LIB MP HOLLAND: “THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES”
When will the Mainstream Media start covering the Liberal Agenda?
by Charles Adler
As I apply my ink stained fingers to the trusty keyboard, it’s been more than 72 hours since Mark Holland, the Liberal Natural Resources critic, belched out the most threatening words I have heard in a political conversation in years.
But for some reason the Mainstream Media has seen them not worthy of attention.
Pierre Bourque of the Bourque Newswatch asked me to scribble my thoughts on the interview with the Liberal MP which contained serious threats to the Western Canadian economy all in the name of respecting Kyoto.
When I asked Holland whether a Liberal government under Stephane Dion would shut down or limit oil sands production if necessary to meet Kyoto targets, his response was, “Exactly.” He then went on to say “I think what you are going to see is we’re going to say you cannot exploit that resource, basically go in there and pump it out as fast as you can to give it to the Americans and sell out our national interests and blow apart our emissions targets.”
[…]
It’s much easier for Liberals to demagogue the issue and pretend that it is ALBERTA energy that embarasses Canada in the hallowed shrine of Kyoto. Perhaps one ought to stop giving the mainstream media excuses for ignoring Mark Hollands sourgas? Maybe it’s the oldest reason in the hills. Holland is to the left of the Canadian centre. Does anyone doubt that if a member of Harper’s gang were to say something that came right out of rightfield that might be embarassing to the leadership that it would find itself planted firmly on the front pages as well as the teleprompters of Mansbridge, Robertson and Newman?
Warren Kinsella, who was interviewed on Adler on Line after Mark Holland offered his emissions, said he coudln’t believe what Holland was saying and thought the Liberal brain trust would immediately disown this stuff.
But they haven’t.
[…]
A day after Mark Holland’s threatening remarks, he appeared on my Corus colleague Dave Rutherford’s program and was asked whether a Dion government would consdier nationalizing oil companies if they didn’t meet Kyoto standards. Holland replied, “If they refuse to work with us….there will be consequences.”
(Emphasis mine). Read the whole thing here.
Charles Adler is the host of Adler on Line on the Corus Radio Network.
Via email ;
Thanks so much for posting the transcript of the interview with Mark Holland, what could be called the the real Hidden Agenda…..Some have said that he is just a crank, a quack, a loon, a publicity hound….All the above may be true. But what is also true is that he is Stephane Dion’s handpicked Natural Resources Critic. Dion has said nothing to distance himself from the remarks. So they can blow smoke about things being taken out of context. But the transcript speaks volumes of CONTEXT.
Thanks very much to you and your readers for as Michael Ignatieff would say, “Gettin’ it Done”
Original interview with Mark Holland here.
Bob Tarantino points to a Macleans feature on Mark Holland, written last December;
Big boys don’t cry. Especially over politics. Especially over Gerard freakin’ Kennedy.
Good call John…my guess is that even if those questions are asked the MSM will not dare ask them.
These are among the scariest comment’s that I’ve ever heard from a liberal to-date and they certainly reflect the attitude and strategy of the Liberals in pre NEP days. The difference is that there is now a alternative news source like SDA, Bourque etc.
As well, the Tories are much more media savvy than at any time in their history that I recall. It would not surprise me that the words of Holland, Dion and the rest of the Lieberal elites will come back to haunt them at a well timed election. The egg head Dion is giving an great deal media exposure as to what is going on in that cranium of his.
I find it interesting that Dion’s ultimatum with Alberta and thus with US oil consumption is so similar to that of his co-citizen Jacques Chirac of France and his recent threats to put a carbon tax upon US imports to the EU unless the US joins Kyoto (according to the Drudge Report yesterday).
I still think Dion is a DSGE agent!!!
Randall Denley wrote a column today in the Ottawa Citizen[feb.4/07] in which he reported on S.Dion’s appearance before the ed.board. Needless to say, it was not complimentary. Should be required reading by all Canadian voters.
