Surprise
That's what I felt when I read on Pilot's World about the disappointment in Harper's government. I've really been extremely impressed with Stephen Harper and his government. I think he is turning into a much better PM than I could ever have imagined. Now, I feel a lot of this has to do with his team of advisors, who I know to be shrewd political elites. However, I really think Harper himself is doing a great job. He's carrying himself well and is showing the international world how strong Canada is. His conservative government is really working very hard to achieve the Big 5 platform issues they ran on.
In terms of Kyoto, that thing's a piece of shit. There's a reason the US government didn't sign on and it's the reason we never should have signed on. We need goals that are attainable, and Kyoto is not that. Governments need to make their own regulations that cater to their specific issues. So, if we back out of the Kyoto Accord, I think it's a good thing.
On another related note, I am very glad that I didn't play "guess our tuition bill" with Finance Minister Andrew Thompson. The NDP government just put out their budget and it is AWESOME. There's only one major issue that I feel should have been addressed, and it can wait one more year. What Thompson and the NDP did do this year was cut the CCT in the exact same pattern as my government policy class proposed, as well as dropped the Corporate Income Tax Rate. It's high time this happened and it really puts a lot more confidence in my provincial government.
And while I'm on controversial, political issues, let's talk about the farmers. They want more money to save the family farms and subsidization. Well, I'm sorry, but I'm not subsidizing you forever. The "family farm" is a dying thing and it should NOT be revived. Grant Devine tried that and bankrupted the province!! The fact is, corporate farms are the wave of the future and that's where our funds should be directed. If you still want to farm, go do it for one of these guys. Sorry, but the price of wheat is never coming back up to the point of saving the little guys and I'm not wasting my money propping them up.
posted by Soulfood @ 9:21 p.m.
10 comments
10 Comments:
If you'll take the time to reread my comments on Pilot's World, you will note that I never ONCE mentioned Kyoto, I mentioned the One-Tonne Challenge. It is common knowledge among environmentalists and non-environmentalists alike that the goals set down by Kyoto are not only unrealistic but in order to acheive them would require a siginifigant economic strain that most countries cannot afford/will not afford. no argment there, the Accord is flawed. Old News.
The Right Honourable Minister of the Environment seems to feel Canada can set it's own goals to meet. Fantastic. Why cancel the One-Tonne Challenge? It was teaching Canadians INCLUDING YOUR OWN PARENTS SHANNA how to live more sustainably. This Translates into further ease in reaching whatever goals are set down by the Harper Government.
As to your comment on how Harper carries himself, YES he has worked at what he said, and I beleive in my post I alluded to the fact that barring his recent censorship rulings nothing he has done has come as a suprise to me. He is a Conservative leader and a minority of the people in his country chose him to make those decisions. I don't like it, but less than half the population agrees with him, so who am I to bitch right ;).
Your comments on the NDP disturb me.... alot. Now i havent' seen much on the budget, but NO ONE likes the NDP right now... what the fuck?
Finally the farm issue, I think the solution is being skirted. I disagree that corporate farms are the ONLY solution (I'm not saying they aren't A solution) but farmers need to be more willing to diversify into specialty crops and not place their confidence in the tried and tested grain and oil-seed crops. There are other solutions, but also times are changing and bailing farmers out for the next 175 years through certain global warming related droughts, inflation and an unforgiving economy is bad for the farmers, government, economy and taxpayers.
Harper is a douchebag.
OK. So, first of all. I was so sure you had mentioned Kyoto. And I was right. It's on your Rechargeable Future Splash page. And you seem pretty pissed about it being cancelled.
The One-Tonne Challenge was NOT teaching Canadians. Sorry, but the marketing and advertising was poor. Even those ads with Rick Mercer were terrible and probably just confused older people. There was nowhere near enough propaganda about it to actually get around to educating people. Obviously I haven't seen the figures, but my guess is that it was losing us money and not helping the cause very much.
And I re-read your post. You don't allude to Harper being good in any way at all.
Next. You need to look at the budget. It's really great. And maybe the NDP would like to stick around for another term. It would make sense that in this budet, they stop appealing to unions and appeal to businesses. I'm impressed my Minister Thompson. He's quite young and I think he's got a great political future ahead of him.
