Way to Go Germany!

Germany is making huge pushes to stop the use of dirty energy , and dangerous energy. Germany said that it will eliminate all nuclear plants in Germany of the grid and replace it with renewable energy. That's right renewals. It silly to switch from nuclear to coal or gas, because nuclear out of the three is the safest and the least pollutant. Not to say we should keep nuclear power plants, but rather eliminate first coal, oil and natural gas then move to eliminating nuclear. In Germany all coal plants will be gone in 2018. This shows that Germany will be one of the best countries when it comes to making the shift, and proves yet again that you can have a strong economy that is the fourth in the world, a small deficit and low employment while still having very tough targets when it comes to not only CO2 emissions, but Canada you can say is falling behind. Currently most of our electricity comes from Hydro and other renewable energy, but we still have many coal plants and nuclear in Canada. In Canadian consumption renewable energy only make up 28%.  Oil and Natural gas are first and third respectively. We must move to try and reduce these numbers especially in coal which makes 12% of our consumption. Germany already has a strong plan. Not only in eliminating nuclear and coal out of the country, but also going for a CO2 target of 40% below 1990 levels. Way more aggressive then Canada's. in Germany renewable energy are becoming more visible in consumption although they are currently less than Canada's.Because here it is easier to make hydro plants when you have the most rivers in the world and only have to supply for 35 million compared to Germany which is much smaller, has fewer rivers , and must supply demand for 83 million people.  Germany even with the tough obstacles, has targets that will make Renewable energy the main source of energy in the following decade's possibly surpassing Canada very soon if Canada doesn't try to increase production of clean energy instead of dirty fuel.

Read more here

The Ron Paul Risk?

Ron Paul was a Libertarian for a long time now even ran for president as a Libertarian. Ron Paul surprised many skeptics last election getting a lot of money in a short amount of time , and getting more than expected support in many area's of the country. Although he didn't win a single state he got close in a few. Now that the tea party is coming in with many Libertarian ideals Ron Paul is getting on the Tea party band wagon. He is currently polling just 4% behind Giuliani with 12% which could make him now a real contender by all accounts. There is no doubt in my mind that Ron Paul will do well this coming election, But he may not win, because a few other people are stealing his thunder. Palin is just 1% ahead of Paul and she is a clear Tea Party favorite. If she runs Ron Paul and Palin will fight over those votes, and might give Romney the edge. Bachmann is getting 7% and could also stop Paul chances of getting the full support of the tea party, but in a poll without Sarah Palin or Rudy Giuliani, Paul hits second with 15%, Romney 21%. Not ideal figures, but if the health care plan in Romney's state comes back to haunt him Paul could lead. This may sound all circumstantial, but there is no doubt that Paul right now is defiantly somthing to watch out for considering his track record in the 2008 election.

President Giuliani!

The latest poll in the republican party is that the leader of the pact is Rudy Giuliani (the guy who isn't running just yet). Romney is second and he is due to make it official in one week. Another guy who is going to be in the race is Rick Santorum he is only polling at 2%. Now this again means nothing for two reasons. Rudy Giuliani ran for president in 2008 and was the front runner and ended up losing big. The second reason is that in this poll Rudy is only leading  by 1%. I still think currently the front runner is Romney, because he still is leading New Hampshire,  he should have an easy time in Nevada, Since Huckabee isn't running Iowa could be all but his, he is well known, and still on the top of the list in the Republican party. The only thing that is going for Rudy Giuliani is that he is well known and his 9/11 experience. Which I don't get. If Osama is dead why would Rudy be more popular I thought he would be less. Rudy if he runs should be able to fundraising a good amount which could help him in getting support, but I think the Rudy Giuliani lead isn't going to last. 

NDP On Quebec

The NDP leader Jack Layton said that Quebec would just need 50% +1 to be it's own country. That is just crazy. You can't just destroy and split up a country with a simple majority. I would not accept if just 50% +1 of Quebec wants to be it's own country. You would need much more in order to take apart a country. I think a super-majority (2/3) is a good clear majority in order to take Quebec out of confederation. Anything lower shouldn't be accepted. A simple majority is too little for something too important. In BC you need 60% to pass Single transferable votes. It didn't pass twice in the province even though one time it passed by 58%. So democratic reform is should be harder to pass then independence of a province that has been in the country for over 140 years.

