- Careful, It's Another a Harper Con

Posted: 8/31/2010 12:26:41 PM The Globe and Mail

Jack Layton's refusal to crack whip bodes ill for gun registry, Gloria Galloway, Globe and Mail, August 30, 2010
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-notebook/ Tab 52

"'In effect, rhetoric aside, both Coalition leaders intend to keep the wasteful and ineffective $2 billion long-gun registry,’ the Tories say. "

I thought the (soon to be released - soon after the vote, perhaps) RCMP '09 Gun Registry Report states that it cost no more than approx. 4 million a year.

If you want to see wasteful and ineffective in the $billions just look at the G-8 and G20 costs to Canadians taxpayers this Summer in Toronto. For a couple days of Harper and Con photo-op's we are responsible for over a billion dollars in costs.

This is enough to cover the Long Gun registry for over 250 years (if the billion were set aside now, with interest compounds, hey perhaps a 1000 years), which Canadians would benefit to a much, much, much greater extent (even a little benefit is better than zero, or negative, benefit).

Oh, and did I mention that these 'security costs' by Harper make the cost of setting up the Gun Registry look like kid's stuff. And we are still waiting for the full costs of increasing prison facilities for 'unreported crimes'.

Do I perceive an inconsistency with the Harper policies:

- if it furthers Harper's hyper-partizan, right-wing extremist agenda, then the sky's the limit on spending.

But, if it goes against the Harper hyper-agenda then any amount is' wasteful and ineffective', despite how much it benefits Canada as a whole and our way of life.

If the Con on the Long Form census is: get rid of the sanctions, make it voluntary.

Then Harper, wouldn't it be consistent to do the same for the Long Gun Registry.

. . . Oh, I see, then people would decline to register their guns and the information as a resource would be unreliable - now why didn't I see that argument coming.

But then, even with the current sanction on the Gun Registry they could simply put down "Jedi" for 'use' (or is it 'religion'), couldn't they Mr. Harper, I mean applying your neo-rational pseudo-reasons.

Lloyd MacILquham cicblog.com/comments.html