For those who travel to Europe (particularly Scandinavia) and wonder why we can't have nice things like them THIS IS WHY! Why are we obsessed with low taxes? It translates to lower quality of life? I have had a successful life and I am happy to pay taxes. I just wish everyone felt the same way.
Canadians have votes for taxes and services for decades and now people feel we aren’t our moneys worth, we need growth and higher wages to pay for all this stuff. Im in BC and the bcndp doesn’t run its mouth about doing universal dental or pharmacare because they know its to pie in the sky. And when you say europe i was recently there for the first time and it didn’t seem all that great. Lets be richer far richer then pay social safety nets. Here in bc we have like 3 billionaires there entire net worth wouldn’t pay for everything that lefties tend to want
When I was most recently in Europe (Sept/Oct) - mostly Portugal - I didnt see any homeless people as we have here. Also - people had access to doctors, good efficient medical care, public transit that worked so not such a dependence on individuals all having a car or two, and much less pollution - air and water. I was also in South Vietnam in 2024. Again - no homeless, a focus on people being happy, smiles all over the place, everyone at least had 'enough' for life with dignity - even though some had much more wealth than others, the streets were clean. Also - universal access to at least primary education including for girls, and universal basic medical care. Crime rates much less than ours in both. Two very different systems to enable all having life with dignity - but neither idolizing 'capital' as we have in the USA and increasingly so in Canada.
Do you want to be safe? It depends what the government is going to use my $ to do. I do not agree with taxing the lower and middle income people to subsidize the likes of Musk, Bezos et al. I also do not like being taxed to impose (particularly through military) a capitalist development mode on people striving to have governments accountable to them rather than rich foreign entities. I am happy to pay taxes so I can safely walk down streets because everyone has enough, feel they are part of a community for which they assume responsibilty for, for universal access to good public education, for universal access to good public health care, scientific research into viruses to develop good effective vaccines to minimize damaged lives and deaths due to pandemics - the list is long of the benefits I get from paying taxes used for the common good ofcall in our societes.
The last time we heard the term "Common Sense Revolution" Was from former Progressive Conservative Premier Mike Harris. Look what that got us. End of story.
Been thinking that ever since Skippy started bellowing it. Gutted social services, dead, maimed and sick in Walkerton, consultant contracts costing more than any money 'saved', massive deficits. A glorious legacy.
And don't forget the disgraceful display of of incompetence when Harris bellowed "Get the F.....G Indians out of the Park, which led to the death of Dudley George at Ipperwash.
I'm sure that approach to dealing with Indigenous peoples, and especially the language, really appeals to Skippy and the CPC membership. He's already been clear that; white yahoos occupying city streets is cool; Indigenous people blocking, well, anything, means call in the military and jail the lot. Like Bill 1 in Alberta:
Great exploration of the “common sense” rhetoric. People forget a few things about these populist initiatives. 1. The housing crisis is not about a shortage of million dollar suburban homes, it’s about affordable housing which has not been developed or encouraged for some time...see removal of rent controls, NIMBY around public housing development, etc. 2. Excessive building of those million dollar suburban homes will actually drive down the value of your million dollar suburban homes. If that’s the equity your retirement was built on, hang on to your hat. 3. Most politically driven (not data, expertise or experience driven) decisions made by governments take about 10 years to have real operational impacts in peoples lives. Any government that drives populist rhetoric instead of strategic and value driven initiatives maintains plausible deniability rather than accountability for those decisions because of the time delay. And they know that better than many voters do...sadly.
Excellent article! Perhaps this historic review of 'Common Sense' will remind folks of this path taken previously by the PC party and the ultimate results. People do have short memories. The Harris government did fire the OCDSB Trustees and replaced them with an administrator. [Democracy at play!]
It's depressing that they keep getting in with nothing more than "Get Brexit Done" and "Build a Highway to Somewhere".
If we have to admit that humans are vulnerable to one of fascism's best sales techniques, 'The Cult of Action', e.g. "Just Do SOMETHING, dammit!". The left wing really should think about adopting it more. When Boris can win re-election - on "more Brexit" of all platforms - we need to admit it's killing us.
I'm up for a Lib/NDP Just Build It campaign. Find all the federal, provincial, and city land in good locations and build as many dwellings on it as it will take, smite NIMBYs from the highest legislatures (BC has made a start), and sell them for 95% of what they cost to build. And pretend the land appreciated at 3%/year since the purchase price.
Billboards would say "It's just common sense that if the Real Estate Barons could solve the housing problem, they would have. It's just common sense that if there's more housing built, it will be cheaper."
