Premier idiot

[KnowItAll]

BTW - as one of the most anti media people around, I just gotta say kudos to Global for their efforts on behalf of the park. I dont give a hoot whatever their motive may be


Wouldnt surprise me if they are partly responsible for Campbell finally antying up, some.

[CB123]

would they pay any taxes to the city?

wouldnt they have to? Dont all businesses in Vancouver pay taxes to the city?

[CB123]

as one of the most anti media people around,

Is there anything besides Stanley Park and Full screen TV that you do like? :lol:

[Sir Purrcival]

KIA - I hear what you are saying. And I wouldn't mind the Prov. Gov. or even the Feds, chipping in some money to help provide some of the needed clean up. Sounds like some of that has already happened. There is a big difference however between contributing and taking responsibility for. Jimmy Patterson is prepared to give up to a million dollars to help the clean up. He is not responsible for it however. The City may be hard pressed to pick up the whole tab but they have also had a pretty free ride as far as this stuff goes. The park suffers this kind of damage ... what ...every 30 years or so. It isn't common but it isn't unknown either. So where are the contingencies that the City should have in place for just such events? They have had roughly 40 years since the last big blow down. Surely, in all that time, had they been looking forwards, they could have siphoned off enough tax money/parking revenue to have a massive fund for just such events. They never did it so while it may seem somewhat unfair, they own part of the pickle that they now find themselves in. Maybe the best way to help out would be for a 1 cent gas tax for the GVRD for a fixed period of time (say 6 months) with all the money going to the bills for clean up. That ought to spread the costs out to other districts not directly responsible for the costs. I'm sure it wouldn't be popular but if was clad in iron that it was for a short period and for the park, most would probably swallow it.

[Toppy Vann]

The cold hard reality is that the federal government is awash with cash/tax dollars and the other levels of government are not as well off but have major responsibilities themselves to take care of. This success was accomplished by the then federal government deciding to put its financial house in order and taxpayers sharing the burden of the increased load to achieve the government's fiscal objectives. I don't agree that the average Canadian is as well off financially as the federal government and this needs redress.

As much as I believe in a strong federal government that can hold up its end of the bargain with the citizenry, I do feel that there needs to be changes to reduce the tax burden on Canadians (income NOT GST). The cold hard reality is that governments can't have it both ways. If they want to tax consumption (GST) which economists and tax specialist suggest is the better way forward, then fine cut the income taxes to return taxpayers to better financial health. The 1% tax cut on the GST made good politics I guess, but it would have been better to cut income taxes.

The argument for consumption taxes is that you pay tax on the goods you consume. If someone buys expensive cars and luxury goods, then let them pay more tax but I do think the income tax cuts have to be made or the government is getting a dual benefit like now.

I'd truly like to see more simplicity in the tax regime for Canadians at the federal and provincial levels although I am not arguing for a flat tax rate but continue to support a progressive system based on incomes.

I don't think though that "hating" some politician or party is a healthy thing but this may be a term like someone saying "I'll kill you" but meaning this a joke. I hate certain policies of government but I don't hate the government or the people who hold the offices. Respect for the office itself is something that should be held in high esteem by the citizens of a democracy and only then will the people select as candidates those worthy of holding offices we respect. It is like the Biblical statement that God hates the sin, not the sinner! I think that fits.

Too often, governments like to dole out the money from the federal level as it is good politics and if the feds have too much money, you get too much of this behaviour. What we truly need in the social contract with government at the fed level in Canada is some metrics applied to the citizens they are taxing to ensure that they are doing better each year, not just the government coffers.

It is like the best of the public traded companies where the boards and management understand that their role is to create shareholder value for those own their stock and then to act accordingly to do the right things that advance their business interests, act ethically, and create a thriving company with long-term success.

