Daily Digest January 29, 2008

The DAILY DIGEST: INFORMATION and OPINION from ST. JOHN'S to VICTORIA.
ARCHIVED at http://cdndailydigest.blogspot.com/

EDITORIAL PAGEs

ST.JOHN'S TELEGRAM -
Feds giveth and taketh away
http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm?sid=216367&sc=80

CORNER BROOK WESTERN STAR -
Here we go again
http://www.thewesternstar.com/index.cfm?sid=216129&sc=30

CHARLOTTETOWN GUARDIAN -
Spending spree no big surprise
http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/index.cfm?sid=216491&sc=103

HALIFAX CHRONICLE HERALD -
Grits make right budget call
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Editorial/1103477.html

AMHERST DAILY NEWS -
Calculated force carries more weight
http://www.amherstdaily.com/index.cfm?sid=216522&sc=61

MONTREAL GAZETTE -
Lots and lots of money but not much vision
http://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/editorials/Lots+lots+money+much+vision/1224797/story.html

KINGSTON WHIG STANDARD-
Does your family budget?
http://www.thewhig.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1409854

Flaherty finally gets it right
http://www.thewhig.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1409833

TORONTO STAR -
Obama's Afghan priority
http://www.thestar.com/Opinion/article/577663

Ignatieff follows responsible path
http://www.thestar.com/Opinion/article/578810

A waste of money
http://www.thestar.com/Opinion/article/578807

The language police
http://www.thestar.com/Opinion/article/578809

Conservatives do a budget U-turn
http://www.thestar.com/Opinion/article/578260

GLOBE & MAIL -
Prospect of political maturity
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090128.weIgnatieff29/BNStory/specialComment/home

Openness on bail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090128.weBail29/BNStory/specialComment/home

The right to be treated
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090128.weLesbian29/BNStory/specialComment/home

NATIONAL POST -
Ignatieff 's small demands
http://www.nationalpost.com/todays_paper/story.html?id=1230666

Mythology of medicare keeps Canada lagging behind
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2009/01/27/colby-copsh-nnn.aspx

HAMILTON SPECTATOR -
City must get federal funds 
http://www.thespec.com/Opinions/article/503747

ST. CATHARINES STANDARD -
Municipalities face the tough decisions
http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1410381

NIAGARA FALLS REVIEW -
The spending is done -now comes the hard part for Ottawa
http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1409925

K-W RECORD -
Ignatieff scores big in budget matchup
http://news.therecord.com/Opinions/article/478786

Other views: The federal budget
http://news.therecord.com/Opinions/article/478803

LONDON FREE PRESS -
Now the work starts to get a piece of the pie
http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/Opinion/Editorials/2009/01/29/8185631-sun.html

WINDSOR STAR -
High-speed rail
http://www.windsorstar.com/opinion/editorials/High+speed+rail/1229637/story.html

Tory budget
http://www.windsorstar.com/opinion/editorials/Tory+budget/1225495/story.html

SUDBURY STAR -
Harper complicit in Khadr's mistreatment
http://www.thesudburystar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1408306

Speak up for Canadian freedom
http://www.thesudburystar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1408326

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS -
The money's in the bank
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/westview/the_moneys_in_the_bank38588857.html

SASKATOON STARPHOENIX -
Long deceased coalition finally given last rites
http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/news/forum/story.html?id=18c8cb76-5f98-4644-8b3e-2ed332ee922a

REGINA LEADER-POST -
Saskatchewan's main concern: will budget cash flow quickly?
http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/viewpoints/story.html?id=f5e07894-6c68-401c-8f38-3d348bb5ec49

Once a debt-fearing idealist, Harper floods nation with red ink
http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/viewpoints/story.html?id=31bdfbc2-4eb1-4e19-a264-19a38be65e1c

CALGARY HERALD -
Ignatieff destabilizes with spin
http://www.calgaryherald.com/opinion/Ignatieff+destabilizes+with+spin/1230024/story.html

GRANDE PRAIRIE DAILY HERALD TRIBUNE -
ECONOMY - IMF casts doubt on budget projections
http://www.dailyheraldtribune.com/SearchCat.aspx?catID=4510

EDITORIAL - Navigating a sea of red - Time will tell if Harper's spending spree will work
http://www.dailyheraldtribune.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1410736
.
FINANCE - Homebuyers urged to be wary of mortgages tied to lines of credit
http://www.dailyheraldtribune.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1410727

Editorial - A budget like none other
http://www.dailyheraldtribune.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1408839
.
FINANCE - Harper betting stimulus package will save economy
http://www.dailyheraldtribune.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1408834

