Lockout Casualty

I guess you're proof of what others have said - you're a law abiding gun owner... until you're not.

There is only one true Scottsman.

I'm gonna need a shower after I say this, but I agree. Americans want a choice between status quo and further decline (or is that the status quo now?), they deserve what they get. No matter if it's Trump or Biden, it'll be more PATRIOT Act, more war on drugs, more prisoners, more white collar corruption, more inequality, more people foregoing treatment due to costs, more rich controlling the government, while the peasants fight over whose donkeyhole smells better, Republican or Democrat. For all the bitching Americans do over the two-party system, they're awful quick to try and buck the only guy with the potential to change things. So in a race between Trump and Biden, I'll quote one of the smartest Americans I've ever known, "Go banana!" #ThanksChuck

Let me know when they go after the employers of undocumented workers and I might even entertain the idea that Republicans aren't outright worse at everything. Until then I will continue to defer to the 85% of black voters, who support any democratic nominee over the republican president, as to which party is doing more constructive things for them as a people. Republicans, not racist, but #1 with racists. Nuff said.

Yep. I feel much better about these NDP-led reforms to ICBC than lawyers' protests against them.

Yeah, and the Republicans are the party of Lincoln.

Democratic Party's first line of defense against democracy.

Canada is not broken Scott Gilmore: Despite our flaws and constant challenges, we live in what is arguably among the least broken countries in human history Here is the National Post’s headline this morning: “‘Canada is broken’ says majority of Canadians”. It is the lead story and it goes on to explain that a poll by DART & Maru/Blue (a brand name that sort of just rolls off the tongue) found that 59 per cent of Canadians believe the country is not headed in the right direction. And, 69 per cent believe the country is “broken”. Another way of describing that poll result could be, “Over two thirds of Canadians have no idea the country has never had it so good”. Just a few weeks ago, the US News & World report named Canada as the second best country in the world. The annual survey tabulated a variety of factors, including overall quality of life—where Canada was ranked first. They are not alone. The OECD’s “Better Life Index” also ranks Canada as one of the best countries in the world for well-being. Their data finds us doing especially well in terms of life satisfaction, health and economics. Speaking of jobs, the right wing Heritage Foundation in Washington continually ranks Canada as having one of the most free economies in the world, citing our government integrity, low taxation levels and fiscal health. Why? Probably because it is so easy to start and run a business in Canada. The World Bank’s annual Doing Business rankings find that our low level of regulations, lack of corruption, and access to finance (among other things), make this country the third best in the world for entrepreneurs who want to launch a new company. That lack of corruption might have something to do with our stable political environment. How stable? The Economist Intelligence Unit ranks Canada as one of the most democratic countries on earth. They rank us far above the United States and most of Europe. Press freedom? Reporters Without Borders ranks us among the best. The Canadian Brand? Some indexes rank us as number five in the world. Others say we are number one. Global competitiveness? Doing great. Overall happiness? We are among the top 10 again this year. “Yeah, but…” I hear you stutter. “Come to Alberta and argue that!” you say. Alberta? The province that continues to enjoy the highest GDP per capita in the country? In a country that enjoys one of the highest GDP per capita rankings in the world? “Our health care system is broken!” you shout. Sure. Which is why our life expectancy is one of the highest in the world, better than the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Ireland. “But the Liberals are terrible!” You have a point. And, because this is one of the healthiest democracies in the world, soon there will be a free and fair election and you can toss them out so they can be replaced by the Conservatives who will then be terrible in an entirely different way. “The blockades!” You mean the democratic demonstrations that are being peacefully managed by our professional (and accountable) police forces? “Our First Nations!” Yes, we need reconciliation, a new social compact with Indigenous Canadians, better infrastructure in the north, and a solution to a dozen other critical shortcomings. And, we as a nation are trying to find those solutions. We get it wrong, we stumble, we often don’t try nearly as hard as we should. But we try. Every government provincially and federally (even the ones you hate) sincerely sees this is a problem and is working peacefully towards a solution. Compare that to any other time in our history, or any other country in the world that faces similar problems. This country is not broken. It is arguably among the least broken countries in human history. It seems like a paradox, but we continually fail and falter our way to success. We bumble along, doing everything wrong from military procurement to hockey. Our Premiers will not talk to our Prime Ministers, our economies crash and boom. Our politicians are idiots, corrupt and clueless. The media is fake. The French can’t stand the English. We’re racist and sexist. It’s too cold. And yet—here we are. Doing pretty damn well. Better than well, actually. Incredibly, we’re doing fantastic. And the most incredible thing of all is that most of us have no idea. So, do this. Get off the internet. Go outside. Take a look around. Talk to your neighbour. Breathe the air. Pause for a moment to actually consider how well we are doing. And then, after you’ve taken a deep breath, appreciate the fact that while we can do so much better, what we already have is pretty damn good. And appreciate it. https://www.macleans.ca/opinion/canada-is-not-broken/ Damn straight. Some people need a good dose of perspective.

