Just some food for thought from Lew Mackenzie in light of the vote in the Kosovar Parliament.

http://www.kosovo.net/news/archive/2004/April_07/3.html

Persoanlly, I am not sure what to think about this. What I do know is that it isnt as clear as the media present.

another mass shooting, another gunman on "meds"

http://tinyurl.com/36kk55

""Steven Phillip Kazmierczak, the gunman who killed five students and himself at Northern Illinois University on Thursday, was dumped by his live-in girlfriend at the end of last year and had recently stopped taking his medications, friends and police said.""

Psychotropic drugs...the silent partner in many of these shooting sprees...is big pharma feeling a bit contrite at the wide spread mis-prescribed use of these mood altering drugs?

Warren Kinsella is a loser.

Hey, I found a swastika in a bathroom, too. Mine is better.

the_rat.blogspot.com

I had no idea how bad the Bush Derangement Syndrome has taken over even the sports media. We just watched a 'chat' by the 'reporters' on TSN with Dave Hodge. One of the guys linked Clemons to Bush("he could contact him if he was hiding in a duck blind") and said the Republicans gave Roger an easy ride during the inquiry...??

We saw the inquiry...the armchair athlete expert is stretching it by a long shot.

dj - yes, Kinsella is rather strange. I'm 'moving' my post under 'History' to here. Apologies, Kate.

He's posting hate mail that he receives. Now, many bloggers, public figures, etc, receive hate mail. They don't focus on it, brood over it, post it. Why does Warren do all of this?

He then declares that this hate mail is indicative of the necessity for the HRAct and its 'hate message' section.
Warren's 'reasoning' is that IF a government DOES NOT punish and forbid 'hate speech', THEN, the sender will move into violence.

There is absolutely no proof of such a connection; that is:
IF you allow hate speech, THEN, violence will result.

After all, this would also mean:
If you forbid freedom of expression (of anger), then, there will be no violence anymore.

Warren 'thinks' that if you forbid expressions of hatred/anger, then, the Sender will move into debate!

Warren doesn't think. Doesn't he know that the type of person who sends hate messages is not someone who wants to or is capable of debate?

Yep... The most important thing I can think of going on in the world is to decide if some athlete is doping , A great way for the folks running a country to earn tax payers money. Where the hell have the priorities of the US and Canada gone???

"Republicans gave Roger an easy ride during the inquiry"

Well that's not true at all, but a lot of sports pundits believe Pres Bush will eventually pardon Clemens.

Just saw the film "Persepolis" last night -- an animated feature about a young girl growing up during the Iranian revolution -- French with English subtitles (and the subtitles tone down some of the French slang!) -- sad, funny and poignant -- highly recommended.

So what if Bush issues pardons to Clemens, and the border guards. Remember who Clinton pardoned in his last days as Pres.

Cops in Aylmer Ontario charged an Old Colony Christian (Mennonite) School Principal with six
counts of assault with a weapon ( apparently an old fashioned leather strap - strop?) and a
Teacher with one count of assault with a plastic ruler.

Made the headlines of Saturday's regional London Free Press.

Once again I am reminded by one of the first things my immigrant father learned in English from an old farm neighbour.

He said in Canada there are more horses asses than there are horses!

That seems to hold true today in Ontario, especially in the Western Ontario.

This is from Real Women. Their web site is
triple w.realwomenca.com

Go to their web site, and click on publications. Their most recent article is about labour unions and it's excellent.

Labour unions effectively operate as an enormous socialist power in Canada. They are undemocratic; we didn't vote them in, but, the majority of employees in Canada fall under their rule - and their agenda is SOCIALIST. They are anti-Conservative.

Think about it - we have, effectively, a 'hidden political party' in Canada. Unelected. Unaccountable.

We employees MUST fund them. Union dues are MANDATORY. You may even reject 'joining' but still, the dues are deducted from your pay!

It's not like donations to our political party. It's not like us giving 1.75 per vote from our taxmoney to them as a political party. No, the money comes direct from our salaries to them. They pay NO taxes on it. They provide NO accountability for this money. It's in the BILLIONS.

Their highly paid administrators salaries are not disclosable. Their assets and wealth are enormous.

"Foreign investments were disclosed at a staggering $1.962 billion or about 40% of the total wealth. Salaries were listed at $370.7 million of the $1.102 billion spent on unions’ ongoing expenses. This is 10 times more than the $31.5 million unions spent on tax benefits and 20 times more than the $18.3 million unions spent on “organizing”. Included in this information was $198 million spent on something called “other” – no need to specify such a sum since, by union standards, it is apparently a trivial sum."

And:

"Canada’s failure to control union dues is in sharp contrast to the U.S., where, in 2005, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, pushed through federal rules which required large unions to disclose details of how they spend members’ dues. Labour fought bitterly against this. The reason that labour unions fought so hard against public disclosure was revealed when the U.S. federal regulations exposed that U.S. unions served as honey pots for left-wing political causes that have nothing at all to do with the working environment. The U.S. requirements also resulted in the disclosure of the incredible salaries paid to U.S. union leaders: for example, the $439,000 annual salary paid to the president of the National Education Association (NEA) Union."

