From Drudge: "FOXNEWS snubbed again by President Obama (only TV network not called on)... Developing..."

Lovely song there, thanks. I saw Richard Thompson perform this in Calgary just before Christmas; it was like hearing it for the first time, although I'd heard it often enough before.

New Australian Continent Wide Low Temperature Record Set For April

[A new Australian record was set early this morning, a temperature of minus 13 degrees, at Charlotte Pass on the Snowy Mountains.

This is the lowest temperature recorded anywhere in Australia in April and is 13 below the average.]WUWT

http://wattsupwiththat.com/

At least the CBC responded to my questioning as to why it would air the Gore Fraud. Responded with more drivel and blatant lies, that is. I am not surprised.

-------------------

Dear Ron

Your correspondence with the Office of the Ombudsman was forwarded to me for response. It has come to my attention that we may not have replied to you. If so, please accept my apology and allow me to offer our reasoning for airing An Inconvenient Truth.

As you may know, An Inconvenient Truth won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. It also garnered considerable public reaction and stimulated debate on this import subject. We felt that our viewers would be keenly interested in the program, and judging by the number of viewers, they were indeed.

As for the debate over climate change, or global warming, I do not pretend to be an expert, but I believe strongly in the integrity of the documentary. Facts in this debate always seem to be in dispute, and perhaps more than facts themselves, the interpretation of them. As programmers, we can and do seek to reflect the scope of the debate.

There have been countless stories on climate change presented by CBC News. Our science strand, The Nature of Things has covered the story closely. CBC Newsworld has broadcast about a dozen documentaries from around the world on this subject in the last three seasons. Among them, notably Doomsday Called Off and Everything’s Cool take issue with the prevailing views on climate change. The issue of climate change has been a longstanding one, as evidenced by the number of documentaries aired on this subject. I have no doubt it will continue to be one of the most important issues of our time.

CBC will continue to cover this story, and in documentary programming we will continue to strive for fairness and accuracy, while reflecting the ebb and flow of the debate.

Thank you for your interest in our programming.

Yours truly,

Michael Claydon

>>> CBC Ombudsman 1/12/2009 11:06 AM >>>
Dear Ron

I write to acknowledge your e-mail which I am sharing with Michael Claydon, the area Executive Producer of Documentaries, along with the request that your concerns be addressed.

Yours truly,

Vince Carlin
Ombudsman, CBC

-----------------------------

"Thank you for your interest in our programming."

WTF !! I haven't watched ANY ! CBC programs in a decade !

"I have no doubt it will continue to be one of the most important issues of our time."

Ya, sure. It is NOT ! an important issue of our time. The CBC is trying to make it so because fear mongering is what our beloved media does.

"As for the debate over climate change, or global warming, I do not pretend to be an expert, but I believe strongly in the integrity of the documentary."

Can you believe that !!?? Pravda was never this bad.

Ron,

The killer line in Carlin's screed was this: "I believe strongly in the integrity of the documentary."

What integrity?! Even a British court realized that it was a propaganda piece. But not the CBC.

Remember though that the Toronto Broadcasting Corporation is the same one that thinks it's perfectly okay to publish a constant stream of hate from Heather Mallick. And your tax dollars & mine keep it all moving forward. :-(

If Obama had followed George Washington, the British could have overturned the whole Revolution thingy by just going to Court!

From the Associated Press(http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gS_wCwVf04MPhiRv1lwDohnZy8gAD97SBFS80):

"In speaking to reporters Wednesday, Holder also said it is possible the United States could cooperate with a foreign court's investigation of Bush administration officials.

Holder spoke before the announcement that a Spanish magistrate had opened an investigation of Bush officials on harsh interrogation methods. Holder didn't rule out cooperating in such a probe.

"Obviously, we would look at any request that would come from a court in any country and see how and whether we should comply with it," Holder said.

"This is an administration that is determined to conduct itself by the rule of law and to the extent that we receive lawful requests from an appropriately created court, we would obviously respond to it," he said.

Pressed on whether that meant the United States would cooperate with a foreign court prosecuting Bush administration officials, Holder said he was talking about evidentiary requests and would review any such request to see if the U.S. would comply."

If King George III had brought legal action, alledging loss of tea or other generally illegal activities in the Washington administration, the big Owe would have provided the King with Paul Revere's itinerary and the names and addresses of all members of the previous administration. After due justice, he would have turned back the clock and surrendered the colonies - just to prove that he was so much more in tune with European sensibilities - and apologized for past U.S. arrogance.

Words fail, bobz.

Yes, the new president's Attorney General goes to Europe and says the U.S. might cooperate with "a foreign court's investigation of Bush administration officials."

