Nik Nanos Leadership: PM Harper leads with 34 point gap.

Good news for Liberals, Ignatieff may have hit rock bottom at 11% for trustworthiness. Ignatieff has managed to hold on with a two point lead against Gilles Duceppe. The problem for the Liberals,  PM Stephen Harper has a significant lead on every category. Every pollster has captured the decline in support for the leader of the Liberal Party. This decline was quicker than Dion's and an election campaign totaling six weeks may deliver another historical low as a result. No platform, no policy, relentless smears, personal attacks, pitting Canadians against each other. Polls favour government cut waste and their own budgets vs tax increases. The Liberals are rallying behind every cut as a permanent entitlement to the federal tax trough. They have invoked a war of culture and character assassination behind parliamentary privilege. It is NOT working. Voters show up to mark a ballot, it is a confirmation they believe in your policies and platform. The Liberals have successfully demonstrated they have no interest in providing an alternative or debating those inside Parliament with an adult conversation. Some MP's in the back benches should denounce this strategy and risk running as an independent. Having your own voice, ideas worked for Andre Arthur, Bill Casey, John Nunziata to respect the interest of the local constituents.

The constant mudslinging by the opposition appears to be sticking to the NDP as Layton's leadership numbers have begun a downward slide. Will  the NDP continue to follow the strategy of voter suppression, cultural war in an attempt to save the furniture by the Liberals?

Will they join the Bloc and Liberals pitting region and against region?

Months ago, some of us noted the NDP did not join the Liberals in calling an unnecessary or unwanted election. We hoped they would find a third way to replace the Liberals as the official opposition by finding some common ground on the larger issues and supporting restraints of government to address fiscal reality.

Instead of adopting a mainstream fiscal platform supported by the majority of Canadians, the NDP will hold on to their ideological position of the Robin Hood fairy tales and wealth redistribution. The lesson of socialism in Eastern Europe 1945-1990's have been ignored. The NDP refusal to understand the effect of these socialist policies in Greece, Portugal, Spain, California. The steady increase of taxes, fees being levied by cities, provinces and federal governments and the lack of capacity for the middle class to absorb another tax increase. The increase of our standard of living as a direct result of Canada's growing expansion into Global trade. They wanted to fight the American rise of protectionism by adding more protectionism in Canada. The NDP have taken the mantle of special interests again in blocking every free trade deal being negotiated by Canada. This is not the responsible third way, Canada has a relatively small population of 34 million, we are export nation that is highly dependent in accessing more markets for our products and services to maintain our standard of living. Erecting barriers, relying on internal trade won't work.


The most trustworthy leader
Stephen Harper: 23.9% (-1.1)
Jack Layton: 16.8% (-4.0)
Michael Ignatieff: 11.0% (+0.6)
Elizabeth May: 6.8% (-3.0)
Gilles Duceppe: 9.0% (+1.2)
None of them/Undecided: 32.6% (+6.4)

The most competent leader
Stephen Harper: 30.2% (-3.4)
Jack Layton: 11.7% (-2.5)
Michael Ignatieff: 15.1% (+1.2)
Elizabeth May: 2.2% (-1.2)
Gilles Duceppe: 8.2% (+1.7)
None of them/Undecided: 32.6% (+4.2%)

The leader with the best vision for Canada’s future
Stephen Harper: 25.1% (-1.7)
Jack Layton: 16.3% (-0.9)
Michael Ignatieff: 14.7% (-1.3)
Elizabeth May: 5.2% (-1.2)
Gilles Duceppe: 3.9% (+1.0)
None of them/Undecided: 34.6% (+3.9)


Leadership Index Score
Stephen Harper: 79.2 (-6.2)
Jack Layton: 44.8 (-7.4)
Michael Ignatieff: 40.8 (+0.5)
Elizabeth May: 14.2 (-5.4)
Gilles Duceppe: 21.1 (+3.9)

Source here

The choice is clear on priorities, the coalition should unite as a single ballot choice and give Canadians an honest option in 2010-2011. Increased free trade, more competition at home and access to a global market or a socialist nanny state that promised to punish the "rich", "grotesque profits" earned by big banks, oil companies.  Canadians are much smarter than the merry men of Robin Hood Tax Party. Mel brooks movie clip here.

As a public service an update from an important product placement opportunity here. Face-book advice for those unhappy with Harper here.

Canada's Political Landscape Socialism vs Free Markets

Canadians will have a clear choice when they return to the Polls in 2010-2011. They can continue to support the socialist economic policies of the Liberals, New Democrats and Bloc in fairer tax redistribution with the promise a "just society" economic model. (Utopia on earth)

In Britain Nancy Lucas leader of the Green Party talks about the importance "social justice" and the importance of the "Robin Hood Tax". The "king maker" Nick Clegg's (Leader Liberal Democrat) , Labor Party leader Gordon Brown policies were rejected as both parties lost seats and popular support. What is your fair share of "tax"?

An interesting article “I know this is right; you know this is right; the only question is how we do it.” Benefits from a strong Political and Moral Compass. Montreal Economic Institute.

It is time for governments to rethink a central authority, central planners are smarter or better at spending your money on priorities? Do we have an example of this "just society" on earth? If so why do the neo-liberals and proponents of wealth redistribution keep changing the labels they attach to socialism? Why shift from Global Ice Age, Catastrophic man-made global warming, to climate change?



Is anyone credible going to argue waste under any government does not occur? What makes a central planner in Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec City, Victoria more likely to understand how to spend your tax dollars, his education, his communication with political appointees and stake holders special interest groups lobbyists?

Are we going to ignore, deny we can buy the "correct data" we want through advocacy, polling, research if we ask the right questions or fund it? Look at the criticisms lodged against United Nations peer review studies, IPCC, Frank Graves, Manning Institute by opposing camps suggesting the "data" were bogus.

