Harper predicts pain at gas pumps if Layton is in power
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gas prices would certainly go up if Layton had his way.
So, is it a good thing or bad? Depends. As for eliminating tax breaks for the gas industry, that cost would be passed on to the customer. Remember though that this subsidy benefits those who drive the most the most. How fair is that to the one who has to pay more for a bicycle because the bicycle industry doesn't get the same tax break. Either all companies get the tax break, or none of them do. So yes, eliminating this subsidy would push gas prices up, but that's only fair. All other companies have to pay taxes too, and their prices go up as a result too. Following that logic, then is Harper planning to extend the subsidy to all industries to bring taxes down?
Cap and trade. Good idea in principle, but a little too extreme in my opinion. It's essentially a gas tax on steroids. The Green party's tax shift might not be as environmentally friendly in relative terms, but at least more moderate. One advantage with a gas tax though is that it would allow for a drop in income taxes, so as to make taxes more user-pay, a very conservative principle in my opinion. Though Harper seems to disagree, he has no qualms about granting tax breaks to this company but not that one. All or nothing I say
So yes, gas prices might go up, but then under the tax shift principle we'd pay less income tax too. So a rise in gas prices isn't bad. My concern is that the NDP, unlike the Greens, are not looking at a tax shift, but rather an overall tax hike. So gas will go up but income tax won't drop.
So, is it a good thing or bad? Depends. As for eliminating tax breaks for the gas industry, that cost would be passed on to the customer. Remember though that this subsidy benefits those who drive the most the most. How fair is that to the one who has to pay more for a bicycle because the bicycle industry doesn't get the same tax break. Either all companies get the tax break, or none of them do. So yes, eliminating this subsidy would push gas prices up, but that's only fair. All other companies have to pay taxes too, and their prices go up as a result too. Following that logic, then is Harper planning to extend the subsidy to all industries to bring taxes down?
Cap and trade. Good idea in principle, but a little too extreme in my opinion. It's essentially a gas tax on steroids. The Green party's tax shift might not be as environmentally friendly in relative terms, but at least more moderate. One advantage with a gas tax though is that it would allow for a drop in income taxes, so as to make taxes more user-pay, a very conservative principle in my opinion. Though Harper seems to disagree, he has no qualms about granting tax breaks to this company but not that one. All or nothing I say
So yes, gas prices might go up, but then under the tax shift principle we'd pay less income tax too. So a rise in gas prices isn't bad. My concern is that the NDP, unlike the Greens, are not looking at a tax shift, but rather an overall tax hike. So gas will go up but income tax won't drop.
Actually, we do. We have literally tons of it in the oil sands, not to mention the unexploited conventional reserves. I'll give you that the fluctuations in price suck, and we should be doing more processing in Alberta or at least other parts of Canada(things like Encana making a partnership with an American firm and processing their heavy oil in North Dakota seem ridiculous to me). I am curious how Alberta oil production funds terrorism and corrrupt regimes though, any more than other Canadian industry... I guess it must be that much more profitable...
Yeah....even the Globe and Mail, somewhat reluctantly and to my great surprise, have endorsed Harper.
The Globe’s election endorsement: Facing up to our challenges - The Globe and Mail
Now, I'm gonna say it.........Jack Layton is a charming guy....in fact, he is a distant relative of mine......but there is one serious problem with Jack as PM.
Jack Layton is an idiot.
Sorry, but there it is.
Jack thinks you can raise corporate taxes, fuel taxes, EI taxes, CPP taxes, without damaging the economy.
Jack thinks you can thumb your nose at our biggest trading partner, without hurting the economy.
Jack thinks you can severely limit the oil sands production, without hurting the economy.
Then Jack believes the economy will boom so mightily that it will withstand the 70 billion dollars plus he has promised in new spending.
Jack believes you can double the CPP payments with a 2.5% increase in employment deduction...........(I only wish!....I have no pension), ......when the bloody thing is unsustainable as it is!!!!!
Jack thinks you can negotiate peace love and groovy with the Taliban.
Jack thinks we don't need to be able to project military force.
Jack thinks the United Nations is a force for good in the world.
Jack thinks gun crime in Canada can be solved by sending a emissary to the US Congress to demand stricter gun control in the States. (Imagine an American gov't representative demanding we change our Constitution to suit them! lol)
I could go on and on and on and on........but the conclusion is the same.