It's not a sick joke, it's not April Fool's Day. This new "president" is not a friend of the USA, he's an opponent, operating on behalf of the international community. Even during Obama's campaign, when details about his past -- about his pastor, about his associates -- were emerging, who could have imagined how this guy is turning America out?

Vile.

Since 1954 Edmonton has been served by a local TV station named CFRN. A few years ago CTV stripped the station of its local call letters; the CFRN suppertime news became "CTV News, " and the familiar metal letters "CFRN" were removed from the building on Stony Plain Road -- you can still see the stains -- and supplanted with the CTV corporate logo.

Last week the CEO of CTV, Federal Liberal fundraiser Ivan Fecan gave a presentation, to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage. He opened, "Thank you for the invitation to discuss a matter that is vital to the social fabric of Canada, the future of local television."

"Local is worth fighting for. In fact, we believe that the foundation of our broadcasting system is local broadcasting. And if we cut those roots, we will lose something invaluable as a nation. Local is the comfort zone for our audiences. Local is the glue that binds. Local is where people live."

Pretty shameless.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew /show/CTVShows/20031023/corp-default

Does anyone know what happened to "Blackkettleblogspot" It has been removed today. It is an Alberta blogger, IIRC his name is Tim Dormain. Don't know if it has anything to do with it's disappearance but he posted a particularly critical article against Premier Stelmach with references to the Albert Human Rights Commision yesterday.

mid island mike

Very interesting thoughts from Victor Davis Hanson about Obama's first 100 days can be heard at the beginning of this.

MORE LIBERAL HYPOCRISY

There is no doubt in my mind that the CBC is the "silent" right arm of the Liberal Party of Canada. Please ponder on the following facts for a moment.
From Mar. 28-1995 to April 10, 2009, the CBC's Fifth Estate ran a series of nine--one hour long, complex and expensive programs (documentaries) that focused on Brian Mulroney, Karheinz Schreiber and the dealings they may have had together in or about 1988. If anybody has any idea on what the cost of these programs were to the CBC, aka the Cdn taxpeyer, I would appreciate a reply.
On the other hand, SPONSORGATE involved well over 100 million dollars. Is it coincidence that the Firth Estate began broadcasting the Schreiber-Mulroney incidents at about the same time that Sponsorgate was in full swing. (1996-2004) Isn't it odd that not one editon of The Firth Estate ever delved into the mechanics of Sponsorgate??
What a perfect smokescreen to divert Canada's attention towards Mulroney, and away from Sponsorgate. It's interesting to note that several RCMP officers investigated Mulroney and his dealings with the aibus affair, not one charge was ever laid. And while Mulroney did successfully sue Canada for the investigation, his ordeal was far from over.

Why has no one ever questioned the motives of the CBC?? Why were they given an unlimited sum of money to produce the nine--one hour long documentries that often involved travel to Europe, (Germany, Switzerland etc.) Those questions need to be answered.

General Welfare Motors has recently announced that they will close 400 some dealerships across Canada. Was it wise to pay bailout $$ to Ontario auto manufacturers that will in turn close smaller dealerships, many in rural Western Canada?? Total laid off workers, about 3000. I'm sure the same scenario will unfold in the USA, time ten. It seems paying Peter to pay Paul never works.

Stronger actions than our politically correct Politicians would, heaven forbid, ever take.

[ A British vacationer is being hailed a hero after he thwarted gun-toting pirates attacking a cruise ship — by throwing a deck chair at them.] Fox

See, it's not so hard. Imagine what a destroyer would do !!

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,518343,00.html

As painful as it is to listen to the "presidential address" - OH MY HEAVEN - we are in for a rough ride in North America in the next little while

I get no schadenfreude in saying this - I'm Canadian - we are tied to the US in many ways - but oh my heaven - I'm afraid

Tonight I'm left to ponder the GM "recovery plan" or more precisely the plan to reduce the dealer net by 310 franchises by Jan 1, 2010. Can someone please take the time to explain to me how dumping franchises will help the cause? Dealers that have had to pay for EVERY friggin' thing they've gotten since day one from tools to network access? Someone please tell me? WTH is it going to really accomplish? Is it optics? Is it, the union wanting everyone to suffer equally. I'm baffled, so please someone tell me, HTF does GM plan to save money by killing it's best customer?

Anyone?

To me it's like the parts department getting rid of the service department.

Erik, I'm with you there, amigo! But I sense that change is afoot. I sense a fundamental revolution within the Republican Party, throwing out the RINOs and giving Americans a true alternative to this Big Government nuttiness!

