The Tea Party movement has surged ahead of both the Democratic and Republican parties in the polls, with 41 percent of respondents in a new NBC/Wall Street Journal survey giving the mostly conservative, limited-government activists a favorable rating. Democrats got a positive rating from just 35 percent, and Republicans from 28 percent of those polled. Will the tea partiers be an electoral force in the 2010 midterm elections? If so, will they hurt Democrats, or help them by splintering the conservative vote? (Watch a Fox report about the Tea Party’s popularity)
This is one more nail in the Democrats’ coffin: So much for the “great Democratic alignment” signaled by their sweep in the 2008 elections, says Allahpundit in Hot Air. This is, to some extent, “ironclad proof of a surge in fiscally conservative populism across the nation”—and of the power of Fox News’ “pro–tea party megaphone.” Clearly, Democrats are going to pay dearly for pushing the costly and divisive Obamacare.
“Waterloo: Obama approval at 47 in new NBC poll, tea party more popular than Dems or GOP”
[More]
Related:
Will Tea Party Become America’s Third Political Party?
2010
We need one here.
Your right JT but theres not much to choose from as we have left a leaning, deficit making federal government which is supported by a left leaning liberal opposition party headed by an alleged former Republican loving American leader.
‘None of the above’ Harpers blown it, Iffy is trapped, May has disappeared (as if anyone cared) and the NDP are stalled.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/none-of-the-above-wins-again/article1405855/
Well, I read as far as 3 paragraphs, sport but then I had an uncontrollable moment and fled to the “can”. More moaning from the center. As for Harper: that bunch of clowns “blinked” when the 62 Percenters raised their ugly, “artful coup”, last winter. He should have had a Chretien moment and called another friggin’ election right then on the turds! He’d have his majority now.
Probably Bay Street wispered in his ear though, you know those “Rosedale Gangsters” we hear so much about. McGuinty should stick a couple of the biggest windmills right in Rosedale and watch them howl. Make them stick one on the top of TD Square so Red Ed can feel like one with the environment, too. Make it look like a beanie with a prop on top. These Bay Streeters are the biggest recipients of all the future Globull Warming gelt and Carbon Trading cash, assisted by all three levels of government. Canadians are being ripped off, by one and all.
When my tax dollars are signed up to bury coal-fired CO2 underground I think of Oil for Food type scams. Canadian industry at the forefront of “hands in our pockets”. Our political Parties are right behind them.
Re: #3 — “He should have had a Chretien moment and called another friggin’ election right then on the turds! He’d have his majority now.”
Agreed.
However, “Hindsight is better than foresight by a damned sight.” Maybe he should try again?
More thoughts on tea parties. I think it would be wrong for Americans to change the Tea Party Movement into a legal political movement as in a “third party”. As long as it remains “as is” you have freedom — which this argument is all about. As soon as you make the switch to a legal party you come under rules which will bury you.
My view — stay “as is” and continue to build the movement from the outside with no help from elected representatives or news media and warn your elected representatives that you can’t be bought or influenced.
Also warn them that their ass is grass if they ignore you.
Keep it going — free and proud — and the very first thing you do if you gain power is kill “earmarks” which are bankrupting your nation. It’s far past time for that problem to end.
America is not for sale.
If the Globe&Mail figures Harper has blown it then he must be doing something right, so things can’t be all that bad. It would take big government spending bills coming down the pipes to get Canadians riled up, and there is no such federal legislation in sight, so in the meantime it accomplishes more to badger our provincial and local governments, which is where our wallets will be taking their biggest hits from. The latest Angus Reid poll rates our Premiers and has Ed Stelmach edging Dalton McGuinty in a race to the bottom.
Canadians rate their premiers
http://tinyurl.com/yhgc2w2
jt’s absolutely correct and so are you Jack. I do believe PM Harper will figure in tax cuts, like some MPs in Britain are advising. The message re our soldiers torturing Afghan detainees (preposterous) will get out to the public, despite the Liberals’ dishonest slagging via the media.
