quote Originally posted by loafer87gt: It doesn't seem to matter to them that our country has been praised by the G8 and economists world wide for our fiscal financial plan that has made us the envy of the world

Really?
http://query.nytimes.com/gs...30A35751C1A966958260

Australia is the only member of the G8 not in recession at present. And for now the only one running on a budget surplus.

Like all, your economy is shrinking. Not a lot to praise anywhere in the world at present. We are expecting to stave off a recession here, but not by much.

/\ Maybe Australia would like to bail out the Not So big 3 and have GM move it's complete operations to Queensland or New South Wales?

[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 12-05-2008).]

quote Originally posted by maryjane: /\ Maybe Australia would like to bail out the Not So big 3 and have GM move it's complete operations to Queensland or New South Wales?

Well we don't want to pay the bail out. We cant afford that much. Them 3 spend as much as it costs to run our country for a year I think. But maybe we can buy the scraps at a firesale price in a few weeks.

We will throw in UAW for free.

quote Originally posted by Patrick: Loafer, do you chuckle to yourself while you post this silly stuff? Interesting how you ultra right wingers continually attempt to alter history by suggesting that Hitler was a "leftist". Nice try, but it won't work. Like it or not, he's one of your boys. Back to Canadian politics... I notice you haven't mentioned anywhere in this thread the percentage of popular vote that the Conservative Party received in the last Canadian federal election. Is there a reason why you've been avoiding this? Was it 90%?... No. Was it 80%?... No. Was it 70%?... No. Was it 60%?... No. Was it 50%?... No. Was it 40%?... No. Well, what the hell was it then? 38% Whoop-de-do. Don't try and suggest to everyone here that the Conservative Party in Canada has the backing of the majority of Canadians. They don't, not by a long shot. Harper made the biggest mistake of his political life by trying to act like a little dictator when in reality he's just the leader of an impotent minority government. A minority government that needs to appease the other political parties on Parliament Hill in order to survive. You'd think that anyone in his position would've been a bit more careful not to be stepping on toes, but apparently Harper's arrogance got in the way of his reasoning. He's now finding out the hard way what happens when you piss off the majority of the House of Commons.

I'm not a statician, but from my view the conservatives did win the support of the majority of Canadians. First off all, I think the Bloc numbers should be disregarded when looking at the breakdown of the last election. This is a party devoted to seperating from the country, and the greedy little thugs in Quebec will always vote for them as long as they promise to keep the handouts from Ottawa flowing. The 50 seats the Bloc hold do not benefit any other province other than Quebec, the are party with Quebec's provincial interests at heart that have somehow been allowed to run at a federal level. Add up the two FEDERAL leftist parties, the NDP and the Liberals, and the they got a cobined total of 113 seats compared to the Conservatives 146. That said, even if you do factor in the Bloc numbers in the last election, this is how things break down.

BQ - 50 seats , 10% of popular vote
Liberals - 76 seats , 26% of popular vote
NDP - 37 seats , 18% of popular vote
Conservative - 143 seats , 38% of popular vote.

One can interpret these numbers to read that the Conservatives got almost twice as many seats as the Liberals, almost 3 times as many as the BQ and FOUR times as many as the NDP. That tells me that majority wanted the Conservatives over any other party. Further more, 90% of Canadians did not vote for the BQ, 74% did not vote for the Liberals and 82% did not vote for the NDP. Compare those numbers to the 64% that did not vote for the Conservatives and you will find that more Canadians want the Conservatives at the helm of this country than any other party.

Plus, you can't disregard recent polls take just days ago that suggest almost 80% Canadian DO NOT want this coaltion to take place. With this and the election results providing a fairly clear picture, why does the left insist they should be control of our countries government?

[This message has been edited by loafer87gt (edited 12-05-2008).]

quote Originally posted by loafer87gt: I'm not a statician, but from my view the conservatives did win the support of the majority of Canadians. One can interpret these numbers...

Yes, and you've certainly done your best to "interpret" the numbers.

What's that old saying? Oh yeah..... Figures lie and liars figure.

Loafer, you can spin the numbers any which way you want, but the fact remains that 62% of Canadians in the last federal election did NOT want the Conservatives in power.

quote Originally posted by loafer87gt: Umm, check the date on your article dude. It's from December 3rd, 1990! The reference to the Persian Gulf war should have tipped you off to that!

Heh heh, that’s pretty funny!

The numbers are scewed due to the Quebec vote. Outside of Quebec, the Tories are a clear majority of seats.

If the left in the USA was divided into 3 parties like in Canada, McCain would have won hands down.

The real question to ask is, if the economic statement read by Joe Flaherty was not acceptable, when the measures came up to be voted on, could the opposition have not simply debated them and voted them down?

Instead, they immediately opted to get indignant and form a committee to overthrow the government. This is pretty transparent when you think about it.

