kEiThZ
Superstar
Great sentiment. Let's take it to its logical conclusion and get rid of the military, the police, border services, prisons, etc. We should get rid of anybody and everybody with authority that you dislike....after all who would not want more money for schools and hospitals.
Now tell me how you would fulfill the following functions provide by various organizations:
Search and Rescue (Air Force and Coast Guard)
Maritime EEZ surveillance (Navy, Air Force)
Arctic Sovereignty and northern territories overwatch (Canadian Rangers, Air Force)
Disaster Assistance (Army)
Counter-Terrorism Response (Army)
Border Surveillance (CBSA)
Customs (CBSA)
Immigration Control (CBSA)
Countering organized crime, narco-trafficking, etc. (RCMP)
Countering terrorist threats (CSIS)
we'll keep the list short till there. Now, since you seem to know how to run the country better than anybody and everybody else, please tell us how those functions would be achieved since you don't believe in the organizations that do those jobs existing.
The CF, RCMP, CSIS, CBSA, etc all publish audited budgets and reports to Parliament annually. They are available online and any citizen can make submissions regarding those budgets before the appropriate Parliamentary committee. Hardly non-transparent. I assure you the government knows where every cent goes. It's well documented...particularly in the post-sponsorship scandal era.
And do answer AoD's question....please tell us what your definition of a police state is and at what level of expenditure you assess that we would become a police state. We spent incredible amounts during both World Wars and Canada didn't become a police state then. So feel free to enlighten us on what the threshold is.
Another generic statement from the ignorant. You should have a look at the various submissions before SCONDVA. We have no 'extravagant spending of the military brass'. Come up to Ottawa and take a look. DND is one of the few government departments without proper facilities. In ottawa, DND is spread out over nearly 30 buildings. National Defence Headquarters is hand-me-down building which Transport Canada built and then refused to occupy, so they gave it to the military.
As for our brass. I for one think they don't get enough perks. Ottawa is the only place I have ever been to where Colonels and Generals take the bus to work. No parking spots after 20+ years of service. In fact, the perks they get are so poor, that we often give them more when they are abroad just so we don't embarrass ourselves. Yet, even then you'll find most of the senior brass humble enough to turn down their perks. They often fly commercial instead of using the Challengers (which politicians all of stripes seem to have no problems abusing when in power). And they often don't fly business even when they are entitled to it.
And beyond that....you will find that those of us lower down the food chain do sincerely appreciate our leadership. Unlike the corporate sector there is no finishing school for generals. They don't get an MBA and then sweep into the corner office. They start at the bottom and work their way up. And their promotion criteria is often far more stringent than their civil service counterparts. These days every military officer above the rank of major has a masters and is fluently bilingual. Most of our top brass have phDs or two Master's degrees. The education requirements were a direct result of Hillier's reform efforts. I challenge you to find executives who manage similar size organizations in the corporate or public sector with the same breadth of experience and education.
Nobody is disagreeing with you that some of what the RCMP has done has been terrible. And that's why there are commissions and a small forest's worth of reports looking to fix that force. But you are suggesting that instead of reform we throw the baby out with the bath water.
Be more specific, there's a whole list I have given above. Tell us what we should cut. Enlighten us on which authority figures we should get rid off. Perhaps you prefer the Hells Angels to the RCMP?
You have shown that in spades. In fact, you don't just 'not value' their opinions, you have stated that you don't consider them Canadian. A statement you still have not retracted or apologized for.
In other words, the world would be a better place, if we made you King and those of us who don't align with you 100% are not subjects worth having in your serfdom.
