Mr Harper's Brilliant Senate Appointments

Assuming the people accusing Mr. Harper of hypocrisy are not partisan shills mouthing talking points, consider this. Like a game of chess Mr. Harper is arranging the board for the new majority government to effect senate reform: Something the Liberal dominated senate has blocked thus far. Even Mr. Harper's minor suggestion to give the senators a term limit of 2 terms was rebuffed by the Liberals.

So since the Liberals do not want to cooperate and insist on keeping the old rules, Mr. Harper has no choice but to play by them. How can he be faulted for that? Should he have just left those seats empty?

For my part, Mr. Harper has demonstrated a political genius and savy not seen since John A. MacDonald. No one has achieved this tight rope that is minority government for 6 years straight.
It really is amazing. He has used maybe most of the levers of power to keep a stable government. Something we all should be thankful for in this crazy world.
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Read more: http://www.canada.com/Harper+takes+control+Senate+with+appointments/4004559/story.html#ixzz18hoz0T8z

 

@DJBALL 6:42 "Religion or sports does not belong in politics. What planet is Harper from anyway?"

Part of Harper's genius is to appoint people to the senate who represent the broad spectrum that is Canada. Nancy Green is a senator who has done very well in that capacity, (Olympian ski champion).
Canadians care about sports. We feel like we need to be thinking about national fitness and accomplishment, who better than Mr. Smith to give voice to it in the house of quiet reflection??

Across Canada, 10% of the population attends church regularly. 50% identify with a Christian Denomination. Is it inappropriate to give that part of Canada a voice in the upper house that only amounts to less that 2%? Apart from the fact he will give the street-level view of the lives of gangs and street-violence, it would at least inject the human side in the debate about getting tough on crime.

Mr. Harper is brilliant if you ask me.
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Read more: http://www.canada.com/Harper+takes+control+Senate+with+appointments/4004559/story.html#ixzz18hpB4WQa

 

@8:17 I live in the Rockies, East Kootenays.BC. I hardly think PC HQ would be based way out west. I have been to the mountain tops, so sometimes have a different view than the low-landers out east.

Harper can hardly be blamed for compromising given the fact he has been given a minority to govern with. One does not have to look far to see the sort of obstructionism that has gone on in the senate and committees. The view is clear from here, maybe its too smoggy down your way.

One thing is for certain, we will not have any chance of seeing senate reform with out a PC majority in the house and the senate--even then it would be a herculean task. Incremental reform wouldn't be hard, but a serious overhaul would take a profound amount of cooperation, not just in the Houses of Parliament, but also the provinces and territories. It may involve a national referendum. It may not be able to be done in 1 term

Read more: http://www.canada.com/Harper+takes+control+Senate+with+appointments/4004559/story.html#ixzz18hpJpUGs

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I live in BC.  Over 95%+ of the province is crown lands.  First nations almost to a village have access to it from their boundaries.  The receive preferential funding if they want to log it, fish it, mine it, or just enjoy a clear cold night by the fire.

That is not to say I am not aware of people on reserves having great trouble.  Caucasion, Asian, African and First Nations people have the scourge of alcoholism and drug addiction that is so devastating.

But there are some places that are extraordinary.  The natives at West-bank, BC.  Have extraordinary wealth.
I think rather than white people telling 1st Nations people what to do, 1st Nations should mentor and establish their brethren.  Possible only if: they lay down deeply entrenched prejudice between the tribes.

The "Carn" age.

R E S P E C T.
Canadians should be respected by the BOC and our governments. It was according to their plan that Canadians stepped up, bought vehicles, houses, furniture, appliances in the midst of a recession. It was the intention of the BOC to create liquidity, so they dropped the prime. Banks were flooded with cash, so they encouraged debt in various ways, sometimes lowering the criteria, the down payment, and increasing the amortization period.

Canadians weren't stupid. They rearranged mortgages so debts from 10-30% could be re-consolidated, which saved enough money they could continue to step up throughout the recession. This was one of the keys to Canada's recovery. What differs between the US and Canada was predatory lending: In the US, mortgage companies intentionally qualified people that, odds were, going to be paying far far higher payments simply related to their likelihood of being unable to pay--therefore requiring them to pay higher penalty interest rates. Canadian mortgage companies and banks were never about that so far--which saved us from collapse.  Because our home prices were never depressed by a huge repo market, we were able to retain equity in our homes: a vast pool of wealth--which disappeared in the US.  Trillions of dollars of wealth evaporated with that melt-down.  We would be foolish to think it cannot happen here.  We need to pay attention.  By keeping the rates low, banks make money and Canadians can save it--just raise the criterion for lending.