Good Time to Be a Member

There will be many conventions in  the upcoming years for the rebuilding of the Liberal Party. Some may argue that this is not a good time to be a supporter or a member of the Liberals as we have just came out of our worst defeat in history, taking only 34 seats. Yet, even though this may not be happy times for the party, it is certainly a good time to be a member.

Through the rebuilding process, the party will inevitably consult members on an ongoing basis in order to restore order in the Liberal Party. As a member and even more as a delegate to conventions, you can have an impact on policy, structure and basically, the whole Liberal Party. Through becoming a member of the Liberals, you can make a difference.

Donald Trump Won't Run!

Personally I wanted Trump to run as it would have helped the democratics chances, but I am glad that the joke candidate is out as we might be able to discuss actual issue's instead of false issue's like if Obama was born in Hawaii. But the most interesting thing is were would the trump voters go to. Now that major candidates like Huckabee and (at least the polls say that Trump was a major candidate). Romney is still considered by me to be right now the front runner, but I won't trust the polls a little till all the candidates are in the race. This is good news for the GOP they now have a smaller crowd of candidates at least right now.

Layton has no Power

Jack Layton can go on and on about how he will "work together" with the Conservatives, but it is not going to happen. The whole reason why Stephen Harper wanted a majority was so he could run things the way he wants without consulting the other parties. The NDP will not get government programs and they will not get funding for the things they want. The Conservatives do not care how much Layton opposes their bills because they can pass them without him.

In the next four years, I think we will see many fiscal cuts to appeal to the Tory base, but won't rile up the population. This will allow Harper to announce a tax cut just in time for the election. And the NDP will not be able to do a thing about it.

During his victory speech on election night, Prime Minister Stephen Harper praised NDP Leader Jack Layton with a warmth usually reserved for an old friend. 

“I think I can speak for the entire country in recognizing the determination and tenacity of Mr. Layton and his remarkable campaign,” said a smiling Harper, as Conservative supporters inside Calgary’s Telus Convention Centre cheered their new political rival.

Read more at the Toronto Star.

Huckabee Won't Run.

One of the most like able and most suggestion as the solution to beat Obama in 2012 was Huckabee, But this Saturday Huckabee said that he wouldn't run. Now the Question becomes where is Hucabee's supporters going to go. In the latest polls it has him leading Iowa the first state to vote in the primaries. Now Romney who is currently in the exploratory committee mode seems to be the front runner. Romney in 2008 had a problem winning states in the beginning. In Iowa he lost to Huckcabee who won the rural areas very well, Then the next state New Hamshire went to McCain by a very slim margin. Now that Huckcabee isn't running and McCain won't run Romney should be the clear target of many Republicans. Romney might still have a problem in the south, but Huckabee was the southern favorite in 2008, so Romney might want to try and grab those voters, but another southerner might be Romney's clear enemy in 2012. Gingrinch! Now that Huckcabee is no longer in the race the whole election map is now turned upside down, and any guess is right were the polls are going to go. But right now the only major candidate according to the polls who has declared there candidacy is Gingrinch

Fiscally Reposible? Yeah Right

The Conservatives are going to reduce the Corporate taxes by more for next year. If this years budget passes (which of course it will) the corporate taxes will be 16.5% the next year the Harper Government wants to reduce it to 15%. The cost for these cuts will be large.

The cost is about $1.6 billion in foregone revenue in the 2011-12 fiscal year, $3.9 billion the year after, and a total of more than $10 billion over three years.

How will the Conservatives fund these tax cuts. They don't know. Canada has already a very competitive tax cuts compared to the G8 and the Conservatives want to make Canada a country that cuts taxes and has a large deficit problems. Wait that reminds me of a country. The U.S! If we continue this tax cuts and spending increases Harper agenda we will never reach surplus. This isn't fiscally responsible. I wonder how the Conservatives will reach surplus  without making new cuts they didn't tell us about.

Read more here

update: there was a problem on  Blogger I am sorry i know that this was an old post

Delay It, but not by That Much

Some Liberals have been saying that we should choose a leader right away, as Canadian politics is a one-man show and if we get the leader right, success will follow. On the other side, the board of the Liberal Party has released a statement saying that the next leadership vote will be held from mid-2012 to 2013. This is a significant delay over the party constitution which states that a leadership convention must be held within six months.