Trudeau should not appear, save for emergencies, on camera again, without a construction site in the background.
You said everything I wanted to say about The Common Sense Revolution Ontario suffered under Harris. That it leaves a bad taste in one’s mouth is the most polite thing g I can say about it.
Oh, that PP and his gang would start to communicate what their actual plans and strategies are, in substantial detail, instead of trafficking vague feel-good ideas.
Oh, please, please, please commit to something real, with full intention to follow through.
Yikes! If the smartest public intellectuals in the country like David are reduced to rear-guard polemics against ‘common sense’ and appeals to the most inside, core supporters of the left wing, we are in trouble. A call for bigger government, stronger (mainly public sector) unions and more money to the state broadcaster (which should be studiously ignored by partisans so as to preserve whatever independence it has) smacks of desperation. We are in big trouble folks. Mainly because of a traditional ‘elite-accommodating’, personality/pedigree driven Liberal party that values its own near term survival over doing the hard work of preserving and strengthening democratic institutions and culture in a country that is so obviously democratic if necessary...but not necessarily democratic when it really counts. We need to be in salvage mode. Thinking about how to rebuild after this dog whistling, crypto-crazy, fluently bilingual conspiracy theorist with good hair takes down his elitist and equally well-coiffed counterpart. We’ve never had to do or sacrifice anything to get our pro-forma democracy in Canada up to now. Things are about to get real.
Actually remember the Harris nightmare, that should scare a few voters !One more thing to be afraid of Conservatives pretty sure not going to get majority (hope) minority guess who’s backing them in parliament Block Quebecois not a pretty picture for Canada 🇨🇦
Common sense tells us not to believe anything this traitor says how much graft is he planning to take does he have a deal under the table to sell us out to dump and O’Leary
Poilievre is big on Republican-style attacks and loves using expressions like anti-woke. Unfortunately there’s no substance to his policies other than cutting taxes and spending. Never Poilievre.
For those who travel to Europe (particularly Scandinavia) and wonder why we can't have nice things like them THIS IS WHY! Why are we obsessed with low taxes? It translates to lower quality of life? I have had a successful life and I am happy to pay taxes. I just wish everyone felt the same way.
I cant remember who said it - I like the sentiment - we pay taxes so we can have a civilized way of life and a relatively 'safe' society.
Canadians have votes for taxes and services for decades and now people feel we aren’t our moneys worth, we need growth and higher wages to pay for all this stuff. Im in BC and the bcndp doesn’t run its mouth about doing universal dental or pharmacare because they know its to pie in the sky. And when you say europe i was recently there for the first time and it didn’t seem all that great. Lets be richer far richer then pay social safety nets. Here in bc we have like 3 billionaires there entire net worth wouldn’t pay for everything that lefties tend to want
When I was most recently in Europe (Sept/Oct) - mostly Portugal - I didnt see any homeless people as we have here. Also - people had access to doctors, good efficient medical care, public transit that worked so not such a dependence on individuals all having a car or two, and much less pollution - air and water. I was also in South Vietnam in 2024. Again - no homeless, a focus on people being happy, smiles all over the place, everyone at least had 'enough' for life with dignity - even though some had much more wealth than others, the streets were clean. Also - universal access to at least primary education including for girls, and universal basic medical care. Crime rates much less than ours in both. Two very different systems to enable all having life with dignity - but neither idolizing 'capital' as we have in the USA and increasingly so in Canada.
Canadians would riot if we became like vietnam of Portugal, it would mean major drop in living standards
You go right ahead and pay some of my taxes. I won't stop you,
Do you want to be safe? It depends what the government is going to use my $ to do. I do not agree with taxing the lower and middle income people to subsidize the likes of Musk, Bezos et al. I also do not like being taxed to impose (particularly through military) a capitalist development mode on people striving to have governments accountable to them rather than rich foreign entities. I am happy to pay taxes so I can safely walk down streets because everyone has enough, feel they are part of a community for which they assume responsibilty for, for universal access to good public education, for universal access to good public health care, scientific research into viruses to develop good effective vaccines to minimize damaged lives and deaths due to pandemics - the list is long of the benefits I get from paying taxes used for the common good ofcall in our societes.
My sense is that the road to "Common Sense" always leads to Walkerton.
The last time we heard the term "Common Sense Revolution" Was from former Progressive Conservative Premier Mike Harris. Look what that got us. End of story.
Been thinking that ever since Skippy started bellowing it. Gutted social services, dead, maimed and sick in Walkerton, consultant contracts costing more than any money 'saved', massive deficits. A glorious legacy.