Plus, if America is attacked by terrorist (God forbid), Obama's presidency will be over since most Americans will suddenly wake-up to the Reality Series that is his tenure.

I just checked out the Twitter feed of the hatemonger at the T.O. Star.

Wow, I thought I had seen some pretty terrible things at the Daily Kos but she seems intent on setting some new records on the Anger Barometer!

Robert W - yep, if there's even a whiff of a "terrorist attack" - by whomever whichever group - that will be a death knell for BO - oh by the way - I would never name my dog after my own initials - that is so pretentious!!

Erik, I hope & trust that the more intelligent folks at the CIA are carefully documenting how Obama & co. are dismantling their operations. So if/when something occurs, there will be a direct line of responsibility of how it could have been prevented.

Note: I'm wincing at talking about this because I clearly and obviously hope no such attack ever occurs but if it does then those knowing moving back to a September 10th mindset MUST be held responsible for their part in it.

A big shout out and thanks to 'Matt' for continuing to post videos from Michael Coren's show!

Here's a segment from the latest one, talking about the uninspired, uninteresting television that is put out by the CBC.

Stephen Harper turns 50 today. For some reason I always remember this one because it's the same day as tax filing deadline (there's a joke to be made in there somewhere, but I'm not sure what it is).

the bear: "Can someone please take the time to explain to me how dumping franchises will help the cause?"

Well, their sales are dropping. They are going to be owned by a union and the US gov't ... what do you think that will do for sales?

So, as far as GM is concerned they can't have most of their dealers failing (and they would be failing), or pick the about half of them and hope they succeed. I think their problem will be keeping "enough" dealers while they collapse, I believe that there are lots that want to bail now.

There must be a lot of prime real estate tied up with dealerships but unless I am mistaken that belongs to the dealer. Does anyone know if they are co-owned?

Check out this video clip from last year's campaign. Bambam literally gives John McCain the finger:

http://bigsole.blogspot.com/2009/02/lie-to-me-obama-gives-mccain-finger-or.html

What a class act.

Thanks, Vitruvius, for that enchanting version of "She Moved Through the Fair" by Anne Briggs, a fascinating singer who, by rights, should be known by everyone. What an amazingly clear and haunting voice. Astonishing that Wikipedia doesn't cite her version of this song.

They do, however, mention Van Morrison's, accompanied by The Chieftans, on his album "Irish Heartbeat." It prompted me to pull the CD off the shelf and listen to Van's rendition: The Chieftan's accompaniment was suitably wistful, but Van can't begin to compete with the dulcet tones of Brigg's voice.

Jack Frosst: "Why has no one ever questioned the motives of the CBC?? Why were they given an unlimited sum of money to produce the nine--one hour long documentries that often involved travel to Europe, (Germany, Switzerland etc.) Those questions need to be answered."

Why not write the Ombudsman, for the record, with these questions and your MP? The LPC is hermetically sealed by the CBC, they have a hands-off policy towards them when it comes to any investigation into the scandals involving Liberal leaders or their party.

I smell a rat, too, when it comes to the continuing, ad nauseum, investigation into the Mulroney/Schreiber affair. It's old, stale "news," aka a witch hunt -- a diversionary tactic, for sure, on the part of the CBC to protect their political party of choice. It's a scandal in itself that the taxpayers of Canada are footing the bill to cosset, protect, and promote the LPC.

FIRE. THEM. ALL.

Thanks, Vitruvius, for that enchanting version of "She Moved Through the Fair" by Anne Briggs, a fascinating singer who, by rights, should be known by everyone. What an amazingly clear and haunting voice. Astonishing that Wikipedia doesn't cite her version of this song.

They do, however, mention Van Morrison's, accompanied by The Chieftans, on his album "Irish Heartbeat." It prompted me to pull the CD off the shelf and listen to Van's rendition: The Chieftan's accompaniment was suitably wistful, but Van can't begin to compete with the dulcet tones of Brigg's voice.

Jack Frosst: "Why has no one ever questioned the motives of the CBC?? Why were they given an unlimited sum of money to produce the nine--one hour long documentries that often involved travel to Europe, (Germany, Switzerland etc.) Those questions need to be answered."

Why not write the Ombudsman, for the record, with these questions and your MP? The LPC is hermetically sealed by the CBC, they have a hands-off policy towards them when it comes to any investigation into the scandals involving Liberal leaders or their party.

I smell a rat, too, when it comes to the continuing, ad nauseum, investigation into the Mulroney/Schreiber affair. It's old, stale "news," aka a witch hunt -- a diversionary tactic, for sure, on the part of the CBC to protect their political party of choice. It's a scandal in itself that the taxpayers of Canada are footing the bill to cosset, protect, and promote the LPC.

