Tory MP derides jobless as 'no-good bastards'

[Gordon Nore]

Uh, some of the jobless are no good bastards and some of the women who get abortions are loose.
Is it that is isn't true for all of them that you're pissed, or because it is true for some of them?

It was only a question of time before a spirited discussion hit the sink hole of banality.

Thanks, Don, for that piercing glimpse into the obvious. If I may... some conservatives are grunting oafs, but, fortunately, not all.

 

[Big Don]

It was only a question of time before a spirited discussion hit the sink hole of banality.

Thanks, Don, for that piercing glimpse into the obvious. If I may... some conservatives are grunting oafs, but, fortunately, not all.

Some, not all, liberals are so condescending as to induce the urge to vomit.

 

[Ken Morgan]

Some, not all, liberals are so condescending as to induce the urge to vomit.

You guys are lucky you only have two parties to content with down there, we've got five!

 

[shesulsa]

Is it only an issue when conservatives say something like this?

No.

Uh, some of the jobless are no good bastards and some of the women who get abortions are loose.
Is it that is isn't true for all of them that you're pissed, or because it is true for some of them?

I'm not pissed. And I did remove myself from the discussion of Canadian politics.

Thanks, tho.

 

[Gordon Nore]

And I did remove myself from the discussion of Canadian politics.

I'm sorry that you did absent yourself. My error in starting the thread was to quote the entire article, which shifted the focus over to partisan criticism of the comments. I think a lot of people find that sort of commentary objectionable, regardless of affiliation -- Ken and I, though operating from different ideologies, were very much on the same page.

I thought your analysis sparkled.

 

[Ramirez]

When Harris got in, my parents -- both retired public sector workers -- voted for the guy, who would later throw tens of thousands of public sector workers out on the street.

Funny, a good friend of mine was a teacher and despised Bob Rae at the time and bought into the Harris "Common Sense" revolution. To this day I am still puzzled how a very intelligent person couldn't see that Harris' mantra of tax cuts and cutting down the size of government would affect teachers.

Four years later and he was the diametric opposite, he decided that "Rae Days" had actually saved a lot of jobs.


I believe Rae himself predicted what would happen when he was trying to get concessions from the public service unions.


To be quite honest Gordon, I see Harris part 2 coming with Hudak, there is a growing sentiment among the private sector that the public sector has been sheltered from the recession, McGuinty himself brought it up.

 

[Ken Morgan]

Keddy's EI attack aimed at layabouts
By MONTE SOLBERG
27th November 2009, 8:47am

Nova Scotia MP Gerald Keddy has already been tried, convicted, publicly flailed and Tasered for his "no-good bastards" remarks, but I believe Gerald Keddy has been treated unfairly.

One TV network, let's call them the CBC, decided Keddy could only be directing his "bastards" remarks at homeless people who had physical and mental disabilities, and on that wobbly assumption they interviewed street people, all of whom were mystified that someone would say such unkind things about them.

The problem with the CBC assumption is Keddy is a very nice guy who would never say such things about people who struggle with disabilities. I know Keddy well enough to say he is probably more generous towards those truly in need than many of his critics

It never occurred to this otherwise excellent reporter that in talking about people who sit around on the streets of Halifax, Keddy may have been talking about the perfectly healthy people who turn down work at places like his Christmas tree farm so they can milk employment insurance like a cow and, ahem, sit around.

When I was minister of immigration I was stunned by the fact that even though the unemployment rate was over 10% in Prince Edward Island, fish plants there had to bring in Russian workers because they couldn't find local workers.

It seems EI paid enough that, in a very narrow sense, it was completely rational that unemployed Islanders would refuse to do those very tough and dirty jobs.

That said, if a person turns down a job to accept employment insurance then by definition that person is ripping off the system because EI is only supposed to be for people who sincerely seek -- but can't find -- work.

When people rip off employment insurance and draw benefits they're not entitled to, then EI premiums are forced to be higher than they would be otherwise. That in turn means businesses can't afford to hire as many workers as they would if premiums were lower.

Small businesses must raise their wages to attract workers away from EI, which means overall they won't be able to hire as many people as they would have liked.

In other words, when it is too easy to get benefits or when it is easy to rip off the EI system, those who do play by the rules pay the bill for those who bend the rules, and all kinds of people end up needlessly unemployed.

Keddy may have rudely misrepresented the parentage of those who refuse to take jobs on Christmas tree farms, but if you believe it is wrong to cause unemployment and to take money you're not entitled to then Gerald Keddy is absolutely justified in his anger.

The truth is, few programs are more necessary than a properly designed employment insurance program and no program is more destructive than an EI program that is so improperly designed it discourages people from taking available jobs.

I'm sad to say that is the type of EI program we have today.

-- Solberg is a former Conservative MP​