BS: What's the matter with Canada?

Subject: RE: BS: What's the matter with Canada?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 17 Sep 08 - 06:33 PM

"you never see Harper in one? Wonder why??"

Not enough spin?

Subject: RE: BS: What's the matter with Canada?
From: Ed T
Date: 17 Sep 08 - 07:09 PM

Unlike USA, Canadains are unified (outside Quebec, that is),
We call it pop


http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/2008/08/18/308-the-pop-vs-soda-map/

Subject: RE: BS: What's the matter with Canada?
From: GUEST,Sawzaw
Date: 17 Sep 08 - 10:15 PM

In the past Candian dollars were worth around $.65 so they were not well received in the US. I have seen signs along the interstate saying Canadian dollars accepted here.

When we were down in Old Mehico, their eyes lit up when you pulled out a dollar.

At the Maine / Canadian border. People were streaming out of Canada to shop at a huge Walmart.

Likewise along the Mexican border, Mexicans were streaming in to buy what? Pampers of all things. I also saw ancient battered Mexican pick up trucks with cardboard piled as high as it could go, headed back to the border. I think they use it to build houses there.

Subject: RE: BS: What's the matter with Canada?
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 17 Sep 08 - 10:56 PM

In 1956, the Canadian dollar was at $1.09 U. S.; ups and downs typical of all currencies. Those big Walmarts are on both sides of the border, unfortunately.
Anyone who has used Pampers with kids knows how expensive their use is, and goes where they are cheapest.

Mexico, like many other countries emerging into a globalized economy, has many poor that tend to be bypassed by the growing middle class. NAFTA will be important in bringing North American economies together.

And that cardboard is worth money, even here in Canada, for use in recycled products. It should never go to the landfill dump, as it so often does in the United States of Waste (and here, too, to be truthful).

Subject: RE: BS: What's the matter with Canada?
From: GUEST,Sawzaw
Date: 17 Sep 08 - 11:34 PM

In the 80's there were no Walmarts in Canada or Mexico.

Here in the US there is usually a separate pick up of recyclables every week.

At the landfill, there are separate places to dump cardboard and other recyclables. Businesses usually have free dumpsters provided to them for cardboard. They have narrow slots to keep people from stuffing anything else into the cardboard collection dumpster.

Subject: RE: BS: What's the matter with Canada?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 18 Sep 08 - 02:16 AM

We have pretty much the same thing going here in Ontario with the recyclables.

Subject: RE: BS: What's the matter with Canada?
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 18 Sep 08 - 02:48 PM

Recycling is now available in much of North America; my point was an objection to the sneering attitude toward Mexicans collectiing cardboard for resale.

Subject: RE: BS: What's the matter with Canada?
From: bankley
Date: 18 Sep 08 - 03:23 PM

guess what... we are already heavily invested in the arms trade.. hundreds of millions from the CPP., and also big tabacco ($200 m.)

do as we say ..not as we do... here detonate this and let's light something up.....

Subject: RE: BS: What's the matter with Canada?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 18 Sep 08 - 04:00 PM

Yeah, that's right, Bankley.

Subject: RE: BS: What's the matter with Canada?
From: Stringsinger
Date: 19 Sep 08 - 12:33 PM

My view is that Harper has seen the traction a Bush Administration has received on a populist level in 2000 and 2004 and wants to copy that. He may have his hands in the pockets of
some notable US corporations as well.

I don't really think Canadians want another Bush. Then there's the old authoritarian
philosophy that in the interest of creating a "greater good", it's ok to lie and cheat.
I imagine that some Canadian's subscribe to this world view as they do here in the states.

Subject: RE: BS: What's the matter with Canada?
From: GUEST,dianavan
Date: 20 Sep 08 - 12:43 AM

"... in the interest of creating a "greater good", it's ok to lie and cheat."

In Canada its OK to lie and cheat if it financially benefits your family. We learned it from the Chinese.

diana is running for cover.....

Subject: RE: BS: What's the matter with Canada?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 20 Sep 08 - 01:24 AM

In politics it's okay to lie and cheat...if you get away with it. Also in business.

These things are true everywhere, not just in Canada.

Subject: RE: BS: What's the matter with Canada?
From: GUEST,HiLo
Date: 28 Sep 08 - 09:06 AM

What I don't understand is why the Liberal Green Shift plan is not being more widely discussed. It seems to be an essential issue that we all take climate change seriously and it should be the main focus of this election in Canada. I realize that the Liberals have not done a good job of explaining this plan but there is a lot of info on it and I am amazed that people have not informed themselves regarding this.
Perhaps one of the things that is "wrong with Canada", as with many democracies, is that citizens do not fully engage themselves in the process.

