"Interesting?" Really?

/anyway, we prefer to get our headlines in Tim Hortons' Roll Up the Rim cups.

Slow day, eh mods?

Harper wouldn't know what to do with news that wasn't filtered through seven layers of staff. The man is the most withdrawn, insular PM in recent history. Shiat, Trudeau used to walk in the street to the Parliament buildings, during the days of the PLQ.

Its really interesting watching the blowback wave shaping up even in his home riding... a lot of people are talking about how he basically shat in the face of democracy and ran to hide behind arcane procedure by closing down the government. Can't wait for a budget to get passed and then the Libs, NDP and Bloc to throw these bums out.

Bored Horde: Trudeau used to walk in the street to the Parliament buildings, during the days of th

-cough-

Kenwhat: It's not news, it's the Toronto Star.

That pretty much sums it up.

Blackberries now equal the cellphone equivalent of the Hummer as far as penis compensation goes?

Bored Horde: Can't wait for a budget to get passed and then the Libs, NDP and Bloc to throw these bums out.

They defeat Harper as a coalition, they'll have to run for election as a coalition. And won't that be fun? Can't wait for tomorrow.

FeedTheCollapse: Blackberries now equal the cellphone equivalent of the Hummer as far as penis compensation goes?

If that's the theory, that's bad news...for Obama.

I guess the press is just warming up for the big day tomorrow. Now that Steve's big timeout is over, what's going to happen?

Which boring white guy is going to be PM? Will it be the boring economist from out west OR the boring historian from Toronto?

OMGOMGOMGOMG, I'm so excited I'm going to pee my pants!

40below: Bored Horde: Can't wait for a budget to get passed and then the Libs, NDP and Bloc to throw these bums out.

They defeat Harper as a coalition, they'll have to run for election as a coalition. And won't that be fun? Can't wait for tomorrow.

I don't think it will happen. Stoffer's openly criticizing Layton for his knee-jerk reaction to a budget he's not even seen, so they look pretty disunited (although Stoffer is the only NDP'er who ever does such, so maybe I'm overstating), and Iggy runs hot-and-cold with the idea of a coalition. Plus, at the height of the crisis, public sentiment was soundly against the coalition. I really don't think they're thinking this cunning plan all the way through.

Plate of Crazy: FeedTheCollapse: Blackberries now equal the cellphone equivalent of the Hummer as far as penis compensation goes?

If that's the theory, that's bad news...for Obama.

perhaps so. But until I see him going "LoL, why don't you own a Blackberry? GET A REAL PHONE!" I reserve judgment.

So we are so boring our PM doesn't even use a Crackberry?

Christ we are the dullest most vanilla nation on this planet.

shiftypickles: Christ we are the dullest most vanilla nation on this planet.

And proud of it. Go live in an exciting nation like Iraq or Somalia if you don't like it here.

shiftypickles: So we are so boring our PM doesn't even use a Crackberry?

Christ we are the dullest most vanilla nation on this planet.

It is our conservative nature that left as one of the few nations with a solvent banking system, and low(ish) consumer debt.

This is why most *experts* think Canada will have a short recession and be ok by early 2010, while the US will have a longer recession (it's already over a year old) and start to have a slow recovery by 2010.

Yes, we're dull. But sometimes dull can be good.

I'm surprised since very other politician does.

And it's a Canadian company!

Stop being so unCanadian Harper!

Plate of Crazy: Plus, at the height of the crisis, public sentiment was soundly against the coalition.

If you were polling in Alberta, sure.

Date Rape Administrator: It's also interesting to watch people pull comments out of their asses. Harper's support increased dramatically after the coalition was proposed while opposition support sank like a rock.

Harper had 48% support against the coalition despite receiving only 38% in the election. Even people who voted for one of the coalition parties were turning face and supporting Harper against their own choice for PM.

Ignatieff only grudgingly supported the coalition because of contractual obligations and even said as much when asked by the press. He's not going to take the liberals into a coalition and you're going to be very disappointed if this is what you're waiting for.

Hey jerkoff: while it might have sailed past your head, there is a huge difference between hostility towards a soundly defeated Dion trying to take over the parliament and recognizing the betrayal of Canadian values that Harper has shown post-election.

Harper is viewed with utter contempt through the entire country, even among conservatives. Come the next election, everyone is going to be looking at how Ignatieff dictated the terms of the budget to the sitting parliament.

