KipWellsFan

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Jan 3, 2008 -> 11:30 AM) The true conservative will tell you that there needs to be incentive for people to succeed. Why should I go and get the education levels to work in a highly technical field, if the government will just hand me everything anyway? That's one thing I give Billy "BJ" Clinton credit for, and that was welfare reform. You have to incentivize people to get off their lazy ass, and actually DO something to earn what they get. Otherwise, we all become mindless drones and just do enough to make the state continue to feed us all. I'm sorry, I'm totally against that. Dignity and humanity is a basic tenet and should be respected as such by all humans, not my government telling me what the definition of dignity and humanity should be. It's not their place. I don't think many people in a rich country like Canada hope that by working hard one day they'll be able to afford proper health care. The government isn't providing nice apartments or a Lexus. It's something provided because Canadians in general seem to think it's humane, beneficial, and feasable. But that's us.

Getting way off topic now but what the heck... This isn't that complicated. The liberal agenda is that the rights of the individual to equal opportunity(not conidition) is paramount. This can be transferred to the health care issue in that everyone should have equal opportunity to health care with reasonable exceptions acceptable in a democratic country. I think some conservatives make the mistake of thinking that people of lesser means are neccessarily that way because they have failed in life for this reason or that reason. But not all people of lesser means are that way and deserve to be treated with dignity and humanity.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Jan 3, 2008 -> 09:34 AM) Why, then, are we getting reports of Canadiens coming across the border in droves to get health care? From what I've been hearing is that they can't get to specialists when needed for months upon months at a time. No thanks, you keep your 'universal health care'. I want no part of it whatsoever. Like I said, wait times are an issue. But I doubt "droves" would be an accurate description of the amount of Canadians crossing the border to see specialists, particularly in life threatening cases.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Jan 2, 2008 -> 07:58 PM) Why does the GOVERNMENT have to do this for you, Balta? I find it to be better if government leaves us the hell alone. Now, not to the levels that RP is talking, but... certainly, I don't want my government telling me what doctors I can or cannot see, for example. And if you think that is not what is going to happen, don't kid yourself. In Canada we have universal health care and no one in my immediate family has been told what doctor to see. Wait times are often an issue here but I don't ever hear people complaining about being forced to see a particular doctor. Perhaps in situations where a specialist is required. Oh, and as for predictions I don't think the local Des Moines paper will be far off. Obama will win tonight.

I coulda sworn I've seen that very picture years ago, or at least one just like it.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jan 1, 2008 -> 07:02 PM) In 2004, the Iowa Caucuses for the Dems determined how the convention votes of 45 of the 4,366 voting delegates to the party convention will vote. As a practical matter, that is what is on the line, roughly 1% of the convention delegates. Interesting. Does whomever with the most convention votes become the Presidential nominee or does a candidate need 50% of the delegates? From my example selecting the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, a candidate needed 50% of the delegates, ie candidates who were last place in delegates kept dropping out freeing their delegates to go to the other candidates, until someone had 50%. And who are these voting delegates? And do they actually vote at the final convention?

What exactly is on the line at the Iowa caucuses? Obviously momentum, but what is actually happening here that helps make someone a president. Are people being elected as delegates who will go to the convention at the end? I tried looking on wikipedia for an explanation of all this but it was still confusing.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 29, 2007 -> 10:15 AM) And again, that running average includes an ARG poll that is worthless, and an LA Times poll that is using half the normal pool size. You have to throw those out to feel any sort of confidence in the numbers. Run the average without them and tell me what you see. I know that since you are working for Edwards, you are getting all that positive hype from the camp... but take a look at the real numbers. Clinton is not that high. Edwards is surging no doubt, but, I think you're delusional if you choose to focus on polls that are clearly flawed. I don't really like Edwards either but wouldn't any pollster tell you that sample size isn't really the issue, but whether its a good representation of that population.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/sto...71211.wkosovo11

Frankly I prefer the official website of the Supreme Leader.

