Harper Bails Out Banks

Harper & Flaherty give banks twenty five billion for mortgages. Most are not in default, which is switch, but why now? Are the banks in trouble, as they are in the States, and Harper simply won’t admit it, or is this just a way to head off possible trouble? Does it help ease the credit crunch, or is there much more to this bailout? And why now, five days before the election? Just what is Harper hiding, and why should he be trusted to tell us the truth? Markets are tumbling and Harper gives banks cash? WHY?

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More Market Chaos

Is the constant uncertainty in the financial markets due to real problems in the Corporate World, or is it simply fear that there is no answer? Is the tumbling markets because companies can’t afford to expand, or that consumers can no longer afford to buy? If the latter, then why are Governments directing all their efforts to helping the corporate world, rather than the consumer? Surely if consumer spending is key, shouldn’t they be about protecting people from losing houses, rather than helping the one’s who put them into that situation? Scary times, that show that the corporate based parties of Bush & Harper have failed the very people who voted for them. Time to get the bums out, before they are forced to sell your first born, who is already mortgaged as is his first born, thanks to the corporate bailouts.

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When Government Fails Its People

Given the looming economic crisis in the USA, it amazes me that anyone can be thinking of voting Republican. It amazes me that hardly anyone is even thinking of looking beyond the two parties, given how both sides have failed to govern, have failed to protect those who put them in power. Voters whine, and many will stay home, instead of making a real difference by voting for someone who isn’t running for re-election. While AIG execs spend tax payer money on fancy resorts, the elected government loans them another 35 billion, and no one is complaining? No one is demanding they return the money?

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Cutting of Interests Rates - So What?

While Jack Layton blasts banks for not passing on the interest rate cut to the customers, he also blasts them for ATM fees, which is nothing but a gimmick. It is a faked tantrum, similar to Stephen Harper’s 2 cent cut on diesel fuel prices, to Harper’s 1 per cent cut of the GST. It is a good sound bite, but it does nothing to ease the burden of inflation, of high food costs, or of job losses. It is about giving more credit, when the exact opposite should be the goal. It is about spending wisely, not on touting gimmicks. Banks should make a profit, and yet they are given carte blanche to charge high rates on credit cards they give out like candy. There is no regulation to insure that those who get credit, get what they can afford to pay back. That is what Jack Layton should be screaming about, not some stupid ATM fees.

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What Bailouts Mean

While AIG executives go to fancy resorts, American tax payers who gave them eighty five billion dollars, struggle to keep their homes, to pay their credit cards. At the same time, the head of failed Lehman Brothers says he acted prudently and appropriately, in a measured manner, just as our Stevie Boy said yesterday. Makes you wonder, did he write the speech, or steal it from his buddies, George Bush and the head of failed Lehman Brothers? Doesn’t matter, as the point is, his policies are the same as the failed policies of George W. Bush. The result will be the same, bankruptcy and disarray.

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400 Million for Tech Jobs

Prudent planning, tax cuts, are the buzz words of George Bush, of his Republican party, that has mired the world in a looming depression. These are the policies that Stephen Harper now touts as his parties platform, claiming it is about staying the course. This isn’t staying the course, this is letting a sinking ship sink, instead of getting people to bail it out, to get the pumps working to shift the incoming tide of water. This isn’t sticking to a policy that is working, but being stubborn and ignoring the truth, that failed Bush policies didn’t work for him, and won’t work in Canada. The crisis in our economy requires action, not trite phrases taken from a failure like George Bush. Yet that is exactly what Stephen Harper is doing, and holding it up as being prudent sensible leadership. It isn’t , it is arrogance, it is stupidity, and it is dangerous. It threatens our entire way of life, all because Stephen Harper knows it all, because, gee, George Bush told him so.

