Rabbit, were you concentrating the entire last year when Harper and company were criticizing others for wanting to harm the economy?  This is the FIRST time Harper has mentioned a cost with his plan, prior to that he was fearmongering and trying to position himself as the defender of the economy.  What is really going on here, Harper is moving again, as he comes to the realization that NOBODY (blind partisans aside) are buying his environmental agenda.  In order to show that he is tough, now ALL OF A SUDDEN, we are hearing the economic costs, which coincidentally happen to coincide with talk of an economic slowdown, independent of any initiatives.  Why anyone would take this character at face value is astounding, given the timeline.  In fact, I would say others were being honest about cost all along.  Where was your praise then?

I don’t recall saying that he did but since you brought it up… Harper has not denied the need for GHG reductions… lately. About a year ago, Harper was talking about "so-called greenhouse gases." He’s been dragged, kicking and screaming, into the realization that there is a problem and it needs to be dealt with. $31 million worth of opinion polling at least got him to admit that climate change is real, even if a mountain of scientific evidence failed to convince him.

Harper is out of step with the world — not just with Dion, May and Suzuki. He’s also out of step with a majority of Canadians.

The isotope fiasco has once again, showcased the ineptness, incompetence and unwillingness to accept responsibility of the Harper "team." Canadians who are concerned about the environment (that’s a vast majority, btw) are distrustful of someone who discredits and disarms a nuclear regulatory agency. MDS profits took priority over a threat to the environment.

JB

Except that Harper has not denied the need for GHG reductions. He’s not as loud about the necessity as Dion or May or Suzuki, but that would be pretty difficult to do in any case.

It ain’t an all-or-nothing game. We don’t need to tell Canadians to heat our homes one-third less or to give up motorized vehicles and bike to work. We can use less energy to get the same or better results. We have been increasing our energy efficiency for years and we’ve made some good progress. My 1971 VW Beetle got 27 miles to the imperial gallon and it was one of the most economical cars of its day. Today, big vehicles get better than 27 mpg and the most economical cars are getting twice what my old beetle got. We’re making similar strides in refrigeration, air conditioning, home heating and a lot of other areas.

It ain’t gonna be a bed of roses but it ain’t all doom and gloom, neither. The CANTDO attitude of those who only want to talk negative is a bad attitude, IMO. We CAN and we WILL. Our grandkids are dependin’ on us.

JB

Rather than speculating about who or what I am (you’re not likely to get it right anyway), perhaps concentrate on my actual remarks.

Wanna know which politicians I don’t trust on the GHG issue? Those that talk about the need for reductions but don’t talk about, or grossly underestimate, the difficulties and costs. They’re not putting all of the cards on the table. I suppose they think Canadians can’t handle the truth.

This coming from the government whose proposed carbon credit system deems to give Alberta oil companies hundreds of millions of dollars in credits , even as their pollution rises due to the "intensity" of it going down.

Rabbit. you’re either a partisan shill of Harper’s or you’ve got the wool pulled over your eyes.  Fortunately, a majority of Canadians aren’t partisan shills of Harper’s and the Cons., and they won’t be fooled by Harper’s attempts.

Leadership isn’t about lying to people, or fooling them into things they wouldn’t agree to, or avoiding difficulties. It’s about facing reality head on.

I don’t agree with Harper on everything, but I appreciate his honesty here.

I would prefer Dion to change the tax system and focus on the other pillar, the war against poverty.  This means possibly incorporating a Solidarity Tax on Wealth.

Let me tell you a personal story. Ma owns an operates a small business. I do, too. We used to have two vehicles. Biggass Econolines needed fer the businesses. A few years back, I changed jobs and I found my big van was sitting parked while I was able to work from home or walk to work. I’m gettin’ a bit long in the tooth. I make less money at my new job than I did when I was poundin’ nails but it’s easier on my old bones.

(Trying to keep it short…) I divested myself of my vehicle. I save megatonnes of money by not owning a vehicle. Insurance, gas, repairs and teh cost of teh dang thing all add up. It’s amazing how little you can live on when you are shellin’ out thousands on a vehicle. Ma’s doin’ better, too. She’s using a small minivan fer her business and rentin’ a big van once in a while when the little one don’t do the trick. She’s saving megatonnes of money on gas.

My son lives in Trawna. He makes big dough and has a nice condo. My daughter-in-law makes good money, too. They don’t own a car. By choice. They save thousands a year and they belong to a thing called AutoShare where they can get a car anytime they need one. TTC is their preferred means of transportation. They’re treehuggers, too.

If we use our imagination, we can mitigate the negative effects of cutting GHG’s while we foster a sustainable green economy. We can use carbon taxes, tax shifting, green-collar job creation incentives, alternative energy development and other innovations to our economic advantage. A clean environment had less visible economic pluses. Environmentally exacerbated illnesses cause  hundreds of thousands hours of lost productivity on "bad air days." Preventable diseases are bogging down our overtaxed healthcare system. Ideas like the 100 Mile Diet are good for the environment and good for local economies.

Instead of preaching doom and gloom, I’d like to hear positive messages from our leadership. I’d like our leaders to embrace the course they’ve agreed to travel and to try making the best of it. Pre-emptive bellyaching is unseemly and not conducive to investment. There will be many benefits to saving the planet. As one blogger put it today - No Planet, No Jobs.

JB