Their movement from a focus around the employees in that particular company, to open activism of socialist political causes, to open campaigning for socialist political leaders is disgraceful. They are using mandatory dues from employees, to fund activities that have no role in the welfare and benefit of these employees but are instead, funding personal desires of the Union executives.

"in the 2006 federal election, unions spent the lion’s share of third party advertising during the election campaign – including thousands of dollars in direct support of another failed election bid by Sid Ryan, the controversial president of the Ontario wing of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). Most of CUPE’s third-party advertising in the campaign was spent on salaries for union members to organize and distribute election brochures to union locals."

"Unions are especially powerful in the public sector, where they control the education system, health care, all government services and contracts, including garbage collection and water systems."

Now -this means that the Unions, with their socialist agenda, control the civil service. How does that help the Conservative movement in Canada?

It means that we have, effectively, ANOTHER socialist political party in Canada, one with important control over the civil service, education, health, all govt services.

This is a party with a LOT of money available to pour into assisting the 'Cover or UpFront political pary' (eg, the Liberals/NDP). So, the Liberals and NDP don't need our donations! They don't need to get votes for money! All they need, is to link up their policies with the Union Agendas - and they have an enormous, totally unaccoutable War Chest to fight any and everything, from a court challenge to an election.

I wonder how Jesse Jackson is going to spin this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXIfWRnuXhg

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,330462,00.html

Union dues. Ugh. Last year, I kid you not, I paid out $1100 to good old Buzz. That's nowhere near the highest total in our unit either -- I'm still on the middle part of the payscale.

Good digging ET.
Those that were encouraging 'grass roots' conservatives to get busy need only look at REAL Women, and Gwen Landolt as an example.
She was at that 'stacked' inquiry' and was on the receiving end of the worst snivelling and snark. Doesn't stop her...she has the facts.

From QP today,the push for Dion to go to an election coming from Pelltier,and the old Cretin himself!Jean LaPierre disclosed this.This,even tho the Lib caucus deeply divided,but Cretin sees this as a 'credibility'issue.
According to J.LaP,Dion and Libs will be non-player in Que,outside of Que.city,and Libs can't even find a candidate in Outremont.LaP.stated on Duff the other day,that Libs can't find candidates in countless ridings in Que,and are calling 'anyone over 18 to run' Dion will not deliver Que.for the Party.
I heard David Smith make comment as well,that the election is about 'what is best for the Lib.party'...NOT what is best for Canadians.So there you have it folks,it's all about the libs need to regain power,and the waste of taxpayers $$ not important,just the need to serve the Libs power hungry.

More anti-union hysterics from ET. Guess what, my dear ET? Like everyone else in Canada, union members use their own minds to vote...they don't vote as a block.

In any case. aren't Real Women supposed to be in the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant? Oh, I forgot...they are just another right wing pro-corporate lobby group masquarading as a grass roots organization, like NCC, CTF, Fraser Institute, etc.

Oops...my bad. Fraser Institute doesn't masquarade as a grass roots group; they masquarade as an independent economic think tank.

A serious blow for wind farms in Britain - it appears they are a threat to national security because they create "holes" where radar cannot pick up incoming aircraft. If anyone should understand the importance of radar to its security it should be Britain.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article3300814.ece
Squadron Leader Breedon said that not only did the turbines create a radar hole directly over a wind farm but there was also a shadow beyond them that prevented low-flying aircraft being detected. He said: “The MoD trial results were alarming as they confirmed a greater impact than that previously thought. This in turn required a more robust approach to wind turbine assessments.”

I would like to ignore lberia but I can't resist. He falls for the usual stererotypical put down.
L'zy dude.. when I was barefoot and pregnant and in the kitchen it was my CHOICE...too much of a concept for you?

And as a reluctant payer of union fees you can bet the unions are very busy at election time with mass e-mails and gatherings to bash any conservative ...'cuz they are all Harris' people,eh?
And they can count on the lemmings to follow the leader.
But I cannot CHOOSE to opt out of the union...

And l'ze dude...check out where REAL Women get their funding....

I shouldn't bother, BUT, lberia, you have an amazing talent for both missing the point and doing what you accuse others of.

ET's point, which you missed, is that union people are being forced, through their dues, to financially support political causes and parties for which they don't agree. You are correct that union members' voting patterns are the same as others', except in the case of union elites, who are decidedly NDP. Some rank and file union members, therefore, might object to having their dues used by Sid Ryan types, to support parties they don't support.

You criticize ET for generalizing, then go right ahead yourself, in what I suspect is a badly failed attempt at satire.

lberia, there are lots of organizations that support this or that point of view, and are not masquerading as anything. Just because they don't tow your personal political line doesn't make them some kind of fringe group. You are free to agree or disagree all you like.

