Comments on The Burd Report: This event may not be so local after all!

I do speak from personal experience. Unfortunatel...

2010-02-28T08:19:49.406-05:00

I do speak from personal experience. Unfortunately any good unions did for the workplace has disappeared. They protect the worst and promote mediocrity. They want to run the companies when in many cases they are/were the worst employees themselves and use the union to protect themselves. Good employees are a very valued asset to any company and most companies want to recognize that but are stifled by their unions. Union leaders risk nothing. You don't see their salaries released every March.

I speak from experience and I do not exist as a "victim" in society crying for my next handout or subsidy,

Again to union hating anonymous, what I posted was...

2010-02-27T20:43:06.451-05:00

Again to union hating anonymous, what I posted was not a "view" of unions. It was a series of verifiable facts.

You might consider educating yourself a bit more about unions and what they do, how they operate, before casting your uninformed opinions around. Don't just take the Toronto Sun or National Post's word on it, research it yourself.

You might be surprised at what you learn.

Interesting view on Unions. Obviously we have bee...

2010-02-27T15:30:56.084-05:00

Interesting view on Unions. Obviously we have been misinformed regarding their use of their member's funds.
Big bad corporations had better stop making a profit. On the other hand maybe we got a taste in recent times of what happens when unions get too much control.

Wally, watch you don't fall right down, ain...

2010-02-26T14:08:21.256-05:00

Wally, watch you don't fall right down, ain't no PC party no more, my man.

To our union hating Anonymous: Union money comes...

2010-02-26T13:57:28.427-05:00

To our union hating Anonymous:

Union money comes from the members. It is used to train stewards to do contract negotiation and settle grievances, and even represent members at tribunals for worker's compensation or other government entitlements.

Unions pay out strike pay when needed, and funds Labour Councils, who donate to worthwhile projects like our Help Centre and the Northumberland Coalition Against Poverty. The Labour Council has representation on the Poverty Reduction Committee in Northumberland, seeking justice for all poor people, not just their members.

Unions work for the benefit of all. You can't say that about corporations, who only care about their profit margins.

I have no problem with the NDP being affiliated with Labour. On a political and personal level, union members are on the side of the people, fighting for equality and justice.

For the moment, I lean towards voting PC. A few ti...

2010-02-26T10:47:41.032-05:00

For the moment, I lean towards voting PC. A few times in my life I have voted for Libs, but never for socialistas.

I lived for years in a riding that was chronically NDP, Dan Heap. I caught him with his pants down on the Romanian CANDU issue, especially the issue of forced labour, which the ILO condemned, but he was intoxicated with the quest for the common compassionate blather stereotypes that he couldn't see individual issues for what they were.

Compassion? For poor little school girls in Afghanistan? Spare me the drivel. I want our youths out of Afghanistan for the pragmatic reason that there's nothing in it for us. I have compassion for OURS, not for THEIRS. Of course, NDP-infected peaceniks can't assert that fundamental fact -- they gussy their withdrawel with fig leaves.

I agree with Anonymous that "right now in fed...

2010-02-25T16:11:24.780-05:00

I agree with Anonymous that "right now in federal politics a vote for the NDP or the Green's is a vote for Steven Harper", but equally I agree with Deb O about how difficult it would be for committed Green or NDP supporters to vote Liberal.

There is a compromise solution available, but in common with many compromises it means that people would have to "cooperate".

The compromise would be an agreement between Liberal, Green and NDP that in ridings where none of theses parties were at present winning, that the two lowest ranking parties would support the party who came second in the last election, support including not running their own candidate. In several ridings this would result in more Liberals, NDP or Green being elected. It would have the effect of proportional representation, but would not need to wait for PR to be officially introduced.

To be effective such a scheme would need the Liberals, NDP and Green to agree to try it, and the electorate to actually vote. Perhaps we will have to wait for things to become worse before cooperation is seriously considered.

It is however unlikely to affect the result in Northumberland Quinte West, where the conservative vote was 48.7% in 2008 and has increased steadily over the past three federal elections.

Hello, as you can see this is my first post here. ...

2010-02-25T12:58:08.520-05:00

Hello, as you can see this is my first post here.
I will be happy to get any help at the start.
Thanks and good luck everyone! ;)

And the NDP are different because their policies a...

2010-02-25T12:03:24.274-05:00

And the NDP are different because their policies and their loyalties are to the unions? Last time I looked the unions are the "big money".

When we are talking about a neo-con like Harper, I...

2010-02-25T08:54:34.017-05:00

When we are talking about a neo-con like Harper, I disagree with your comparison Deb. Unfortunately the Liberals are the better of two evils and until leftists like you and me unite, we're stuck with Harper.

Deb: Without turning this into a leftist love-in, ...

2010-02-24T20:40:59.584-05:00

Deb: Without turning this into a leftist love-in, I have to say I agree with anon regarding the vote splitting issue. So does Mrs. Muffley, a far more pragmatic individual than myself.