Leaders are an integral part of politics, as the Orange Crush in Quebec happened basically on Jack Layton's back. But, the populace seem to have a chronic mistrust of the Liberal Party itself, stemming from the sponsorship scandal. Also, the Liberal Party's rules are old and outdated. It is not just the leadership that must be changed; the whole party must be revamped.

Therefore, I propose that updates to the party are done vigorously over the next year and a half and the leadership convention is held in early 2012.

OTTAWA — The federal Liberals could stretch out their next leadership race until the summer of 2013, under recommendations from the party’s senior management that were released Tuesday.

The party’s national board said it wanted to move forward with this plan “solely with a view to the interests of the party as a whole having full regard to the views and rights of its members and to the unprecedented situation in which the party finds itself.”

Read more at the National Post.

Gingrich Runs.

Gingrich the former house leader of the house of Representatives is going to announce his run for president on wendsday therefore now one of the so called real contender's for president. Although so far the top three are Huckabee, Romney and Palin, but advance polls aren't always good. In fact scratch that. There almost always wrong. In 1992 Bill Clinton was the last on the democratic list for nominee's. In 2004 Howard Dean was the front runner for the nomination. In 2008 Hillary Clinton was leading the pact, and in 2008 Rudy Guiliani was ahead of all the other contender's. So Gingrich may still have a chance to become the president. Of course I don't support him he killed health care in the 1990's, and he supporgts the tea parties idea's so I won't cast my support for any Republican, and considering the Republican field I don't intend to support any Republican. Obama seem's to be the best of the worst so far. There are no moderate's in the Republican party anymore. Even the usually centerist John McCain is now one of the most Republican senator in the congress of the U.S. I lost a lot of the resoect I have for the Republican party

Birthers Put To Rest!

I don't think that it should have taken Obama to realize a birth certificate in order to prove that he was actually born in the U.S, but a new poll showed that now only 3 percent believe Obama wasn't born in the U.S. I hope now we can concentrate on the deficit or other issue's. Now Obama may have to realize a video of his of him being in church service when he was a child to prove that he isn't a Muslim. Not that any of this should matter I think that the Constitution should be changed. I don't think that you have to be born in a country to lead that country. In Canada our first PM was born in Scotland, And of course religion should have no role in who we vote for, but this of course still does play a role in U.S and Canadian politics.

Short Form Census

The Short form census is still  mandatory, but the all important long form census is no longer mandatory. Even though 1 in three Canadians are given the now non mandatory long form census more than the 2006 census, but now that the census isn't mandatory it is no longer a census. A census is polling the entire population even though mandatory census can't always get everyone they tend to get at least 94% while a non mandatory census (more like a poll) gets like 50% attendance. Statisticians throughout the country said that this would get extremely less accurate information. None the less the Conservatives want to spend 30 million dollars more for this less accurate information. Kind of like instead of buying a can of 20 gum balls for 1$ you buying a can of 10 gum balls for 3$. That is what we get from Harper a government that spends more money for lower quality. 30 million dollars is more then the amount of money that political parties get from the vote subsidy. So even if Harper repeals the vote subsidy, it wouldn't make a difference in the deficits, because Harper just blew it all away for nothing. A mandatory long form census helps the economy as it gives vital information even the UN secretary general agrees he said that statistics are a "vital tool for economic and social development." The Conservatives say that the census ask too many private questions, but of the past 20 years there have been no jail times served and only 50 complaints! 50 people out of 35,000,000 people. If the Conservatives are going to destroy everything just, because 50 people want it gone then they might as well abolish capitalism the communist parties in the last election 2925. The good news is that when Harper losses his reelection in 2015 the Liberals could be able to reinstate the mandatory long form census before the census year 2016.

Electoral Reform!

The deal made by the Conservatives and Lib Dems is that they would form the next government, but there has to be a referendum on electoral reform for the Lib Dems to be happy. I support changes to electoral reform. In the U.K the system that was put up on referendum was voted on May 5th. The U.K people unfortunately voted against IRV was unfortunate, But that shouldn't discourage us from changing are electoral reform. Just look at the last election 40% of people voted conservative yet Harper has a majority that in the House of Commons represents more than 50%. How is it fair that 60% of people voted for other parties yet a party that gets less than 40% gets a majority. We need to change our electoral system, and the fact that a referendum was put up for a vote in the U.K is an important first step.  

