[andyt]

Good post Lemmy. (ie I agree with you) I would just add that there's no alternative to Harper at the moment. I didn't vote for him either, probably never will, but I don't see the NDP being ready for prime time (maybe when they get a new leader then can show their stuff) and the Liberals certainly have a lot more wandering in the desert to do.

[eureka]

I don't agree, Lemmy. I call it a sad country because it is deteriorating fast under Harper. All those disagreements you note I share but I do not shrug them off because they are semi permanent and will shape this country's path for a couple of generations.

I also think of the prorogations; the concentration of power and the emasculation of both Parliament and the Senate; Ministers lying to Parliament and being rewarded with continuation; hundreds of millions of tax moneys spent on Party propaganda disguised as "information." The slippage of a few p;aces on the International Transparency rating. The loss of International respect over a Foreign Policy that reflects Harper's bias rather than the even handedness that Canada was so respected for.

And the Climate Change inaction where we are the world's worst. (We have just been awarded the Fossil of the Day at Durban to go along with the same awards at all conferences since this government came to office.

And so much more.

.I do not agree that they "have steered the ship admirably through some difficult economic times." They were saved from the destructive path of deregulation by the 2008 recession. The intent was to make Canada's financial system just like all those that failed. We were weeks away from attempts to do that.

Disparity in incomes has grown by 9% during Harper's tenure. We are on track to joining the USA as the most disparate society on Earth. Canada is in gentle decline economically and its citizens are falling further behind several countries and being overtaken by others. The Middle Class is shrinking and the "lower" is growing.

The Occupy movements were a reflection of the hopelessness that is increasingly afflicting Canada's young.

That is why I call it a sad country. The decline is not pretty for those who can see.

[Lemmy]

I'm guessing you're more of a "glass half-empty" kind of person.

[andyt]

I guess I'm a glass is 3/4 full guy. I think we have lots to be thankful for in Canada, compared to the rest of the world. And I think Harper hasn't turned out as bad as I expected. OTOH, there's lots to complain about in Canada, and lots of trends we should be working to reverse.

Eureka - it's true that our income disparity is growing faster than in the US, and as you know I've posted a lot about that. But, to call the US the most disparate country on earth is where your tendency to hyperbolize gets you into trouble, and we get another round of Eureka bashing. The US is the most disparate G7 country, and well down the list of all world countries. Nowhere near the worst tho. And, disparity is growing in all western countries, so who knows, maybe we'll be joining the US there at some point. And that's the concern, because as we've seen, to great an income inequality fucks up a country just as much as no income inequality (theoretical) does.

[eureka]

Actually, andy, I am quoting economists on that. I don't know now where it came from since it was at least a few years ago that I heard it. And I suspect it is accurate.

You can't use comparisons with poor countries where there are a few very rich and powerful people. But, if you compare say the top 10% in every country in the world and the bottom equivalents (more than 10% there), I think that the US will be found to have the greatest disparity by far.

That is roughly how I remember it.

[PluggyRug]

Who's Elizabeth May?

[ShepherdsDog]

Lemmy Lemmy:

I'm guessing you're more of a "glass half-empty" kind of person.

More like a playing with half a deck.

Eureka once more demonstrating that he's a pathological liar Eureka once more demonstrating that he's a pathological liar:

Actually, andy, I am quoting economists on that. I don't know now where it came from since it was at least a few years ago that I heard it.

As in you're making shit up and have nothing to back up your bullshit. Par for the course What a fucking fraud.

[eureka]

ShepherdsDog ShepherdsDog:

Lemmy Lemmy:

I'm guessing you're more of a "glass half-empty" kind of person.

More like a playing with half a deck.

Eureka once more demonstrating that he's a pathological liar Eureka once more demonstrating that he's a pathological liar:

Actually, andy, I am quoting economists on that. I don't know now where it came from since it was at least a few years ago that I heard it.

As in you're making shit up and have nothing to back up your bullshit. Par for the course What a fucking fraud.

You are one sick puppy.

[eureka]

Curiously, andy, there was a news item tonight that said the US is the third worst in the world. Canada is in the middle of the pack but the disparity here is growing much faster.

[ShepherdsDog]

eureka self diagnosing the mental health issues of one of his personas eureka self diagnosing the mental health issues of one of his personas:

ShepherdsDog ShepherdsDog:

Lemmy Lemmy:

I'm guessing you're more of a "glass half-empty" kind of person.

More like a playing with half a deck.

Eureka once more demonstrating that he's a pathological liar Eureka once more demonstrating that he's a pathological liar:

Actually, andy, I am quoting economists on that. I don't know now where it came from since it was at least a few years ago that I heard it.

As in you're making shit up and have nothing to back up your bullshit. Par for the course What a fucking fraud.

You are one sick puppy.

Could be, as you're an expert in mental hea;th problems. Keep taking notes during your therapy sessions. Maybe one day your therapist will make a break through as to why you have a compulsive need to lie. Doubtful though.