May 2015 Provincial Election Thread v2

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by rubecube

This part I will agree with, but my original point still stands. If the U.S. and China do nothing, then so be it because we're unlikely to enjoy the fruits of our economic spoils at that point anyways, unless your plan is to just be a free rider.

You talk like the planet will be gone in 10 years, which is of course, crap.

NOTHING changes until we get China and the US to play ball (which should obviously be priority one).

What Canada should be doing is getting as much of its oil to market as quickly as possible, use the taxes to invest in renewables and other solutions, while at the same time adopting our lifestyles.

We can make better choices with our lives AND get our oil to market in order to pay ourselves instead of backwards regimes.

[Brendone]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

The big polluters need to lead the way here, and then Canada can follow.

Having just gotten back from my first trip to New Dehli, I'm quite confident our efforts at reducing GHG'S are pretty futile. Is it the morally right thing to do, yes. Does it mean anything to the big picture, probably not a bit.

Only comparison I can make would be the world is a public pool with a barely functioning filter, and Canada has decided that we'll be the lone swimmer that doesn't pee in the pool, while 20 elementary school classes a day continue to go through "lettin' er rip". On top of not peeing we'll also put a 10 gal fish tank filter over in our corner. I know it's not the right attitude but the reality of the situation seems that our efforts and sacrifices are pretty pointless if the key players aren't going to get involved.

[Weitz]

So the NDP are censoring journalists now? I read an article (albeit from the sun) that they have banned right leaning journalists. Would link it but I am on my phone.

[CaptainCrunch]

Its easy to defend the move by the NDP with the rabble rabble of its the Rebel and Ezra Levant.

But it is a freedom of access and freedom of speech issue.

http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/02/1...ng-journalists

This NDP government is not only incompetent, but now they're really out to embarrass themselves.

But I suppose they can find away to either blame the previous government, or to trot out a cabinet member who will burst into tears.

The key question now is can this government do anything right between now and the release of the budget in March, and what is this budget going to look like.

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Its easy to defend the move by the NDP with the rabble rabble of its the Rebel and Ezra Levant.

But it is a freedom of access and freedom of speech issue.

http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/02/1...ng-journalists

This NDP government is not only incompetent, but now they're really out to embarrass themselves.

But I suppose they can find away to either blame the previous government, or to trot out a cabinet member who will burst into tears.

The key question now is can this government do anything right between now and the release of the budget in March, and what is this budget going to look like.

Originally Posted by Article

Now Reid never went to journalism school. (Neither did I.) And she has never worked in a formal newsroom. But she used to be part of the Corus radio network’s Hockey Moms panel that regularly debated government involvement in family issues and her new book was the #1 bestseller on Amazon.ca most of last week. It’s now sold out.

If that doesn’t make Reid a journalist, I’m not sure what does.

Having credentials would go a long way towards making someone a journalist. What a lot of bluster of an article

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by Handsome B. Wonderful

At least I'll be able to watch my kids grow up, because I'm not sacrificing my quality of life and dying from something stupid like dysentery or malnutrition.

Right, because the next logical step isn't lifestyle changes like using more public transit. It's dysentery. Christ, I hope your kids aren't home-schooled.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

You talk like the planet will be gone in 10 years, which is of course, crap.

NOTHING changes until we get China and the US to play ball (which should obviously be priority one).

What Canada should be doing is getting as much of its oil to market as quickly as possible, use the taxes to invest in renewables and other solutions, while at the same time adopting our lifestyles.

We can make better choices with our lives AND get our oil to market in order to pay ourselves instead of backwards regimes.

The planet doesn't have to be gone to feel the effects of climate change. Take a look at what's happening in B.C. every summer with regards to forest fires. Regardless, I mostly agree with what you're saying. I just think we should be aggressively researching alternatives as a species, and leave the nationalism out of it.

[Handsome B. Wonderful]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Right, because the next logical step isn't lifestyle changes like using more public transit. It's dysentery. Christ, I hope your kids aren't home-schooled.

The moment you used the words "we will have to sacrifice our standards of living" you lost your audience.

First, no one is going to sacrifice their standard of living for alarmist hypothetical situations that may or may not possibly happen in an indeterminate amount of time. Second, no one is going to make sacrifices knowing the rest of the world is not going to do a thing and will happily screw them over.

Keep up the personal attacks on people and their kids though. It really wins us over to your cause.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by Handsome B. Wonderful

The moment you used the words "we will have to sacrifice our standards of living" you lost your audience.

First, no one is going to sacrifice their standard of living for alarmist hypothetical situations that may or may not possibly happen in an indeterminate amount of time. Second, no one is going to make sacrifices knowing the rest of the world is not going to do a thing and will happily screw them over.

Keep up the personal attacks on people and their kids though. It really wins us over to your cause.

Here's the thing though, you either do it voluntarily, or nature will do it for you.

[puckedoff]

Then let nature do it for us. We should be using our oil money to build a bigger sea wall around Vancouver for when the sea rises, because China/India/Brazil/USA are not going to go back to horse and buggy economies so we are getting the GHGs regardless.

[llwhiteoutll]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Here's the thing though, you either do it voluntarily, or nature will do it for you.

Do you feel that Canada cutting the standard of living will do something significant while the largest GHG contributors don't do anything? It will create the illusion of something, but have no real effect.