I don't support the Centre for Policy Alternatives, but they are up front about their leftish political leanings, and are well known for their Alternative Budget, which supports collectivist approaches to public policy. I do consider their positions "out there" and love debating with them. I will not marginalize them or try to shut them up. If they took a deduction off my paycheque, then I would object strenuously.

They do not, nor do Real Women or the Fraser Institute, advocate anything illegal or any action to disenfranchise Canadians.

I am also a uninon member. Over the past 15 years I have never once been told how to vote. But on the other hand,our union continually pushes the NDP agenda. They will not come out and say it,but their leaflets and hyperbole all is directed against the current gov't. They arre not above spreading rumours of our impending doom if the conservatives ever obtain a majority.If you tell a union steward that Harper is a nazi,they embrace you. If you,as I do,ask questions about their propaganda,they stammer and flee.

What an absolutely stupid comment, lberia. You've really outdone yourself in ignorance this time. I'm not talking about the union telling you who to vote for - though they certainly do that. I'm talking about YOUR union dues being spent by the Union, without your input, on whatever the Union Executive wants. And the Union Executive are socialist - and either Liberal or NDP.

THINK. Why would that Buzz Hargrove make public his support, last time, for the Liberals? If he was only talking about himself - who cares?

You are completely wrong. Unions DO support political parties. How? Remember, they obtain their money as 'dues'. You have no choice as to membership; even if you don't want to be a member, they'll take your money. This money isn't spent in any great sum on bettering your employment and work status. It's spent on supporting a political party by funding people to work on campaigns, by funding brochures, by funding meetings.

I know very well that you haven't bothered to read the article on Unions, so, your ignorance is your own fault.

Grow up. Don't insult Real Women. At least, they fund themselves. They behave like adults.

The socialist Status of Women remain infantile dependents. They don't fund themselves. They insist that the govt, our tax money, fund them, their salaries, their endless travel to conferences, their 'research assistants' and etc.

Incredible, lberia. You've really outdone yourself in obtuse ignorance this time.

*
"It's a city problem, not a restaurant problem. I don't
think the city has a plan to fight the rat problem."

*

Hey, Buzzy had a meeting with Harper, any reports on how that went? Any photos of Buzzy's demeanor after the meeting?
Buzzy was almost kissing Martin during his LAST STAND on the election stump, gave him a Union leather jacket.

ET - ever consider that "Lieberia" just might be one of those Union Executives? Uuuummmmm - just thinkin. (with apologies to just thinking)

My wife and I spent some time visiting Rome in 2003. We quickly became very fond of dinning at one of the many outdoor restaurants in Piazza Navona, Rome's most popular square. While eating there one evening I detected some motion out the corner of my eye. A closer look revealed what I am sure was a two to three pound rat walking alongside the building next to us. You'd think that given the huge number of feral cats in that city they could better control the rat population. It is a problem that is affecting many major cities.

"Mandatory Niceness" at Reason Magazine.

http://www.reason.com/news/show/124925.html

From BBC News

A fully-equipped hospital that lay unused for two years has burned to the ground in northern Nigeria. The General Hospital in Maiduguri was built in 2006 but the state government refused to open it until the president came to cut the ribbon.

Several surgical theatres, the intensive care ward, and the clinical section which held millions of dollars of equipment were all destroyed.

The president was due to visit the hospital next month to open it.
Borno State Governor Ali Modu Sheriff blamed the fire on arsonists who wanted to damage his political reputation.

There is not one hospital owned by a state government that has the type of world class equipment we had in there
Ali Modu Sheriff,
Governor of Borno state

I think we should stop sending aid to such strange people.
We - western nations - have sent billions and billions since the 1940s and they are still - more or less - at the same point they were.

I may as well burn my money, same result, less violence.

ET, I appreciate your favourable mention of REAL Women, a group, as you note, of grown ups, versus the adult toddlers who inhabit our governments’ "Women's"—read radical feminist, usually lesbian, these days—Programs.

While the hypocrite, feminist whiners, who appear to happily endorse the IDEA of a Sugar Daddy, by being quite prepared to not stand on their own feet and accept the largesse of the taxpayer—at least half of whom are MEN—REAL Women exists solely on its own membership fees—men are welcome!—and donations: unlike David Sukookie, also a political lobbyist, REAL Women is not allowed to give receipts for tax purposes. (The political double standards enforced by the Liberals are a disgrace.)

(Once, in the 1980s, I believe, just to level the playing field, Gwen Landolt, the canny lawyer who founded REAL Women, applied for a government grant. The feminists who ran the Women’s [sic] Program refused to even respond—no application form. So, determined to receive an application form for a program paid for by REAL Women members (taxpayers), Mrs. Landolt sent in another request, under the name of “Lesbian Mothers of Canada”. Guess what? An application form showed up, almost by return post: “Welcome to the world of government funding. We’ll help you in any way we can,” or words to that effect. Gwen Landolt used the form to submit a funding request from REAL Women. The result? The Progressive Conservative government at the time wasn’t even embarrassed, though, I believe, there was some kind of under the radar apology—the MSM remained mum on the issue. And, of course, not a penny for REAL Women.)

