Stephen Harper - Canadian Prime DoucheBag
So Stephen Harper is running his scummy little mouth to the WSJ's Editorial Board. The crappy article goes on about NATO and how Canada is our bestest pal in the world.
Then at the end we get a nice loogie hurled
But then there is Mr. Obama's opposition to the Colombia free-trade deal. Has Mr. Harper spoken to the president about that matter? Yes. "I'm not going to tell you that the president said anything different than what he said publicly," says Mr. Harper, smiling. We'll take that as a sign of hope.You might recall that Harper's aide lied to the media during last year's presidential campaign. The aide falsely said that one of Obama's economic advisors called up Harper's folks to tell them that the discussion of renegotiating NAFTA by Obama was just campaign trail BS. Turned out Harper's folks called Obama's guy and he said no such thing.
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At least his country has solvent banks and universal healthcare. Maybe he'd like to run our country too.
March 1, 2009 2:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Really? Wow! When did Stephen Harper institute universal healthcare in Canada?
March 1, 2009 3:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Do you think Canada's economy is comparable to our own?
Do you think Canada is in good shape?
http://money.aol.ca/article/made-in-canada-recession-problems-not-from-afar/538990/
His solvent banks are in trouble like the rest of the world.
March 1, 2009 3:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
I had been reading this:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/28/opinion/28tedesco.html?_r=1&scp=4&sq=Canada&st=cse
March 1, 2009 4:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
The scale is much smaller and you see the BS we are all wading through just to have them go ahead and nationalize weeks or months from now. I'm glad that someone has had sound judgement in the world. I don't know that it will rub off south of the border.
March 1, 2009 5:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
I really don't have any opinion on the current PM but I do think we'd have been better off following the Canadian model than the southern banana republic strategy so popular with leading governors in places like LA, MI, and SC.
March 1, 2009 5:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh no disagreement there. I thought you were implying he could come down here and institute all those positives from Canada as if he were responsible for them all.
March 1, 2009 11:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
TM. Harper IS a douchebag. And his people DID try to distort/spin the Obama/NAFTA comments. And yes, he hates universal health fare etc.
Also yes, the economy here IS in trouble, but mostly led by the crash of the auto sector (Ontario makes more cars than Michigan), some concentrated areas of overheated housing (Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver), and the whipsawing of global oil prices.
However. For a batch of reasons, the banks just ARE in much better shape here - better regulation, more risk averse culture, better Federal fiscal management, no tax breaks on mortgage interest, etc. Not much sense disputing that. They MAY face further real problems (and I expect them to) but right now, there is a definite gap.
Though that wasn't the point of your post, which is that Harper is a douche, and that is simply scientific fact. ;-) Cheers.
March 1, 2009 5:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Just let's us all remember that Canada need not put much money into defense, because its neighbors to the south protect them. That saves Canadians a shitload of money. That said, some of my best friends are Canadian, and I love visiting Canada (between May and October. I just wish they'd ditch the Queen.
March 1, 2009 7:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Quinn, its more than the auto industry. I'm up in Sudbury, ON, and the collapse of the metals market is wreaking havoc up here. Xstrata laid off a 680 miners and support staff a few weeks ago (in Sudbury alone, let alone Rouyn-Noranda and their other mining camps, like Raglan), and the city has been anxiously awaiting Inco's eventual layoff announcement. If the rumors flying around play out, we could be looking at another 1200-1500 mining staff out of work in the coming weeks.
Dark Times, and Harper is a tool
March 1, 2009 7:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
You're right, HHG. My nephew and his girlfriend both have great educations, completely relevant to mining & minerals, and they're just about to make a U-turn and head back to school. I tell them, "Just sit as much of this crash out as you can."
Worldwide, it seems like all the huge export chains have just come to a complete stop. Mining and metals, but almost anything manufactured as well. Singapore, Hong Kong, China and Canada - the numbers are flipping up 50% reductions. And then that cuts of jobs in ports, shipping, and so on.
Looks to me like hundreds of fuses burning their way back to the States. Because eventually, all the wholesale and retail at one end of those chains has to fall over. And the U.S. economy built heavily around the FIRE sector, but retail is a huge chunk as well.
Right now, there's almost nothing anyone can do. All our attention is being drawn to "the banks," but when you see primary industry and manufacturing being clobbered at rates of 50%, and trade and retail tottering, it makes me cringe. I literally just do not know what happens as all this comes home to the cities and 'burbs, who are still shocked by the initial housing hit and the bank worries.
Good luck in Sudbury, and let's hope the engines start firing.
March 1, 2009 8:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
I never knew more autos were made in Canada than Michigan.
I was reading about how the regulations are what saved Canadian banking. Wish some of that crossed the border.
March 1, 2009 11:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
In other words, Canadian banks acted like banks, and not unregulated hedge funds.
March 2, 2009 11:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
I've always though that a parliamentary style government, like Canada's would be great to have here in the US. Excet for one tiny little detail.
The leader of each party is the person who is chosen, not by the people at large. But during the party convention by those at the convention. In other words, he is the person the party hot shots like.
And the party with the most MPs elected, it's party leader become the PM.
Translated done here. This could mean that Rush Limbaugh or Bill O or (God forbid) even Sarah Palin could be the head of the republican party.
And become the president/PM here if enough democrats screw up.
C
March 1, 2009 6:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Damn. That's a horrible thought. President Limbaugh. I was thinking they had a better system too until that nice person appointed by the queen of england shutdown removing Harper a few months ago.
March 1, 2009 11:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Re: Selection of leader. Party grassroots have a lot more input than you suggest.
However, you are defiitely correct to worry about the Canadian form of parliamentary democracy. If a Canadian political party wins a majority of the seats in the House of Commons it forms the government and its leader becomes Prime Minister. There are hardly any checks or balances on the power of a Canadian Prime Minister. We effectively elect a dictator.
As with many things Canadian our system works in practice even though not in theory and so far we've been lucky. However, Stephen Harper sends shivers up my spine and the idea of him with a majority is frightening.
March 2, 2009 11:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
TakishaJones for president!
rapetheceos.com
lol
March 2, 2009 1:29 PM | Reply | Permalink