Bright Spark
Posts: 377 
October 11th, 2007, 03:36 PM
So who is goin to win and why?
Personally I'm going for the Sask Party. The fact that Saskatchewan is in a boom economy has nothing to do with the NDP and everything to do with oil. I want change, but not just for the sake of change, I want change because it is time to bring Saskatchewan into the 21 century as opposed to it being stuck in the 80's like it is now.
So who is goin to win and why?
Personally I'm going for the Sask Party. The fact that Saskatchewan is in a boom economy has nothing to do with the NDP and everything to do with oil. I want change, but not just for the sake of change, I want change because it is time to bring Saskatchewan into the 21 century as opposed to it being stuck in the 80's like it is now.
Knows No Bounds
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Location: 50° 30' N, 104° 38' W
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October 11th, 2007, 04:56 PM
Stuck in the 80s? Maybe what you mean is you want to take Saskatchewan back to the 80s. The Progressive Conservatives under Grant Devine were the government of Saskatchewan in the 80s, 82 to 91 to be precise, and they had a splendid record of enriching their friends and robbing the treasury. The Saskatchewan Party is ideologically the same people, and in many cases the actual same people, that's where they went after the Progressive Conservative party imploded under the weight of scandal and malfeasance.
Stuck in the 80s? Maybe what you mean is you want to take Saskatchewan back to the 80s. The Progressive Conservatives under Grant Devine were the government of Saskatchewan in the 80s, 82 to 91 to be precise, and they had a splendid record of enriching their friends and robbing the treasury. The Saskatchewan Party is ideologically the same people, and in many cases the actual same people, that's where they went after the Progressive Conservative party imploded under the weight of scandal and malfeasance.
Bright Spark
Posts: 377
October 11th, 2007, 07:42 PM
In reference to the 80's, I was speaking about how we are so far behind the rest of the country in all regards. There is no progression in this province, and that my friends is why nobody stays here. How many of you still use a beta VCR?
Also, I know there are only 1 million people in the province. Do none of them have a comment on the topic or is there just no Saskatchewan people that take this forum in?
And yes I know what the Devine government did, in the same respect the NDP government has done absolutely nothing in 15 years of running the province. Now with an election coming they have been throwing the money around like they are a bunch of heroes. Along with trying to set themselves up with a personal medicare program for politicians. WTF
In reference to the 80's, I was speaking about how we are so far behind the rest of the country in all regards. There is no progression in this province, and that my friends is why nobody stays here. How many of you still use a beta VCR?
Also, I know there are only 1 million people in the province. Do none of them have a comment on the topic or is there just no Saskatchewan people that take this forum in?
And yes I know what the Devine government did, in the same respect the NDP government has done absolutely nothing in 15 years of running the province. Now with an election coming they have been throwing the money around like they are a bunch of heroes. Along with trying to set themselves up with a personal medicare program for politicians. WTF
Knows No Bounds
Posts: 3,399
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Location: 50° 30' N, 104° 38' W
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Location: 50° 30' N, 104° 38' W
October 11th, 2007, 08:31 PM
Specifically now, in what ways do you think Saskatchewan is behind the rest of the country? Seems like a pretty modern and civilized place to me. And the NDP government's done "absolutely nothing" for 15 years? You really think it's possible to hold office for that long and do absolutely nothing? The legislature has been in session regularly, bills have been passed... Looks to me like you're just tossing around election rhetoric without any facts to support it.
Specifically now, in what ways do you think Saskatchewan is behind the rest of the country? Seems like a pretty modern and civilized place to me. And the NDP government's done "absolutely nothing" for 15 years? You really think it's possible to hold office for that long and do absolutely nothing? The legislature has been in session regularly, bills have been passed... Looks to me like you're just tossing around election rhetoric without any facts to support it.
Quoting
I know, I didn't suggest they were.
The people who now run the Saskatchewan Party are not the same people who ran the government in the 1980s.