So, on their own dime, who’s still going strong 25 years later? It sure isn’t the radical, professional feminists—parasites—who wouldn’t last a week without our tax dollars.

At REAL Women’s web site, also check out their paper on the Court Challenges Program, another Liberal slush fund, which has allowed HRC-type abuses to occur in our courts. If only Canadians were aware of the extent of Liberal corruption and manipulation.

I wouldn't bother debating lieberia.
This twit has been stuck-on-stupid for a very long time. Lieberia the one trick pony that spews the left's rhetoric like automated teller spews money.
No thought just push a button and, Bush all Bad, Harper hidden agenda , Dion good, Afganistan bad, global warming good blah blah blah.......

Actually, re "who's going strong?" the feminists (like the unions) still have undue, totally unearned influence on the politics of Canada—but only on the backs of others. As I said, they're parasites, allowed to live off the largess of the public at large—lots of men there—whom they feel free to lambaste.

What dolts we are in Canada! We seem happy to pay . . . and pay . . . and pay for our own destruction.

More from Britain:-
New sharia row over Chancellor's plans for 'Islamic bonds'

A new sharia law controversy erupted last night over Government plans to issue special "Islamic bonds" to pay for Gordon Brown's public-spending programme by raising money from the Middle East.

Britain is to become the first Western nation to issue bonds approved by Muslim clerics in line with sharia law, which bans conventional loans involving interest payments as "sinful".
Complete article at
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=515248&in_page_id=1770&ct=5

Quote from Rich's article: Britain is to become the first Western nation to issue bonds approved by Muslim clerics in line with sharia law, which bans conventional loans involving interest payments as "sinful".

One more step towards an Islamic State known as Englanstan, first they take over by mass immigration and they they start buying your credit and buildings. In twenty years England will be another third world Islamic Hell Hole.

Get your mats ready lads, for the lasses practice being a hostage in your own home wearing the bedding instead of sleeping on it.

ET and Shamrock:

In order for a union to spend money on anything, a motion has to be made, from the floor, and it has to be voted on by the membership. Nothing is "forced". This is not done in secret. The problem is apathy. Most union members so not attend meetings, thus the people that do attend set the agenda. I wonder how many of the SDA commentators who belong to unions actually bother to attend the monthly meetings? People love to bitch and whine, yet they don't make any attempt to change things.

Perhaps when Conservatives stop coming up with policies that screw working people, unions will support them.

so=do

I read in a story about Family Day in Ontario that Manitoba has or is thinking about having a Louis Riel Day. Is this for real?

The coercive state, aka fascist/socialism is a failure.
Three (3) federal departments collude in failure.
The keywords are "Ottawa's policing".
Canada = a failed police state.
...-

"Ottawa's policing of the shellfish industry is so fraught with problems that the health of consumers is being put at risk, says a newly released report."
http://tinyurl.com/2bxulr (canpress)

Ahh, lberia, the "working people" gambit. Nicely played. Unfortunately, union members rartely qualify as "working people" nowadays, as they are at the top of the wage spectrum.

The result? The largest ever gap in philosophy between the union leadership/activist corps and the general membership.

I know in my local, we vote overwhelmingly Conservative while good old Buzz still waffles between supporting the Liberals v1.1 and the Dippers.

Keep trumpeting the working people tune... it hasn't been true of union membership for 20 years, and it never will be again.

Rose - I think the new Muslim government of Britannia, Cymru, and Old Caledonia would rather call itself the "Islamic Emirate of Anglicstan"

lberia - since secret ballots aren't allowed, then, many people won't want to vote in the 'Union-elections'.

Conservatives don't come up with policies that 'screw working people'. Try providing some facts, lberia. List some of these Conservative policies that 'screw working people'.

"GST cut from 7% to 6%, and now to 5% - that’s a tax cut for all Canadians.
Created the new Working Income Tax Benefit to help 1.2 million people over the “welfare wall”.
Created the new $1,000 Canada Employment Credit to lower taxes for working Canadians.
Created the new $2,000 Child Tax Credit amount for every child under 18, a $1.5 billion tax savings for families.
Increased the amount all Canadians can earn without paying federal income tax to $9,600 in 2007 and 2008 and to $10,100 in 2009.
Enacted the Tax Fairness Plan to provide $1 billion in tax relief for Canadian seniors and pensioners.
Delivered new tax credits for public transit, kid’s sports, textbooks, tools, and apprentices.
Eliminated income tax on student scholarships, fellowships and bursaries.
Ensured fairness for single-earners by ending the marriage penalty.
Eliminated the job-killing corporate capital tax.
Enacted the “Tax Back Guarantee”- a plan to use interest savings from national debt repayments to reduce personal income taxes, each and every year.