The New NDP Caucus

A majority of the NDP's MP's are rookie MP's. Now I am not saying that they aren't up to the job. I think we will see in time to come whether they will be the inexperienced caucus that was a mistake to put as the official opposition or the amatures that ended up being was is needed in Ottawa. Only time will tell. Elisabeth May put it best last night "amateurs made the ark, professionals made the Titanic." Now Amateurs can still prove to fail like in Quebec the ADQ surged, and got 2nd place in the 2008 election then in 2009 the ADQ dipped all the way down to last place and no longer a official party in the province of Quebec. We will just have to wait and see how the NDP party will govern.

Election Night Recap!

Now as if this election needed much of a recap, but some good news came out of the election. First the Green party got there first seat in Parliament now copying the elections in Australia and U.K where the Green party got there first elected seat in there countries Parliament. I hope Elisabeth May keeps her seat and now will be welcomed to the debate without a question. Even though the Green party lost votes I think that was just, because for the first time the Green party spent there time in one riding, because unlike the others parties they can't get seats running a national campaign. The Bloc got destroyed, but if the NDP don't satisfy Quebec they may go back to the Bloc, but I am happy they voted against the Separatist party. The worst part is that the Conservatives got a majority. I wonder how Harper will govern now that he has a majority. I also wonder what his budget will be like if it will include anything different, and I wonder if Harper will still follow the rules of Parliament or now that he has a majority he won't have to.

Were Not Dead Yet!

Many people may say that the Liberal party is dead. This is un true the Liberal party isn't dead. We may have only gotten 19% of the vote and 34 seats, but that doesn't make us dead. The NDP got less votes then us in 2008 and look at them now. The Liberal party will come back stronger in the next election. With a Tory Majority people will see that Harper isn't going to help them, and the budget isn't going to be balanced like he said the Liberals will get those voters. Those Conservatives who thought that Harper would balance the budget, be fiscally responsible and keep the economy strong will realized that the party that is capable of doing it is the Liberals party. To the NDP voters who tought that Jack Layton could actually afford his imagenairy platfom his 70 billion dollars in spending promises and his to far to the left policy will realize that the Liberal party is the party that can afford it's policies and that they have a party that is in the center. We as Liberals mustn't waver the center. We mustn't merge with any party! Be the party the NDP or the Conservatives. We must stick to our affordable and realistic platform. We aren't dead and we will rebound like we did in 1993, 1980, 1963, 1935,1926,1921,1896,1874. We've been in election before were we have almost been dead, but we came back rolling in the next election. We are nowhere near death. Remember a majority of Canadian Prime Minister were Liberal. Let's not start amplying for the NDP or Conservatives. We must remain in the center and not allow Canada to turn into the U.S where the country must decide between two extreme's of the political spectrum. If we allow that to happen then nothing can get done as both of them would put forward two extreme policies that wouldn't work. Let's not move from the center!

Now What?

The Liberal team has worked hard, as has Michael Ignatieff. But, it seems like hard work does not always pay off, as the past is hard to forget. The problem of the Liberal Party reaches beyond just leadership. Since the sponsorship scandal, the Liberals have slowly degraded.

We must realize that it will take many years, decades before trust us restored. People will not readily return to the Liberal Party. But, changing leaders will not solve the issues that haunt the Liberal. The core problems will not disappear with the leaders. It has been demonstrated time and time again with Martin, Dion and Ignatieff, each successively losing seats. Michael Ignatieff must stay on as leader.

We fought hard, we put forward good policies and we had a great time. It was fun.

Thank you and until the next time!

Merci et à la prochaine!

Conservative Majority

The counts are in and the Conservatives are already at 140 seat mark. We haven't even hit the West yet and the Conservatives have pulled into a commanding lead. The Liberals have collapsed and the NDP seem like they are going to be the Official Opposition with Quebec going orange.

I'm ready to call this in favour of a Conservative majority. Congratulations, Stephen Harper, on finally obtaining your majority.

PM Jack Layton

Today is May 2. Election day. It looks like we will be back in 2008, except that the NDP and Liberals will have switched places. Stephen Harper will have his third minority and will subsequently resign as leader before the next election.

But, that is one of only a few scenarios that could happen. It seems, with the rise of the NDP, that the Liberals and the NDP together will hold a great number of seats in the House of Commons (thank you, BQ). This means that those two are in good position to form government, coalition, whatever you want to call it.

PM Jack Layton would not be that bad. I would much rather have him than Stephen Harper. The Tories have brought with them a mandate of secrecy, waste and contempt for Canadians. With the NDP, we will at least have open government and the Liberals, holding the balance of power might be able to water down their huge spending promises.

