High Ho it's off to the polls we go.

CDNBear

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Sep 24, 2006
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Are suggesting that he is the only one spinning here?
Nope, he's just the only one doing it so blatantly and with such a lack of respect for the reader, as to make him a serious contender for the Liberal leadership.

;-)
 

taxslave

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Nov 25, 2008
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lol One does not precipitate the other. The majority of Canadians voters didn't vote. That likely means they didn't like anyone or else are disgusted with the entire election stuff or were too lazy/apathetic. If the majority don't vote, democracy is lost because democracy is rule by majority (or mob rule as I like to put it).


Yeah.

Since we have a charter of rights there will never be any danger of mob rule (democracy) in Canada.
 

SirJosephPorter

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Nov 7, 2008
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I think he probably meant getting rid of confidence votes for everything that was traditionally not a confidence vote. Budgets and a few other pieces of Government business have always been confidence votes, but I see no reason why An Act to increase the availability of agricultural loans and to repeal the Farm Improvement Loans Act needs to be a confidence vote.


But isn’t that how it works at present? I think Harper government has been defeated many times (on gun registry for instance) in the Parliament, but that didn’t lead to its fall. I think currently that is how things are run in the Commons.

Unless Harper specifically says that something is a vote of confidence and government will fall if the bill is defeated, any bill not dealing with money is not considered a vote of confidence.
 

CDNBear

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Sep 24, 2006
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Sorry to quote you again,

Sorry to quote me again? Why, AlbertaBlue, I like to be quoted, more often the better.

I support lower taxes to individuals and corporations, so that individuals can spend more money, and corporations can hire more people, instead of giving it to the government.

You have summarized the conservative problem in a nutshell. Conservatives are ideologically opposed to tax increase, they want to cut taxes. But they dare not cut services, they will be booted out of the office if they do. The only alternative is to borrow the money. If there are no taxes and services must be provided, borrowing on a massive scale is the only answer.

That is why one conservative politician after another borrows hugely and runs huge deficits and huge debt. Borrow and spend is an integral part of Conservative philosophy.

You say you support smaller government and lower taxes. But what would you do if smaller government isn’t possible (as it isn't)? You would still want lower taxes, right? That is where the borrow and spend philosophy originates.
Your simplistic and childish view of the conservative ideology, is only overshadowed by your lack of knowledge on the economies of the times in which they sat in office. Or the preceding Liberal Gov't effects on the nations economic health.

This is of no surprise.
 

SirJosephPorter

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Nov 7, 2008
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Given how long it would take a new government to actually get sat, present a budget, write this legislation, etc., I would not count on it. Yes, Iggy has said he would keep it, but for this year? Highly doubtful, given the length of time it takes any government to actually get something done.

Not to say it could not be retroactive, though, but that would be about the best he could do, IMO.


And just what is the problem here, AlbertaBlue? Suppose we have an election in November. The tax return for this year isn’t due until the end of April 2010. Are you saying that the new government is going to go without a budget for five months?

There will definitely be a budget before April 2010 and the tax credit will be included in it. And it doesn’t have to be retroactive either. As I said there is no reason to worry.
 

Cannuck

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Feb 2, 2006
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A majority of Canadian voters did not vote for the Conservatives. Therefore a coalition of opposition parties would represent the will of a majority of Canadians.

I didn't vote Conservative but coalition of the opposition parties is not my will. I think if they want to form a coalition they should state that clearly before an election. I would vote Conservative to keep Smilin' Jack away from the country's purse.
 

SirJosephPorter

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Are suggesting that he is the only one spinning here?


That is quite all right, polygong, when somebody posts as much as I do, it is bound to rub some people the wrong way. Especially those who cannot express their thoughts in a concise, erudite, cogent manner, don’t have the gift of the gab that I do, they are bound to come back with the cries of ‘spin’, or propaganda’ etc. (even though I have never said anything complimentary about Ignatieff). It is all part of the territory.
 

Cannuck

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Feb 2, 2006
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Five, is that you? Good to hear from you again, even if we fundamentally disagree. Your posts always were thought provoking.

Heavy emphasis on "were". I'm quite disappointed with 5P since his return. We used to give the right-wing nutters fits over at Ranters but he seems to be nothing more than a Liberal Party advertisement now.
 

CDNBear

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Sep 24, 2006
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That is quite all right, polygong, when somebody posts as much as I do, it is bound to rub some people the wrong way. Especially those who cannot express their thoughts in a concise, erudite, cogent manner, don’t have the gift of the gab that I do, they are bound to come back with the cries of ‘spin’, or propaganda’ etc. (even though I have never said anything complimentary about Ignatieff). It is all part of the territory.
 

taxslave

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 25, 2008
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Well, I may fit his category of right wing, but certainly not religious!! And I consider myself center-right, which I guess to left wing loons is far right!!

