People get the government they deserve, VanIsle. If, as you claim, this government is in power because other parties are worse, whose fault is that?
Anti HST Campaign hits referendum threshold
- Thread starter VanIsle
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People get the government they deserve, VanIsle. If, as you claim, this government is in power because other parties are worse, whose fault is that?
The better choice, from a public perception point-of-view for Her Majesty’s Government for British Columbia, would most probably be for the Select Standing Committee on Legislative Initiatives to exercise its option to introduce a bill, instead of going to a referendum. The Government could then quietly defeat the bill and end the issue without having to deal with the press of a majority vote against such a key agenda item.
You should have voted for a referendum last election. They tried hard to change the way of voting in BC and had enough people read about it and understood (it was a 2nd try at the vote) it may have been a really good thing. It's the way they vote in Ireland and apparently it worked quite well there. I voted for Campbell the first time around, not realizing he was about to do me out of a job. He did not get my vote the next time. All he did was turn around and do exactly the same things he did the first time around. Now he's just adding to it with the HST and if you think he's not, you need to read the list over very carefully (anyone that is). People on this Island are already really upset with the CEO of BC Ferries because the prices are so high. This will just be another excuse for David Hahn to raise them again. We already pay more over here for lots of things due to transportation costs and now the HST will just be passed on to us. I know that we pay PST on many things already that people don't even realize that we do. I just believe that amongst many other things, there should be zero PST and GST on housing. It's hard enough to buy a house. No wonder there are so many homeless people. Everytime we turn around, the government - Campbell in particular - is standing there with his hand out. Time for the man to give a hand up.
Sorry SJP but that is quite possibly the dumbest question you have ever asked me. 8O
I agree with sjp on this one.....I was there when the elctorate destroyed the Social Credit and gave the NDP carte blanche.... then we had a viable alternative with the new liberals and the people concentrated on the leaders sex life instead of how good a man he was and what he could have done for the province.... then we destroyed the NDP and gave campbells "liberals" carte blanche....... repeatedly.
It's a college designed to help disabled people get into the workforce.
Not even close.
It works in Switzerland. So according to you the public should butt out and let the plutarchy tell us what's good for us. To put it in Andem's terms, you're an idiot.
Yes, yes and yes. The government is supposed to serve the people. Wakie wakie. This isn't an episode of "Yes, Minister".
It is in Switzerland and it is called direct democracy. But then I guesss you don't believe in democracy; only plutocracies and oligarchies, etc.
Another charitable thing to do would be to put you in a rubber room with striped sunlight, too. So what?
Yeah. We have representative government alright except no-one can figure out who the governments are representing.
Voting them out? That's some choice. Using the archaic and idiotic fptp we vote Dipper or non-Dippers. Not one other party will ever stand a chance under fptp. Same as the joke we have for federal elections. So what we end up with is:
YouTube - Taxation - Yes Minister
You missed his point. He means we don't even have representation.
Wrong. We get the same governments that keep perpetuating themselves.
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In a perfect world we would have an educated electoral base that would be campaigning to adopt a single transferable vote or a mixed proportional representation system.
Instead the average person is fatigued and declares themselves apolitical and/or subscribes to a twiddle-dee-twiddle-dum party like Federal Liberal, Conservative or NDP.
I believe our provinces could use far more autonomy and rights. I think if we had a mixed PR system in the beginning (as opposed to FPTP) than the Quebec issue would have never materialized as there would had been compromise between the grand coalitions in order to secure their respective votes. Much like I suspect there would be less western alienation in our western provinces.
I voted for the B.C. referendum on a single transferable vote and I was deeply upset that it never earned the required 60%.
Though I am optimistic about the future. It was namely the old baby boomers and pensioners who voted no in the B.C. Referendum. It`s only going to be a matter of time...
Instead the average person is fatigued and declares themselves apolitical and/or subscribes to a twiddle-dee-twiddle-dum party like Federal Liberal, Conservative or NDP.