Here’s a link to the Kyoto elitist’s great desire…A post 2012 carbon tax.
http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/39702/story.htm
Jacques Chirac of France and his recent threats to put a carbon tax upon US imports to the EU unless the US joins Kyoto
Do all frenchmen yap? … all need a keeper? … ol’ jacques might want to check the link below:
http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/c0011.html
I emailed the Bourque copy to David Akin asking him Why nobody is asking the Liberals about these comments from Holland here is his reply….Also emailed to Edmonton Sun & Journal, Calgary Sun & Herald, Steady Eddie, Ted Morton, Bob Mills MP and the CPC, still waiting for reply from them. Go people send emails, write letters to editors and MP and MLA.
Thanks for the note.
I don’t mean to be cute, but I’m afraid I can’t (nor would want) to speak on behalf of four national television networks, several regional networks, two national newspapers, hundreds of regional newspapers, national radio networks, and one national newsmagazine.
And, as far as CTV goes, I’m just a lowly reporter. You’d want to phone someone up at our head office to ask about story selection. You should be able to find contact details at http://www.ctv.ca
Cal, please post Honest Eds e-mail address. One can call his office toll free from Alberta, Dial 310-0000 and ask for the Premiers office. At least you get to talk to a secretary or something, and usually they record your complaint. You can reach you MLA the same way or any Cabinet ministers office. Burn up the lines and flood the in boxes. Also write and phone and e-mail Ted Morton. He is on our side, and altho he has a minor position, Ed knows he controls the southern Alberta votes. Paul Hinman, the Alliance MLA, and leader of the party, is all by himself there, but he really does work for the people.
National Post has article this a.m. finally mentioning Holland’s remarks on Adler’s show(link at Bourque)..also points out Dion’s hypocrisy on Kyoto targets,and his backtracking.All Dion needs to do to fix problem,is get back in power.
Has anyone thought about what would transpire if QUEBEC had the Tar Sands?
Liberal “hidden” agenda? Hell yeah, of course!…same one they’ve had for 35 years ever since their glorious leader commissar Trudeau pronounced we would cease being a confederated dominion under a constitutionally limited representative parliamentary democracy and become a centralist socialist federation with an elected oligarchy under a kleptocratic spoils system of chartered patronage/entitlement groups.
PET tried to bribe the west at his WEOC talks in 1973 into buy into this federated kleptocracy and his plans to unofficially scrap the BNA act, division of powers directives… to just go forward to centralize authority and invade Provincial resource regulation. The west( led by Alberta) rejected the bribes and unanimously decided to remain constitutionally sovereign.
PET and the Liberal planners were POed…they were especially POed at Alberta for foiling their plans of centralizing constitutional power
The western provinces and particularly Alberta have been notorious hold outs in refusing to recognize this Liberal agenda for conventional drift to intrusive, dictatorial, centralized socialism…the west ( and primarily Alberta are adherents to the strict division of powers enunciated in the Constitution….Federal liberals are not…they want to monopolize controlling and taxing power in Ottawa (as doctrinaire statist-socialists are wont to do)…the Liberal “hidden agenda” has always been the centralization of power in Ottawa through jurisdiction and tax raiding of the provinces….Alberta is staunchly resistant…therefore plans must be devised by the purveyors of socialist centralism to destroy the economic independence that foils their attempts to threaten and bribe Alberta into submission.
Thus we had this secret Lib agenda take form in NEP!….the west rebelled by sweeping a PC government to victory and removing this crippling Liberal device…When the Liberals were returned, Chretien wanted to continue raiding Alberta but he saw there was too mush resistance and satisfied himself with merely calling Albertans names….that was until Kyoto came along and offered the Liberals an opportunity to regulate and tax Alberta’s economic life blood; oil…Chretien ignored Klein’s warnings that he was not empowered to make deals to regulate a constitutionally protected provincial jurisdiction of nature resources…Chretien responded by agreeing to double our Kyoto commitment targets knowing we would default and he could blame Alberta and get parliament to allow him to raid Alberta’s oil industry….but he was turfed before he could finish….now we get smoke signals from the radical left fringe which is now the policy making team for Dion and the opposition Liberals, that NEP2 is about to be foisted on the prosperous folk of Alberta if they get returned to power.