FIRE. THEM. ALL.

Apologies for double post. About half the time, I click "Post" and my comment doesn't show up. I have to shut down my connection to SDA and come back to see if it actually posted. Weird. 'Am doing that on another thread right now.

'Bye!

Ural, if they wanted to bail they would have already. I don't see dealers lining up in Canada (and Canada is my primary concern) to have their heads cut off like obedient little chickens.

Caught this link over at Watt Up With That...

Fat people cause global warming which just means they're trying to create a new carbon credit market.

(poster JimB, in this thread)

Re dealership contraction.

This desparately needed to be done years ago (20) dealers are expensive to support and even more difficult to keep Inline in terms of quality control for service and sale methods. Lots of them are awful at both.

Thy also compete with each other and demand thatvthey have differentiation - that's why Olds buick gmc plymouth and other redundant brands were kept alive far too long.

Calgary has eight Chrysler dealers if memory serves and a half dozen or more less than thirty miles away. Toyota has two or three. Red deer has two literally across the street from one another. Imagine safeway or walmart having stores insuch density.

Ron -- you have a perfect opportunity to take CBC at their word. In their letter they say:

As programmers, we can and do seek to reflect the scope of the debate . . . and CBC will continue to cover this story, and in documentary programming we WILL CONTINUE TO STRIVE FOR FAIRNESS AND ACCURACY, while reflecting the ebb and flow of the debate.

You could suggest that they air "Global warming swindle" (is that still circulating?). I found it a compelling counter to GORE. You could also suggest that any airing of Gore's or similar one sided views allow for a follow-up dabate. Or even -- if they acknowledged that there is a debate and invited viewer comments. So far I do not see much attempt to strive for fairness or accuracy. Nor are they covering the "scope" of the dabate.

Hey! How about those savvy Quebec voters!

Canada's corrupt, spoiled, self-centered,embarrassing, disgracefully expensive and needy AS*Hole "sibling". Soon to bring us another corrupt, spoiled, self-centered, embarrassing, disgracefully expensive and needy AS*Hole Liberal government.

1. City politics - SHDM saga now a police matter

http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/fp/SHDM+saga+police+matter/1543306/story.html

2.Provincial politics - PQ links companies owned by Liberals to public funds

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090429.wquebec0429/BNStory/politics/home

3.Federal politics - Quebec poll buoys Liberals

SSSSSHHHHHHHH ( adscam ) Je me souviens !!!!

(Via SWJ; NYT warning) John Markoff and Thom Shanker, Panel Advises Clarifying U.S. Plans on Cyberwar

The United States has no clear military policy about how the nation might respond to a cyberattack on its communications, financial or power networks, a panel of scientists and policy advisers warned Wednesday, and the country needs to clarify both its offensive capabilities and how it would respond to such attacks...

Show me the numbers that prove dealers are expensive to keep. You won't find them, dealership franchises are a source of income.

Angry is pulling in the comments with this.

Beware of “Ted”, aka Cerberus*.

STOPIGGY, aka The Grim Reaper.
…-

“Coalition Fallout: Michael Ignatieff reaps what he sowed
Wednesday, April 29, 2009 at 06:08 PM
Comments: 76

None of this should come as a surprise. It is Liberal conceit, born of Michael Ignatieff’s own self-importance, that the Liberal Party can force an election at the time of its choosing. When will that be? In the fall, say the Liberal insiders.

Of course, this is nonsense. The Liberals can’t force anything.”
http://stevejanke.com/archives/286644.php#respond

* From Greek mythology:CERBERUS is the Three-headed guard dog of Hades.
Hades = PET’s PET Cemetery.

Free Sample from Cerberus: “The party is more united right now than it has ever been in my lifetime except maybe in 1981.”

Pete D
Re: provincial politics PQ links Liberals

Go have a read of the Comments
"Guilty by Association Syndrom strikes again at the globe comments"

Charest = Mulroney = Harper = Spin = Anything but Liberal theft of Taxpayer monies.

In case you were wondering:

Economists Niels Veldhuis and Milagros Palacios estimate that for a Canadian family with an average income of $71,764 in 2008, $10,293 of their total tax bill of $31,535 comes from paying income taxes.

On top of that, are:

- Sales taxes, $4,542

- Liquor, tobacco, amusement and other excise taxes, $1,782

- Auto, fuel and motor vehicle licence taxes, $770

- Social security, medical and health taxes, $6,403

- Property taxes, $2,787

- Import duties, $286

- Profits tax (capital gains, etc.), $3,302

- Natural resource taxes, $586

- Other taxes, $783

All of which totals $31,535 in taxes, or 43.9% of the average Canadian family's income.