The Liberal Record

Liberals voted against every tax relief measure put forward by the Conservative government.

The NDP Record

The NDP joined the Liberals in voting against every single tax relief measure for Canadians implemented by the new Conservative government.

Come on, lberia, support your assertions with some facts.

I think that a policy where you have to join a union even though you don't want to, and have to pay dues - 'screws working people'.

Don't tell me that without unions, workers wouldn't get benefits and wage increases. Nonsense. And the amounts the workers pay in dues far exceeds any wage/benefits increases.

"Perhaps when Conservatives stop coming up with policies that screw working people[...]"

Yep, cuz lower taxes = less jobs for their PSAC, OPSEU, SGEU, AUPE, and CUPE "brothers and sisters" / sarc off.

I seem to remember in the 2000 election that the NDP definition of "higher-income" included 80% of the CAW rank and file.

Yep, Nicole, have a happy first "Manitoba Indigenous Resistance Remembrance Day". (sarc)

When will Manitoba officially recognize Dauphin Ukrainian Festival Day instead of August Civic Holiday? (sarc)

FYI: The NFB film on Oka was called "Kanesatake: 360 Years of Resistance".

Yukon:

Funny how you don't see the correlation between belonging to a union and being better payed than the workers who aren't in a union.

How many union meetings have you or your Conservative friends attended?

ET:

Secret ballots are only for elections. Who ever ran a meeting using secret ballots? Haha. Try to find that in Robert's Rules.

I'm not going to waste my time coming up with "proof" for you because you will just ignore it. I remember that happening the last time we had a discussion about the value of union dues. And I remember how the only link you could provide to try and prove me wrong supported my argument. 8>D

"This is not done in secret."

However, secret ballot would reduce intimidation.

Intimidation, a common groupthink-promoting trick of socialists worldwide.

The Canadian Wheat Board is collective bargianing, no?

Seems like the farmer part of ye olde "Farmer-Labour Temple" is gettin' hosed.

Over at Ezra Levant's new site there are pictures of the woman attacked in her home the other day by members of the 'RofP'. Sorry,alleged members,as if it could have been anyone. www.ezralevant.ca

unions have done a fantastic job for workers. Chinese workers have tons of former union jobs.

apathy does reign amoung union membership. try to participate in a meeting without subscribing to group think.

unions do not participate in any larger agenda that the socialist group think. they do rely on each other for backup. the balance sheets that I have seen indicate they spend like the NPD (or Liberals - hard to tell).

with the large manufacturing jobs gone or going... unions have survived long past their best before date...

What is the difference between a Canadian government workers' union under a Parti Quebecois / NDP government, and a Soviet gov't workers' union before 1991 or a Chinese gov't workers' union in the PRC in 2008?

"Secret ballots are only for elections. Who ever ran a meeting using secret ballots?"

Mr L. "Bones of Sib" beria is coming awful close to apologizing against Poland's "Solidarnosc".

Chetien is daring..oops advising Dion the 'bring down' the CPC's.Yes..it's all about power, isn't it? The little guy can't even stay in the House to vote, how will he manage to campaign?
Looks like The Cretin wants to end Dion's fumbling, since the obvious outcome for the Libs would be an excuse to replace Dion.

CTV.ca

Sorry to say this but Jim Prentice looked totally ridiculous on QP today.

He sounded like a robot that had been programmed to repeat the same fifty words as he , no less than five times, kept answering Bob Fife's questions by calling for Dion to justify to Canadians his 62.5 billion dollar promises.

Prentice missed an opportunity to correct Fife when he said that Dion has promised 3 billion for infra-structure improvements.

What he promised was that all surpluses OVER 3 billion would go to infra-structure, so I guess if there is no surplus....POOF!!....no infra-structure money. That went right by Jim Prentice.

Fortunately though, booze head McCallum came next and looked even more ridiculous, calling the Conservatives liars for things they said in 1993 and repeating that over and over.

It would be easy to defeat these half wit Liberals if the Tories would just talk naturally and not like robots.

Accidently linked to WK (I never intentionally go there)...He's complaining about Lapierre...says he has no idea what Chretien wants.
Sounds like WK feels left out...boo hoo why didn't Cretien tell ME first?
WK reminds me of Turner more every day.

Actually, lberia, the local union I'm in is paid significantly less than our American counterparts.

Also, I've been to every single local, and one national conference. (Moncton 2004. CAW Local 5454.)

Thanks, but your dogs, they just don't hunt.

Newsworld's international interview show is asking "What's next for Russia after Putin?"

Same thing for unelected Opposition Leader J. "'ptit gars" Chretien. Pulling the strings of your successor, and being in power after you're officially not in power.

The next step: Shoot the kulaks, says lberia, aka Stalin's first lieutenant.
...-

£10 government permit plan to deter smokers

A ban on the sale of cigarettes to anyone who does not pay for a government smoking permit has been proposed by Health England, a ministerial advisory board.

