small dead animals: He may have a point, but...

September 30, 2005

He may have a point, but...

I'm not sure this sort of 'Frank'ness is what's called for at this juncture.

America: "Do I look fat in this?"

Canada: "Why yes, honey, you could stand to lose a few pounds, but I love you just the same!"

Nice going. They'll be writing that $5B cheque any day now.

Posted by occam at September 30, 2005 8:57 AM

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Dr. Seuss came to mind at first reading of this: Why? Dunno. BTW, Spend does not have a dog-walker, right?>>>>>

RCMP pay Svend $10,000
Settlement for 'pain and suffering' after demo

With a file from staff reporter Matt Ramsey
Canwest News Service/TheOttawa Citizen

Friday, September 30, 2005

CREDIT: The Canadian Press
A masked demonstrator throws a tear gas canister back at police outside the site of the Summit of the Americas.

Former NDP MP Svend Robinson received a cash settlement of $10,000 from the RCMP, government accounting ledgers show.

Robinson said his calf was cut and his pants torn during a protest at the 2001 free-trade summit in Quebec City.

Public accounts published yesterday show that Robinson received the money for "pain and suffering."

Robinson, out for a walk with his dogs last night, said he couldn't speak about the payment.>>> more
nealenews.com

Posted by: maz2 at September 30, 2005 9:34 AM

He can still walk--that is more than the victim of a driveby shooting in Toronto --did she get any compensation? Nope--she is a real victim--not a wannabee like thieving Svend! Is there any manure that these pigs can not fall into and still come up smelling like a rose, courtesy of the taxpayer?

Posted by: George at September 30, 2005 10:07 AM

Re: "'Frank'ness":

McKenna may have a point. Which is bad, not good.
Let's look at outcomes. Most all legislation usually restricts somebodies freedoms in some way. In the US, if the system is so inefficient that it is very hard to get legislation through...GOOD!
It may be expensive and cantankerous, but how can it be worse for the citizens than this one-party Canadian dictatorship, with NO effective checks to law-making? Sorry, Frank, but in this I'll say yes, their system is more inefficient...but better.

Mad Mike

Posted by: Mad Mike at September 30, 2005 10:14 AM

Now if we could only get British Columbia's MSM to headline the Ambassador's quote:

"I am so tired of talking about softwood lumber."

Posted by: Cal at September 30, 2005 10:14 AM

Hey Frank, take your pick:

"Those in glass houses shouldn't throw stones" or "There�s no fool like an old fool" or "Boys will be boys" or "You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar" or ....

Posted by: JM at September 30, 2005 10:22 AM

Frank Mckenna calls American politics "Disfunctional", and proceeds to lecture them about "checks and balances"!?! The fact that he didn't get laughed right out of the place, suggests that the Americans know very little about what is going on up here.

Posted by: dave at September 30, 2005 10:23 AM

"The fact that he didn't get laughed right out of the place, suggests that the Americans know very little about what is going on up here."

Or care ...

Posted by: Axeman at September 30, 2005 10:34 AM

And the Liberal definition of a "dysfunctional individual" would include most of the readers of this blog, along with anybody else who does not subscribe to the virtues of a one-party state.

McKenna would have you believe that the US and the world would be better places if the former would only give up its 230-year-plus experiment as the latter's oldest democracy.

Fantasize as McKenna himself probably is about what he, a hopeful Natural Governing Party's PM-in-waiting, could accomplish as "Prime Minister" of the United States, with all of the unfettered powers that the Canadian PM enjoys domestically.

Sound inviting? Canada Council would look favorably on a grant to the first writer coming up with such a plot that resulted in a better world with a Paul Martin-type figure as the Americans' elected dictator. The CBC could no doubt turn it into a great combination of Due South and West Wing, featuring Rick Mercer in a schtick as the Press Secretary.

Face it. Canada is most charitably described as an "immature" democracy. So what if a US senator has 75 assistants? The "nobodies" on Parliament Hill shouldn't really need ANY assistants.

Besides, Canadians can still take pride in David Dingwall's chewing gum expense account and PMPM's nine-million-dollar travel budget, without all that messy dysfunctionalism of an elected body advising and consenting on the Head of State's appointments of supreme court justices and members of cabinet.

Posted by: Drained Brain at September 30, 2005 11:09 AM

Pot....meet Kettle

Posted by: John at September 30, 2005 11:11 AM

And this guy is the ambassador to the country in question? Dear me. Doesn't seem very, er - what's the word? - diplomatic somehow.

Of course, the US is accustomed to being lectured by our betters to the north.

