The Fudge-It Budget: Redux
I’m uncertain as to whether it has occurred to Gordon Campbell, but he can no longer talk about the NDP being the only liars while in government.
I wasn’t terribly surprised by the provincial number crunching: It was a simple shell game that included, in no particular order; giving back what was only taken away last August, preparations for the HST (an utterly inadvisable move during an economic rumpus) and runaway train spending and excess that surely means this is a LIBERAL government.
But in all of this, my one great head-shaking moment remains the surprisingly emphatic support the economic nonsense springing from the wellhead of this governments fanciful fiscal claptrap, continues to receive from Colin Hansen.
I know, he’s the Minister of Finance, and yes, he’s a dutiful soul. I know all this. I’ve known Colin for over 15 years. He’s as kind a fellow as anyone could ever meet, and is also a sharp, intelligent sort.
But, the only place he can continue his career after leaving his current political station is running federally in Vancouver Quadra. It’s the only place there are enough blind Liberals (I know, this may be redundant) that will forgive this stunning support for pure nonsense. (And it gets rid of the current Vancouver Quadra MP, who along with Libby Davies and Hedy Fry, make up the ‘Triumvirate of Tin Twits’)
The provincial budget even included some measure to facilitate the implementation of the HST. And Colin supported this, too, with some of the most ridiculous messaging and rhetoric I’ve ever heard.
Not to mention that in the preamble to the HST, the government wanted us all to know that every dollar from the ill-timed burden will go to healthcare. What a load of horse shit! How will this be accomplished? Revenues go into one large pot and are allocated accordingly. What incredible deflection!
Simply put: The provincial Liberals are on auto-slide. They are long out of ideas (after the first two years of their tenure, it was over), and since then, have been offering up the kind of absurd deflection that this PR stunt about monies to healthcare is all about.
And make no mistake: This is all coming from the Premier’s bailiwick and the uncontainable morons that surround him. But why, Colin, why? Why are you supporting this insanity? You don’t need the money, sit on the back bench, show some spine, take a stand, send a message! Others are preparing to make a move this year, do you want to look like a sycophant? Is this the hill you want to die on? Are you hoping for an Ignatieff win that should give you a Senatorship? Why are you supporting a madman running this province into the ground?
Pity this province. Feel pity for us all. For the alternative is a party headed by Moe Sihota.
Tsakumis! Maybe we should run you instead of Carole or Dianne. Not only do you make sense but you speak form the heart. We haven’t had that since WAC was around these halls. Think about it and get back to us. You have a strong following in the legislature Alex.
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Too kind. I’m aware of the folks who come around (well, not all of them) from the Legislature. I’m privileged. Thank you again.
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Yes Colin, that’s what I want to find out too.
Why did you do it?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLAQOPjlapg
Ja Colin, warum taten sie es? Verräter!
Gute Nacht ,Alex!
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Gute nacht. Danke!
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All I can say is that there will come a time where the BC liberal caucus will come to realize that they were elected by their constituents, not by Gordon Campbell nor the BC liberal party. The simple fact that they go along with whatever Gordo decrees is pathetic. Hansen has been around long enough to know what is right and what is wrong, and he has obviously chosen his path, as have many of his cohorts. The sad part is that they will have to live with the path that they have chosen, but the rest of us are also forced to live with the impact of their decisions, and for a great many it will be a ride they did not sign up for.
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Yes, you are absolutely right. They will regret it big time. In fact, judging from the amt of interest in this blog by many of them, I gather that’s already happening.
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Just had to add that dig on the opposition, didn’t you Alex.
But you are correct in saying that he should stand up to the head moron. It has been done before. Does Paul Nettleton ring a bell.
I might suggest here that quite a few MLA.s take a stand against the HST. Or there will be the biggest upset of a Provincial Government this country has ever seen.
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You won’t get any argument from me on anything you’ve written here. Always happy to have you around Gary!
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I used the same term. It’s a fudgit-budget. Not only that, but the bastards raided ICBC and used it to show a lower deficit [from 2.1 billion down to 1.7 from a $487 raid on the insurer profits].
