Broadband for the Boonies
Ian @ October 11, 2008 # No Comment Yet
It would be nice if everyone did have broadband access, but you know, 90% do have it, and somehow Harper things it is more important to get that access to the 10% who don’t have it, than it is to create high paying jobs, or to reduce the cost of living by bringing energy costs into line. While Stephen Harper contends that the Green Plans by the Opposition Parties will cost us money, will put us into deficit, he is ignoring the needs of the whole country, in order to try and garner rural votes, that could make an election difference. This is a man who has no concern for what is needed, but only is interested in what benefits him.
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Harper’s Lawsuit Hits Snag
Ian @ October 11, 2008 # No Comment Yet
The report says, the tape is real, that the question was asked, was answered, as we all heard. Yet under oath Stephen Harper said that wasn’t true. He stated under oath, that it had been altered, and that he didn’t know the details of the bribe attempt against Chuck Cadman. Now it seems he did know, but worse, that he has no qualms about lying.
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Making Fun of Your Opposition
Ian @ October 11, 2008 # No Comment Yet
Agree or disagree with the Green Shift plan, fact is that it is a plan. Even the NDP and the Green Party have a plan, and surprise, the Bloc does as well. Yet the ruling party, the Conservatives have NO PLAN. Instead Stephen Harper quotes George Bush platitudes, that failed the Americans, and will fail Canadians. Instead of telling us his plan, until this week, Stephen Harper said there wasn’t any problem, any crisis. He accused the others of panic, when the truth was, there really is a serious issue. Stephen Harper will delay a plan trip, to poke fun at Dion, but he won’t meet with the Premiers on the economy, one even Conservative Alberta Premier wants to have. This is arrogance, pure and simple, and it shows how little compassion Stephen Harper has. From his quoting of Bush, from his comments about it being a good time to invest in the stock market, to his defence of Ritz’s jokes while people were actually dying from tainted food. It shows his inability to be caring, to be compassionate. That is not something one wants to see in a leader, specially when times are tough. We need someone who can reach the people, who can lead by being understanding, and yes, tough too. But you have to care, and it seems all that Stephen Harper cares about is winning, at any cost.
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Cost of War NOT What Harper Said
Ian @ October 10, 2008 # No Comment Yet
I can see making a mistake when one estimates a cost for an on going operation. But to mistake that estimate by half of the actual cost? That is just plain wrong, and it makes you wonder, what else are they under estimating? Does it mean their estimate of our surplus is off by twice as much, which would mean a deficit? How can you trust someone who says one thing, does the opposite? Yet Stephen Harper wants our trust, says he’s best to manage our economy, but he can’t honestly tell us how much the war in Afghanistan is costing? He is hiding the figures, making it as hard as possible to find out, but he wants us to trust him on the economy? ANYONE BUT HARPER BEFORE WE GO BROKE.
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When Government Fails Its People
Ian @ October 9, 2008 # No Comment Yet
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?
Ian @ October 9, 2008 # No Comment Yet
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
Ian @ October 8, 2008 # No Comment Yet
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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He Has a Plan, He Says
Ian @ October 7, 2008 # No Comment Yet
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?
Ian @ October 6, 2008 # No Comment Yet
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
Ian @ October 6, 2008 # 2 Comments
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
Ian @ October 6, 2008 # No Comment Yet
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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The Spin
Ian @ October 4, 2008 # No Comment Yet
Now it is being said that Harper stole another speech from someone else, and this is the man who people say they want as Prime Minister? I don’t get it, and I wonder, who are these legions of people posting all over the internet, giving glowing support to Stephen Harper, and in the same basic words? Is there a secret internet group out there, trying to influence people by claiming to be average citizens, not in the pay of the Conservative Party, or of the big corporations that back the Conservatives? How many more lies do we need, before we wake up and vote for anyone but Harper? How can we trust a man, who has lied from the day he became leader of the Opposition, to now? How can we trust our future to a man who has no plan for our economy, no plan for keeping our health care system, our justice system, ours? How can we trust a man bought and paid for by the radical conservatives of the United States and big business? The debate shows, he didn’t win, and yet the headlines blare that a survey says he did. A survey based on whoever wanted to vote? How is that news, how is that even worthy of being on the front page of any respectable newspaper? Yet then most of the newspapers are owned by one company, so no wonder they don’t want us to know their hero faltered under fire from real Canadians.
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Leader Debate in English
Ian @ October 3, 2008 # No Comment Yet
I loved it, the whole debate was exciting, and full of fire. It was good to see Elizabeth May show up, and add her concise points to the debate. Unlike Stephen Harper, the other leaders all had a plan, that they stood behind, defended, and support. Unlike Stephen Harper, they are willing to try new things, to avoid the mistakes being made in the United States, and are far more aware of what the world sees, than Mr. Harper. Unlike Stephen Harper, they actually have a plan for the economy, the environment, and health care. The debate shows that we have fine politicians, just not a very good Prime Minister. Layton, May, Duceppe, Dion, all are a credit, all clearly believe in Canada, and yes that included Duceppe. The only one who showed he didn’t care about Canada, about Canadian values, was Stephen Harper. This was a great debate, as it showed Stephen Harper for what he is, a stooge of the vested interests of Corporate America, not about protecting Canadian jobs, about protecting Canadian resources or environment, nor about protecting our health care, or streets. He is about knee jerk reactions to problems that need serious answers, answers not attack ads or attack jabs.
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Anyone But Harper 4
Ian @ October 2, 2008 # No Comment Yet
Afghanistan is up and you have to wonder, does Harper know what he is talking about?
May is right, the mission isn’t a UN mission, as Harper claims. It is a NATO mission, and that it needs to include all nations, especially Muslim nations. It makes sense, and yet Harper now says it is a real [...]
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Anyone But Harper 3
Ian @ October 2, 2008 # No Comment Yet
Crime is the focus, and Harper is the only one claiming crime is on the rise, yet all the statistics say otherwise. Elizabeth May is right, the media hypes it, shows it more, which gives the impression of increased crime. Harper doesnt see it that way.
Both May & Layton have a good idea, about banning [...]
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