Time changes but Liberal malice towards Alberta does not.
For heaven’s sake, justzumgai – the redistribution of national revenues is a DUTY of a national gov’t.
Before, in Iraq, the revenues from the oil went into the hands of one tribe – Saddam Hussein’s tribe. The rest of the population were dependent on handouts from that ruling tribe.
Now, the revenue will go back to ALL the people. That’s not a welfare state! That’s a valid distribution of a National Resource to the nation.
And NATO’s role in Afghanistan is not the institution of a welfare state but preventing their enslavement by a totalitarian regime, the Taliban fascists. OK?
Please everyone write letters and emails to the newspapers and CTV news, Steady Eddie, Ted Morton, CPC, and MP’s. Lets not let the MSM kill this story.
Sask has a tarsand reserve potential 1.5 to 2X that of AB if recently developed technology pans out – approx. 1 trillion BBLS.
Ed Stelmach = Harry Strom. Being a strong vocal defender of AB is beyond him. AND he is clueless on the constitution and equalization.
worse, apparently he used to be a dairy farmer.
For those in Alberta who are looking for a provincial option to the Liberals or Conservatives, you may want to check out the Alberta Party. It is chartered and ran a few candidates in the last Alberta election.
It is not a separatist party but clearly has an Alberta first mission statement. It was chartered in the ’80’s but has not gained a lot of traction – but its time may be coming.
The underestimated mood for change became very apparent during the recent election for the Premiership. Times/people have changed dramatically during the past five years or so.
The drive for change may be for more than what the Stelmach government can deliver and a whole lot of voters are probably going to be looking for a place to park their vote in order to support an Alberta First agenda next time around.
Just as the MSM has been totally quiet on the Holland Rants – so has the government of Stelmach. This is not a good thing.
This Liberal plan to kill the Alberta Tar Sands is so foolish it defies logic. Has no one been listening to the unemployment numbers. For the fist time in my lifetime there is a ample work in the Maritime provinces . This is a good thing. This means people are working and contributing instead of collecting government(tax payer funded benefits). This type of scenario leads to a much more positive environment in this region of the country than one of chronic welfare and unemployment. This also applies to the rest of the country. Alberta is in many ways responsible for increasing salaries all over Canada because it creates an environment of competition for workers.
In my mind this is what the Mr. Dion and his socialist crowd are truly afraid of. They don’t want to see prosperity take hold in this country because Liberal support outside of the Liberal/Socialist elite is found in the downtrodden. The Liberals of late have moved further and further left and they rely on support from individuals whose primary source of income is Government money(ie:taxpayer’s hard earned cash).
The more prosperous the rank and file canadian becomes the more difficult it is for socialist regimes to prosper . Therefore it is logical for the Liberals to try and keep people as poor as possible. This they had accomplished in the past with some of the highest taxation in the free world.
Because of pressure from the Reform/Alliance and Conservative Party the Liberals were forced to start reducing taxes. This has lead to a stronger economy with more people working and contributing. These individuals now have something to lose by electing a Socialist government.
In my mind this is why Mr. Dion is in such a panic to hamstring the Alberta Oilpatch. The Liberals have to stop this wave of prosperity that is threatening their very existence.
I am watching this exact scenarios happening in Saskatchewan. The NDP Government is being backed into the corner by prosperity. They were forced to adopt more business friendly policies and this new prosperity is going to lead to their demise.
So don’t lulled into believing this Environmental smokescreen(pretty good pun if I don’t say so myself). This is just a plot to bring back the dark days of high taxation , high unemployment and reliance on Government programs that Liberals know and love.
The Liberals know that they can’t control the population unless at least 40% are dependent on them.
They are desperate to regain controls of the Country’s economic engines before this prosperity that we are enjoying becomes too entrenched. There is also the pending demise of the Wheat Board which could lead to revitalizing the agriculture sector in this county . This would be another nail in that Liberal coffin.
The federal Liberal have had the aid of their brothers in arm the Ontario Liberals . McGuinty and his band are doing their best to destroy Ontario’s economy. They have done a pretty good job.
