Someone called?? 😀 Yes, I have been self employed for 24 years...but maybe I did it just so I couldn't be tagged a Socialist 😀 Yet It seems to me that we are becoming more a Socialist society these days while Russia is becoming a truer democracy! Our government now imposes legislation removing many of our basic rights, but only to protect us! No privacy anymore because them pesky terrorists(which nobody ever sees) may pounce! We follow our southern neighbour into lands where we are not welcome while brandishing weapons and saying were occupying in the name of peace... to install dictators in place of once elected officials with the promise of elections once you get used to our pressure tactics! 😳

We have so many resources in Canada and yet were selling them off without proper approval of the people. We are always told these of trade deals without seeing the money is changing in the hands of the rich only. Can you imagine how much better off we'd be if we only allowed sale of our assets to other Canadians? Since folks tend not to "crap where they eat", we'd likely treat our resources with better care be a stronger country for it. It's big corporations who make generous political donations to push through laws that only suit them. As a police officer, we couldn't even accept a free coffee in case it was considered a bribe, yet we allow obvious bribes to destroy our economy while being told how democratic a system we live in.....

Knuckles,

RE: The glass.

The glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

Antsy

😆 😆 I figured it needed improvement to show how the other two wouldn't have had an issue in the first place, had the glass been full! :ugeek:

Uh, there's some water in the glass.

Yes, orange is the new black. Socialist is the new Jew. Prepping has got some baggage that leads back to its early kkk and birch society days. We are not that any more...but the template remains.(thus prepping and warrior fetishism somehow being synonymous) I believe it can be changed and so I endure. I generally don't trust any fool who has chosen to take an oath... but I try not to be too judgmental about it though. I was just at a dinner party with a number of European immigrants. any immigrant is not joining...but leaving some place...so they understand. next month I will be in Europe and my only personal destination will be to visit the Wittenburg Door. Not interested in the Protestant part,,, but the Protest..ant part of protestant. Following ones conscience is a radical act. Just late night beer ramblings

Knuckles,

RE: The glass.

The glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

Antsy

😆 😆 I figured it needed improvement to show how the other two wouldn't have had an issue in the first place, had the glass been full! :ugeek:

Uh, there's some water in the glass.

"sigh"!!

If the glass were smaller with the same contents, it would then be full and neither of the others would have anything to comment on... 🙄 😮 😕 thus, I would surmise they might be somewhat happier...hmmm, a happy pessimist ...an unlikely occurrence !

I wish crownsown would stick around these threads. Anytime someone mentions that they're a leftist he disappears the hell out. His opinion is important whether he thinks we don't think that or not. Everyone's opinion is important, and what more, it's important to learn how to work together with people who think differently from you. Statistics must be respected on both sides.

It doesn't matter if our economies doing well compared to the USA or whatever, they're our largest trading partner, BY FAR compared to everyone else. If they crumble, we will inevitably fall after them. The west has been suffering greatly ever since we globalized our economy, involving the Asia's. Their success is attributed by our weakening.

We need to become more independent or at least facilitate the means to separate our dependencies from hurting us. I see a lot of articles in the news, ripping into Ontario these days, how we're "lagging behind". The fall of Ontario can be attributed to may things, but mostly globalization, as it was once a manufacturing powerhouse.

I'm happy to hear Crownsown's opinion as well. I don't know if Knuckles quite "outed himself" as a socialist. I took his posts to read that he is self employed (although he may or may not have employees) and that usually pushes someone at least to centrist. Maybe I came off as socialist? Perhaps in Alberta and Texas.

I hear what you're saying about the need for increased independence for our markets. As an Albertan, I just don't see it happening so long as the environmental lobby drives the national conversation according to its own agenda. I'm not about to deny climate science here; just calling out the lobby for completely ignoring issues like coal burning power plants and the environmental consequences of hydroelectric power generation in favor of flogging the oil and natural gas industry in the west of this country. Come to think of it, aren't these lobby groups based in central / eastern Canada and the US? It's a coincidence. It does, however, remind me of the allegory of the man who cut off his nose to spite his face.

Gentlemen,

I apologize for not getting more involved. Your right I jump in then skirt off. Unfortunately due to work I get a few moments to browse the forum then have to leave. I don't often have time right now to properly response. Rest assured I will when I get a chance. This is not the only thread I need to respond to....Just before I jump off yet again, you are correct in your assessment of Canada's economic dependance on the US in my opinion. 54 cents on every dollar is dependent on the American Economy. This is slowly decreasing as Canada signs more deals with emerging economies in Latin America, China, etc. This has been going on for years, and if there is a criticism of it..its not happening fast enough...its taking decades.

