The rumour seems to be showing some truth.
I find the media spin on this quite surprising. The Bloc joined the Tories in blocking (no pun intended) an attempt to open competitive bids for the CF18 jet replacement.
Apparently Bloc MPs were "looking to protect the Quebec-based aerospace industry..."
Not too long ago Stephen Harper was lumping the nefarious Bloc with the NDP and the Fiberals as anti-aerospace for daring to question the uncompetitive contract. Apparently the Bloc had a change in heart regarding the uncompetitive nature of this process.
It's well more than possible that as this session of parliament comes to an end, and then comes another, that some well placed victories may be coming to Stephen Haper... Along with a shiny new arena in Quebec.
That Tricky Senate
The cry babies on the left are whining their little plump urban elite behinds out. Their climate change bill got the Senatorial treatment - the thing got killed like a Senate reform bill.
Now those oh-so-much-smarter-than-the-rest-of-us "progressives" have suddenly woken up and realized that the Senate is being - gasp ! - UNDEMOCRATIC.
Well gee now, that seems peculiar. It's filled with bozos who have never had to once face a ballot box, or canvass a poll. None of them can get fired. The PM appointed them. They can do whatever they want without any consequences. Yep that sounds pretty undemocratic to me.
So does that mean that the Laytonators out there are now suddenly going to be converted to the Senate reform bandwagon? Will they finally give up this silly stalling tactic of pushing for a "PR Senate" and nothing else?
They liked the "undemocracy" of the Senate when it suited their ends for the past 30 years of liberal governments... How can the people that blocked Harper's senate reform now turn around and decry him giving up and using the Senate exactly the way he didn't want to in the first place?
When you're on the Road to Damascus, just when do you start to realize the stupidity of your previous actions?
Now those oh-so-much-smarter-than-the-rest-of-us "progressives" have suddenly woken up and realized that the Senate is being - gasp ! - UNDEMOCRATIC.
Well gee now, that seems peculiar. It's filled with bozos who have never had to once face a ballot box, or canvass a poll. None of them can get fired. The PM appointed them. They can do whatever they want without any consequences. Yep that sounds pretty undemocratic to me.
So does that mean that the Laytonators out there are now suddenly going to be converted to the Senate reform bandwagon? Will they finally give up this silly stalling tactic of pushing for a "PR Senate" and nothing else?
They liked the "undemocracy" of the Senate when it suited their ends for the past 30 years of liberal governments... How can the people that blocked Harper's senate reform now turn around and decry him giving up and using the Senate exactly the way he didn't want to in the first place?
When you're on the Road to Damascus, just when do you start to realize the stupidity of your previous actions?
The Iggy Tax
Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Imagine this situation:
Massive financial and economic crisis. Government steps in and bails out a number of large corporations. Under the gun, the state moves to inject a huge monetary stimulus into the economy. Government is spending like drunken medicinal marijuana smoking Dippers. Birth rates are dangerously low. Populations are aging at a rapid pace as the average age increases and increases. Soaring health care costs continue to hammer government coffers.
You know what sounds like a great idea? Let's raise taxes and expand our already generous unsustainable health care system. Who cares about the long term anyways - hell we're all dead in the long term! Burn baby burn!...
That's exactly what Lord Iggy wants to do.
I don't know what math they teach you down in Harvard, but the Puffster's arithmetic needs a double check.
Guelph Predictions....
Mayor: Karen Farbridge.
Ward 1: Bob Bell & Sean Farrelly
Ward 2: Ian Findlay & Ray Ferraro
Ward 3: June Hofland & Maggie Laidlaw
Ward 4: Gloria Kovach & Cam Guthrie
Ward 5: Lise Burcher & Leanne Piper
Ward 6: Karl Wettstein & Todd Dennis
Ward 1: Bob Bell & Sean Farrelly
Ward 2: Ian Findlay & Ray Ferraro
Ward 3: June Hofland & Maggie Laidlaw
Ward 4: Gloria Kovach & Cam Guthrie
Ward 5: Lise Burcher & Leanne Piper
Ward 6: Karl Wettstein & Todd Dennis
Socialist Harper
Mike Brock is deservedly angry. Stephen Harper's Tories have vastly increased the size of government. Trudeau would be no doubt approve.
Except that not everything is quite as bad as Mike believes.
The next thing that should let Mike's blood pressure drop a bit (or raise it) is comparing Stephen Harper's new found spend crazy ways to those of US President Obama.
Harper's 56 billion dollar deficit equates to about 3.7% of our GDP.
Obama's 1.6 trillion dollar deficit equates to 11% of their GDP. That's almost 3 times bigger comparatively.
Also Trudea's increases in spending over his tenure works out to 69% in his first stint, followed by 12% in his second.
Except that not everything is quite as bad as Mike believes.
Clocking in at an impressive $55.6 billion, the Harper government has single-handedly managed to inflate the size of the Federal government since taking office in 2006, by approximately 50%.I don't mean to nitpick, but that number seems wrong to me. The Federal Budget since 2006 has run in the 200 to 300 billion dollar range. Actually, based on the numbers I have the federal spending ran at 223 billion in 2006. The last numbers I saw for projections of 2009 to 2010 fiscal year was 271.4 billion (based on a 54.8 billion dollar deficit). So really this increase is closer to 22 %. Still bad. Just not THAT bad.
The next thing that should let Mike's blood pressure drop a bit (or raise it) is comparing Stephen Harper's new found spend crazy ways to those of US President Obama.
Harper's 56 billion dollar deficit equates to about 3.7% of our GDP.
Obama's 1.6 trillion dollar deficit equates to 11% of their GDP. That's almost 3 times bigger comparatively.
Also Trudea's increases in spending over his tenure works out to 69% in his first stint, followed by 12% in his second.
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