tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31415271.post3759551515139643799..comments2023-09-22T06:22:50.820-06:00Comments on Ken Chapman: Mr. Harper, Your Time is UP!kenchapmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11384045981190810115noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31415271.post-82870585166416010272009-09-07T13:57:19.250-06:002009-09-07T13:57:19.250-06:00RE: the plethora of posts. Who says Canadians aren...RE: the plethora of posts. Who says Canadians aren't interested in politics??<br /><br />Have you read "Seeing" by Jose Saramango (who also wrote "Blindness")? The populace shows their discontent with the current political landscape, by casting blank votes in unprecedented numbers. Something like 75% of the ballots are blank! The politicos panic. What does it mean? Who is behind it? How do we stop it? It's a fascinating political study in the guise of a novel.Sue Huffhttp://suefortrustee.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31415271.post-33583678052083363062009-09-07T11:42:19.550-06:002009-09-07T11:42:19.550-06:00Ken: My buddy - there is a difference between ange...Ken: My buddy - there is a difference between anger, and enthusiastic bemusement. I'm hugely bemused. As a partisan Conservative, an election this fall would bounce Iggy out of contention again, and again the LPC would get yet another "not ready for prime time" decision. So although it is clear to me that an election this fall is an Iggy ego trip, it won't get the results he wants. <br /><br />For instance: the Liberal party with a coalition (why did Bob Rae claim the coalition didn't exist on Rutherford last week - embarrassed perhaps?) wanted to force a change of Government because Harper wasn't saying he was going to drown Canadians in debt. Now the Libs want to force vote because the Cons have spent too much, but about the same as the LIbs suggested needed to be spent last year.....?<br /><br />Now the Libs are saying that we have spent too much, but are complaining that Harper hasn't spent enough fast enough???<br /><br />Huh?<br /><br />See what I mean? Simple bemusement, and the fact that the Libs cannot find in their own Canadian backyard a guy who actually lived here and can communicate to most Canadians. <br /><br />My Canadian guy Harper? doing a great job!!!<br /><br />Spare us the intellectuals - I want a guy from the trenches, whose first instinct is "Canadian" whatever that may be. <br /><br />For instance: Harper's first instinct among all <br />world leaders on the Durban II anti-jewish hate fest was to cancel all Canadian participation. Obama followed suit. Would Iggy have the same decency instincts? Iggy would debate this to death. Harper simply does the right thing. <br /><br />The Canadian economy is still the envy of the world. Iggy thinks we can do better. Better than number 1? Who is he kidding?<br /><br />So bemusement Ken - something I learned after the Dion fiascos. The Libs, as some of these others in this blog are saying, don't have a compelling message or differentiator yet. <br /><br />btw - Rae was talking about delays in getting stimulus money out. I've been involved in two RINC (stimulous money) applications, and the questions they ask and the rules they set tend to guaranty against Adscam handouts, and it takes time for due diligence. - no wonder <br />Rae and Iggy so upset (OK - cheap shot, but somehow....).<br /><br />Satya - congratulations on the book!!! Haven't read it yet. Can I buy an autographed copy?Graham Fletchernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31415271.post-90616500007308168862009-09-07T11:29:37.305-06:002009-09-07T11:29:37.305-06:00Gauntlet, you are right. Canadians went into most...Gauntlet, you are right. Canadians went into most of the last election disengaged and disinterested in politics. The low and declining voter turnout indicates that. <br /><br />To say we wanted our politicians to work together and that is why we elected a series of minority governments is a stretch of credibility. It is not accurate to say that was the collective wisdm of the nation going into an election. <br /><br />However the reality today, according to polls, indicate we are not yearning for another election now. Rather it seems, given the minority situation, we expect that our political parties adapt to that reality and find ways to work together for the good of the country.<br /><br />We have had effective and good governing minorities in the past where that cross-party cooperation has happened. It does not seem to be possible today for some reason.<br /><br />Your comment is well taken and your criticism is well founded. Thanks for bring these points to my attention and to the attention of the readers of this blog.kenchapmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11384045981190810115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31415271.post-69148633007167107302009-09-07T10:45:02.494-06:002009-09-07T10:45:02.494-06:00"We were insisting we wanted our politicians ..."We were insisting we wanted our politicians to learn to work together for the good of the country. That was our political agenda in electing a minority government."<br /><br />Please don't do this, Ken. It's total nonsense. It's anthropomorphizing the entire voting populace as if they were a single entity. What we expressed was a preference - in an extremely restricted first-past-the-post system - for who should represent us locally, taking into account things like who we would like to be in charge federally. The result, more due to accidents of regional dispersion and the voting system, was a minority government.<br /><br />We did not select a minority government. We may have preferences about how it should act once we discover that's what we ended up with, but we certainly did not intend it.Gauntlethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05061438876627317881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31415271.post-23388396234739706582009-09-07T09:22:19.955-06:002009-09-07T09:22:19.955-06:00Graham, Ken
Settle down, boys.
