Has anyone else noticed that the people who have been perpetually yowling for smaller government and lower taxes are the same ones who are currently stroking themselves into a lather about how gosh-darned awesome and studly Stephen Harper is, what with his rapid and manly deployment of Canada's DART team with all those C-17s and helicopters and whatnot, all of which are paid for by our taxpayer dollars? Apparently, a photo op beats political principles every day.
P.S. One wonders if, now that the above institutions have served their purpose in making King Stephen look like such a hero, their budgets are going to get the axe come the March budget. What? Am I being too cynical? Heaven forbid.
AS I WAS SAYING ... here's occasional conservative commenter "kursk" getting all gushy about how Canada is stepping up:
If Canadians donate 50 million dollars, Canada will send 100 million.The United states, with 300+ million people, has pledged 100 million.
With relief supplies totaling around 10 million already, and with Canada deploying 2 ships, 2 c-17's, 4 search helicopters (2 on the ships)2 c-130's, the DART team as well as an engineering squadron, I would say Canada is pulling its weight.
Lovely sentiment, kursk. And I'm sure that, when the Conservative budget comes down in March, you'll be there at the head of the line, cheering on all of the budget cuts. When that happens, I'm hoping you don't mind if I point out your appalling hypocrisy. It's what I do.
7 comments:
Not cynical enough IMHO.
Those "institutions" will probably be fine and may even get a little bonus as a reward, not to them, but to the "base." Gotta keep Canada in the international limelight.
Harper is no doubt studying the work of the Governator in California and will attempt pay for all this by cutting funding for those who don't vote, the poor the sick and the disabled. And liberals of course.
It's the neocon thing to do.
Just a moment here. Last I heard, Canadian soldiers had to drive through insecure areas, laden with IED's because Canada didn't have the helicopters to move them safely from base to base. Now Harper has four helicopters to send to Haiti? Can someone explain this to me?
Why not take the one month worth of salary from all the proroguing MPs (since they're not working for that month anyway and so don't deserve it) and use it for either Haiti or the armed forces?
Just a moment here. Last I heard, Canadian soldiers had to drive through insecure areas, laden with IED's because Canada didn't have the helicopters to move them safely from base to base. Now Harper has four helicopters to send to Haiti? Can someone explain this to me?
Our helicopters are search and rescue. Nobody in Haiti has leftover Stingers to shoot at them.
Sea King maximum altitude: 10,000 feet
Singer man portable surface to air missile can max target altitude: 12,500 feet
As LS points out altitude is an issue, as is heat. Afghanistan heat = higher than Haiti heat
And the helos we needed in Afghanistan are of the material transport variety (like the Chinooks we sold to the Dutch).. though I'd guess the the soldiers who are getting to drive the worst roads in the world would happily ride in something smaller
The 100$ million the US has pledged, coupled with the deployment of the aircraft carrier will mean that its 2$ million a day spent on the carrier's operating costs will mean that the American humanitarian effort will only last approx. 2 weeks.
I guess those 5k+ troops are going to be stuck there...
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