Comments on The Burd Report: The HST debate is confusing

Here's an interesting link: Bill Tieleman, ...

2009-12-16T13:47:04.301-05:00

Here's an interesting link:

Bill Tieleman, from BC, on the HST and the resulting fallout.

http://billtieleman.blogspot.com/2009/12/elites-tell-public-to-sit-down-shut-up.html

Well, once with feeling more, my use...

2009-12-10T16:02:33.401-05:00

Well, once with feeling more, my use of "pettifogging" was not un-friendly--but don't let that go to your head!

I have been studying some poems of Earle Birney, particularly World Winter, in which he used the alliterative long line verse form, last seen (as I recall) in 14th century works such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by that ages old phantom Anonymous.

I typed "pettifogging phantom" in my reply to you solely for the amusing alliteration it afforded.

Glad you didn't take offense: if you had, well, to whom and where would I have addressed my personal regrets, eh?!

I do believe that is the first time I have even be...

2009-12-10T09:23:37.177-05:00

I do believe that is the first time I have even been accused of pettifogging or of being a pettifogging phantom. Because I take this as a good-natured jibe by William, I will not even delve into the strangeness of being insulted by someone who objects to insult in comments on blogs by other people.

Thanks to both Wally and William for indulging and satisfying my curiosity on this question. I followed that link to William's comment and found it gave a clear answer to me and others.

I am confused about how the Cobourg Poetry Group and Poet Hope are connected. Wally seems to speak of them as though the 2 names are interchangeable. Two chapters of the same organization, perhaps?

I did not feel fully confident that I knew what "pettifog" meant. So, I looked it up. The dictionary tells me it is, at best: to bicker over unimportant matters, to quibble over trifles. At worst, it is: to be petty, shifty, unethical or to practice chicanery.

As I said above, I assume friendly motivation behind William's little jibe. I do want to say that my question came from pure curiosity. I do not want to bicker, be unethical, etc.

To once more: I don't usually respond ...

2009-12-09T14:20:28.276-05:00

To once more:

I don't usually respond to questions from pettifogging phantoms, but I am making an exception just this once.

As GrandpaBill43, I have posted a comment on Flickr at this link.

The comment provides some clarity and explains why I will be saying nothing further on this matter.

Cheers!

"Keeler's poetry specializes in abuse, ep...

2009-12-09T10:59:14.059-05:00

"Keeler's poetry specializes in abuse, epithet and insult."

Is an outright untruth. It further damaged my ability to be part of the Cobourg Poetry Group.

It was a broadcast initiated by a malicious gossip-monger, who, no doubt, believes themselves to be Paul Revere and spreading the gossip far and wide in the name of the common good.

Thank you for the link. I read the original Karen ...

2009-12-08T09:39:13.504-05:00

Thank you for the link. I read the original Karen Lloyd column when it appeared in the newspaper. At the time, I took it to be a friendly nod of the head from her to a fellow member of the group "Poet Hope."

Of course, mine is an outsider's view. I guess that with your insider view, you took it in a completely different way.

Does this mean you are not a part of the "Poet Hope" group any more?

It said in that Betty Scoop column that William Hays was part of "Poet Hope" too. He posts here. I would be interested to get his slant on this as well. William?

'once more'; it can be read in this scan o...

2009-12-07T15:34:18.870-05:00

'once more'; it can be read in this scan of the article: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wallykeeler/4068916811/sizes/l/

Published in Northumberland Today. It is the usual distortion that results from gossip-mongering, 'I told a friend who told a friend and so on.'

The motive was to smear some mud around -- the usual stuff of common gossip-mongers -- done for the 'common good' no doubt.

And every swamp is littered with a multitude of in...

2009-12-04T20:38:48.424-05:00

And every swamp is littered with a multitude of insignifacant polliwogs.

"Keeler's poetry specializes in abuse, ep...