The Fraser Institute also notes we pay more in taxes than on food, shelter and clothing combined.

Last year, the average family paid $14,895 for shelter, $7,955 for food and $2,768 for clothing, for a total of $25,618, or 35.7% of income, compared to a tax bill of $31,535, or 43.9% of income.

http://www.torontosun.com/comment/columnists/lorrie_goldstein/2009/04/30/9299441-sun.html

More Conservative hypocrisy:

Harper planning a coalition with the seperatists and the socialists.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090429/bloc_tories_090429/20090429?hub=QPeriod

Global Warming Ruled a Religion by British Judge

A fired British executive is suing his former employer on the grounds that he was unfairly dismissed due to religious views – his belief in global warming.

“In the first case of its kind, employment judge David Sneath said Tim Nicholson, a former environmental policy officer, could invoke employment law for protection from discrimination against him for his conviction that climate change was the world's most important environmental problem.”

Bryanr:

The Globe and Mail comment section reminds me of that old saying:

"The wise man never argues with the fool; casual observers may not be able to
tell which is which."

ulianov, want to tell me where it once says "coalition" in that article you linked?

Eugene, if it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck...

the bear,

"I don't think anybody has seen the likes of this," he said. "Let's be realistic, I don't think any dealer wouldn't look at anything that comes across his desk as far as an exit strategy.""

- In business talk this means "show me a way that I can make profit turning this turkey into a X"

"Mr. DesRosiers said dealerships are now changing hands with no value attached for goodwill. That means buyers are effectively buying only the land the dealerships sit on and placing no value on the actual business."

- In business talk this means "I can turn this turkey into a parking lot"

http://tinyurl.com/cn8p5u

Ottawa - doing the things that an asteroid can't do

"Ottawa's inaction could result in extinctions"

http://tinyurl.com/cboq3r

Fairness Doctrine 'unconstitutional'

Clarence Thomas: Controversial policy 'deep intrusion' into broadcasters' rights

http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=96594

This is a stpry worth following with the Dutch Royal Family

http://tinyurl.com/cneajp

Wonder who was driving the car?

Guilty by Association again! Isnt that right Ulinov
Over at Angry he Nails it pretty good though, How are the Liberals going to take down the conservatives when they are going to require the votes of 1 or atleast 2 of the other opposition parties & they are not going to take down the Conservatives when they are also Tanking in the Polls or Take a chance at losing seats & votes which in turn would jeopardize the much required Federal Funding rec'd. for votes.
Also isn't it strange all the Layton hype we have seen over the last few weeks in the msm Referencing the the same issue Layton needs Harper in order to survive.
Funny though when you have a Minority Govt I repeat Minority Govt, Politics makes strange bedfellows.

Under my bus!

Now thats funny, I don't care who you are.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfL-Oj1rQ-c&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fpajamasmedia%2Ecom%2F&feature=player_embedded

h/t pajamas media

Sadly Stephen, the first thing I thought of was; now how many ways will they appease and protect this lone crazy 'car driver'?

O Canada lOves* O.

Ivison/MSM speak for you: "Canadians lowered their defences and surrendered, seduced".
Speak not for "Canadians", Ivison; your arrogance is showing.
...-

"Canada starts to feel the bite of new U.S. protectionism
National Post ^ | 2009-04-29 | John Ivison

When Barack Obama came to Ottawa in February, Canadians lowered their defences and surrendered, seduced by the new President’s promises that the United States would stand by its international trade obligations and resist protectionism.

It was an object lesson in why politicians should be judged on results, not their intentions. The reality is that Canada and the United States are engaging in skirmishes that threaten to erupt into an all-out trade war.

John Hayward runs an industrial equipment company, Hayward Gordon, in Halton Hills, Ontario, but is in the process of transferring some of his company’s manufacturing capacity to the United States from Canada, with the loss of Canadian jobs, because he is being shut out of the American market by President Obama’s stimulus bill."
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2241105/posts
...-

*"Canada's love affair with Barack Obama - Canada - Macleans.ca
Canada's love affair with Barack Obama. We love him, with an asterisk. The broad-band smile, the Lincolnesque bearing, the sense of the man as an avatar of ..."

Kinsella registers as lobbyist for NL in nationwide tobacco lawsuit..

ulianov, aka V.I. Lenin, aka Ulyanov, aka Lenin passed on his "swine flu" to Stalin who signed a pact with the fascist Axis* as early as 1922.
...-

"The Facts on Fascism

Yes, it is indeed similar to fascism.