If other countries see us doing this, they won't be inspired to lower their standards of living like people like to claim. They'll just laugh and exploit the markets that we should be.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Its easy to defend the move by the NDP with the rabble rabble of its the Rebel and Ezra Levant.

But it is a freedom of access and freedom of speech issue.

http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/02/1...ng-journalists

This NDP government is not only incompetent, but now they're really out to embarrass themselves.

But I suppose they can find away to either blame the previous government, or to trot out a cabinet member who will burst into tears.

The key question now is can this government do anything right between now and the release of the budget in March, and what is this budget going to look like.

At first I was amazed that they would take this step. Then I realized it was Ezra and his cronies...nothing to see here. I don't think that these op-ed writers should be involved in budget lockdowns and the like. It doesn't serve any public good, and frankly they're not journalists. Same goes for special interest and lobby groups like the CFIB and CTF. Of course they're free to comment, and they can do that when all of the information is public.

[Handsome B. Wonderful]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Here's the thing though, you either do it voluntarily, or nature will do it for you.

Nature is going to make me... take public transit.

[llwhiteoutll]

Originally Posted by Slava

At first I was amazed that they would take this step. Then I realized it was Ezra and his cronies...nothing to see here. I don't think that these op-ed writers should be involved in budget lockdowns and the like. It doesn't serve any public good, and frankly they're not journalists. Same goes for special interest and lobby groups like the CFIB and CTF. Of course they're free to comment, and they can do that when all of the information is public.

How do you define a journalist though? Pretty sure you don't need a journalism degree to work for a radio station, TV station or newspaper.

You might not like him, but Ezra has been a journalist for probably about 20 years, for several publications. The press gallery president also acknowledges that they were allowed to be there, so it makes it seem that they were removed due to thier previously unflattering coverage of the governemnt and reporting things that they would have liked to stay quiet.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Here's the thing though, you either do it voluntarily, or nature will do it for you.

It requires major doses of both hubris and naivety to believe that anybody on this earth cares about what Canada thinks or does. I get what you are saying Rube - you gotta walk the walk before you can talk the talk, but the simple fact is, nobody is ever going to care what Justin Trudeau or Rachel Notley think. The US, EU, Russia, China and India need to take it seriously before anything of note happens. And sacrificing ourselves is not going to result in our becoming a leader. It's just self-flagellation.

We're small potatoes, both in terms of world voice and actual emissions.

[Resolute 14]

As far as the press thing goes, Ezra is a tool, but this is blatantly partisan censorship by Notley and crew. If she wants to say "online bloggers" and the like aren't media, she needs to apply that philosophy equally to both her enemies and her supporters. Dave Cournoyer and reps from rabble.ca both should be ejected on the same grounds. Or all three groups should be permitted access.

[Kavvy]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

As far as the press thing goes, Ezra is a tool, but this is blatantly partisan censorship by Notley and crew. If she wants to say "online bloggers" and the like aren't media, she needs to apply that philosophy equally to both her enemies and her supporters. Dave Cournoyer and reps from rabble.ca both should be ejected on the same grounds. Or all three groups should be permitted access.

Agreed with all the above except is censorship the right word as she isn't telling journalist what to report?

Also, Rabble.ca is one ugly website.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by llwhiteoutll

How do you define a journalist though? Pretty sure you don't need a journalism degree to work for a radio station, TV station or newspaper.

You might not like him, but Ezra has been a journalist for probably about 20 years, for several publications. The press gallery president also acknowledges that they were allowed to be there, so it makes it seem that they were removed due to thier previously unflattering coverage of the governemnt and reporting things that they would have liked to stay quiet.

Is he actually a journalist? That's debateable. All I can say for sure is that his puppet who is using an argument that she was on a "hockey mom panel" isn't a journalist. I feel like its pretty safe to say that if you are having to resort to that kind of argument then you know you're not actually a journalist?

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

As far as the press thing goes, Ezra is a tool, but this is blatantly partisan censorship by Notley and crew. If she wants to say "online bloggers" and the like aren't media, she needs to apply that philosophy equally to both her enemies and her supporters. Dave Cournoyer and reps from rabble.ca both should be ejected on the same grounds. Or all three groups should be permitted access.

I don't think its blatant censorship, because they're free to say whatever they want. Its a double-standard and I agree that it should be applied equally to all parties of the same ilk.

[Resolute 14]

Honestly, Slava, the only reason why you are calling it "debatable" that Ezra Levant is a journalist is the fact that he's a very conservative journalist. He's been a journalist for two decades.


Incidentally, Nenshi asked Cournoyer on Twitter if he had ever been in one of those media lock-ups. The answer was no. So in that one respect, Gunther might have been implying more than may be true in reality (depending on whether rabble.ca people have been allowed in). But it still leaves open questions about the NDP having rebel media people kicked out of public lobbies, and kicking out someone who was already inside the lockup - presumably because they did have an accredited media pass - because of politics.

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by Slava

At first I was amazed that they would take this step. Then I realized it was Ezra and his cronies...nothing to see here. I don't think that these op-ed writers should be involved in budget lockdowns and the like. It doesn't serve any public good, and frankly they're not journalists. Same goes for special interest and lobby groups like the CFIB and CTF. Of course they're free to comment, and they can do that when all of the information is public.

So why do they allow his equivalent left leaning writers?

Can't have it both ways imo.