11-26-2005, 02:06 PM
fingernailsonhull Wrote:Agreed. Let's make it a rule. As I suggested earlier, I hate mud-slinging politics (Is there any other kind?, you may ask). I think the Conservatives will do much better for themselves if they highlight some of their excellent policy ideas and do not accuse the Liberals of supporting child pornography.
Ah... one of my responsibilties on the campaign here is collecting the actual mud, now what am I gunna do till' January 16? I bought new friggin' boots and everything...
I'd like to ask what are some of these "excellent policy" ideas you speak of. I see nothing but re-hashed 1998 press releases from the National Citizens Coalition. Tax breaks this, tax break that... are they forgetting which stripe of government brought in the GST and greatly contributed to the elimination of the deficit?
They say surpluses are too big; but military spending, foreign aid and "corporate incentives" need to be drastically increased. Fine, that's ridiculously wrong headed in a classic neo-con way in my books, but if you wanna do all that, you can't cut taxes and balance the books too. Just ask Dubbya.
I see a whole lot of the usual "we're on your side rhetoric" from the Conservatives, but zero in the way of practical and acheivable policy.
Government can have a positive impact on the lives of the population at large... in fact in the history of nation states, its among the few things that ever have. I don't think current Conservative policies have the greater good or long term national interest in mind.
I'm glad to see they've lost the war on social conservatism and have had to become more centrist. Yet the remaining "excellent policies" I've seen are staright out of Failed Reaganomics 101.
I'm grateful that we're in Canada, which means even if they win a minority, they'll have to tailor their policies to progressive parties, probably the seperatists in this case... yipee?
I'd much rather have proven and forward thinking policies than the latest ideological discovery from Harper's crony Tommy Flanagan at the Calgary School.