I have nothing against minority governments per se. I quite liked (if I can be said to have liked something I was not alive to see!) the 1972-1974 Liberal minority government (propped by the NDP and David Lewis of “corporate welfare bums” fame). Or what about Lester B. Pearson’s two minorities, which implemented such key Canadian concepts as universal health care, the Canada Pension Plan, our flag, and the Order of Canada, and also convened the Bi and Bi commission?

Liberal/NDP coalition? More likely to see Jack Layton take over as Liberal party leader .

I wonder if we’ll end up with a Liberal-NDP coalition — these sure are interesting times!

If any business had the rules the federal (don’t know about provincial) government had for:
1) Hiring
2) Budgeting

They would be out of business quickly.

Surprisingly I am not a Conservative I am a Civil Libertarian and view Government’s role in our lives should be minimized.

I agree the U.S. “pork trough” is a worst case example of how a government should work, but no government is a Utopia, and all could use better fiscal controls and management.

Is this all a ruse by the “Conservatives” to force an early election and catch all parties off guard? I think that may be true also.

However, I do not condone wholesale changes to our way of governing (Democracy seems to work best), but lots can be fixed!!!

MOST voters don’t balance their chequebook, and many could not complete an accurate personal net worth statement. For your statement to have any amount of reason, the voting public would have to be much more financially literate than is currently the case.

Government is a large bureaucracy, I don’t challenge that, but I am amazed that you don’t seem to want to accept it would be expected to behave as such!

Small business is not always so lily-white, either. I have seen many which operate solely for the benefit of the owner, to the detriment of those poor souls who get stuck working there.

Our view of government expenditures and taxation is coloured by the inundation of the media from south of our border. It might be sensible to look to the governments of Europe for comparison rather than our neighbours to the south. Europe seems much more civilized.

DAvid

Government spending should be well behaved, above board and completely explainable to every voter, and I don’t see that right now at all.

My opinion only, but simply saying, “Without government we’d all die”, is a bit of an overstatement.

Further, cutting Federal employee wage increases to below inflation just builds a poor public service. Government employees, just like those in the private sector will take opportunities elsewhere if they feel undervalued. You then end up with a civil service unable to deliver the services required of government.

Your comments seem to suggest that the government bureaucracy should somehow behave far differently than the businesses with which it interacts. I shold not promote it’s products, values and services; should not educate people as to the expectations of regulation or services offered, and should not attempt to meet its’ obligatory mandate. These tasks require more than an empty desk with a dead phone on it. It requires competent staff with the ability and the tools to complete the work of government.

Or maybe you feel that melamine-free infant formula is unimportant, there is no need for border security, anti-terrorism activities, drinkable water, a court system, or many of the other services paid for through our tax system.

DAvid