Conclusion after last night's debate?
In order to beat the defending champ in boxing, it usually takes a knock out. The Liberals took a chance in pushing a non-confidence vote. Michael Ignatieff needed to knock Harper out and he didn't.
What remains to be seen is if Harper can earn a majority.
If he doesn't and gets a third minority in succession, Frik and Frak may see this as yet another chance to try and bother us with another election somewhere down the road. And still more possible coalition nonsense between the irksome NDP and pointless Liberals. Don't expect fiscal responsibility either.
***
The thing is, Harper is a smooth chess player. He put his opponents in a corner with his coy budget. He put many things in there they wanted and they reacted by calling an election and then proceeded to attack him in the debates for not doing what he put in the budget. Follow? They misplayed the whole thing.
They were left to going after his iron-fist political behavior and kept hammering out how they want a "Democratic" government. Please. Quebec and the Bloc aren't bastions of "Democracy," the NDP are socialists and prefer coercion to individual choice and the Liberals under Chretien were a benign dictatorial state.
It was a hollow game.
Last, as a side note, the Harper conservatives have spent more than any Tory government in history.
***
The conservatives are the only government since I've been voting that actually cut cheques out to families. The Liberals, who cut services massively and never cut taxes, talked about it but never acted on it.
Hey, $100 bucks is $100. If you have more kids, more for you.
***
A local Bloc candidate is described as a "militante souvereigniste." A militant sovereignist.
Leave it to them to use military terminology to describe their intentions.
Imagine if mainstream parties used such language.
It does wreak of "pitchforks" and "axes" doesn't it?
Militant. Please.
How about getting serious about more social pressing needs, eh? Get Quebecers to stay in school, smoke less and exercise more, work harder, fix health and education, lower the damn taxes, scale back the enormous size of the civil service of which the crushing weight of its costs is destroying the tax base, weaken the unions, and produce some wealth outside state run monopolies.
Oh, get the bus drivers to smile more and privatize the fricken SAQ. I'm fed up of paying $28 hourly wages ( for something the state has no business running. $28! Go on the free market and see how much they're really worth.
Maybe then I'll take them seriously.
La faute d'Ottawa mon oeil.
2011-04-13
2011-04-12
Changes Are Needed
At least Francois Legault is offering his thoughts and solutions to problems that face us all.
I don't see much englightened ideas coming out of the left when it comes to rejuvinating public services. Just "how dare he" and "don't privatize" reaction to men like Legault. Who, to me anyway, is just calling a spade a spade: We plain suck.
And the facts prove it. Just google Quebec's record on public health and education.
Dismal.
I don't see much englightened ideas coming out of the left when it comes to rejuvinating public services. Just "how dare he" and "don't privatize" reaction to men like Legault. Who, to me anyway, is just calling a spade a spade: We plain suck.
And the facts prove it. Just google Quebec's record on public health and education.
Dismal.
Ignatieff Is Right
Roll back payroll taxes!
Too expense. I have to tack on an extra .16% on the hourly wage. For start ups, that's an extremely expensive proposition. For example, if I have to pay someone $15 an hour it actually costs me something closer to $17. And that's not including woker's compensation through CSST.
It's worse for businesses in manufacturing and resources. A friend of mine (from my hockey pool) is a CFO of multi-million dollar resource company and he was telling me a $23 wage costs hims $36.
Fronting that kind of money means I have less to PUT INTO THE BUSINESS. The quicker I put it back into the business, the more rapidly I can hire thus increasing the speed of stabilizing the business. Once done, I can then work on paying debts back. At which point, I can look to open a SECOND business. More employment for the economy.
But I'm raped up front. This means the length of time to recover is drawn out.
It's not rocket science. It really isn't.
Too expense. I have to tack on an extra .16% on the hourly wage. For start ups, that's an extremely expensive proposition. For example, if I have to pay someone $15 an hour it actually costs me something closer to $17. And that's not including woker's compensation through CSST.
It's worse for businesses in manufacturing and resources. A friend of mine (from my hockey pool) is a CFO of multi-million dollar resource company and he was telling me a $23 wage costs hims $36.
Fronting that kind of money means I have less to PUT INTO THE BUSINESS. The quicker I put it back into the business, the more rapidly I can hire thus increasing the speed of stabilizing the business. Once done, I can then work on paying debts back. At which point, I can look to open a SECOND business. More employment for the economy.
But I'm raped up front. This means the length of time to recover is drawn out.
It's not rocket science. It really isn't.
Note To Mr. Duceppe
Nice try.
The mess Quebec finds itself in with regards to public education and health is our own fault. Not Ottawa's.
