Rusty Iron Ring wrote:
Hunter S Thompson wrote:

f.  I don't think that tax dollars should be used to fund election campaigns.  I don't agree with the $2 per vote rule, or whatever it is.



I take it then that you're also against the conservatives' spending $20million to advertise the economic action plan and changing the name of the government, and would expect them to also eliminate tax credits for party donations.

I've never understood the claim that the gun registry is to make Toronto happy.  Are there any numbers on how much support there is for this in Toronto? Because I don't think I know anyone who supports it other than a couple of friends from Alberta.  And judging by Duceppe's comments during the debate, it sounds almost like most of the support is in Quebec.


1.  Re: spending on action plan.  It doesn't really bother me.  Or, more accurately, I've seen basically every government everywhere do something similar, so I accept it.  If you've got a proposal for stopping this kind of thing (i.e. that would also apply to the liberals when they are back in power in a couple of years), then I'm all ears.  Until then, I'm not going to hold it against Harper.  See my prior analysis on crony-ism v theft.

2.  Re: Changing the name of the government.  Do you mean the "Harper Government" or whatever they called it?  Or do you mean something else that I missed?  I couldn't care less if they want to call themselves the "Harper Government."  I'd apply the same rule to anyone else that came into power.  I see it as a non-issue.  Like proroguing parliament (i.e. using the natural, legal, advantages of the system, that all parties can do when in power).  No different from Jean Chretien calling an election after only 3.5 years (going by memory) because he (correctly) thought he could get another majority.

3.  Re: Gun Registry.  I've always assumed that it was popular in Toronto, but I don't really know that.  When the issue came up for election in the house last year, it seemed to be a split between the rural areas and the urban, and I think that was the problem that Layton was having (and is still having, I think that Harper made a stop to an "anti-registry" northern area that currently has an NDP candidate that voted to keep the registry).  I have this clear image of some partisan pro-registry woman shrieking with ecstasy when the registry was upheld, but, to be fair, I have no idea if she was from a rural or urban area.  I note that you are not disputing my main point:  The gun registry is the work of Satan, and all who support it will burn in hell.  I also think that it's a tab elitist to view this issue as a "wedge" issue, or part of "the politics of division" (or whatever other loaded therm they are using) as if the issue itself shouldn't be debated or politicians shouldn't speak out on it.  If there wasn't a significant percentage of the population that really hated this fucking thing, it could never become an election issue at all.  I suspect that the left of center parties are simply disappointed that it is an issue that is costing them votes.
 
4.  Re: Tax credits.  You can get ride of them as well, for all I care.  I think that killing the $2/vote rule may have the effect of strangling out the Bloc, which I see as highly desirable.  The Liberals and the NDP have been around a long time, and will survive no matter what fund-raising rules you put in place.
    

Edited 1 time by Hunter S Thompson Apr 13 11 6:51 PM.