Since my April 2 column that compared Barack Obama's economic policies (and others) to those of Italy's Benito Mussolini, I have been denounced on the pages of the Economist, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Toronto Star, and the New York Times (less strongly denounced there than in the others, oddly enough), and by Chris Matthews (and guests Tony Blankley and Larry Sabato) on Hardball, and also had the idea made fun of by CNN morning hosts while they played a rather tame and sober interview they had done with me on the subject.

Never mind that in the New York Times on April 7 , David Leonhardt went farther, comparing the policies to the economics of Hitler in the course of saying that was a good thing because Hitler's economics worked."
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2241126/posts
...-

*"The Avalon Project : Supplementary Agreement to the German-Russian ...
The Treaty signed at Rapallo, on April 16 1922, between the German Reich and the Russian Socialist Soviet Republic shall apply, mutatis mutandis, ...
avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/rapallo_002.asp

me no dhimmi - thanks for the link, but the judge's definition of a religious belief as equivalent to a philosophical belief is untenable.

The nature of a religious belief is its immunity to evidential verification; you accept it on faith. The nature of a philosophical belief is its acceptance of evidential or logical verification; you accept it on evidence and reason.

After all, I could declare that I could be a salesman for a global firm but have a belief that 'the earth is flat' and refuse to travel for my firm. Since the judge has viewed this as a religious rather than empirical belief - well? I could have a belief that no women should be allowed in the firm. And?

ulianov - as usual, you refuse to acknowledge the truth.

The Liberal-NDP-Bloc Coalition was a legal, signed agreement between the three parties that they would do certain actions. These included taking over the govt without an election. Remember, not one Canadian voted for such a coalition. And, disabling the ability of parliament to call an election for a minimum of 18 months. Because the Bloc signed its agreement to support all confidence Motions. Without reading those Motions. This was the most vicious attack against our democracy in Canadian history.

A 'coalition' understood, not as a signed agreement outlining joint actions to be taken aover months, but ONLY one action, a single VOTE in parliament - is not the same thing. After all, if one party agrees with the content of a motion proposed by another party - that's parliament at work. Not at all similar to the Liberal-NDP-Bloc coalition, which denigrated and dismissed parliament to set themselves up in POWER.

You, of course, unless you are totally dimwitted, know this. You are just trying to troll.

Pete, thank you for the link to the Lorrie Goldstein article. It truly is shocking how much tax we all have to pay these days. And where's it going? To overpaid government paper shufflers.

I took the time to produce two pie-charts of the numbers which you can view here.

Great pic 'vit'. Something about a voice like that singing an old song brings back memories about when singing was words that you can understand and hear and want to hear again.

Thanks for the link 'pete'. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090429.wquebec0429/BNStory/politics/home

Very interesting comments and where the news is going to go on that one.

A POLL for SDA Regulars to Help Out With

Are you in favour of a moratorium on hydro?

If you support run of river hydro, please vote NO on a moratorium. Current the 'No' side is losing. Do help change that!

Poll here

To Gord Tulk

My dad was a Pontiac dealer in a small town, we sold about 250 new and used cars every year. . All dealer expenses are absorbed by the dealer principle. (Heating, lights, taxes etc.) Once computers came in, it was not uncommon for one dealer to pay $4000 or more for one single program that arrived in a disc or diskette..
Just as an example, the book that was used to show the paint colours and upholsery cost over $500.00. (An ordinary binder with samples glued to pages.) Interest on new units started the moment the new car hit our lot. By the time a car was sold, the company had often collected over $1000 in interest alone. Special tools were sent to us without our permission, we were forced to pay for them. Much of the demise of the GM dealer system of a cannibal attitude towards their dealers!! I know one thing for sure. You can`t sell more cars with less dealers. Could Macdonalds sell more burgers with less outlets? I doubt it--it`s all about numbers.
The reason that GM once dominated the car market is that they had dealers in every town in the nation. Today, they are toast, and by their own hand!

I'm not sure what happened with that link. Here it is: http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_north/campbellrivermirror

By the way, the proposed moratorium of the BC NDP will have real consequences for some people in the province. Here's an interesting video showing one such group: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBo9jyTL_Z8

ldd,

All they say so far is that they searched the house and the car and have declared it wasnt terrorism....whatever....and that the person is a "Dutch national"...which of course means nothing other than he has Dutch citizenship.

They havent released his name or picture yet but have said it is a "he" and that he is 39.

Could be just your everyday crazy, or an anti monarchist

You think it would get more play here, becasue wasnt Queen Beatrix born in Ottawa during the war?