We have a once-in-a...Graham, Ken<br />Settle down, boys.<br />We have a once-in-an-epoch opportunity to create clean energy out of the oil sands (the technology is there) and use that wealth to accelerate the green economy we can share withe the world. Abundant, green, sustainable energy is within our reach if we used the oil sands wealth to fund alternatives. <br />This is the real governance opportunity and challenge for Canadians. Let's move beyond schoolyard taunts and reward politicians who have their eyes on the big picture.Satya Dashttp://www.cambridgestrategies.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31415271.post-39071031172369036322009-09-07T07:47:42.991-06:002009-09-07T07:47:42.991-06:00Igloo Arsonist, I don't think there will be a ...Igloo Arsonist, I don't think there will be a fall election. It will only happen if Harper tries to sneak in some reactionary policy alone with the supply bill to legalize the home-reno policy for example. <br /><br />Iggy is very new to us, only in the spot light since about April budget debate. Not a lot of time since selected leader in December - Christmas haitus, budget profile andoff to the BBQ circuit to meet party members and smaller pockets of Canadians. This is while Harper gets to play on the international stage and gather in media attention.<br /><br />The fact that Harper and Ignatieff are tied in the polls, given these facts,is an amazing political accomplishment. I think more itme is needed for Iggy to define himself and he is. The Harper negative ads on Iggy being "unCanadian" because he is educated and worldly backfired on the Cons. <br /><br />The attack ads did not define Iggy (like the did Dion) but we have yet to see or have him defined in our mines. That is coming now with the Liberal ad campaign and more visibility from this new leader.kenchapmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11384045981190810115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31415271.post-19948639784115949002009-09-06T23:30:52.583-06:002009-09-06T23:30:52.583-06:00What we need to see is Bill 44 on a national scale...What we need to see is Bill 44 on a national scale, urgently. Harper is too left wing for this. Failing to bring this on a national scale will harm our children.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31415271.post-34972346785334030812009-09-06T23:24:33.395-06:002009-09-06T23:24:33.395-06:00Ken,
While I wouldn't necessarily disagree wi...Ken,<br /><br />While I wouldn't necessarily disagree with the points you have made with regards to the CPC, the NDP, or the Bloc. That fact of the matter is, Ignatieff hasn't really inspired me (as a Young Liberal). As a young person who has voted in every election (at the federal, provincial, and even municipal level), I have probably voted in more elections than the average Canadian have in their lifetimes. However, based on what I have seen thus far of Ignatieff, I am left wondering... do I really, really have to make a choice this fall? The LPC has not articulated any new policies or positions that are strong enough to even arouse my interest. EI reform? Nope. Greater international influence and status? Sure, but there are more pressing matters. I need to know that Ignatieff has more than imitation-Obama charisma before I can share in your joy at the prospect of a fall election. What positions do the Liberals have? What new direction can the LPC take Canada? <br /><br />I may be a LPC member. It doesn't mean that I am blind or oblivious to the other political parties and I am in no way blind to the inadequacies of the LPC.Igloo Arsonistnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31415271.post-54329294155817902252009-09-06T19:54:54.772-06:002009-09-06T19:54:54.772-06:00Hi Graham
#1 I like playing with you, especially w...Hi Graham<br />#1 I like playing with you, especially when you get metaphorical.<br /><br />#2 I know you grew up in Montreal but I suspect you posted comment in French was something you had to look up. I suspect French is was not your second language. I know you well enough to know that broken English is your second language ;-)- just like mine!<br /><br />You are wrong now about Trudeau as the biggest spender. Harper is the biggest spending PM in history of Canada - and that includes war time. He has spent 80% of $50B of borrowed money since January. That is according to his own calculations. <br /><br />He is admittedly on his way to $96B deficit by year end. Four years ago he inherited a $13B surplus from the Liberals. Go figure! <br /><br />Kevin Paige, HIS personally appointed fiscal conscience, says the deficit will be closer to $150B. Of course Harper says he is wrong, but just like so many times before, once vornered, Harper comes clean and tells the truth when all other options are exhausted. <br /><br />Just as Harper said the last Nov Fiscal Update that we were not in recession, knowing all the while we had been in recession since last July.<br /><br />Harper was also saying last Nov that Canada would be in surplus in fiscal 09-10. Is he that incompetent, that deceitful or just following his natural instincts to say whatever it takes to get elected?<br /><br />As for Dion's record as Min of the Environment, it is a long and successful record that I will take some time to research and enlighten you. Stay tuned.