Federal Budget

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Originally Posted by buckchaser

Remember, Harper was never actually a practicing economist either ...

The legislation about governments having to balance budgets is a bit rich given the Conservatives have never managed to do it before this election budget.

It's not Harper's political orientation I disagree with. I disagree with his gutting of our government scientific community with everything from polar research stations to the long form census. Governments need that information to make informed policy decisions. I also disagree with how he has sought to restrict information from reaching the public at every term, turned to gigantic omnibus bills to minimize debate/discussion on important issues, etc.

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Well being an economist is better than a part time drama teacher with a famous name. Harper went from the mail room to being elected PM 3 times. I'm quite comfortable with the credentials of his Finance Minister. As for gutting the scientific community that sounds a tad self serving. What he did was stop funding many programs that had no benefit to Canadian society or were duplications. Being a "scientist" does not mean being entitled to automatic public financing without providing value for money or accountability. If there is value to research the private sector usually sees it and gets involved. Government is too big, this is not sustainable. Harper isn't perfect, nobody is but the alternatives are unacceptable.

If you think the long form census had no value, I don't know what to say. I'm not talking about frivolous modern act projects. Governments need to be monitoring things like demographics, climate change, etc. in order to actually do their job.

According to some statistics, Harper has increased Canada's debt by 24% on his watch, to an all time high of $600 billion. In addition, the federal civil service is larger than it has ever been by some numbers. Not exactly "tight spending" and "small government".

Harper has run his course. I don't like his version of Canada. If you do, great. Vote for him. I have voted for Conservative candidates before so I can't be painted as a "utopia seeking left wing liberal".

This debate is largely pointless. Canadian politics is beginning to resemble our southern neighbours more and more all the time - blinkered and dogmatic support for a political party. Our political system is broken and until proportional representation is introduced we will have virtual dictatorship majority governments for whom only a fraction of Canadians actually voted for or fractured minorities more interesting in positioning themselves for the next election than running the country.

Yeah you're right. Budgets just balance themselves. Why even worry?

Cant say I disagree with most of your post BC, mirrors many of my thoughts in ways
But why is that? (Rhetorical)
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So let me ask you this.
If not those cuts, where?
Healthcare?
Social programs, social services?
Military?
Veteran affairs?
Education?
Law enforcement? RCMP?
CPP?
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Nope none of those either right?
Next….nope
Next….nope
Next…nope
And if not "you" resisting or hating on him…for the last four (your ok with those cuts) .Plenty of others more than happy to step up for you because to them..

Ah what the hell, we'll just keep hammering Johnny Q and the peons paying for everything and let the budget take care of itself. And we will continue on the path we've been on since the 70s and some of your thoughts with respect to politics (see also how the Unions have and are adding to it, and the dogmatic politics south of the border).

The definition of insanity? Doing the same things and expecting…….

I get it, so if not those who what would you sacrifice? (Rhetorical)

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Originally Posted by JBen

Or worse a green champion or double whammy a lawyer whose been bamboozled by the green wave.


/edit add
I still maintain, in time (maybe 20-30 years) it is quite possible Harper is going be referred as the best ever and Canadians will not only thank him, they will revere him.

He's not perfect, has his edges, some things the jury will be out on. But when we look back in 30 years at what has been going on here at home or Ontario or elsewhere in the world between 2005/2015 and counting….He has been remarkably astute, and more, especially on the things that matter (economics, fiscal stuff).

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Aww. Come on jben and all the rest of you, me, us dummies. Harper is a brain dead idiot, isn't he. He has to be. The l l l tell us over and over he is , so it has to be true. He brings in a balanced budget, tax cuts, income splitting, tfsa, all evil doings, hidden agenda. God forbid us working class retards ever to get ahead or put a few dollars in the bank for a rainy day. That's all wrong. Come on people smarten up , listen to Sousa, Wynne, Chiarelli, they know exactly how to extract every last dollar we don't have. They will make us rich with all their ingenious schemes. Lmfao. Imagine Sousa commenting on the Harpers budget??? Balanced budget - 12 billion deficit. Keeping money in pocket- Taking money from pocket. Could go on and on , but I am sure everyone knows where Iam going with this. Harper/ cons try to help most people/ bad bad bad. Wynne trying to sc..w us over good good good. That's the gospel ,Wynne , chapter 4, verse 3,, cbc. Chapter 6 , verse 2 to. Star chapter 1 , verse 2. Oh well , unfortunately we are stuck with Wynne bags and her henchman ,,,, God forbid we get saddled with dumbdeau.

