Caught in the Web
A look around the net...
-I've updated my blogroll. One of the new blogs in the Alberta Politics section is Daveberta who has a great letter to Paul Jackson. Unfortunately, it's well thought out and logical so it'll pass right over Jackson's head.
-Scott Tribe, who I've always felt is the best blogger in Canada without a blog, has moved from the comments section to the E-Group.
While I usually agree with Scott, I think he's a bit off-base in his criticism of John Manley's Task Force report on North American defense.
A lot of people get upset whenever anyone suggests closer relations with the Americans but, to be honest, there are times we need to work with them. I think free trade has been very beneficial to Canada and anything we can do to strengthen and improve the FTA is a step in the right direction. As for defense, I was against missile defense, mainly because it will never work in a million years. But border and port security is a very real concern and it makes sense to work with the United States and Mexico to keep North America safe. Doing so would hopefully make border crossings from Canada to the US a lot smoother.
Scott is right that this report will re-enforce the notion that Manley is more right-wing than a lot of Liberals. But I tend to take issue with that. Manley was the first of the three leadership candidates to speak out in favour of gay marriage (even before Sheila) and has always been left on social issues. His one budget as finance minister was perceived as a very left-leaning budget with lots of spending. Admittedly, he favours closer ties to the Americans, but at least he's doing so from well thought out arguments, rather than being anti-American solely for the need to win votes in Quebec. As is so often the case, Manley gets in trouble for speaking the truth, albeit the unpopular truth.
-James Bow sticks up for my favourite provincial premier, Dalton McGuinty.
-Adam Radwanski and Paul Wells both defend Jean Lapierre. Wow. To complete this introduction to the opposite sketches, I'll stick up for the guy too. It's a free market system and there's nothing the government could do to prevent the demise of Jetsgo. Besides, if Lapierre resigned, we'd all lose a great source of entertainment.
A look around the net...
-I've updated my blogroll. One of the new blogs in the Alberta Politics section is Daveberta who has a great letter to Paul Jackson. Unfortunately, it's well thought out and logical so it'll pass right over Jackson's head.
-Scott Tribe, who I've always felt is the best blogger in Canada without a blog, has moved from the comments section to the E-Group.
While I usually agree with Scott, I think he's a bit off-base in his criticism of John Manley's Task Force report on North American defense.
A lot of people get upset whenever anyone suggests closer relations with the Americans but, to be honest, there are times we need to work with them. I think free trade has been very beneficial to Canada and anything we can do to strengthen and improve the FTA is a step in the right direction. As for defense, I was against missile defense, mainly because it will never work in a million years. But border and port security is a very real concern and it makes sense to work with the United States and Mexico to keep North America safe. Doing so would hopefully make border crossings from Canada to the US a lot smoother.
Scott is right that this report will re-enforce the notion that Manley is more right-wing than a lot of Liberals. But I tend to take issue with that. Manley was the first of the three leadership candidates to speak out in favour of gay marriage (even before Sheila) and has always been left on social issues. His one budget as finance minister was perceived as a very left-leaning budget with lots of spending. Admittedly, he favours closer ties to the Americans, but at least he's doing so from well thought out arguments, rather than being anti-American solely for the need to win votes in Quebec. As is so often the case, Manley gets in trouble for speaking the truth, albeit the unpopular truth.
-James Bow sticks up for my favourite provincial premier, Dalton McGuinty.
-Adam Radwanski and Paul Wells both defend Jean Lapierre. Wow. To complete this introduction to the opposite sketches, I'll stick up for the guy too. It's a free market system and there's nothing the government could do to prevent the demise of Jetsgo. Besides, if Lapierre resigned, we'd all lose a great source of entertainment.
posted by calgarygrit at
3:30 p.m.
6 Comments:
Hello CalGrit:
After such nice praise, I almost feel bad doing this rebuttal (albeint a mild one) but here goes on two points:
- Regarding Manley and his ideological stance, I did make the caveat that "I feel he is more conservative then Harper is right now (on economic issues and US-Canada relations at any rate)"... that to me is more imprtant then his social stance. He obviously shares some Liberal values if he joined the Liberal Party in the first place.
- Regarding the statement about the FTA being a success in Canada.. I contend its a little less clear-cut then that. I live in a community on the Michigan border that has lost 4 manufacturing companies in the last several years due to them uprooting and moving back to the US or to Mexico.. and rumours of others moving... This place will be a ghost town soon.. and if you were to tell these folks that the FTA or NAFTA Was good for Canada, I;m afraid you'd need a police escort to get out of here.
At any rate.. the major supposed accomplishment of the FTA was the dispute panel mechanism. This was supposed to stop any protectionist moves by either country... yet we now have a situation where the US is ignoring or circumventing the dispute panel's rulings on softwood lumber (not surprising given the current US administration's indifference to international treaties).
That makes the FTA a rather moot document at this point. We now have duties/tariffs on beef, softwood, and now pigs and hogs... I dont at this point see the difference between having an FTA or not having an FTA when only on of the trade partners believes in Free Trade and the other wont even honour the agreement.
By
Oxford County Liberals, at 6:20 p.m.
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By
Oxford County Liberals, at 6:21 p.m.
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Oxford County Liberals, at 6:22 p.m.
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By
daveberta, at 12:02 a.m.
Thanks for the mention! Glad that you enjoyed my letter to Mr. Jackson.
I'm thinking about making it a 'feature' on daveberta.
Cheers.
D :)
By
daveberta, at 12:04 a.m.
Thanks so much for your post, pretty helpful material.
By
www.almeria-3d.com, at 3:00 a.m.
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