Kyoto- get ready!

[cowman]

Now that Chretien has announced he is going to force Kyoto on us get ready for the biggest tax grab in history. For who? Alberta, Saskatchewan, BC and every consumer in Canada. And what will change in the way of pollution? Nothing! With all the smoke and mirrors(such as credit for carbon sinks)pollution will continue. Make no mistake, this is nothing but another massive tax grab.
Lorne Taylor, the Alta. environment minister, says they will use every means at their disposal to fight this thing, including legal challenges! Well Lorne how about separation??? Or an alliance with America?
So get ready to have your energy bills go up about 30%. Get ready to have anything you buy that is made in Canada go up even more than that. How is the Canadian manufacturer going to compete with the US?
If there is a tax right at the wellhead that is the end of our export market for gas and oil. If not you will see gas and oil move into the the US market like never before. Either way Alberta, Sask. and BC are screwed.
Maybe this is a good thing as it will finally wake some people up to the fact that the REAL Canada ends at the Ont./Manitoba border! Time to go?

[15444]

Just a little adjustment to the last sentence...Maybe this is a good thing as it will finally wake some people up to the fact that the REAL Canada ends a little east of the Ontario/Manitoba Border, just enough to include us Rainy River Districtans! Time to go? Yes!
Just wanted to clear that little error up.

[15444]

I'am in favour Cowman.

[RICHARDJ]

A CHRISTIAN DEMOCRAT:
You have two cows. You keep one and give one to your neighbor. Then you covet it.

A SOCIALIST:
You have two cows. The government takes one and gives it to your neighbor. You form a cooperative to tell him how to manage his.

A FEDERAL LIBERAL:
You have two cows. Your neighbor has none. You feel guilty for being successful. You vote people into office who tax your cows, forcing you to sell one to raise money to pay the tax. The people you voted for then take the tax money and buy a cow and give it to your neighbor.

You feel righteous. Barbara Streisand sings for you.

A CANADIAN ALLIANCE MEMBER:
You have two cows. Your neighbor has none. So?

A COMMUNIST:
You have two cows. The government seizes both and provides you with milk. You wait in line for hours to get it. It is expensive and sour.

A FASCIST:
You have two cows. The government seizes both and sells you the milk. You join the underground and start a campaign of sabotage which ultimately blows up the cows.

A CAPITALIST, AMERICAN STYLE:
You have two cows. You sell one, buy a bull, and build a herd of cows.

DEMOCRACY, CANADIAN STYLE:
You have two cows. The government taxes you to the point you have to sell both to support a man in a foreign country who has only one cow, which was a gift from your government.

BUREAUCRACY, CANADIAN STYLE:
You have two cows. The government takes them both, shoots one, milks the other, pays you for the milk, then pours the milk down the drain, and taxes back all the money.

A HIGH TECH CORPORATION:
You have two cows. You sell one, lease it back to yourself and do an IPO on the 2nd one. You force the 2 cows to produce the milk of four cows. You are surprised when one cow drops dead. You spin an announcement to the analysts that you have reduced your expenses.

Your stock goes up.

A FRENCH CORPORATION:
You have two cows. You go on strike because you want three cows. You go to lunch. Life is good.

A JAPANESE CORPORATION:
You have two cows. You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk. They learn to travel on unbelievably crowded trains. Most are at the top of their class at cow school.

A GERMAN CORPORATION:
You have two cows. You re-engineer them so they are all blond, drink lots of beer, give excellent quality milk, and run a hundred miles an hour. Unfortunately they also demand 13 weeks of vacation per year.

AN ITALIAN CORPORATION:
You have two cows but you don't know where they are. While ambling around, you see a beautiful woman. You break for lunch. Life is good.

A RUSSIAN CORPORATION:
You have two cows. You count them and learn you have five cows. You have some more vodka. You count them again and learn you have 42 cows. You count them again and learn you have 12 cows. You stop counting cows and open another bottle of vodka. You produce your tenth 5-year plan in the last 3 months. The Mafia shows up and takes over however many cows you really have.

A SWISS CORPORATION:
You have 5000 cows, none of which belongs to you. You charge for storing them for others. If they give milk, you tell no one.

A BRAZILIAN CORPORATION:
You have two cows. You enter into a partnership with an American corporation. Soon you have 1000 cows. You expropriate them. The American corporation goes chapter 11.

AN INDIAN CORPORATION:
You have two cows. You worship them.

[cowman]

15444: Many years ago I was very involved in the Western Canada Concept(before it became completely silly) and at that time there were quite a few supporters in Northern Ontario!
I don't think it was ever a question of our hating "people" from the east but the eastern "establishment". A combination of political, financial power that ruled for the benefit of Bay Street rather than small town Canada.
What galls us is that Canada basically consists of Ottawa/Toronto/Montreal and the rest of us are the peasants that support them.( And about one third of the people in Alberta came from other parts of Canada since the NEP. A funny thing happens though...they become more ALBERTAN than the Albertans!)
I don't think anyone not living here can understand the deep hatred that came about when the Liberals brought in the NEP back in the early eighties. Before that we were on a roll and the prosperity was unreal. The NEP stopped everything dead in its tracks. People lost businesses, their homes, their families! At the same time made in Toronto interest rates pretty well killed us.
I suspect the Liberals might have just opened a Pandoras box they won't get closed this time! Keep your eyes on Alberta...it just might get very interesting indeed!

