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[You Are Viewtiful]

Sure, once I accumulate enough on my current minimum wage. $350 over the course of the year is fuck-all, I can save more cash by stopping or even cutting back on my daily coffee intake.



Wynne is right, and Cowan is a testament to what a good senate can accomplish.

That's great that you have $700 a year in coffee to cut off in your yearly budget. Not everyone does.

Cowan is voting no on the Senate accountability bill, so I doubt he cares too much about Senate reform himself, he is satisfied with the status-quo. As for Wynne, she probably speaks from experience on the sober second thought thing. Good intentions wrong implementation.

 

[diaspora]

That's great that you have $700 a year in coffee to cut off in your yearly budget. Not everyone does.

$350 per year is $700? A dollar a day on a drink isn't ludicrous.

Good intentions wrong implementation.

It's the opposite regarding the senate- abolition is a waste of time, reformation is the correct path.

 

[You Are Viewtiful]

$350 per year is $700? A dollar a day on a drink isn't ludicrous.



It's the opposite regarding the senate- abolition is a waste of time, reformation is the correct path.

It was a 2% cut so it was $700. And like I said, that's great that you have the money that you can simply cut coffee out of your budget. However there are people who can't do that. 65% of people in Hamilton are in a state of precarious employment. They don't have full time work, they work minimum wage, cost of home heating and gas is skyrocketing, and they are having real difficulties making ends meet. To allude to making a poverty an issue of whether someone drinks coffee or not is pretty offensive. Poverty is a real issue that shouldn't be belittled like that.

The province Wynne governs doesn't have a Senate, and it is doing fine without one (although IMO we should have an elected Northern Ontario lower house). Has anyone came up with a REAL reason to have a Senate, other than "it exists so let's keep it"?

 

[diaspora]

It was a 2% cut so it was $700. And like I said, that's great that you have the money that you can simply cut coffee out of your budget. However there are people who can't do that. 65% of people in Hamilton are in a state of precarious employment. They don't have full time work, they work minimum wage, cost of home heating and gas is skyrocketing, and they are having real difficulties making ends meet.

Join the club. $700 doesn't make a squit of a difference over the course of a year.

To allude to making a poverty an issue of whether someone drinks coffee or not is pretty offensive. Poverty is a real issue that shouldn't be belittled like that.

Poverty is a huge issue that shouldn't be trivialized with nonsense like savings of sub-$700 a year.

The province Wynne governs doesn't have a Senate, and it is doing fine without one (although IMO we should have an elected Northern Ontario lower house).

Province = country?

Has anyone came up with a REAL reason to have a Senate, other than "it exists so let's keep it"?

While partisan and increasingly so, it's far less so than the House, but this is again an issue of reformation over abolition.

 

[You Are Viewtiful]

Join the club. $700 doesn't make a squit of a difference over the course of a year.



Poverty is a huge issue that shouldn't be trivialized with nonsense like savings of sub-$700 a year.



Province = country?



While partisan and increasingly so, it's far less so than the House, but this is again an issue of reformation over abolition.

$700 a year doesn't make a difference to people living on paycheque to paycheque? Haha, I wish I could live in your dream world. Maybe it doesn't make much of a difference to you, but a single, disabled person living on ODSP which only gives a maximum of around the ballpark of $10,000, $700 is a lot of money. I don't even want to think what would happen if that person has children, lord save him from people and Premiers like you and Wynne.

Province has put out more important legislation than Country, and all 10 provinces have functioned fine in terms of governance.

If being less partisan is a reason to keep the house it wouldn't be partisan in the first place. I would also need a decent benefits from a non-partisan Senate if we are going to pay $110 million a year for that, as it is I can't see a non-partisan Senate producing $110 million worth of work.

 

[diaspora]

$700 a year doesn't make a difference to people living on paycheque to paycheque? Haha, I wish I could live in your dream world. Maybe it doesn't make much of a difference to you, but a single, disabled person living on ODSP which only gives a maximum of around the ballpark of $10,000, $700 is a lot of money. I don't even want to think what would happen if that person has children, lord save him from people and Premiers like you and Wynne.

Yeah, poor guy would be at the mercy of someone on minimum wage and the most progressive leader in the province.

If being less partisan is a reason to keep the house it wouldn't be partisan in the first place. I would also need a decent benefits from a non-partisan Senate if we are going to pay $110 million a year for that, as it is I can't see a non-partisan Senate producing $110 million worth of work.

Those are some pretty solid reasons for reforming it rather than abolishing it since it is comparatively less partisan.

 

[You Are Viewtiful]

Yeah, poor guy would be at the mercy of someone on minimum wage and the most progressive leader in the province.



