WAP Leadership race down to two...

[Azure]

I honestly do not see the point of having to register my long guns.

In fact, having to keep track of them seems to me like a waste of money. A waste of anywhere from $15-$80 million dollars IIRC.

Besides, given that I would get amnesty from being prosecuted if I don't register my long guns, why would I even bother in the first place?

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Barnes

True, true. We registered for our wedding and now the government could come and take away my cappuccino machine.

We had to register for the birth of our children...if they took our kids then the talk of the nanny state couldn't be more true!

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by Azure

I honestly do not see the point of having to register my long guns.

In fact, having to keep track of them seems to me like a waste of money. A waste of anywhere from $15-$80 million dollars IIRC.

Besides, given that I would get amnesty from being prosecuted if I don't register my long guns, why would I even bother in the first place?

Registration costs 15M of a budget of 83M and it is argued that eliminating the long gun registry would not drop that amount by that much.

Here is a good source for numbers and some of the reasons why it is necessary for some.

http://prnetworks.blogspot.com/2009/...-registry.html

And as an aside, about 6 years ago a murderer was instantly arrested because of a gun we sold was used to shoot the husband of a woman It was purchased by her boy toy at our store. They matched the caliber with what this dumbass had registered and almost instantly had him arrested.

[Azure]

A long gun?

Again, I think there is some good in a registry, but I see no need in having to register my five .22s.

Besides, I'm not going to do it either. I get amnesty now.

[Ashartus]

I used to know Mark Dyrholm, though I haven't seen him in about 15 years - he was a pretty nice guy back then, but I never really pictured him as "future Premiere of Alberta". I'm not really keen on some of his policies, particularly on education and health care though. He's advocating more private/charter schools and more home schooling, while I'm a pretty strong supporter of making public education better instead. He also supports bringing things like homeopathy into the taxpayer-funded health care system (despite numerous studies showing it doesn't work any better than a placebo and the underlying principles being nonsense), while I'm an advocate of science-based health care, but I guess his beliefs are fairly typical for chiropractors.

Danielle Smith's policies on the whole seem more reasonable to me, but her website still doesn't have anything on some key issues (like education), but maybe that's because I'm on the whole probably a fiscal conservative (though less so than Dianielle) and social moderate. I don't think I'd agree with her on everything, but she seems like a more pallatable option than Dyrholm (or Stelmach or Swann for that matter).

[Resolute 14]

Alliance is up to over 11,000 memberships, more than the Liberals have.

http://www.calgarysun.com/news/alber...04611-sun.html

Love the comment from Swann stating that Alberta could use more opposition parties. Guessing he realizes the only way the Liberals will ever move forward is to have someone else steal the vote from the Tories. Though he is completely deluded if he thinks the by-election shows voters are moving "both ways" away from the Tories.

[metallicat]

I actually tried to buy a membership from Danielle Smiths website late on the last possible day, but I don't know of it worked. Still haven't heard.

[Azure]

"I think people are now having to make a decision about whether they want this province to pull further to the right on a social agenda."

You know you're desperate when the Liberals have no other defense against the WRA than to paint them as right-wing wackos.

[4X4]

I suppose this is a good place to ask this question: I heard the tail end of a news report on friday about some of the provincial Tories making it known that they were unhappy with Stelmach? And then they mentioned Ralph Klein and WRA in the same breath...? Can anyone elaborate on this?

[Iowa_Flames_Fan]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

Alliance is up to over 11,000 memberships, more than the Liberals have.

http://www.calgarysun.com/news/alber...04611-sun.html

Love the comment from Swann stating that Alberta could use more opposition parties. Guessing he realizes the only way the Liberals will ever move forward is to have someone else steal the vote from the Tories. Though he is completely deluded if he thinks the by-election shows voters are moving "both ways" away from the Tories.

The Liberals are definitely only treading water in a changing political landscape. But really, what do you want him to say? He can't very well say "yeah, we have no identity and no message and are pretty much down to just our hardcore supporters." That would be a huge indictment of his own leadership.

Not that it wouldn't be deserved, but it has to come from someone else within the party.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by Iowa_Flames_Fan

The Liberals are definitely only treading water in a changing political landscape. But really, what do you want him to say? He can't very well say "yeah, we have no identity and no message and are pretty much down to just our hardcore supporters." That would be a huge indictment of his own leadership.

Not that it wouldn't be deserved, but it has to come from someone else within the party.