This give the lefties another tool to use in the Ontario stronghold . They can use Alberta envy to mobilize the troop. They use Alberta prosperity and envy to deflect their failing in their home province. I can’t understand why a province like Ontario that had so many years of prosperity under Tory rule has become this whiny leftist state.
I think this show how successful the left leaning media has been in brainwashing the people of Ontario.
We can only hope that the people in Ontario are smart enough to realize killing the Alberta Economy would have a wide impact across the entire country.
I just can’t understand how the MSM in this country can be so complicit in selling the destruction of our country to it’s stakeholders. What have they to gain by this propaganda.
We have to thank individual like Charles Adler , Pierre Bourke, Kate McMillan and many more for exposing the mainstream media manipulation we are being exposed to on a daily basis. I find it interesting that the MSM has been carrying numerous stories these days that are critical of bloggers. Do they feel their control on public opinion is slipping? To quote a wise man I know ” The new media can spread the truth faster than the MSM can spread lies.”
If Dion’s NEP2 will effect oil refinement then obviously the headline taht would evoke the proper response should be:
“Liberals refuse to admit their energy policy will effect areas outside Alberta”
You know like Hibernia, Saskatchewan, teh refineries in SW Ontario, Quebec, and on the east coast.
I think Harper hit the nail on the head when he stated years ago:
“Implementing Kyoto will cripple the oil and gas industry, which is essential to the economies of Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.”
For the record, this is what I wrote today. I underestimated the issue and the feelings of Alberta’s resentment towards federal interference. I am big enough to admit when I am ill informed:
February 5, 2007 – There are two things that I want to get across this morning, before expanding later in the day.
First, I want to say that I severely underestimated the anger, alienation and fear that still resides in Alberta as a result of the NEP. I don’t believe that there has been any one issue that has garnered as much response from my readership as the content of my commentary from last Friday. It is clearly an indication of not only my youth, but also my lack of knowledge about the sentiments of Albertans…I am smart enough to acknowledge both. The provincial jurisdiction over natural resources is far beyond an economic repository for Alberta residents – it is a way of life, and I suppose that the way we dote on la belle province in terms of lifestyle should be applied to Alberta in its own way. I received a couple of emails that I will post excerpts from, just to display the passion and intelligence of those that lived through NEP, and who can now relate that experience to our federation.
Secondly, I sincerely believe that Mark Holland’s comments to Charles Adler were inspired by the desire for resource management in an environmental context, having nothing to do with aspirations to piggyback financially anymore than the federal government already does. That being said, if it is true that Mr. Holland stated this:
“If they refuse to work with us…there will be consequences.,”
during an interview with radio host Dave Rutherford, then that kind of language is completely unacceptable. I will reserve judgement for when I have confirmed this accusation, but once again, I will never support these kinds of words coming out of the mouth of an MP, regardless of where he or she comes from.
We are all Canadians, and we need to help each other out, and foster success in every region of the country. I am going to discuss this in a follow-up post today. Until then…
Wasn’t quick enough to change the channel after yesterday’s hockey game CBC was doing their usuall thing; showing their disgust for the United States and going on and on about arrest warrents for some CIA agents in Germany.
One of the thousands of reasons they come up with, not to report news from this country that does not fit their self-serving ideals.
“… the MSM be embarrased by the public being informed by the CPC of these drastic positions, or will they begrudgingly cover it, for no other reason than to not looked “scooped” by the conservatives.”
The MSM has already been scooped by the conservatives of this country, Charles Adler being first in line. And kudos to him for asking the Liberals what they hell they plan to do!
Slot Kate and other conservative Canadian bloggers behind Adler and you have a massive gap between conservative coverage and MSM “reporting”.
My bet is CBC hasn’t covered it because they’re still trying to spin out a story that will paint Dion as the environment’s saviour rather than the end of the Canadian economy. Trouble is, you can’t words from the horse’s mouth. First, Dion (see National Post editorial for February 5) and now Holland.
Borat Dion is not the horses mouth.
quite the opposite end.
CBCpravda will not report it – it doesnt fit their agenda.