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He Has a Plan, He Says

Stephen Harper says he has a Plan B, if the economy worsens. Just as he hasn’t said what Plan A is, he doesn’t elaborate what Plan B is. Mind you he says it does have something to do with banks, so does that mean he will follow George Bush’s plan again? That a huge bailout of our financial institutes is in the works? Yet at the same time, Harper says our banks aren’t under the same pressures as in the USA, so why would we need a banking bailout? What isn’t he saying about things? Has his deregulation plans gone that far? What other secret details has he kept from us, which is why our leading economists claim we are heading for the worst recession ever? What are these experts in total disagreement with the Harper Conservatives, when they usually are his biggest supporters? Is Plan B simply that he will get one, because Plan A is not having one? Anyone but Conservative, or start learning a new national anthem.

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Reward or Punish?

When is a fire a fire? According to Stephen Harper he has a Plan B in case it is needed, in case we do feel the fallout from the ever growing USA banking mess. Yet at the same time, he wants us to support his stance, while he stood around doing nothing, while Rome burned. Like Nero he fiddled, while all around him the city burned. The economic news has been bad for a bit now, yet he has done nothing to insure the safety of the Canadian Economy, claiming only that it is strong. As much as yesterday he claimed we are safe, but today he says we are at risk, but not to worry, he has Plan B. Course he doesn’t tell us what Plan B is, but then he still hasn’t told us what Plan A was. At least the NDP, Greens, & Liberals have a plan, one that they are willing to show, to talk about. And to trust a man who won’t tell us, is just stupid. Rewarding incompetence isn’t the way to protect our economy, to protect jobs. Yet that is what Harper wants Canadians to do, to trust him, for doing nothing but repeating George Bush Cliches.

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The Big Flip Flop

Down a thousand, up a few hundred, down a bit more, and oh yeah, can the government spare another few billion? That is the stock market, as the financial crisis grows and not just in the USA, but across the world. We can place the blame on the entire Conservative Movement, for its mantra of all things for Big Business, nothing for people. We can thank them for the philosophy of Global Economy and making nationalism a dirty word. We can thank them for failed free trade policies that increase corporate profits, at the expense of balanced trade accords. Now the markets rise and fall on who knows what. Good news sends them into a tailspin, bad news makes them happy, and the world is upside down, as it races to an economic melt down. Not all is bad, maybe it will mean the end of the so called conservatives like Harper, like Bush, but who knows. People panic, when cool heads are needed, when real action is needed, to reduce the impact major conglomerates have. To take back a country, and its economy. To stop the sell off, to stop the bleeding. Tougher regulation of banks, of credit, of business is needed. Time to turn within, to build up what holds a country together, not to dismantle it as Stephen Harper and his Conservatives are doing, and want to continue to do. That is their plan, to boost corporate profits, and screw the people, screw independent nations, to make them all servants of the corporate empire.

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Why… Jack Layton and NDP

Jack Layton came out swinging in the debates, but did he answer enough questions to get my vote? While no one seriously considered the NDP as contenders, that shouldn’t preclude them from being a possibility. Universal health care is an NDP jewel, yet we have it, but not once have we had a national NDP government. Maybe now is the time, but did Jack Layton show enough to warrant that precious vote? Has he answered the concerns about just what his party would do, if money became even tighter? Is his green plan better than the Green Shift plan of the Liberal Party or the Green Party’s?

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Is Credit Too Easy?

I wonder, how we blindly trust that those on the other end of the phone are who they say they are. Identity theft is up, and its no wonder, as banks try to solicit business over the phone, and people blindly give out personal details, including their social insurance number, to whoever asks. That is just asking for trouble, and the more credit cards you have, the more you spend. That’s great but at what cost? Buying now creates a false economy, and we can see how that works, just look at the USA today. We need to stop being a nation of borrowers and start becoming a nation of builders, a nation of paying for what we want, today, not on the never never plan. Credit is too easy, and then we see how it unfolds, as greed takes precedence over responsible fiscal policies. This is the root cause, but who is willing to make those sacrifices? Who is willing to tell the truth about it, certainly not Stephen Harper and the Conservatives.

