Canadian Politics

[Mark H.]

49 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

It's not her in particular. She's NDP. I'm leaning more & more to voting NDP because I don't like Danielle Smith either. I don't like her health spending account idea. I don't believe that she'll suddenly stop with her idea of making people pay to see their doctor.  I don't trust her. I also don't think she cares about anyone but herself. I could go on about her talking to that POS Pawloski & having her photo taken with trucker convoy people.  Voting NDP even though I don't like them is a huge change for me politically. I have always voted conservative every federal & provincial election since I turned 18. I'm certainly torn ideologically.

 

Honestly, you can't ask for much more from a voter - think through the real issues and make your choice.

[SpeedFlex27]

23 minutes ago, Wideleft said:

Grew up in a strongly conservative household in Winnipeg. My dad was a small business owner. He owned an auto body shop in St. Boniface right next door to the Norwood Hotel on Marion Street. My dad didn't like the NDP. Thought they were bad for business & just wanted to tax & spend taxpayer's money. He admired Duff Roblin & John Diefenbaker. So, when Ed Schreyer's NDP beat the Conservatives in Manitoba I was 14 & the next few years our house was full of conversation about how bad the NDP was. Like I said, Voting NDP for me is a huge geological shift.

6 minutes ago, Mark H. said:

Honestly, you can't ask for much more from a voter - think through the real issues and make your choice.

If you lived here you'd cringe having to vote for Danielle Smith. You can't trust her as she flip flops on things she said on talk radio. We have hit the bottom of the barrell here in Alberta. 

8 minutes ago, Mark H. said:

Honestly, you can't ask for much more from a voter - think through the real issues and make your choice.

Oh yeah. For sure. 

[Noeller]

12 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

If you lived here you'd cringe having to vote for Danielle Smith. You can't trust her as she flip flops on things she said on talk radio. We have hit the bottom of the barrell here in Alberta. 

 

Thankfully you have arguably the best politician in Canada in Rachel Notley to vote for! This election should be an absolute DOMINATION for the NDP when you consider who Smith is and who Notley is, but the population is so completely insane with their "Never NDP - Only Con!!" mindset that it's a saw-off, at best, and trending toward a UCP Majority. It's like everyone is on crazy pills...it makes so little sense. 

[Wanna-B-Fanboy]

2 hours ago, Mark F said:

no need to wonder.As of today:

record profit. drilling as much as possible. slowing transition any way possible, including getting laws passed penalizing bank oil divestment policy. greenwashing. funding " skeptics" in legislatures, and on the bench. restricting science, promoting disinformation.

 

Counterpoint:  Hybrid Camry.

Edited May 5, 2023 by Wanna-B-Fanboy

[17to85]

4 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

It's not her in particular. She's NDP. I'm leaning more & more to voting NDP because I don't like Danielle Smith either. I don't like her health spending account idea. I don't believe that she'll suddenly stop with her idea of making people pay to see their doctor.  I don't trust her. I also don't think she cares about anyone but herself. I could go on about her talking to that POS Pawloski & having her photo taken with trucker convoy people.  Voting NDP even though I don't like them is a huge change for me politically. I have always voted conservative every federal & provincial election since I turned 18. I'm certainly torn ideologically.

 

That's what I suspected,  and it's a common thing in Alberta. However the NDP platform us really centrist. Like they'd pass for liberals really easily. 

[Tracker]

On 2023-05-03 at 11:44 AM, GCn20 said:

It has been a left wing strategy to ignore the stink on their side of the spectrum for as long as I have lived. So, yes it is true. It's garbage all around.  I find it almost farcical how you guys can demonize the right while propping up pseudo-criminals like Biden and Trudeau. It is really gross. 

                                   

[GCn20]

On 2023-05-04 at 12:23 PM, Rich said:

There are a number of posters in these threads that I would say post here in bad faith and a high percentage of posts are nothing but slinging veiled insults at other posters and "the other side".  And before you go and assume it is "someone else".  Take a long hard look in the mirror.   If you aren't sure, PM me, and I'd be glad to tell you my opinion of where I see you on that spectrum.

I see a lot of posts criticizing politicians for not actually articulating a platform anymore.  So many parallels I see in the discussion here.

I've long debated just shutting down any political discussions on this message board.  I signed up for running a CFL / Bomber forum.  Not politics.  And would never ever get involved in trying to moderate a politics forum.   

The discussion (and I use the term discussion very loosely as that is not what takes place in the majority of posts in here) in the politics threads has deteriorated a lot over the years, and I unfortunately view it as a microcosm of what also appears to be happening at scale across our Country.  I find that  sad.

I'm honestly tired and embarrassed by the discussions that generally take place in these threads, to the point where I open them, read one sentence, and move on.  It isn't interesting.  It isn't entertaining.  It is the same predictable rehashed words over and over.

Just my thoughts and opinion .... something for ya'll to think about if you want to be able to discuss these topics here.

Rich, I am as guilty as anyone else on here and quite frankly I agree with the premise that political discussions should be shut down on here. 

