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Vancouver Off-Topic / Current EventsThe off-topic forum for Vancouver, funnies, non-auto centered discussions, WORK SAFE. While the rules are more relaxed here, there are still rules. Please refer to sticky thread in this forum.
Unfortunately, many people are single-issue voters, especially in America where you see Republicans pandering to their base on issues like abortion, gay marriage, guns, Iran nukes, etc. Canada, especially under Harper, has begun using similar tactics so we see the focus shifting from broad, important issues like the economy and the environment to little issues like niqabs and terrorism. It's not some hidden agenda. It's pandering to simpletons because they aren't apathetic over single issues and will run to the polls.
Perhaps because people associate the niqab with a culture that severely oppresses women and is outright hateful to a number of other groups. (IE: Homosexuals)
I think the general issue is that people want foreigners to assimilate, they don't want to have to assimilate to the foreigners cultures.
Does that represent a racist/facist perspective? Perhaps, but I'm not sure it's really hurting anyone to establish a position of expectations that when you immigrate to Canada, you don't just immigrate here for the safety, jobs, health care, and education.. you immigrate here for the culture and way of life.
Again, the conservative hidden agenda is lost on me, if someone could spell it out, I would appreciate it.
I almost look forward to a scenario where the cons get punted and another party gets majority, then I can hear 80% of the current anti-cons bitching and complaining about the corrupt and ineffective NDP/LIBS etc.
Hopefully I'm wrong, but there is a reason why nobody ever speaks of previous governments with any nostalgia.
I am sorry i don't want everyone to be the same like the Borg.
Manic! I'm not really sure I know what you are getting at lol.
Just for the record I 100% support secularism, I am in no way shape fashion or form a religious individual and I do not think christians are better people than muslims etc. Personally I think the idea of an invisible man in the sky ridiculous, but I respect peoples rights to decide for themselves if they want to believe it or not... unfortunately people who do believe seem to really feel the need to associate their beliefs with politics.
Everyone on here has probably seen some of my posts on economics/finance. My vote has nothing to do with cultural issues, it has everything to do with lower taxes and less government spending.
You can throw out the "but look at how much debt the cons have blah blah blah" but that's totally disregarding the global economic situation over the course of Mr. Harpers reign. Meanwhile people will happily vote for Trudeau knowing he has committed to overspending (which I'm fine with actually, at least he's realistic) and the NDP who plan to spend way more and run a balanced budget (which is never ever going to happen)
My belief is that it's far more likely for government to increase taxes than it is for them to decrease taxes. This is ultimately my main concern when it comes to voting.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by jasonturbo
Follow me on Instagram @jasonturtle if you want to feel better about your life
Manic! I'm not really sure I know what you are getting at lol.
Just for the record I 100% support secularism, I am in no way shape fashion or form a religious individual and I do not think christians are better people than muslims etc. Personally I think the idea of an invisible man in the sky ridiculous, but I respect peoples rights to decide for themselves if they want to believe it or not... unfortunately people who do believe seem to really feel the need to associate their beliefs with politics.
Everyone on here has probably seen some of my posts on economics/finance. My vote has nothing to do with cultural issues, it has everything to do with lower taxes and less government spending.
You can throw out the "but look at how much debt the cons have blah blah blah" but that's totally disregarding the global economic situation over the course of Mr. Harpers reign. Meanwhile people will happily vote for Trudeau knowing he has committed to overspending (which I'm fine with actually, at least he's realistic) and the NDP who plan to spend way more and run a balanced budget (which is never ever going to happen)
My belief is that it's far more likely for government to increase taxes than it is for them to decrease taxes. This is ultimately my main concern when it comes to voting.
It does not matter how low the taxes are if you are not making any money. And honestly do you think the government should spend 12 million on some hot line when we already have 911 and the police?
__________________ Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.
Which tax base are we discussing? The middle classs, the wealthy, corporate, etc? There have been and will be increasea and decreases depending on which base we look at.
I almost look forward to a scenario where the cons get punted and another party gets majority, then I can hear 80% of the current anti-cons bitching and complaining about the corrupt and ineffective NDP/LIBS etc.
Hopefully I'm wrong, but there is a reason why nobody ever speaks of previous governments with any nostalgia.
I don't really see this as being odd at all -- that is just the nature of how people behave. As a matter of fact, that is how much of the civilized world acts. We are always trying to find that elusive balance point, but given our limited capabilities -- including memory, attention span, resources, time, etc. -- we can never find or stay at that perfectly balanced point. Issues of the day comes up, and then we tip our scale one way. Only to find out later that the scale has been tipped too far down one direction, so we try to correct, and almost always end over-correcting. And then we repeat the same balancing act again.
There is a reason history repeats itself. Suffice to say, it is almost never a good thing to have someone stay in power for too long, and right now, Steve Harpy is that someone who has stayed in power for too long.
In this regard, I actually like the 2 term limit of the US presidential system a lot more. 8 years tops, and then you're out.
Edit: Just to be clear, terrorism or not, the gov should be able to revoke the citizenship of child molesters etc. If there were people trying to immigrate to Canada that were convicted child molesters would you let them in? No fucking way I would, and if I could kick those people out, I sure as fuck would.