The idea is the brainchild of the board's chairman, Julian Le Grand, who is a professor at the London School of Economics and was Tony Blair's senior health adviser. In a paper being studied by Lord Darzi, the health minister appointed to oversee NHS reform, he says many smokers would be helped to break the habit if they had to make a decision whether to "opt in"....-
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1971992/posts

Yukon:

Good to know that you go to your meetings. Stand by your principles and make a motion to donate money to the Conservatives. Or do like my union does: make a motion to not make any political donations.

"Unfortunately, union members rartely qualify as "working people" nowadays, as they are at the top of the wage spectrum."

You're moving the goal posts now by bringing up pay rates in the US.

What is the difference between a Canadian government workers' union under a Parti Quebecois / NDP government, and a Soviet gov't workers' union before 1991 or a Chinese gov't workers' union in the PRC in 2008?

I seem to remember in the 2000 election that the NDP definition of "higher-income" included 80% of the CAW rank and file who sweated for "The Man" in Oshawa.

A curious thing on cbc sunday this morning. The two hosts,evan soloman and Carol Whatever,I really don't remember her name,maclean maybe,were wearing identical suits. Is it possible that she spent the night at his place and her clothes were all balled up,under the covers,at the foot of the bed? I wonder,though I have heard she slept her way up to the job,is it possible to sleep your way down? Did this strike anyone else as unusual? Does anyone else watch this show?

lieberia,
I watched and tried to assist a shop in our area from becoming unionized against the vast majority of the workers.
I argued with the Teamsters provincial rep. who was a total idiot and lied about almost everything they had done.
This shop was unionized with far less than 50% of the vote, a legal process in Sask.
On top of this they settled on 2% increase over 5 years now making them the lowest paid shop in the region not including the deductions for union dues.

This was about nothing more than greed on the Teamsters part.
They took the union dues and then abandoned the workers.

Fact is your posts should always be called bullsh@t because they are never smart enough measure up to a lie.

lberia, make up your mind. Do Union members vote as an NDP bloc or not. Unions give overwhelmingly to NDP and socialist causes. Presumably, if 36% of them voted Conservative, they would object to this. Oh right, they're apathetic. It's their fault. The Union goes out of their way, I'm sure, to ensure their members are given a full debate on funding issues, with representation from both sides. The non-secret ballot has nothing do do with it; well that's a certainty, right lberia? When they have a "meeting" about budget allocations, how does it get approved. Are you telling us that budgets are approved by secret ballot?

Do Unions survey their people and ask them where their support to political and social causes. Maybe they rely on low voter turnout to smoke things through. Funny how that works for the overwhelming NDP executives of many, and certainly most if not all public unions.

I do agree it's up to Union members to change this, and how can we if they don't?

Ah yes, that meanie Harper screwing the people. Hmm, I just finished doing a tax return where the client earned $10,000 more in 07 yet paid $300 less in tax. Yeah, she's real upset. Oh, sorry lberia, she's not in a union, so she's not a real "working person;" she's just a cleaner, and I guess not good enough to be in a union.

She would just be apathetic anyway.

Shamrock:

Are you drinking this afternoon? You are making no sense.

To repeat, union members do not vote as a bloc...they make up their own minds; motions are made at a meeting on the floor, to spend money or whether or not to donate to a certain political party, so if you're not at the meeting, you don't have a say; and, only elections are done by ballot.

Your tax example is misleading and also pointless. Your client may have bought RSP's, or done a hundred other things differently from the previous year.

Actually lberia I had a Timmies butter caramel hot smoothy. It was delicious.

Yes, she doubled her modest RRSP contribution; that's the reason she paid less tax, right? Not.

No, her average and marginal tax rates are down from last year. Hello, she made $10,000 more. To reduce marginal tax would require just about all of that raise be contributed.

WRT ballot at unions, let me ask you a clear question. Who decides how much a union is going to contribute to the NDP, or other parties, or other causes? Do the rank and file unions vote directly, and secretly on that decision? Not through them, not around, not past them, but by them, on a secret ballot? I hope the question is clear enough for you, should you care to answer.

I guess there there could be a "hundred reasons" why a union, with say 15% NDP voters, would contribute, 50 or 60 or 75% to them. Of course, they do "vote" for that, at their "meetings."

BTW, what are you drinking?

Iberia "aren't Real Women supposed to be in the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant?" . . . this is pathetic. Are you interested in dialogue, or are you simply wanting to smear any organization or viewpoint in the conservative camp? I don't usually attack people's perspectives unless I have something concrete to add, but you have hit a new low. My impression is that you have simply lost touch with reality.

Shamrock:

Unions run their meetings according to Robert's Rules of Order, though some Canadian unions use Bourinot's Rules, which are very similar. Other than the payment of day to day office expenses, any spending or donations must be put forward as a motion, seconded, discussed and voted on by the members present. Only a member of that particular local lodge can put forward a motion. If no one seconds it, the motion dies. Every member in attendance votes on a motion. It would be impractical to vote on every item of business by secret ballot, so ballot votes are reserved for elections.

