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Arthur, I agree totally.
Maybe she's here?
Pension protest: Seniors, labour activists occupy 22 Ontario Tory MP offices
..bravo!!!!
No, no. We can't have parliamentarians mingling with social activists. It's just, just ... unparliamentary!
Ok, I don't get it. I can't find a reference otherewise, was Trumel at one of these?
No, Arthur. Read what Spector said. It's not dignified for big shots to get involved in lowly occupations next to seniors and workers. Just wait till 2015, elect an NDP government, and don't misbehave in the meantime, or all those "centre" voters might think we're a bunch of wild-eyed radicals.
Good for them, there needs to be much more of this kind of thing.
I really wish the NDP would pay attention to and borrow from the economists at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Turmel and gang should not only be supporting pension protesters, they should be condemning the Harper Government™ for creating a tempest in a tea pot over a non-issue. Harper is trying to intimidate the public into accepting all sorts of austerity measures that are NOT required.
I think you are all being ridiculously unfair to our MPs, who, along with the Liberals have been hammering the government in question period on this, and being visible in other ways, and it is being reported in the media. And I think, as with Mulroney's attempt to deindex old age pensions (also with a majority government), the government seems to have backed off.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/02/10/pol-flaherty-oas-2020.html
That second article does present a stronger position but it still is not as straight forward a condemnation that I would have liked to hear. In fact, why not specify what kind of stronger commitment to seniors they wanted by stating an increase to the CPP and OAS?
Because they have gotten used (over 6 years) to Harper setting the agenda and framing all issues. It's a tough habit to kick. Besides doing what you say, laine, why don't they just announce: "Any planned reductions you make that hurt seniors will be reversed after we win the next election - and doubling CPP/QPP benefits is just a start."
You're absolutely right about Harper framing the agenda, Unionist. It just pisses me off to no end. It's bad enought that we have that agenda parroted by the media but you would think there would be a centre left party willing to challenge it.
The usual opizishin response to Harper's outrages is to demand more information. It's almost as if they're saying "We're unable to take a position until we know exactly what Harper intends to do." By which time, of course, it will be too late to take any initiative in educating the public, mobilizing public opinion, or putting forward an alternative vision for the country.
They did the same thing on Afghanistan: Instead of calling for an end to the war they demanded details of the mission from the government, and insisted on a debate in Parliament. Likewise on the "Combined Defence Plan" to integrate Canada into the US homeland security and military establishments, the current opizishin "strategy" is to file access to information requests.
How many times has the uzual opposizhin party lost it's leader to cancer three months after an election? If this was the Lieburros, they might shove any prominent white male politico to the head of the party and be done with it. But this is the New Democratic Party, and the emphasis is on democratic.
And when the NDP demanded to know what the new colonial administrative task would be in shifting the troops from Kabul to Kandahar by 2005, the Libranos did more hummina hummina'ing in Parliament than Ralph Kramden under a hot lamp and grilled by Alice. Then they produced the Manley Report on how exactly the vicious toadying would unfold. But before that, Canadians on a whole were clueless as to what Paulie Pockets and Manley were up to, which we know now that they were volunteering Canadian soldiers' lives to the new American style aggressive combat mission.
Every country was sympathetic to the U.S. after 9/11. Even Iran and Russia offered assistance. And some of us are still under the illusion that 9/11 was perpetrated by a handful of Arab proles striking back at the empire, and for what? "Tit for tat" for the imperialism in Gaza and West Bank etc? lol! That's pretty sad imo.
Tories overestimated OAS costs by hundreds of millions
What's a few hundred million bucks when you're trying to kick the tires on OAS?
While an difference between actual and forecasted payouts of $410 million sounds like a lot it's actually only 1.4% of the forecasted payouts. Sounds like they did a good job of estimating payments.
The talking heads at the CBC are clueless, it is true, and I feel for Arthur Cramer's sentiment.
The thing is, the CBC is owned by us, and yes it is filled with corporate suck ups and know nothings, but unfortunately they work for us. If you let the Tories slash it then we'll lose that asset too, such as it is. But I know how you feel I think - there hasn't been decent news reporting there in 25 years - it's all basically what you can get on Global, CTV, even Fox where world news is concerned. And their coverage of political matters is right wing, imho.
Budget Cuts To Affect MP's Pensions PM Says
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/budget-cuts-to-effect-mps-p...
"Stephen Harper put Conservative MPs on notice this week that changes are coming to their generous pension plans..."
Glad as I am that all the evil talkshop deadwood in Ottawa will take a haircut, it likely suggests the coming butchery on the rest of us will be painful indeed..
dp
NDP MP Cleary's Call for Bigger MP Pension Criticized
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2012/03/03/nl-...
"Federal New Democrat Ryan Cleary is coming under fire for saying MPs deserve a larger pension after serving for six years. 'Would I deserve a pension of $28,000 after six years? Probably not...it should be more than that' the St John's South Mount-Pearl MP said."
This guy Cleary is a really bad distraction. How the hell could he be so stupid. I know I rant a lot. But look, I'm no genius but even I realize that this just looks unbearable bad. Turmel ought to take him aside and smack up side of the head. Man, do we need more discipline in the ranks. Rookies I know, but come on!
NDP members in St. John's should replace Cleary before the next election so he can never even get the $28,000/year pension he feels is so inadequate.
Yeah, let's all join in with the Conservative pile-on, in support of a token reduction of MP benefits to help sell the voters on the necessity of slashing public servants' pensions! Very progressive.
yes, their strategem is obvious, still Cleary is a stupid slaphead...
Ryan Cleary is 45 years old. As a former journalist, he probably has no pension plan. In another six years, if he's not an MP, he will be a 51-year-old unemployed journalist. $28,000 is not enough to support a household in St. John's. It's also chump change for the federal government. It might pay for a hood ornament on an F-35.
Do we want to have a parliament in which only the independently wealthy can afford to give up their careers in order to be members, with no job security?
We might have to begin referring to Webgear as 'Silent Cal' if this keeps up.
I am not advocating Cleary have to struggle. All I was saying is I wish he'd think more clearly before speaking about this. I don't begrudge him a pension. I do for all the old Reform phonies who railed against the pension plan and have one now. like that creepy Chuck Strahl, or that no good for nothing Monty Sollberg. But I don't begrudge the pension. Now where it is excessive. like Sheila Copp's 135K annual pension, that galls me. Especially as she was part of a government that continuosly screwed poor and working people. That is so hypocritical! She supported Martin's war on the poor while growing the size of her own pay-out. What a farce. Frankly, when the Libs start crying about the OAS given how they have generally screwed us, it makes me want to choke!