Yes, but it’s not like Ralph cares about what anyone who can’t vote for him thinks, now, is it?
Was this Premier the same fuckwad who said that he would “protect the religious rights” of whoever it was he was talking to…by standing against the idea of letting gays marry? I don’t have a ball in this court, being neither gay nor Canadian, but I was rather shocked to hear it put like that.
Believe me, I realize it doesn’t make sense. This is why my head hurts just trying to puzzle it out… of course that could be the problem, I’m trying to parse what he said logically instead of speaking Klein.
(And don’t look at me, I didn’t vote for him either.)
Just wait until Ralphie starts running for Federal politics. Then all of Canada can enjoy him.
Bite your tongue! I’m surviving in Alberta because of my delusion that he is an isolated anomoly.
Any fellow Calgarians have the misfortune of hearing Dave Rutherford’s opinion on the Gay Marriage issue on his “show”?
I swear to god, he said that if we allow the “gays” to marry, we wouldn’t be able to stop any other groups to advocate for marriage. I got that he was intimating pedophiles, but he could very well have been on about the polygamists (to which my reaction has always been, and this is a problem because???) Good god… for Canada’s version of that 3 hour hate mongerer in the states, he sure does seem to advocate government intervention in our private lives. What a hypocrite.
Anyway, when the legislation passed, I was proud to be a Canuck. It made me want to pick up a hot looking chick, change my sexual proclivities and get married… What? That’s what they were scared of? The right wingers were correct? Its a PLAGUE!!! AHHH! I’ve been affected 
Damn Ralph Klein. He makes this province look like it is full of idiots.
Geez, ya think? :rolleyes:
Yes, but we’re out of debt idiots. Which is more than can be said for the rest of the country, so we must be doing something right.
Right, because it’s due solely to the virtue of Albertans that they’re sitting atop the second largest oil reserves on the globe. :rolleyes: How the hell did the Tories ever get y’all into debt in the first place?
Hey, Bub. Sashatchewan and BC have oil. BC having other huge resources on top of that. And Ontario is sitting next to a huge pool of customers to the south of it where it can sell its cars. So, cry me a river that we are lucky enough to have oil under us and are willing to do what it takes to use it to our advantage.
It was Ralphie boy who took the reigns of the conservative party at the time and made the changes that got us out of debt even when oil prices were low. Anyone else across the country have the balls to do so? Nope. So, if he wants to pander to some of the people who keep him elected and that keeps those who would go on spending sprees out of office, then I’m willing to cut him a little slack on the matter even if I don’t entirely agree with him on this. Being out of debt and having the lowest unemployment in the country benefits all Albertans, including those who are gay.
Just a reminder that he made those changes on the backs of the underprivleged…
Just because Alta is doing well, that doesn’t give it a right to fuck with the civil liberties of its citizens. Can’t we be god awful rich and let the gay and lesbian folks get married too? Why do people even care? Unless you’re being dragged down to the judge for a civil cermony, it’s none of your damn business!
You really don’t have a fucking clue, do you? Alberta’s oil revenues are massively larger than SK’s or BC’s or anyone else’s. Alberta’s oil revenues by themselves are as much money as Saskatchewan’s entire budget. As in, we could run a balanced budget with no taxes of any kind whatsoever with oil royalties like that. So yeah, I think we wouldn’t be in debt if we had your oil. Anyways, I’m not crying that we don’ t have as much money. I’m just pointing out the fact that Alberta has had, for the past decade or so, far and away the easiest fiscal situation to deal with out of all the provinces almost entirely because of oil, so the fact that you’re not in debt isn’t anything to crow about. Get the fuck over yourself.
Sure he did. Keep telling yourself that. And he is also destroying health care et al, too. Boogely, Boogely, Boogely! He’s the boogey man!
Certainly we should let whoever get married to whoever they want. Want to marry your Buick? I’m sure I could care less. Go for it. Yet, a politician says something to reflect what the majority of the population in his province think and people get in a huff about it. It’s not like it will make a difference one way or another as SSM is as good as done.
Marriage is financially detrimental in tax terms to Canadians, too. I can’t imagine what tax breaks Driver8 was referring to.
You honestly think that Ralph had anything to do with that? He happened to be at the helm when the Good Ship Alberta was sailing in the most profitable waters ever. I consider it more accurate that we’re out of debt in spite of him.
Richest province, my ass. That’s as may be, but everything I pay for sure keeps going up, unlike my wages, which haven’t gone up at all.
Now, where did all those healthcare workers and teachers get to? Gonna need some of those if we ever decide to start having healthcare and education in this province again.
How soon they forget. Remember $12 a barrel oil? We were cutting even then. As the jokers before Ralph were spending us into debt it wasn’t until he came in that it was decided to get out of debt.
Or do you think the Liberals would have kept to a budget? How about the NDP <snicker!>?
Well you’d be wrong.
Boohoo you. Get another job that pays you more. 87% of the workers in the country got a wage increase last year. The average is 2.8% in Alberta which is over inflation. I don’t think I’ve gotten less than 4% in my current job in the last 5 years, in addition to bonuses. Economic outlooks (pdf)
Seeing we have one of the lowest unemployment rates in Canada it shouldn’t be hard for you to get that new job, either. Keep hitting ‘next’ for more info.
Employment rates in Canada
Health care is fucked up all across Canada, I don’t know that Alberta is any worse than anywhere else and seeing that we do have the money to spend on it we are probably slightly better off, or will be in the long run.
We seem to be doing alright in education.
Science scores
Writing scores
From the Fraser institute so it is ‘obviously’ shit, but here it is anyways. (pdf)
I wouldn’t argue with anyone that we live in a “have” province. I would argue that the gravy is getting spread around to everyone equally, though. My husband and I are working poor, and we’re not seeing a lot of benefit from living in such a rich province.
Unless the Pope has a uterus I haven’t heard about, he needn’t wait for the vasectomy before taking to Jim’s bed for the weekend.
Now, that is one strange picture - the Pope in bed with my husband. I can always count on other Dopers to keep nothing sacred.