We alone must take responsibility for our failed measures.
Thank you.
The mess Quebec finds itself in with regards to public education and health is our own fault. Not Ottawa's.
We alone must take responsibility for our failed measures.
Thank you.
We're Not Envied
No, no, NO!
No.
NOOOOOOO!
Just heard Layton claim our public health systems is "envied all over the world."
Typical parochial Canadian BS.
If you travel you know two things. Europeans and Americans DO NOT envy our model which consistently under performs in the OECD.
Europeans have been at the public health game longer than us. One thing is for sure, their system is nowhere as rigid as ours.
Just keeping it real folks.
The NDP platform is simple: Expand services and programs.
No.
NOOOOOOO!
Just heard Layton claim our public health systems is "envied all over the world."
Typical parochial Canadian BS.
If you travel you know two things. Europeans and Americans DO NOT envy our model which consistently under performs in the OECD.
Europeans have been at the public health game longer than us. One thing is for sure, their system is nowhere as rigid as ours.
Just keeping it real folks.
The NDP platform is simple: Expand services and programs.
Long-Form Poo-Poo
Still watching.
Ignatieff repeats the same misleading bull about the long-form census. He described Harper as trying to "take it away." No, he proposed to make it voluntary. Big difference.
Just realized something. The Liberals have gone back to back with professors as leaders.
Ignatieff repeats the same misleading bull about the long-form census. He described Harper as trying to "take it away." No, he proposed to make it voluntary. Big difference.
Just realized something. The Liberals have gone back to back with professors as leaders.
The NDP Are Sickening
Watching the debate. The exchange between the NDP and Bloc Quebecois in particular about Bill 101.
The NDP, as proposed by turncoat Thomas Mulcair, are tabling a motion to expand Bill 101 into Federal institutions.
This is a national party!
Idiots.
They deserve to wallow in obscurity.
The NDP, as proposed by turncoat Thomas Mulcair, are tabling a motion to expand Bill 101 into Federal institutions.
This is a national party!
Idiots.
They deserve to wallow in obscurity.
2011-04-11
Don't Quit Your Day Job
Wo, wo, wo! Wo! I said wo, camel!
I know Ignatieff is confused about his voting record in two other countries (UK and USA) but this is getting ridiculous. Now he's blurring his work as a politician with acting? Who knew he'd play the role of the evil madman Alexei Volkoff so well?
Let Women Choose Free Of Pressure
The push to have more women in everything seems somewhat artificial to me at times.
I don't know to what extent gender discrimination goes but the premise seems to be A) women are conditioned to be less forthright and B) there's a bias, subtle or otherwise, against women on the job market.
But one little thing I'm learning rarely mentioned is the fact some women actually want to be mothers. Societal pressures on women not ready to drop their kids at daycare is heavy and causes stress to mothers. Never mind the whole whithering of the family as a primary institution for humans angle.
Maybe a majority of women don't want to go into politics or be cops or play with hammers.
It is, after all, a dirty rotten game for scoundrels.
Let them be mothers if they so choose and spare the "we must be equal to men on all levels" crap. Women give birth and are the principle caregivers to children. It's not only biologically healthy but the base root of a healthy world. There is no greater responsibility (and honor) a person can be given.
If they choose a career, so be it too. But let's not group all women into one boat. Each has its own "maternal instincts" clock. By this virtue, there will always be a smaller labour pool with women.
Nothing sucks more than having to live for someone else's personal ideals of what life should be.
I invite women to kick in with some thoughts. Screw the men.
Erm. Figuratively.
I'll stop. Here.
I don't know to what extent gender discrimination goes but the premise seems to be A) women are conditioned to be less forthright and B) there's a bias, subtle or otherwise, against women on the job market.
But one little thing I'm learning rarely mentioned is the fact some women actually want to be mothers. Societal pressures on women not ready to drop their kids at daycare is heavy and causes stress to mothers. Never mind the whole whithering of the family as a primary institution for humans angle.
Maybe a majority of women don't want to go into politics or be cops or play with hammers.
It is, after all, a dirty rotten game for scoundrels.
Let them be mothers if they so choose and spare the "we must be equal to men on all levels" crap. Women give birth and are the principle caregivers to children. It's not only biologically healthy but the base root of a healthy world. There is no greater responsibility (and honor) a person can be given.
If they choose a career, so be it too. But let's not group all women into one boat. Each has its own "maternal instincts" clock. By this virtue, there will always be a smaller labour pool with women.
Nothing sucks more than having to live for someone else's personal ideals of what life should be.
I invite women to kick in with some thoughts. Screw the men.
Erm. Figuratively.
I'll stop. Here.
