I love our country

[TheZue]

I'm just reading the thread on the US Stimulus package in the community board and do I ever love our country. Some of us are a little more right wing, but I can't imagine anyone ever thinking our fellow Canadians living in shanty towns is a better situation than welfare *aka a proper social safety net*...somebody in that thread actually thought that people shouldn't intervene in the case of hoovervilles I also love that we managed to work hard and get rid of our defeciet in the 90s so now that we have to borrow money it's the exception rather than the rule. The venom that people spew at each other over politics in the states is truly awful. While I generally really like the states I'm reading these threads, watching the US economy melt down for stupid reasons, and I'm just so thankful to be Canadian today.

 

[LSmith]

Canada will run a deficit of 64 billion Canadian dollars (51 billion U.S. dollars) over the next two years as the government moves to stimulate the economy with shrinking revenue.

 

[TheZue]

Canada will run a deficit of 64 billion Canadian dollars (51 billion U.S. dollars) over the next two years as the government moves to stimulate the economy with shrinking revenue.

Oh I know, but at least nobody is saying they'd rather have their fellow Canadians sleep under a newspaper than give them any of their hard earned money. And at least we weren't adding to our debt in the good times.

 

[LSmith]

For sure the poor are better off in Canada than the US.

 

[PhotobearSam]

Once I saw "Sicko" by Michael Moore, I was never more proud to be a Canadian. (I am not usually a M. Moore fan but Sicko was just too eye opening).


YEAH CANADA!!!

 

[braddillman]

I think it's too bad some of the US media (e.g. Faux News, O'Reilly, Limbaugh, Hannity) get people stirred up using sensationalism to grab ratings. They're saying whatever they can to get people angry whether its true or not, and some people believe them without thinking it through or checking around. Unfortunately it works and they'll keep it up. I think the only action to take against them is to go after their advertising $$$, boycott their sponsors, etc., but I don't think people will organize well enough to succeed.

Specifically Jon Stewart did a piece showing an unedited transition of O'Reilly between 1 segment where his reporter with a mic chased a guy onto a bus who refused to comment, and in the very next segment complained how papparazi were invading peoples' privacy. Like everything else, I expect O'Reilly expects the ends (pursuing the guy on the bus ) justifies the means (using identical tactics to papparazi he condemns ).

 

[TiggerCat]

I'm not sure how running a $64B deficit is a good thing. I have never seen any evidence to prove that running deficits helps to restore consumer confidence, which is the only effective way to end a recession. I think the government could better direct its energy at countering the "sky is falling" mentality that the press seems to love to promote. This would seem to be a better solution than flushing future tax revenue down the "crownie" toilet bowl. One of my favourite Herbert Hoover quotes is "Blessed are the young for they shall inherit the national debt", and I think that it will become increasingly pertinent as governments continue to throw our money at a problem that they can't fix.

In any case, as Peter Truman used to say, "that's not news, but that too is reality".

TC.

 

[LSmith]

This huge deficit is just the start. I'm sure we will be adding to it yearly after this. It's like a credit card.

 

[Csaks]

The one thing I've noticed is their them vs us mentality in some political threads. It's amazing anything gets done. There seems to be no middle ground, maybe it's just the extremists on the chat boards and not a true reflection of Americans. Most people I know can have a discussion and agree to disagree or conseed a point or two without resorting to nasty name calling.

 

[gmark2000]

Canadians are ostensibly centrist. Ideally a mix of blue liberal or red tory - social liberalism with fiscal conservatism.

Yes we have fringes of leftist and hard-right people but on the whole, especially now with minority government we are a great nation of centrists.

 

[bdoyledimou]

Canadians are ostensibly centrist. Ideally a mix of blue liberal or red tory - social liberalism with fiscal conservatism.

Yes we have fringes of leftist and hard-right people but on the whole, especially now with minority government we are a great nation of centrists.

We are Purple.. which signifies Royalty!!!!

 

[LSmith]

Centrist is a good term. It means voting for the issues and not the party.

And not being a Liberal or Conservative or New Democratic just because your parents are/were (my sister).

People are thinking!

 

[LadyKay]

For sure the poor are better off in Canada than the US.

... and the sick, less educated, unemployed, university students (loans, our kids are not hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt after graduation), single parents, struggling parents, and just your everyday Joe blow.

I would however trade Harper for Obama in half a heart beat.

 

[ferris198]

... and the sick, less educated, unemployed, university students (loans, our kids are not hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt after graduation), single parents, struggling parents, and just your everyday Joe blow.

I would however trade Harper for Obama in half a heart beat.

Me too !
I wonder if that is in NAFTA ?

 

[Scornelius]

... and the sick, less educated, unemployed, university students (loans, our kids are not hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt after graduation), single parents, struggling parents, and just your everyday Joe blow.

I would however trade Harper for Obama in half a heart beat.

Me too !
I wonder if that is in NAFTA ?

 

[braddillman]

I've traveled to many cities across the U.S. I even lived there for almost 2 years. In casual conversation Americans don't trust the government at all and hate paying any taxes (generalization, of course). But OTOH they don't seem to resist big business at all.

For example, my neighbors were outraged at a proposed 0.5% increase in local sales tax, and that conversation lasted weeks. But when someone had their car alternator replaced unnecessarily, or myself I had a completely fraud quote saying I needed a whole new roof (in fact there was nothing wrong at all), their response was "Well, what are you going to do?" as if there was nothing they could do, and they just accepted that. To me (Canadian) that seems entirely backward.

It may seem hard to trust government, but nor can I trust big businesses like Bre-X, Enron, MCI/WorldCom, NS Power (Emera), GM, Siemens Energy and Automation (it's personal!), any big U.S. bank or insurance company, Bell, Rogers, Apple or Nortel, just off the top of my head.

I get a vote for my MP, MLA, councilor, etc. If I join a party I (usually) get a vote for the party leader and a chance to introduce and vote for policy resolutions. I get the same vote as any other, regardless of how much money I have. But in a corporation, the number of votes I get as a shareholder is proportional to my investment, so those who invest more money get more say; further, customers seem to have none. The notion that you can choose to do business with a different company is typically laughable. If I don't like NS Power, what other power utility do I use? If I don't like Rogers cellular, I could switch to Bell - for all the good that would do (oligopoly based on huge barriers to entry).

I trust businesses to be perhaps more predictable than government, but I NEVER think businesses are working in my best interests.