Those are some pretty solid reasons for reforming it rather than abolishing it since it is comparatively less partisan.

Raising the most regressive tax in the book is progressive? Looks like she can talk the talk when it comes to calling herself progressive, but when it comes to walking the walk she backs off. Progressively incompetent.

That sounds like a reason to reform the Commons to make it less partisan. What role is the Senate fulfilling that the Commons cannot fill?

 

[BigJonsson]

Just found a picture of me with Mike Duffy in 2004 at a Liberal Biennial convention.........I look so young

 

[diaspora]

most progressive leader in the province.

When your competition is Hudak and Orange Ford, it's not tough.

What role is the Senate fulfilling that the Commons cannot fill?

Typically amendments to bills under a different context in which the house operates.

 

[You Are Viewtiful]

Wynne more progressive than Horwath? I'm not even going to take your use of that word seriously anymore That's if I wasn't already wiping that word on my bottom, the NDP and Liberals could not be more different at this point in time, Libs can keep that word for themselves if they want. If a secretive, scandalous government that's worried more about it's own fortunes and steals from the poor to give to the rich is "progressive" then I'm opting out.

That context sounds useless to me. If we can save $100 million by and whille improving the Commons then I'm all for it.

Just found a picture of me with Mike Duffy in 2004 at a Liberal Biennial convention.........I look so young

What's he doing at a Liberal convention?

 

[BigJonsson]

Wynne more progressive than Horwath? I'm not even going to take your use of that word seriously anymore That's if I wasn't already wiping that word on my bottom, the NDP and Liberals could not be more different at this point in time, Libs can keep that word for themselves if they want. If a secretive, scandalous government that's worried more about it's own fortunes and steals from the poor to give to the rich is "progressive" then I'm opting out.

That context sounds useless to me. If we can save $100 million by and whille improving the Commons then I'm all for it.



What's he doing at a Liberal convention?

Being a reporter

 

[maharg]

Even through all this I still like the concept of the Senate. I'd just cut back on their powers and their privileges and revamp the appointment process.

Having an unelected, advisory, house is a great thing when it works (and it often still does, believe it or not). No elected house can serve such a purpose. People who are elected, in our system, are also empowered.

And if the choice was abolish or elect I'd chose abolish every time. We definitely don't need to create even more regionalism in this country, and I don't want the potential for deadlock that having two elected houses with differing constituencies raises.

 

[gutter_trash]

Even through all this I still like the concept of the Senate. I'd just cut back on their powers and their privileges and revamp the appointment process.

Having an unelected, advisory, house is a great thing when it works (and it often still does, believe it or not). No elected house can serve such a purpose. People who are elected, in our system, are also empowered.

And if the choice was abolish or elect I'd chose abolish every time. We definitely don't need to create even more regionalism in this country, and I don't want the potential for deadlock that having two elected houses with differing constituencies raises.

well said. We have been witness to Republican Congress being deadlocked against Democrat Presidents (Clinton, Obama) and turns politics down South .. well South.

As a Montrealer, I despise regionalism as well as it fuels Nationalism

 

[Azih]

The Senate has been pointless for decades now and should go.

And corp taxes are *incredibly* low right now and they should really be dinged as well, if not first, to address the infrastructure deficit.

I don't see any problem with bumping up HST rebates also to reduce the impact of the 1% increase in sales tax.

 

[diaspora]

And corp taxes are *incredibly* low right now and they should really be dinged as well, if not first, to address the infrastructure deficit.

Corporate tax revenue is up.

I don't see any problem with bumping up HST rebates also to reduce the impact of the 1% increase in sales tax.

I agree.

 

[Azih]

Corporate tax revenue is up.

Sales tax and gas tax revenue might be up as well without the rate increase, it's all beside the point. The question is whether current revenues are enough to pay for the infrastructure needs of the province and if not then how should those revenues be raised? Seems fair to spread the burden as wide as possible and not dump it all on the individual.

 

[diaspora]

Sales tax and gas tax revenue might be up as well without the rate increase, it's all beside the point. The question is whether current revenues are enough to pay for the infrastructure needs of the province and if not then how should those revenues be raised? Seems fair to spread the burden as wide as possible and not dump it all on the individual.

It doesn't matter if you raise it or lower it by a percentage point, yty changes in corporate revenue fluctuates at a larger degree. Better off raising the income tax on upper income earners.

 

[You Are Viewtiful]

Corporate tax revenue is up.

Do you have an Ontarian source for corporate tax revenue going up as a percentage of total revenue? Or is this the Reaganomics (progressive?) "cutting corporate taxes raises revenue!" mantra?