Subject: RE: BS: What's the matter with Canada?
From: GUEST,Arnie
Date: 28 Sep 08 - 01:03 PM

Green shift plan is way too complicated for average people to understand - like me for instance, and although everyone seems to know that we need to address climate change and new clean energy sources- most people just want cheaper gas prices for their cars now and are simply not ready to seriously tackle that issue in this election. We are in for a Conservative dictatorship and hard times for many social issues including funding for the arts, health care, climate change - many programs to be cut in favour of tax cuts to business and oil companies over the next few years. The same political opportunist cronies that ruined the Ontario economy under Mike Harris will be in charge of Canada's economy and social programs. We will be turning back the clock instead of moving forward - too bad. The Liberals unfortunately deserve to be shot down again because of their past corruption when in power and ineptitude in voting for important issues in parliament and also electing the wrong guy as leader of the party to win over Canadians in this election. I've seen this all before with the conservative Brian Mulroney government - and in a few years if and when Harper really messes things up and Canadians get totally fed up with government ineptitude, we'll throw them out of power once again. The beat goes on.

Subject: RE: BS: What's the matter with Canada?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 28 Sep 08 - 02:00 PM

Sounds about right to me, Arnie.

Ontario has never really recovered from what Mike Harris's Conservatives did to it. He was the only Ontario premier I can every recall who inspired graffiti here and there on buildings suggesting that he should be killed. That sort of thing is very unusual in Canada.

Hilo, I think that most citizens do not fully engage themselves in the process because they have lost faith that any of the larger political parties will really represent them once elected.

The past record suggests to me that their loss of faith in that respect is fully justified.

Political parties do not end up serving the public once elected. They end up serving the major financial forces in this country which fund them and get them into power, because the people in charge of those major financial forces are the personal friends and peers of the politicians themselves.

Again, like the $ySStem in the USA, it's a closed loop...one in which the general public, frankly, has little effective input. Their vote is not an exercising of choice, it is a rubber stamp on a foregone conclusion.

People sense this instinctively at a gut level, therefore they are losing interest in participating in what has become mostly an empty charade...a pretence of genuinely representative democracy.

Subject: RE: BS: What's the matter with Canada?
From: GUEST,Arnie
Date: 28 Sep 08 - 03:28 PM

Some of the same members of Mike Harris's Ontario conservative government are now prominent cabinet ministers in Harper's government. Back in Ontario they coined their conservative philosophy "The Common Sense Revolution" ( their name for cutting programs they didn't like and restructuring government handouts to cities and municipalities, schools, hospitals and health care institutions ) It lead to numerous hospital closings, city & municipality amalgamations who were forced to take over enormous social responsibilities, and massive education cuts. I laughed when they appointed John Snobelen, a grade 11 high school dropout as the Minister of Education and training - that's how much common sense these guys had! He messed that up so bad, they then put him in an environmental portfolio where He actually repented a bit by protecting public land and canceling the spring bear hunt. But later they discovered He spent most of his time at his ranch in Oklahoma while still being paid to be a member of the Ontario parliament. Read all about him here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Snobelen    These are very trustworthy folks! They left power with everything in a complete mess and handed Ontario a record deficit. Canada - we're next.

Subject: RE: BS: What's the matter with Canada?
From: Donuel
Date: 28 Sep 08 - 04:23 PM

American fascists need Canada as part of the national socialist hemisphere.

Tons of money from American ruling class banking families purs into conservative movements to aid the progress of fascism.
The police state should handle the protests.

Subject: RE: BS: What's the matter with Canada?
From: GUEST,number 6
Date: 28 Sep 08 - 04:46 PM

"what's the matter with Canada"

Here's a few of my complaints ....

1. it takes too long for postal delivery from Toronto to Saint John.

2. Air Canada

3. too much hockey ... not enough baseball

4. our passport expires in 5 years ... hell, why not 10 years.

5. The country is too wide

6. Maple syrup costs too much



biLL

Subject: RE: BS: What's the matter with Canada?
From: Ed T
Date: 28 Sep 08 - 06:30 PM

Liberal Green Shift plan is complex and is proposed at a bad time. .
I suspect quite a few folks (me included) are skeptical that the money they loose on price increases will actually be made up in income tax relief.
Strategically, it was a really bad move for the liberals and a gift for Harper.

Subject: RE: BS: What's the matter with Canada?
From: GUEST,HiLo
Date: 29 Sep 08 - 10:00 AM

I have been to a number of presentations and have read quite a lot about this plan. It does not seem overly complicated, to me at least. Many countries do have a carbon tax and it does seem to work, especially in Norway. I wonder when would be a stategic time to take some steps towrd curbing carbon emissions. I tend not to see this as a political issue but as a human issue. We have got to start somewhere and this plan seems better than no plan at all.