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I noticed that. They completely took ICBC to the cleaners. Great to have you aboard Adrian. Terrific columns you do in the National Post!
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The final line of this column succintly describes the conundrum voters here now face. The Liberals might not be very good at running the Gov’t, but when the alternative is Sihota, James, Farnworth, Chudnovsky and the like… it is not difficult to see why we would be forced to hold our nose and vote Liberal again next time.
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And that’s precisely what they are counting on Chancellor! But I don’t think they’ll get it done next time around…. Not without a change in leader. Thx for stopping by! A pleasure.
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I suspect that Campbell, knowing he is on a slide to the exit, decided to bare the cupboards for his successor, no matter if it is a rebel from his side or an NDP leader. He wants to make his administration look better by comparison so a scorched earth program begins.
Consider the cumulative effect: Signing billions in IPP contracts, stripping half a billion surplus from ICBC, taking cash from Hydro when it is renovating, forcing large hikes in MSP premiums, driving up government fees, adding road and bridge tolls, carbon taxes, etc. and, of course, the HST plan.
Together, this is a massive shift toward regressive taxation. If Colin Hansen were an honest man, he would admit this is the goal. But, he is not, so from him we get Liberal bafflegab.
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Bafflegab is right. But here is the problem. Hansen is a VERY honourable guy. A super good person. I just don’t understand why he’s doing this. The credibility he’s lost is massive.
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Unfortunately the Chancellor of the ExCHEKers has a very good point, it is very likely I will “hold my nose” and vote Liberal, next time, unless something very drastically happens.
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Ah, Pedro old buddy…you won’t be alone. But if be some curse Gordon Campbell is still around, it’ll be all for naught–the NDP will get elected in a walk and with a good majority.
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HA HA…You are too much Tsakumas, Gordon Campbell can`t do anything by himself, all the BC Liberals are complicit in the robbery..
Let me lay it out for you Alex..The HST won`t create jobs despite what Marc Jaccard`s HST report will say next week, it will cost jobs and consumers big dough, hundreds and hundreds alone on one funeral…BC Ferries are broke, the fares are being jacked up April 1st…including a doubling of the rate for over length from $2.50 to over $5.00 per foot, that`s like an extra 2 bones to go to the island and back, ridership will decline….
I have a small house, my hydro bill is over 350$ every 2 months, Campbell is going for a 45% increase over three years counting last years 7% increase, I have checked my bill,I am using way less power than the same period last year,yet my bill is much higher..That old two-tier hydro rate that no house owner can avoid……MSP going up this and next year…Carbon tax going up, and Campbell is also raping the liquor distribution,so booze is going up, and that old car levy next year for the evergreen line(maybe)…..
All toll, Gordon Campbell is taking from me and other middleclassers about $2000 grand per year to maintain the status quo….
I intend to cut back $4000 thousand dollars in spending, I have already cut back,no more coffee on the ferry, no more tim hortons, I carry a jar of instant coffee….And with the Canadian dollar reaching parity with the US Greenback…..A few trips per year for goods and services….I am not alone Alex,think of everyone who lives near the Alberta border and the US border……
Where was I……So if you think the dozen plus close ridings, and how people are cash poor and credit full, if you think people will say…Donna Barnett, sure, Ida Chong sure, no Alex, the BC Liberals are cooked and rightfully so,it will be almost like 2001 reversed,but not quite that big of a landslide.
Carole Taylor isn`t coming,Dianne Watts isn`t coming, look to Rich Coleman, and Coleman is so done, but in all truth Alex, I don`t think Campbell is going anywhere, I think he is criminally insane and power hungry…..Gordon Campbell has done nothing but fuckover the Province and triple the debt, all debt Alex,not the dribbles on the books…As for Colin Hansen, he lost his crediblity years ago, you Alex are just too close to see it…….But good luck with that Dianne Watts recruitment thing, your gonna need it!
Cheers-Eyes Wide Open
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Grant:
1) It is TSAKUMIS, not TSAKUMAS (or Tzatziki, bu sometimes Tsunami)…this has been pointed out to you umpteen times, and not just by me.
