Stephan Harper Criticism

[AuxBatOn]

Even though the basics are the same, the political system here and in the States are very different... I can't see something like what's happenning in the states happen here. And I certainly don't see us invading 2 countries in a 2 years timeframe...

[Topspin]

There is pleanty he can do while working within the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Does abortion fall into this area?

Since he's already dismissed the abortion issue, what else, specifically are you worried that he would do? Bring in year-round curfews for all large cities? Take away our right to drive cars? Segregate the sexes in public schools? Change the colour of our flag to purple? Ban vegetarianism?

I wouldn't put something like the patriot act past him. But then for the way he runs the government as opposed to the Dianne liberals, I think that's a sacrifice I would be willing to make.

[Dex]

Just out of curiosity. Does anyone here believe we wouldn't be (have gone) in Iraq today if Harper was Prime Minister at the time of the invasion?

[Icebound]

... what else, specifically are you worried that he would do?

That's precisely the problem. Because he ignores his own legislation... there is no telling what he WILL do.

Let's just look at a single example:

One of those "accomplished campaign promises" from the previous election included the accountability act. One of the tenets of that act was supposed to be to protect whistle blowers.

Yet, since then:

1. Harper's government has made a complaint to the College of Physicians and Surgeons about a doctor because he suggested that the tar sands projects are polluting downstream and causing increased carcinogens in people's drinking water.
2. Luc Pomereau was fired for making public a document about Harper's plans to reduce food inspections and to have the industry inspect itself.
3. Public servants were intimidated when Harper's climate-change policy was released to the public, showing the undermining of Canada's international committments.

Clearly, he intends to govern in secret, so as I said, there is no telling WHAT he will do.




...

[North Shore]

WRT the Abortion issue:

Here is the statement Harper made on abortion yesterday:

"I have been clear throughout my entire political career I don't intend to open the abortion issue," he said. "I haven't in the past; I'm not going to in the future."

I, I, I.... not a mention of Stockwell, Toews(sp?), Kenney, or any one of a host of other biblical nuts who are chomping at the bit to introduce a private members' bill. Nice wiggle, but not a clear "A Conservative government under Stephen Harper will not open the abortion issue.."

Time will tell.

[niss]

You have the audacity to call me naive due to my political views yet you are taking a politicians word that he will not reopen an issue?

[The Other Kind]

Niss, come on - think it through. The abortion issue is long dead in this country. The vast majority of Canadians would NEVER support a decision to repeal the rights of women in this regard. Why the hell would any politician attempt to do so?? It would be political suicide, for the politician and the party he/she represents.

This isn't rocket science Niss, and you seem like a bright enough chap. THINK MAN! Stop quoting the verbal diarrhea from Harper's opponents, it's nothing more than fear-mongering and complete nonsense.

[crazyaviator]

Biblical nuts ? I know the sorry state of christianity ( churchianity) in Canada BUT i also KNOW that Canada is high up there in killing babies, killing each other, theft, corruption, totally messed up families, indebtedness, ignorance, drugs, selfishness, envy , contempt etc etc etc ! If most of you ignorants would have an OUNCE of wisdom, you would be reading the good book and therein , you would find that YOU are not God but mere dust of the ground and your wisdom and intellect does not rise up much above that of a gnat compared to the one who created you !! The mere fact that you all are argueing about this or that party and who is better shows your ignorance !!

[Hedley]

And I thought I was sarcastic ....

[Rockie]

I'm willing to give Jesus Christ a try. What's his platform and will he be on the ballot?

[crazyaviator]

Hedley, im trying im trying lol ,,, Yahshua s platform is " bringing mankind to perfection and his promises are sure and you can rely on him !! For 6000+ years, mankind has found out that he just cant do it himself!!! And yes, he is on the ballot, But you cant see his name with the naked eye !! LOL

PS: And no, im not a bible pounding nut

[AdamB]

Going back in time here, but ...

cpl_atc said:

Harper satisfied every campaign promise made during his last campaign, with the exception of income trusts.

And with another exception - he promised not to call a premature election - oopsie !

That being said, politicians lie. They scam, cheat and steal. They`re a criminal, albeit legal mob.

That being said, my vote will go to Harper. He seems like the one who will cause the least damage. Hell, maybe he`ll even keep lowering taxes!

[Hedley]

There are public sector criminals, and private sector
criminals. Both break the law, but the public sector
criminals are generally better dressed, and have a
obnoxious, self-satisfied air of entitlement.

The main difference between the two is that although
private sector criminals are often charged with violating
the law, only rarely are public sector criminals charged
with violating the law - who's going to do it? Like a
policeman speeding for no good reason, he knows
that no one will ever call him to task for his violations
of the law.

Most of us have far more money stolen from us by
public sector criminals, than private sector criminals.