EDMONTON JOURNAL -
At long last, a fresh start
  http://www.edmontonjournal.com/opinion/editorials/long+last+fresh+start/1230166/story.html

Oh, surplus! We hardly knew ye
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/opinion/editorials/surplus+hardly+knew/1226034/story.html

RED DEER ADVOCATE -
New president in too much of a hurry 
http://www.albertalocalnews.com/reddeeradvocate/opinion/New_president_in_too_much_of_a_hurry.html

VANCOUVER SUN -
The right price
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/editorial/story.html?id=8c7caee4-5096-4fa6-b300-d7f6c5b1f11c

VANCOUVER PROVINCE -
Infrastructure deal has cracks
http://www.theprovince.com/opinion/editorials/Infrastructure+deal+cracks/1229403/story.html

VICTORIA TIMES-COLONIST -
Feds, B.C. hope going green brings growth
  http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/comment/story.html?id=0154161e-9ed3-4c15-b131-4c1bf7fb1996

Big deficits a sign politicians have quit leading
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/comment/story.html?id=761d2f9b-e273-4f88-b287-445279fd2f72


ISSUES

ABORIGINAL AFFAIRS -          
Premier says Sask not prepared to cut revenue-sharing deal with First Nations
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/090126/national/sask_aboriginal_consultations


AFGHANISTAN -
Afghan Presidential Elections Postponed
http://quqnoos.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2477&Itemid=48

Afghanistan may need a change in government to make addition of 30,000 U.S. troops worthwhile
http://blog.mlive.com/readreact/2009/01/in_a_recent_washington_post.html

'Deliberate Slip' Reveals Afghan Superbombs
http://blog.wired.com/defense/2009/01/aghan-superbomb.html#more

Nato split over order to strike drug smugglers
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5614564.ece

Tribesmen demand peace talks in tribal area
http://www.dawn.net/wps/wcm/connect/Dawn%20Content%20Library/dawn/news/pakistan/punjab/tribesmen-demand-peace-talks-in-tribal-area-ss

Obama imposes his new plans on Iraq, Afghan wars
http://www.upi.com/news/issueoftheday/2009/01/27/Obama_imposes_new_Iraq_Afghanistan_plans/UPI-27781233076728/

Obama urged to stop drone attacks, aid Afghanistan
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=269691&version=1&template_id=41&parent_id=23

A battle before a battle 
http://atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/KA29Df01.html

Faceless Taliban rule 
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/KA30Df01.html

Canadian firm to hire Afghan guards as dam refurbished
http://www.leaderpost.com/news/Canadian+firm+hire+Afghan+guards+refurbished/1232510/story.html


CANUSA/USACAN -
'Buy American' Rider Sparks Trade Debate
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/28/AR2009012804002.html?wpisrc=newsletter

Canada-U.S. border back in the spotlight
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Opinion/1103355.html

Politics will dictate auto restructuring, analysts say
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090126/auto_restructure_090126/20090126?hub=Canada

U.S. stimulus plan's 'protectionist' clause concerns Harper
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=1231096


ECONOMIC AFFAIRS -
EI claims jump 12% in November
http://business.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090127.weiclaims0127/BNStory/Business/home

Govt. won't pay unemployed to stay home: Minister
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=1232650

Little threat of deflation, Carney says
http://business.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090127.wcarney0127/BNStory/Business/home

Canadian firms brace for worsening economy
http://www.thestar.com/business/article/579093


FOREIGN AFFAIRS -
Putin Speaks at Davos
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123317069332125243.html

From insurgency to candidacy: Diyala's security dilemma
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/features/article_1455939.php/From_insurgency_to_candidacy_Diyalas_security_dilemma__Feature __

• 1. BACKGROUND: Power brokers in the January 31 provincial elections
• 2. BACKGROUND: Key provinces in Iraq provincial elections 2009
• 3. BACKGROUND: Iraq's voting system for provincial council elections
• 4. Smooth Iraqi elections key for Obama pullout (Feature)
• 5. ANALYSIS: Neighbours will affect balance of Iraqi polls

HEALTH CARE RELATED -
Clinics take legal action in fight for private health care
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090129.wbcclinics29/BNStory/National/home


JUSTICE SYSTEM -
First-time drug offender sees sentence doubled
Drug smugglers who import heroin can count on spending between 12 and 17 year in prison, Ontario court rules
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/579351

Tougher human-trafficking laws lauded by experts
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Canada/2009/01/29/8194236.html


POLITICS IN THE PROVINCES -
Matching infrastructure spending by feds 'only fair': McGuinty
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/090126/national/throne_speech_mcguinty