<br /><br />As for PMs from Quebec, how do and did you feel about Mulroney? Until his hubris over took his good judgment, he was the most politically successful Prime Minister in the history of the country. His Quebec heritage was one of his great and justifiable prides. You must of thought him inappropriate to govern too.<br /><br />Graham my friend, in your heart of hearts you a grumpy old Reformer who feels Harper has betrayed you values. You can't forgive him for that so you like so many other like you, are grasping at straws. <br /><br />You are hoping that lashing out lke this will serve to preserve political power for your antiquated views and governing philosophy for Canada. <br /><br />Your anger grows, especially now, because you knows Harper is about to go down in electoral flames. He will be destroying the Conservative brand in the bargain. All because it is always about Harper, not the party and definitely not the country.<br /><br />Readers need to know that Graham and I are good friends. We just disagree about politics. We say things about each other in public we would never say in private. <br /><br />I await your rebuttal Graham.kenchapmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11384045981190810115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31415271.post-9916749887453752792009-09-06T17:18:28.656-06:002009-09-06T17:18:28.656-06:00Ken: je vien de Quebec puis je comprendre les fran...Ken: je vien de Quebec puis je comprendre les francais....<br /><br />#1: I wrote the "brain" thing to help you out with the brain attack response. Thanks for playing.<br /><br /><br />#2: crap! I am neither afraid nor trembling. I want a guy whose first instincts come out of a "Canada first" attitude than an intellectual. I grew up in Quebec, and Trudeau was the worst and most intellectual PM we ever had. Disaster. Nobody could spend money we didn't have faster than this guy. He was the Canadian inventor of debt.<br /><br />My comfort zone is that I want a guy who is comfortable in Canada, who truly lives life like a Canadian - not some parachuted in intellectual who thinks he ought to be PM. <br /><br />Consider this:<br /><br />He says that the best performing economy in the world - not my words - the words of a whole bunch of economists and world leaders - is in the toilet. Bullcrap. Same ol' "tell a lie often enough and it becomes the truth" stuff that we are also tired of. We were tired when Dion trotted out in butchered English, and we are tired of it from Iggy the parachuted intellectual. <br /><br />The phony sincerity of how we can do much better as Canadians in those ads are more of the image and no substance we can expect from Liberals. <br /><br />You can help me out though because this otta be easy. Please tell me where I can read about the Environmentally friendly stuff Dion had passed while the Libs were in majority. I can't find anything but there must be a ton of it.<br /><br />You didn't answer my question, btw. Can the Libs not attract an English speaking resident long term lived-here Canadian?Graham Fletchernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31415271.post-23023083875334289272009-09-06T16:55:56.622-06:002009-09-06T16:55:56.622-06:00Iggy sure doesn't sound very Canadian here htt...Iggy sure doesn't sound very Canadian here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49We8C2tzMQ&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2EbluelikAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31415271.post-35491012842033303072009-09-06T12:49:55.829-06:002009-09-06T12:49:55.829-06:00Graham my friend, you obviously need both a brain ...Graham my friend, you obviously need both a brain doctor and a foot doctor. If you had used your brain before posting this comment you would not have put your foot so firmly in your mouth with it.<br /><br />Traditionalist like you are afraid of the outside world and hope for a return to the Canada of W.O. Mitchell. You ilk will continue to live in fear of change and progress and can only rant and rage against the tides. <br /><br />There is no "us and them" anymore in "our" globalized interdependent world. We are all becoming citizens of the globe, hopefully we can do this fast enough to preserve our species. <br /><br />We need political leadership who has experienced other parts of the planet and is comfortable in the other cultures of the world. Leadership can't be about retreating into ones own trembling and terrified tribe.<br /><br />We are also a bilingual country. I know Dion and can tell you he "got" Alberta and his accent was not his defining quality, here or elsewhere. His commitment and proven capacity to protect the environment was his essence and his gift - and it still is! <br /><br />As for Iggy, how long can the Conservatives survive by promoting an anti-intellectual, anti-Canadian attitude about him? It is so Joe McCarthy! <br /><br />We need his kind of experience in a knowledge-based economy. We need leadership in this country because he has a proven record of actual global experiences. He has a world-view perspective and a personally profound sense of how much better Canada can and should be.