The real villains are the credit card companies, quick-loan outlets, payday loan companies etc. These prey on the weak, and the poor with unprecedented spreads some over 30% above prime. They prey on people who have been put out of work, or in poverty, and gouge them for all they are worth. In a sense, if mortgage companies can relieve that atrocity somewhat, by allowing consumers to re-fi, they have done themselves a big favor.  If we want to pay down net debt, no financing vehicle should be able to charge more than 5% over prime.  If that means CC companies etc.  have to tighten their criteria that would be a good thing to drive down net debt.  Customers will have more money to retire their debt.

But the biggest villain however, will be Mark Carney--if he now treats consumers with disrespect. Instead of recognizing Canadian heroism, for stepping up. If he ratchets up rates and starts the process of gouging those who can least afford it and those who saved his bacon and those who will have to dump their houses on the market--or lose them. That's when the real "Carn" age begins

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/12/13/carney-interest-rates-warning.html#socialcomments#ixzz182BkAzhu

If consumer debt is such a problem. Stop the Banks/CCards from raping us like they do.
I would rather see 15% of my payment boosted on debt reduction then paid to MC for interest.
But no, they hope no one's looking HBC Mastercard is over 30%!!! When they pulled that one we chopped up that charge, and eliminated it. But they are all high. If Canada wants to get serious about reducing consumer debt they can do so without raping the poor. Shame on you for your userous predatory force in Canada, Shame on you.

I actually appreciated your article sir, would love to hear/read the transcript of the speech Dawkins tried to heckle.

I suppose the diatribes I have read here are the product of Canada's educated elite.  You are right: it is the same old same old stuff.  Nothing knew it wasn't knew from before when the argument to the question became resolving.  You hardly can blame the Canadian intellectual.  Our universities show profound lack of rigor.  For example, on of the last greatest philosopher of faith was Soren Kierkegaard, the father of existentialism.  I have read with many philosopher students were cursorily engaged with Kierkegaard, a wiki version or a wick version in very expensive philosophy text books.  I know philosopher grads at an MA and Phd level, but it really is astounding to discover how they came to my programs without reading original sources.  Some have studied Kierkegaard "in depth" but the never actually read his opus magnus: "Sickness unto Death".

Sadly I too often find people have mad hard decisions about philosophical world views based on Coles notes versions of the text at best.  Therefor agnostics and avowed atheists have formed their views on very crumbly foundations.  Almost as bad as lots of Christians who surprise surprise have even more rudimentary positions.  So after taking on a few light weights, the ballsy posters may one day meet a giant slayer.

Yet it would seem posters here who appeal to reason have fallen down in attempts at proffering it. I can here them saying "don't bother us with facts and rebuttals our minds are already made up"

O Canada the Deficit!

O come on!  Canada got what all the parties demanded:
Stimulus spending even if it caused a deficit.  Do you guys think Canadians don't have the IQ to remember that?  The wringing of your hands on this again and again and again won't make it more believable:  Canadians can see right through it.  This was a stimulus deficit not a structural deficit.  The "social" programs that might be cut are the programs to stimulate the economy that were employed over the past 2 years.  To great effect compared to everywhere else in the world.

And there can be no comparison with the US.  If we were to compare our deficit with the 2.5 trillion dollar deficit down there, then the Canadian deficit would have been 250 billion! Almost 50 percent of Canada's total debt!  So either no one is intelligent enough to crunch the numbers, or you think Canadians can't divide by 10, or you actually intend to be trying to pull the wool over our eyes.

A welfare bum speaks:

Please allow this contrarin position:  I have 4 kids who are now late teens to early 20s.  I have a crippling disability for the past 10 years.  My wife works 2 jobs and has her own small business just to make ends meet.  I feel every negative comment about those "lousy welfare bums" because I get a CPP cheque for 800 or so a month.  I really don't blame those who say this because I really really hate being in this place, a useless member of Canadian society.  I have tried to do something that needs only my free time, a small business, but in my opinion was too sick to make it a success.  (the 2008 crash didn't help I suppose).

I am trying my best, its been hard on my family, but they are all trying too.  Where I am at right now is the place in life where parents want to help their kids with their education.  My oldest, unable to afford university, got his class 1 and works for the city of Victoria.  My daughter is in university-education faculty.  My son is at the Art Institute of Burnaby (and you thought university tuition was expensive?) My youngest did a cooking program at the local college, cooked for the Olympics and now is training to be a great chef at an upscale restaurant in Vancouver.  My wife and I have provided pretty close to 1,000.00 to the kids to help out. (please understand it is profoundly humiliating to even admit this.)

Why am I saying this?  Because first of all I am thankful for what we do have, and what we have been given.  At least Canada was good enough to my family so that none of my kids had to go work in sweat shops.  For that I am profoundly thankful, and am thankful to every "cranky" tax payer who has complained about my ilk--I am too painfully aware from whence these Canadian blessings came.