Harper's Plan To Americanize Canada

Gotta love Haroon Siddiqui! He tells it like it is!

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Dave Ruston

Prime Minister Stephen Harper leading a Conservative majority government would be best for Canada and our sovereignty. The Liberals almost had the country break up in 1995 and Martin has alienated the West again through fearmongering. Harper plans to consult Provincial Premiers instead of combat them as the Liberals have done. I will always be Canadian but it sure is hard not to look at our rich neighbours to the South and think about what might have been if Canadians hadn't voted in so many socialists since Trudeau. Even the 44 million uninsured Americans get faster and better health care than the average waiting in a line up Canadian, do the research if you don't believe that. The average American makes $11,000 US more per year than the average Canadian and they don't spend nearly that much on health insurance, it's money in their pocket. The U.S. is way more democratic too, the President has far less power in government than a Canadian Prime Minister - Jean Chretien was virtually a dictator from the PMO's office - but the President always has to battle it out with Congress and even fellow Party members don't have to toe the line, unlike the Liberal dictators here in Canada. High taxes and massive spending by Canadian governments for the past 30 years has resulted in a stagnant standard of living and the inevitable deterioration of services like health because no one will innovate under these repressive conditions. Canada needs a change for the better like Stephen Harper and the Conservatives - it's the only way Canada will be in one piece at the end of this century.

Haroon Siddiqui tells it like an anti-semite, he's lucky that anti-semitism is almost as popular today as it was during pre-war Germany. The similarities are incredible, today, just as in pre-war Germany, the universities are full of righteous anti-semitic professors who think nothing of advocating the Arab positions that would result in the destruction of Isreal and therefore the Jews that live there. These 'intellectuals' are as morally bankrupt as their brethren from seventy years ago. Heck, I'm not even Jewish and this moral bankruptcy is obvious to me. The air must be rarified in the Ivory Towers.

"Socialists since Trudeau?"

Go back to bed, Mr. D'Aquino.

I have to take exception to two of Anon's comments about the U.S.

First, about our health care; "even the uninsured get better care in the U.S." is mistaken. The indigent get access to a very second rate "public" (i.e., charity) arrangement, essentially limited to "emergency" treatment; minimal, meager and often too little too late. Overall, despite the money we spend here, it is top heavy and wasted (see today's posting on how U.S. care is bad and getting worse: http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0628-03.htm ). For those who need care not covered by emergency room procedures, there is the constant threat of getting wiped-out; a high percentage of American bankruptcies are attributed to health care costs.

Secondly, Canada's "high" taxes have not aversely impacted on Canada's higher economic growth over the last few years. Despite what the right-wing would have us believe (on both sides of the border), there is little correlation between taxes and growth; there are simply to many other factors that are more significant. The economic period in the U.S. from WWII to the mid-1970's - our period of progressive taxation - saw the most widespread, stable and shared period of prosperity in out history.

Hopefully Canada will not have to learn some of these lessons the hard way.

-Randy from Rhode Island

Anon, of the harper bunch of fools, what do you think Canada is ?

As long as I am Canadian, I will detest any covert attempt by any so-called politician to sell us out.

Once again, anyone that likes the American Way better than the Canadian way, feel free to move there and quit whining.

You really can't be serious !!! You really haven't read AND understood his platform.

The CD Howe Institute, the CCPA, the Bank of Nova Scotia, and others, say harper's plan will put us in deficit.

Is that what you want ? Why ????



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"Arrogance in Politics is unacceptable"
Jim Callaghan
Minden, Ontario
705-286-1860
www.misterc.ca

Anon, of the harper bunch of fools, listen to Randy.

He lives there. What more proof do you need that you're way off base !


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"Arrogance in Politics is unacceptable"
Jim Callaghan
Minden, Ontario
705-286-1860
www.misterc.ca

Troll post alert.

Nowhere does it say anything about Israel yet this appeaser claims Haroon is anti-semitic. That line is always used by those that have no way to argue against the message being put forward.

I agree with you Jim, if people like the American system of who has their credit card ready to get access to medical treatment, well fine then move there. Only 60% of Americans get adequate access to health care, I enjoy the fact I live in Canada with 100% access.

I will never let some right-wing capitalist like Stephen Harper turn hospitals into a profit making system. Ask the average American who had to put up a second mortage on his house to go get surgery how he enjoys the private-for-profit system.

If this ever happens to Canada, most Conservatives (Alliance) members will come crying to the NDP to fix Harper's mess.

I am brutally shocked at the results in Alberta, is this truly saying that Albertans believe the cons platform, or do they really know the platform, are they uninformed or uneducated, or is this a true reflection of the voice of the people? I ask this because with Klein's plan for healthcare coming around the corner, how can we fight it? The majority of people I spoke to really did not know the issues, did not know what was at stake and I fear, really fear that we don't have informed voters in Alberta...but I could be wrong. Anyone else have a feeling on this?

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If I stand for my country today...will my country be here to stand for me tomorrow?

One more example of, as Meadander puts it, "America's credit card health care", from my personal experience. I am changing jobs next month, but there is a two month interim between my health care coverage. My job has to cover the first month because I'm working two days into it (this is the law, not the choice of my employer); after that I have the right by law to pay my employers group rate of US$748 (~CND$1024) per month for my family plan. This is my employers GROUP rate; if I had to get my own private plan - or was unemployed for more than six months - I would pay a rate much higher than this.

Fortunately, the law also provides that I have 60 days after the month covered to "opt in" to the interim coverage. This means that I *hope* my family does not need any health care (including prescriptions) for the thirty days between coverages so that I do not have to pay anything. If there is any care - even an office visit - I would have to opt in to a month's coverage at US$748.

There is an untold story in America about the millions of people who want to leave jobs they are no longer like - or can afford - but are afraid to move because of the cost of health care...even for brief periods between employment. This is an insane way to treat people in what claims to be "the richest country in the world". It would be scandelous - no, criminal! - if we had the guts in this country to protect what should be our rights as free citizens.

There are millions of us down here that are jealous of Canada's public health care system and there would be many millions more if there was not such a concerted, well-financed, and successful effort by the radical right-wing to discredit ANYTHING "public".

-Randy from Rhode Island

Besides the real antisemitism now is more antiarab than antijew - Anon's sputter about antisemitic proarab professors is just an oxymoron.

No, the term is not 'public,' it's 'socialist,' the favourite scary buzzword from the extreme right. Anything that take away their tax dollars and contributes to the public good is automatically communnist, socialist or just otherwise evil. Why have an efficient public health care system when you could have an extra $1000 in your pocket each year to buy more useless crap from wal-mart?

This is a great thread, and thanks to Randy for showing us a little of the daily problems Americans face in order to pay for their healthcare.

It is unbelievable that the US admin of whatever party would allow this to continue.

Yes, I am happy to pay higher taxes for the coverage of healthcare, and anyone that complains knows not of what they speak.

Of course, let's face it. The young are immortal and will never use the healthcare system, right ?

Conversely, let's look at the elderly. They don't go to school anymore, but they support it throught the tax system.

That's the way it is, folks. We all pay taxes. We just want our tax dollars to do what they are supposed to do.


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"Arrogance in Politics is unacceptable"
Jim Callaghan
Minden, Ontario
705-286-1860
www.misterc.ca