Good God, How Stupid Do They Think We Are?
Further to yesterdays Can We Get An Answer In The House post we discover in the November 25 Hansdard that Jim Flaherty thinks we’re either stupid enough that we can’t count – or partisan enough that we won’t.
Hon. Stéphane Dion (Leader of the Opposition, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, in these difficult economic times, Canadians have every reason to doubt the credibility of a Prime Minister who said one thing on the topic of deficits, and then said the exact opposite, with equal assurance.
A few weeks ago, he said that talking about a deficit in Canada was “stupid” and “ridiculous”. But just last week he said that this was “essential”. What will he say today? WIll he say that a deficit is stupid and ridiculous, or that it is essential?
Hon. Jim Flaherty (Minister of Finance, CPC): We will do what is necessary, Mr. Speaker, to protect Canadian families, individuals and businesses so they have the necessary credit available to them, so they can invest and re-invest and so we can protect the safety and security of Canadian families. We will not artificially engineer a surplus for the next fiscal year. I will have more to say about that on Thursday at 4 p.m.
Hon. Stéphane Dion (Leader of the Opposition, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Budget Officer, appointed by the Prime Minister, has said that the new Conservative deficit is the government’s fault. He has said that the Prime Minister should have known about the deficit.
Could the Prime Minister clarify for Canadians when he knew that Canada would run a deficit? What did he hide from Canadians during the last election?
Hon. Jim Flaherty (Minister of Finance, CPC): Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member opposite knows or should know, if he has been paying attention the last 12 weeks or so, we have gone through a period of protracted economic slowdown. This is a global slowdown. It is a serious economic slowdown for the world.
Canada is not an island, but, fortunately, we are well prepared because we took actions from 2006-07, reducing taxes and spending on infrastructure being increased, all of which was voted against by the Leader of the Opposition and those Liberals on the other side.
(emphasis mine)
12 weeks or so ‘eh…… wouldn’t that be a time frame that started about about the first of September?
Let me see now…. what event of national importance was being talked about around the first of September? No, no, don’t give me any hints, I can get this….. oh yeah, now I remember, Stephen Harper was taking a stroll down the street to talk to the Governor General to call for an election.
Now I know, as balbulican vaguely hinted in a prior post, I’m not as young as I used to be, and memory does fail now and again, but wouldn’t that be before the CPoC leadership said that we wouldn’t be seeing a Canadian recession, and that creating a deficit was stupid?
Flaherty’s little slip of the tongue is probably as close as we’re gonna get to an admission that the CPoC knew what was going on long before they admitted it – given that, what would you call their campaign statements about recessions and deficits?
“Good God, How Stupid Do They Think We Are?”
Well, we elected them, didn’t we? So…that stupid, at least.
I can only speak for myself, but there was no “I” in that “we”
There weren’t no stageleft in that “we” either.
There is no “I” in “We”, it’s true. But there is a “U” in “But”.
Also an “m” in “meerkat”. How bout that.
This is one of those instances that absolutely disproves the old saw “if you don’t vote you can’t complain.”
Quite the contrary…I didn’t vote and thus had no part in “electing them”. No part at all. I have no responsibility for this outcome. Those that did take part – even to vote for the opposition – do. They agreed to take part and this is the outcome – a lying Conservative government that treats people like idiots and flip flops to do the exact thing it demonized opponents for during the election (running a deficit).
Nope, none of my doing, and I’ll complain about these hypocritical fools until the cows come home. Its those that happily played the game that need to take their lumps and shut it.
I mean, only a fool wouldn’t recognize CPC opportunism and lying. Of course they knew about the global financial situation before the election, it was the reason for the election. I mean, Harper violated his own election law to call it, because he knew that dealing with that fallout would be easier than having an election in the midst of a deficit ridden financial meltdown exacerbated by their own fiscal mismanagement (deficits last spring, remember?) if he let the Opposition bring it down when they were ready.
Everyone who voted, especially those who voted CPC, got taken for chumps and sold a bill of goods by shysters.
“Everyone who voted, especially those who voted CPC, got taken for chumps and sold a bill of goods by shysters.”
Naw. Some voted CPC knowing precisely what would happen. Some voted voted against them without any illusions about the quality of the opposition, but with serious concerns about the Conservative approaches. Neither category were chumps, and neither were sold a bill of goods. Some of us have not disengaged from this one chunk (only one of many) of the political system, and don’t see abstention as particularly constructive.
Word.
I guess I’m stupid. I voted CPC and before I did I looked at them all. I had a choice…Harper, Dion, Layton or May.
That left me with no choice at all.
And why in the hell are the Bloc still cooling their asses with a vote in our federal parliament, being paid at huge public expense to represent a province that the ROC doesn’t give a damn about? They represent one province.
My view — Harper should give them an ultimatum.
“Either you expand across the country or you lose your seats. You are NOT a federal party at this time.”
Jack – I guess looking at proposed policy platforms, social and fiscal leanings, and economic plans was too much? Or even looking at the qualities of your local candidate?
People who vote for parties based solely on their leader only contribute to our political problems.
I guess when you apply for Health, Home, or Car Insurance you decide based on the CEO’s?
“Or even looking at the qualities of your local candidate?”
Didn’t look at my local candidate…I voted for the party…which I always do.
You had a choice Jack, you always have a choice.
One choice was to support the status quo where the parties are allowed to get away with telling lies by putting your “X” in the little round circle to vote
[a] for some thing
[b] against something, or
[c] out of some misguided sense of national civic duty
The other choice is not to support the flawed status quo where the parties are allowed to get away with telling lies by not putting your “X” in the little round circle.
If you voted (and this includes you throbbin), you made the choice to perpetuate the behaviour I quoted above… are you happy with your choice?
Regardless of whether I chose to vote or not, others did, and always will.
I fail to see how Harper’s about-face/incompetence/lying is my fault, any more than it is your fault SL.
I did not vote to “perpetuate the behaviour” you quoted above. I voted to try to elect my local candidate, and to get Harper out of the pilot’s seat. What Harper et al choose to do once they win an election cannot be laid at my feet. To suggest so is the rough equivalent of me suggesting climate change is taking place because you ride a motorcycle. No one is calling for you to ditch the ride SL, even if it is contributing to the problem. Is climate change your fault?
Barring some kind of apocalyptic or messianic event, people aren’t suddenly going to decide not to vote.
People who vote
for parties based solely on their leaderto control *any* non-aggressive, individual or mutually voluntary behaviour of others only contribute to our political problems.FTFY.
David Warren was upset the Conservatives won too. He wrote a column about an old tradition where if the plurality of votes are registered as none of the above the parties have to choose all new candidates for that district. Perhaps we could start a new one where no party candidates can run in the redo election.
I have concluded that the Puffin Poo incident was carefully planned to completely blind the media to any issues of substance. Economy or Puffin Poo? Not a hard choice for them. Puffin Poo they understand.