On the flip side though, if we actually gave terrorists and child molesters have fucking decent sentences (ie life) in some ways I'd prefer to keep them in Canada and in a Canadian prison only because then we know the asswipe is locked up. Sure it'll cost money but just write it off as doing the rest of the world a favour.
Quote:
Originally Posted by StylinRed
This is exactly what Harper wants, for the idiots to be blinded by the larger issue and just see "oh terrorist gets sent out of canada...rock on!" even when you beat the facts in front of them all they see is "terrorist" the issue is larger than that
if you want to play it like that, then every fucking criminal, or person Harper doesn't like?, can be sent to some foreign country (europe, asia, africa, america, first nation reserves) and since Harpers looking to expand it to lesser crimes, not just terrorism, everyone should be concerned...stepping stones
CiC is that you?
__________________ 1991 Toyota Celica GTFour RC // 2007 Toyota Rav4 V6 // 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee
1992 Toyota Celica GT-S ["sold"] \\ 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee CRD [sold] \\ 2000 Jeep Cherokee [sold] \\ 1997 Honda Prelude [sold] \\ 1992 Jeep YJ [sold/crashed] \\ 1987 Mazda RX-7 [sold] \\ 1987 Toyota Celica GT-S [crushed]
Quote:
Originally Posted by maksimizer
half those dudes are hotter than ,my GF.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RevYouUp
reading this thread is like waiting for goku to charge up a spirit bomb in dragon ball z
Quote:
Originally Posted by Good_KarMa
OH thank god. I thought u had sex with my wife. :cry:
My mom is so close to getting her American citizenship, my ass will be dual soon so I won't care who is in power... I'll just slide south and join the NRA, start advocating that less gun control increases gun safety and protest abortion etc like the rest of my incompetent right wing buddies.
Though I do worry Harper might deport me over a speeding ticket or revoke my citizenship for failing to file my taxes on time.
Seriously though, I don't know why I keep clicking this thread hahaha
I came here because I like cars, fuck all the goons in Ottawa.
To quote Timpo, "GTR for president".
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by jasonturbo
Follow me on Instagram @jasonturtle if you want to feel better about your life
My mom is so close to getting her American citizenship, my ass will be dual soon so I won't care who is in power... I'll just slide south and join the NRA, start advocating that less gun control increases gun safety and protest abortion etc like the rest of my incompetent right wing buddies.
Though I do worry Harper might deport me over a speeding ticket or revoke my citizenship for failing to file my taxes on time.
Seriously though, I don't know why I keep clicking this thread hahaha
I came here because I like cars, fuck all the goons in Ottawa.
To quote Timpo, "GTR for president".
Was one or both of your grandparents a US citizen? My Grandma was and my mom got her duel about 10 years ago but it ends at her, myself or my sister cannot get citizenship. Your mother may have a difference situation where you can get it to but if it's your grandparents that are allowing her to get it you probably cannot.
__________________
“The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place... and I don´t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently, if you let it. You, me or nobody, is gonna hit as hard as life. But ain't about how hard you hit... It's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward... how much you can take, and keep moving forward. That´s how winning is done. Now, if you know what you worth, go out and get what you worth.” - Rocky Balboa
I only get the added benefit of sponsorship by a parent who is a US Citizen, I can't remember if this allows me to cut the line for green card by 1 year or 5 years, it's been a while since I chatted with an immigration lawyer.
My mom married a 'murican, she can get her citizenship anytime now, has had the green card for a long time.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by jasonturbo
Follow me on Instagram @jasonturtle if you want to feel better about your life
The longer this campaign goes, the more I see how Harper and the Conservatives are about old politics...playing on people's emotions and fears rather than trying to win on actual policy. I can't stand this way of thinking...talking about relatively irrelevant issues like niqabs and fear of marijuana instead of things that matter.
Really who cares what some lady wears on her driver's license? In reality it's an overblown issue that stems from a false association of the niqab with terrorism and religious fanatics. Calling marijuana "infinitely worse" than tobacco just shows how out of touch he is with science. While we don't know what the effects of marijuana are long term, it damn well hasn't killed nearly the number of people tobacco has. Legalization would bring in tax revenue lost to organized crime. The war on drugs is an expensive one based in some ridiculous idea that drugs are immoral. These aren't the fights that I want my government fighting. I want my government to be economically responsible and that's about it.
But this shit works. Especially on older people. We might see the Cons win a minority the way things are going.
Tories blasted for handbook on paralyzing Parliament
Spoiler!
Quote:
OTTAWA - The Harper government is being accused of a machiavellian plot to wreak parliamentary havoc after a secret Tory handbook on obstructing and manipulating Commons committees was leaked to the press.
Opposition parties pounced on news reports Friday about the 200-page handbook as proof that the Conservatives are to blame for the toxic atmosphere that has paralyzed Parliament this week.
"The government's deliberate plan is to cause a dysfunctional, chaotic Parliament,'' Liberal House Leader Ralph Goodale told the House of Commons.