Well, he is pretty much not the greatest leader in the world. So much of politics is based on perception, and he certainly doesn't come across as the nicest, friendliest guy in the world. Rightly or wrongly.

Before the WRA arrived, my suggestion would have been for Swann to resign and someone else to step in. But, now I hope Swann stays, because with him at the helm, the Liberals will surely do nothing in Alberta.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by 4X4

I suppose this is a good place to ask this question: I heard the tail end of a news report on friday about some of the provincial Tories making it known that they were unhappy with Stelmach? And then they mentioned Ralph Klein and WRA in the same breath...? Can anyone elaborate on this?

Ralph's dad joined the WRA ("WAP"), and the media loves to refer to him as "Ralph Klein's dad".

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by Azure

You know you're desperate when the Liberals have no other defense against the WRA than to paint them as right-wing wackos.

I agree, that might be something that rings true with red tory voters in Edmonton who's move to vote for Stelmach was based on a voter need to be 'centrist,' and at times can be found to vote Liberal. What really happened in the by-election was that everyone who always votes Liberal voted Liberal, many typical tory voters stayed home (Thus lowering the turnout and magnifying the Liberal and WRA vote on a percentage basis), and former Tory voters who posses conservative ideology voted WRA. Anyone who switched votes from the tories to the WRA in the by-election in my estimation would have no problems voting for a party that was labelled as "extreme" by someone like Swann.

The jist of the Liberal platform hasn't really changed all that much in 15 years. The Alberta Liberal mantra has always been: Strong Defence of Medicare reinforced by plans to improve XYZ by funding XYZ, Strong support of public education by funding primary, secondary and post secondary XYZ, Lip service to poverty groups, lip service to better more accountable government, support arts and cultural groups by funding XYZ, etc. etc. What has changed is who has been marketing these ideas: McBeth, Taft, and now Swann. Obviously Liberal Party members think that the failures of the past have been a failure to commincate the message and not the message itself. Hence the "Let's change the party name but carry on the status quo" movement.

Reality is that former PC voters do have a problem with that message. When the platform reads like that it implies that the only way the province runs fiscally sound with increased funding pledges is with either higher taxes (Provincial oil/gas royalties, income taxes, sales taxes), or massive cuts to other areas of the government or a mix of both. A PC voter when faced with that will say "Do Not want" 9 times out of 10. The only time the Liberals significantly found themselves on the map with a lot of these voters is when under Lawrence Decore, they offered fiscal policy aimed at balancing the books that did not include massive tax hikes. Bottom line, if the Liberals want to be in play and to squeeze out the PCs, they have to be able to offer a more centrist stance themselves that moves right.

[troutman]

Dyrholm's Letter to the Calgary Herald:

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Po...246/story.html

Understandably, Danielle Smith used to be on the Editorial Board at the Calgary Herald, so all her former colleagues and friends will support her.

When Hannaford launched his drive-by liberal media hit he was well aware that there were only two candidates left in the race, as Jeff Willerton withdrew from the race to support me.

Thus, a comment like the Wildrose Alliance ". . . must choose a leader with what it takes to move the party beyond the church basement and the rod and gun club" is specifically targeted at me.

Hannaford - "liberal media"? LOL.

[Resolute 14]

If Dryholm didn't want to be viewed as a radical, he shouldn't have involved Chandler in his campaign team. Proudly noting Willerton's endorsement certainly does not help either, as that guy came off looking like the dictionary definition of "right wing wacko" at the Calgary forum.

[Azure]

Seems like Dyrholm is also desperate.

Good. I don't want him anywhere near the leadership spot.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Azure

You know you're desperate when the Liberals have no other defense against the WRA than to paint them as right-wing wackos.

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

If Dryholm didn't want to be viewed as a radical, he shouldn't have involved Chandler in his campaign team. Proudly noting Willerton's endorsement certainly does not help either, as that guy came off looking like the dictionary definition of "right wing wacko" at the Calgary forum.

Right, its only the Liberals that paint them as right wing whackos. Is there anything negative you won't blame the Liberals for?

[Boblobla]

Originally Posted by Slava

Right, its only the Liberals that paint them as right wing whackos. Is there anything negative you won't blame the Liberals for?

I blame cancer on the Liberals.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Slava

Right, its only the Liberals that paint them as right wing whackos. Is there anything negative you won't blame the Liberals for?

There is a difference between referring to the entire party as such, and referring to an individual within the party as such.

[octothorp]

nm... wrong thread