How many? I'm curious, what did you do before you became a retiree? Did you work hard enough to forego CPP and OAS completely, and are living off your hard-earned dollars that you wisely invested?

Sometimes it's a wonder that you're still here.

Oh no, whatever will I do. Strome is retaliating. I think there's a clown college missing its instructor. Toodles.

Why do you whine about people condescending to you, when you're one of the most condescending posters around? Now go ahead, call someone else a hypocrite.

Um, no it isn't. Dairy tariff is a tax. The cost of a good is the cost of a good. A business may pay tax on it as revenue, it may avoid tax via a scheme, or it may not pay any tax on this revenue. I am not privy to what the business does with its revenue, nor is my paying for said good reflected in my tax forms. It is not a my tax burden. It is not a hidden tax on consumers. It is a business tax that business may pay on revenue.

IT WASN’T SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE THIS! ALBERTA SHEDS JOBS WHILE THE REST OF THE COUNTRY CREATES THEM ...Canada’s job market blew past the forecasts for the month. Unemployment also fell. In Alberta, not so much. Indeed, Alberta was the only province in Canada to see jobs disappearing — and in significant numbers, with 19,000 lost in January, the second month of the past three the province has experienced big job losses. Canada, meanwhile, added 34,000 jobs nationwide in January, Statistics Canada said, which was pretty good considering the expectation the country would be up only 17,500 jobs by the end of the month. Unemployment nationwide edged downward to 5.5 per cent — not a record low, but within shouting distance. In Alberta, by contrast, unemployment is now at 7.3 per cent, similar to the rates being experienced in the Maritimes — that part of Canada former Calgary MP Stephen Harper in the days he was leader of the Canadian Alliance Party famously and arrogantly dismissed as having a “culture of defeatism.” ... https://albertapolitics.ca/2020/02/it-wasnt-supposed-to-be-like-this-alberta-sheds-jobs-while-the-rest-of-the-country-creates-them/ Maybe we should let them go before all the unemployed Albertan refugees scatter to the rest of Canada to take our jobs, brass balls and chewing tobacco in tow. #closetheborder

You're welcome to, or do you need me to lead? Ok. It's disingenuous to consider cost of goods as part of the tax burden. Individuals pay the price set, and businesses do whatever they wish with that money. It's not a tax when my apples cost 1.99/lb, no matter how hard the Fraser Institute wishes it to be.

Not sure what gave you that idea, but no, I read it all. Anyway, you got me right in the feels so there's no point in continuing. Maybe be a little more honest next time you post a headline that is contradicted by the article itself, that's all I'm saying.

This again? Guys like you sure project a lot. I was only pointing out the contradictory information in your article. If you're making a statement with said article, then onus is on you to post it. I guess you're also projecting that others only read headlines.

I don't think it is logical at all. In fact, I think that's a misunderstanding of what no fault insurance is. No fault means that regardless of fault, both parties are entitled to benefits through their insurer. It would be illogical for a driver to be dinged for getting rear-ended, for example.

Hey Ryan, why didn't you post the body of the article? Oh..

I think what we're seeing is Sanders becoming a cultural icon to the young, left-leaning generation. It's ironic, him being as old as he is, but at least it's someone with a long history of being principled, fighting for the right things, and willing to fight for them and their future. And like I said in another post to you, he's practically single-handedly shifting the Overton window to the left, making socialist policies more palatable to the American people. Even if he doesn't win, I think he'll have done more for America than any Democratic president has going back 40 years. You're right, Sanders is gonna be tarred and feathered as a commie by the right, but that's why you as Americans need to be smarter than them. Weigh the next four years of a lawless president who's literally destroying your democracy against a socialist president who'll try to force M4A on you, along with reinstating regulations aimed to preserving clean water and air for your kids, work on getting money out of politics, give more power to the working class, protect social security, fight the prison industrial complex, end the war on drugs, etc. etc. etc. There is no comparison. Clearly you don't agree with all of his ideas (and surely nobody expects him to get all his ideas through, only to fight for them), but there is not a single redeemable quality about the Trump presidency. Not one. Both sides are not equal, and your children will pay the price for your choices. Please don't stay home. Personally, I don't think American people have the luxury of voting their conscience anymore. The door to fascism has been swung wide open and a fascist is already in the white house. Don't let him grow any more roots, before it's too late.