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Broadband for the Boonies

Election 2008 (Canada) Comments (0)

So let me see, Harper will add $400 Million to the Auto and the Aerospace funds, that promote those areas, which supposedly is supposed to increase jobs in that sector, and now he wants to spend a $100 Million more than that, to bring cable to the outback regions of Canada, or the more Rural Regions.

Broadband access, which provides high-speed links to the internet, is an economic necessity in a knowledge economy, but “as it currently stands, one in 10 Canadians does not have access to broadband,” a party news release said. (source - CBC News)

I am no math major, but I think that 90% is not bad, considering how few in the USA have Cable, or broadband Internet. Yet at the same time, the opposition parties suggest that using the money earned from the recent Cel Phone Auction be used, is interesting as well, but uh folks, don’t we have more pressing issues than laying cable to the farms and rural areas?

Sure, I’d want it if I lived there, so maybe it isn’t right for me to say, but I think we need to lower gas prices for those areas, because you know, food is a bit more important than watching YouTube on your computer. In addition, what they produce, costs more for us, because of that fuel, so rather than worrying about Fast Internet Access, how about we worry about more Kitchen Table issues, like the simple cost of living?

Oil per barrel is under $80, but the price at the pump goes down in a penny here, another here. Sure didn’t go up that way, and a direct result of the higher energy is being reflected in our shopping carts. So maybe Mr. Harper, stop throwing the money at the rural population to get votes, give us cheaper fuel, more environmental friendly energy sources, like all of the other parties offer.

Your stubborn mantra of sticking to fossil fuels, of saying any Green Plan will cost us money, is simply your way of paying back the Oil Industry for their support and contributions. Perhaps yes, a shift to GREEN policies will cost us more today, but you know what Stephen Harper, IT WILL COST US MUCH MORE LATER ON WHEN WE HAVE NO CHOICE.

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Ian @ October 11, 2008

Harper’s Lawsuit Hits Snag

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Using Harper’s own expert, the court seemed to have perhaps stacked the deck against the Liberals in the lawsuit launched by Harper in regards to the Chuck Cadman affair. You know, where this writer claims that Harper knew that his party was trying to bribe Chuck into switching sides. Where both Chuck Cadman’s wife & daughter support that allegation, based on what Chuck told them. Course he can’t say now, given he has passed away.

The point is, the expert brought in by Harper confirms that the tape is legit. While, under oath, Harper lied to the court when he said that he never answered the question posed, as it wasn’t posed. That the answer he is heard giving was for something else, and not as released.

A tape recording at the centre of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s $3.5-million defamation suit against the Liberal party was not altered as the prime minister has claimed, a court-ordered analysis of the tape by Harper’s own audio expert has found.

The key portion of the recorded interview of Harper by a B.C. journalist contains no splices, edits or alterations, a U.S. forensic audio expert has determined. (source - CBC News)

Naturally the spin doctors are at work, claiming that somehow this works to their advantage, but how? It might not be an outright lie, but it does sure sound like one, smells like one, and looks like one.  Why is it important, well if Harper has no qualms about lying under oath, can we believe anything he says in public? Like that the economy is strong, or that he has the best plan for the worsening economic crisis?

Then too, what does it say about a man who is Prime Minister that has such little respect for a sick man, that he tries to play on it, for political gain?

Also what does it say about a man, who wants us to trust him, when he tries to use the court system to stifle open debate, tries to prevent anyone from challenging him by intimating them with lawsuits?

Then how about we include how Mr. Harper has made fun of Stephane Dion’s language problems, and hearing issues. It sets a pattern, that shows to what depths Harper will go to, in order to hold onto, or gain, power and political advantage. Is this really the type of man we want leading Canada during an economic crisis?

Stephen Dion, Jack Layton, & Elizabeth May all have stayed the course, remained true to their platforms, to their plans. At the same time, they have refrained from personal attacks against each other, and against Stephen Harper. Even Duceppe has stuck to the serious issues that face Canada, and has not made personal attacks. Yet the entire Harper Campaign has been nothing but scorn, attack ads, against the others. This lawsuit only shows the mean spirit that exists within the man, but it also shows his unwillingness to accept anyone else’s opinion or view. That simply isn’t good enough, as no single man has all the answers. That is why Dion has a team approach, is willing to meet with the Premiers. Something Harper is not willing to do.