Welcome to Dion’s world, where:
– Liberals will supply “leadership” to comply with Kyoto, even though they did nothing in past when they had majority. If was the Conservatives fault (weren’t they in disarray and merged late in Liberal mandate?)
– Dion said (today’s National Post) previously Canada couldn’t meet Kyoto, except if he had been leader, or is soon, despite non-achievement (see above)
– NDP is hypocritical because they are working with CPC on Clean Air Act amendments and have the nerve to criticize government too (HUH??). This actually makes sense from Lib perspective, given they are only interested in power, so could never cooperate with Conservatives, even if they agreed with them. They will “cooperate” only if they are sure they can’t seize power, a la 2006 budget.
– Libs won’t take over tarsands, they will just “manage” them. Hello – natural resources management is a provincial responsibility.
– Libs are against nuclear power because of “waste” (that’s why I’m against Libs), unless, of course, Dion is on CKNW Vancouver. Dion still thinks you can say one thing in one part of Canada, and another elsewhere.
– We aren’t if Afghanistan, as part of UN-sponsored force to deal with state that allowed terrorists to plan and execute attacks abroad. NO, WE WANT AFGHANISTAN’S WATER (Why is Dion fixated on water)
Why isn’t MSM picking up Holland’s remarks? Good question; maybe because it will hurt their airbrushing of Dion. They do know that this will get out, but hopefully Dion will be listening to his handlers instead of making stupid “easy money” statements.
If CPC and NDP can work out their “intensity targets” disagreements, they will work out good environmental policy. While NDP has lots of moonbats who think climate sky is falling, there is a rational core whom CPC can work with based on sound and comprehensive environmental executable policies. Think in terms of nuclear power. As we increase tar sands production, which will take years, we can transition from natural gas to nuclear, the only viable transition energy technology. NDP understands waste not issue anymore; they just want to build the nuclear plants in more rural areas for safety.
NDP want to go now, they are keeping their powder dry, and know they must go after Dion hard.
How he will survive debates is a mystery to me. I don’t believe any amount of time to stage manage and airbrush Dion will help. He is too arrogant and full of himself and is a captive of his own views (witness his double take on Kyoto implementation, tar sands and nuclear power).
I hope he tries to defeat budget. He will realize NDP cooperate only to get at him. They want their vote back and more.
I wrote a short note to the local (Calgary) CTV station asking why there had been no coverage of Mr. Holland’s remarks. They replied quickly and suggested that Mike Duffy was on this. We will see.
FINALLY Holland’s big mush has gotten him in deep doo-doo. He’ll have a lot of explaining to do within his own tribe. Even Kinsella is not amused with his rantings on Adler, that can’t be good news for the small-time blowhard.
I passed Hollands comments on to Glenn Beck. lets see who gets to it first.
Liberals want to mess with the USAs most secure supply. either Borat Dion will have to “clarify” or he will have to drag Hollands nuts through his nose.
If you want to hear something scary go to http://www.qr77.com/
Then you have to go to their audio vault. You have to register( 2 secs) and then bring up the Rutherford show at 10 am on Friday Feb 2. I think this Mark Holland has been taking tips from Rosie O’Donald. If I yell real loud and don’t let anyone else talk no one will realize what a clown I am. You can just hear the the sarcasm dripping in Rutherford voice but Holland doesn’t seem to even pick up on it.
As a Liberal, programmed to only hear themselves, Holland wouldn’t pick up on it.
They are also programmed to be all things to all people so their thought process is a tangled web from talking themselves into and weaseling out of trouble.
With Holland SNAFU principle applies. MSM has already sprung to his rescue by ignoring the whole thing.
It’s up to us, as usual.
Look what happens when radcal eco-freaks take over a nation they enforce their radical ideas on their nations citizens
Anybody get this response from their local paper(s).
“We do not publish articles about statements made during a radio interview.”
—— —-
Editorial Assistant
I did from the Sarnia Observer , a paper situated in the heart of Ontario’s Petroleum Industry.
Maybe someone more diplomatic should try?
Look, we now how Lib-centric the MSM is in Canada and how the Liberal mindset is to divide and conquer.
Why should this surprise us?
