[kEiThZ]

She writes for the Star, doesn't she?

"Stephen Harper is our version of George W. Bush, but without the warmth and intellect"??? Is something very wrong with this woman?!?

Seriously. I hate people like this. That diatribe was utterly distasteful and mean-spirited. Even for a Toronto Star columnist talking about Stephen Harper. Just a bunch of tired old canards thrown together. And slamming on the man for a fatherly moment shaking his children's hands after walking them to school? That's utterly disgusting.

What I really dislike is that she's out to slam fellow Canadians in a foreign newspaper. Why not print something like that in Canada? Oh that's right. I don't think that would even pass the smell test at the Star's editorial board.

Bush was a moron who easily got manipulated by his supposed "advisors". Say what you will, but Harper is a shrewd political tactician who runs a very tight ship. Other than the fact that they might share similar political leanings, the men are nothing like each other.

 

[CDL.TO]

edit: Double post by accident... browser loaded slow so I clicked the button twice. Delete this message please.

Delete your own post.

Edit Post... Delete. It's faster than editing your post to request that someone else do it for you.

 

[Filip]

It's exactly like that. Harper's an oaf. In many ways he is worse than Bush.


Toronto will get punished badly for chosing this way. Cities always get punished when they pick the far right. Their relations with corporate greed always brings about their downfall.
Reaganomics/Thatcherism simply does not work. It always fails. And it will fail in the Torontoland too. Words can not express how sad I am that the city is doomed. There really is no hope.

Harper may be cold and impersonal, but he is extremely educated and well spoken.

 

[TrickyRicky]

PCC, I agree with your comment about Hudak. Although on the issue of hydro rates I'm not sure what he can do except subsidize costs now by kicking costs down the line for future generations?

I'm so tired of this kind of gutless governing. But I guess we always get the government that reflects our own true human character. And it seems that we as a people (perhaps species?) will always choose to run away from our problems if we have an option not to have to confront them.

 

[FAC33]

Harper may be cold and impersonal, but he is extremely educated and well spoken.

I agree. I was living in the States for several of the Bush years, and as much as I'm not a fan of the man, Harper is miles ahead of Bush on the smarts front. With Bush, you always got the idea that Rove and Darth Cheney were the ones calling the shots, whereas Harper seems to be pretty canny and speaks in sentences that make grammatical sense. I don't think he's an oaf at all, and he's infinitely preferable to the current crop of US right-wing "leaders."

 

[Tewder]

Seriously. I hate people like this.

I agree. I'm extremely wary of people who will proclaim the end of the world as we know it because their political party didn't get elected. This is the nature of a democratic system! The tension of opposing ideologies/parties is healthy and maintains balance, in the long run. Other places could use a little more of this tension, quite frankly.

... and this idea that Canada dropped out of the womb as a fully formed left wing social state is simply wrong! As in almost every other way Canada tends towards being a blend of European/British and American influences which in the end makes something uniquely Canadian. Little surprise that Americans only see the European-ness of us and that the Europeans only see the American-ness of us. They don't understand Canada... and nor do Canadians who advocate a little too strongly in either direction, imo.

Harper will not destroy this blend that is Canada. If he pulls the country a little back towards another spectrum it is probably an indication we had gone a little too far the other way to begin with. When he in turn goes too far we will look to another party to restore balance.... and so on.

 

[Filip]

I agree. I'm extremely wary of people who will proclaim the end of the world as we know it because their political party didn't get elected. This is the nature of a democratic system! The tension of opposing ideologies/parties is healthy and maintains balance, in the long run. Other places could use a little more of this tension, quite frankly.

... and this idea that Canada dropped out of the womb as a fully formed left wing social state is simply wrong! As in almost every other way Canada tends towards being a blend of European/British and American influences which in the end makes something uniquely Canadian. Little surprise that Americans only see the European-ness of us and that the Europeans only see the American-ness of us. They don't understand Canada... and nor do Canadians who advocate a little too strongly in either direction, imo.

Harper will not destroy this blend that is Canada. If he pulls the country a little back towards another spectrum it is probably an indication we had gone a little too far the other way to begin with. When he in turn goes too far we will look to another party to restore balance.... and so on.

Not to mention there has been a shift to right wing governments all over Europe.

Hell, Hungary is turning into a mini-fascist state as of late!

 

[Tewder]

Well I guess these things go in stages, no matter where you are.

 

[Filip]

Exactly, and as upset some of us are right now because of Canada's direction; it won't be long before we're back to left of centre and the Conservatives are crying bloody murder. That's the nature of politics/governance since the beginnings of parliament, no reason to think Harper's majority is any different.

 

[Hipster Duck]

I'm so tired of this kind of gutless governing. But I guess we always get the government that reflects our own true human character. And it seems that we as a people (perhaps species?) will always choose to run away from our problems if we have an option not to have to confront them.

Democracy is a device that insures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.

- George Bernard Shaw

 

[allabootmatt]

The one element of the election result that I find encouraging is that ztoronto is sure to be well-represented in Cabinet as well as by the leader of the Official Opposition. In that regard I think we ducked the true worst-case scenario, which would have been a Conservative majority without 416 seats. While this huge win for the blue team is far from my preferred outcome, on the whole I would much rather have the city in the tent--and, presumably, getting carrots to stay in-- than outside, as was the case under Harris.

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

Exactly, and as upset some of us are right now because of Canada's direction; it won't be long before we're back to left of centre and the Conservatives are crying bloody murder. That's the nature of politics/governance since the beginnings of parliament, no reason to think Harper's majority is any different.

I have been trying to tell people this but they would rather cry in their milk.

 

[Tewder]

The one element of the election result that I find encouraging is that ztoronto is sure to be well-represented in Cabinet as well as by the leader of the Official Opposition. In that regard I think we ducked the true worst-case scenario, which would have been a Conservative majority without 416 seats. While this huge win for the blue team is far from my preferred outcome, on the whole I would much rather have the city in the tent--and, presumably, getting carrots to stay in-- than outside, as was the case under Harris.

Good point! The broadening of the caucus from western based to a wider national one will influence the party and bring pressure to trend it more to centre. Toronto may finally get a voice and a view at the federal level which it hasn't had for decades.

 

[Jonny5]

PCC, I agree with your comment about Hudak. Although on the issue of hydro rates I'm not sure what he can do except subsidize costs now by kicking costs down the line for future generations?

I'm so tired of this kind of gutless governing. But I guess we always get the government that reflects our own true human character. And it seems that we as a people (perhaps species?) will always choose to run away from our problems if we have an option not to have to confront them.

It's quite ironic that our hydro bills feature "Debt Retirement Charges" while at the same time include a "Clean Energy Benefit" which is just adding back the debt we are paying off. And it appears it has nothing to do with clean energy either.

 

[grey]

"Scrutineering in Mississauga South-voter turnout appears to be low at my polls. A good sign for the Conservatives."

—Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong (card-carrying conservative, voted against BIXI, yet attends BIXI photo ops now that it's here)