 

[gutter_trash]

http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/com100/2013/r130603.htm#.Uazp1Zy8CSo

Canadians can cancel their wireless contracts after two years under new CRTC wireless code

took long enough

 

[diaspora]

http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/com100/2013/r130603.htm#.Uazp1Zy8CSo



took long enough

Still gotta pay off the rest of the phone, though at least there's no fees laid on top of that.

 

[JoeyJo-JoJuniorShabadoo]

And corp taxes are *incredibly* low right now and they should really be dinged as well, if not first, to address the infrastructure deficit.

This is always a bit silly. Much like taxing capital gains, companies have considerable discretion on what their taxable income is. Raise taxes? Better expect firms to raise their leverage in order to increase tax shields.

Canada has low corporate income taxes, but they're hard rates. In the US the 35% federal rate is a joke.

 

[You Are Viewtiful]

This is always a bit silly. Much like taxing capital gains, companies have considerable discretion on what their taxable income is. Raise taxes? Better expect firms to raise their leverage in order to increase tax shields.

Canada has low corporate income taxes, but they're hard rates. In the US the 35% federal rate is a joke.

Do companies have discretion on their tax rates or is Canada's tax rate a hard tax? Those are contradictory statements.

---

Jim Flaherty rejected the regional HST hike, saying that you either increase it provincially or you don't increase it all. So Metrolinx spent 5 years and millions of dollars to produce a report that makes a good salami wrap.

In light of this $1.3 billion hole, Liberals came up with various so-called "non-tax revenues", including a phone bill tax (you read that correctly), making prisoners pay rent (yep, this actually made sense to someone), and photo radar (denied outright). I can't be the only one tired of this circus. :/ Suspicious (lol) absence of increasing corporate contributions in both reports.

 

[CitizenVectron]

http://www.leaderpost.com/news/Elec...ld+suspended+over+election/8477389/story.html

Elections Canada is calling for the suspension of 2 Conservative MPs after their refusal to correct problematic campaign finance returns. There has been no response so far from the Speaker, though the Elections Act is clear that they must be suspended as MPs until they comply with Elections Canada over the problematic spending returns.

 

[firehawk12]

I'm sure Harper will call them the greatest MPs of our generation and that they'll deal with these baseless claims in private.

 

[gabbo]

I'm sure Harper will call them the greatest MPs of our generation and that they'll deal with these baseless claims in private.

He's under a lot of heat from the Duffy/Wright business, he may do at least part of your comment before suspending them.

 

[BladeWorker]

Jim Flaherty rejected the regional HST hike, saying that you either increase it provincially or you don't increase it all. So Metrolinx spent 5 years and millions of dollars to produce a report that makes a good salami wrap.

In light of this $1.3 billion hole, Liberals came up with various so-called "non-tax revenues", including a phone bill tax (you read that correctly), making prisoners pay rent (yep, this actually made sense to someone), and photo radar (denied outright). I can't be the only one tired of this circus. :/ Suspicious (lol) absence of increasing corporate contributions in both reports.

Flaherty should get his own house in order before he goes pissing on the province he and his fellow Harrisites mismanaged into massive amounts of debt. But anyway...increasing corporate contributions will only be passed on to the customers of those businesses, rather than absorbed by those organizations.

Notwithstanding that businesses in Toronto already pay more in fees and taxes than they would, had they chosen to operate elsewhere in the province. Homeowners still pay less in property taxes and fees than surrounding areas. That's not to say that development charges shouldn't reflect a transit subsidy...or that corporations shouldn't shoulder any portion of the burden, just that they already shoulder a great deal, and we need to be careful not to drive marginal businesses out of operation and larger organizations out of the city.

 

[firehawk12]

So today Rathgeber quit the Conservative caucus because, as a backbencher, he feels that he isn't allowed to express any of his own opinions and is forced to be - well, in his words - a trained seal.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/...r_blasts_conservatives_as_he_quits_party.html

I don't think this will stick though, because I feel like the Senate "scandal" is already being forgotten.

 

[JoeyJo-JoJuniorShabadoo]

Do companies have discretion on their tax rates or is Canada's tax rate a hard tax? Those are contradictory statements.

---

Jim Flaherty rejected the regional HST hike, saying that you either increase it provincially or you don't increase it all. So Metrolinx spent 5 years and millions of dollars to produce a report that makes a good salami wrap.

In light of this $1.3 billion hole, Liberals came up with various so-called "non-tax revenues", including a phone bill tax (you read that correctly), making prisoners pay rent (yep, this actually made sense to someone), and photo radar (denied outright). I can't be the only one tired of this circus. :/ Suspicious (lol) absence of increasing corporate contributions in both reports.