No matter the taxation, higher interest rates, hyper-inflation we’re looking at, make no mistake, the Liberal cabal will DOUBLE the burdens. Yes, there are the vested interests and they at present have no intention of relenting/reversing course on their plan. But it will be to their detriment. The green energy technologies won’t work and even Obama has said that a mix of all the technologies will be employed. India/China will stay on course.
BUT, here’s Canada’s advantage. We have McKitrick/McIntyre on the credible science. That’s Obama’s exit cue. Also cue to the controlling powers who will have no control in the end, even their ‘gated communities’ won’t save them.
The lawsuits alone will halt Wall St. and Bay St. in their tracks.
It’s always darkest before the dawn.
I still say support for Harper is between 70 and 80 percent based on the fact that a recent poll indicated Canadians are on top of the Global warming scam, especially Albertans, thank God. Actually Canada’s centre should move there, if it hasn’t already. Quebec should be put in its place. If Duceppe removes the condom from his head, it can happen.
Harper stood by ‘realistic targets’, so bypass the scaremongering. No one should doubt this is a minefield which the Tories have navigated to date with notable adeptness.
It should be obvious to a squirrel the Copenhagen crowd had no idea what they’re doing but the asylum must be dealt with such as it is.
We witnessed history yesterday — the move into socialism, the failed program over which many are planning the comeback, including ourselves.
Bottom line, no thief of any program wins in the end. We’ve got time to reverse the damage.
Kudos to you all. And keep the faith. The sweep of history proves changed agendas do happen at regular intervals.
Canada’s famous for hockey. The PM loves the game and is apparently writing a book on it. Here’s a suggestion for our MPs. How about they sport a hockey stick in parliament and point to the Canadian scientists that exposed the manufactured graph. Our version of the ‘tea party.’
My view — stay “as is” and continue to build the movement from the outside with no help from elected representatives or news media and warn your elected representatives that you can’t be bought or influenced.
Also warn them that their ass is grass if they ignore you.
Keep it going — free and proud — and the very first thing you do if you gain power is kill “earmarks” which are bankrupting your nation. It’s far past time for that problem to end.
You’re spot on, Jack. Strategy like that wins wars.
“Is the Tea Party unbeatable?”
It is as long as it remains free and that is what America is all about, isn’t it?
These people can elect or “unelect” anyone they choose at will and so America returns to it’s roots. George Soros and all his money count for nothing now.
He’s history and so is Obama if I have it right.
I was watching the last HoC session when a hockey game broke out. That just about sums up the last year of federal politics.
It’s a 1-trick horse that will mostly serve to split the Republican vote. You can’t run a whole party on “we want the government to be minimal and anemic”. You need more of a platform to get mass appeal. So it has to be asked – what will round out the tea party platform? Looking at the demographics of the tea baggers, the obvious choice is christian fundamentalism – a characteristic already possessed by their most visible mascot, Sarah Palin. At that point all they’ll accomplish is poaching the extreme tail of the Republican Party – possibly giving Obama another 4 years he otherwise wouldn’t have had.
We’ve seen what another political party bent on reform does here in Canada. Mind you, our system is remarkably different than theirs. Regardless, I believe the Tea Party movement should serve as a wake-up call for both the Democrats and the Republicans. The people aren’t happy with the ideological direction of either party. Whichever party figures this out first and modifies their platform to reflect these principles, they will be rewarded by the voters.
Cy, what does demanding reasonable restrictions on the size, scope and cost of government have to do with Christian fundamentalism?
Mac:
On paper, nothing. I’ll reiterate that wanting to disable the government’s power does not make for a political power unless one is an anarchist. A viable political movement can’t just aim to destroy – it has to have a replacement structure (i.e. a vision) if they want to capture an identifiable voting bloc. Looking at the profile fo the average tea party protester, added to the fact that the t.e.a. party is definitely a figment of the right, Christian fundamentalism seems like a natural fit.