Closing thousands of dealerships will put GM out of business and Anna into a Ford product. When GM cut the Olds brand, nearly all of the dealerships became instead Honda, Hyundai, Subaru, you name it, every derivative POS made.
Now, there is nothing wrong with Ford products, and in fact, we have a Lincoln pick up. But if one has modeled on a specific make, it is wrenching to switch.
What will happen to Corvettes and Cadillacs? Mustangs are nice but they ain't Corvettes [grammar intended]. I love Lincolns but have owned various models of Cadillacs for over 20 years. It is not the same.

O lOves Iowa.

"Obama declares love for Canada, banishes Bush era | Reuters
19 Feb 2009 ... OTTAWA"

"Thank you, President Obama, and may you do even better in your next 100 days."
...-

"William Watson: Our Obama opportunity

The more Obama raises U.S. government spending, the better Canada looks to private investors

By William Watson
In his first 100 days in office, President Barack Obama favoured us with a visit, said very gracious things about us, made supporting our Afghan mission politically respectable again, offered to help out our economy by buying maple leaf cookies for his daughters and hit approval ratings not seen since Trudeaumania. On the other hand, no sooner had Air Force One landed back in Washington than his Agriculture Department announced new meat-labelling rules that will hit our exporters hard. Still, Mr. Obama has subsequently made clear that his campaign promise to renegotiate NAFTA is no longer operative, which is good for us.

If the President’s direct effect on Canada has been minimal, his sideswipe effects have been substantial and his post-100 Days influence offers up new strategic possibilities for us, including repositioning ourselves as North America’s market-friendlier half.

The sideswipe effects include quasi-nationalization of two car companies, which forced us to follow suit or lose plants to the United States, and his continuation of the Bush policy of mega-bucks for banks, which induced the Bank of Canada to provide comparable loans to our supposedly much healthier banks lest free money for U.S. banks cause them competitive disadvantage.

But if the sideswipes have forced greater intervention here, Mr. Obama’s long-term influence may move in the other direction. You may have been as struck as I was by the graph Jason Clemens and Neils Veldhuis published here yesterday (reproduced above). It shows government expenditure in Canada and the United States over the last 60 years as a share of the two countries’ respective GDPs."
urlm.in/chif

After the first 100 days, Rasmussen provides us with the ratings.

Obama began with 44% strongly approve and a total of 65% approval.
He began with only 16% strongly disapprove and a total of 30% disapproval.

He's now at 34% strongly approve and 54% approval, and 32% strongly disapprove and 45% disapproval.

In other words, he's shrunk to his partisan Democrat base. He's lost Republicans and is starting to lose independents..at a slower rate.

He's now in a situation where what he does, specifically, in reaction to situations, will reflect on him alone.

So far, he's managed, as a Teflon Man, to deflect causality onto Bush. And others. He's explained the reason for the massive pork stimulus as 'Bush's fault'; the reason for 'torture' as 'Bush'. The reason for 'Europeans not liking us' as 'Bush'.

He's very good at passing the buck. He tried to explain the AIG bonuses as 'the greed of the wealthy', ignoring that his own administration wrote in those bonuses. AND, that his definition of 'wealth' means that self-made middle class businesses are no longer wanted in America. The middle class, to Obama, are all about 'greed'.

Any problem - he passes off to someone else. But this has a limited capacity. Eventually, he's going to have to acknowledge that HIS decisions have results. And that these results might not be welcome.

He's working now, to deflect the next Tea Parties, as caused by FOX news, and as something he can ignore. But Obama cannot handle rejection, he cannot handle criticism; it stresses him out. It will be interesting to watch him try to stop these Tea Parties...and to try to deflect and divert criticism.

Batb and Merle Underwood: I (EBD) have been doing Wednesdays' Late Nite Radio shows for a little over six months now. I'm loathe to mention it, in the context of the well-deserved compliments to Vitruvius, but it's important that he not be blamed for other Wednesday selections such as Urheilu on Ihaana, or for Florence Foster Jenkins' Der Holle Rache.

/:>o>

Here is a stunning addtional point from Laurie Goldstein's article in today's Toronto Sun. UK here we come as each year the number of public employees increases. Remember most public employees only are employed for 25-30 years then go on their pensions for the rest of their lives, at least another 30 years.

"Then again, for sheer chutzpah, Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan recently outdid even Miller.

Asked whether, in light of the fact the number of civil servants in Ontario earning over $100,000 annually shot up 32% last year alone (26% for all public servants), their pay should be frozen, here was Duncan's response in rejecting the idea: "The public service and the broader public service are now the largest employers. Our restaurants, our small businesses, depend on those public sector salaries.