2011-04-10
Innovation Index
According to The Economist. Click on the 'full report' in the article for a complete report and methodology.
The United States pretty much remain the kings even though growth in innovation is expected to dip slightly - -.6%- in the next five years. Canada, which does fine on the list (weak R&D though), finds itself on a similar growth trend (-.3%) as its neighbour to the south.
China and India are gaining steam but each have major obstacles in their way before they reach American levels. Nonetheless, 11% nd 8% growth for each are on the horizon. America's main competitor is resource-challenged Japan. Its growth is expected to be even.
As for Europe, growth numbers are in North America's range with Belgium (1.2%) and Croatia (5.1%) among the leaders.
***
Here's yet another index from INSEAD - this one a 456 page comprehensive breakdown for each country.
***
A link to a business innovation site.
The United States pretty much remain the kings even though growth in innovation is expected to dip slightly - -.6%- in the next five years. Canada, which does fine on the list (weak R&D though), finds itself on a similar growth trend (-.3%) as its neighbour to the south.
China and India are gaining steam but each have major obstacles in their way before they reach American levels. Nonetheless, 11% nd 8% growth for each are on the horizon. America's main competitor is resource-challenged Japan. Its growth is expected to be even.
As for Europe, growth numbers are in North America's range with Belgium (1.2%) and Croatia (5.1%) among the leaders.
***
Here's yet another index from INSEAD - this one a 456 page comprehensive breakdown for each country.
***
A link to a business innovation site.
2011-04-09
Music On A Late Saturday Night
Jet Airliner:
Great as it is, the Steve Miller Band version wasn't the original. Paul Pena wrote it:
Great as it is, the Steve Miller Band version wasn't the original. Paul Pena wrote it:
Canuckian Rock
A Foot In Cold Water with 'Make me do anything you want.'
Quebec singer Michel Pagliaro (Pag) with 'Lovin' you ain't easy.' Pagliaro sings mostly in French but is versatile and has released hits in English.
Quebec singer Michel Pagliaro (Pag) with 'Lovin' you ain't easy.' Pagliaro sings mostly in French but is versatile and has released hits in English.
Blogging While Buzzed
Ever have a bunch of food items in the pantry and fridge about to go to waste? It's especially tough for a guy like me since my wife is allergic to...well, let's just say it's shorter to not get into it.
So I have to buy bread in a weel I think I can use it. My daughter is too young (and thus inconsistent) to count on to help me consume.
I took some basil, celery, yellow pepper, garlic and onion and began to make a tomato sauce. Add some pancetta (Italian bacon) and pepperoni (the real stuff not that mechanically seperated crap) and I got sumting brooing.
What to use it with? Didn't fell like pasta. So I looked into the freezer and spotted some grilled Southwestern style panini. Grabbed some mozzarella and made a 30-second pizza in the microwave.
Instant pizza.
Dee-lish.
***
Tomorrow we're going for some Smoked Meat. A Jewish contribution to food history.
And we thank them for it.
So I have to buy bread in a weel I think I can use it. My daughter is too young (and thus inconsistent) to count on to help me consume.
I took some basil, celery, yellow pepper, garlic and onion and began to make a tomato sauce. Add some pancetta (Italian bacon) and pepperoni (the real stuff not that mechanically seperated crap) and I got sumting brooing.
What to use it with? Didn't fell like pasta. So I looked into the freezer and spotted some grilled Southwestern style panini. Grabbed some mozzarella and made a 30-second pizza in the microwave.
Instant pizza.
Dee-lish.
***
Tomorrow we're going for some Smoked Meat. A Jewish contribution to food history.
And we thank them for it.
New Installment
I think I'm gonna run with a new installment called "Blogging While Buzzed." Stay tuned.
It took me longer than usual to type the above sentence.
Blogging while buzzed is a challenge.
Original sentence:
i Thil I'M goNNA ruy witj a bew untianllement called 'bLogging wi
Forget it.
It took me longer than usual to type the above sentence.
Blogging while buzzed is a challenge.
Original sentence:
Forget it.
2011-04-08
Canada Should Face Its Racism
As I've spoken about in the past, any honest student of Canadian history comes to terms with a fact: Canadian racism existed and continues to persist.
We don't speak much about it because Canadians have done a wonderful job cleaning up its image without confronting its past. We speak passionate of American race issues and stand strangely silent with our own.
From the eugenics movement of the early 20th century, to the internment of Japanese, Italian, German and Ukranian Canadians to repressive language laws in Quebec (of which the disgraceful and pathetic NDP a national party supports), Canada is no stranger to prejudicial and racial behaviour.