Nothing else would work:
-Obviously they can’t rally the people on any type of social equality or justice while simultaneously destroying the only means to enforce it…
-Environmentalism is out because it also requires government and the recent AGW scandal has tarred any kind of eco-friendly movement as a sinister tax grab – very antithetical to the tea party objectives
-Pro-business stances would work except that corporate interests are now seen to be aligned to big government (thanks to the bailouts)
OK, Cynical, we’ve heard what “can’t happen”, what’s YOUR solution, bud? Other than slagging somone with an ad hominem, please, like “christian fundamentalism”, or any other “ism” for that matter. Grace us with your intellect.
You probably can’t, because you don’t identify with the Tea Party movement. The concept appears foreign to you, but then you are Canadian brought up on the mantra of “government knows best”. However, to attract the Tea Party votes, some political force in the USA will need to modify their outlook on governance to accomodate what the Tea Party want. It’s getting bigger than either of the two US Parties from what I read, so they can’t just ignore that elephant can they?
I post that whichever Party ties into the Tea Party will be a smaller government and one that adheres to the US Constitution, as written and with the restrictions on power set out under their Constitution. It ain’t rocket science. If the “moneyed elites” in the USA don’t modify, I predict civil war and the Tea Party will enforce the doctrines of the US Constitution at gun point, sport. The Second Amendment takes care of any squeamishness on that issue. The ballot box will be exercised first, but in the end their will be a revloution on how things are done in the USA. Bet on it.
As I posted at #1, we need the same thing here. When I see the mayor of Calgary gallivanting over to COP-15 for ideas on how to best fleece his city taxpayers on “green” initiatives that expand the role and power of government over the ones paying for it all, then we need a Tea Party here, too.
When municiple and provincial politicians feel that they need to get on the bandwagon and in the process undermine the legitimate negotiators for this country, someone needs a stiff kick, right where it hurts. I will go out of my way to deduct what I feel is a reasonable amount from my tax bill to cover these bum’s escapdes at my expense. Same for the one-seided AGW propaganda spewed by CBC on the public dime.
Cynapse: What is the correct size, scope and reach of government?
What is the correct size of (any) government. MINORITY please.
JT:
“What can happen” was already discussed and in fact it’s what will probably happen – the tea party will be married with the Christian fundamentalist sector, which is a good match in terms of the demographics of each group’s supporters. Also, the Christo-Fundies are lamenting their loss of influence in the post-Bush GOP. Whether or not that’s “good” depends on what your own views are and what you want the tea party to accomplish practically.
It’s not necessarily “government knows best” but I certainly trust them over the mob, especially the parts of the mob who don’t care a damn for anyone not of their social privilege and economic advantages. If I wanted to live in South America I’d move there. If you want to pay for nothing into the government, make maximum profits with no real laws or moral guidelines (that apply to you, anyway) and live behind self-armed walls to protect yourself from the people you’re suppressing (free of worries about political correctness), South America is highly recommended. Honestly, it sounds a lot like the utopia of the North American right – unlimited guns, few business rules, no need for tolerance, absolutely no concern for nature.
Armed revolution? Sure, if America never wants to a major power again. As much as Americans don’t like to live by rules, I bet they’ll like a substantial drop in quality of life a whole lot less. That quality of life is being maintained by:
1) The ability to pesuade China et all to refinance U.S. debt
2) A constant supply of cheap oil from the U.S’s pseudo colonies in South America and the Middle East
3) The general compliance of Russia, Japan and Brazil re: not colonizing their respective areas.
4) The co-operation of Turkey, Israel, Colombia the UK and Poland re: destabilizing their local blocs in America’s favor in exchange for consideration.
This is only going to continue so long as America can fund and appease/threaten the aforementioned parties and that will only continue so long as America has a strong government. If the tea party succeeds in reducing the government back to men in tights who write cryptic documents about freedom and can’t enforce them, America’s international status will drop like a stone and we will see a new world order. Big-wigs on the left and the right know this very well, which is why government expanded under Bush and Reagan (in spite of their anti-government populism)
Ward:
A government of any tangible value should be able to:
1) Protect the rights, property and earning potential of ALL its citizens – particularly from other citizens
2) Protect the nation from foreign invasion
3) Advance the nation’s regional economic interests
4) Respond in a timely matter to national disasters, be they economic, natural or social
You’re not going to accomplish this via a few document-writing mascots who genuflect to local tribal/corporate interests. A government has to have the power to say NO to any individual or party (who by definition are self-interested and owe their nation nothing) that would advance their own goals to the severe detriment of everyone else. These tea partiers and anyone who agrees strongly with them are basically demanding for the inmates to run the asylum. If you have any doubts about how this will turn out, I will be happy to talk to you about my trip to Central America or my sister’s trip to Northern India.