Companies can lever only up until the marginal value of their tax shields equals the marginal cost of holding debt (i.e., bankruptcy). This is why a 30% increase in corporate taxes likely won't raise anywhere near 30% more revenues.

The hard rate refers to the fact that Canadian firms aren't able to play around with LIFO, loopholes and discretionary expenses like many US firms do. An appropriate rate with strict control over accounting is the best solution as regulating company debt loads is never going to happen (nor should it).

 

[SRG01]

So today Rathgeber quit the Conservative caucus because, as a backbencher, he feels that he isn't allowed to express any of his own opinions and is forced to be - well, in his words - a trained seal.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/...r_blasts_conservatives_as_he_quits_party.html

I don't think this will stick though, because I feel like the Senate "scandal" is already being forgotten.

Nope, LOL: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2013/06/06/pol-weston-conservative-fund-wright-pmo.html

In exclusive interviews, sources familiar with the fund tell CBC the money in it comes from Conservative Party coffers, and at times has reached almost $1 million.

Like all political party funds, more than half of all the cash in the secret PMO stash ultimately comes from taxpayers' pockets. Individual donors to political parties receive generous tax credits. Parties also receive millions from taxpayers through a per-vote subsidy, which is being phased out by 2015.

This train wreck just keeps delivering.


edit: Also, Alberta judges always disappoint me: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmon...ton-mp-goldring-verdict-refusing-to-blow.html

 

[gutter_trash]

 

[firehawk12]

Clearly Harper is a human being and not a soulless creature.

 

[DiscoPower]

Clearly Harper is a human being and not a soulless creature.

? Those are his meals . . .

Spoiler

I kid, I kid

 

[matthewwhatever]

Their internal polls must be pretty terrible if they're using two kittens to humanize him, rather than the typical one.

 

[Azih]

I wonder how deep "UNLEASH THE KITTENS" is in their contingency plans.

 

[gabbo]

I wonder how deep "UNLEASH THE KITTENS" is in their contingency plans.

It's right after 'Hypocritical ads about Opposition MP's/leaders fails to get the spotlight off us' in their playbook.

 

[diaspora]

Add a kitten for every senator that fucks up.

 

[firehawk12]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2013/06/19/pol-mp-bob-rae-quits.html

Bob Rae resigned his seat today to focus on his work with the First Nations of Ontario.

 

[BladeWorker]

Their internal polls must be pretty terrible if they're using two kittens to humanize him, rather than the typical one.

I'm no fan of Harper, but at least that shot doesn't make him look like Dr. Claw.

 

[Boogie]

edit: Also, Alberta judges always disappoint me: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmon...ton-mp-goldring-verdict-refusing-to-blow.html

Yeeeaaah, that's less an "Alberta judges suck" thing than it is a "Canada's impaired driving Case Law is Fucked Beyond All Recognition" thing.

 

[CitizenVectron]

So that charity that wanted money back from Trudeau? Turns out the Conservatives were behind it.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ins...ize-release-of-trudeau-letter-to-tory-mp.html

Basically, they asked the company that arranged the speech for the refund, and they received no response (Trudeau himself was never informed). They decided as a board to drop it, and never talked about it again. However, one of the board members (Judith Baxter) is a Conservative and passed the information along to the party (To MP Rob Moore. She and her husband are both well placed in the party, and have been appointed to various boards by the government and are well connected). The party then arranged the entire media circus that is now occurring.

The charity is now saying they never wanted it to go public, and the Conservatives don't speak for them. I would imagine Baxter will be kicked off their board as well.

 

[firehawk12]

Well, of course this happens right after session is over and the media has moved on. This is a case of them just protecting themselves after helping out a "friend".

 

[You Are Viewtiful]

That quarterly report by Angus Reid on approval ratings of Premiers and provincial opposition is out. Complete revolution for Christy Clark (and Adrian Dix)! Brad Wall by far most popular premier, and provincial politician, in the country, Dunderdale the most unpopular premier and politician.

Premier (Province) - Approval/Disapproval (Net Rating)

Brad Wall (SK) - 67/27 (+40)
Kathleen Wynne (ON) - 43/41 (+2)
Christy Clark (BC) - 45/49 (-4)
Greg Sellinger (MB) - 31/61 (-30)
David Alward (NB) - 28/60 (-32)
Alison Redford (AB) - 29/65 (-36)
Darrell Dexter (NS) - 28/65 (-37)
Pauline Marois (QC) - 27/67 (-40)
Kathy Dunderdale (NL) - 26/68 (-42)

Everyone else: http://www.angus-reid.com/wp-conten...eport-Detailed-Tables-and-Methodology-PDF.pdf

-----

I'm just glad the horse I'm betting on, Andrea Horwath (ONDP) - 49/34 (+15) is going strong. 5th most popular leader in the country, woot!