[Topspin]

There are public sector criminals, and private sector
criminals. Both break the law, but the public sector
criminals are generally better dressed, and have a
obnoxious, self-satisfied air of entitlement.

The main difference between the two is that although
private sector criminals are often charged with violating
the law, only rarely are public sector criminals charged
with violating the law - who's going to do it? Like a
policeman speeding for no good reason, he knows
that no one will ever call him to task for his violations
of the law.

Most of us have far more money stolen from us by
public sector criminals, than private sector criminals.

You can't forget about government efficiency in Canadia though. What would it be? For every $5 paid in tax, $4 gets wasted and $1 spent well? And then don't forget about that bus boy at BC Ferries who is still making 35-40K/year.

[TheCheez]

Going back in time here, but ...

cpl_atc said:

Harper satisfied every campaign promise made during his last campaign, with the exception of income trusts.

And with another exception - he promised not to call a premature election - oopsie !

That being said, politicians lie. They scam, cheat and steal. They`re a criminal, albeit legal mob.

That being said, my vote will go to Harper. He seems like the one who will cause the least damage. Hell, maybe he`ll even keep lowering taxes!

The election was called now because they wanted to take a shot at a majority when the libs were looking brutal and before the US economy took a dump(missed on this one a bit). 'Premature' is a fun politician word that means very little. It's plenty mature for the cons, premature for the libs.

If they had waited the opposition would have forced it as soon as the economy was slowed down enough to potentially get the cons out of office. Right now it resets the timer on when would be resonable to have another election so that even with a minority the cons might be able to ride through the slowdown.

[Topspin]

You can't forget about government efficiency in Canadia though. What would it be? For every $5 paid in tax, $4 gets wasted and $1 spent well? And then don't forget about that bus boy at BC Ferries who is still making 35-40K/year.

"On April 2, 2003, after intense examination by the provincial government and BC Ferries' Board of Directors, our corporation was officially re-launched as a new, independent commercial company and renamed British Columbia Ferry Services Inc."

What does BC Ferries have to do with government efficiency? Welcome to the year 2008, by the way.

It's principal. I could have quoted BC Liquor or Translink.

[niss]

Niss, come on - think it through. The abortion issue is long dead in this country. The vast majority of Canadians would NEVER support a decision to repeal the rights of women in this regard. Why the hell would any politician attempt to do so?? It would be political suicide, for the politician and the party he/she represents.

This isn't rocket science Niss, and you seem like a bright enough chap. THINK MAN! Stop quoting the verbal diarrhea from Harper's opponents, it's nothing more than fear-mongering and complete nonsense.

What he said.

Harper is not interested in political suicide, which is why he will follow through on his promises, and he won't touch abortion with a ten foot pole.

That should be obvious to a bloody two-year old. Stop letting Layton and Dion form your opinions for you, or are you not capable of critical thought?

I am sorry, do my beliefs and opinions offend you? Maybe you just need a good solid handshake from unkie harper.

[Wild Cat]

Stephen Harper is being criticized?
Holy cow, I didn't know that was allowed

[niss]

Stephen Harper is being criticized?
Holy cow, I didn't know that was allowed

I have officially decided from here on in refer to harper as Mein Fuhrer.

[Icebound]

... what else, specifically are you worried that he would do?

That's precisely the problem. Because he ignores his own legislation... there is no telling what he WILL do.

Let's just look at a single example:

One of those "accomplished campaign promises" from the previous election included the accountability act. One of the tenets of that act was supposed to be to protect whistle blowers.

Yet, since then:

1. Harper's government has made a complaint to the College of Physicians and Surgeons about a doctor because he suggested that the tar sands projects are polluting downstream and causing increased carcinogens in people's drinking water.
2. Luc Pomereau was fired for making public a document about Harper's plans to reduce food inspections and to have the industry inspect itself.
3. Public servants were intimidated when Harper's climate-change policy was released to the public, showing the undermining of Canada's international committments.

Clearly, he intends to govern in secret, so as I said, there is no telling WHAT he will do.




...

References?

http://www.nationalreviewofmedicine.com ... cs1_6.html

http://www.nationalpost.com/related/top ... ?id=640857

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/05/ ... cused.html


...

[JakeYYZ]

Democracy Watch has filed a motion to have a hearing of its application before the October 14th voting day. The motion will be considered by the Federal Court on Thursday, October 2, 2008 at The D'Arcy McGee Building, 90 Sparks St. in Ottawa after 9:30 am. (To see the motion, click here)

Democracy Watch has applied for an order that Prime Minister Stephen Harper's advice to the Governor General of Canada on September 7, 2008 to dissolve Parliament and call an election violated the fixed election date measures that Bill C-16 added to the Canada Elections Act because a vote of non-confidence in the Conservative government had not yet occurred in the House of Commons, and therefore the dissolution of Parliament and the calling of the election was illegal.