2) How do you know that neither Dianne or Carole aren’t coming? Judging from your website, throwing gossip around is big currency to you. Both have circles of influence that are much deeper than anything you’ve ever seen, believe me, and BOTH are still interested. Stop dreaming.
3) I’m not sure about your maths skills. The NDP top out in the high 30s to low 40s. That precludes a landslide for the NDP–period. And of the close ridings you refer to are close in an NDP favoured scenario, IF, and I repeat, IF, the Libs run the exact same candidates.
4) We are agreed on the HST, but that will have significant impact if the next leader moves forward without offer some concessions, which they surely will. You are dreaming in technicolour here.
5) You told me recently that you aren’t a Dipper. Really? So what were you doing spouting for the NDP at a gathering not too long ago.
C’mon Grant. You’re a nice kid, but please…if you’re going to come around here, stick to the info you have (which can be quite good) and leave the predictions to those of us who’ve been on the battlefield many dozens of times.
I enjoy your log when it doesn’t end up an NDP circle jerk. You’ll notice I get all sorts of folks here, and appreciate them very much. Even if I disagree, we enjoy the exchange intelligently, as with koot and Norman Farrell and others.
Think about that before you reply.
Appreciate you stopping by…
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Alex, whether or not Grant can spell your name is hardly relevant – frankly YOU are the professional writer here and you make MANY spelling and gramatical errors yourself – though I don’t consider it productive to point them out to you – often you don’t even recognize or credit facts anyway if they don’t coincide with your FAITH.
I don’t read EVERY one of your comments, as the cheerleading which so much of them seem to be get somewhat boring – but I think you have Grant confused with me – I’m the one who once you accused me of being a dipper pointed out the fact that I am not – though I did point out that I am philosophically attuned to the principles of the original CCF and NDP.
As to:
“Bafflegab is right. But here is the problem. Hansen is a VERY honourable guy. ”
Give me a break! You obviously have a different definition of honour than I do, as honourable people in a position of public trust and responsibility DON’T lie point-blank to protect scoundrels. You are only correct in that Colon may (emphasis on the MAY – a Nettleton he is not) be one of the best of a bad bunch. On one hand we have the sociopathic clinically insane such as Kevin Falcon and Rich Coleman (I couldn’t decide whether to laugh or barf at the sight of the fat man in the Ledge pointing TWO fingers repeatedly at the oppostion as he repeated “Don’t lecture me,” instead of answering questions put to government.
You may be right about Colon running as a federal liberal, but from my point of view any of the BC liaRs are a much better fit with Stevie’s impersonation of Conservatives.
If the voters of BC weren’t such sado-masochists and so kept in the dark and fed mushroom food by our excuse for a media I would say that the BC liaRs have to replace much more than their leader – most of the cabinet and backbench – except maybe in the Bible Belt Fraser Valley where Robert Pickton could probably get elected as long as he ran as BC Liberal/Reform/SoCred or whatever the same old crooks call themselves next time. However the voters of BC have elected Gordo three times now, so I refuse to even speculate the depths of depravity that is acceptable to the electorate as long as one doesn’t run as an NDP candidate.
BTW, I think Grant is older than you Alex, and he is definitely more intelligent, but not as much of an elitist!
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Koot:
1) I do not use spell check on this site, nor do I write formally. A blog is about connecting with folks who want to reasonably exchange ideas. If you want proper format, you’ll have to wait until I’m back in print shortly. My comment to Grant was simple: Spell my name properly. I’ve asked him to do that several times. Your extra-sensitivity about Grant is typical of the Northern Circlejerk of NDP sympathizers in which I assume you play the banjo.
2) I have NOT confused you and Grant at all. You’re both NDP supporters who are put off that until I came along, the internet in this province was almost exclusively the domain of the left or media hacks compliant to NDP philosophy. The exceptions are Harvey Oberfeld and Laila Yulie, who are balanced and fair.
3) Regardless of what you might think of Colin Hansen, I know him personally, and he is an exceedingly good person. Now, as for his disappointing positions, I’ve mentioned them and been critical of his blind support.