Posted by: George at September 30, 2005 11:13 AM

Canada couldn't carry America's brief case. What a conceit hairball Mckenna horked up onto the shoes of our best friend and protectors.

Freedom is a very messy business and often looks dysfunctional ... Perhaps McKenna simply is not used to the look of freedom.

You know, where everyone if free to go off in their own direction rather than line up like the political donkeys in this country to vote as there are told.

Posted by: Duke McGoo at September 30, 2005 11:51 AM

Thiose of you who are so wonderfully enchanted with U.S. style government should check out the recent transsportation bill. This piece of dreck totaled $286 billion dollars, including 216 million for a bridge in Alaska to an island with a pop. of 50. The bill was 80% pork, payment to each other for supporting various projects of dubious value. All this while running up a deficit that makes the mind reel and has bebased the American dollar. This defines a dysfunctional government. Why do think the Canadian dollar has risen from 62.5 to 85 cents in the last 3 years? Wasn't magic, kiddies. Solid fiscal policy, the only country in the G8 running a surplus. I know SDA loves to spit on the Canada, but be very careful what you wish for.

Posted by: Don at September 30, 2005 12:21 PM

Funny. You write as if it was the Americans' money to begin with.

Why would we kiss up, when we should be saying "Give us our #&*&ing money back", like Ben Folds?

Posted by: Patrick at September 30, 2005 12:34 PM

"The bill was 80% pork, payment to each other for supporting various projects of dubious value."

Yes, Canada is fortunate to have no pork or corruption in government.

Posted by: Drained Brain at September 30, 2005 12:42 PM

Drained Brain: Congradulations for winning the "first to miss the point" contest.

Posted by: Don at September 30, 2005 12:49 PM

"Congradulations for winning the "first to miss the point" contest."

Sorry, I thought your point was that a "porky" government was a "dysfunctional" government.

Yes, it's nice for me personally that the Can $ has risen dramatically after a decade in the dumpster and I hope it maintains its level.

Posted by: Drained Brain at September 30, 2005 1:53 PM

Ah yes, all that messy voting makes for a very dysfunctional country.

Just think if Canadians actually got to vote there would probably be no French or metric on cereal boxes and no gay marriage.

There might even be capital punishment in some places.

Canadians would be doomed.

And if there were no rules about towing the party line there would be no Prime Minister Paul Martin.

Oh, the horror. (sarc)

Posted by: Trish at September 30, 2005 1:56 PM

Astronomical defecit? Well that's in keeping with a growing and astronomical economy. Thank you Don I'll keep my current government and economy, with all it's dysfunctional attributes, and you keep your's. At least I get to vote for my pick of scoundrels.

Hmm go to www.optimist123.com for some prespective on economics. The guy seems to do an honest and detailed analysis of the current situation and puts up the charts and figures to support his assesments.

Posted by: Joseph at September 30, 2005 1:57 PM

Hey Don your love of Liberano thievery is showing.

Posted by: FREE at September 30, 2005 2:01 PM

Couple of items I have trouble understanding:

1. Canadian federal government's "Solid fiscal policies"?
2. Real reasons the Canadian dollar has risen against the USD?
3. Level of Canadian taxation rates vs. the rest of the G8?
4. McKenna had referenced an unnamed US Senator's entourage in his ramble, perhaps he favors our Senate instead?
5. Canadian pork, US pork whats the difference?
Mike, ROA

Posted by: Mike at September 30, 2005 2:02 PM

OC? It's great to have you back!

I have missed your curmudgeonly witty rants immensely!

It is a bit surprising to find you on Kate's Blog. Hell, it is even more odd for me to comment here. Guess it was bound to happen sooner or later.

Anyway, a gracious and thankful welcome back to you sir!

Posted by: Treehugger at September 30, 2005 2:20 PM

"the only country in the G8 running a surplus."

3/4 of all the fressh water in the world. More Iron, Uranium ,Gold, Diamonds, Potash, natural gas, aerable land , zinc, molibidinum , oil,timber,silver,copper,etc , than ANY country in the history of mankind next door to the largest market ever ,taking a pass on those costly wars ...and we are taxed to death.

Pull your head out of your ass.

Posted by: richfisher at September 30, 2005 2:55 PM

Any of you watch that HBO miniseries "Rome"? There's a chilling line that opens that series:

"The city of Rome ruled many lands, but could not govern itself."

Yes, most definitely, McKenna is throwing stones in a glass house when he talks about American "corruption".

But the thing is that Canadian corruption only hurts Canadians. The pork, corruption, parochialism and lack of focus endemic to the U.S. system is undermining the Western world and all of us who have hitched our star to their wagon.