Budget a windfall for Ontario, McGuinty says
http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/578939

Oil patch cuts claim Alberta's high-paying jobs
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090126.wroilpatch26/BNStory/energy/home

A shot in the arm for Albertans
http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Braid+shot+Albertans/1225760/story.html

Nova Scotia up in arms over budget
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090129.wPOLnova0129/BNStory/politics/home

Du fédéralisme à l'unilatéralisme Federalism to unilateralism
http://translate.google.com/translate?prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ledevoir.com%2F2009%2F01%2F29%2F230069.html&sl=fr&tl=en&history_state0 =


FEDERAL POLITICS -
Liberals rebound in Quebec
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/reuters/090129/canada/canada_us_politics_quebec

MPs vote down Bloc budget amendment all 3,380 news articles » 
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Canada/2009/01/29/8196656.html

NDP targets Ignatieff with attack ads Listen To NDP Attack Ads Here
http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/579153

NDP outlines budget positions
http://www.thestar.com/Opinion/article/578795

Budget measures raise conflict questions over Flaherty's expert panel
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Life/Budget+measures+raise+conflict+questions+over+Flaherty+expert+panel/1228260/story.html

There may be method in Michael Ignatieff's mellowness
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090128.wcomartin29/BNStory/specialComment/home


PROGRAMMES -
Budget erases funding for key science agency
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090129.wbudgetscience29/BNStory/budget2009/home

Canada on brink of long-term deficit, watchdog says
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090128.wbudget_page29/BNStory/politics/home


OPINION AND INFORMATION -
When is a right not a right? Political Decoder decodes the federal budget on pay equity
http://thestar.blogs.com/decoder/

This sea of red ink could use a splash of vision
http://www.thestar.com/Canada/Columnist/article/578951

Tories fail to deliver funding, critics say
http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/578964

2009 Federal Budget
http://www.thestar.com/federalbudget

The Democrats are in power, but the Republicans are alive and well in Canada
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090127.wcoibbi28/BNStory/specialComment/home

Missed chance to build toward Canada's future
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090127.wEBudget28/BNStory/budget2009/home

Sobriety takes hold in newly serious-minded Ottawa
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2009/01/29/john-ivison-sobriety-takes-hold-in-newly-serious-minded-ottawa.aspx

 Stephen Harper's child soldier loophole
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2009/01/29/chris-selley-stephen-harper-s-child-soldier-loophole.aspx

 Why Budget 2009 Leaves Canadians in the Cold
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/editorials/2009/01/editorial2084/?pa=BB736455&r_ID=105790

In Canada, $273,000 per 'stimulus' job
http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/columnists/story.html?id=a1ac249a-3ca9-417f-8e66-f0173af3c48e

Jack Layton Is Now The Real Leader of the Opposition: Ignatieff Plays Hamlet
http://www.jameslaxer.com/2009/01/jack-layton-is-now-real-leader-of.html


INFOS -
Les conservateurs survivent à un premier vote de confiance
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/actualites/quebec-canada/politique-canadienne/200901/29/01-822326-les-conservateurs-survivent-a-un-premier-vote-de-confiance.php

Le NPD lance une campagne de publicité contre Ignatieff
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/actualites/quebec-canada/politique-canadienne/200901/29/01-822328-le-npd-lance-une-campagne-de-publicite-contre-ignatieff.php

Ignatieff se rallie au budget
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/actualites/quebec-canada/politique-canadienne/200901/29/01-821974-ignatieff-se-rallie-au-budget.php

Layton et Duceppe matraquent Ignatieff
http://www.ledevoir.com/2009/01/29/230070.html

Le budget Flaherty - Avantage aux conservateurs
http://www.ledevoir.com/2009/01/29/230003.html

Du fédéralisme à l'unilatéralisme
http://www.ledevoir.com/2009/01/29/230069.html

Ottawa craint le protectionnisme
http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/Politique/2009/01/29/002-protectionisme.shtml

Les méthodes du SCRS critiquées
http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/National/2009/01/27/002-SCRS-rapport-critique.shtml

BELOW(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)30)(30)(30)(30)(30)

lucrative
adjective profitable, rewarding, productive, fruitful, paying, high-income, well-paid, money-making, advantageous, gainful, remunerative http://www.thefreedictionary.com/lucrative

Even though possessing banking experience I'm very poor at mathematics.  So please check out the figures that follow.

Present maximum Employment Insurance payout is $447 a week which equates to c.$1 922.00 per month, $23 068.00 a year.

The corresponding figures for an increase from the present maximum payout of 55 per cent of previous earnings to 60 percent, each additional one percent being $8.13, would be c.$488.00 a week, $2 113.00 a month, $25 357.00 a year.