Maybe he has no friends. Did you ever think of that? Maybe the poor guy is lonely as hell and you sit there biatching at him for not having a Blackberry, making him feel even worse about it. What kind of people are you? Bastards.

40below: They defeat Harper as a coalition, they'll have to run for election as a coalition. And won't that be fun? Can't wait for tomorrow.

Not at all. With the right PR, they could easily play off the vote of no confidence as a temporary coalition of necessity... banding together as Canadians to throw out a leader they cannot in good faith support. Remember how the Canadian parliamentary system works. People get elected to represent a riding. The PM is just the leader of whatever party proposes and passes a federal budget in parliament.

jjorsett: Maybe he has no friends. Did you ever think of that? Maybe the poor guy is lonely as hell and you sit there biatching at him for not having a Blackberry, making him feel even worse about it. What kind of people are you? Bastards.

At the height of the big "crisis", the convervatives got young staffers to stand outside his residence as he left for work in the morning and sing O Canada and cheer. This is not a joke. This is how sad our PM is.

Plate of Crazy: FeedTheCollapse: Blackberries now equal the cellphone equivalent of the Hummer as far as penis compensation goes?

If that's the theory, that's bad news...for Obama.

What's the Canadian equivalent of that? "Well there, this is really a blow for the liberals, eh?"

/a blow for the sex party would be a great headline

Bored Horde: Harper wouldn't know what to do with news that wasn't filtered through seven layers of staff. The man is the most withdrawn, insular PM in recent history. Shiat, Trudeau used to walk in the street to the Parliament buildings, during the days of the PLQ.

Its really interesting watching the blowback wave shaping up even in his home riding... a lot of people are talking about how he basically shat in the face of democracy and ran to hide behind arcane procedure by closing down the government. Can't wait for a budget to get passed and then the Libs, NDP and Bloc to throw these bums out.

Every poll after the GG proroged Parliament showed canadians don't want the coalition government, and thought the GG did the right thing. Only the hysterical Harper haters still cling to the coalition govt as a possibility. Ignatieff won't do it. He's too smart.

and who gives a shiat if HArper has a Blackberry?

Why would he need a Blackberry? He never communicates with anyone.

Malbar: Harper has more support than any other leader. If he is viewed with contempt throughout the entire country, what does that say about his opponents who have even less support?

Substantiate your arguments or shut the fark up.

This poll combined with this scandal and the ongoing internal war against Environment Canada that Harper is waging that is starting to get picked up by the media, and you've got a shiatstorm that will bury the Conservatives.

Do you expect the man who openly tried to destroy any credible opposition by removing their funding to get reeleted in as moderate a country as Canada?

FeedTheCollapse: Blackberries now equal the cellphone equivalent of the Hummer as far as penis compensation goes?

Yeah, except BlackBerries are useful for people in positions where constant information is necessary. Hummers on the other hand, aren't really useful for anything other than showing off and taking up 2 parking spaces.

As someone who campaigned twice for the CPC, but who saw the light - Harper is a snake, the CPC is filled with social conservative morons who can barely count beyond 11 (if they're male) and I would never in my life again support such a corrupt and fascistic party.

1 cannabis plant in your basement? Oh you better BELIEVE you're going to be considered a trafficker now.

hamiltonjdavid: Which boring white guy is going to be PM? Will it be the boring economist from out west OR the boring historian from Toronto?

For the last time

HARPER IS FROM TORONTO

look it up

Kenwhat: Considering the majority of Canadians oppose federal funding for political parties, I don't think it's too much of a stretch to think it isn't going to hurt his chances of being re-elected.

Are you competing for dumbest poster of the week or something?

Well you ignored how he didn't propose cutting the Conservative's source of taxpayer funding through the tax kickbacks which are more generous given to real charities

So informed people might be one step ahead of you

Malbar: You are completely and utterly clueless.

You too. Get yourself educated, he proposed not to cut his own party's taxpayer funding

If you cared to do a poll about it, I think spending $100mn plus on redesigning government of canada websites, not to improve functionality but to instead make the colours blue + white (their party's) instead of the existing red + white (which happen to be the flag's colours as well as the liberal party's)

on top of that the no bid contract was given to conservative supporters

There's also the teensy matter of having the American MPAA write a bill, and have it submitted through the Canadian branch and put into Parliament unedited with the original author's meta-data still intact on the file

open you farking eyes, it's not about ideology. It's about sellouts, and the bastards have killed any remnants of the PCs

Hiro's Protagonist: hamiltonjdavid: Which boring white guy is going to be PM? Will it be the boring economist from out west OR the boring historian from Toronto?