One of the worst offenses, of course, is what went on in Residential Schools and the murder of Natives.
Genocide the way Natives see it.
America stares its racial problems in the face. Canada looks away.
We don't speak much about it because Canadians have done a wonderful job cleaning up its image without confronting its past. We speak passionate of American race issues and stand strangely silent with our own.
From the eugenics movement of the early 20th century, to the internment of Japanese, Italian, German and Ukranian Canadians to repressive language laws in Quebec (of which the disgraceful and pathetic NDP a national party supports), Canada is no stranger to prejudicial and racial behaviour.
One of the worst offenses, of course, is what went on in Residential Schools and the murder of Natives.
Genocide the way Natives see it.
America stares its racial problems in the face. Canada looks away.
Iggy Pop Punks American Idol
I don't know what but it is.
Iggy Pop....on American Idol? Guy is just plain far out. Love it. His raw image is pure "fuck you."
First Steven Tyler and now the punk man who fronted The Stooges?
Who next? Pink Floyd and Rush together covering some Zep tunes?
Have I asked enough questions?
I think I'll walk without my shirt all day.
Italy And Libya
An interesting article at InThese New Times.
Some excerpts:
"...Let’s set the record straight: only a gullible person might think that the current attack on Libya by some NATO member countries could actually be motivated by “humanitarian” concerns. Of course, Gaddafi is a merciless dictator with his enemies, but he’s not any fiercer than most of the dictators in other Arab countries, some of whom have been already overthrown (Ben Ali and Mubarak), while others are still governing and are stoking the flames of war (the autocrats of the Arab Peninsula)..."
"...Barack Obama on 19 March 2011: “Some nations may be able to turn a blind eye to atrocities in other countries … The United States of America is different. And as president, I refused to wait for the images of slaughter and mass graves before taking action.” Since then, Gaddafi has surely had recourse to planes against the rebels, though the numerous journalists have been unable to document any attacks against civilians. Same story for the allegations of “mass graves”, based on a single picture portraying four or five open tombs in an identifiable cemetery of Tripoli, which was immediately shelved due to its scarce credibility..."
"...Let’s start from the beginning. Before the riots erupted, Italy enjoyed a privileged relationship with Libya. First of all, Italy is Tripoli’s largest trading partner, constituting the main market for Libyan exports and the first exporter to Libya. Italy buys almost 40% of Libya’s exports (its second main buyer, Germany, gets only 10%) while selling to Libya 18,9% of its total imports (the second main seller, China, provides not much more than 10%). Libya’s trade dependence on Italy is strong, but this relationship represents an even greater strategic value for Rome than for Tripoli.
Libya owns the biggest oil reserves (good quality oil) on the whole African continent and is geographically close to Italy, therefore it is naturally Italy’s main, or one of the main, energy supplier. Italian state company ENI extracts from Libya 15% of its total oil production; through the Greenstream pipeline in 2010 Italy received 9,4 billion cubic meters of Libyan gas. ENI’s contracts in Libya are still valid for 30-40 years, and despite Italian behaviour, which we are about to analyze, Tripoli confirmed them on March 17th through the voice of oil minister Shukri Ghanem. Currently Libya grants all contracts for infrastructure building to Italian companies, assuring billions of orders that impact positively on Italy’s employment market. Lastly Libya, which is a relatively rich country thanks to its energy exports (it has the highest per-capita income in Africa), invests in Italy most of its “petrodollars”: currently it is involved in business transactions with ENI, FIAT, Unicredit, Finmeccanica and other companies. A fundamental contribution of capitals in a trend characterized by a lack of liquidity, after the financial crisis of 2008..."
"...Therefore, the real reasons for the intervention are strategic and geopolitical: humanitarianism is just a pretext. On this site, it is possible to glean the real reasons motivating France, the US and Great Britain. Reasons that, after all, are easy to guess. Here, we will dwell on the choices made by the Italian Government..."
"...So Italy arrived at the outbreak of the Libyan crisis as an ally of Tripoli, tied to Libya by the clauses – written down in black and white – of a treaty, stipulated not a hundred years ago but in 2009, and not from a former government but from the incumbent one.
"The Italian attitude, during the last weeks, has been uncertain and embarrassing. At the beginning Berlusconi stated that he didn’t want to “disturb” colonel Gaddafi (February 19th), while his Foreign minister Frattini was haunted by the spectre of an “Islamic emirate in Benghazi” (February 21st). Very soon, though, the riots seemed to overcome the authority of the Jamahiriya and the Italian attitude changed: Frattini inaugurated the hike-up of the alleged victims, announcing 1000 bodies (February 23rd) while Human Rights Watch was still counting a few hundreds; Minister of Defence La Russa (we don’t know by what specific area of expertise) announced the suspension of the Italian-Libyan Friendship Treaty, a totally arbitrary and illegal measure (February 27th)."
