40th Canadian Federal Election - Welcome to another Conservative Minority (whee!)

[Canada 02]

Originally Posted by evman150

I think it would be great for the country if the NDP formed the government. Health care would be improved, post secondary education would most likely be made free, marijuana would be legalized (and taxed to hell and back). All wonderful things for this country.

with an NDP gov't i could see the return to deficit spending, taxes would be sky high, health care will have money poured into it without solving the real problem in health care (training and retention of skilled medical workers), governement will be big, corporations will be over-regulated, medical marijuana will be legalized without legitmate research into its health effects (like all other drugs have to go thru) - all horendous things for this country

[MarchHare]

Also, what policies exactly are everyone afraid of from the NDP? Support for unions? Better health care? Better pension? Better environmental awareness and conservation? Better social programs? Education that is excellent and affordable?

With the possible exception of support for unions, I think every Canadian wants better healthcare, pensions, environmental stewardship, education, etc. The problem with the NDP is that they spend like drunken sailors on shore leave in Shanghai, showing no fiscal restraint whatsoever. They've also said time and again that they'll raise corporate taxes, which will harm our economy and lead to greater unemployment, and thus the need for more spending on EI, and so on.

As a Blue Liberal (or Red Tory, whichever term you prefer), I wish there was a Canadian party that was both fiscally responsible and socially progressive. The CPC is not that party, the Dion Liberals are probably not that party, and the NDP most certainly is not that party.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by evman150

I think it would be great for the country if the NDP formed the government. Health care would be improved, post secondary education would most likely be made free, marijuana would be legalized (and taxed to hell and back). All wonderful things for this country.

Are you paying for all this?

Originally Posted by Nehkara

1. I don't think it is any secret that the Conservatives have many social conservative members.

2. The NDP do deserve a chance. They have never governed, how do you what they would be like if they never get a chance. I also said MINORITY, Layton won't have a blank cheque and unless he runs things well, won't have a 4 year term.

BC and Ontario are pretty good examples.

Originally Posted by MarchHare

With the possible exception of support for unions, I think every Canadian wants better healthcare, pensions, environmental stewardship, education, etc. The problem with the NDP is that they spend like drunken sailors on shore leave in Shanghai, showing no fiscal restraint whatsoever. They've also said time and again that they'll raise corporate taxes, which will harm our economy and lead to greater unemployment, and thus the need for more spending on EI, and so on.

As a Blue Liberal (or Red Tory, whichever term you prefer), I wish there was a Canadian party that was both fiscally responsible and socially progressive. The CPC is not that party, the Dion Liberals are probably not that party, and the NDP most certainly is not that party.

This would be hard to acheive without taxing everyone 70% like Sweden.

[Iowa_Flames_Fan]

Originally Posted by Canada 02

How does that work? what riding would you vote in?

I vote in Calgary Center, because that's my last Canadian address. As long as I travel to Canada every 4 years I retain my right to vote in that riding.

[CaptainCrunch]

Vote for Darth Crunch in 2008, the simple slogan is

Relax Guy, I'll do the driving.

[burn_this_city]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

The NDP would also drastically increase corporate taxation, which would drive business out of Canada. Drastically tax anyone that makes a decent salary to support the poor driving those people out of the country. The NDP is magical in terms of deficit spending, they couldn't balance a checkbook let alone the nations government.

I would hope that if the NDP had a minority that Alberta would vote to secede the next day.

I'm with you.. They will tax and spend until we're swedish.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

I'm with you.. They will tax and spend until we're swedish.

Yes Swedish without the hot chicks.

I can live in a socialist workers paradise as long as there are hot chicks to take away my worries about a 80% tax rate on my paycheck.

[Canada 02]

Originally Posted by Iowa_Flames_Fan

I vote in Calgary Center, because that's my last Canadian address. As long as I travel to Canada every 4 years I retain my right to vote in that riding.

thanks! i just googled the registration forms from elections canada; look forward to exercising my birth right

[Mccree]

Originally Posted by evman150

I think it would be great for the country if the NDP formed the government. Health care would be improved, post secondary education would most likely be made free, marijuana would be legalized (and taxed to hell and back). All wonderful things for this country.

How are they going to PAY for all that.

Increase GST?
Increase personal taxes?
Increase corporate taxes?
Use the EI surplus?
Decrease funding to our already drastically UNDER funded millitary?
New tax?
Take more from the HAVE provinces?

Just wondering.