Kills me sometimes Bushman. Well not that, but makes me wonder what some people are thinking/deem important at times. The concept that the better the economy is, the better off people are the more money they have to spend, the more money goes to govt, the better our social services, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc. Maybe we might even have $ for PS raises or to hire more in areas where they are clearly needed.

I have been reading various articles, opines, social media. All kinds of left leaning ( I am a centrist first, small c second) people, Liberals, NDPers, Centrist a little tired of some of Harpers edges or mistakes….

Belly ache about TFSAs, and how doubling it to $10,000 only benefits his buddies the rich.

Sometimes the simplest answers are the hardest to see. Maybe, just maybe if we didn't lose more to taxes all in, paying for everything/everyone, than we spend on housing/food/clothing and now with soaring hydro, land taxes, meat and produce, carbon taxes and soooooo much more.

The average working stiff might find $3,000 or $5,000 to put in a TFSA.

Forest for the trees.

The left doesn't want us to save, they want to spend our money that is very clear. Trudope has already said he would roll back tax cuts and then of course he would add the add more taxes, almost as many as Mulcair.

The line "benefit the rich" is just for the gullible left supporters, even if their income fits into the rich category they don't think of the rich as themselves but as "them". To me it more or less reads as the university educated and hard working people will benefit and we don't want that, they need to be dependent on the gov't not able to make their own decisions. Wynne using the Ontario Pension Plan is taking away peoples choice and making them save for retirement, rather than pay down debt., education, travel.... make them dependent on gov't to give back the money they took from them in the first place.

The TFSA increase is actually going to benefit alot of people but the left doesn't want you to know that too. Younger people saving for a house, retiring people putting excess money or lump sums away.
http://www.rbcroyalbank.com/tfsa/tfsa-waystouse.html
this was a neat one.
Maintain Eligibility for Government Programs
TFSA earnings and withdrawals are not included as income for tax purposes, so they don’t affect your eligibility for income-tested government benefits and tax credits like Old Age Security (OAS) or the Goods and Services Tax (GST) credit.


Harper is a far better choice than the alternatives if you work and earn money, want to decide how you spend your money and think people (including gov't) should be responsible for their spending. Those that hate the hard workers, dislike budgets and think debt is good will vote Liberal. Still waiting to hear what the Liberals call the middle class and the rich in a real number...Ontarios's average income is lessthan $50,000 and Ontario's Median for FAMILY income for example according to Statscan $74,890 so is.... 10% above that "rich" or 50% over the average individual income?? If so then most full "grade" teachers are rich even with just one income.
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tabl...il108a-eng.htm

http://www.workopolis.com/content/ad...ges-right-now/

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle6015968/
"Salary for a teacher with more than 10 years of service at the lowest and highest pay rates: $76,021, $94,707"

So when you hear Mulair and Trudope and CBC say "the rich" mentally translate it as the educated and hard working (except in Trudough's case where he is a trust funder) and remember their goal.... to make the rich poorer through taxes etc. and spend it on more funding for the CBC, PanAm games, windmills...

Canadians are a lot better off than we think,unless you listen to the doom and gloomers from the left where the sky is falling,all the time. I've always been a "glass half full" kind of guy. Considering the rest of the world's economies are almost completely in the tank and the G8 is "iffy" at the best of times after we had a world-wide economic meltdown,I think we're in reasonably decent shape with only needing a $12B impetus to keep us afloat. Conservative fiscal management has kept us out of the quagmire,for the most part. I shudder to think what Justin and Angry Tom would have done to "handle" the situation if they were in majority.

I've "debated" that for years Mosquito.

The well off-rich?

Well when the mean duo family income is $75,000. And you have single people earning that or more and who will also receive nice pensions griping (worth how much these days?) about "capitalism" or "the rich" or life is so hard or...By definition they are better off, way, way way better off than...

Yes yes I know 50% (Actually a lot less given its 2 people pulling in 75k), of the population are uneducated, lazy bums, unmotivated . We are worth that because we go to school....

Hate to break it to them, but if there any robber barons left, breaking the backs of the middle class its govt. And you can see it clearly in various trends.

Answers?
I don't know because as a society we are already taxed to the teeth and asking people to keep ponying up, when they already....

Guys, guys.....let it go. THE BUDGET WILL BALANCE ITSELF. We're good, it's all good. Honest.