With all due respect I disagree with Human Resources Minister Diane Finley who is quoted as saying "We do not want to make it lucrative for them to stay home and get paid for it, not when we still have significant skill shortages in many parts of the country.". Consequently they aren't going to raise the $447.00 maximum a week to $488.00.

I disagree with Minister Finley when she says $488.00 a week would be too much, be too lucrative, for the unemployed, particularly anyone with a family.

Place yourself or someone close to you in the position of being jobless and let me know whether or not you support her position.

         Joe

The quote and information regarding existing payout and that asked is from "Govt. won't pay unemployed to stay home: Minister"
  http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=1232650

limit on the maximum payout to 55 per cent of previous earnings or $447 a week,

At last count there were about 1.2 million unemployed people in Canada, with 506,230 collecting EI benefits.

The Canadian Labour Congress and other groups have sought . . . an increase in the maximum payout to 60 per cent or more of insurable earnings.

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From: "Phyllis Wagg"
Subject: RE: Budget related January 28-29, 2008
 
            I agree with those who refer to the budget as a "political budget" but it is also strongly ideological in its longer-term implications.  The reason that conservatives do not necessarily agree about the budget is that not all conservatives are the same.  The budget is one that makes "corporatist conservative" or economic conservatives happy.  Economic conservatives seek to conserve the economic hierarchy and to augment their economic and social power.   The budget is designed to re-create conditions for their "new world order." 
 
            It is not a budget that fiscal conservatives find satisfactory.  Fiscal conservatives understand that money borrowed has to be repaid by someone generally by them. The idea of borrowing money to provide tax-cuts is similar to the strategy adopted by the Bush Administration in the United States.  That strategy has left the United States in an extremely vulnerable position.  But remember that the Harper Administration has defined it as an economic conservative not as a fiscal conservative government.  Fiscal conservatives are not opposed to social spending but they believe that it must be affordable and that deficit financing can be a long-term threat to existing social programs.
 
            The Canadian government has adopted a financial plan that will mean hardship for the majority of Canadians down the road.  They have not only agreed to a $34 billion deficit which probably will be much higher by this time next year.  It has also put another $200 billion dollars of fiat money into the economy.  Fiat money is money that is created by government, much the same a printing more money.  The money that has been removed from the economy by the financial sector has not disappeared but only disappeared from circulation because those who control it have lost confidence in each other and the system in general.  Those who already have the money will eventually have to do something with it because in the long term hording will do nothing for them.
 
            The eventual impact will be too much liquidity in the system, not too little as we are being told is now the case, and the value of money will decline causing inflation.  Inflation will cause central banks to increase interest rates to remove money from the system and bring down inflation.
 
            The individual taxpayer gets hit with having to pay the debt at a higher rate of interest at the same time as their personal living costs are escalating.  This is a return to the situation that the Mulroney and Chrétien Governments found themselves in the late 1980's and early 1990's.  If you look back at that period the solution of "economic conservatives" was to eliminate social programs.  Depending on how extreme their position was, they proposed things like the elimination of public pensions, privatization of all health care services, privatization of education, elimination of unemployment insurance, elimination of corporate taxes, privatization of roads and bridges, and so on.  All of these would be assumed by private corporations.  Basically, the idea is the privatization of government, a concept economic conservatives have continued to advance by creating exclusive advisory bodies, made of like-minded individuals, to direct government action. 
 
            While this is a political budget, it does have within it the ideological components of the hard right agenda.  Remember that the objective of neo-conservatism is to make it impossible for future federal governments to intervene in the economic or social well-being of citizens.  Driving the country into huge deficits and debt is a stage in the process.  These ideologues left the Progressive Conservative government because they believed that it had sacrificed its opportunity to carry out this hard right wing agenda and now the hard right sees a new opportunity to re-create the same conditions so they can try again to privatize power and destroy any semblance of liberal democracy in the process.

===================================
From: Rubie Britton
Subject: Fw: Brasscheck TV:   Killing progress

How would you like a car that runs for
the equivalent of 60 cents a gallon?

That you can "gas up" in our own garage?

That has zero emissions and is super easy
to repair and maintain?

GM made and sold such a car in the late 1990s.

Then they pulled it off the market and tried
to obliterate it

Details:

  Killing progress: Why GM is broke
http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/545.html

===================================
From: "Suan H.Booiman"
Subject: stimulating, together we can do it.

amazing that so few have comments of the stimulating
                                        BUDGET
guess most expected "your cheque is in the mail", like
the Liberals wants quarterly reports, they have never
provided under their own administration, special not
when Chrétien closed the door on the millions that
where not accounted for.
 