I troll this thread mainly because I've watched a lot of people get bullied and called names on here and it is gross. It is not a respectful conversation in any way, shape, or form. Lately I have been trying to get this point across by simply responding exactly the same way back to certain posters.

Honestly..kill the politics threads.

On 2023-05-04 at 1:12 PM, 17to85 said:

Ehhh I don't even believe it's trolling. Reads more to me like "it's just a joke bro!" 

True believers really don't like their world views criticized so the find all sorts of ways to avoid their feefees getting hurt.

Meh..I got my big boy pants on. Nothing that any of you guys could say that would hurt my feelers. Guess I'm just not that woke.

[Mark F]

to me the tone of the discussion here is not different from that of the football, and  hockey discussions.

football forum, posters are referred to as some version of stupid, regularly, and vehemently.  sneering, angry insulting comments are seen quite regularly. 

and often the discussions are not informative, or based on much in the way of facts.

If we want to be consistent, may as well shut them down too, if insults and stupid, fact free posts are the issue.

I dont have any problem with any of the posts, or posters, I just ignore the ones that seem to be simply arguing, to "win",or to annoy.

and, while there is some  silly back and forth stuff, there are also many worthwhile informed comments, that are quite good

Edited May 7, 2023 by Mark F

[Wanna-B-Fanboy]

13 hours ago, GCn20 said:

I troll this thread mainly because I've watched a lot of people get bullied and called names on here and it is gross. It is not a respectful conversation in any way, shape, or form. Lately I have been trying to get this point across by simply responding exactly the same way back to certain posters.

Honestly..kill the politics threads.

 

Instead of actively trolling people in these political threads and further eroding the civility that remains and actually contribute to furthering the toxicity-  wouldn't it be easier to just not visit the politics threads if it bothers you so much? Seriously, I mean you have a ignore option for posters who you see very little civility and who are not very respectful- you could just ignore those posters instead of trolling them.

Just because you don't like it, I don't see why you need to advocate killing the threads that many people post in.

You could honestly, just ignore the threads- unless you are trying to punish all those bullies and everyone else that post in those threads. 

 

[Colin Unger]

I'll be voting NDP in the next provincial election.

[Noeller]

57 minutes ago, Colin Unger said:

I'll be voting NDP in the next provincial election.

Are you still in Steinbach? Curious what the general vibe is down there. Seems like that town is getting a lot more progressive on account of being a bedroom community for Winnipeg and less about deep-faith locals, as it used to be... 

Edited May 7, 2023 by Noeller

[Fatty Liver]

On 2023-05-05 at 12:32 PM, SpeedFlex27 said:

It's not her in particular. She's NDP. I'm leaning more & more to voting NDP because I don't like Danielle Smith either. I don't like her health spending account idea. I don't believe that she'll suddenly stop with her idea of making people pay to see their doctor.  I don't trust her. I also don't think she cares about anyone but herself. I could go on about her talking to that POS Pawloski & having her photo taken with trucker convoy people.  Voting NDP even though I don't like them is a huge change for me politically. I have always voted conservative every federal & provincial election since I turned 18. I'm certainly torn ideologically.

 

I don't know how much you're paying attention, but Smith isn't really a conservative, she's a free wheeling libertarian with ties to many far right wacko groups that would be happy to tear down all vestiges of the equalitarian society we've built in Canada.  If you can't bother to do your homework, maybe don't bother to vote either.

Here are a few links to organizations she has direct ties to, it'll give you a pretty good sense of the their true political agenda, and clearly outlines their full intention of establishing Alberta sovereignty.  Are you good with that?

https://www.freealbertastrategy.com/

https://www.takingbackalberta.ca/

Notice the tattoo on her forearm?  It appears to be a recent addition, it is the Ama-gi symbol, which represents freedom and liberty, but it is also well known as a symbol that brands a libertarian as a member of the tribe.

It's also the logo of this right wing think tank.

https://www.libertyfund.org/
 

She has also proudly displayed a "Don't Tread on Me" sign in multiple videos, perhaps there's a rebel flag on the opposite wall???

A few days ago she made the following announcement, by no means is she finished with these ideas, she's just hiding them in her back pocket until after the vote. 

"United Conservative Leader Danielle Smith says she won’t be campaigning on some of her party’s more contentious ideas – sovereignty legislation, a provincial police force and an Alberta pension plan – ahead of the May 29 election."

https://edmonton.citynews.ca/2023/05/05/smith-sovereignty-act/

Edited May 9, 2023 by Fatty Liver

[Mark H.]

3 hours ago, Noeller said:

Are you still in Steinbach? Curious what the general vibe is down there. Seems like that town is getting a lot more progressive on account of being a bedroom community for Winnipeg and less about deep-faith locals, as it used to be... 

It doesn't need to be one or the other...they are not mutually exclusive. 

[Tracker]

1 hour ago, Mark H. said:

It doesn't need to be one or the other...they are not mutually exclusive. 

I think you may be in the minority with that opinion.

[Noeller]

Ya, Mark, I understand what you're trying to say, but in my experience, a deeply rooted faith is antithetical to progress. Also, I think there's different interpretations of "progressive" depending on how deeply rooted the regressive faith is. 

