid other people do too and they actually get in. I guess I could vote Green or another party but I only really align my self with Red or in this case semi-blue.

[sugarfree]

The bottom line is we need a strong gov in parliment.

The next 4 years could be the hardest for Canadians yet. We are not out of any crisis and indications only point to worsening conditions.

A minority gov might not have the capabilities to deal with these uprising issues. I vote for power!

BTW, do you really believe that politicians gives a rat's ass about the color of his/her party. Its like car salesmen, one year selling GM, next Ford, and then Honda. No one gives a hoot, just as long as you buy !!


So lets focus on the brand that can get the job done.

SF./

[Rockie]

I am voting liberal not because I believe Dion is a good leader, or because I like my MP. I am doing it simply because I think Harper works as a Minority. I could vote NDP but God forbid other people do too and they actually get in. I guess I could vote Green or another party but I only really align my self with Red or in this case semi-blue.

Unless you know for certain who the other 25 million people are voting for, strategic voting is not smart. Why don't you just pick who you want to form the next government...period, and vote for them?

[niss]

Because when I am stuck between two parties all I have left is either semistrategic voting or to abstain.

[niss]

I am voting liberal not because I believe Dion is a good leader, or because I like my MP. I am doing it simply because I think Harper works as a Minority. I could vote NDP but God forbid other people do too and they actually get in. I guess I could vote Green or another party but I only really align my self with Red or in this case semi-blue.

We agree (as do 91% of Canadians, according to the latest poll I saw) that Dion is a terrible leader. He instructed his MPs to abstain from voting on the last five confidence motions in the house.

You say you want Harper kept in a minority government position, and yet during the past year Dion has allowed Harper to govern much in the same way as a majority leader would, because he did not have the balls to bring Harper's government down.

I guess in some strange way, a vote for Dion is almost like a vote for Harper...

Thats your genius argument to get me to vote for harper?

[North Shore]

We agree (as do 91% of Canadians, according to the latest poll I saw) that Dion is a terrible leader. He instructed his MPs to abstain from voting on the last five confidence motions in the house.

You say you want Harper kept in a minority government position, and yet during the past year Dion has allowed Harper to govern much in the same way as a majority leader would, because he did not have the balls to bring Harper's government down.

I guess in some strange way, a vote for Dion is almost like a vote for Harper...

And isn't that leadership? Not leading his party into an election that both he and his party were ill-prepared for? Why do you think the Conservatives wanted an election so badly? Because their strategists knew that once the Libs were organised a little better, then it'd be an uphill battle for a Conservative majority.
Despite Conservative claims to the contrary, I'm of the opinion that if Harper gets his majority, Canada will be in for a swift right turn. Otherwise, why agitate for another election/majority government, when you were doing just fine passing your agenda in a minority situation.

In any case, IIRC, the original question was something along the lines of "Why vote Conservative?" So, here, goes:
(Actually, if it was a case of likeability, I'd have a coin flip between Jack and Harper - but seeing as GWB was elected, in part, based on 'who people would most like to have a beer with,' I think that likeability loses its validity as a rationale for choosing)

1.) Refusal to sign onto the international moratorium banning bottom-dragging as a method of fishing.
2.) Cancellation of Kelowna Accord.
3.) Allowing lakes to be re-classified as waste dumps for the mining industry
4.) Refusal to listen to scientific evidence about the operation of Insite in YVR.

I'll add more as I think of them..

[AdamB]

How do you propose we fund roads, health care, police forces, the military, a multitude of government services, etc?

Do tell. This ought to be interesting.

It just baffles me that roads, and general infrastructure existed before income tax, and that governments seemed to deal with it quite nicely in the past.

I am asking this as a serious question: What level of education do you have, and have you ever received any schooling in Canadian history?

Are you under the impression that government services and infrastructure today are in any way comparable to what was provided 80 years ago?

Wow.

Not much after high school, to answer your first question.
And "not much", for your second question.

And what level education do you have, and have you ever recieved any schooling in reading?

I continued ...

Of course the money has to come from somewhere, and we all have to chip in if we want to have the services we have. However, seeing the govenor general buy a 300 000 dollar carpet, or politicians buying hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of booze for their expensive parties (M. Maire de Montreal), i can't help to think that our tax money is somewhat ... misplaced.

Oops.