They WANT to pit east against west. They WANT the Liberals back in power regardless of the implications economically.
More unemployment means more people dependent on the social systems which means more opportunity to skim the cream off the top with out anyone saying anything.
This is exactly the type of issue they are looking for to achieve THIER aggenda. They don’t believe the west has the backbone to step up for themselves. The east, led by Quebec, has shown that they have the power of numbers to control the flow of political power and if the beast isn’t fed, it’ll take what it wants instead.
My message to the west is to make these issues are known to everyone. Prepare to defend what they have worked so hard for, sacrifed so much for, against those who would undercut all just to retain the reigns of power.
Personally, I think that this is a Liberal tactic.
They send one of their write-offs out to the podium to say something stupid that erupts the PC nation and of course it is very poorly covered by the media. Then, the PC’s respond to what the Liberals said and the Liberals send out the attack dogs an put an angle on how the PC’s will ruin the country.
They do this every time there is an election on the horizon.
Jeff…PC…Politically Correct;
generally speaking the politically correct line up with Libs, Libs bend over backward to be politically correct.
I just do not get it. The whole planet is in a fix, say the scientists, massive cut backs in emissions of co2 are required, economic effect can become like a depression says the Stern Review, if strong measures not taken the seas will rise, parts of the land will dry and crack, torrents of rain will come elsewhere….but nothing, absolutely nothing is to happen in Alberta (a minor Province in Canada, you know.where the snow and the Mounties are). All the world may be struggling with limits on their big industies, but not Alberta. People may not be able to afford driving their cars, the corner store will re-appear, people will stop going on plane trips, anyone using an SUV is liable to be dragged out at an intersection and beaten. But in Alberta they will still be driving 1956 Cadillacs decorated with horns.
Alberta must be sorta like Disneyland.
PC = Politically Corrupt
“anyone using an SUV is liable to be dragged out at an intersection and beaten.”
I’ve got an SUV. I’ve also got a crowbar. It’s particularly effective when used swatting moonbats.
I’ve submitted this to fark.com with a tasteless headline.
Juvenille cheap shot, I know, but, well, it’s fark.com
Come up with your own headline and submit it; see if you can best me!
Its as simple as Stephane (SAS). We who know and honor the truth have to be steadfast and persistent in letting the rest of Canada know the extremely dangerous course being persued by the Liberals. This is the party who champions themselves as the saviours over Quebec separatism. This will be the party who will preside over the break-up of our dear country, not because of Quebec – rather because of their absolute NEED to be LORD over the West!
garhane you jest, I hope. If that is what you think alberta is, do you want to buy my ocean front property in Whiskey Gap. All we want is for the industries in Ont and Que to be subject to the same rules and taxation we are. Stop your pollution before jumping on any kyotology bandwagon. What was said after the attack on Pearl Harbor, something like, I am afraid we have awakened a sleeping giant (tiger) or something like that. And, awake it did with devastating results for Japan. The same sleeping tiger will awake in Alberta if any liberal tries to take our resourses, or money. And, voting liberal in gta will not save you.
For heaven’s sake, justzumgai – the redistribution of national revenues is a DUTY of a national gov’t.
The forcible seizure and redistribution of property is a perversion of the law. The more seriously that a government takes this “DUTY”, the more violence results.
Before, in Iraq, the revenues from the oil went into the hands of one tribe – Saddam Hussein’s tribe. The rest of the population were dependent on handouts from that ruling tribe.
A large number of Canadians are dependent on handouts from a ruling tribe based in Ottawa. For most of our history this tribe has been the Lunnis – err, Liberals – but lately the power of confiscation and redistribution is in the hands of the Conservatiite sect. It’s the same racket in Ottawa and Baghdad, but fortunately the racket isn’t as pervasive in Canada and there is consequently less bloodshed.
Now, the revenue will go back to ALL the people. That’s not a welfare state! That’s a valid distribution of a National Resource to the nation.
Government taxing away wealth and then pretending to generously give it back to the people sounds like a welfare state to me.
And NATO’s role in Afghanistan is not the institution of a welfare state but preventing their enslavement by a totalitarian regime, the Taliban fascists. OK?