Now I think we know why. He has ALL THE ANSWERS.

Just as George Bush refused to listen to others, Stephen Harper is refusing to barely acknowledge there is a crisis, or that it has any real effect. In fact he tells people to buy stock now, because heck, its a great opportunity. Such compassion, and he expects us to believe he will help create high end jobs.

ANYONE BUT HARPER

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Ian @ October 11, 2008

Making Fun of Your Opposition

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Is it humor?

Is it even nice?

Stephen Harper is not my ideal of what is a Canadian Leader. I am biased, I know that, but I do try to at least give him the benefit of the doubt, when possible. I also remember the mean spirited campaign of Kim Campbell against Jean Chretien, when she poked fun at his speech impediment in an advertisement.

Now we have Stephen Harper delaying a plan trip, to point out some difficulties Stephane Dion of the Liberal Party had, with an English language interview. He was very quick to point out the language difficulties Mr Dion had. I wonder, is he that desperate to win, that he has to mock and highlight those kind of difficulties? Is he that afraid of losing, that he has to actually distort the truth about Dion’s plans, by making fun of his language difficulties and hearing problems?

Harper delayed a flight Thursday night to show the tape to reporters and make a statement, said Van Dusen, deviating from a campaign routine of meeting with media just once a day in the morning. He did not answer any questions following his statement. (source - CBC News)

Now I can see George Bush doing that, can see Brian Mulroney, Kim Campbell doing it. I can see Sarah Palin doing it, but frankly I don’t believe that is proper form, for a Prime Minister of Canada to act. Sure, he has differences with Mr Dion on what is best for Canada. At least he says he does, and I wonder, if perhaps his close ties with Religious Right Wing groups in the United States, that aided George Bush, is at fault here?

Maybe Mr Harper needs a lesson in Canadian Values, because frankly it just isn’t right to mock another, for something they can’t do anything about. Mr Dion has a hearing problem, just as Jean Chretien had a speech problem. Does it make them less capable to lead?  I DON’T THINK SO.

Is this just another Karl Rove / George Bush style of attack, to divert attention from the reality? I mean Stephen Harper says Dion’s inability to comprehend English is why his party has no plan, one that most Canadians don’t know about. Yet I wonder, is it perhaps Mr Harper who has the problem in understanding, because I think most of us do know what the Liberal Party plan is, it is the Conservative Party plan we KNOW NOTHING ABOUT.

Then too, I suppose it is part of their character. I mean here we have Stephen Harper poking fun at Dion’s comprehension of English, and hearing problems, just as his agricultural minister Ritz poked fun at those dying from the LIsteriosis Outbreak at Maple Leaf Foods.

Harper said the episode highlights greater concerns than language comprehension, and shows instead that Dion has no plan for dealing with the global credit crisis that is threatening to spill over into Canada

“Well that’s interesting because we hear about [Dion's plan] every single day,” said the CBC’s Julie Van Dusen, who is covering the election.

“It’s … about meeting the premiers, it’s about creating infrastructure jobs to kick-start a slowdown in the economy. It’s about his $1 billion fund that he has for the manufacturing sector in case they want to tap into it.” (source - CBC News)

See this is typical of the Religious Right, who really shouldn’t be given that moniker. I mean there is nothing religious about spewing hatred, about being intolerant of those with a different belief. Yet they are a ’shining example’ according to Stephen Harper. And I wonder, a shining example of what? RACISM? BIGOTRY? INTOLERANCE?

Whether one agrees with, or not, the Green Shift Plan of the Liberal Party, or the one proposed by the NDP Party or the Green Party, at least they have a stated plan. One we can look at, pick apart, or support. What does Stephen Harper have other than quoting the insensitive lines of George Bush? About ’staying the course’ of ‘the economy is basically sound’ that denied the reality of the looming crisis in the United States? That is all Stephen Harper has given us, to date, and yet we are supposed to trust him, to believe him?

