<The Case for Higher Gas Taxes (and Lower Income Taxes) The Oil Drum Oil Prices Below $40 per Barrel>
<DrumBeat: December 15, 2008 DrumBeat DrumBeat: December 17, 2008>

152 comments on DrumBeat: December 16, 2008

Comments can no longer be added to this story.

Show without comments | PDF version

sendoilplease on December 16, 2008 - 1:07pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

What do you think is the "real situation" that required calling the election in October? Harper "already knew" what ???

I'm not being sarcastic or anything, I just honestly don't know what you are talking about. I understand the creeping fascism part, but I mean specifics - is there some sort of event or something you are anticipating?

Comments can no longer be added to this story.
jografy on December 16, 2008 - 4:07pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

I was commenting on Leanan's quoted piece on Harper where he is admitting the possibility of a depression. The government knew how bad the economic outlook was and called the election to make sure the vote preceeded any bad news about the economy. Note that in the campaign they were still talkin g budget surplus and lots of other good news stuff. The opposition wasnt any better. All parties shied away from saying anything meaningful about the economy during the campaign. I am afraid Canada is served no better by our political class than is the USA. Perhaps we are served worse in that we are a much more docile and pliable group than are the people of the USA and therefore bestow more implied responsibility upon our leaders. We are more likely to accept fascism I think. No I don't expect a one event catastrophe like hitting the ice berg but I think a gradual but rapid deterioration and with it an increase in fear in the population.

Comments can no longer be added to this story.
advancednano on December 16, 2008 - 6:24pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Conservatives keep big lead in the polls.
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=1072845

Canwest News Service and Global National poll said the Conservative party would garner 45 per cent of the vote and score a majority victory if an election were held today. (Dec 13) The poll showed 65% wanted Ignatieff (new liberal leader) to work out a compromise with Harper
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Public+wants+compromise+coalition+poll+find...

Shaping up as either a likely Conservative majority or the coalition chickening out.

Comments can no longer be added to this story.
jografy on December 16, 2008 - 9:01pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Yes the polls are squarely for BAU. I think we will see either a strengthening of this poll trend or something really wild by the time parliament reconvenes. If January does turn out to be full of bad economic news and lay offs opinion will really be in flux. Harper might have been smarter to let the coalition be in charge for a few months of economic disaster and let them take the blame. The coalition parties havce not made any proposals that seem to be effective. It is likely that an automotive bail out will hold the balls in the air for a few extra months. But a few billion dollars will get burned up fast and then what? It isn't even guaranteed that "loan guarantees", the method that the Canadian gov't is proposing to use to help the companies will even work. Up to now the MSM have been saying that banks won't lend because they are afraid the borrowers wont pay it back. What if the real reason is that the banks need to hold the cash to pay off their own obligations near and mid term? They wont want to lend the cash even if repayment is guaranteed if they need the cash sooner. It will be interesting over the next few weeks.

Comments can no longer be added to this story.

152 comments on DrumBeat: December 16, 2008

Comments can no longer be added to this story.

Show without comments | PDF version