#1
Mike Nelson here.
Post rating: ~
Last October, Ontario had an election. The governing Liberals, under Premier McGuinty, won 53 seats out of 107 ridings. The Tories (Progressive Conservatives) under Hudak won 37 and became the Official Opposition. The New Democratic Party (NDP, social democrats) won 17 seats. Because of this, the opposition can out-vote the government, making it a minority legislature. This means the government needs the support of at least some opposition members to pass bills, especially budget bills.

So recently the government introduced an austerity budget. It contains deep cuts, over time, to all areas of government. It also doesn't do anything to reduce long waiting lists for social housing and subsidized child care. Beyond that, people on welfare live off of $600 a month, while a bachelor apartment in Toronto that is considered "affordable" (10% below average market) costs about $700 a month.

The Conservatives immediately decided to reject the budget because it didn't make deep enough cuts and delayed a corporate income tax cut. So the NDP came on to the picture. They released a range of demands, such as a small tax on very high income earners, rolling back corporate taxes, a job creation tax credit and some small spending increases. The Liberals rejected these at first but committed to negotiating.

The NDP, being social-democrats, mostly buckled to the Liberals. Not only did they endorse the austerity budget, they only got tiny concessions out of them - basically a tiny amount of new spending and the small tax on the rich. The entire revenue from this new tax (about one-third of one percent of the provincial budget) will go to deficit reduction. The tax is only 2% on earners over $500,000.

So a few days after the NDP endorses the budget, the Liberals announce that they've bribed a member of the Conservatives to retire. The seat is quite liberal, as was the member of the Conservatives that stepped down. The woman, Elizabeth Witmer, now becomes the head of the workplace insurance board. Anyway, this means that the Liberals now get to possibly win a by-election in her riding. If the Liberals win that by-election, they will have a working majority in the legislature. If that happens, the Liberals will hold power until October 2015.

This means that the NDP will have been tricked into supporting the government on the premise that they could bring down the government in about a year and launch an election. But now there's a good chance the government could have simply bought them for a tiny tax with almost no benefit to workers and simply gave them the chance to win a by-election that will keep them in power for three more years. Trolled....

The NDP always uses this example (Liberals propped up by the NDP) as an example of them being able to win huge gains for people and so on but I guess that was a lie lol.

Conclusion: Never vote for social-democrats.
#2
Kurdt
Post rating: ~
who should i vote for
#3
drivel of drunken hags
Post rating: ~
the only thing worthwhile i ever did on old lf was hex jack layton with an untimely death the night of the big ndp federal uh, win
#4
Mike Nelson here.
Post rating: ~
Oh I forgot to add that my member of provincial parliament was a member of an anticapitalist organization and attended rallies and protests against austerity. Now he helps allow such budgets to pass. Never trust The Man.
#5
Mike Nelson here.
Post rating: ~

gyrofry posted:

who should i vote for



The Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada

#6
drivel of drunken hags
Post rating: ~
hey getfiscal what's the deal with the student protests in montreal

i don't pay much attention beyond the nuanced, balanced, rational things CBC tells me
#7
Mike Nelson here.
Post rating: ~

Groulxsmith posted:
the only thing worthwhile i ever did on old lf was hex jack layton with an untimely death the night of the big ndp federal uh, win

lol

the socialist worker had a line in their paper this month that was like "we need to tap the energy that launched the federal NDP into office last may"... and i was like umm yeah i missed that part... so they edited it lol

actually the article was funny because it was like "the ndp in ontario needs to learn from the fedreal ndp and stop being centrist. although, the federal ndp is too centrist. and it just elected an even more centrist leader." lol

#8
Post rating: ~
never vote
#9
Mike Nelson here.
Post rating: ~

Groulxsmith posted:
hey getfiscal what's the deal with the student protests in montreal

i don't pay much attention beyond the nuanced, balanced, rational things CBC tells me

it's sorta become a semi-May 68 in the eyes of the people involved i think. like they need to broaden to include labour in a general strike or else nothing will happen. and they expect that charest will call an election to get a "mandate" for the changes or whatever while getting police to continue to beat protesters so that it looks like he's the law and order type.

#10
[account deactivated]
#11
Post rating: ~
i rrefused my ballot in the last erection and the elections worker made a snide remark about it and when i checked the results there werent any declined ballots counted at my polling station
#12
[account deactivated]
#13
Post rating: ~
i voted for ron paul in the primaries
#14
Post rating: ~
We have a disfunctional minority federal government here. I think we can all agree that the american two party system is the ideal form of government.
#15
Mike Nelson here.
Post rating: ~

shennong posted:
i rrefused my ballot in the last erection and the elections worker made a snide remark about it and when i checked the results there werent any declined ballots counted at my polling station

:tongue:

#16
Mike Nelson here.
Post rating: ~

tpaine posted:
im not voting at all this year. i voted for kerry in 04, moore in 08, and now i'm not voting at all. progress

and elect romney??? but he'll be so different!!!!

#17
Mike Nelson here.
Post rating: ~
Obama - Biden 2012: Make it happen!
#18
tardy on these heaters
Post rating: +

getfiscal posted:
Oh I forgot to add that my member of provincial parliament was a member of an anticapitalist organization and attended rallies and protests against austerity. Now he helps allow such budgets to pass. Never trust The Man.



this is part of why i lol when people get concerned about their posts on lf or attendence at occupy and whatnot becoming an Issue when they want to grow up and get a job or whatever

#19
tardy on these heaters
Post rating: ~
i'm voting for ron paul
#20
Post rating: ~
i'm voting for gorge bush jr to keep the country safe from the Terrors and Depressions
#21
[account deactivated]
#22
Post rating: ~
I'm voting for Mitt Romney.
#23
Goldgelbes Löwenäffchen
Post rating: +
im voting for baba booey
#24
Mike Nelson here.
Post rating: ~
#25
Goldgelbes Löwenäffchen
Post rating: ~
i like the sticker of a dove boning a whale
#26
[account deactivated]
#27
Post rating: ~

GoldenLionTamarin posted:
i like the sticker of a dove boning a whale


that's a duck nailing another duck u stupid monkey

#28
Post rating: ~

tpaine posted:
when a number of local buffets began a campaign to ban Tom from their premises, he called this "The Hardening of the Eateries" and it was the darkest chapter in his rather umber lifestory.



Krispynacht

#29
Post rating: ~
are the student protests in montreal going to cause traffic problems on the highway that goes through it. i have to go on a road trip through montreal in a couple weeks and i'm wondering if i should consider an alternate route
#30
Post rating: +

getfiscal posted:


yes tommy u can borrow the car but u Can't Leave the Exurbs

#31
Post rating: ~

Ironicwarcriminal posted:

We have a disfunctional minority federal government here. I think we can all agree that the american two party system is the ideal form of government.

actually its the english one party system

#32
drivel of drunken hags
Post rating: ~
Do you call student strike breakers scabs? Idk, anyway good for those plucky kids at cegep de saint laurent just eager to learn who got an injunction for it to reopen, makes you wonder where the priorities of the others really are
#33
Post rating: ~
the point is that the lecturers refuse to meet working demands until their living demands are met, if students effectively withdraw the working demands (by not expecting education) then the struggle is undermined

therefore express solidarity with your lecturers by demanding lectures