For the last time

HARPER IS FROM TORONTO

look it up

The gay cowboy get-up photo confuses people into thinking Harper came out of some Calgary leather bar.

Kenwhat: It's not news, it's the Toronto Star. It used to be a respectable publication but has become a left-wing version of the Rush Limbaugh show in print. Every tiny and meaningless transgression from anyone on their political hit list gets an article.

Hey at least they're not focussing on the corruption McKay's father was involved in. Stealing from taxpayers and all with naked bribery called lobbying.

Funny how Harper tries to keep deporting Shcreiber whenever he gets the chance and has resisted the inquiry

Might have something to do with the old boss stealing further millions in a settlement based on lies, on top of the the fat graft while in office and not to mention the old boss got his job when the handlers behind the Airbus scandal, by bussing in paid people to vote out Joe Clark

We have 2 - 3 media chains across the country. You want a second National Post or something?

Hiro's Protagonist: For the last time

HARPER IS FROM TORONTO

look it up

Stephen Harper's Riding: Calgary West
Michael Ignatieff's Riding: Etobicoke-Lakeshore

Who gives a crap where they grew up? Dickmouth.

hamiltonjdavid: Hiro's Protagonist: For the last time

HARPER IS FROM TORONTO

look it up

Stephen Harper's Riding: Calgary West
Michael Ignatieff's Riding: Etobicoke-Lakeshore

Who gives a crap where they grew up? Dickmouth.

It is a lot more accurate to describe it as an election between 3 guys from Toronto, the city that claims to be underrepresented when it could give a damn during the last 40 years about the composition of the Senate or Parliament. fyi -- the most underrepresented provinces are still BC and Alberta, and no most people don't support Harper they could just use someone who has left Southern Ontario for something longer than a vacation.

Kenwhat: Those are tax deductions, not taxpayer funds, and all parties have equal access to them. They are completely irrelevant to the issue of public funding but keep grasping at those straws because they're clearly all you've got.

You don't understand accounting. The government is putting in $1 for every $1 someone donates to a political party

Furthermore, shouldn't you as an advocate of anti-taxpayer funding be extremely pissed off they tried to steal from elections Canada by fraudulently claiming more than they knew they were allowed?

So Kenwhat,
You support stealing from the government but not election subsidies based on votes received?

Clarification is appreciated buddy

oh

my mistake, I didn't realize people actually had undying loyalty to political parties

me, I fully support knocking anyone that is doing a poor job based on the facts

if I'm still around whenever the next change of power is, you will see. Shouldn't be too long, incumbents are voted in/out depending on the economy and this downturn doesn't have a bounce back set to happen

Canadians, please! You're starting to sound like us! And if you sound like us, the terrorists have won!

Love,

The Mongrels Down South

Kenwhat: It's a tax credit, not a subsidy. If you still need clarification I suggest you consult a dictionary because they are not the same thing.

If you just work with the numbers, and don't use words tied to your overactive emotions, it makes no difference.

It's exactly the same as everything being taxed normally, and then the government paying your favoured political party itself.

Here is a summary of the tax credit subsidies

Your
Donation
Your
Tax Credit
Your Cost
After Tax Credit
$50.00 $37.50 $12.50
$100.00 $75.00 $25.00
$150.00 $112.50 $37.50
$200.00 $150.00 $50.00
$300.00 $225.00 $75.00
$400.00 $300.00 $100.00
$500.00 $350.00 $150.00
$750.00 $475.00 $275.00
$1,000.00 $558.00 $442.00
$1,100.00 $591.67 $508.33

Instead, by managing it as a tax credit, it saves time and paperwork -- but it is still exactly the same effect.

It's a subsidy because I don't get the government chipping in the money when I need to buy groceries, a new car, clothes, a house, etc

and you still haven't addressed how they directly tried to rob elections Canada by falsifying accounting records. One would hope that your not so hopeless like an abused spouse that you take a beating, blame it on yourself, and go back for more

Date Rape Administrator,
I didn't include a set of possible marginal tax rates, but it is very close to $1 of tax credit per $1 out of pocket

That being said it is more generous than the tax credits for actual charities


but this doesn't seem to be an argument involving logic, I keep running up against a brick wall of emotion with the apologists

First we had the Paris Hilton (and ilk) craze about Blackberries. Then for a few years they seemed to be fairly business-specific in reputation. Now they're hip again. Don't get me wrong - they're great devices. But never underestimate the stupidity of large numbers of people informed by the media that their choice in brand name defines who they are. Apple, Harley, Bose speakers, etc. And now I'm noticing a certain sheen to the Blackberry name...again. I'm not complaining about Blackberries (had the 8830). I just sometimes wonder what motivates people to ignore the most important aspects of a purchase (what the item actually does) in favor of what the item stands for.