Bright Spark
Posts: 377
October 11th, 2007, 09:27 PM
Quote:
When you have the seniors and the unions in your voting pocket, yes, I am saying they have done dick all in the past 15 years. We should have and could have been capitalizing on the oil industry a long time ago. The NDP is not business friendly. It has been proven time and time again. Highways are a shamble, people have been leaving in droves, mosly the young, health care is basically none existent in rual Saskatchewan and property taxes are insane. I'll come up with a few more before the end of the night. Yeah, what a bang up job.
You really think it's possible to hold office for that long and do absolutely nothing?
Knows No Bounds
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Location: 50° 30' N, 104° 38' W
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October 12th, 2007, 12:44 AM
There are other values than being business-friendly, and claiming the NDP is not business-friendly is not really accurate anyway, they're just not as friendly to business as the jurisdiction to the west is. They're a little more interested in things like occupational health and safety, decent wages and living and working conditions, stuff like that, all things that cost businesses money.
Interesting that you mentioned highways, it's a nice example of what I think is wrong with your kind of thinking. Do you really understand why so many of the secondary highways are in the shape they're in? It's because of the kind of people you'd vote for. Saskatchewan used to maintain its own highways directly, the Department of Highways had its own work crews and heavy equipment and I'm old enough to remember when they took care of things pretty well. The Devine government gutted the Department, on the theory that the private sector could do a better job of things, and sold off all the equipment to its contractor friends at ridiculously low prices. At the same time, there was a right wing federal government interested in "rationalizing" the grain handling and transportation system, which ultimately resulted in the closure of many rural elevators and rail lines. That meant grain producers had to truck their products much longer distances to fewer, larger, more centralized collection points. The result: heavy truck traffic on roads not designed for it, and that eventually broke up the road surfaces pretty badly, but by then the government had changed. And the privatization of road maintenance made it so expensive that the volume of work being done fell off significantly, so the highways decayed. The current government is being blamed for it, and while I'd immediately agree it should have done something about it long ago, things aren't as simple as you'd like to think they are.
I'm not defending the current NDP administration in Saskatchewan, I'm no leftist, I'm not generally a fan of paternalistic governments, and I'd also agree with your implicit claim that the NDP has been in power too long, it's time for a change. But I'm no fan of the political right in its current incarnations either; conservatism--I mean *real* conservatism, principled ethical conservatism in the style of Robert Stanfield and Dalton Camp--doesn't seem to exist in this country anymore.
All the options suck. I have no idea how I'm going to vote, they all give me the willies.
There are other values than being business-friendly, and claiming the NDP is not business-friendly is not really accurate anyway, they're just not as friendly to business as the jurisdiction to the west is. They're a little more interested in things like occupational health and safety, decent wages and living and working conditions, stuff like that, all things that cost businesses money.
Interesting that you mentioned highways, it's a nice example of what I think is wrong with your kind of thinking. Do you really understand why so many of the secondary highways are in the shape they're in? It's because of the kind of people you'd vote for. Saskatchewan used to maintain its own highways directly, the Department of Highways had its own work crews and heavy equipment and I'm old enough to remember when they took care of things pretty well. The Devine government gutted the Department, on the theory that the private sector could do a better job of things, and sold off all the equipment to its contractor friends at ridiculously low prices. At the same time, there was a right wing federal government interested in "rationalizing" the grain handling and transportation system, which ultimately resulted in the closure of many rural elevators and rail lines. That meant grain producers had to truck their products much longer distances to fewer, larger, more centralized collection points. The result: heavy truck traffic on roads not designed for it, and that eventually broke up the road surfaces pretty badly, but by then the government had changed. And the privatization of road maintenance made it so expensive that the volume of work being done fell off significantly, so the highways decayed. The current government is being blamed for it, and while I'd immediately agree it should have done something about it long ago, things aren't as simple as you'd like to think they are.
I'm not defending the current NDP administration in Saskatchewan, I'm no leftist, I'm not generally a fan of paternalistic governments, and I'd also agree with your implicit claim that the NDP has been in power too long, it's time for a change. But I'm no fan of the political right in its current incarnations either; conservatism--I mean *real* conservatism, principled ethical conservatism in the style of Robert Stanfield and Dalton Camp--doesn't seem to exist in this country anymore.