4) You must have some sort of fascination in attacking people’s shapes and sizes. You have previously told my good friend Oberfeld to “have another doughnut” (you are an idiot), and now you’re attacking Rich Coleman for being rotund. You are only embarrassing yourself. And let me tell you…I spent a significant portion of my life in great shape, but after years of rugby, they’ve given out. IF my weight is a problem for you, then that’s too bad. Because it’s not for me. And shortly, you’ll see why…
5) Grant is a guy who you admire because much like some of your own site, lies, bullshit and make-believe rule the day. That doesn’t happen here. I have no idea why you bother to come around if you a) can’t be civil or b) won’t stick to productive commentary–which I noted recently here, you are most certainly capable of.
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I sure get a laugh out of the sycophantic NDP followers like Grant.
Talk about delusional, the NDP will NEVER get anywhere close to a landslide like the Liberals had in 2001. NEVER.
You guys just shot yourself in the foot by bringing back Moe Shithota, a bigger piece of crap than Gordon Campbell could ever be.
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Don’t worry Glen. It’s all good. I now have enough info on both Grant and Koot to fix their wagon.
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Don`t call me KID…EVER AGAIN…CarolreTaylor is tainted by banks,her directorship to the TD bank will sink her chances,especially since banks pay NOTHING to BC Provincially.
How about i call you gutter mouth and hack,you like that Alex?
I would vote for a party of midgets wearing kilts over a bunch of corrupt BC Liberals!
As for math skills, 9000 votes and the NDP were in power.
Campbell,the 5 biggest BC deficits in BC History.
Hidden debt worth $70 billion.
The last budget was an utter sham,you know it, everyone knows it.
Last thing Alex……Don`t disparage me ever again with KiD,or junior…..It`s a small world, and I have a very short fuse.
Last warning!
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Grant, forgive me, your not simply a kid but an idiot as well. Do not bother commenting here again. You’re banned. I’m not sure if the liquor store in Garden Bay was open so early today, but it’s the only explanation for your incomprehensible drivel.I know you think you have a following because the pro-NDP crew supporting you wants to get elected. You use the Basi-Virk trial as cover to pretend that you fair and impartial. What a laugh! I cannot even bring myself to reply to what you have written here, since one third is wrong, one third is completely manufactured on-the-fly and the last third are the ravings of a child on too much cold medicine. This blog is about serious commentary, that is at the very least based on earth. You and your cohorts are threatened by me, because the internet in this province, until I showed up, is the refuge of the left. Well tough luck. Go away.
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looking at the future #s i cannot see any way that another Liberal govt can improve things in fact the Liberals have done so much damage now im not sure anyone can fix it , actually just returned from USA and i do beleive i will be movng there i was born here never wanted to leave but it seems truly i have a better opportunity there can you imagine in the present economy there i have better opportunity – great work BC Liberals and i do beleieve i wont be alone from what ive found we again are going to see an exodus of skilled intelligent people
supporting anyone who even is close to the Liberals including Carole Taylor is something i cant do not one of them are clean she may ne smart but she unloaded a 100 million tax to banks and my bills go up to me the avergae guy its another Campbell taht i would need answers for its not like i was looking at bank stocks and see they were going broke .
way too much dishonest corrupt behavior and BC will pay dearly.
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I certainly can’t disagree with your points–you’re right. But I just could never bring myself to support the NDP. They are as bad as the Liberals on many points and severely worse when it comes to the resource sector and dealing with business (which is what ultimately drives this province, whether we like it or not). There has to be a balance and the Liberals lost it after the first two years. But the NDP have NEVER had it. What’s the point of making everybody on the bus feel good by handing out free food and drink, and then going off and shooting the driver in the head, while traveling halfway down the highway? That’s the NDP. They can’t help themselves.
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Thats true but whats worse if you looked at where my situation is today Alex i can say i am far worse off for the Liberal experience now , the unfortunate part is its caused enough trouble with future budgets i do think ill be better off paying taxes to uncle sam and that should have alarm bells going off for Canadians we have been sold out and get the bills for the public losses but private profits which is a sad thing and maybe its just Campbells way but i cant trust any right sided thinker who supported him now .