Most of all, would be the coveted Proportional Representation. No matter what form it comes in, voting reform is needed in Canada. The NDP has committed to electoral reform and that can only be good for Canada.

Vote!

                          I know since the election was called our Blog has been hoping that people throughout Canada will vote with the party that is fiscally responsible and has a clear vision for Canada. That Party is the Liberals, but now let's get away from what party you should vote for to a more pressing issue for me.
                          In the last election the party that got the most votes was the INGTV party which stands for (I'm Not Going To Vote Party) In the last election this party got 41% of the eligible voters of Canada. This party got 9.8 million votes nation wide. Beating out all the other parties. If these voters actually created a party on the ballot they could actually win an election, but some people think that voting doesn't matter, because one vote can't make a difference. That kind of thinking is what creates the rapidly growing INGTV party. This parties platform includes doing nothing and allowing other people to make the descion for you. If you don't vote May 2nd you can't complain about the result. If there is a Tory majority that cuts health care and you didn't even vote you can't complain saying if you voted Harper that you didn't know that's what you were voting for. And if you voted for another party you could complain, because you try to stop it. The strongest activist of this party are the youth. Apparently the platform appeals to the younger generation, but I don't think that that is true. This year many youth groups have been trying to get out the vote. Advance polls are showing a 30% rise in participation. We need to keep this moving in the right direction. The party that I want to lose on May 2nd more than the Conservatives is the INGTV party of Canada. They are bad for Canada and are the worst thing for our democracy. One of my solution to try and raise voter participation is to create proportional representation. Studies have shown that countries with proportional representation have much higher voter turnout then countries with FPTP (First Past The Post)

History Will Be Made

in the 41st Canadian election. All the polls have one thing in common: the NDP is way up and the Liberals have tanked. Not only that, but they are closing in on Harper. I doubt they could form the government, but there will be questions asked about the future of the Liberal Party and uniting the left.

I do not think that a merger would be viable. These parties are more different than you'd think. What really needs to happen is electoral reform. The opposition parties must unite to force a bill supporting proportional representation. Then, maybe a merger like the Liberal/National coalition could form between the Canadian Liberals and NDP. They would be able to maintain their own platforms and run candidates against each other while keeping the advantage of power.

A merger would be possible, but only after voting reform.

Don't Give Harper a majority!

Harper is saying that right wing Liberals should vote for him to stop a left wing NDP government. The blue Liberals know that a vote for a Harper means a government that won't respect democracy, and aren't fiscally responsible spending 1 billion dollars on the most expensive G8/G20 summit in history. The Conservatives gave Canada a deficit. The Liberals know that their party fixed the deficit mess in 1993 and will do it again. Voting Liberal will not be a vote for the NDP. Even now where the NDP is just 5% behind the Conservatives Harper is still predicted to be just behind a majority Government. Don't be fooled the Conservatives want a majority. They want complete control. The only thing stopping him is your vote.  Don't give Stephen Harper a majority. A vote for the Liberals is a vote for a fiscally responsible government, a government that helps Canadians with education and will keep the economy strong like they have before.

Vote Liberal !

The party that should get elected May 2nd is the Liberal Party of Canada. They unlike the Conservatives don't believe in billions of dollars being spend on Prisons, jets and corporate tax cuts. They unlike the Bloc believe in National unity. They unlike the NDP have a realistic platform that Canada can afford without raising taxes more than the putting the corporate taxes where they were in 2008. Unlike the NDP they have a record of budgetary surplus, and being able to afford there promises without damaging Canada's competitiveness. The Liberals believe in investing in education. Although they may not believe in a Carbon tax currently. They believe in reducing emission and creating a green economy by making High speed rail, helping Canadians renovate there houses and investing more in renewable energy. Unlike Harper the Liberals have supported Canada's universal health care since the beginning, and has never called for the end of the Canad health act like the Conservatives. They have a history of giving Canada a strong economy. They support realistic goals to improve health care and senior care. They support crime prevention not mega prisons. Fiscal responsibility not billion in spending promises or billion in tax cuts to major multinationals. The party that Can help Canada the most is the Liberal party. On May 2nd vote for the party that has done so much and is prepared to do so much more for Canada

Update: there is a problem this post was done by Vanillaman not Doggy and owner. Sorry for the mix up