[cowman]

One other thing people should realize about Kyoto is that NO other country in the western hemisphere has signed on and that Canada produces 2% of green house gasses in the western hemisphere!
The smoke and mirrors are on their way! Canada will get "emission credits" for any Natural Gas it sends to the US! Emmission credits for our forrests! Of course for Joe Blow the price of gasoline will go up, heating costs, any coal or gas fired electricity. And naturally everything he consumes because of the extra manufacturing/transportation costs.
The politicians and other government workers will naturally need to be compensated for these extra costs...after all one can't give up the BMW!
What will happen to our farmers? Think about it. Can you absorb an increase of 30% in fuel,oil,fertilizer and all your other input costs? Do you think the price of your production will increase 30%? Or will cheap American, South American imports lower prices even more? It's all very well to babble away about saving the planet. Realize this plan doesn't do that! It's all about suckering the little guy into paying more taxes!

[15444]

Cowman, yes I remember the good old days of the Western Concept. I actually thought of joining once. But the fact of the matter to them was that a person from Ontario was a person from Ontario and that was it. We could join, but our money for membership really didn't mean much as Manitoba was the end of the line as far as going east. Maybe things have changed since then.

[cowman]

Western Canada Concept has deteriorated to the point it is an obscure little special interest group. Basically a bunch of radical little rascists.
The NEP changed the way people out here think. It opened a lot of eyes! There is no "separatist movement" out west, but it is boiling away beneath the surface, just waiting for that charismic leader to come along. If a Ralph Klein said we are out of here, I suspect he would have a wide majority of support!
When the Reform party was formed, we thought we could get a better deal. You know "The West wants in" thing. Unfortunately the rest of Canada doesn't share in our aspirations! They keep electing the same old thieves and crooks. Thus we have Chretien and the Liberals! And they are more popular than ever!
Now who elects them? It isn't Alberta! I realize the Alliance have sort of been a bunch of clowns, but could they be much worse than a den of thieves? How come Ontario can elect a sensible conservative government provincially, and then turn around and vote enmass for crooks and thieves federally?
Will anything ever change? I doubt it, and as long as we have the likes of Chretiens gang in power the west will never get a fair deal.

[pettie]

Ummmmm, you do all realize that there is more to Eastern Canada than just Toronto right?????

[pettie]

An American Corportation:
You have 2 cows you got in a settlement when you sued your neighbour for having 2 cows that were not colour -co-ordinated with the neighbourhood, and were fattening !!!

[cowman]

pettie: Of course we realize that eastern Canada is more than Toronto. Do you think we turn a blind eye to the decent kind people who are sending hay out here? And do you realize that about one in every three workers in the oil patch is from the Maritines? We know these are GOOD people! I would suggest this is what Canada SHOUD be about!
Maybe the problem isn't Canada at all but the scum who have hijacked Canada! It just bothers us that the east continues to put these low-lifes in year after year!
I truly believe something is really wrong in this country. It seems, to me, it happened about the time Trudeau got in! I suspect the people of Quebec and Ontario know it too?

[pettie]

Cowman- We in the Maritimes ( the true eastern Canada ) do not consider Que/Ont a part of us . They are Central Canada to us and I agree, it's not Canada that sucks, but the politicians..However, that said, being a Canuck living in the U.S.A. , all I can say 'bout Canada is .. 'Tis the greatest land God ever made ' !!!!!!!!

[cowman]

Now I'm not going to say I know every part of Canada because I don't. The furthest east I've ever been was Manitoba! But I've worked with guys from every province, including Quebec, and mostly they've been good people. I worked with a bunch of guys from Refrew Ont. who were a very capable crew!
I truly like Newfies and bluenosers! They have a good outlook on life and really enjoy themselves(wildmen)!!! I remember one young Newfie who got a job on the rigs. After about 6 months I saw him...he had a big stetson on, a bigger belt buckle, and was driving a new firebird with all the bells and whistles! I said"Well Johnny you look like your doing pretty well?" His reply "When I first came out here I was kind of lost. It seemed like Alberta was all about the allmighty buck. But yea, it sure beats shoveling fish guts with a scoop shovel!" Of course all in that accent they have! Broke me up!

[cowman]

In the Red Deer Advocate they had a story about an interview with Herb Dwali, a Liberal minister of natural resources or something like that. Basically he said Canada will sign Kyoto but doesn't intend to really implement it! It seems Liberal interpretation of the accord is quite different from how the rest of the world sees it! Thus he's going to take credits for selling the US natural gas and for all the forests and grassland....net result...business as usual! Well other than a few little goodies like added taxes!!! To lower consumption you know? Sort of like hiking cigarette taxes...for the good of our health, right? Is anyone fooled by these slickers?

[steel]

Kyoto would make a difference. Thats what the tree huggers are telling us and they are usually a pesamistic bunch; however, Kyoto needs one last clause added to it. If any country who has signed the accord wants to sell a product to a country that has not signed, a 30%(no less than 10% anyway) surtax must be charged. That way every country jumps on the band wagon or it falls apart. Either way it is fair. Without such a clause, Canada should not sign up either. I think this is better than saying it won't make a difference. That just sounds to much like George W to me.