I hear all the time how NATO is killing Taliban so that they can assist the new government of Afghanistan to create a public education system, public healthcare, ban narcotics, etc. These are all aspects of the welfare state. And given the history and culture of Afghanistan I’m not sure if being made into tax slaves of a secular welfare state will be any better for ordinary people in the long run than being enslaved by radical mullahs. Not that these are the only two choices. I respect Afghanis enough to let them decide for themselves what kind of country they want. Do you?
Good heavens, justzumgai- you don’t know anything about political and social structures.
First, taxation is a form of redistribution, where the gov’t taxes the economic productivity of the population and then redistributes that money in the form of public or common services, such as the building of hospitals, roads, schools, and the maintenance of that percentage of the population who cannot work (mentally disabled, etc etc)..OK? That’s found in ALL societies, no matter how small.
This is NOT distributing PROPERTY!
Second – an elected government is NOT the same as a hereditary tribe. Don’t be ignorant. A tribal governance and an elected government can’t be compared and your semantics – is just juvenile.
A democratic gov’t does not confiscate – and taxes are not confiscation. Remember, a society operates in two modes – there is the private individual mode and the public collective. We humans cannot exist only as individuals; we are also social, ie, we operate within collectives as well as in our individuality.
No, a welfare state is not the same as redistribution of surplus. I suggest you do some reading on the nature of ‘reciprocity, redistribution and markets’. Again, all societies must tax surplus and then redistribute it in the form of collective services. No individual can build a hospital, a road, a school – these are actions carried out by the collective.
How on earth is a public education system an aspect of a ‘welfare state’????? That’s rubbish. Do you seriously suggest that a society shouldn’t have an educational system?
Ahh- so you think that the people of Afghanistan are better off being enslaved by a vicious and repressive regime that forbids women going to school, forbids them working, stones them to death if they are raped, …you prefer that for them. Well, that’s your choice. It isn’t theirs.
Yes, the Afghan people DID make a choice. They voted. For the first time in their history. That action was enabled by NATO, which freed them from the vicious and repressive Taliban – so that they could choose the type of gov’t they wanted. They voted for a democracy. And a constitution, or rule of law. Not a rule by force, a rule by vicious violent repression. BUT – this desire of theirs for democracy required our military help, because the Taliban were repressing them with violence. OK? Of course – you ignore these facts.
I think you need to do a bit of growing up. And read some books on the definition of ‘welfare state’ and the nature of ‘economic redistribution’.
I think I need new glasses. Everytime I read the heading of this post I laugh because I leave out the B and read LIMP HOLLAND.
The best bumper sticker I’ve seen recently was on a car with an Alberta license plate which read, “Alberta, we are not separatists yet”
Which party has the hidden agenda now?? Dam liberal commies!!!
” … but nothing, absolutely nothing is to happen in Alberta”
Or India, China and rest of developing world. Apparently, when they spew CO2 and pollution, that has no effect on our climate. Only Canada must act immediately by usurping control of tarsands, a provincial juristiction.
BTW, Intergovernment Panel on Climate Change (boy does that name say a lot) released report, without accompanying scientific citations. In fact, science is to be massaged into their worst case scenarios. When actual report comes out in March (all we got was advance press release written by PR types), and clear exaggerations obvious – of course, there will be no need to debate further.
Why has media accepted these scenarios and scare tactics without the slighest examination. I guess they were too busy re-reading Harper’s letter of 4.5 years ago.
MSM just getting started re: negative on CPC, airbrushing Libs. They made the mistake of being nice and underestimating Stephen Harper last time. They won’t make that mistake again.
The slanted reporting, villifation and fabrication (sorry, inaccuracies) by big four (CBC, CTV, G&M, TorStar) will only intensify as public further realizes Dion is out to lunch.
Now that Mr. Harper has let us know what substantial measures his government intends to carry out in the field of environment and global warming (none) you can post his remarks to the House word for word. Never can there have been a better example of Small Dead Animals, road kill in fact. The blog, so well named, has a function….to record the hopeless remarks of Stephen the Unready.