Where I disagree with you in Ontario... is that we are lagging behind... because we refuse to move ahead. Our current governement is trying to prop up industries we can no longer be competitive in like manufacturing. What is truly offensive about this is that the tax payer..whether personal or corporate is forced to subsidize these businesses (auto for example). Add to this a huge government, etc. and when your paying over 1/3 of your income in taxes there is a point when whether a corporation or individual has to say enough is enough.

There is a balance...tax more, companies leave to greener pastures. that means jobs, etc. leave with them. Tax less, it creates an environment where businesses want to set up. Tax to little, and the basic services government was initially meant to provide start to suffer. Regulation and oversight....The days of making $40/hour to work on an assembly line is going. Some say its already gone. The point being is that not moving with an economy...trying to tell it how to work as opposed to working within it is a recipe for failure. Always. As much as we would like those $40/hour semi skilled jobs on an assembly line to be there forever, technology, economies change. We either change with it....or else...

Many argued that free trade would destroy this country(and many others) and it did! Small businesses failed due to inability to compete with mega stores. We saw this coming and didn't stop the rich from imposing it. When you look back to simpler times, you can realize what made them simpler.

Remember when we stood in line at a bank on payday? You likely talked to neighbours and chatted with strangers to pass the day waiting. We were social... since interest was 13% do many simply saved for that car or bought a bucket to drive while we saved. Then came the credit card! We could have it now without begging the banker, and soon pay later schemes popped up for everything from TV's to vacations. Many ignored this rising debtload because they were on a roll! We weren't watching close enough to see that our government too was doing the same, but on a far grander scale. We soon had less time to be social as we had to now pay for all these things that we really didn't even need...

Soon we will have to return to these times of having less. The difference is that many of us have sold ourselves into slavery(in a sense) due to debt and will likely have little to show for a lifetime's work. Thus I say cash out while you can and release yourself from this path. Return to simpler times and be satisfied that your collar no longer is attached to a leash!

Many argued that free trade would destroy this country(and many others) and it did! Small businesses failed due to inability to compete with mega stores. We saw this coming and didn't stop the rich from imposing it. When you look back to simpler times, you can realize what made them simpler.

Remember when we stood in line at a bank on payday? You likely talked to neighbours and chatted with strangers to pass the day waiting. We were social... since interest was 13% do many simply saved for that car or bought a bucket to drive while we saved. Then came the credit card! We could have it now without begging the banker, and soon pay later schemes popped up for everything from TV's to vacations. Many ignored this rising debtload because they were on a roll! We weren't watching close enough to see that our government too was doing the same, but on a far grander scale. We soon had less time to be social as we had to now pay for all these things that we really didn't even need...

Soon we will have to return to these times of having less. The difference is that many of us have sold ourselves into slavery(in a sense) due to debt and will likely have little to show for a lifetime's work. Thus I say cash out while you can and release yourself from this path. Return to simpler times and be satisfied that your collar no longer is attached to a leash!

I'm sensing a little of the, "those were the good ol' days" going on here. It seems to me that 'owing your soul to the company store' is nothing new. Now we may have polished it up and created an app for the kids, however to my thinking, nothing has really changed. There are people who are good with money and who behave themselves; conversely there are wastrels. This is not new. Tomorrow the world will keep turning and the sun will rise and set. As preppers, hopefully we are a little more aware of our nickels and dimes than our media driven neighbours and can keep a lid on it. In other words Knuckles, "What do you mean WE paleface?" 😉

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pfVvqLM_e4 Something like this.

By not buying form your local stores because the new Walmart was cheaper, we aided in the closure of many small businesses. This is not really our own personal faults but due to those we elect. The failure to stop this monopoly from taking over when we finally saw what it was doing to our economy is on their heads. A proper media should have told society where this was leading so we could change laws in time.

But instead, money is spent on manipulating society to think that these changes are good for us. That is how banks gained the power they now have. Seems a 12 year old can explain it better than most adults https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3c-aN6Y7OU

Now here is something of interest. Canada's bank, the Bank of Canada, is unique in this day and age https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PJrsLruh0o
There are many advantages of this today as our economy doesn't have to fall into the hands of the global elite. We can borrow from our own country and stay independent. If Harper tries to change this too, He'll be selling us out for sure.

We were already sold out by Trudeau in 1974. Watch out for what Junior does if he gets elected....

We were already sold out by Trudeau in 1974. Watch out for what Junior does if he gets elected....

The only real option left then is the NDP... the least of the evils it seems! 😉

In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king! 😉

Better the devil you know... I will likely stay the course. The alternatives to Harper are even scarier 😀

Tredeau Junior has already stuck his foot in his mouth and made an A_ _ out of himself. Think I'll stick with Harper.....Yah, the alternatives are worse, way worse!