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It is indeed sad and I certainly cannot blame you for holding the position you do. Bless you. I hope things improve. I enjoy having you around here, very much. Let me know if I can help in any way. Take care.
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no worry alex even if do move i can find your blog and will still partake i like the level of commentary here your posts are solid and the followers for the most part from all sides add to the debates , im not an NDP voter but whats happened in the last few years has left me very unhappy with our ideology of governing we have gone way off track dangerously so , NDP or Liberal are no different
it is simply whos sides crooked buddies we pay but it is certain the whole lot are almost criminal in neglect of duty to who they really work for with no true alternative showing up.
maybe we do need a party of common sense people from all sides of life who can seee the point of working for a common good for all with balanced fairness and respect to taxpayers from every part of society continuing to attempt reducing a middle class to poor for greed will end with disaster at some point we need a middle class with disposable income who do carry the tax burden and we are losing that .
I have worked all over North America still think the best part is here but i dont think my kids will see a very good future here with what is being done , i will wait till end of 2010 and if Campbells still here im gone because at that point ill know the corruptions so deep we will never see an end.
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See, this is very sad for me to read. We need good people to stay in this province and country. We need to keep hardworking and principled folks like your family. And what is Gordon Campbell doing? Chasing you away. I’ve heard this story many times over the last many years and the common denominator is always the same: The Premier. As for your supposition that he might stay on past the end of this year: If there isn’t a sure sign that he’s going, you will see a mutiny before an exodus. Trust me. Stay well and take care of your family. God bless.
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i will hope i see enough to make me stay but i have to look at what i see will give me a chance at supporting my kids and giving them educational opportunity and BC with a lack of support to education [public and post secondary] costs increases in Hydro medical and user fees all added up have made this province unnactractive in similar fashion to what business saw of an NDP and its not just Campbell the Liberals elected in each riding who have not had the balls to stand up and say something are complicit id love to blame 1 guy but it was a group operation they had enough power to change this but failed so we cannot excuse them either .
I am waiting with slim hope something more sensible emerges soon id prefer a reason to stay here but wont mortgage my future to pay for hydro ipps and rip off programs that reward the lobby groups and freinds who have easy chairs in our preems office.
Thanks for the kind words as always Alex and you take care as well :}
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The IPPs are a real conundrum for me: I have some very good friends who are deeply involved and every time we meet, we argue about them. Plus, the guys behind the deals are all either past or current Liberal supporters or workers, or FREINDS of the Premier.
And it was my pleasure to offer you kind words. I’m a family man too, and I know how tough it is to raise children in this day, with all the demands on time and pocket. Take good care of yourselves. And again, if there is anything you think I can do, just email me privately. Take care.
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I know you won`t post this AGT……But you are lower than a snail`s belly,you know what I`m talking about, and it`s not about me or Kootcoot!
See ya!
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Grant, you have a future after all. One of my friends is a set designer in LA. She needs a fencepost for the new ‘Hee Haw’
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So Alex, is the reason you attack Koot and Grant G because You think they are NDP? If so I have news for you. Between the three of us I am the only one to EVER declare they were NDP.
As for you sycophantic friend Glen Hall, I see you and he as the only ones that are using flattery to gain favours. He kissing your butt and you kissing Campbells.
You may disagree with people here, but unless you can refute their numbers with some honest numbers of your own, then I might suggest you refrain from labeling them because your arguenments mean nothing without honest numbers. Personally I have never seen Grant or Koot post on their blogs or anywhere else without having facts to back them. Yet all I ever see here is inference and innuendo.
So please Alex, help us out here by printing some (true) facts that back your shilling.
