Sunday, May 23, 2004
Canada Needs Krugman
If I was to write a letter to Krugman telling him of about the scourge that is Stephen Harper, it would go something like this.
“I am concerned that what happened in the States with George Bush will happen in Canada. A Federal Election will be held on June 28th and the person that is trying to pass himself off as a compassionate conservative is the Conservative Party's Stephen Harper. Although currently behind in the polls, the governing Liberal party is mired in Scandal and there is an outside chance that Harper could head the next government.
Harper like Bush is a committed tax cutter. Fine you say. Canadian taxes are too high to begin with. This may be true, but Harper stated goal has been to lower Canadian taxes to such an extent that they lower than what they are in the US. Such action would gut Canada’s social programs and would surely end a string of 7 straight balanced budgets. What is more, like some Republicans for Harper taxes cuts are a means of rolling back social programs. Indeed for 5 years Harper help head the National Citizens Coalition, three years as president and 2 years as VP. Founded in 1967 to fight public healthcare, the NCC raison d’ etat was succinctly put up in 1996 by then president David Somerville. “The fact of the matter is, we have stood since 1967 for more freedom through less government and we have promoted that philosophy in a number of different ways, through (public advocacy of) privatization, tax cuts, spending cuts and opposing gag laws. We’ve been consistent for almost 30 years.”
Harper has from time to time has let down his guard and shown his true colours.
2000: “Alberta and much of the rest of Canada have embarked on divergent and potentially hostile paths to defining their country.
Alberta has opted for the best of Canada's heritage -- a combination of American enterprise and individualism with the British traditions of order and co-operation. We have created an open, dynamic and prosperous society in spite of a continuously hostile federal government.
Canada appears content to become a second-tier socialistic country, boasting ever more loudly about its economy and social services to mask its second-rate status, led by a second-world strongman appropriately suited for the task.
Albertans would be fatally ill-advised to view this situation as amusing or benign. Any country with Canada's insecure smugness and resentment can be dangerous. It can revel in calling its American neighbours names because they are too big and powerful to care.”
2001: “west of Winnipeg the ridings the Liberals hold are dominated by people who are either recent Asian immigrants or recent migrants from Eastern Canada: People who live in ghettoes and who are not integrated into western society”
2002: “There’s unfortunately a view of too many people in Atlantic Canada that its only through government favours that there’s going to be economic progress, or that’s what you look to.” “The kind of can’t do attitude is a problem in this country but its obviously more serious in regions that have had have-not status for a long time.”
2004: On joining the coalition of the willing. Harper told fox news the following: “Outside of Quebec, I believe very strongly the silent majority of Canadians is strongly supportive.” This is a patently false statement. Not even in Alberta did a majority of people favor going to war.
Not surprisingly, the Liberals and to a lesser extent the NDP have made a lot of these quotes. However, excluding the CBC, out west they have not gotten the attention they deserve. The Canadian press is dominated by conservative Can West and out west they own every major paper. The current editor of the Vancouver Sun, Vancouver’s dominant paper, is a former member of one of Canada’s most right wing think tanks. The extent of their biases should be evident to all, but it is not. This is a paper that once led with an editorial calling for an end to the Federal Liberal's supposed anti-Americanism. To put this into perspective, Bush's approval rating nationwide is 15% and is much lower still in Vancouver."
If I was to write a letter to Krugman telling him of about the scourge that is Stephen Harper, it would go something like this.
“I am concerned that what happened in the States with George Bush will happen in Canada. A Federal Election will be held on June 28th and the person that is trying to pass himself off as a compassionate conservative is the Conservative Party's Stephen Harper. Although currently behind in the polls, the governing Liberal party is mired in Scandal and there is an outside chance that Harper could head the next government.
Harper like Bush is a committed tax cutter. Fine you say. Canadian taxes are too high to begin with. This may be true, but Harper stated goal has been to lower Canadian taxes to such an extent that they lower than what they are in the US. Such action would gut Canada’s social programs and would surely end a string of 7 straight balanced budgets. What is more, like some Republicans for Harper taxes cuts are a means of rolling back social programs. Indeed for 5 years Harper help head the National Citizens Coalition, three years as president and 2 years as VP. Founded in 1967 to fight public healthcare, the NCC raison d’ etat was succinctly put up in 1996 by then president David Somerville. “The fact of the matter is, we have stood since 1967 for more freedom through less government and we have promoted that philosophy in a number of different ways, through (public advocacy of) privatization, tax cuts, spending cuts and opposing gag laws. We’ve been consistent for almost 30 years.”
Harper has from time to time has let down his guard and shown his true colours.
2000: “Alberta and much of the rest of Canada have embarked on divergent and potentially hostile paths to defining their country.
Alberta has opted for the best of Canada's heritage -- a combination of American enterprise and individualism with the British traditions of order and co-operation. We have created an open, dynamic and prosperous society in spite of a continuously hostile federal government.
Canada appears content to become a second-tier socialistic country, boasting ever more loudly about its economy and social services to mask its second-rate status, led by a second-world strongman appropriately suited for the task.
Albertans would be fatally ill-advised to view this situation as amusing or benign. Any country with Canada's insecure smugness and resentment can be dangerous. It can revel in calling its American neighbours names because they are too big and powerful to care.”
2001: “west of Winnipeg the ridings the Liberals hold are dominated by people who are either recent Asian immigrants or recent migrants from Eastern Canada: People who live in ghettoes and who are not integrated into western society”
2002: “There’s unfortunately a view of too many people in Atlantic Canada that its only through government favours that there’s going to be economic progress, or that’s what you look to.” “The kind of can’t do attitude is a problem in this country but its obviously more serious in regions that have had have-not status for a long time.”
2004: On joining the coalition of the willing. Harper told fox news the following: “Outside of Quebec, I believe very strongly the silent majority of Canadians is strongly supportive.” This is a patently false statement. Not even in Alberta did a majority of people favor going to war.
Not surprisingly, the Liberals and to a lesser extent the NDP have made a lot of these quotes. However, excluding the CBC, out west they have not gotten the attention they deserve. The Canadian press is dominated by conservative Can West and out west they own every major paper. The current editor of the Vancouver Sun, Vancouver’s dominant paper, is a former member of one of Canada’s most right wing think tanks. The extent of their biases should be evident to all, but it is not. This is a paper that once led with an editorial calling for an end to the Federal Liberal's supposed anti-Americanism. To put this into perspective, Bush's approval rating nationwide is 15% and is much lower still in Vancouver."
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