I look at one of the longest publically traded in companies in BC as the standard for which I judge all others. Silver Standard Resources is a silver exploration company that has been in business for over 50 years and has a CEO, Robert Quartermaine, who has been at the helm for over 20 years. Everything this company does is to create shareholder value including CEO meetings with the shareholders in both Canada and the USA. They trade on Toronto SSO and Nasdaq SSRI and they have done well even during the lean years when silver was valued like a bad case of the measles.

If our governments treated citizens as shareholders instead of themselves as the shareholder, we'd all be doing better. For me, I can't complain personally, but I am concerned for the younger people today and the costs of housing etc and the challenges that they have in equalling the quality of life enjoyed by their parents, me included.

[MacNews]

TV the government is doing both. They're cutting income taxes and the GST. It's not like the 1% GST cut (Which helps out low-income people a lot) is the only tax cut! I mean get real, they've made lots of reductions, and I'm sure you'll see more in the next budget.

[sj-roc]

TV the government is doing both. They're cutting income taxes and the GST. It's not like the 1% GST cut (Which helps out low-income people a lot) is the only tax cut! I mean get real, they've made lots of reductions, and I'm sure you'll see more in the next budget.

While the Tories have created some new federal tax credits (e.g., for transit passes and employment expenses), they actually raised the lowest marginal income tax rate slightly from 15 to 15.5% with the last federal budget (at the same time that the GST was cut from 7 to 6%), and they even stated during the election campaign that they would do this. The raise only took effect on July 1, though -- halfway through 2006 -- so for that tax year, the lowest marginal rate is 15.25%. Barring further changes, it will be 15.5% for the 2007 tax year. On the other hand, tax credits are usually applied at the lowest marginal rate; that is also the case for 2006 and will presumably be so for 2007, so those will increase correspondingly.

I am referring specifically here to lines 5 and 338 of the 2005 and 2006 versions of Federal Tax Schedule 1. The corresponding BC provincial rates from 2005 have remained the same for 2006 (lines 5 and 31). You can go here if you wish to research the evolution of these rates over the last ~20 years.

[Canuck_4_Life]

Didn't the Province pledge $4 million over the next 4 years?

[Gerry]

The city leases the park and are therefore responsible for it. That said, I don't see a problem with the federal and provincial governments chipping in as a disaster relief payment. It is quite common for them to do that, even though they are not obligated to.

Should the feds take it back when the lease is up, the city would still be responsible for policing as the park is within city boundaries. The causeway is a provincial highway, I believe, and they are responsible for maintaining that.

As to the furor over the park, I think it gets a bit silly. It's only a park, and they are just trees. The pine beetle infestation is MUCH more serious to BC and the country as a whole. That deserves a lot more attention than Stanley Park, IMO.

[Gerry]

I have never hated a politician like I hate Campbell.

His latest, upon being queried about lack of BC govt pledge of financial help, he says "its a city park". What a piece of *poop* this guy is.

Of course, what he really means is, "all our money is tied up in the Olympics" :x :x :x

I don't care for your thread title, KIA. The premier is not an idiot. You may disagree with his priorities and that is fine, but your name-calling (idiot, sheep) is childish, IMO. Can't you express yourself without being derogatory?

[TheLionKing]

The cold hard reality is that the federal government is awash with cash/tax dollars and the other levels of government are not as well off but have major responsibilities themselves to take care of. This success was accomplished by the then federal government deciding to put its financial house in order and taxpayers sharing the burden of the increased load to achieve the government's fiscal objectives.

And the government is going to use that money to buy votes in the next election. :x

[KnowItAll]

I have never hated a politician like I hate Campbell.

His latest, upon being queried about lack of BC govt pledge of financial help, he says "its a city park". What a piece of *poop* this guy is.

Of course, what he really means is, "all our money is tied up in the Olympics" :x :x :x

I don't care for your thread title, KIA. The premier is not an idiot. You may disagree with his priorities and that is fine, but your name-calling (idiot, sheep) is childish, IMO. Can't you express yourself without being derogatory?