QUOTE(LosMediasBlancas @ Nov 28, 2007 -> 01:46 PM) EXACTLY!! I figured that Brolin was convinced that he needed Woody's help so he told him. Isn't that possible?

I have to agree with DBAHO here. I think climate change is probably real. Common sense tells me that human activity pumping all sorts of s*** into the air has massive consequences. Also take into consideration the fact that almost all serious prominent figures in the world think it's a huge problem means action is the only option for me. The death, suffering and despair climate change is likely to cause make economic recessions insignificant.

QUOTE(Alpha Dog @ Nov 24, 2007 -> 11:15 PM) I wonder why the write chose to say it was a "humiliating exit from public life". Politicians lose all the time. It is not like he lost 80% to 20% or something. The voters there were worried about the interest rates and stuff. Just wait until he signs the Kyoto crap and all sorts of things go sky high. You get what you vote for, or don't vote for. Considering my left-of-centreness I kind of thought, well he'd been embarassing himself for quite some time, ie ignoring climate change, fully endorsing war on terror... But from the media angle I think the "humiliating" part comes from the fact that he's the first PM in Australia that's also lost his seat in an election in some 100 years. I still don't think that's something to be particularly ashamed of, but the media's the media. I think Australians were also tired of Howard's following of Bush into Iraq, and his ignorance of climate change. And just signing onto Kyoto, or its future extension, whatever it may be, doesn't have any effects on the economy whatsoever. The actions a government might take to try to achieve Kyoto goals might have a negative effect on the economy. But even then are there actually any examples of a country going into the gutter economically as a result of trying to cut their emissions? I don't think so.

This is actually a big story in Canada where John Howard was seen as the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's last ally other than George W. Bush on climate change. No one, and especially a Canadian wants to have George W. Bush as your only ally. This came right at the same time as the Commonwealth countries were trying to come to a consensus on binding emissions cuts for industrialized countries. Normally both Harper and Howard would be opposed to such a track together, but with Howard on his way out Harper was the lone wolf and getting hit pretty hard in the press about it. Canada's Leader of the Opposition hasn't been quite as successful as Kevin Rudd yet, but that Harper seems so out of touch with the consensus hurts him. explained here better than I can http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=121822

I saw Lions for Lambs tonight. It rang pretty true for me, but at the same time wasn't particularly mindblowing.

QUOTE(Felix @ Oct 25, 2007 -> 02:10 PM) I fractured a bone in my finger, but thats the closest I've been to breaking a bone. So technically, I've never broken a bone. Same here.

Al Gore... what a horrible person.

Ahhh!!!! Mike Gravel and Chis Dodd at 27, then all the Democrats, Ron Paul, and the rest of the Republicans.

QUOTE(Rex Kicka** @ Sep 21, 2007 -> 08:45 AM) For the first time since 1976, the Canadian Dollar reached parity with the US Dollar yesterday. I have no idea what this really means for us, but for now I'd like to take an ignorant moment to thank Dubya.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Sep 13, 2007 -> 10:30 PM) The real question is, how do we make the Iraqi's care enough to want to take control of their own country? You think Iraqis don't care enough? How bout they care a ton but there's just a million different agendas operating at once. It's almost impossible to find compromise between Democrats and Republicans in the States. Multiply that a couple times...

QUOTE(Brian @ Sep 7, 2007 -> 12:36 PM) Remember the movie "Open Water"? Based on true events about the couple that got left behind in the ocean. They made a straight to DVD sequel which is also based on true events. It's available for free on Demand and I have 90 minutes to waster before I leave for work. Can't wait to see how bad this is. I think they actual made that movie with no intention of it being a sequel, but I guess they thought they could make more money if they just called it a sequel.

Very sharp except it's not my resolution.

Friggn' chat doesn't seem to work for me. Dag Gummit!

Is there still chat?

QUOTE(TheHammer @ Aug 7, 2007 -> 10:06 PM) Borowski has sweaty arms Can't get that from gameday.