<br /><br />As for your comments about language, don't be intimidated by people who speak French. It is part of the fabric of our nation. My advice is take some time to learn Mandarin if you really want to survive and thrive in the new world order.kenchapmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11384045981190810115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31415271.post-13143401097545955202009-09-06T12:17:50.776-06:002009-09-06T12:17:50.776-06:00Ken: If I have a brain aneurism, I want a Doctor w...Ken: If I have a brain aneurism, I want a Doctor who works on brains working on mine, not a foot doctor who parachuted in because there might be an opening for a brain doctor that might have more status than a foot doctor. <br /><br />If there is an opening for the highest political position in my country, I want a Canadian who has lived here as a Canadian, who knows Canada from the inside, who has actually taken public transportation and enjoys the national sport.<br /><br />Twice now the Liberal party has found a niche player to helm it. The first couldn't spell Alberta in a language that Albertans, except some non-Parisienne French, could understand, and the second decided to pop in after being a non-resident Canadian for 30 years. <br /><br />My point is this: Can the Liberal Party not find a really capable truly resident Canadian out or 30+ million Canadians living in this country, without having to continually go to Quebec, or if that didn't work, some other extra-Canada resident?<br /><br />Why aren't mainstream Canadians applying for the job?<br />I want a brain doctor who has worked in that field for my brain, not some foot-doctor who is a brain-doctor wannabe, that lacks the resident credentials. <br /><br />That is why I love Harper - he lives like I do, I csn relate to him, PARTISAN POLITICS ASIDE (and I have lots of partisan politics). All politics is local, and Iggy and Dion ain't local. Chretien and Martin were at least that.Graham Fletchernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31415271.post-6958253599621904232009-09-06T12:06:24.272-06:002009-09-06T12:06:24.272-06:00It's time for a federal election once and for ...It's time for a federal election once and for all. Enough delaying things - like the provincial government who is delaying Bill 44 which will harm children all year round.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31415271.post-26853058474965139962009-09-05T22:22:31.021-06:002009-09-05T22:22:31.021-06:00Ken,
Thanks for the response. I certainly respec...Ken,<br /><br />Thanks for the response. I certainly respect your right to criticize the PM's record and share your resentment for negative politics. The CPC is not the only party that uses negative advertising, but at the very least they are using the LPC's own words against them. None of the "guns in the streets" garbage we've seen from other parties.<br /><br />I would suggest that the results of the 2006 election was not solely a response to corruption and Adscam though that dominated public discourse. It was also a vote for a change in direction, and a show of confidence in the new vision of accountable government, lower taxes, and a stronger place in the world that was offered by the Conservatives. Since then, Canadians have reinforced that sentiment by electing a stronger minority less than one year ago. <br /><br />The past year has seen a great deal change. It wasn't long ago that the prospect of PM Dion and Finance Minister Layton was a legitimate possibility. Your criticisms of the PM's statements on the economy are fair in hindsight, but hindsight is always 20/20. At the time, there were a great many economists who were saying the same thing. I don't view it as a slight that the PM had to swallow his pride and introduce a deficit budget for the good of the Canadian and global economies. It's not an easy thing for a Conservative government to do on principle, but the PM recognized the need for a coordinated approach to stopping the recession. This position of the government appears to be working, and has not wavered since the introduction of the budget in January.<br /><br />What it comes down to for me is that this is just political gamesmanship driving by a new Leader of the LPC who wants a shot. Voting in favour of one budget does not constitute cooperation, nor does it reflect the kind of leadership Canadians were looking for when they elected another minority parliament. It looks to me as though Ignatieff is facing an economy coming out of recession, a slew of major international events in the near future, and a fading opportunity to become Prime Minister. As a result, I don't think it is a stretch to say his decision to outrightly declare that this government's "Time is up" is driven by self-interest and is contrary to the desire of most Canadians. <br /><br />I would like to see the CPC and our PM take a more open approach to working with the opposition, and the opposition to through aside the political games and make Government work. This would include offering some concrete policies for the government and the public to examine. <br /><br />Thanks again for entertaining the question, I'm sure this debate will continue in the months to come. <br /><br />Enjoy your long weekend,<br />SDSDnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31415271.post-39818480021971884902009-09-05T20:59:48.924-06:002009-09-05T20:59:48.924-06:00The Martin Minority was short lived and as a resul...The Martin Minority was short lived and as a result of Canadians wanting to punish the Liberals over Adscam. The minority Martin government was our collective wisdom indicating we wanted some changes. <br /><br />Martin was not Chretien but he was still seen as in the Liberal power during Adscam so he had to take some of the heat for it. That election showed anadians were not yet trusting the Conservatives with power.