It is no secret to followers of my blog that I do not attempt to fit neatly into anyone's political pigeonholes. I hope always to provoke, and perhaps sometimes to shock, my readers, but only with well-reasoned argumentation....
Several months ago, I figured out that I am not a conservative, but a post-liberal. My fiscal and international security views are conservative, but my social views are quite liberal and inclusive. From this standpoint, I adhere to the positions of none of the leading political parties of Canada (though perhaps some day, the Liberal Party of Canada, whom I regard as the most workable of the established Canadian political parties, may evolve to the "Post-Liberal Party of Canada...").
In the interim, I have come to despise Stephen Harper, primarily for his betrayal of small Canadian investors through the destruction of the oil/gas income trust tax exemption. I will not reiterate my critical analysis here, as I have previously posted at length on the issue.I also feel that Mr. Harper entirely lacks vision for the economic future of the country. Despite the current global fiscal crisis, we are entering into an age of rebirth of commodity production - led by Asian growth. Canada's mining and mineral sector - and its resource sector more broadly - stands to lead the world into the new millennium. Canada has more registered mining companies than the remainder of the world combined, and this fact seems not yet to have come to Mr. Harper's attention, as he has scrambled to throw financial aid at the successful business sectors of the past, rather than to those which will lead Canada into the future.
Through research on the subject, I discovered that Mark Carney, the well-educated but regressively-minded Governor of the Bank of Canada, was the primary instigator of the sabotage of the primarily small Canadian investor-owned income trust system. The narrow-minded Finance Minister, Jim Flaherty, was easily led by the nose on this initiative, and I have already called for Mr. Flaherty's resignation....
In any case, I was absolutely delighted recently to discover that the three remaining political parties, who represent the clear majority of Canadian opinion, have banded together to turf Mr. Harper out of office. This is certainly a testament to the extent to which Mr. Harper is NOT a team player. He has managed to alienate entirely every element of the opposition in the house and the senate!Sign the 62% majority petition here!
And, for a clear overview of the background issues, view my wife Susan's blog entry here.
Here is my last word on the subject: Good riddance to you, Mr. Harper.... Get thee gone, and do not again darken Canada's doorstep! And please, take Mr. Flaherty with you - as soon as possible!_
I love the poster. I wish I could read French.
ReplyDeleteI have some concerns about the separatists ...
ReplyDeleteI think the first part below his name is (my french isn't very good) If you'd like to make everything like George W. Bush, hang around for four years.
Tout-puissant = all powerful
To make my own position clear, I actually believe Mr. Harper has performed well on the majority of issues. My problem is that where he is wrong, it is disastrously and wrongheadedly so. He also clearly has no head for compromise, and this is what has placed him in his present position - devoid of allies. He has alienated literally everyone who is not his core supporter, and this is what has united the opposition. He has believed that making friends among one's enemies is of no import. I am sorry, Mr. Harper, this is not so!
ReplyDeleteQuestion: was the Liberal Party not going to also cancel the Income Trust, prior to losing the election?
ReplyDeletePart of my problem with the coalition is that Mr Dion has already submitted his resgnation. Which leads to our next Prime Minister being elected by the Liberal Party delegates and not the general population. Not quite the electoral reform I was hoping for.
ReplyDeletePart of my problem with the coalition is that Mr Dion has already submitted his resgnation. Which leads to our next Prime Minister being elected by the Liberal Party delegates and not the general population. Not quite the electoral reform I was hoping for.
ReplyDeleteOh and Harper shutting down parliament (actually he still has power to change policy with parliament prorogue... yes be afraid.)
The divisionary propoganda coming through our televisions, radios, computers and even on our streets will be a endless assault on our minds directly from Stephen Harpers wallet. He's making a investment in the minds of Canadians by spreading division and fear to keep his facist hold on power.
Anything even the Christian Heritage party is better than the kool aid Stephen is serving.
I will acknowledge that income trust investors have few political allies at this point in history. The issues are just too subtle for most voters to grasp. To simplify it - the income trusts promote Canadian ownership of Canadian resources through a tax advantage that is particularly relevant to the developers of mature natural gas fields in the west. By removing the tax advantage, these can no longer be operated as small, independent, Canadian companies. Thus they will be - and are presently being - sold out to international investors, with Canadian investors taking the $30-50 billion or more in losses. Removing the tax shelter for this marginal class of investment was the most anti-Canadian thing the Conservatives could possibly have done. With the tax advantages, these investments were profitable for small Canadian investors. By removing the tax advantage, these small companies have to be sold out to international conglomerates, with small Canadian investors essentially subsidizing the international buyouts! This is why I view Stephen Harper, Jim Flaherty and Mark Carney as absolutely traitorous. They couldn't have hit small Canadian investors harder while selling out Canada to the world!
ReplyDeleteThanks Susan!
ReplyDeleteI will admit that my viewpoints are not always "nice." Sometimes I have to tell it like it is, and that may mean adopting one tough choice at the expense of another.
I've addressed issues such as abortion, terrorism, and short-sighted government policy, as well as perhaps the more straightforward issues relating to economics, gold investing, etc. I hope you will bear with me if at times my views might initially provoke or offend you!
new and instant fan of your blog. i wish america were a bit more like canada. feel free to quote me.
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