All the options suck. I have no idea how I'm going to vote, they all give me the willies.
Bright Spark
Posts: 377
October 12th, 2007, 07:37 PM
The basic point I was trying to make is they are not business friendly to businesses outside of the province. Not allowing businesses in with out taxing the sh%t out of them before they are even through the door. Let them in first, then once they are established then do some negotiating, but don't scare them off before they are even here.
Quote:
I'm not sure where you are going with this. Occupational health and safety is a major issue no matter where you go. Safety seems to be the biggest thing going in Alberta right now, as it should be. It is not however impairing or preventing any type of business from starting in Alberta.
They're a little more interested in things like occupational health and safety, decent wages and living and working conditions, stuff like that, all things that cost businesses money.
The basic point I was trying to make is they are not business friendly to businesses outside of the province. Not allowing businesses in with out taxing the sh%t out of them before they are even through the door. Let them in first, then once they are established then do some negotiating, but don't scare them off before they are even here.
Bright Spark
Posts: 377
October 12th, 2007, 07:49 PM
And sorry, but don't even get me started on DOH. It is a gov't run business that does nothing but waste the tax payers dollar. 12 department trucks heading down the highway to get fitted for their snow blades.....when? On a Saturday when everyone of those drivers had to be paid time and a half.......you couldn't have schedueled this for a week day? And don't even tell me that the taxes that are being paid on fuel can't provide us with better highways. Plus you don't have to look any further than the #1 highway, never mind secondary highways to know the state of our road system, and this my friend has nothing to do with farmers, it does have to do with the way our delivery system is set up for goods of all sorts. I travel this cow path quite often and I do not see to many B trains of grain on there, I do however see transport trucks, and lots of them on the highway.
And sorry, but don't even get me started on DOH. It is a gov't run business that does nothing but waste the tax payers dollar. 12 department trucks heading down the highway to get fitted for their snow blades.....when? On a Saturday when everyone of those drivers had to be paid time and a half.......you couldn't have schedueled this for a week day? And don't even tell me that the taxes that are being paid on fuel can't provide us with better highways. Plus you don't have to look any further than the #1 highway, never mind secondary highways to know the state of our road system, and this my friend has nothing to do with farmers, it does have to do with the way our delivery system is set up for goods of all sorts. I travel this cow path quite often and I do not see to many B trains of grain on there, I do however see transport trucks, and lots of them on the highway.
Knows No Bounds
Posts: 3,399
Videos: 2
Location: 50° 30' N, 104° 38' W
Videos: 2
Location: 50° 30' N, 104° 38' W
October 12th, 2007, 09:44 PM
The Chief was past it, he'd become a liability to the party, there was no chance it could ever again form a government with him at the helm, but his massive ego wouldn't let him retire gracefully. Camp took the fall for dumping him and paid a nasty price, and while I might question some of his methods, I think he did the right thing on balance; Diefenbaker had to go. Politics is often a messy, dirty business, people being what they are, but Camp I think was basically a decent and honourable man.
So's Joe Clark, and he deserved better than he got from the media and the voting public, but that's another issue.
Quoting Toro
Ah, somebody else who knows some history. Nice to see. It needed to be done, and Dief being from Saskatchewan doesn't enter into it. We produce our share of fools here too you know.
Dex
I didn't think anyone in Saskatchewan would refer to Dalton Camp as a "principled, ethical conservative," considering what he did to Saskatchewan's own Prime Minister!
I didn't think anyone in Saskatchewan would refer to Dalton Camp as a "principled, ethical conservative," considering what he did to Saskatchewan's own Prime Minister!
The Chief was past it, he'd become a liability to the party, there was no chance it could ever again form a government with him at the helm, but his massive ego wouldn't let him retire gracefully. Camp took the fall for dumping him and paid a nasty price, and while I might question some of his methods, I think he did the right thing on balance; Diefenbaker had to go. Politics is often a messy, dirty business, people being what they are, but Camp I think was basically a decent and honourable man. So's Joe Clark, and he deserved better than he got from the media and the voting public, but that's another issue.