2009-12-04T15:54:18.465-05:00

"Keeler's poetry specializes in abuse, epithet and insult."

I would be very interested to read this. When I google the above phrase of key words in that phrase, nothing comes up. It can't have been all that very far and wide. Can you give more specifics so I can find it?

Who was the person who said or wrote this about Mr. Keeler?

As always, things eventually align as they should ...

2009-12-04T13:07:53.095-05:00

As always, things eventually align as they should be on The Burd Report and whatever is written on this blog or whatever is written in any comment on this blog, there is due homage paid to the fact that every single thing somehow some way is really about Mr. Keeler or some experience he has had.

"Sure has a well-earned sense of bloated self-importance; every swamp has its bull frog."
Sun Nov 15 2009

Often I have found that 'progressives' hav...

2009-12-04T12:01:13.103-05:00

Often I have found that 'progressives' have exceedingly thin skin. If one criticises a belief or assertion they espouse, it is all too often interpreted as a personal attack.

I have to live with a personal smear that was published far and wide: "Keeler's poetry specializes in abuse, epithet and insult."

That was initially spread by a self-righteous gossip-monger who also has no respect for private email, forwarding it all willy-nilly to broadcasters -- not someone worthy of trust.

Often I have found that 'progressives' hav...

2009-12-04T12:01:13.102-05:00

As a 3rd party simply observing the Deb / Manfred ...

2009-12-04T10:11:39.523-05:00

As a 3rd party simply observing the Deb / Manfred exchange, I might have an objective view. I did not sense personal attack from Manfred. Deb might be reacting a little too sensitively here.

I might do that too if someone went back to research past comments I had made to quote them back at me in a different context. Interesting thing to do.

Deb wrote "..but why the personal attack? .. ...

2009-12-03T19:43:00.709-05:00

Deb wrote "..but why the personal attack? .. Try discussing the opinions people express.."

Just because you deem it so, does not make it so (a personal attack). By criticizing any political group, do you feel that you are attacking the individuals personally or just their ideals or behaviour, or what?

By me commenting on your opinion about that, whereby I question your double standard, why do you feel a personal attack? You made a comment, and frequently your comments are not without their own derisions, and I pointed to the apparent double-standard it holds. If that feels like an attack on you personally, it may be an indication of some degree of insecurity you have about that opinion.

Defending anyone's mindset, other than my own, is of no interest to me. My comment holds for whichever party you may criticize - but when you do so, it should be fair and on principles you consistently support and apply to yourself.

Frankly, your interpretation of injury surprises me. Perhaps we'll see some comments from others on this difference of interpretation.

Manfred, criticising my opinion is fair game, but ...

2009-12-03T17:21:09.194-05:00

Manfred, criticising my opinion is fair game, but why the personal attack? Maybe you didn't recognise it as such, but it certainly was.

It's not my job to defend the conservative mind-set, if you want to do that, be my guest. But be aware I am not CITY TV, and not required to give equal time to all viewpoints.

Try discussing the opinions people express rather than the people themselves. That's just rude.

For someone who mocks others that do not live &quo...

2009-12-03T16:29:09.413-05:00

For someone who mocks others that do not live "in the present", these past comments by Deb O, gleaned from the Burd Report, reveal a distinctly different side of our poster ...

"It was sad, and never would have happened in the old days, when the station was diligent about presenting all sides of any issue. … and please, let CITY continue to BE CITY, just like it always was. In fact, if they would only bring back the baby blue late night movies life would be just peachy again."

... and how about ... "I just don't trust internet or telephone voting very much. Can't help but envision that it's the current town council counting them and merrily deleting votes not sent their own way. So anticipating the criticisms that will doubtless be flung at me from certain quarters, I readily admit to being a Luddite who won't move with the times .."

Thinking of 'pots and kettles', seems reality lacks a measure of appeal for our Deb O as well, n'est pas?

Deb O. wrote: At least liberals are willing to ...