As for Dion, remember that he is a lame duck. He owed at last count, about $600,000 from his nomination campaign and under the Elections Act has to collect it from donors at a maximum of $1100 per donor. He can't even pay it off himself. This means that he could possibly face bankruptcy. If, however, he can get into the Prime Minister position, he will be able to access cross Canada donations and get himself out of financial trouble. Whenever you see shenanigans like this, you have to look for the Money. It is always about the Money.

You will also note how the press conveniently forgets what Harper said. They also distort what Flaherty said. Flaherty in the first place said nothing different than what most Canadians agree on. 1. stop funding political parties out of the public purse and 2. negotiate carefully before committing tax dollars on some buyout scheme.

The NDP who are calling the shots for the coalition want a big buyout to passify their trade union support base. Again, it is all about the money.

Arn

quote Originally posted by loafer87gt: Umm, check the date on your article dude. It's from December 3rd, 1990! The reference to the Persian Gulf war should have tipped you off to that! Here is a current article on the current state of our countries economy. http://www.canada.com/vanco...1e-8d0d-557f49cfaaad "After all, the Canadian government moved earlier than the U.S. to bolster its fiscal position, keep interest rates within a appropriate range and ensure credit markets functioned smoothly. Now it makes sense to wait for the incoming regime of President-elect Barack Obama to introduce its stimulus plan and coordinate our efforts with Washington and the G-20. At this point, it must be asked: Where is the crisis in Canada that demands an immediate, large-scale stimulus package? What's the hurry? The latest economic numbers suggest Canada is not even close to a crisis. Gross domestic product in the third quarter grew by 0.3 per cent, giving us an annualized rate of 1.3 per cent, far above expectations. In the U.S., GDP declined by 0.5 per cent over the same quarter. Canadian corporate profits grew by 5.7 per cent in the latest three months, after robust growth of 8.6 per cent in the second quarter, marking the strongest back-to-back quarterly profit growth since 2004. Personal income grew 0.7 per cent, up slightly from the second quarter, with average wages 4.3 per cent higher than a year ago, while the savings rate remained in positive territory at 3.0 per cent, compared with zero in the U.S. Moreover, the Canadian economy created 9,500 jobs in October, on top of record job growth the month before. It's unlikely Canada's economic strength can be sustained with its largest trading partner now a year into recession. Indeed, the growth of final domestic demand has slowed, exports have declined and inventories are building. The Bank of Montreal predicts the unemployment rate will rise above seven per cent by this time next year from the current 6.2 per cent. However, this hardly constitutes a crisis that requires the kind of intervention the coalition is preparing to foist on Canadians. Measures the Conservative government has already introduced, along with the actions of the Bank of Canada, are largely responsible for making Canada's economy the most resilient in the G-7, keeping it afloat while its competitors sink into recession."

LOL, see I go stupid late at night

So us Australians AND Canadians must be doing something right then.
Do you guys expect to go into recession or stay just above it iek are at present?

quote Originally posted by loafer87gt: I'm not a statician, but from my view the conservatives did win the support of the majority of Canadians. First off all, I think the Bloc numbers should be disregarded when looking at the breakdown of the last election. BQ - 50 seats , 10% of popular vote Liberals - 76 seats , 26% of popular vote NDP - 37 seats , 18% of popular vote Conservative - 143 seats , 38% of popular vote.

I thought popular vote meant total number of votes regardless of district.

If that is correct then:
Conservative 5,205,334 = 37.6%
Liberal 3,629,990 = 26.2%
Bloc Québécois 1,379,565 = 10.0%
N.D.P. 2,517,075 = 18.2%
All other parties 1,101,008 = 8.0%

So no party won the support of the majority of Canadians. That's why we have a minority government.

quote Originally posted by Arns85GT: The numbers are scewed due to the Quebec vote. Outside of Quebec, the Tories are a clear majority of seats.

What’s that got to do with the price of tea in China?

Last time I looked, Quebec was a part of Canada.

No offence Arn, but a lot of us in BC would like to see Ontario (and all their seats in Parliament) take a hike as well.

quote Originally posted by Arns85GT: Flaherty in the first place said nothing different than what most Canadians agree on. 1. stop funding political parties out of the public purse...

Was there a poll taken on this? I must’ve missed it.

The reason for public funding of political parties is to prevent the wealthy and elite from “buying” an election. Don’t try and tell me that “most Canadians” want the good ol’ boys in power now and forever more. Forget that nonsense.

quote Originally posted by Arns85GT: Whenever you see shenanigans like this, you have to look for the Money. It is always about the Money.