As we are already seeing, this is leaving us vulnerable to economic encroachments by communist China, which is definitely not a good idea.

Back 70 yrs ago, when America was no more important in the world than Britain or France, they could get away with their own wonderful, creative and thoroughly democratic style of political chaos. Now, as they say in the Spiderman movies, with great power comes great responsibility.

Posted by: Mentok the Mindtaker at September 30, 2005 3:04 PM

Poor Richfisher, he doth understand but little. A surplus is having the discipline to spend less than comes in. A discipline that had been lost in this country since a very, very early Trudeau budjet. One can indeed have much wealth. It is discipline not to sqander it.
No doubt Mentok was beyond your poor ken as well.

You richfisher are a waste of good resources.

Posted by: Don at September 30, 2005 3:16 PM

Hey, Don, you're back! Wow, I was so afraid that you'd found this site "unacceptable", because, you know, that's what you said. Turns out it's completely acceptable after all, how about that?

Great to say that you can find time in your busy schedule of theft, obsessive coprophagia and pederastic rape to come by here and lecture us from the moral highground. Please keep telling us how much better you are than these mere taxpayers here, because of course that's the most important thing you could possibly do, bleat your moral superiority as loudly as possible to people whom you already know can see right through you.

Hope you find this unacceptable, Don. I can make it worse if you need a bigger thrill.

Posted by: ebt at September 30, 2005 3:30 PM

Oh dear! I forgot it was "Angry man day."

Posted by: Don at September 30, 2005 3:37 PM

Frank's comments sort of remind me of some other flattering comments made a few years back by our current Consul General living in N.Y.:

...As CTV prepares to launch a Canadian version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," Pamela Wallin is bursting with nationalist pride about being the host of the new show. She is very confident because she strongly believes that the Canadian version will be far better than the American variety. As she condescendingly affirmed, "I think that Canadians are so much smarter than Americans." That's why the Canadian show "will be a piece of cake. We'll clean up when we do this show."...

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Printable.asp?ID=3175

Posted by: JM at September 30, 2005 4:04 PM

When I read articles like that, I always check the calendar to see if it is April 1, or if it is from The Onion. McKenna reminds me of that Iraqi mouthpiece that kept insisting the US troops were not invading and were really getting the crap kicked out of them, right up to the time when they hauled him away. Who would believe this? Ontario voters?

Posted by: DoubtingThomas at September 30, 2005 4:07 PM

"Poor Richfisher, he doth understand but little..

What doth you know about discipline!
"Doth" that's great!

Hey Don, Pity me not, you stuck up old english writin fool.
Your stupid flowery prose is as much of a joke as your old tired lefty rants.
I don't know a poor ken (My Uncle Ken is a second gen.Russian immigrant who made something of himself in Canada by educating himself and taking risks along with hard work) and I know what a surplus is , but thanks anyway.
My point is this (since you seem so kenchallenged) with all of our wealth why are we taxed so heavily.
Get it shakespeare?
Indeed!

Posted by: richfisher at September 30, 2005 4:40 PM

McKenna is playing to the home crowd. He knows the Libs are itching to dump Martin, and is making his presence felt before the Librano$ become too enamoured of Michael Ignatieff or Bob Rae. Nothing the left loves more than to hear somebody call the US dysfunctional. Works every time. Now, let's slam those borders shut and demand visas and passports from everyone.

Posted by: Mrs Thatcher at September 30, 2005 6:02 PM

Don -only country in the G-8 running a surplus.
Well its simple to run surpluses all you have to do is tax the shit out of your population and not give anything back that way when you get caught stealing you can just point and say well with such a big surplus what is a few million dollars.It is but to weep.The state that this country has fallen into under a french canadian liberal govt.

Posted by: a patriot at September 30, 2005 8:26 PM

How is it that so many Canadians, particularly the leadership, seem to think that somehow denigrating the US helps to "define Canada"? Evidently hagging on about every detail regarding the US somehow raises Canada. I do wish Canadian leadership could find some other nation worthy of their infinite wisdom.

I wonder what hideous sin poor David Wilkins commited to deserve his post in Canada. I'd have to wear a barf bag around my neck.

Posted by: Tom Penn at September 30, 2005 10:41 PM

Dysfunctional, huh?

We prefer to think of it as "dynamic equilibrium", thanks...

Posted by: mojo at October 1, 2005 3:30 PM

I agree with you the way you view the issue. I remember Jack London once said everything positive has a negative side; everything negative has positive side. It is also interesting to see different viewpoints & learn useful things in the discussion.

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