Suan

===================================
From: Larry Kazdan
To: letters@globeandmail.ca
Subject: Letter to Editor re: A new America, a new UN?  Louise Fréchette, Jan.  28

Re: A new America, a new UN?  Louise Fréchette, Jan. 28
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090127.wcomulti28/BNStory/specialComment/home

Millions around the world wished they could have voted for Barack Obama.  Unfortunately there is no process that allows citizens to vote for world leaders including those in the governing bodies of the UN.  If the United Nations is to have true legitimacy, it must have more elements of representative democracy.  Europe now has a Parliament whose members are elected by over 490 million people, and the UN could have the same by starting as the European Union did - with an advisory body called a Parliamentary Assembly that gradually transitions into direct elections.  It took generations to convince that women should have the vote - and not just their husbands.  How long will it take before citizens get the vote at the United Nations - and not just their governments?          

Larry Kazdan, Vice-President,
World Federalist Movement Canada – Vancouver Branch

===================================
Subject: $72.8 Billions of Debt - Added Since March 08 - Free Vote on this LSE-laced Budget
From: Robert Ede
To: "Letters (National Post)" <letters-2@nationalpost.com>, nationalpost <letters@nationalpost.com>,
         "Corcoran, Terry (National Post)" <TCorcoran@nationalpost.com>
Cc: Rt Hon Stephen Harper <pm@pm.gc.ca>, Governor General <Info@GG.CA>, Peter Kent <Kent.P@parl.gc.ca>, kentp@parl.gc.ca

Dear blithely trusting Canadian,

Don't worry about the Budget ... be happy ... the gov't is taking care of you.
 
The (blowhard amended) 2009-10 Budget (written to placate the pink/red side of the House) forecasts to add only a few Billion per month in worth-while boondoogles (things the public thinks are good, regardless of whether that impression is true/ possible/likely or totally wrong)
 
Check the Fiscal Monitor .pdf Pg 8, Table 6 - check 3rd column "Change" in "Total interest-bearing debt" line item ---- it's $72,832 ..... additional debt (mainly T-bills ... the most  volatile type of borrowing ... but enjoying lots of fees payable to brokers)
(PS the pdf has a typo (54,696 s/r 654,696) on the Nov 30/08 total on that line but it's correct here)
 
And that's just from Apr1/08 to Nov 30/08 .... 8 mths -only 2.5 of which were in "bust" phase... so who knows what it is now ... almost another 2 mnths of "bust"
 
WE need much more careful scrutiny of this Budget than 3 after-the-fact semi-official reports with no built-in penalties or remendies for failure.
 
We need everyone who approves this horrible bit of Pelozi-pap drizzled with LSE-gene-modified maple syrup ... to be accountable for that action.
 
We need every elected MP to vote THEIR CONSCIENCE on this budget and be responsible for their vote.No hiding behind party discipline
 
We need a FREE VOTE on this Budget.
--
Robert (Rob) Ede,
commentary - http://robertede.blogspot.com/

===================================
From: "Efstratios Psarianos"
Subject: Economic nationalism .. Here we go again

Economic nationalism rears its ugly head
http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13031019

Subject: I'm happy to report that life is back to normal

Canadian musicians who should run for office
http://inmusic.ca/Canadian+Musicians+for+Prime+Minister/photos/themes/Articles/musicians_for_prime_minister.htm?isfa=1
 
'American Idol' beats Obama in TV ratings
http://tvguide.sympatico.msn.ca/TVNews/Articles/090128_idol_beats_obama_DW
 
Cheers!
Stratos

===================================
From: Larry Kazdan
To: letters@thecitizen.canwest.com
Subject: Letter to Editor re: Layton the loser,   January 29

Re:  Layton the loser,   January 29
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/todays-paper/Layton+loser/1229243/story.html

Well, well now.  The Ottawa Citizen does not want to 'delay the spending' that is in Canada's best interest.  I guess your editors need to thank Jack Layton, the one who forced Stephen Harper to do cartwheels and stand on his head.                

Larry Kazdan,
Vancouver, B.C.

===================================
From: Ray Strachan
Subject: Ignatieff

Joe

Gee,Harper has to report 3 time in the next year.    That Iggy is a tough
customer.   I guess it is as tough as he can possibly be considering that he
is now run entirely by non political external forces.   Now, who could that
be, lets see, who was it he has had to apologize to 7 times in the past
year.Oh well that's just the way it is. Its perfectly normal in this DEMOCRACY
of ours.

Ray Strachan

===================================