Public servants

Got that? According to Ontario's finance minister, all taxpayers, 80% of whom work in the private sector where they are bearing the brunt of this recession, should pay almost half their income in taxes, so as to subsidize continued salary increases for public servants earning over $100,000 annually, many with job security, benefits and pensions about which others can only dream.

Why? So these public servants will have even more money for discretionary spending, so as to toss a few crumbs to the struggling locals.

Duncan, by the way, represents Windsor, devastated by auto sector job losses.

No wonder the rest of the country hates Ontario."

O'Blackbeard lOves Canada.

When your best friend is your enema.

Da proof*?: wen ya got da proof, it's da proof, & it's proven da proof, it's a proof. (H/T Ad$Cam Chretien)
...-

"Canada placed on copyright blacklist

The Obama administration added Canada Thursday to a notorious blacklist of countries where Internet piracy flourishes, reflecting a new, tougher line in Washington over the Harper government's chronic failure to deliver on promises of new copyright laws"
urlm.in/chiq
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*Da Proof:

"Canadians Love Obama! | life as you see it - go snap it!
On this day in history proof that Canadians love Obama.
gosnapit.com/2009/01/21/canadians-love-obama/"

ulianov: "Harper planning a coalition with the seperatists and the socialists."

Oh yeah, sure. 'Guess you're a stranger to democracy ulianov. 'No surprise there.

Working with the Opposition parties when your party forms the government is called "governing," though I realize this must be a foreign concept to you who seem to think that undermining a duly elected government -- which is what the Librano$, Dippers, and Blocheads tried to do when they signed the coalition document on the dotted line -- is a good thing.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his CPC party are in no way forming any kind of coalition with the NDP and the Bloc. THEY. ARE. WORKING. WITH. THEM. FOR. THE. GOOD. OF. ALL. CANADIANS.

IT'S CALLED GOVERNING. 'Funny you've missed that rather important detail.

EBD, sorry for attributing Anne Brigg's enchanting rendition of "She Moved Through the Fair" to Vitruvius!

I'm usually much more careful about noticing who's written what. I didn't sleep all that well last night -- and I was only on my first cup of coffee.

Oh heck. Just my bad. :-0

What to do with all those closed-down car dealerships?

Why, turn them into casinos of course.

(that's where the money is)

Alberta’s Gambling Boom Defies Credit Crunch

The province of Alberta will make almost 50 per cent more money from gambling tax revenue than it does from oil, according to budget forecasters.

The wealthy Canadian province will rake in $1.5bn in 2009-10 according to expectations, while oil and related revenue will bring in just $1bn because of the global economic slump.

more. . .

No need to apologize, batb. It's just that, to whatever extent commenters might think Vitruvius has been doing the Wednesdays, he could be left holding the bag for say, the Matti Nikanen post, through no fault of his own. I wouldn't want to do that to him -- although rumor has it he's going to add to that broad genre tonight. Stay tuned.

Btw, I'm going through sleep hell this last month or so -- my Mom's forgotten my name now, that sort of thing. Do you have any helpful tips for getting to sleep that don't involve either liquor or weighted rubber mallets? /:>o>

This quote is from Lizzie May in today's Montreal Gazzette---""We're now the party that received more votes than any party in this country's history that's failed to win a seat." Woo hoo,and if the other three parties didn't run,she would be prime minister.----------http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Green+leader+takes+Tories/1547691/story.html

Rubber mallets or a few strong rum and cokes work pretty well, but 'too many side effects. You might try saying a few Hail Marys ... they work better than counting sheep.

Or, how about putting on an Anne Briggs album? Her voice is mesmerizing and might just do the trick ...

My hair just about stood on end....

As a young 14year old or so, I watched a series on tv (CBC back then). 1968-69, I don't recall the name. The host usually sported a turtleneck. It was a series about humans, and their relationships, mainly the physical kind.Lovers etc, the chemistry, poetry, etcetera.

The theme music, and some lyrics, had been stuck in my head for, well nigh on FORTY years. When I clicked on the Anne Briggs clip, the first two words, told me I at least, the music wasn't simply a tv jingle.

Thanks for the link, this old English stuff is good to hear. Matty Groves, sung by Sandy Denny (Fairport Convention) is another MAJOR keeper!

Re: "The public service and the broader public service are now the largest employers. Our restaurants, our small businesses, depend on those public sector salaries."

Isn't this the same "trickle down" economics that was much derided when right-wingers expressed it?

It really boils down to claiming a multiplier effect of sorts. But the bottom line is that if some people are paid to do nothing productive (which is true of quite a few civil servants, notably those in regulatory agencies), then others are producing more than they are able to consume, and that is an injustice.

The economic recovery will take shape when the public service is no longer the "largest employer".