New Democrat Libby Davies said the manual explodes the Tories' contention that opposition parties are to blame for the parliamentary constipation.
"So much for blaming the opposition for the obstruction of Parliament,'' she said.
"Now we learn, in fact, that the monkey wrench gang have had a plan all along and not just any plan, a 200-page playbook on how to frustrate, obstruct and shut down the democratic process.''
Bloc Quebecois MP Monique Guay said the manual demonstrates the government's "flagrant lack of respect'' for the democratic process.
The opposition demanded that the manual, given to Tory committee chairs, be tabled in the House of Commons.
Peter Van Loan, the government's House leader, ignored the demand and continued to insist that the Tories want the minority Parliament to work.
He again blamed the opposition parties for its recent dysfunction. He cited various justice bills which have been stalled by opposition MPs in committees for up to 214 days.
"The opposition pulls out every stop they can to obstruct (the justice agenda) and then they get upset when a matter gets debated for two hours at committee,'' he scoffed.
But Van Loan's arguments were weakened by the leak of the manual. The government was so embarrassed and annoyed by the leak, that, according to a source, it ordered all committee chairs to return their copies of the handbook, apparently in a bid to determine who broke confidence.
The handbook, obtained by National Post columnist Don Martin, reportedly advises chairs on how to promote the government's agenda, select witnesses friendly to the Conservative party and coach them to give favourable testimony. It also reportedly instructs them on how to filibuster and otherwise disrupt committee proceedings and, if all else fails, how to shut committees down entirely.
Some of those stalling tactics have been on display this week.
Tory MPs on the information and ethics committee stalled an inquiry into alleged censorship of a report on the treatment of Afghan detainees. They debated the propriety of the witness list for more than five hours while two critics of the government's handling of the matter cooled their heels in the corridor.
The official languages committee has been shut down all week after Tory chair Guy Lauzon cancelled a hearing moments before witnesses were to testify about the impact of the government's cancellation of the court challenges program. All three opposition parties voted to remove Lauzon from the chair but the Tories are refusing to select a replacement, leaving the committee in limbo.
Tories have also launched filibusters to obstruct proceedings in the Commons agriculture and procedural affairs committees and a Senate committee study of a Liberal bill requiring the government to adhere to the Kyoto treaty on greenhouse gas emissions.
The previous Liberal regime also tried to control the conduct of committees. Former prime minister Jean Chretien even faced a mini-rebellion during his final months in office from backbenchers who chafed at being told what to say and do at committee. They demanded the right to choose their own committee chairs.
But Davies, a 10-year parliamentary veteran, said the Tories have taken manipulation to extremes she's never seen before.
"They've codified it. They've set it down. They've given instructions.''
Both Davies and Goodale agreed that the recent dysfunction may be part of a long term Tory strategy to persuade voters that minority Parliaments don't work, that they need to elect a majority next time.
But Goodale predicted the ploy won't work because Canadians will realize that the Tories are the "authors of this stalemate.''
Goodale said the manual also demonstrates that the government is in the grip of an "obsessive, manipulative mania,'' run by a prime minister who has "a kind of control fetish'' in which there can't be "one comma or one sentence or one word uttered without his personal approval.''
__________________ LEAFS!
Last edited by Bouncing Bettys; 10-04-2015 at 01:25 AM.
Really who cares what some lady wears on her driver's license?
I'll admit I haven't looked into this issue much, but if you're allowed to cover your face for a photo ID does that not completely defeat the purpose of photo ID?
__________________ 1991 Toyota Celica GTFour RC // 2007 Toyota Rav4 V6 // 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee
1992 Toyota Celica GT-S ["sold"] \\ 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee CRD [sold] \\ 2000 Jeep Cherokee [sold] \\ 1997 Honda Prelude [sold] \\ 1992 Jeep YJ [sold/crashed] \\ 1987 Mazda RX-7 [sold] \\ 1987 Toyota Celica GT-S [crushed]
Quote:
Originally Posted by maksimizer
half those dudes are hotter than ,my GF.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RevYouUp
reading this thread is like waiting for goku to charge up a spirit bomb in dragon ball z
Quote:
Originally Posted by Good_KarMa
OH thank god. I thought u had sex with my wife. :cry:
Unfortunately, many people are single-issue voters, especially in America where you see Republicans pandering to their base on issues like abortion, gay marriage, guns, Iran nukes, etc. Canada, especially under Harper, has begun using similar tactics so we see the focus shifting from broad, important issues like the economy and the environment to little issues like niqabs and terrorism. It's not some hidden agenda. It's pandering to simpletons because they aren't apathetic over single issues and will run to the polls.
Very well said Sir. They are basically the Tea Party of the North. Using Fear Mongering, and Racially Dividing the Country.... Old Stock Canadians.
This is why it is so important to Vote this time around.
Im voting Trudeau...because he'll decriminalize marijuana.
It strikes a nerve in me that a simple issue can go on for this long.
It's inevitable that marijuana will be legalize with millennials growing up and these old farts dying.
We need to stop with old school fear mongering and start thinking progressively.