Sometimes I can't tell if you're serious, or just trying to throw shade at Sanders because you don't like him for... reasons, I guess. Only relevant criticism I've heard so far is that he's old, but I guess he's got crazy hair, is loudly outspoken, and says things that scare those hoping to preserve the status quo, so clearly not fit for office. Sanders has a strong social media presence because he appeals to the millennial generation. It's only natural that they display their support in a medium they're most familiar with. It's also a generation that is clearly desperate to affect change in their society, because they see their future literally being destroyed for short term financial gain. Unlike many jaded grown ups, they recognize that the economy won't matter when there's no environment left where humans can exist. Society says we need another pipeline, but they'd rather stop ocean acidification that's dissolving crab shells and killing biodiversity. Society says we need to grow the GDP infinitely, they see the need to save pollinators, so our flora doesn't die out. Their future, our kids' future, is in peril, and they're the only ones who see it as a bigger priority than the economy. And Sanders is the only one to speak their language, and be in a position to possibly have the power to do something about this growing calamity. Seriously, not even Trump? Have you spoken to your average Trumpkin? The ones who excuse his lies, his slurs, his racist comments, his crimes, his mockery of a disabled man, his completely unpresidential behavior, his being a joke on the world stage, etc. etc. etc. The goddamn Republican senators have admitted that he broke the law, that he did wrong, yet his supporters still insist he's done nothing wrong. And you think Sanders' supporters are worse? Come on man. Democrats are always willing to eat their own, just ask Al Franken. Sanders would be no different.

Is there anything to support this assertion?

Surely by now they're all in the afternoon. Thank you Premier Horgan! NDP! NDP! NDP!

To exclude the things you're excluding seems pretty unfair. Isn't a person's character also important? And being on the right side of history as often as Sanders, often as part of a small minority, should factor into one's opinion, no? Just because he didn't single-handedly stop the PATRIOT ACT, or the war in Iraq, or break up the banks, doesn't mean he's ineffectual. To me, his record speaks of a man ahead of his time. Sadly the vast majority of politicians he has to work with are beholden to their donors first, and themselves second. Fighting for what's right is always an uphill battle, but Sanders has been on the trail so long he's possibly reaching the top. He is shifting the Overton window to the left, despite both Republicans and Democrats fighting against him. If he wins the presidency, his years of what some may see as ineffectual politicking may culminate in the most progressive, defining presidency of our time. If he can restore even an ounce of integrity in the system, that alone would be one of the most positive fundamental changes in America since the New Deal. Now that I've got that off my chest, let me point to some tangible results (I'll just copy/paste some that I like from an internet list). He was dubbed the “amendment king” in the House of Representatives for passing more amendments than any other member of Congress. 1984: Mayor Sanders established the Burlington Community Land Trust, the first municipal housing land-trust in the country for affordable housing. 1991: one of a handful in Congress to vote against authorizing US military force in Iraq. “I have a real fear that the region is not going to be more peaceful or more stable after the war,” he said at the time. 1992: Congress passes Sanders’ first signed piece of legislation to create the National Program of Cancer Registries. A Reader’s Digest article calls the law “the cancer weapon America needs most.” All 50 states now run registries to help cancer researchers gain important insights. July 1996: Sanders is one of only 67 (out of 435, 15%) votes against the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act, which denied federal benefits to same-sex couples legally married. August 1999: An overflow crowd of Vermonters packs a St. Michael’s College town hall meeting hosted by Sanders to protest an IBM plan to cut older workers’ pensions by as much as 50 percent. ... Thanks to Sanders’ efforts, IBM agreed to a $320 million legal settlement with some 130,000 IBM workers and retirees. October 2001: Sanders votes against the USA Patriot Act. “All of us want to protect the American people from terrorist attacks, but in a way that does not undermine basic freedoms,” October 2002: Sanders votes against the Bush-Cheney war in Iraq. He warns at the time that an invasion could “result in anti-Americanism, instability and more terrorism.” March 2010: President Barack Obama signs into law the Affordable Care Act with a major Sanders provision to expand federally qualified community health centers. Sanders secures $12.5 billion in funding for the program which now serves more than 25 million Americans August 2014: A bipartisan $16.5 billion veterans bill written by Sen. Sanders, Sen. John McCain and Rep. Jeff Miller is signed into law by President Barack Obama. The measure includes $5 billion for the VA to hire more doctors and health professionals to meet growing demand for care. September 2015: Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) and Rep. Bobby L. Rush (D-Ill.) today introduced bills to ban private prisons, reinstate the federal parole system and eliminate quotas for the number of immigrants held in detention. There's more, of course, but I hope this is enough to get you acquainted.

I guess instead of letting Sanders turn the US into Venezuela, some prefer Trump and the GOP turn it into Somalia instead. I don't think they have gun regulations. Or universal healthcare. Or gay marriage. Not to mention the whole reason the US took such a commanding lead had a lot to do with every other country being decimated by WWII. The US won by default, but its people think they're the greatest nation on earth, in spite of all evidence to the contrary.