If it is known that important business is to be discussed at a future meeting, such as a constitutional change or election, a Notice of Motion is made in order to make sure that interested members will be in attendance at the following meeting to discuss this business.

Which brings us to apathy. Most union members do not attend meetings, nor do they even know what the union does or how it works. (Up until a few years ago I was like this too.) Often the ones that do attend are a bit radical or have an agenda, but if the other less radical members can't be bothered to attend, then motions which they might disagree with are made and passed by those members in attendance.

Hope that makes things clearer. BTW, too busy, so nothing to drink today (unfortunately).

HE"s AT IT AGAIN!!!

HE'S AT IT AGAIN!!!

So someone sends Kinsella a very generic e-mail

"Now, regular reader Helen was one of a few Libs who sent me the CTV link, adding: "Perhaps, one of Chretien's friends should run the war room!" Yikes!"

and he immdiatley, and arrogantly, assmues it is about him.

Didn't we just have that scenario a week ago??

Horny Toad

LindaL:

That "article" is just an opinion piece and looks like it was written by the NCC. Real Women have their smear campaign, why shouldn't I have mine?

Iberia" "why shouldn't I have mine?" because I think we are looking for some level of meaningful dialogue -- hyperbole is pointless in this context. It does nothing but fuel animosity. Surely -- at some level -- you are looking for a validation of your own ideas.

Well LindaL, if you read my later posts, you'll see that I have tried to have some meaningful dialogue. If you find my attitude towards Real Women snarky, it's because I'm tired of well funded partisan lobby groups pretending that they're grass roots organizations.

E.T.

thanks for the link to realwomen. i see the upcoming 25th is going to be held in my neck of the woods.

la belle province holds the dubious distinction of being the most unionised region per capita on the continent. i used to be frustrated by that fact but ever since the blues (from ottawa) took ten federal seats seats (a miracle considering the tories have been all but banished since borden) it seems there is light at the end of the tunnel. the tide is turning - not from activism inside or from activism outside but, from that old friend, adam smith and that ghostly hand. that and the fact younger generations have witnessed the corrosive effect of collectivist thought.

it is not written anywhere as mandatory, but the government here consults with BIG labour (CSN & FTQ)on many issues. government knows the consequences of forgetting to cc strategy/policy sessions. imagine karl marx and adam smith in the same room.

then try to get a handle on the idea that a majority government for cpc rests in large part with the voters of quebec. i'm not making this up or making predictions but i am an optimist at heart. the irony of it all.

ET - pardon

[quote]it is not written anywhere as mandatory, but the government here consults with BIG labour (CSN & FTQ)on many issues. government knows the consequences of forgetting to cc strategy/policy sessions. imagine karl marx and adam smith in the same room.[/quote]

Johnny,
You seem confused... The Labor Unions from Quebec IMO do not seem to be political, on the contrary they just want sustainable Industry & Jobs. I could be wrong!

The Bad unions are those that wage Socialistic Class War in the work place. These Unions are not desired or successful. The union membership are usually underpaid because management numbers must be increased to deal with the nonsence/mischief.

Corporations can deal and many actually prefer to have GOOD unions... Why! Because they can eliminate/reduce costly middle management. The break point favors unions.

The 1950's are gone.

lberia, I didn't move the goalposts, as I'm in a field with only one employer north of the border, and one main employer south of it. That, you see, makes it my only point of reference, unless I start comparing dollars to euros, etc, etc.

No Yukon, I meant that you initially wrote that union members are at the top of the wage spectrum, and then later you started making comparisons with the US.

phillip,

yes i'm confused. it's 2008.

i'm not against interested parties sitting down and negotiating deals, but across the public spectrum i would prefer those parties to be official and elected as opposed to unofficial and unelected.

politicians have been known to unexpectedly change their minds on projects when made aware of previously unforeseen consequences - and i would wager that it is not outside the realm of chances that the newer position was against their better judgement.

i'm not suggesting people throw out the baby with the bathwater - but i do have fond memories of reagan and the air traffic controllers.

did you read the article here?

Re my union, the meetings are so far away from where most of us work, it causes real hardship for most members to get to them—not to mention the mountains of obligations that teachers now have to deal with. Then, there’s the fact that the union is made up of a cabal of socialists, more interested in the considerable perqs of office than the deteriorating working conditions of those who pay them. (Ask any teacher falsely accused by a student, parent, or administrator: one wonders why one pays such big bucks to these politically correct union appeasers, whose utopian ideas actually work against teachers in the trenches.)

Most union types—the women, in particular—are not married and certainly don’t have kids. Teachers with kids are already in high stress mode from two very demanding jobs: their classes and their own children. When I was in that position, I was the school rep. for my union—mainly to keep an eye on its shenanigans: all feminist and socialist, all the time—unintelligently presented, I might add. (These lock-step toadies sure give the words “education” and “intelligence” a bad reputation.)