<br /><br />When Harper joined forces with the Bloc to defeat Martin he got a minority based on our collective wisdom to give Harper a chance to see if he could lead the country. His triggering an election then, with Bloc support, was democratically fine because volatility is the nature of minority governments. Just as is the case today.<br /><br />Harper looked like he was on his way to a majority in his next election against Dion. As soon as that majority became possible, Quebec withdrew its support for him. Harper pandered to Quebec for a majority and even speculated on it in the campiangn. When is appeard Harper may get Absolute power citiznes srated to reconsider his leadership. <br /><br />Quebec led the withdraw even when he "acknowledged a fiscal imbalance" - that in fact does not exits. He also had promised that Canada, under his leadership, would recognize a QUEBEC NATION. This is a position that would foster separaton and is diametrically opposite to the originating principles of his party doctrine. <br /><br />As for Ignatieff, he has been leader of the Liberals only since December and we have only seen him in one Parlaimentary session serving as Leader of the Opposition. He is realtively unknown but I do like what I hear from him, espeically on the importance of the oilsands to Canada, not jsut Alberta. He was able to force some EI concessions in the last Harper budget. <br /><br />He also supported the stimulus budget to respond to the recession. This recession, the worst since the 1930s, was something Mr. Harper was denying even existed in last November's fiscal update when he was touting a surplus budget for the last fiscal. <br /><br />He mislead us as our leader when he knew or at the very least ought to have known we were already in recession. This was something he later admitted to knowing at the tiem of the November Fiscal Update.<br /><br />It is not as easy to be as definite about Ignatieff because we are just getting to know him. The fact he is well travelled, has written several books, taught at Harvard and in Europe all appeals given the globalized world we now inhabit.<br /><br />We have seen a raft of examples of Mr. Harper's penchant for negative and misleading politics for the past 4 years that he has been Prime Minister. He has a record and it is legitimate to comment on it in a free and democratic society.<br /><br />If I have been harsh on him in some readers minds, let me assure you I have tempered my language about his abilities and activities while he has been in power as Prime Minister. <br /><br />I can only imagine what damage he would do if he had a majority government given the centralized power he has put in the Prime Minister's office since elected.kenchapmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11384045981190810115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31415271.post-15176262848756012302009-09-05T20:22:43.999-06:002009-09-05T20:22:43.999-06:00Ken,
I admire just about all of your work until y...Ken,<br /><br />I admire just about all of your work until you start talking federal politics. At that point it seems like reason is thrown out the window to make room for harsh, personal, and hyper-partisan attacks. I just don't understand how you don't think it's hypocritical to write this about the Prime Minister, but not apply the same rules to Mr. Ignatieff. <br /><br />"So we have had at least two recent and really unnecessary elections - both caused by Mr. Harper's hubris. First, when he defeated the Martin minority when Canadians had just elected it. We were insisting we wanted our politicians to learn to work together for the good of the country. That was our political agenda in electing a minority government. "<br /><br />I'd like to hear your explanation of the difference, but preferably without the aforementioned attacks. ;)<br /><br />Thanks,<br />SDSDnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31415271.post-8734271531234745482009-09-05T11:18:55.417-06:002009-09-05T11:18:55.417-06:00Thx for the comment David and of course Layton wan...Thx for the comment David and of course Layton wants to jiggle the agenda for a more opportune time to defeat the Harper government. But it is now in his court, not the Liberals. <br /><br />The budget has been passed and the home reno credit will be law soon - unless Harper continues his gamesmanship and tries to tack on some stupid policy to it. I am thinking like reviving his proposal for making it mandatory for 12 year olds accuesed of a crime to have to face adult courts.