Oh, I agree with you there. It’s all about the money. Harper is obviously aware that the Liberal party owes a lot of money from the last election. He just couldn’t resist the temptation of trying to bankrupt them, of rubbing their noses in it, by pulling long accepted public funding for political parties. Shenanigans like this are what puts minority governments and arrogant politicians out on their ass.

quote Originally posted by Patrick: Oh, I agree with you there. It’s all about the money. Harper is obviously aware that the Liberal party owes a lot of money from the last election. He just couldn’t resist the temptation of trying to bankrupt them, of rubbing their noses in it, by pulling long accepted public funding for political parties. Shenanigans like this are what puts minority governments and arrogant politicians out on their ass.

Truth.

This was an ill conceived strategy for a minority government to attempt. Just how bankrupt has the Tory braintrust become?

quote Originally posted by Patrick: Loafer, you can spin the numbers any which way you want, but the fact remains that 62% of Canadians in the last federal election did NOT want the Conservatives in power.

I guess nobody bothered to notice that Liberals had been in power when 60% didn't vote for them either. "First past the post" seemed to be OK at that time...

It's funny how the "rules" only work for some people when they're in their favor.

Outside Quebec, the Tories have 143 seats and the other parties combined have 114. This is a clear majority. The 47 seats held by the Block really don't count because they are not particularly anti - Tory or anti - Liberal or anti - NDP. They are just separatists.

I was at a rally this morning at our city hall, about 250 people in a snow storm booing Dion and his "coup-scam" The politicians there told us flat out that the calls coming in are from angry Canadians and Canadians who feel betrayed by the opposition.

If you look at the recent polls, like Nano Research, you will see that a clear majority of Canadians disapprove, and that crosses party lines. Just watch, the Liberal and NDP members of Parliament are going to get an earful from their constituents.

Arn

It is a very weird situation. The liberals have a leader that agreed to step down but now might be Prime Minister.

If they had any sense they would hold a leadership while parliament is parogued.

I still contend that equal provincial representation in parliament would be much better for Canada, I think I read somewhere that Canada is only one of a handful of democratized nations that don't have such a system.

quote Originally posted by fierosound: I guess nobody bothered to notice that Liberals had been in power when 60% didn't vote for them either.

???

A minority government is nothing unusual in a multi-party political system. A minority government can govern effectively if the ruling party tries to work with the other parties, and not purposely try to poke them in the eye.

What makes this thread a joke is various posters in it "interpreting" the numbers to try and suggest that the Conservatives have a majority of Canadians behind them. The simple truth is they don’t, they received 38% of the popular vote across Canada (and like it or not, that includes Quebec).

If Harper had turned his Arrogance Meter down to 38% instead of leaving it cranked up to 100% we wouldn’t be in this mess.

quote Originally posted by Patrick: If Harper had turned his Arrogance Meter down to 38% instead of leaving it cranked up to 100% we wouldn’t be in this mess.

He should have let the House vote for no confidence. Then asked the GG to call another election. Which he clearly would have won again.

Patrick's colon, meet Patrick's face.

Just got back from the rally here in Saskatoon and there was about 350 to 400 people who showed up to say "no" to the coalition, and about 15 Liberal, NDP, and Bloc supporters who had their own rally in support of toppling the government. At one point an older lady from the pro-Coalition camp, whom made it known to everyone that she had a degree in poltical science, took a loudpeaker and told the group that it is not too late to educate themselves, and that Dion is the best answer to Canada's current woes. Needless to say, she didn't get a very warm reception from the mass for her condescending holier than thou attitude. I took a number of pictures during the rally, and the one thing that struck me as I reviewed them is the positive attitude of the anti-coalition group, and the outright hatred on the faces of the Liberal, NDP, and Quebec seperatist supporters (whom I had no idea existed here in Sasky). While the large pro-Democracy group proudly sang "O Canada", the leftists shouted "Kill Harper" and shouted derogatory comments at the mass of supporters.

In other news, the Liberals attempting to overthrow the current Conservative government have now gone as far as to call for the killing of the prime minister to achieve their goal of taking power. Scott Reid, the same communication director for the Liberal party who made the now famous "beer and popcorn" gaffe during the last election, now has these words as to how the coalition should proceed with the attempt to overthrow the current government. It is a very revealing look into the mind of leftist.

"Their imperative could not be more clear: kill him. Kill him dead. Do not, whatever you do, provide him with an opportunity to extend his hold on power. Because you can be damn certain he will never again be so reckless as to give you a chance to finish him off.

Fate tends to be grudging with gifts of this significance. To ignore it would be an error every bit as historic as the one Mr. Harper himself has made.

So don't get fancy. Don't get confused. And don't get weak in the knees. If you don't put Mr. Harper in his grave, he'll put you in yours."

In any other country, people would be locked up for uttering such threats. In Canada, however, it seems that as long as the comments are directed towards us "extreme right wing Conservatives" and our leadership, it is all fair game.

[This message has been edited by loafer87gt (edited 12-06-2008).]

quote Originally posted by AntiKev: Patrick's colon, meet Patrick's face.