Yeah I'm kind of in the same boat. Every time I say that the government must not spend more than it takes or tax us out of the competition some socialist calls me a right winger. Actually even Sir Joe is against deficit spending and high taxes. Its just that he either has a financial interest or someone in the Liberal party gives him good blow jobs.
 

FiveParadox

Governor General
Dec 20, 2005
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Re: Prime Minister’s Prerogatives

But isn’t that how it works at present? I think Harper government has been defeated many times (on gun registry for instance) in the Parliament, but that didn’t lead to its fall. I think currently that is how things are run in the Commons.

Unless Harper specifically says that something is a vote of confidence and government will fall if the bill is defeated, any bill not dealing with money is not considered a vote of confidence.

Quite right, SirJosephPorter.

The only votes that are bound to defeat a Government are (a) the rejection of the throne speech, or (b) the defeat of a budget or a ways and means motion related thereto. The prime minister does have the right to ‘declare’ any vote or piece of legislation that he wishes as a matter of confidence; this particular prime minister has used this convention on most pieces of Government business, to extort votes out of the opposition parties. Unfortunately, in most of those circumstances, the opposition parties have danced to the Government’s tune and lended the prolonged support of the House of Commons to a Government that each party says it wants out. (Just goes to show you how dazed and confused the Liberals, Bloc and New Democrats are.)
 

SirJosephPorter

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Yeah I'm kind of in the same boat. Every time I say that the government must not spend more than it takes or tax us out of the competition some socialist calls me a right winger. Actually even Sir Joe is against deficit spending and high taxes. Its just that he either has a financial interest or someone in the Liberal party gives him good blow jobs.

I would never call you a right winger for that, taxslave (I may call you that for other reasons). Sure I am against deficit spending, but not necessarily against high taxes. I look at tax increase on a case by case basis. Thus I supported McGuinty’s health tax, which was meant to eliminate the deficit (and he did eliminate the deficit, before the Bush tsunami hit us all).

My support for Liberal Party is really based upon principles, the principles of equality, minority rights, multiculturalism, plurality etc. Liberal party best represents the values which I stand for. Also the fact that they did such a stellar job in managing the economy under Chrétien/Martin. They converted huge Mulroney deficit into a healthy surplus. While Bush was racking up huge deficit, huge debt in USA, Liberals were running surplus here in Canada.

Harper lost me in the same sex marriage debate.
 

Tonington

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Oct 27, 2006
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But isn’t that how it works at present?

No. That is not how it works at present. Do you not remember Dion's Liberal party taking early lunch breaks/weekends to avoid voting? It didn't change under Ignatieff either.

Unless Harper specifically says that something is a vote of confidence and government will fall if the bill is defeated, any bill not dealing with money is not considered a vote of confidence.

Harper made all matters listed in the throne speeches confidence votes. So, being scant on details, one can see how this might lead to support of the throne speech, and not the legislation, and then we have an election simply because Harper made those items confidence votes.
 

SirJosephPorter

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I know that you have trouble with reading and writing, so I will help you here: several of those concepts are mutually exclusive.


If you are a conservative probably none of that (tolerance, multiculturalism, minority rights etc.) makes sense to you, TenPenny. After all there is a strong faction in the Conservative party which wants to ban abortion, recriminalize homosexuality, teach Creationism in schools etc. (I don’t know if you belong to that faction or not).

But these are the concepts on which today’s Canada is based. That and the respect for the Charter (another thing many conservatives detest). That is what makes me a liberal; I can never see myself voting for someone like Harper, who is a Blue Tory. I could possibly vote for someone like Mulroney or Kim Campbell. But Harper? No way. If Canadians are insane enough to give him a majority, he will get it without my vote.
 

SirJosephPorter

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Do you not remember Dion's Liberal party taking early lunch breaks/weekends to avoid voting? It didn't change under Ignatieff either.

I think that was for money bills, Tonington. Liberals did not want to support the money bills, yet they did not want to force another election. So, many times they simply stayed away from the votes.

But I think the government has been defeated on several issues. Gun registry is one that I remember offhand, there probably were several more. That did not lead to the fall of the government.
 

AnnaG

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Jul 5, 2009
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That is quite all right, polygong, when somebody posts as much as I do, it is bound to rub some people the wrong way. Especially those who cannot express their thoughts in a concise, erudite, cogent manner, don’t have the gift of the gab that I do, they are bound to come back with the cries of ‘spin’, or propaganda’ etc. (even though I have never said anything complimentary about Ignatieff). It is all part of the territory.
..... and especially when some pompass twit twists everything people say to fit his own viewpoint of them.