We're laid back here in Canada?

[takza]

http://www.informationclearinghouse.inf ... e30390.htm

What happened to Canada? It used to be the country we would flee to if life in the United States became unpalatable. No nuclear weapons. No huge military-industrial complex. Universal health care. Funding for the arts. A good record on the environment.

But that was the old Canada........

[dlb]

don't get me started, takza. things are tense up here.

[So_Powerful]

I'm content with how things are going in Canada.

[dlb]

i'm glad for you, SP. i'm afraid there is a lot of tension out here on the coast regarding enbridge's northern gateway pipeline. it's in the news constantly and is gearing up to be a massive battle. i'm completely opposed to it for many reasons but beyond that, i think that the way our gov't is trying to force it upon the unwilling is shameful and outrageous.

and there are always other numerous small scandals--that MP, peter mackay, using a military helicopter to be picked up from a fishing trip, then being called on it, then lying and saying it was a military exercise he was taking part in, and then the emails that were found explaining his ploy to lie about the military exercise part of the story--that stuff kills me. because here we have a clear example of complete abuse of power and waste of taxpayer money, and what happens to the guy? nothing. a week of bad press. he still gets huge paycheques. he didn't have to pay back the money he wasted. he's laughing. it's an absolute disgrace and sign of the total lack of accountability in gov't. he lied! he should be up on charges for perjury! he should lose his job and not be allowed to work for the gov't ever again!

just a sample of my frustration with canadian politics...

[4doorVIP]

Hopefully the USA will vote in Ron Paul, get their freedoms and rights restored, then we can get rid of our current Prime Minister. As of right now we are puppet to Obama and Corporate scum. Our leader simply follows the lead of the corrupt American government... It is so frustrating being an onlooker to whats going on down there, I can't believe only 100,000 people voted for Ron Paul in Florida - that states must have some messed up mind sets.

[ARCHINSTL]

A-Yup!
To Heck with them thar freedom-hatin', job-killin', EPA and Energy and Eddycashun and Commerce and FDA Departments! Private industry will know best, and we can trust it!
Alls we needs is the Dee-Fense Department! And while we're at it, let's change the name back to the good ol' War Department!
Tom M.

[takza]

Now Arch! Watch your blood pressure. Personally...I think the US has been off the rails since 9/11....probably will never get sane again...and I don't have time to wait for it either. We'll find out this fall if Americans still have a modicum of sanity left...and even then the choices are sparse...and not much will change. A riddle. Is it just the Egyptians that have issues with their military?

[Petros]

actually the downward slide started in about 1929 the way I see it. the more whiners we have the more the politicians feel empowered to "take care of us", that started in 1929. The more the government does for us means the more the government can do to us.

Ron Paul can not win, despite many of his good ideas, many of his positions are just way too far outside the main stream to ever get enough votes to win. Just the reality of a mainstream media saturated electorate. No laws against stupidity or selfishness.

[dlb]

haha, funny how a thread about canadian politics inevitably slides back to US politics--i think it's a surprisingly apt indicator of the relationship between our countries. i wish canada would man up and take stands on a few issues.

yes, i am alarmed to see the republican hopefuls that already have ron paul beat. i have not been following this story much but from what i have seen, i liked a lot of what ron paul said, was horrified by romney's stance on religion and homosexuality and saw him look like an idiot in a debate, saw gingrich look like an idiot as well, and just saw an interview the other night with a guy called buddy roemner who i really liked but had never heard of before.

[Petros]

all of the candidates have serious flaws, including the incumbent most of all. Not likely anyone I really like will ever be elected (and I think that is true for most people if they stop and think about it-rather than fall in love with them), so all you can do is pick the one you think will screw it up less.

As a category I do not care much for politicians, because I do not care much for big government (so when people ask who I "like" my answer is always "none!"). All of them are big government types, somehow thinking they can make it better by changing it. The only way it will get better is for it to get much smaller. To cut the corruption in half, you have to cut the size of government in half. No other way it is going to happen.

My favorite political bumper sticker is: "Don't Vote! It only encourages them"

[takza]

The projected winner in 2012....

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2 ... ction.html

And even though the candidates themselves are much too busy to read the latest report showing nearly half of all American families are just one one crisis away from poverty, no doubt their aides will read it for them and urge them to do the right thing.

Right?

Don't count on it, says Common Cause, which notes that whoever wins the election will take office deeply in debt to a relative handful of wealthy Americans and special interest donors.

“We don’t know who will win in November, but the latest round of campaign finance reports shows ‘we the people’ are already running far behind ‘we the 1 percent,’” said Bob Edgar, president and CEO of the non-profit government watchdog group.

[Petros]

It has always been that way more or less. No practical way to stop it. No law gets passed unless some large multinational corp is making BIG money off it. It has been that way also since at least 1929. Few laws are actually passed with the main consideration that it will beneficial to the common laborer or citizen. That has been a fact of American law making for many many years, and true for most other "free" countries as well.

For example, have you heard the latest on air conditioning refrigerant? Some 20 years ago DuPont had a patented replacement for freon in our a/c, refrigerators and heat pumps. So they phoneyed up some data to show how freon MIGHT be harming ozone (despite no legitimate evidence), so they waxed the palms of a lot of politicians and just like that had a monopoly on a/c refrigerant. the price of freon went from $0.99 a pint, to $15, all going to Dupont. Well now that their patent expired they guess what? came out with a NEW refrigerant that will break down faster (never mind that both freon and their earlier refrigerant are inert), so once again congress got their pay-offs and passed the new law "for the sake of the environment". So the cost of the NEW refrigerant? Try about $95 per pint!!!, and no do-it-yourself kits either, only "authorized" DuPont dealers can install it, they only sell it 100 gallon bulk packs.

The congress is the largest organized crime syndicate the world has ever seen.

[takza]

It's all over but for the shouting?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... jmOESqVeak#!