Patrick's foot, meet AntiKev's ass.

Watching the reaction of the raging hypocrite is fun.

quote Originally posted by Patrick: What makes this thread a joke is various posters in it "interpreting" the numbers to try and suggest that the Conservatives have a majority of Canadians behind them. The simple truth is they don’t, they received 38% of the popular vote across Canada (and like it or not, that includes Quebec).

And when the Liberal minority government only received 40% of the vote (and like it or not, that included Quebec), that didn't translate into the majority of Canadians supporting them at that time. But that was OK with you then because they still had more seats in the House?

quote Originally posted by Phranc: Watching the reaction of the raging hypocrite is fun.

Isn't it though? It's so funny to watch leftists run around in their circular logic.

WTF Loafer?

This is the kind of thinking that just keeps things going downhill.

The GG probably chose the best option for the country (out of the limited options available to her). The big question is how the various parties will use the 7 weeks between now and when parliament reconvenes.

My big fear is that the politicians will subject us to two months of US style attack adds - pandering to people's prejudices, rather than using the time to come up with an intelligent plan to address the problems that are facing the country. If the Conservatives don't come up with a reasonable throne speech and budget during this reprieve, then they will have failed the country, and don't deserve to govern.

If, however, the Libs, NDP and Bloc vote down a sound plan in the new year, it should be crystal clear to everyone in the country that their priorities are focused on their own personal quest for power and do not include acting in the best interest of the country. If that happens, and the government is brought down, then Parliament must return to the people for a decision/mandate. We need a majority government to get something done. One can only hope that the voters will suitably punish those responsible for playing power politics rather than working for the country.

Unfortunately, the rhetoric used by the Conservatives has entrenched the Bloc's support in Quebec. Any way you look at it, a constitutional/unity crisis is more likely.

As long as Ontario and the maritimes continue to vote differently than the west, it will be virtually impossible for this country to have the majority government it needs.

quote Originally posted by fierosound: And when the Liberal minority government only received 40% of the vote (and like it or not, that included Quebec), that didn't translate into the majority of Canadians supporting them at that time. But that was OK with you then because they still had more seats in the House?

You have me mistaken for someone else. You have me mistaken for someone blinded by political partisanship.

I don’t like Stephan Harper. I don’t like Stéphane Dion.

Sorry, you can’t label me as a Liberal, or as a Conservative.

To tell the truth, I don’t like most politicians of any stripe.

quote Originally posted by Patrick: Phuck off, Phranc.

That's exactly my point. Thanks for living down to expectations.

quote Originally posted by Phranc: Thanks for living down to expectations.

You have the capacity to bring out the worst in anyone.

quote Originally posted by Patrick: You have the capacity to bring out the worst in anyone.

So what you are saying is you lack self control. Or is it that you aren't honest enough to take responsibility for you own actions and need to blame others. Rage away hypocrite. I enjoy watching you prove my point over and over again. I only wish I could set the bar lower for you.

In case it didn't sink in the first time...

Phuck off, Phranc.

quote Originally posted by Patrick: In case it didn't sink in the first time... Phuck off, Phranc.

No it sank in the first time. It sank in that you are a raging hypocrite and have no self control so you have to blame others. It must really be hard for you getting called out. Will take you ball and scamper away like jazzman did? Or will just try to be clever in your spelling of inappropriate words for a family forum while blaming others for your lack of self control?

Did I miss something? Why is Patrick a "Raging Hypocrite"??

quote Originally posted by newf: Did I miss something? Why is Patrick a "Raging Hypocrite"??

I don't know. He might be but that doesn't concern me so much.
What I want to know is why isn't phran taking heavy doses of Klonopin.

[This message has been edited by pokeyfiero (edited 12-06-2008).]

quote Originally posted by pokeyfiero: I don't know. He might be but that doesn't concern me so much. What I want to know is why isn't phran taking heavy doses of Klonopin.

Why exactly would I need it?

And since when are you a doctor and expert in pharmaceuticals hat you would know what meds I would or wouldn't need?

I'll leave you to go back to wanting to know things instead of knowing them.

quote Originally posted by Phranc: Why exactly would I need it? And since when are you a doctor and expert in pharmaceuticals hat you would know what meds I would or wouldn't need? I'll leave you to go back to wanting to know things instead of knowing them.

Oh, You'll leave me wanting to know huh? LOL Where do you get this material from? You're killin me here LOL.

Phranc shows up, another thread headed for the trashcan.

Not a coincidence.

quote Originally posted by pokeyfiero: Oh, You'll leave me wanting to know huh? LOL Where do you get this material from? You're killin me here LOL.

Nice dodge at answering the questions. Were they to hard for you? Or would an honest answer just show you are talking out of your ass. If you need I can ask them again. Or you can do the hard thing and just admit you are full of crap.