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"...all [parties] support the government's current legislation, which will decriminalize the possession and consumption of small amounts of pot." --"debated?"

Seems to me that the subject is pretty much settled, and I agree. Legalization would stir up the pot too much... so to speak. That's what politicians are supposed to do; control the flow of power. By giving an inch now, it leaves room to do more in the future without jumping in head first and making a bigger mess.

If Canada were to straight up legalize it, the international consequences would be impossible to ignore. American politicians already migrate to Canada on a regular basis to enforce their views on pot. I don't agree with that, but Canada is still the 'Little Brother'. It's wise to respect that, and accept the fact that now, you won't get jail time for a joint.

If only that were true.

If only that weren't the case, I'd be able to buy my weed at 7-11 by now, instead of helping support the underground market. It's fucking rediculous that marijuana legalization continues to be debated while my only option is to purchase from people like this.

That's probably the reason for all the security: They're just making sure you're not drinking pepsi ;-)

This is offtopic. My apologies.

Everyone has heard of the carcass of a giant octopussy that was found in Chile recently, but just WHAT THE FUCK is THIS!!

..or whatabout THIS???

You rant about aliens, but here's your fucking aliens I tell you! Pretty scary stuff I must say!

> Not a movie trailer, but you're on the right track.

Well, I think it's a pretty good analogy.

Too bad /. doesn't let you play nethack while you wait 2 minutes so you can post again, or give you some quotes from zippy the pinhead to read....

...was this story on the Nova Scotia Herald's site about alleged Russian anti-gravity research. Could be total hookum, but is an interesting read...

I know about all these issues. Some of the freedoms in my list were pipe dreams - like the freeways free of idiots - but most of these problems are an order of magnitude greater in Canada than they are in the US. Hence, I still feel that the United States assures more civil rights than Canada.

A high school classmate of mine - who has a brilliant mind and had a promising future - has been popping out kids like a Pez dispenser. With every kid, she gets an extra hundred or so dollars a month from welfare.

My solution to that problem is you establish a baseline welfare rate for a given number of children, with cost of living in the city factored in. From there, for every child that the mother conceives while she's on welfare, will result in a box of condoms being delivered to her and a $100/mo deduction from the welfare benefits she receives.

Further, while a civilized society really must provide a welfare safety net to those who are temporarily down-and-out, it should be very much enforced as a safety net, not a lifestyle. I propose that, rather than having social workers refer to their charges as "clients" - which implies that they're not burdens - we have social workers refer to these people as "scum", in order to reaffirm the welfare recipient's need to use the system only for as long as it takes to get their lives together.

Predictably, I've been called a heartless bastard. I call it common sense.

Exactly. Your mother used the system the way it was meant to be used. She probably also instilled a work ethic in her children, too. My hat is off to your mother, I'm glad she made it through a tough time without becoming addicted to sitting at home and watching soap operas all day.

$40,000/year, no dependents. 33% taken right off the top. 15% added on every purchase (federal sales tax at 7%, provincial sales tax at 8%). 7% taxes on raw materials, added to 7% when the factory sells its finished product, added to 7% when the wholesaler sells it to retail, then the federal sales tax is added again. This was supposedly less than the manufacturer's sales tax.

Corporate tax on profit: >50%. That gets passed down to the consumer.

Oh yeah, and fuel is taxed to the tune of about $0.40/liter, including federal GST.

The high taxes are a recurring theme in a survey done by the University of British Columbia to figure out why so many of their graduates took their degrees and ran south.

And, at least you get something for your taxes. From the best defence in the world to the prestige of a space program. As the saga between the Canadian Department of Defence and the Katie will prove, in any sense of the word, the Canadian military is a joke.

Politically-correct leftists have already destroyed freedom of speech here.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a nazi; I don't think Ernst Zundel should be saying the stuff he says. But when the guy is denied a right to speak because he might offend someone (myself included), the dangers of that government regulation are far greater than the dangers of his unsavory banter.

I'd rather have the right to shake my head and curse him for being an idiot, rather than worry that someday the same mechanism which silences him may be used against me.

Actually, I have, and this was one of my pipe dreams.

I've driven in a lot of parts of the United States, though, admittedly, not in Atlanta. And I'll say this: even Boston has better drivers than Toronto.

To defend them, there is a problem with a mass immigration of unskilled Mexicans, so I can understand the border control target-practice. However, your girlfriend, flying in and presenting the appropriate paperwork, is not a problem and shouldn't be treated as such.

Now, upon returning to the country of my citizenship - especially after coming back from the United States, where far more opportunities abound for me than in Canada - one would expect that the Kanada Kustoms Kommies could treat me with the same dignity, respect and helpfulness as the American authorities who welcome me in as a visitor. Nope, they don't. And nope, I'm not the only one with a gripe. Note that this link also contains many remarks about Canada's limited freedom of speech as encountered by a small Vancouver gay and lesbian bookstore. More power to them!

National unity in Canada is not comparable to Republicans versus Democrats. When all is said and done, the right and left come together and celebrate their country on the 4th of July.

For over thirty years now, a substantial and important part of Canada has been trying to leave the country and strike out as its own nation. Quebec's come very close. It's been a relatively peaceful process - no civil war like the US had in the 1860s - but as an attempt to appease Quebec, they've been getting special treatment on every level for thirty years. This is a drain on the rest of the country.

Even so, they're still not satisfied. Let 'em go if they want to. They'll come crawling back when they've realized that they'll have no stability.

Yeah. But you can at least go to a private hospital, pay money and get fast treatment. I can't; when I get sick or injured, I'm at the mercy of a government entity that depends on disenfranchised, unionized doctors. That scares me.

Amen to that, my friend!