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No, and I haven’t attacked anybody. Koot is clearly a highly intelligent man, with much to offer. But when he comes here and bitches about partisanship, when his own site is LOADED with it, I just find the hypocrisy rather thick–and stated so. Grant is clearly another matter…the guy isn’t stable. You talk about inference and innuendo??? On his site he allowed defamatory comments about me, and others, which bring nothing to the fore except leaving people scratching their heads. He had someone suggesting that while I was owner of Britannia Beach (town plus mine), I took taxpayer-funded grants to remediate Britannia Creek. This is such an incredible falsehood, I had to threaten to sue him to have it removed (in fact my company paid the entire amount and were partnered with UBC–we took not grants EVER). He also suggested I was somehow in business with Dianne Watts (this is such insane conjecture, that there are no words to describe the idiocy behind such a LIE–a simialr smear was made against Alan Fotheringham and Brian Mulroney since the latter’s candiacy for PM was born in Dr. Foth’s column–similarly I was the very first journalist in B.C., six years ago, to identify Dianne Watts as Premier material))
When Grant comes here, he is utterly disrespectful and talks trash and makes insane statements. I have many NDP friends Gary, and not one of them is so incredibly hardline that they act like this. That’s why Grant’s banned from here.
There is no site more than mine that offers the straight goods. What the hell are you talking about when you write about “numbers”? What numbers? I think, like you, that gordon Campbell is awful, but the prospect of a socialist horde back in Victoria makes my skin crawl. This is MY blog, and if that opinion is offensive to someone, enough that they have to make up criticisms, then they don’t have to be here. It’s voluntary.
As for disagreements: There are more regular posters on this blog than any other locally. They number just short of three dozen. Differences? Sir Larry and I could go back and forth on abortion and gay marriage all day long; Olga and I have differed on a couple of federal issues; Pedro likes Sarah Palin, I don’t. Harv Oberfeld (whom has a most magnificent blog) thinks Insite is important, I think it’s an arm of the enablers; SB won’t vote for the prov Libs, but I would if Carole of Dianne lead them; Janice likes Ignatieff more than Harper, but can’t stomach another Liberal govt…Crankypants, Glissando, Burton, we’ve all had differences of opinion, so what??? That’s what this kind of exchange is about. But we enjoy each others company and the exchanges. I could go on and on about the wonderful people who come here. We are all different.
Each one of the aforementioned posters are respectful, intelligent, vital and coherent. I love the fact they are here. It is as much their blog as much as mine, when we are exchanging ideas. I learn form them. They honour me by coming here. And they get to honour each other by keeping it real (to steal a phrase from the great Oberfeld) So when Koot comes along and tells Harv to “have another doughnut” or asks me if I have “a neck”…are those the kinds of incredibly intelligent “numbers and facts” you’re talking about???
I like your comments Gary. But I find the extreme left as intolerable as the extreme right. With respect…
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Well said Alex, one of the many reasons I enjoy your blog is that beyond great investigative news, you are open minded to apologize when wrong and approach the issues with common sense.
I agree with your opinions 75% and give praise when due. Please believe me I can be as caustic with criticism when applicable.
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Wrong?! I’m never wrong! Only 75%? What?!
I’m clearly kidding…
Yeah, I try to put out commons sense commentaries that show you the difference between the shovel of (fill in the name of govt here) and the truth. There is too much spinning going on nowadays and it’s grossly unfair considering the public’s right to know.
Always a pleasure having you around. Be well.
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Gary,
The only sycophants here are you, Koot and Grant.
If any of you believe, think, hope or pray that the NDP will ever get a landslide like the Liberals did in 2001, all I can say is to put down the bong and come back down to earth. Better yet, stay on whatever planet you’re on because the province in your hands would be far worse off than it is now. And THAT is saying something considering the misguided policies coming out of Victoria.
And if you think I like Gordon Campbell, you’re sadly mistaken. But if I had to chose between him or Moe Shithota though, I’d take Campbell.
At least he’d put a condom on when he screwed me, which is more than anyone ever got from your buddy Moe.
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And like clockwork the comment before yours Glen was from Grant and I deleted it. Don’t worry, I’ve now got a lawyer watching his blog very carefully. I won’t put up with horse manure like that.
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Good point.
Even die-hard Democratic senators in the US wee abandoning the party line or deciding not to run for re-election as they realized their prospects for re-election next fall were poor.
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Oops – I somehow neglected to paste a quote from the message I was responding to, the one about MLAs realizing what their re-election depends on.
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No problem. We got it
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That’s correct. You will see a wave of Republican in the fall. It’s inevitable. Obama is a disaster.
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