I feel sorry for Adrian Dix, he's just fallen off the wayside with his 35/57 (-22), and everyone hates Cummins too 17/58 (-41). BC and Ontario not huge fans of male opposition and Newfoundland on a huge anyone-but-Kathy rally No one cares about PEI.

 

[gabbo]

..and Ontario not huge fans of male opposition

It's not that Tim Hudak is male, it's that Tim Hudak is Tim Hudak.

 

[You Are Viewtiful]

It's not that Tim Hudak is male, it's that Tim Hudak is Tim Hudak.

There's a rumour (or a truth, at this point) that his party didn't lobby so hard for an election for moral reasons, but rather to inevitably lose the very election and force a leadership review to oust Hudak. Pretty sad what this has come to.

Also I got a PC attack ad banner at the top before I replied to you. lol

 

[Azih]

There's a rumour (or a truth, at this point) that his party didn't lobby so hard for an election for moral reasons, but rather to inevitably lose the very election and force a leadership review to oust Hudak. Pretty sad what this has come to.

Also I got a PC attack ad banner at the top before I replied to you. lol

Ontario Tories are suffering from a pretty bad lack of quality candidates at the moment. Long years of opposition plus the federal conservatives sucking up all the top talent have me wondering who could even replace Hudak?

 

[gutter_trash]

That quarterly report by Angus Reid on approval ratings of Premiers and provincial opposition is out. Complete revolution for Christy Clark (and Adrian Dix)! Brad Wall by far most popular premier, and provincial politician, in the country, Dunderdale the most unpopular premier and politician.

Premier (Province) - Approval/Disapproval (Net Rating)

Brad Wall (SK) - 67/27 (+40)
Kathleen Wynne (ON) - 43/41 (+2)
Christy Clark (BC) - 45/49 (-4)
Greg Sellinger (MB) - 31/61 (-30)
David Alward (NB) - 28/60 (-32)
Alison Redford (AB) - 29/65 (-36)
Darrell Dexter (NS) - 28/65 (-37)
Pauline Marois (QC) - 27/67 (-40)
Kathy Dunderdale (NL) - 26/68 (-42)

Everyone else: http://www.angus-reid.com/wp-conten...eport-Detailed-Tables-and-Methodology-PDF.pdf
.

Auntie Pauline in free fall, shit will get worse with her hesitation to deal with the Construction Strike. When her party is in opposition, they always peddled pro-union stances all the time. Now they are in power with a minority, they got to chose to either piss off their union base or piss-off the rest of the population who are fed up of abusive construction workers screwing with people in general.

Doctor Couillard will cure us from the case of the Marois, LOL

 

[percephone]

Auntie Pauline in free fall, shit will get worse with her hesitation to deal with the Construction Strike. When her party is in opposition, they always peddled pro-union stances all the time. Now they are in power with a minority, they got to chose to either piss off their union base or piss-off the rest of the population who are fed up of abusive construction workers screwing with people in general.

Doctor Couillard will cure us from the case of the Marois, LOL

abusive construction workers? What's the abuse exactly?

Do you know that the union withdrew all but 2 of their demands but the employers didn't try to compromise?

 

[diaspora]

Holy shit Dexter, get it together.

 

[firehawk12]

If you are a political nerd, you might want to check out what is happening in Australia at the moment. I think this is probably the biggest thing to happen to a Westminster democracy in my life time... probably the only thing that would have trumped it is if Dion was actually able to become PM all those years ago.

They don't even know if the government will stand, and just like it happened with us, it's basically up to the GG to decide what happens.

Of course, the term is almost over anyway, so it's not that big of a deal, but god damn... Australia is on fire. lol

 

[Azih]

If you are a political nerd, you might want to check out what is happening in Australia at the moment. I think this is probably the biggest thing to happen to a Westminster democracy in my life time... probably the only thing that would have trumped it is if Dion was actually able to become PM all those years ago.

They don't even know if the government will stand, and just like it happened with us, it's basically up to the GG to decide what happens.

Of course, the term is almost over anyway, so it's not that big of a deal, but god damn... Australia is on fire. lol

Australian politics is horrible and anybody looking at Alternative Vote as a better alternative to FPTP should consider it.

I wonder if this, along with the Canadian innovation of proroguing parliament every time a minority leader doesn't like how things are going (thanks Harper and McGuinty!), means the Westminster model is careening to obsolescence. Maybe it depends too much on landed gentry following unspoken laws of decorum and etiquette to function?