Jack is an idiot.
Sorry. I really am.
The Globe’s election endorsement: Facing up to our challenges - The Globe and Mail
Now, I'm gonna say it.........Jack Layton is a charming guy....in fact, he is a distant relative of mine......but there is one serious problem with Jack as PM.
Jack Layton is an idiot.
Sorry, but there it is.
Jack thinks you can raise corporate taxes, fuel taxes, EI taxes, CPP taxes, without damaging the economy.
Jack thinks you can thumb your nose at our biggest trading partner, without hurting the economy.
Jack thinks you can severely limit the oil sands production, without hurting the economy.
Then Jack believes the economy will boom so mightily that it will withstand the 70 billion dollars plus he has promised in new spending.
Jack believes you can double the CPP payments with a 2.5% increase in employment deduction...........(I only wish!....I have no pension), ......when the bloody thing is unsustainable as it is!!!!!
Jack thinks you can negotiate peace love and groovy with the Taliban.
Jack thinks we don't need to be able to project military force.
Jack thinks the United Nations is a force for good in the world.
Jack thinks gun crime in Canada can be solved by sending a emissary to the US Congress to demand stricter gun control in the States. (Imagine an American gov't representative demanding we change our Constitution to suit them! lol)
I could go on and on and on and on........but the conclusion is the same.
Jack is an idiot.
Sorry. I really am.
I won't say Jack is an idiot. He's just well-intentioned but ignorant of economics in a big way.
I can only hope he will reconsider his position on protectionism and recognize that free trade is beneficial to the economy. Sure it kills jobs, but only because it purges the more inefficient jobs from the economy so as to make the economy more efficient so as to increase wealth. Protectionism creates unproductive make-work jobs which only drag production down.
We absolutely need free trade, and I can only pray that jack reconsiders on this one.
As for eliminating subsidies to gas companies, yes it would push costs up, but that I can agree with (either you tax all equally or exempt all equally).
cap and trade? Now that worries me. Again, I hope he reconsiders. The idea is good in principle, but way too extreme. A simple tax shift towards a gas tax would suffice.
I am a little worried of possible anti-Americanism among some NDP candidates, and certainly hope people vote for those candidates based on their personal traits and not on the party platform. If we all vote along with Laton-mania for any NDP candidate, I'd be seriously worried.
I can only hope he will reconsider his position on protectionism and recognize that free trade is beneficial to the economy. Sure it kills jobs, but only because it purges the more inefficient jobs from the economy so as to make the economy more efficient so as to increase wealth. Protectionism creates unproductive make-work jobs which only drag production down.
We absolutely need free trade, and I can only pray that jack reconsiders on this one.
As for eliminating subsidies to gas companies, yes it would push costs up, but that I can agree with (either you tax all equally or exempt all equally).
cap and trade? Now that worries me. Again, I hope he reconsiders. The idea is good in principle, but way too extreme. A simple tax shift towards a gas tax would suffice.
I am a little worried of possible anti-Americanism among some NDP candidates, and certainly hope people vote for those candidates based on their personal traits and not on the party platform. If we all vote along with Laton-mania for any NDP candidate, I'd be seriously worried.
Re: Harper predicts pain at pas pumps if Layton is in power
Well, I predict a major pain in our collective asses if Harper is elected.
Its a myth that Conservatives are fiscally responsible. That may have been true decades ago when Conservatives were about being pro-business. But since Conservatives became neo-Cons, they have demonstrated fiscal irresponsibility. The biggest spender in history was neo-con George W. Bush. When the US was run by Clinton, the US was on path to paying of their debt within a decade. After Bush came to power, he cut taxes for the wealthiest people and started two wars. Afghansitan might have been justified, but Iraq was all about spending about a trillion dollars in order for big oil companies to seize control of Iraq's oil wealth, with zero benefit to the American people who pay for the war.
Harper is a neo-con like Bush. He also supported invading Iraq for the benefit of big oil, not the benefit of Canadians.
These neo-cons don't represent our interests. In fact I'm convinced they intend to transfer our collective wealth to large multi-national corporations and banks. If we don't stop these people we will be permanently in-debt and powerless.
Ignatieff used to pretend to be an American. Now he pretends to be a Canadian. He gained control of the Liberal party through back room deals that did not involve an election. How Democratic is that? If the Liberals can't even run their own party like a democracy, then I have little confidence that they can run Canada as a democracy.
