B.C. pledges 8 million to tsunami relief

[canuckforpeace]

http://www.canada.com/vancouver/globaltv/story.html?id=d37f293f-7b77-4208-aac2-20868b981fea

Am I just ultra-cynical or is this a convenient way for Gordon Campbell to consolidate the Asian vote?

I'm glad we're sending the money no matter what the reason.

[CanuckAmok]

1. you just know some of Gord's pals are getting rich somewhere along...

But if anywhere near the whole $8M gets to Asia, it's worth the kickbacks.

[Maple]

2. Ontario and Alberta

donated $5M each...so yes, you're being ultra cynical.

[nine23]

3. I despise Gordon Campbell, but I go with the prevailing wisdom...

which is: Take the money. As soon as the cheque clears, he goes right back to being failed-yuppie/table-scrap opportunist we all know him to be. That's fair, isn't it? We even give him 48hrs or so to bask in his own glow, then it's right back into the cage.

"Am I just ultra-cynical"? Good. I wear my hard left, "keep it funny at all costs" liberal cynicism as a badge of honour.

[tuvor]

4. What's a party to do?

If the BC government gave nothing or "only" a million, would you call them stingy?

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

If the NDP were still in power, would BC be able to afford to send anything at all, or am I being ultra-pessimistic?

Sorry for being a dink, but although I don't bow at the altar of the BC Liberals, I hear a lot of NDP supporters (not that you're necessarily one) that seem to absent-mindedly pine for the "glory days" of the 90s, despite their being absolutely crushed in the last election for being the worst of stewards.
:wtf:

[nine23]

5. Hey, dude. We're all entitled to our opinion; I respect yours.

We're FREE, are we not?

That's why I prefaced my post with "I despise Gordon Campbell". Just to get it outa' the way. But surely you got the gist of what I was REALLY trying to say, which is a big, non-partisan "Take the money" regardless.

Now that I know you're a "that-kind-of-Liberal" fan, I'll present my arguments with that in mind next time. I'll still despise him, but I'll be more sensitive towards your man. C'est bon?

[tuvor]

6. Uh, I wasn't arguing with you.

I didn't even read your post, let alone address it.

[V. Kid]

9. hilarious

And I'm not talking about the content of your posts. I'm talking about the sentiments expressed within them. It's not as if BC can all the sudden afford this due to the great Gordon Campbell.

Let's not forget that BC is now a have not province. And most of that surplus is from transfer payments. The NDP was imperfect, but let's stay within the context of reality shall we?

The reality is that BC averaged 3+ percent growth during the NDP's tenure -- during the Liberal tenure it's been barely above 2 percent.

And your man is doing better how? :wtf:

[arikara]

7. Ahem...

I guess you're paying attention to those nice glossy liberal ads that are saying how wonderful the economy is. Check out the lines at the food banks for the truth about the BC economy. More people are out of work than ever and there are also more working poor who are relying on the food banks to stretch out their low paychecks and feed their kids.

Yes, many of us are pining for the days when more of us had jobs that paid a living wage, when all the user fees and tuition fees weren't jacked up to support the tax cuts to the rich and when our province wasn't being sold off to the highest bidder no doubt padding a few liberal's Swiss bank accounts in the process. If Gordo gets in again, there won't be much left of the province.

The NDP actually weren't as radical as they were made out to be by the corporate media and their good friends the "liberals" they were actually pretty centrist.

[arikara]

8. At any rate, what I really wanted to say is

that while I certainly don't begrudge sending help to those poor people at all, I do wish that Gordo would look kindly upon our homeless and destitute, many of whom he created himself through his mean-spirited policies.

[V. Kid]

10. exactly

It's not as if I'm unimpressed with this, I think it's quite good within the context of per capita aid per reigeme. So I'm glad Campbell is doing that -- I just find it cheesy to gush over him. He's hardly a humanitarian. One only needs to look at his policies within BC to figure that out.