Canada's recovery is tied to the Global Economic Recovery. It can be stalled or worse if we don't deal with indebtedness of governments.

Standard & Poor’s, the rating agency that dropped a bombshell on the markets yesterday by downgrading Greek debt to ‘junk’ status and cutting Portugal’s credit rating, today downgraded Spain as well.

Quebec ranks only below Japan, Italy, Greece and Iceland in terms of public debt as a percentage of GDP. Quebec has been the economic model of a failed socialist state for too long. Quebec has been the largest welfare recipient of the Equalization Program. Quebec has debt levels equivalent to Greece and California has had failed to take the necessary steps in correcting the imbalance of fiscal responsibility. California has the largest state economy in the US, and it’s economy is larger than all but the top 7 to 10 sovereign nations — bigger than Greece.

Liberal Premier Jean Charest has used his majority to block, ignore calls for investigations of corruption in his government by opposition parties,  his majority allows the losses in the Pension Fund estimated in the billions to be ignored  NOT investigated by a public inquiry. Does the Liberal Premier benefit by pitting region against region, did he ignore the efforts by the Alberta Government to deal with Carbon Sequestration. Does he demand Albertans increase  their contributions for equalization programs?

The table here compares Quebec to the other provinces based on two debt measurements (gross debt and based on accumulated deficits). It can be seen that Quebec's debt is the highest regardless of which measurement is used. (Table Quebec Department of Finance above)

The breathtaking, near-$40 billion loss announced by Quebec's monolithic pension fund manager captivated the population yesterday, especially worried retirees.

The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec said the value of its assets fell by $39.8 billion in 2008 – to $120.1 billion – a stunning 25 per cent writedown of its net assets and the worst results in its history. Senior executives refused to apologize, however, even though the Caisse underperformed its industry peers – one study pegged average retirement fund losses in Canada at about minus-16 per cent.

Who should Canadians look to for an improvement in the wallets, a socialist utopia or a proponent in expanding free trade?

Green Party Leader : Caroline Lucas Plays Robin Hood

Caroline Lucas should be the luckiest woman in politics. More than 20 years ago she joined a minor, leftfield party: today its defining issue has become the biggest political issue in the world. Bingo! Only politics, of course, is not that simple. As Winston Churchill famously pointed out, democracy has been described as "the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried", and if you really want to see what he meant, spend an hour with the leader of the Green party. May 18, 2009 Guardian

It is not difficult to play the part of Robin Hood in politics. Caroline Lucas, leader of the Green Party follows the tradition of blaming the "robber barons" (BP, Shell, Centrica) for making "grotesque profits". She suggests they are to blame for the rising costs of heating your home. She also like to throw in her clip it is they are run by mostly men.
Does she think students, seniors are driving around in Hummers, private jets heating the 5,000 square foot mansions consuming and feeding the profits of these evil robber barons? I am under the impression these groups have very little impact in polluting or wasting energy. Caroline can you contact those wealthy friends in the Green Lobby to stop sending profits.(here)

The delegates to the Copenhagen climate summit will produce enough carbon emissions to fill 10,000 Olympic swimming pools, according to figures commissioned by the host Denmark. Reuters is reporting that the massive carbon footprint is equivalent to the impact generated by half a million Ethiopians in a single year Did you attend, how did you get there again?

The socialist parties in Canada do the same thing.  They promised an organic chicken in every pot and to make those rich bad people pay for the inequities of society. The Bloc, NDP regularly like blame the banks, big corporations, oil companies for "grotesque profits".

Poverty, unemployment exists and will always be a part of every society. How we choose to deal with has been an ideological battle for decades.Where do the NDP, Bloc and Liberals turn to for economic models of successful socialism? What countries do the cite as role models?

The Liberals, NDP , Bloc have been fans of "wealth redistribution" for a very long time. They propose to tax the middle, upper income earners to provide a higher standard of living for the less fortunate. The disconnect for the coalition parties is how much more in taxes can the middle class afford to give?

Do any of us believe they can create a "windfall tax", "Tobin Bank tax", "Carbon Tax", promising to targeting only the most wealthy, banks, oil companies system will work to help the poor?

HST is a bad tax according to the socialists NDP, they even had fun at the expense of their coalition leader here. Some Liberals like the HST, some Liberals are against the long gun registry but threats by the Liberal party whip can eliminate those individual thoughts. Can a socialist explain a good tax vs a bad tax? The middle class wallet can't discriminate based on political ideology. It sucks when the right or left take our money.

If so where are those economic socialist government models? Let's compare.

If a large population of poorer Canadians are not paying income taxes today how do you help them by increasing their expenses on food, energy, shelter through adding or increasing consumption taxes?

Who will ultimately be asked to pay for those new added taxes, families and the middle class.

Instead of looking at the problem in an objective fashion it is much easier to blame, label someone else for your misfortune. Is is possible a lack of jobs, education, willingness to relocate to regions where the economy and prospects are better?

If I build my mansion on the beachfront, or in the middle of a fire zone in the forest should the taxpayer be on the hook? Where does my personal responsibility measure up?

Can Caroline Lucas identify or enumerate how many of these MPs are in the House of Commons are on the payroll for these three energy (Robber Barons) companies?

The Labor Party has a majority and helped create a financial incentive for Carbon Trading. Billions have gone missing, organized crime and governments are selling the same credits twice. Do you see a problem with giving government more taxation powers?

What other types of taxes, subsidies are given by governments can she find as wasteful? Can we review and eliminate wasteful spending and non essential priorities and allow the poorer and middle class to keep their earnings?

h/t  Nexus