<br /><br />I don't see an election this fall because, while neither the Libs or the NDP were ready last spring, only the NDP is ill-prepared to go now. <br /><br />The Libs are ready willing and able to govern, the Cons are not and the Dippers get to decide when the next election will be. <br /><br />All elections are about leadership, change and vision, and the next one will be no different. <br /><br />So Mr. Layton, Canada awaits your election call. We many not want one but we know we sure need one. It is the only way to move past the out-dated traditional father-knows-best ideology of Mr. Harper and to move the country into the 21st century.kenchapmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11384045981190810115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31415271.post-6287136184177403182009-09-05T00:13:19.882-06:002009-09-05T00:13:19.882-06:00Surely it is not unreasonable for the New Democrat...Surely it is not unreasonable for the New Democrats to refuse to trigger an election that is certain to be a catastrophe for their Parliamentary caucus. This is not cynicism - merely politics, which after all is the art of the possible. I think it is quite reasonable for New Democrats to try to squeeze some concessions out of the Conservatives in return for letting them remain in power for a time. By doing so, they are taking the strategic course they think is most likely to enable them to make their vision of a better Canada into reality. By the same token, Mr. Ignatieff was within his rights upon assuming the leadership of the Liberal Party to break the deal his predecessor had made with the NDP. But surely the NDP owes him nothing after that, and nowhere is it written that Mr. Layton should fall on his sword for the mere convenience of Mr. Ignatieff. Most Canadians would like to be rid of Mr. Harper's dreadful government, I am sure, but I for one can hardly condemn the New Democrats for wanting to wait for a more opportune moment to contest an election. In the mean time, as a minority restrained by the NDP, the Conservatives can do rather less damage than they could with a majority.David J. Climenhagahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10021024202211468930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31415271.post-42191715617427898162009-09-04T21:42:06.466-06:002009-09-04T21:42:06.466-06:00Anon @6:08 - I truly value my Constitutional right...Anon @6:08 - I truly value my Constitutional right of free speech and association and use it freely and openly. As for you..who are you...why are you anonynmous? You are clearlyu afraind of your own Conservative party and the retiribution its leader will bring down on you for not staying on mesage. <br /><br />And why are you wasting our time adding nothing to the substance of the issues. You must be a neo-republican reactionary who got lost on your way to disrupt a health debate townhall and found this blog. Will we know you when you appear on FOX? Why not come clean and out of the closet? Cowardice and fear of your leader Stephen Harper is now way to live your life.kenchapmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11384045981190810115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31415271.post-1688867287458221682009-09-04T18:08:28.873-06:002009-09-04T18:08:28.873-06:00I can't believe how partisan and left wing thi...I can't believe how partisan and left wing this blog is. I'm sure Michael Ignatieff cuts cheques daily to keep this mindless drivel going.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31415271.post-976386556141158122009-09-04T13:54:44.953-06:002009-09-04T13:54:44.953-06:00Anon @ 1:28 your language comprehension levels mus...Anon @ 1:28 your language comprehension levels must be very low. Remedial reading is recommended.kenchapmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11384045981190810115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31415271.post-35913834134210642252009-09-04T13:28:30.767-06:002009-09-04T13:28:30.767-06:00There's nothing "blue liberal" or &q...There's nothing "blue liberal" or "red tory" about this blog. It's nothing but hard core left wing commentary.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31415271.post-10026599196347899982009-09-04T09:44:49.102-06:002009-09-04T09:44:49.102-06:00What Canada needs is a prime minister further to t...What Canada needs is a prime minister further to the right of Harper. We need someone who will protect our children since the Alberta government is intent on subverting the rule of law in not implementing Bill 44 and all of its benefits immediately.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31415271.post-30025015168312460062009-09-04T08:39:17.335-06:002009-09-04T08:39:17.335-06:00Good point Ken: The fact that Iggy has not articul...Good point Ken: The fact that Iggy has not articulated a clear case for what he will do with a majority suggests that he should not be pushing the Canadian voter back into the voting booth this fall? <br /><br />Harper has not done well either in 4 years, true, but given that the last Liberal majority brought us Shawinigate and the last Conservative majority (yes I know they are not the CPC) brought us the GST, maybe the Canadian electorate is simply displaying a healthy skepticism of majority governments?<br /><br />Iggy could have spent the summer generating headlines about what he would do if elected. Right now, I (and I suspect many others) are not convinced. Harper governing (such as it is) with the minority sword of Damocles over his head is perhaps not a bad compromise given the options, IMO.<br /><br />I think the best result either party can hope for given a fall election is yet one more minority. Cheers!Swing voternoreply@blogger.com