And if you think to say so is “leftism” then you have no idea what capitalism is about (as opposed to mere greed). Even Adam Smith agreed a government has to have balls.
Re: #19 — “These tea partiers and anyone who agrees strongly with them are basically demanding for the inmates to run the asylum.”
To be clear, Cynapse. The “inmates” OWN the asylum and that’s the entire point of tea parties.
The inmates elected their government. Let them govern, or else don’t complain about the results … or just make every decision by Google poll and let the rabble rousers really have their way.
Again, this seems more related to the American distaste for tax dollars being spent on their neighbors than how much money is spent. Regaan blew billions on all kinds of space garbage, corrupt regimes and near-genocidal wars – not a peep from the inmates, save a few left wing reflexively antiwar types. My guess is if Obama gets voted out in 2012 and a Sarah Palin type comes in – these tea parties stop cold in their tracks even though the same debt issues persist.
Re: 21 — “The inmates elected their government.”
Yes they did, just like we did when we elected Trudeau but they can learn from our mistakes if they pay attention. The truth is that Trudeau changed this country forever (not in a good way) and nearly bankrupted it in the process.
Obama is on the same path but there is still time to stop him and having spent my entire working career living paycheque to paycheque because of taxation I no longer believe in dreams.
If Canadians had been real smart when Trudeau first appeared they would have shot and pissed on him (hindsight and all that). But we weren’t and now we pay the price because we’re still to stupid to give Harper his majority and permit him to reverse the process.
The US can do better and tea parties, now drawing huge attention, only need a real leader and one is emerging. Obama and his supporters can bend over and kiss their sorry asses goodbye because it’s a happening thing and here’s the final point.
Anything in US law can be repealed — even amendments to their constitution. I have a very strong feeling that no matter what Harry Reid accomplishes today his achievements will be erased in the very near future.
That’s the beauty of the US Constitution, unlike the one we have been lumbered with.
Anything in US law can be repealed — even amendments to their constitution.
No kidding – that’s why I’m watching who’s populating these so-called tea parties and why.
So Cynapse, do we or the US currently have too much regulation or too little? Should the governments of Canada or the US be larger or smaller?
These are some pretty vague questions, ward. In what area?
Do you want smaller just for the sake of smaller or was there an area you think the government has too many employees?
The inmates elected their government. Let them govern, or else don’t complain about the results
Poppycock. The shareholders (voters) who appoint a CEO (POTUS) have every right to complain when they finally discover that they made their decision to appoint based on deception during the interview (election) process. Once realizing the mistake they have made and stocks are tumbling the shareholders are in no way obligated to sit back quietly and permit the CEO to further damage and likely destroy the company (USA) and thus risk losing their investment (democracy).
Deception? Are you a birther?
The only people who have the RIGHT to complain are your leftist rivals who are suddenly realizing that the troops aren’t coming home from afghanistan and every man/woman/child in America will not get health care after all. This is only true because the right is still powerful enough to scare enough of the population into thinking that not smashing down the have-nots amounts to “socialism” and will turn America into Cuba. Hence, Obama is being faulted for not being able to subvert the adversarial political system. In that case, every politician is a liar. Do you think Sarah Palin or Mitt Romney will be any more successful into forcing an America catering to their core constituents 100%?
Obama promised nothing to the monkey doll group. The center is lashing out due to the general state of the nation and the economy – wouldn’t matter who was in office.
Re: #27 — “Deception? Are you a birther?”