2009-12-03T15:26:29.726-05:00
Deb O. wrote: At least liberals are willing to live in the present.

Right on! One example: support for early learning.

After the 2006 election, federal Conservatives cancelled the Liberal plan for joint federal-provincial universal early child care. Nevertheless, the provincial Liberals proceeded with their share of the plan, which they introduced as the Best Start program. Now the provincial Liberals propose to expand their commitment by offering full-day kindergarten for all 4- and 5-year-olds.

As expected, conservatives propose instead just giving money to parents. An editorial in The Toronto Star summed up the absurdity of the conservative alternative:

Abandoning a public program in favour of giving parents money to make their own choices is an approach that has been tried before – by Stephen Harper's federal Conservatives when they killed a national daycare program and replaced it with $100-a-month cheques to families. That move has already cost taxpayers almost $9 billion without creating a single child-care space, while the taxable cheques cover little more than a few hours of babysitting. Some choice.

So if we had the Hudak/Hutton regime in Ontario, a...

2009-12-02T16:56:28.573-05:00
So if we had the Hudak/Hutton regime in Ontario, and the Harperites in majority in Ottawa,
would we then enter a time warp back to the past, and if we did, just how far back would we go?

Back to when "ladies" were not allowed on the golf course except at specified times? When posting signs that stipulated "no jews or negroes" was perfectly acceptable?

Maybe when beating the crap out of your wife and kids was nobody else's business? Back to pre 1968 when it was illegal for doctors to even prescribe birth control measures? Forget abortion rights when you could not even get the Pill!

As for employment rights, we didn't need slavery when there was a time bosses had all the rights and paid the workers when and if they felt like it. And, wink wink, some workers got paid less, worked harder, and were treated horribly for reasons of sex or ethnicity rather than skill.

That's not a world I want to see again. At least liberals are willing to live in the present, although their version of reality is pretty blurry at times.

Imagine the conversation around the Tim Hudak/Deb ...

2009-12-02T05:18:53.320-05:00
Imagine the conversation around the Tim Hudak/Deb Hutton dinner table; unreliable servants, poor quality truffles, restrictions on shooting aboriginal protesters, the terrible mistake of emancipation, not nearly enough Rotary chapters.

What a fun place to live this will be if they ever get their clammy little mitts on the levers of power.

The HST fight is indeed confusing. On how many iss...

2009-12-01T12:17:39.776-05:00
The HST fight is indeed confusing. On how many issues can we see the NDP and the National Citizens Coalition on the same side?

The antics of the provincial tories are disgusting, particularly the rude, childish displays by Murdoch and Hillier. Prime examples of how children should not behave.

The need to get tax revenue is obvious: the huge deficit and rising unemployment, the health care system's ever increasing costs, the urgent, desperate need to reduce the poverty rate, education costs, and on and on.

Trouble is, I have no confidence in the provincial liberals to spend their revenue sensibly. The travesty of consultant fever is too fresh in my memory.

All I know for sure is we will get the HST; public consultation and popular opinion will not change a thing.

Poor Iggy, damned if he supports it, damned if he doesn't.

Hey, where's my rebate cheque? Will I get it in time for Christmas?

It is odd to me that a situation that looked like ...

2009-12-01T09:57:59.588-05:00
It is odd to me that a situation that looked like it would mean fallout between the Conservatives provincially and federally has been reversed so it is a potentail falling out between federal Liberals and 2 of their most influential provincial premiers and leave Iggy with egg on his face either way.

Does no one in Iggy's office play chess?

Why is Harper the master of this stuff?

My understanding is that those Conservative provincial representatives will now be sent to coventry for the rest of the parliamentary session by the Speaker for defying the Speaker. Does that mean only up to the Xmas break? Not very long at all, really.

My understanding is that the Bloc supports because doing otherwise would negatively impact on the existing taxation arrangement in Quebec. That's the QST.