Forgive me for dreaming about a tax free, service-full world for a few seconds of my life

My post was more about how i thought misspenidng our money is criminal than me wishing i had no taxes to pay.

Wow

[crazyaviator]

Hmmm, let me get this straight , im 43 and single with no children , I pay school taxes so others can have free education for their children, I pay for health care so others can overeat and abuse their bodies at my cost , i pay taxes to support every social service under the sun and i have NO need for any of them , i pay UI for others to abuse the system , i pay taxes so i can drive to work to pay taxes on my fuel, permits, etc etc , I pay taxes so i can go to the food store to pay taxes on my food ! I pay taxes to support elections which are wasteful and foolish and non-productive AND im told i live in a democratic FREE enterprise country ???

[WetJet]

Niss, I agree with your plan to vote liberal to stop a Harper majority, but the Liberals are a hard sell in consrevative little Barrie. We are the only riding to ever elect a REFORM MP in Ontario! Funny, his last name was Harper...

Also, I've been flying in Europe a lot of the summer and Canada NEVER makes the news. No coverage of the TSX, the CDN dollar, politics, anthing on the BBC or CNN's Europe channel. Finally Canada got some news coverage the week and it's that Steven Harper was caught plagiarizing a speech. Nice.

[Siddley Hawker]

Well, there is this.

http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/view/ha ... the_world/

[North Shore]

Hmmm, let me get this straight , im 43 and single with no children , I pay school taxes so others can have free education for their children, I pay for health care so others can overeat and abuse their bodies at my cost , i pay taxes to support every social service under the sun and i have NO need for any of them , i pay UI for others to abuse the system , i pay taxes so i can drive to work to pay taxes on my fuel, permits, etc etc , I pay taxes so i can go to the food store to pay taxes on my food ! I pay taxes to support elections which are wasteful and foolish and non-productive AND im told i live in a democratic FREE enterprise country ???

Wahh - so move somewhere where you don't have to pay all of those taxes, and see how great your lifestyle is..

[Rockie]

Hmmm, let me get this straight , im 43 and single with no children , I pay school taxes so others can have free education for their children, I pay for health care so others can overeat and abuse their bodies at my cost , i pay taxes to support every social service under the sun and i have NO need for any of them , i pay UI for others to abuse the system , i pay taxes so i can drive to work to pay taxes on my fuel, permits, etc etc , I pay taxes so i can go to the food store to pay taxes on my food ! I pay taxes to support elections which are wasteful and foolish and non-productive AND im told i live in a democratic FREE enterprise country ???

Get sick and lose your job. Then we can bitch about paying for you.

[Guido]

Hmmm, let me get this straight , im 43 and single with no children , I pay school taxes so others can have free education for their children, I pay for health care so others can overeat and abuse their bodies at my cost , i pay taxes to support every social service under the sun and i have NO need for any of them , i pay UI for others to abuse the system , i pay taxes so i can drive to work to pay taxes on my fuel, permits, etc etc , I pay taxes so i can go to the food store to pay taxes on my food ! I pay taxes to support elections which are wasteful and foolish and non-productive AND im told i live in a democratic FREE enterprise country ???

Did you attend elementary school in Canada? Consider yourself as paying backtaxes for it.

And as has been noted, wait 'til you get sick and can't work. Then you'll be glad to be paying taxes. You do pay for insurance, right?

[Sheila]

It's not a free enterprise country. The government penalizes small businesses trying to create economic activity by making unjust rules or taxes. They will actually shut down the enterprise, for instance in a First Nation community, (ie a smoke shop in MB) The place doesn't have alot of business period, How can they do that ?? Then they go around announcing how they are helping.


I saw a Cons MP, (RB) and the Chief of Police, at Folklorama this summer. Folklorama is a local, cultural, (sort of artistic) event. I say it's almost artistic except because they have art and dance there. Some pavillions don't have the actual musicians performing but there is always a traditional dance and food.
I think we could have a famous ballet here and amazing theatre, like the other regions, so that should never stop.

[xsbank]

Eh?

[The Other Kind]

Montreal has the market cornered when it comes to famous ballets in Canada. Besides, it would be awful tough to find local talent in Manitoba that people would pay to see perform.

[Sheila]

Eh?

There's something called "constructive criticism".

Some people try to encourage others by sharing their ideas.

[ToFlyIsDivine]

hahahahaha