I’m pissing myself laughing here. I’m 65 — had a bad accident and the surgeon’s scalpel slipped. Nothing “down there” works anymore (and no — I’m not concerned because I’m 65).
I don’t give a damn about my sex life and truthfully — I don’t care about anyone elses.
No, I’m not a “birther”. The argument no longer matters to me.
“Next question.”
What?
Have I boggled your mind?
So to speak
1) Protect the rights, property and earning potential of ALL its citizens – particularly from other citizens
Since when is “earning potential” a right? Earning potential is an ambition, not a right. HELP, HELP, I’m being oppressed because I don’t make as much as a CEO!!
2) Protect the nation from foreign invasion
I’m surprised you didn’t tie this to economic and cultural invasion but that might end up looking a bit too anti-immigrant for you, I suppose…
3) Advance the nation’s regional economic interests
The best way for a government to advance the nation’s economic interests is to get out of the way and stay out of the way… Very unlikely to happen, IMHO.
4) Respond in a timely matter to national disasters, be they economic, natural or social
Natural disasters, fine within reason. If you insist on living/building in an area which is prone to natural disasters, you’re on your own. If you ski out of bounds against all sage advice, you choose to endanger yourself and should be held civilly liable for all costs of your rescue.
Economic? Most economic disasters are as a result of government interference. More interference wouldn’t help. For whatever reason, governments can’t figure out the difference between regulation and interference.
Social? If the government is protecting the inherent individual rights which are their purview, no other social interfence is necessary or desirable. Affirmative action is flawed concept.
Since when is “earning potential” a right? Earning potential is an ambition, not a right. HELP, HELP, I’m being oppressed because I don’t make as much as a CEO!!
Want to know what happens when earning potential is sacrificed? You end up with cities like Africville – suspiciously under-serviced and failing for “reasons unknown” while the minimal government doesn’t want to get involved.. Since not everyone has the same potential or interest, it’s rather obvious that not everyone is going to make a CEO’s salary. This should not be a green light to let oligopolies destroy any chance of underdogs moving up.
I’m surprised you didn’t tie this to economic and cultural invasion but that might end up looking a bit too anti-immigrant for you, I suppose…
I wouldn’t. Any time the townsfolk have to look at a brown face or a turban it’s a “cultural invasion”. I’ll leave that to Pat Buchanan and his closet admirers. A foreign nation entering with bombs and guns is an entirely different matter, and surely there’s a need to have a half-decently organized government, non?
Economic? Most economic disasters are as a result of government interference. More interference wouldn’t help. For whatever reason, governments can’t figure out the difference between regulation and interference.
The robber barons certainly weren’t a government invention. In a culture that heavily rewards sociopathic business behaviour and maximizing profit at all costs, government interference is needed beyond what might be needed in, say, Japan, where an employee can be hired for life and companies make 10 year plans rather than quarterly manipulations. But once Obama is done tinkering, government involvement will probably fade and we’ll have another round of overbuilding.
Social? If the government is protecting the inherent individual rights which are their purview, no other social interfence is necessary or desirable. Affirmative action is flawed concept.
This vauge concepts of “individual rights” do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to stop collusion between members of the same race/religion/social class from keeping others out. AA is imperfect but there has been no other proven way to make companies play fair with people who have the right skills and the wrong demographic. This is going to be of no concern to anyone on this site, but outside the site you bet it is. The only way around it is for ethnic communities to cocoon and make their own sub-cities. That actually works better than AA but then the “real Canadians” complain that they don’t control everything. It’s a no-win situation. If you have something better than AA that will work in non-specialized professions by all means share with the class… (disclaimer: I work in a specialized field and so far have had little need for AA)
1) The Africville example is an interesting one. How would you suggest this situation could have been ameliorated and by which level of government? Perhaps I misunderstood what you meant by “earning potential” or perhaps you’re changing the context?
2) One of the government’s few legitimate roles is national defence. Canada used to be one of the most potent military forces on the planet but Trudeau and his ilk decided social interference was more important than protecting our borders.
3) Interesting you should pick the example of Japan; an awkward comparison at best since we’re a relatively small population spread on a massive landmass whereas they’re a relatively large population (4X as many people as Canada) squeezed onto a tiny landmass.