I’d write submissions, with an alternate viewpoint, to their publications (for which my dues paid), both local and provincial. Then I’d have to fight to have my ideas published. I pointed out to the union enforcers that an alternate viewpoint was an important aspect of both debate and educating their members. Of course, I soon found out that “debate” and “educating” are words sadly lacking in their lexicon. However, the word “indoctrination” has pride of place. One union bigwig actually told me to forget the articles and letters—my right, I pointed out—and that, if I wanted a say, I’d have to run for office. Right . . .

Activist, socialist teachers, who see the union for the Sugar Daddy it is, and don’t like being in the classroom, have a nice little sinecure in their cushy, highly paid union jobs: it’s basically a closed shop. No new ideas or debate are ever welcome. And they spend my hard earned money on political action that is anathema to me: “taxation without representation” basically.

Ironically, when the teachers’ unions were separated, the female arm, firmly in the clutches of doctrinaire feminists, tried to pass a pro-abortion motion at their AGM. Because of declining enrolment, teachers were losing jobs in droves and young teachers couldn’t get into the profession. The feminist pinheads, of course, had no sense of irony at all. BTW, by some miracle, the female lawyer who was hired to moderate the motions—the union airheads had made a “mistake” and hired a non-feminist lawyer!—ruled the motion out of order; “This assembly has no authority to vote on such an ‘out of school’ issue on behalf of the whole profession.” So there! But the unions still try on this kind of thing. Read the huge list of motions for each AGM. They’re preposterous and altogether pretentious: as if the teachers of a certain, very local jurisdiction can solve all the world’s problems! I’m sure someone’s tried to slip in one that condemns Stephen Harper for the plight of starving children in Africa.

I’ve read REAL Women’s factual, well researched paper. Brava, ladies!

Stalin/lberia's Gulag cells*: The Evil in a new form.
...-

The Dungeon of Fallujah

“This is not Norway here, and it is not Denmark.” – Lebanese Forces militia leader Bashir Gemayel.

FALLUJAH – Next to the Joint Communications Center in downtown Fallujah is a squalid and war-shattered warehouse for human beings. Most detainees are common criminals. Others are captured insurgents – terrorists, car-bombers, IED makers, and throat-slashers. A few are even innocent family members of Al Qaeda leaders at large. The Iraqi Police call it a jail, but it's nothing like a jail you've ever seen, at least not in any civilized country. It was built to house 120 prisoners. Recently it held 900.

“Have you seen that place yet?” one Marine said. “It is absolutely disgraceful.”

“The smell,” said another and nearly gagged on remembering. “God, you will never forget it.”

I hadn't seen or smelled it yet, but I was about to. http://tinyurl.com/2qvunb (mjtotten)
...-

*Gulag cells.
The St. Petersburg Times - Opinion - Standing Up for the 'Real ...
It is clear that Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov did not have any relatives who rotted in gulag cells packed to 15 times their capacity. ...
www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=8216

Taliban Day from Taliban Jack Layton-NDP.
...-

Layton urges Harper to create new national holiday on third Monday of February
OTTAWA - NDP Leader Jack Layton wants the prime minister to give Canadians a winter break.

lberia - perhaps you missed the correlation of corporate income taxes on worker's wages as well:

http://users.ox.ac.uk/~mast1732/RePEc/pdf/WP0707.pdf

and yet which party is against corporate tax cuts? That's right, the favourite of the union executives.

I got fired from a Dept of Hwys union job, in B.C., (lowly flag girl!) for putting a poster up in the lunchroom saying Vote Social Credit, back in 1979. Unions are political and they are contol freaks.
BTW, I did not have ANY Union benifits as I was an auxillery worker BUT I had dues deducted from my cheques. You can imagine my relief when I moved to Alta. and landed a job in free enterprize where my boss only asked me to do my job!

Google translates Talibanese.

" "We have followed the saga of liberals who do not seem interested," said our source. « On lui a donné un coup de fil car ses opinions dans plusieurs dossiers, comme la loi anti-scab et l’Afghanistan, la condition féminine, les pétrolières, se rapprochent de la position de notre formation. "We gave him a call because his opinions in several cases, such as the anti-scab and Afghanistan, women, the oil closer to the position of our training. » "

Françoise Boivin join the NDP
[...]

Opportunities in Quebec

« Nous avons suivi la saga des libéraux qui ne semblent pas intéressés », a poursuivi notre source. "We have followed the saga of liberals who do not seem interested," said our source. « On lui a donné un coup de fil car ses opinions dans plusieurs dossiers, comme la loi anti-scab et l’Afghanistan, la condition féminine, les pétrolières, se rapprochent de la position de notre formation. "We gave him a call because his opinions in several cases, Françoise Boivin join the NDP » "
http://tinyurl.com/3aqqqx