And don't forget the disgraceful display of of incompetence when Harris bellowed "Get the F.....G Indians out of the Park, which led to the death of Dudley George at Ipperwash.
I'm sure that approach to dealing with Indigenous peoples, and especially the language, really appeals to Skippy and the CPC membership. He's already been clear that; white yahoos occupying city streets is cool; Indigenous people blocking, well, anything, means call in the military and jail the lot. Like Bill 1 in Alberta:
https://www.alberta.ca/protecting-critical-infrastructur
Great exploration of the “common sense” rhetoric. People forget a few things about these populist initiatives. 1. The housing crisis is not about a shortage of million dollar suburban homes, it’s about affordable housing which has not been developed or encouraged for some time...see removal of rent controls, NIMBY around public housing development, etc. 2. Excessive building of those million dollar suburban homes will actually drive down the value of your million dollar suburban homes. If that’s the equity your retirement was built on, hang on to your hat. 3. Most politically driven (not data, expertise or experience driven) decisions made by governments take about 10 years to have real operational impacts in peoples lives. Any government that drives populist rhetoric instead of strategic and value driven initiatives maintains plausible deniability rather than accountability for those decisions because of the time delay. And they know that better than many voters do...sadly.
Excellent article! Perhaps this historic review of 'Common Sense' will remind folks of this path taken previously by the PC party and the ultimate results. People do have short memories. The Harris government did fire the OCDSB Trustees and replaced them with an administrator. [Democracy at play!]
It's depressing that they keep getting in with nothing more than "Get Brexit Done" and "Build a Highway to Somewhere".
If we have to admit that humans are vulnerable to one of fascism's best sales techniques, 'The Cult of Action', e.g. "Just Do SOMETHING, dammit!". The left wing really should think about adopting it more. When Boris can win re-election - on "more Brexit" of all platforms - we need to admit it's killing us.
I'm up for a Lib/NDP Just Build It campaign. Find all the federal, provincial, and city land in good locations and build as many dwellings on it as it will take, smite NIMBYs from the highest legislatures (BC has made a start), and sell them for 95% of what they cost to build. And pretend the land appreciated at 3%/year since the purchase price.
Billboards would say "It's just common sense that if the Real Estate Barons could solve the housing problem, they would have. It's just common sense that if there's more housing built, it will be cheaper."
Trudeau should not appear, save for emergencies, on camera again, without a construction site in the background.
This brings to mind my very favorite motto of all my many mottos. "It's better to do nothing than to waste your time".
You said everything I wanted to say about The Common Sense Revolution Ontario suffered under Harris. That it leaves a bad taste in one’s mouth is the most polite thing g I can say about it.
I very much feel this.
Oh, that PP and his gang would start to communicate what their actual plans and strategies are, in substantial detail, instead of trafficking vague feel-good ideas.
Oh, please, please, please commit to something real, with full intention to follow through.
Maybe I'm singing from the wrong hymnal?
Since evil Millhouse lost the glasses it's clearer than ever he's completely visionless...
Good overview of the manipulative phrase "common sense."
Governing by catchphrase ... it seems to work with people over and over again.
Yikes! If the smartest public intellectuals in the country like David are reduced to rear-guard polemics against ‘common sense’ and appeals to the most inside, core supporters of the left wing, we are in trouble. A call for bigger government, stronger (mainly public sector) unions and more money to the state broadcaster (which should be studiously ignored by partisans so as to preserve whatever independence it has) smacks of desperation. We are in big trouble folks. Mainly because of a traditional ‘elite-accommodating’, personality/pedigree driven Liberal party that values its own near term survival over doing the hard work of preserving and strengthening democratic institutions and culture in a country that is so obviously democratic if necessary...but not necessarily democratic when it really counts. We need to be in salvage mode. Thinking about how to rebuild after this dog whistling, crypto-crazy, fluently bilingual conspiracy theorist with good hair takes down his elitist and equally well-coiffed counterpart. We’ve never had to do or sacrifice anything to get our pro-forma democracy in Canada up to now. Things are about to get real.
Actually remember the Harris nightmare, that should scare a few voters !One more thing to be afraid of Conservatives pretty sure not going to get majority (hope) minority guess who’s backing them in parliament Block Quebecois not a pretty picture for Canada 🇨🇦
Common sense tells us not to believe anything this traitor says how much graft is he planning to take does he have a deal under the table to sell us out to dump and O’Leary
Common sense = Simplistic+ stupid.
Poilievre is big on Republican-style attacks and loves using expressions like anti-woke. Unfortunately there’s no substance to his policies other than cutting taxes and spending. Never Poilievre.