The percentage of labour force which is unionized in Japan is around 18%; in Canada, it’s around 30%. Would you say there’s more government interference in Japan or in Canada?
The “get rich quick” mentality is more American than Canadian but we have our share of rotten apples. Any company which wants to last longer than a single decade learns to treat it’s employees as valued assets and their customers like gold. The “Me” Generation of instant gratification has spawned the “boom & bust” mentality. Let’s hope that changes soon.
4) AA does nothing but create tokens and resentment. How is that helpful? Is the ethnic cocoon you describe a form of protection or a form of exclusion?
Something better? How about the good old “melting pot” where folks get rid of the hyphens? We’re going to reach a point soon where self-identifying as a visible minority will become meaningless. Perhaps then people will be judged on their merits and initiative rather than the colour of their skin…
No not really vague Cynapse, rather pointed questions since you seem to be advocating for no change (reduction) to the current size and scope and reach of government.
You condemn the desire of TEA party members for their desire for less government intervention in thier lives as a step backwards.
So reasonably it would seem that we must currently have at least a perfect level of government in terms of size and scope, or not enough. Clearly you do not think we have too much.
So I’ll narrow the question for you. Right now is it not enough or just right?
First of all decide what you’re arguing for – less government or less government intervention. It seems the teabaggers and their sympathizers jump back and forth between these two very different arguments according to what’s more likely to fly. Do you hate that the government is too large and bureaucratic or that it won’t let you “beat up queers”? Or both? My answer’s going to vary wildly depending on what you are advocating.
Ironically, the arm of the government that the teabaggers hate the most is severely understaffed. From 1992-2001, the IRS’s full time personnel shrank by 16%. The ratio of taxpayers audited has dropped from 1/78 to 1/170.
All this in a nation where nearly 1/4 of people surveyed think it’s ok to cheat on taxes (and many do just that, to the tune of over $300 billion per year). Why don’t the teabaggers ever get mad about the many Americans who, through dodgy accounting and crafty lawyers, get out of paying their fair share? Why do they focus on helping the most defenseless as a socialist evil that will bring down America?
So, if you want to ask me about the IRS, it could frankly serve to get a little larger.
WOW! All I posted was “we need a tea party here”!
Someone needs to take a valium! Anyways, good discussion guys. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.
Let’s start with: I don’t feel guilty about anything I’ve accomplished in my life. None of us should and, if any of us have kids, neither should they, nor should they feel constrained by society in this day and age. Onward and upward!
The Africville example is an interesting one. How would you suggest this situation could have been ameliorated and by which level of government?
The municipal government should have provided the same level of services (water, gas, garbage, etc) to Africville as any other burg. Socially the community was quite cohesive and likely wouldn’t have been slum if it were serviced at the level of other neighbourhoods. The compensation for the forced move was also pitiful. This kills earning potential.
The percentage of labour force which is unionized in Japan is around 18%; in Canada, it’s around 30%. Would you say there’s more government interference in Japan or in Canada?
I don’t think the union rate has anything to do with level government interference (or more politely, intervention).
The “get rich quick” mentality is more American than Canadian but we have our share of rotten apples. Any company which wants to last longer than a single decade learns to treat it’s employees as valued assets and their customers like gold. The “Me” Generation of instant gratification has spawned the “boom & bust” mentality. Let’s hope that changes soon.
There’s no reason for it to change so long as we continue to promote a winner-take-all society where mercy is associated with weakness and giving a leg up reviled as socialism. Very few people want to sit and around and lounge at the bottom and if they’re told they need to be #1 and not #2 to survive, you have to expect that they will do whatever it takes to be #1. This phenomenon is detailed quite brilliantly in the Cheating Culture (though the author has a noteworthy partisan bias).
AA does nothing but create tokens and resentment. How is that helpful? Is the ethnic cocoon you describe a form of protection or a form of exclusion?
People resent you the second you walk in the door, sometimes. It goes with the territory of leaving the rez/hood/etc and striking it out in the mainstream. At least there will be a chance you are paid fairly for your efforts.