I express myself quite often without being derogarory. Most of the time in fact. However, many people are like sheep in how they let the fad of the day control them, and Campbell IS an idiot.

I hear lately about how certain fashions from the 70's are coming back. Now, if it was good in the 70's, and its good today, why wasnt it good in the 80's and 90's, and who decided that it wasnt.

BTW - how many times have you seen me be directly derogatory to another poster, as you now have been to me more than once??

Maybe you should take a look in the mirror before criticising me that way?? Just a thought

Unlike fellow posters, politicians are fair game. There is a lot worse one could call many of them.

[Canuck_4_Life]

BTW - how many times have you seen me be directly derogatory to another poster, as you now have been to me more than once??

Taking shots at young persons/people isn't derogatory?

It is a young persons mentality that not going with the new is a minus.

Yes, I do roll my eyes at the way others, specially teenagers overuse cell phones, and text messages, etc. However, they make sense to have one in each car.

Taking a shot at everybody:

Damn everybody for being sheep and changing the market away from what was

I am a younger person, those who have had the misfortunate of meeting me can attest to this. As a younger person, my first cell phone was the biggest POS currently available. It was the LG 3200 and I wanted to throw it under a bus after 6 weeks. While my current cell phone is top of the line (LG 8500), I take great pride and ownership as I spent my not-so-hard earned money on it.

I do not overuse my cellphone as yet. Text messaging is becoming more mainstream as it allows you to get in touch with someone while they're on the road or away from their home phone. I didn't start until last year, but now I do it when I feel the need.

It ticks me off when people like you rip on a younger generation for trying to set their own identity, when in actual fact, you should be blaming corporations (Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Apple, CK and so on) for forcing their brands on you with their "This is the Future" rhetoric.

Oh wait, I forgot, it's actually our fault for being sheep........

[Gerry]

I have never hated a politician like I hate Campbell.

His latest, upon being queried about lack of BC govt pledge of financial help, he says "its a city park". What a piece of *poop* this guy is.

Of course, what he really means is, "all our money is tied up in the Olympics" :x :x :x

I don't care for your thread title, KIA. The premier is not an idiot. You may disagree with his priorities and that is fine, but your name-calling (idiot, sheep) is childish, IMO. Can't you express yourself without being derogatory?

I express myself quite often without being derogarory. Most of the time in fact. However, many people are like sheep in how they let the fad of the day control them, and Campbell IS an idiot.

I hear lately about how certain fashions from the 70's are coming back. Now, if it was good in the 70's, and its good today, why wasnt it good in the 80's and 90's, and who decided that it wasnt.

BTW - how many times have you seen me be directly derogatory to another poster, as you now have been to me more than once??

Maybe you should take a look in the mirror before criticising me that way?? Just a thought

I am only responding to you, KIA. You are the one making the inflammatory statements. YOU are the one who should be looking in the mirror, perhaps?

Unlike fellow posters, politicians are fair game. There is a lot worse one could call many of them.

Why are they fair game for name-calling? Yes, they are fair game for reasonable criticism, but using a thread title like this is derogatory and uncalled for. And what makes a fellow poster off-limits when a public servant is not?

Notice, by the way, that I have not called you any names. I could say that Gordon Campbell, who I agree with 80% of the time, and Carol James, who I disagree with 80% of the time, are both people who work hard on behalf of the citizens of BC, and they do not deserve to be called names in the manner you have done. Some certain posters who have nothing better to do than slander hard working people are far more likely to fit that description.

[CB123]

forcing their brands on YOU

Big name brands wouldnt ever dream of forcing their brands on KIA, because they know it would be a waste of time. The only time their brands are forced on him is when he is caught in the cross fire while they are targeting someone who actually likes buying current/better products.


(and yes I know Coca-cola and Pepsi etc are old brands, I am just talking about their current products. and no that doesnt mean I dont like the orignal coke/pepsi)