As for corporate farms. It's not the ONLY solution, but it is the BEST solution. These farmers need to bail out now while they can get some return on their land when they sell it. Otherwise they're going to be worse off. Corporations know how to make money and they are much more adapt at handling the farms of Saskatchewan. Sorry Uncle Tim and Irvin.
And Andrew, all politicians are douchebags. But they get stuff done and that's what matters. At least Harper sticks to his principles and doesn't flip (or sleep) around like Stronach.
Ok well first of all, you said Pilot's World, not Rechargeable Future.
Second, I said they both dismissed Kyoto AND the One Tonne Challenge... what's the alternative folks, I still haven't seen it. If you're gonna come up with something else, fine, why not keep what's there in place.
Of course it's losing money, it's an educational program. The governments role is to provide services, not make a profit. That's why we pay taxes.
"
And I re-read your post. You don't allude to Harper being good in any way at all. " Why would I? He's a douchebag. I don't understand why you make this statement, I have nothing good to say about the man, and I'm not really sure what makes you expect me to say something nice. I said nothing has come as a suprise, I did not say I LIKED it.
Budget? No comment at this time.
Farms? I'm not ready to give up yet, but I won't pay my taxes to them. We have more pressing social issues to attend to, adapt or be destroyed. You don't see blacksmiths asking for goveernment subsidies. I think we're on the same side of the fence on this one.
EDIT:
to the second paragraph please add.
"...why not keep what's there in place until the alternative has been developed. You maintain the publics confidence in your commitments and continue the work being done until that time."
I hear Stephen Harper rapes little boys.
"His conservative government is really working very hard to achieve the Big 5 platform issues they ran on"
Oh Really? I thought accountability was one of those issues, including not allowing floor crossings and Senate appointments, but guess what he did on his first day of governing?
As for Kyoto, it doesn't go far enough. It's ok for Canada to come up with a plan to surpass it and not sign on, but where's the plan? All I see is Harper slashing what we do have so far, and I'll be surprised when he introduces anything to combat climate change or pollution.
The NDP government blows, and one budget that doesn't blow in every way isn't their salvation. The froze tuition years after they should have, and now the UofR is going to try to close the federated colleges using funding as an excuse.
Corporate farms are a solution for the rich to get richer. The only reason grain prices are so low is because of corporate monkeying in the markets. Everyone up the food product chain makes money but the producer. That doesn't mean farming isn't needed, it means there are forces at work designed to take control away from individual producers, and put it entirely into Cargil, Monsanto, and other's incapable/greedy hands.
Thanks Saskboy, I needed you last night.
LOL.
Oh well, she's my sister, so I know she's always wrong anyways.
Jeremy, Jeremy Jeremy. You need to learn one very important lesson in life. Your sister and any other girl you run into, even that crazy hooker we met in Thailand, you remember her, the one that wanted us to eat mars bars and masterbate to in the garden of eden. Anyways women are never wrong. And even if they are don't ever ever ever tell them. Just trying to help you get laid, not with your sister thst would be wrong, wrong wrong wrong. Only in Alabama and Mississippi, maybe Newfoundland too is that kind of behavior allowed.
All I have to say is that our school division just got cut 5.3 million dollars for the upcoming year...and coincidentally that it was announced just after they decided to lighten up the tax load on farmers so they don't pay as much education tax. So now teachers that I work with may no longer have a job, programs are going to be cut and the students will not receive the education they deserve because there are a few farmers who do not manage their famrs well enough. I talked to uncle Time and grandpa and when they talk about farmers who are going under after having 2 bumper crops but a bad couple years before they said that's not possible, you managed your farm badly. Maybe the family farm is dying out but I think it's cause a lot fo the guys are not educated enough to know how to run their farms properly and that needs to be addressed or else they need to move on. I don't see the farmers coming to the aid of the teachers who are getting laid off and the kids who won't have as many opportunities because there's no money for us.... Ok, and I'm not even a political person but I agree with Shanna I'm not paying for them to make a living, they don't do it for me and I won't do it for them, yes support them when they've had a bad year or give them supports to be better business managers but I'm not paying their wage, if so they might as well go on wellfare with all the other people who's wage I'm paying.
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