[Slava]

Its all a giant waste of money. The election results are not going to change anything; no fresh mandates for the Conservatives and no sudden NDP government either. Instead at a time when the economy is falling we are wasting money on a formalized poll to find out that Canadians still agree that the best solution is a coalition similar to the one that was "ineffective" this past spring.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Mccree

How are they going to PAY for all that.

Increase GST? yes
Increase personal taxes? - yes
Increase corporate taxes? -yeeesssss
Use the EI surplus? - can't because we will all lose our jobs when companies start closing down due to the NDP's model
Decrease funding to our already drastically UNDER funded millitary? - what military, we'll get rid of all the soldiers, beg for mercy from the Taliban and send social workers to war zones to gently try to talk people out of fighting
New tax? - Yes, if you make more then $10 an hour prepare to see your wallet getting raped.
Take more from the HAVE provinces? - there will be no have provinces which gets rid of equalization

Just wondering.

Blllleaaaaaaahhhhh

[peter12]

From someone who has just entered the working world making a decent salary, I was pretty pumped that I'd have all this money to do stuff with that I wanted. Then I was reminded that I had just unwillingly entered the Canadian tax matrix. I will never vote for a party that does not campaign on tax cuts. Bunch of bloodsuckers and the NDP are the worst of them.

[MarchHare]

This would be hard to acheive without taxing everyone 70% like Sweden.

Not at all.

Many of the socially-progressive things I care about are either free or relatively cheap. I'm talking about stuff like safe and legal abortion, legalized gay marriage, etc.

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

As a Blue Liberal (or Red Tory, whichever term you prefer), I wish there was a Canadian party that was both fiscally responsible and socially progressive. The CPC is not that party, the Dion Liberals are probably not that party, and the NDP most certainly is not that party.

I think the problem as to why the two don't exist side-by-side in one party is that fiscally responsible does not jive well with showering "disaffected" people and groups with taxdollars. Socially progressive in the minds of Canadians means spending gobs money on social programs, spending money on gobs of social programs = deficit which equalts debt, which equals higher taxes which equals poorer eocnomy.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

Not at all.

Many of the socially-progressive things I care about are either free or relatively cheap. I'm talking about stuff like safe and legal abortion, legalized gay marriage, etc.

GST on prostitution.

[Bobblehead]

As said, post-election we will be in the same place we are now.

I just hope to get an effective MP this go around (since the sitting member is retiring)

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Cowboy89

I think the problem as to why the two don't exist side-by-side in one party is that fiscally responsible does not jive well with showering "disaffected" people and groups with taxdollars. Socially progressive in the minds of Canadians means spending gobs money on social programs, spending money on gobs of social programs = deficit which equalts debt, which equals higher taxes which equals poorer eocnomy.

We all know that you can't be fiscally conservative without having god on your side!

Truthfully, the whole issue is that being socially liberal and spending gobs of money on programs are not the same thing. As March Hare says above there are some policies that basically cost nothing such as legalized gay marriage. Sure some programs cost some money, but so do government subsidies for business and other programs that the small c conservatives have implemented. Its a question of priorities.

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by peter12

From someone who has just entered the working world making a decent salary, I was pretty pumped that I'd have all this money to do stuff with that I wanted. Then I was reminded that I had just unwillingly entered the Canadian tax matrix. I will never vote for a party that does not campaign on tax cuts. Bunch of bloodsuckers and the NDP are the worst of them.

Taxes are a necessary evil; get used to paying them. Without taxes we wouldn't have things that you take for granted and think our essential -- not just big ticket services like healthcare and education, but also run-of-the-mill things like highway construction, fire departments, and dozens of other things you use all the time.

[burn_this_city]

Originally Posted by Slava

We all know that you can't be fiscally conservative without having god on your side!

Truthfully, the whole issue is that being socially liberal and spending gobs of money on programs are not the same thing. As March Hare says above there are some policies that basically cost nothing such as legalized gay marriage. Sure some programs cost some money, but so do government subsidies for business and other programs that the small c conservatives have implemented. Its a question of priorities.

Don't forget Liberals were completely foreign to handing out wads of cash to Bombardier and Air Canada..

[Ford Prefect]

I guess it's time to tune out politics. I pay attention between election campaigns and form my voting opinion based on that. I prefer to tune out all the lies and false promises uttered during election campaigns. So, based on that criteria, I will vote Conservative this time around. I generally vote Green, but Elizabeth May doesn't turn my crankshaft politicly, and hell hasn't frozen over so I won't be voting Liberal or NDP. So by process of elimination that leaves the Conservatives, unless I decide to spoil my ballot which is a choice I have opted for in the past.