I believe our provinces could use far more autonomy and rights. I think if we had a mixed PR system in the beginning (as opposed to FPTP) than the Quebec issue would have never materialized as there would had been compromise between the grand coalitions in order to secure their respective votes. Much like I suspect there would be less western alienation in our western provinces.
I voted for the B.C. referendum on a single transferable vote and I was deeply upset that it never earned the required 60%.
Though I am optimistic about the future. It was namely the old baby boomers and pensioners who voted no in the B.C. Referendum. It`s only going to be a matter of time...
I'm not sure that a direct Democracy is any better than a representative Democracy. The U.S. is a good example of a direct Democracy and I don't see them enjoying many more freedoms than we have here. :smile::smile:
except for the ridiculous level of gun control we have. :angry3:
except for the ridiculous level of gun control we have. :angry3:
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So are you saying that it is totally up to The Select Standing Committee as to whether to hold a referendum? If that is the case, then forget it. It ain't happening.
Quite so. So let me repeat the question. If all the parties are equally bad (Liberals being a little less bad than others), whose fault is that? It is the fault of the people, obviously. People get the government they deserve.
They had the chance of voting for proportional representation; evidently they indicated by their vote that they are satisfied with the current system. What is the point in whining about it now?
As to those here who say they are not gong to vote at the next election, how is that going to fix the problem? That will make the problem worse. If you don’t like the way things are, try to change them, rather than simply whining about it.
I got a news flash for you Anna (not that you are very often wrong) but first past the post is the best voting system, especially in a country like Canada where you get 20 or 30 splinter parties on the ballots. The other system isn't going to make much difference as to who forms government but will just ensure that a lot of the splinter parties (some of them real crack pots) will get a seat or two.
Since when do "whiners" have solutions?
I just heard on the news that low income people will get an H.S.T. cheque in the mail every three months, I'm beginning to think that the justification of this H.S.T. lies mainly in the veracity of that statement and the size of the cheque. Does anyone recall Campbell telling us that we will be getting carbon rebate cheques periodically? CAn anyone tell me if this is just an Alzheimers attack or if Campbell was lying?
Yeah.
I think it's pure reactionary self-preservation that prompted the gov't du jour to say we need a majority of 60% instead of 51%. Last I heard 51% WAS a majority.
The USA? A direct democracy? roflmao
um,mmmmm...yes he is "close" Campbells Liberals are made up of disenfrachised Social Credit, and BC conservatives. It is a mish mosh, unlike Wilson's Liberals which was a true BC Liberal Party.
HST was suppose to be brought into Ontario on or about July of 2010 I though.
HST was brought into Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and new Brunswick back in
1997 I thought....so well over a decade of real experience with the HST on the
East Coast vs.. an experience in Ontario that (as far as I know) hasn't happened
yet? Not the same thing. That's why I'd like to hear from some of the Folks on the
East Coast of Canada on this HST issue.
lol The USA is as much a direct democracy as Canada is. It's a representative democratic republic. There's a huge difference between direct democracy and what the USA has.
Switzerland, is as close as the world has to a direct democracy as the people actively exercise the governmental powers directly. Not so in the USA.
lol Are there any of the old Socreds left alive besides Cliff Serwa in the Okanagan and Bill Van der Zalm? lmao
Are any even in the gov't?
Google is "the guy" you want to argue with, I have no idea personally although I do understand Canada is a Dominion, not a Republic.
*shrugs* Google is not infallable. And actually Canada is a parliamentary democracy, but the government is representative (as opposed to direct) just like the States is. IOW, people here and in the States elect people to represent them (the citizenry delegates decisive responsibility to their representatives), whereas the Swiss actively choose to tell the gov't what to do.
Ya know what Anna? You may be smarter than me - but barely......................:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:
I looked it up, you are right. It will go in effect from 1 July in Ontario. But as I said before, there hasn't been much of a reaction in Ontario. I don't think there has been much of a reaction in Eastern provinces either.
It is only residents of BC who have their panties in a bunch, for some reason.
SJ, I would say there has been a reaction by citizens considering the bribe the government has offered in order to placate people. Something like $1200 deductible on a tax return.