I have always voted my conccience. My conscience always told me to vote for the greater good, the greater good of all, the greater good of a more compassionate society. I've been a member of the natonal NDP as long as I can recall. Both my wife and I during the last NDP leadershp race backed Bill Blaikie. I was disappointed to see Jack Layton win but them's the breaks. Taliban Jack has been proven right on many issues including 'talking to the Taliban' -a divisive wedge driven by Harper designed to gain votes proportional to lives lost. It's working, Deb. I't's working because, unlike yourself, 95% of Canadian voters fall into the lowest 5% of human intellect. The only ray of hope I see right now is that the Canadian electorate will, despite their double-double knuckle-draggedness never give Stephen Harper a majority. For that at least I think we ought to be grateful. I don't much like Kim Rudd and Ignatieff's day is done. But that's how I'll be voting, Deb, Liberal with a capital 'L' because Stephen Harper is the most dangerous thing this country has seen since Bible Bill Eberhart, Mike Harris, Brian Mulroney, that dolt John Diefenbaker or any of the other throwbacks that wash up on sea-doos every generation or two.

No, sorry Deb, this one is too important and I'm voting strategically. Maybe if I'd done it sooner we wouldn't be stuck with a ringer like Harper. Or a mindless automaton like Norlock.

Still, I can't carry all the blame now can I?

To answer Anonymous' question to me, I don'...

2010-02-24T17:56:51.461-05:00

To answer Anonymous' question to me, I don't agree that a vote for the NDP is a wasted one. They are the only real alternative we have in Canada since the liberals and tories are pretty much interchangeable these days.

The liberals are smoother and more polite, but their policies and their loyalties are to the same big money sector as the tories at the end of the day.

Anybody who remembers the liberals opposing free trade, then introducing it after being elected, or Paul Martin slashing our social safety net to pieces, knows that.

The liberals and tories remind me of an old saying I heard once: same whore, different dress.

'Nuff said.

Deb O, whats the sense in splitting up the vote at...

2010-02-24T11:42:47.186-05:00

Deb O, whats the sense in splitting up the vote at all? Don't get me wrong, I am all for democracy, but right now in federal politics a vote for the NDP or the Green's is a vote for Steven Harper.

I am pleased to read that Murky, er uh, Merky and ...

2010-02-24T10:56:08.787-05:00

I am pleased to read that Murky, er uh, Merky and Deb are catching on to Farley's foolishmess.

========================
AUTHOR MOWAT A DANGER TO TREES, READER COMPLAINS
Wally Keeler, Cobourg Daily Star, August 27, 1991

So Farley Mowat, in his typically fecund manner equates the human race with yeasts, multiplying mindlessly while greedily consuming the substance of a finite world."

Mr. Mowat has several books to his credit, and bestsellers to boot, not only in English, but in other languages as well.

Consider the trees that have fallen throughout the world to produce the paper for all of Mr. Mowat's books.

Consider also, all the paper in all the newspapers and magazines that have printed book reviews of his work, or have reported his scandals, especially those pertaining to the profound obsession of whether or not he wears anything under his kilt.

If trees are regarded as the lung material of the world, then Mr. Mowat's career has not been insignificant in contributing to its recent shortness of breath.

What a perverse irony!

I can't blame Farley for being fed up with the...

2010-02-24T09:26:27.485-05:00

I can't blame Farley for being fed up with the NDP, so am I. But to fall into the Green Party as an alternative just baffles me. There are too many troubling indications they are quite conservative, fiscally and socially, for me to jump on their bandwagon.

It suprises me to see lefties heading in their direction when the Greens don't seem to have any policies other than environmental ones. That's just not enough for me because I don't think you can build a whole political party on tree hugging.

Unless and until we have proportional representation in Parliament, what's the sense in splitting up the vote any further?

When it comes right down to it, despite my dissatisfaction, I will continue to mark my X with the NDP.

Farley has entered his dotage on this one.

Hey Merk I deleted your comment by mistake so it i...

2010-02-24T07:52:02.588-05:00

Hey Merk I deleted your comment by mistake so it is being posted this way - this is the real Merk, ben
****
In the last federal election, Green Party leader did two utterly remarkable things, both at the same time: 1) She hid herself away from the media with a stunt so ill-conceived it will never be duplicated -except maybe by her. She took a luxury train across Canada -something most of us only ever dream of doing. 2) In doing so she promulgated the ridiculous but popular idea that train travel is somehow environmentally friendly.

Train travel by Elizabeth May's favourite, VIA Rail, is an environmental catastrophe. Imagine if you will, a supposedly zippy little VIA passenger train, even right here in The Corridor, stopping in at Cobourg to pick up, say, 20 people (I'm not talking about the morning commuter train. I' talking about #57 or any of the other regular stopping trains). Well, hasn't anyone ever considered what happens when those 20-or-so environmentally-conscious travellers board that train? In case not, here's what happens: Between 2 and 20 miles either side of Cobourg station, huge CN freights with two, three or four 16-cylinder diesels each- are brought to a crawl or even stopped to accomodate environmental awareness like Elizabeth May's environmental awareness. And there those giant engine sit or slow or power up or power down just so people like Farley Mowat and Elizabeth May and God only knows who else feel good about themselves. The waste of fuel is breathtaking. The innefficency staggering in its imbalance. But there you have it; VIA is the Green Alternative. Oh, it's all the most egregious bullshit any of us will ever hear but, oh boy, it's as comforting as hot chocolate and this-little-piggie before bedtime, ain't it?

I got a million of 'em about VIA. But why should I spoil the warm-n-fuzzies of warm-n-fuzzie people like Elizabeth May? Better just to shut up and let this runaway train find it's own way into the nearest cornfield. Ho-hum....