Date Rape Administrator: The money is forgiven on your taxes, not taken from government coffers

One dollar removed from your taxes is one dollar removed from the government coffers.

Date Rape Administrator: People like Hiro and Bored Hored are the reason the Liberals have lost so much support. Even progressive/moderates like myself don't want to be associated with the ignorance and frothing lunacy that has come to represent them.

There is nothing progressive or moderate about you. Your posts have consistently shown a practiced ignorance of Harper's support, policies and operational procedures. You quote from the National Post, our own Fox News.

Give it 18 months and the Liberals will be reelected to fix the budget problems the Conservatives have caused. With the current economic problems they need to axe all planned Military purchases, increase resource royalties, and put out of work Manufacturing people in central Canada to work on repairing infrastructure.

Now That's What I Call a Taco!: Canadians, please! You're starting to sound like us! And if you sound like us, the terrorists have won!

Love,

The Mongrels Down South

Dude you have no idea. canadians are the most petty, divided and regionalized people i have ever seen. The only thing they hate more than each other are Americans.

Malbar: Uhh, I just checked the official government website and it's still red and white, just as it's always been. The rest of your post is equally meritless.

Link (new window)
Link (new window)
Link (new window)

They hired a really shiatty company for the amount they paid

Bored Horde: Date Rape Administrator: The money is forgiven on your taxes, not taken from government coffers

One dollar removed from your taxes is one dollar removed from the government coffers.

Date Rape Administrator: People like Hiro and Bored Hored are the reason the Liberals have lost so much support. Even progressive/moderates like myself don't want to be associated with the ignorance and frothing lunacy that has come to represent them.

There is nothing progressive or moderate about you. Your posts have consistently shown a practiced ignorance of Harper's support, policies and operational procedures. You quote from the National Post, our own Fox News.

Well put, but he loses the ability to read when his emotions take over.

Bored Horde: Date Rape Administrator: The money is forgiven on your taxes, not taken from government coffers

One dollar removed from your taxes is one dollar removed from the government coffers.

There's nothing stopping anyone from contributing to the other parties and getting the same tax benefits.

This is the company (new window) that I believe was getting the free money contracts.

The redesign was in 2006 and linked up with the Conservative party's own website relaunch and push to avoid the national media by using the local affiliates

When they piss away a quarter billion dollars spread across different government of Canada divisions and websites, for work that looks like an 8 year old did it -- there's a reason to be pissed off

Could have recreated a Google for that kind of seed money. But no, they wanted the websites in pretty blue and said it was their right to do so in the house of commons

I find it funny that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency evokes the Conservative party colours Link (new window)

nastyboi: There's nothing stopping anyone from contributing to the other parties and getting the same tax benefits.

and there's nothing stopping the conservatives from trying to win more votes ...

the whole purpose was to catch the opposition off guard, and force them into bankruptcy

it was an apolitically stupid move because when the alternative is bankruptcy/disarray the opposition had no choice but to fight back together

Hiro's Protagonist: This is the company (new window) that I believe was getting the free money contracts.

The redesign was in 2006 and linked up with the Conservative party's own website relaunch and push to avoid the national media by using the local affiliates

When they piss away a quarter billion dollars spread across different government of Canada divisions and websites, for work that looks like an 8 year old did it -- there's a reason to be pissed off

Could have recreated a Google for that kind of seed money. But no, they wanted the websites in pretty blue and said it was their right to do so in the house of commons

I find it funny that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency evokes the Conservative party colours Link (new window)

The Leafs colours are blue and white. Are they part of the conspiracy too?

Malbar: www.gc.ca is the official government website, you moron, and it's still red and white.

Yes, it is one website they have. They also spent hundreds of millions of dollars to do a bunch of them up in blue

Did that money spent bring value other than likely kickbacks? No

You missed the point. As a tax payer I'm concerned about getting good value out of any money spent