"...Whatever will be the outcome of this conflict, Italy has already lost its Libyan campaign. Italian leaders celebrated the 150 years of unity with a glaring about-face towards Libya: a tragicomic new edition of the tragedy of September 8, 1943. This time it won’t be Italy, but its former “friend” Libya’s turn to descend into a long and painful civil war, which could have been ended in a few days without external intrusions."
Some excerpts:
"...Let’s set the record straight: only a gullible person might think that the current attack on Libya by some NATO member countries could actually be motivated by “humanitarian” concerns. Of course, Gaddafi is a merciless dictator with his enemies, but he’s not any fiercer than most of the dictators in other Arab countries, some of whom have been already overthrown (Ben Ali and Mubarak), while others are still governing and are stoking the flames of war (the autocrats of the Arab Peninsula)..."
"...Barack Obama on 19 March 2011: “Some nations may be able to turn a blind eye to atrocities in other countries … The United States of America is different. And as president, I refused to wait for the images of slaughter and mass graves before taking action.” Since then, Gaddafi has surely had recourse to planes against the rebels, though the numerous journalists have been unable to document any attacks against civilians. Same story for the allegations of “mass graves”, based on a single picture portraying four or five open tombs in an identifiable cemetery of Tripoli, which was immediately shelved due to its scarce credibility..."
"...Let’s start from the beginning. Before the riots erupted, Italy enjoyed a privileged relationship with Libya. First of all, Italy is Tripoli’s largest trading partner, constituting the main market for Libyan exports and the first exporter to Libya. Italy buys almost 40% of Libya’s exports (its second main buyer, Germany, gets only 10%) while selling to Libya 18,9% of its total imports (the second main seller, China, provides not much more than 10%). Libya’s trade dependence on Italy is strong, but this relationship represents an even greater strategic value for Rome than for Tripoli.
Libya owns the biggest oil reserves (good quality oil) on the whole African continent and is geographically close to Italy, therefore it is naturally Italy’s main, or one of the main, energy supplier. Italian state company ENI extracts from Libya 15% of its total oil production; through the Greenstream pipeline in 2010 Italy received 9,4 billion cubic meters of Libyan gas. ENI’s contracts in Libya are still valid for 30-40 years, and despite Italian behaviour, which we are about to analyze, Tripoli confirmed them on March 17th through the voice of oil minister Shukri Ghanem. Currently Libya grants all contracts for infrastructure building to Italian companies, assuring billions of orders that impact positively on Italy’s employment market. Lastly Libya, which is a relatively rich country thanks to its energy exports (it has the highest per-capita income in Africa), invests in Italy most of its “petrodollars”: currently it is involved in business transactions with ENI, FIAT, Unicredit, Finmeccanica and other companies. A fundamental contribution of capitals in a trend characterized by a lack of liquidity, after the financial crisis of 2008..."
"...Therefore, the real reasons for the intervention are strategic and geopolitical: humanitarianism is just a pretext. On this site, it is possible to glean the real reasons motivating France, the US and Great Britain. Reasons that, after all, are easy to guess. Here, we will dwell on the choices made by the Italian Government..."
"...So Italy arrived at the outbreak of the Libyan crisis as an ally of Tripoli, tied to Libya by the clauses – written down in black and white – of a treaty, stipulated not a hundred years ago but in 2009, and not from a former government but from the incumbent one.
"The Italian attitude, during the last weeks, has been uncertain and embarrassing. At the beginning Berlusconi stated that he didn’t want to “disturb” colonel Gaddafi (February 19th), while his Foreign minister Frattini was haunted by the spectre of an “Islamic emirate in Benghazi” (February 21st). Very soon, though, the riots seemed to overcome the authority of the Jamahiriya and the Italian attitude changed: Frattini inaugurated the hike-up of the alleged victims, announcing 1000 bodies (February 23rd) while Human Rights Watch was still counting a few hundreds; Minister of Defence La Russa (we don’t know by what specific area of expertise) announced the suspension of the Italian-Libyan Friendship Treaty, a totally arbitrary and illegal measure (February 27th)."
"...Whatever will be the outcome of this conflict, Italy has already lost its Libyan campaign. Italian leaders celebrated the 150 years of unity with a glaring about-face towards Libya: a tragicomic new edition of the tragedy of September 8, 1943. This time it won’t be Italy, but its former “friend” Libya’s turn to descend into a long and painful civil war, which could have been ended in a few days without external intrusions."
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