[Colin Unger]

5 hours ago, Noeller said:

Are you still in Steinbach? Curious what the general vibe is down there. Seems like that town is getting a lot more progressive on account of being a bedroom community for Winnipeg and less about deep-faith locals, as it used to be... 

I'm still here.  Steinbach is alot more diverse than it used to be.  Lots of immigration to this area.  Filipino is the fastest growing population here.  So there's that and also many current generation mennonites are becoming progressive.  For example the movie based on Miriam Toews book "Women Talking" sold out the theatre here which surprised Miriam who's left Steinbach a long time ago. 

[Mark H.]

55 minutes ago, Tracker said:

I think you may be in the minority with that opinion.

More experience than opinion.  I"m fully aware that it's not a majority opinion, nor does that particularly matter to me.

43 minutes ago, Noeller said:

Ya, Mark, I understand what you're trying to say, but in my experience, a deeply rooted faith is antithetical to progress. Also, I think there's different interpretations of "progressive" depending on how deeply rooted the regressive faith is. 

See, I don't see a problem with having different definitions of progressive. That's precisely what allows millions of people to co-exist.

[Tracker]

1 hour ago, Mark H. said:

More experience than opinion.  I"m fully aware that it's not a majority opinion, nor does that particularly matter to me.

See, I don't see a problem with having different definitions of progressive. That's precisely what allows millions of people to co-exist.

This is a thorny  issue. Progressive values tend to be absolute- like allowing women to be equals, vote etc., and even the right of women to control their own bodies. This is where true progressives and convenience progressives  diverge. If your values are rooted in a particular interpretation of a scripture, this tends to take you into troubled waters. Those who profess to be Xian are not alone in this. 

My spirituality guides my personal conduct with the Golden Rule as a foundational tenet, and my belief in a survival of consciousness after physical death and reincarnation are anathema to many. None of this gives me the authority to rule over the behaviour of others, providing their actions are consistent with that Golden Rule. 

[Mark H.]

2 hours ago, Tracker said:

This is a thorny  issue. Progressive values tend to be absolute- like allowing women to be equals, vote etc., and even the right of women to control their own bodies. This is where true progressives and convenience progressives  diverge. If your values are rooted in a particular interpretation of a scripture, this tends to take you into troubled waters. Those who profess to be Xian are not alone in this. 

My spirituality guides my personal conduct with the Golden Rule as a foundational tenet, and my belief in a survival of consciousness after physical death and reincarnation are anathema to many. None of this gives me the authority to rule over the behaviour of others, providing their actions are consistent with that Golden Rule. 

This is not a good place for me to comment on the specific examples that you cited.  Feel free to PM me if you'd like.

Some progressives are working on change.  Denouncing people who we view to be not progressive enough - is not productive nor progressive - it is not an educational approach.  That's where I differ with many of you on here - at least based on the way you post - which is admittedly about all that I know about you.   

My foundational tenet is the Sermon on the Mount and also the two chapters that follow it.  This is also the foundation of my faith community.

 

[Fatty Liver]

"Libertarians are like house cats: absolutely convinced of their fierce independence while utterly dependent on a system they don't appreciate or understand."

[Noeller]

Smith reaching out to Trudeau today for help with the AB wildfires that are currently raging..... CON's don't know what to do or think about this. 

[GCn20]

On 2023-05-07 at 8:15 AM, Colin Unger said:

I'll be voting NDP in the next provincial election.

Me too.

[HardCoreBlue]

14 hours ago, Mark H. said:

This is not a good place for me to comment on the specific examples that you cited.  Feel free to PM me if you'd like.

Some progressives are working on change.  Denouncing people who we view to be not progressive enough - is not productive nor progressive - it is not an educational approach.  That's where I differ with many of you on here - at least based on the way you post - which is admittedly about all that I know about you.   

My foundational tenet is the Sermon on the Mount and also the two chapters that follow it.  This is also the foundation of my faith community.

 

In specific cases, it's not about denouncing people who aren't progressive enough.

It's about what we can tolerate (each will have their list) and what we can't tolerate (each will have their list). That's education in itself.

[blue_gold_84]

46 minutes ago, HardCoreBlue said:

In specific cases, it's not about denouncing people who aren't progressive enough.

It's about what we can tolerate (each will have their list) and what we can't tolerate (each will have their list). That's education in itself.

The Paradox of Tolerance.

Quote

...the seemingly counterintuitive idea that “in order to maintain a tolerant society, the society must be intolerant of intolerance.”

Essentially, if a so-called tolerant society permits the existence of intolerant philosophies, it is no longer tolerant.

[Wideleft]

52 minutes ago, HardCoreBlue said:

In specific cases, it's not about denouncing people who aren't progressive enough.

It's about what we can tolerate (each will have their list) and what we can't tolerate (each will have their list). That's education in itself.

Obama nailed it when he said "Perfect is the enemy of good".  All the BernieBros abandoning Clinton because she wasn't "progressive enough" gave us Trump and I really don't know how the world is going to recover.