That leaves Jack Layton and NDP as the only party which represents the interests of Canadians and follows democratic principles.
Canadians who support one of the major parties because they always have, remind me of Maple Leaf fans. You keep hoping that one day these parties will not disappoint you, but they've done nothing but disappoint you for decades. Maybe its time to start rooting for another team.
Jack knows nothing about economics. He is only knowledgeable in handouts, and even in this he is somewhat ignorant.
He thinks the government should run everything.
I don't totally agree with your comment about him not being an idiot.
Jack will never form government, so we really have nothing to worry about!
link please.
It doesn't take an economics major to know that spending $60B + (minimum, because we still don't know the final true cost) on planes that won't protect out soldiers from IEDs, without going through any competitive process or allowing any oversight is a bad idea. Imagine buying a car like that.
Honey, I'm home. I just bought a brand new car.
How much did it cost?
I don't know i never asked.
Was it a good deal?
I don't know, I never looked at any other cars, I just bought this one, because my friends bought one.
How much did they pay?
They don't know either.
How did you buy it?
I went into your bank account and took out some money without asking you.
How much did you take out?
Sorry, I'm not telling.
Dear husband you are so wise and fiscally responsible looking in that sweater... I hope we stay together forever...
It doesn't take an economics major to know that spending $60B + (minimum, because we still don't know the final true cost) on planes that won't protect out soldiers from IEDs, without going through any competitive process or allowing any oversight is a bad idea. Imagine buying a car like that.
Honey, I'm home. I just bought a brand new car.
How much did it cost?
I don't know i never asked.
Was it a good deal?
I don't know, I never looked at any other cars, I just bought this one, because my friends bought one.
How much did they pay?
They don't know either.
How did you buy it?
I went into your bank account and took out some money without asking you.
How much did you take out?
Sorry, I'm not telling.
Dear husband you are so wise and fiscally responsible looking in that sweater... I hope we stay together forever...
People said the same thing about cod stocks. I think I probably take a longer view of things than you do.
We literally use hundreds of thousands of metric tonnes each day in Canada alone.
Who said I was talking about Alberta? Alberta isn't the only place in this world that produces oil. We import oil from other nations in Canada, even though we're net exporters.
Honestly, possibly a good "attack" against the NDP would be to pop its idealized bubble about Sweden as a successful socialist paradise. Many socialists point to Sweden as a successful "socialist" model as a reason to vote NDP. What they seem to ignore though is that:
1. it's debatable whether Sweden's economy is socialist, and
2. even if we do define it as socialist, it's pretty darn moderate compared to the NDP platform.
For instance, Sweden:
1. has never had a legally mandated minimum wage.
2. even has a school voucher programme, something we in North America woudl usually associate with the US Republican Party.
3. is very pro-free-trade.
4. has a two-tier health care system allowing private-sector involvement.
More accurately, Sweden's economy could be defined as sitting between liberal-corporatism and social-corporatism depending on the party in power.
I could go on, but I think this makes it clear that the NDP platform is nothing like what some dippers like to compare themselves to in Sweden. Sweden's social-democratic could actually be described as more social-corporatist on the economic front, whereas the NDP's economic platform is more labour-socialist.
Why doesn't Harper have any positive ideas on these issues other than who ever is gaining in the polls is evil?
Shouldn't he have some ideas of his own?
Shouldn't he have some ideas of his own?
You're surprised by the lack of change? This will be the third consecutive election the Globe and Mail has endorsed Stephen Harper.
In fact, if you look at this
Globe endorsements through history - The Globe and Mail
14 times out of 20 the Globe and Mail has endorsed the conservative candidate.
I must say though tht regardless of my agreement with Harper on may issues, what turned me off from him is lack of honesty and bullying manner. Layton beats Harper hands down on that front. I'd prefer ignorant over manipulative.
And that's the problem with voting against a leader rather than for a candidate based on principle.
I agree with your points. But I'm not sure the NDP is labour-socialist, I would lean more towards calling them just pure socialistic !!
The vote should be based on policy that will benefit all of Canada.
It should not be voted on the looks or behaviors of a leader.
Unfortunately, we as Canadian voters are just not objective enough, we get rapped up in herd mentalities too easily .