The cocooning is almost certainly counter-exclusion and not pleasant for anyone who’s not in the target group to deal with. White relatives of mine have been stared out of Persian restaurant and I’ve been refused service at a couple Indian restaurants. Overall, cocooning is bad for the nation but good for a group that’s otherwise not being allowed into the mainstream. Should they beg at the door waiting for AA (which only services a few people and quite often not the best)? Many potential recipients don’t want AA because there will always be a star next to your name – it’s never clear whether you were further promoted because you were good or because they needed to show diversity by having a Chinese guy in there. People who take pride in their work detest such ambiguity (to this day I have never ticked “visible minority” in a private sector job application and most of my friends also don’t).
So if your community is large enough and the old Anglo establishment won’t give you a fair shake, why not become a baron in your backyard? Isn’t that the spirit of capitalism? That’s sort of integrating
Africville, visited there a couple of times in the 60′s. Not an attractive place plum full of hate and racism and I’ll never forget it. You only had to see it once to understand where those residents feelings were coming from. It was ‘sorta’ off limits to white guys unless you had an escort. The world is better off without it. They built the A. Murray McKay Bridge right over where it used to be, support columns smack dab in the middle of the old site and threw in a container pier for good luck. As a matter of fact I drove by the former site with my wife only in October and pointed it out to her. I also remarked that day as I have in the past that even though I saw it with my own eyes I still find it hard to believe that a black hellhole ghetto like that existed in Canada so recently.
Cynapse, the term teabaggers when referring to the TEA Party movement is a very derogatory one. You don’t need to go there to support your argument.
1) I’m unsure how it would be possible to discriminate on the level of service when it comes to municipal services. Either you have service or you don’t. If I’m building a house and I wish to have services, I expect to pay for them. Is your position Africville should have been given services for free while others paid? I still don’t see the link with earning potential.
I don’t know enough about Africville’s forced resettlement and/or compensation to argue effectively one way or the other. I tend to favour the individual when it comes to such situations… unless the individual is being unreasonable.
For example, a lawyer in Nanaimo who bought a specific house when he heard the highway was being expanded/improved, expropriating land as they went. Strangely, he figured his property tripled in value in his two years of ownership. The government’s offer was reasonable. The lawyer went to the newspapers, trying to shame the government into raising their offer. He got zero sympathy and the offer didn’t change.
2) Government interference in the business and unionization go hand in hand. Look at any industry where governments have “intervened” since you prefer that term. How many of those industries have unionized labour? Pretty close to 100%?
3) What colour is the sky in this fictional “winner takes all” society which you’ve imagined? I started supporting private charities before I got a regular paycheque but I disagree strongly when governments take my money for non-governmental purposes. Every study I’ve ever seen shows conservatives are more charitable than liberals. Funny how liberals are always generous with other people’s money. Is institutionalized theft a form of mercy?
4) There is already legislation ensuring pay equity. AA isn’t about pay equity. It’s about forcing access and like any situation which is forced, it causes more problems than it solves. I wonder how well I would be accepted if I used AA to force my way into a job as a reverend at a black Baptist church? Even if I was the most inspirational speaker on the circuit, I doubt I would be treated well.
Like you, I’ve never self-identified because I would prefer to keep the star away from my record. To me, it’s very positive to see the desire to be promoted for merit rather than to fulfill the politically correct goal; earned recognition rather than artificial.
I’ve been refused service in a couple of Chinese restaurants and in a couple of Asian businesses. I’ve never had a problem at Indian restaurants. Hmmm…
I’m not sure cocooning is good for the target group either. Some of the school boards in Vancouver offer English-Second-Language courses right through to high school. I would imagine the glass ceiling for those who can’t communicate effectively in either English or French is fairly low.
Incidentally, I’m 7 generations from the younger son of a Baron who moved to the new world since his older brother was set to inherit the estate. Unfortunately, my ancestor was forcibly resettled in the Acadian Expulsion. I wonder if he was compensated for his homestead?