Democracy Watch is filing this case not only to challenge the calling of the current election, but also to win a ruling that will prohibit future prime ministers from calling elections before a vote of non-confidence in the House of Commons has occurred.

Everything Conservative government Cabinet ministers and representatives said about their Bill C-16 in the House of Commons and Senate made it clear that the legal effect of the Bill is to require the government (whether minority or majority) to lose a vote of confidence in the House of Commons before the Prime Minister can advise the Governor General to dissolve Parliament and call an election:

Link: http://www.dwatch.ca/camp/RelsOct0108.html

Won’t this be interesting?

[Icebound]

Most of us have far more money stolen from us by
public sector criminals, than private sector criminals.

That is totally false.

The RCMP website shows that in a single year, 280 million dollars is stolen in credit card fraud, and that money is eventually paid up by you and me in extra fees, or whatever, to cover it.

280 million stolen from public funds is big news. But 280 million stolen ANNUALY in just ONE industry is ho-hum cost-of-doing-business.... and YOU and I are paying for it in bigger fees.

Add to that automobile repair scams, housing repair scams, counterfeit merchandise etc. etc. And each of those industries passes the costs on to YOU and ME.

The point is that we have VERY LITTLE INFORMATION about how much private industry really IS scamming off us. Scrutiny of public funds by the press, the opposition, the auditor general, etc is much more critical than the scrutiny of the excesses, inefficiencies, and outright theft within private enterprises.



...

[AdamB]

The election was called now because they wanted to take a shot at a majority when the libs were looking brutal and before the US economy took a dump(missed on this one a bit). 'Premature' is a fun politician word that means very little. It's plenty mature for the cons, premature for the libs.

If they had waited the opposition would have forced it as soon as the economy was slowed down enough to potentially get the cons out of office. Right now it resets the timer on when would be resonable to have another election so that even with a minority the cons might be able to ride through the slowdown.

I realise why the election was called, and it is logical. I was merely pointing out that there was more than one empty promise from Harper.

Most of us have far more money stolen from us by
public sector criminals, than private sector criminals.

That is totally false.

The RCMP website shows that in a single year, 280 million dollars is stolen in credit card fraud, and that money is eventually paid up by you and me in extra fees, or whatever, to cover it.

280 million stolen from public funds is big news. But 280 million stolen ANNUALY in just ONE industry is ho-hum cost-of-doing-business.... and YOU and I are paying for it in bigger fees.

Add to that automobile repair scams, housing repair scams, counterfeit merchandise etc. etc. And each of those industries passes the costs on to YOU and ME.

The point is that we have VERY LITTLE INFORMATION about how much private industry really IS scamming off us. Scrutiny of public funds by the press, the opposition, the auditor general, etc is much more critical than the scrutiny of the excesses, inefficiencies, and outright theft within private enterprises....

Well, to me, getting taxed as much as we are is criminal. Why is the govt able to take such a chunk out of my hard earned money without even asking? It is important to note that this tax was implemented as a measure to help the war effort - and was temporary. 80 years later, we're still stuck with income tax.

The government took money, and liked it.
Should they have gotten rid of income tax after the war? Apparently, they didn't think so.
They quite obviously thought it was completely O.K. to scam people out of their money - and the people didn't seem to care much. And people still don't think much of it.

Taking money from somebody without asking? Well, to me, that's criminal.

How big does your 280 million look now?

[Topspin]

"On April 2, 2003, after intense examination by the provincial government and BC Ferries' Board of Directors, our corporation was officially re-launched as a new, independent commercial company and renamed British Columbia Ferry Services Inc."

What does BC Ferries have to do with government efficiency? Welcome to the year 2008, by the way.

It's principal. I could have quoted BC Liquor or Translink.

Actually, it's apples and oranges.

In which way? The fact that it was a crown corp for the last 40 years, or the fact that it is still subsidized by TC & the Corporation of Delta? Please explain.
Also what is your reason for pissing on everybody on the thread. We are all being fairly friendly and your trotting out the name calling & slander.

[Topspin]

Well, to me, getting taxed as much as we are is criminal. Why is the govt able to take such a chunk out of my hard earned money without even asking? It is important to note that this tax was implemented as a measure to help the war effort - and was temporary. 80 years later, we're still stuck with income tax.

The government took money, and liked it.
Should they have gotten rid of income tax after the war? Apparently, they didn't think so.
They quite obviously thought it was completely O.K. to scam people out of their money - and the people didn't seem to care much. And people still don't think much of it.

How do you propose we fund roads, health care, police forces, the military, a multitude of government services, etc?

Do tell. This ought to be interesting.

I'll throw in my $.02 The amount of taxation removed from our pockets does not come close to representing the services we receive in return. Yes taxation is very necessary, however between the ridiculous inefficiency of government organizations & the never ending scandal, the current methods aren't working well. Oh and the extra 6,421,892 unnecessary ministries we're paying for.