At least I know from the three other parties, that the Liberal Green Shift Plan is more middle of the road, that it doesn’t lean one way or the other, and that yes, it could be expensive to undertake. I mean it is never going to be cheap, but let’s be honest too. DOING NOTHING DOESN’T WORK. And that is what Stephen Harper proposes. If he does have a plan, why is it secret? Why does he not have it front and center right now, so that our investors won’t be in a panic? The Loonie is about to hit a low, last seen in 1971. HOW IS THAT PRUDENT ACTION TO THIS CRISIS?

At this pace, the loonie is poised to post its worst weekly showing since 1971. (source - CBC News)

Americans are used to nasty campaigns. I thought we were above that, but it seems that we aren’t. To be honest, Brian Mulroney may have been the first to bring it to Canada, but Stephen Harper is trying to bring it to new levels. Just as his party tried in the recent Ontario Provincial Election, he is diverting attention from the issues. Hell, even Conservative Premiers are wanting meetings, such as the Alberta Premier, to discuss the looming crisis. Yet Stephen Harper refuses.

He can delay a plane trip to make fun of Stephane Dion, but he can’t delay a campaign trip to meet with the Premiers.  What does that tell you of the man, his character?

Kind of says to me, that no one has any input, any right to offer up suggestions. Yet Stephane Dion wants to hold such a meeting, calls for it in his plan, as do the other party leaders. Which to me is the proper way to proceed. It is about coming together to solve problems, yet Harper insists there isn’t a problem. Heck, not until a few days did he even acknowledge that the worsening economic climate would impact Canada. Now I don’t know, maybe he is the one with the real hearing problems, because Banks & Other Experts have been shouting it out to him, but has ignored them.

JUST AS HE IS IGNORING THE PREMIERS.

Seems to me, that isn’t the mark of a leader, nor is is someone I would want to trust with my future, with the future of the next generation. George Bush has put so many future generations into debt, before being born, that is hard to imagine. Now we have Stephen Harper willing to do  the same.

Conservative Premier Danny Williams is bang on when he says:

ANYONE BUT CONSERVATIVE

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Ian @ October 11, 2008

Cost of War NOT What Harper Said

War on Terror Comments (0)

So the Government’s OWN report, shows that not only was Stephen Harper not telling us the truth about the cost, that due to HIS manner in keeping track of the costs, we could see the War in Afghanistan COSTING US A DARN SITE MORE. And Yet Stevie boy, just like George Bush sees nothing wrong about it.

Remember when Bush ‘claimed victory in Iraq’ and said that the cost of his war would be at about $250 Billion Dollars IN TOTAL? REMEMBER THAT LIE? The War in Iraq is costing US Taxpayers about a BILLION DOLLARS A DAY, the Iraqi Government has a surplus of about EIGHTY BILLION, and George Bush hasn’t a problem with that. Now we have Afghanistan, that HARPER SAID WOULD COST ABOUT 7BILLION.

And this is who we want to trust with our Economy during a possible world depression?

Let us go back to his first election as well, where he said he would restore TRANSPARENT GOVERNMENT TO CANADA. REMEMBER THAT LIE? His own reporting agency says that it is the LACK OF TRANSPARENCY that may cause the actual figures for the war in Afghanistan to be much more than what they are showing, even now.

However, a lack of government consistency and transparency has made the figures difficult to estimate, and they likely understate the full costs of the mission, the report says. (source - CBC News)

Now I don’t know about you, but if someone lies to me, misleads me on the truth, I sure as hell don’t think I’d want them running my business, or running my economy. I mean it is like you catch the cashier taking a dollar out of the till, for every two dollars put in. You don’t keep them on the job, you fire the thief, and yet here is Stephen Harper, wanting us to keep him and his gang on as cashiers of our finances.

ANYONE BUT HARPER BEFORE WE GO BROKE

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Ian @ October 10, 2008