bigbuck

I've been involved in the political game since I was a teenager hammering in signs, knocking on doors, being a scrutineer, campaign manager, etc... Politics boils down to power and money. Don't ever forget that. The best government we could have would maintain the status quo. We just don't have the money to double pensions, spend billions and billions on infrastructure, give to the poor. Do we need new fighter jets, yes we do, our current fleet of CF18's are coming to the end of their service lives. Buying items like that is not exactly cut and dried, the next generation of fighters need to be fully developed and that takes time and lots of money. They aren't cheap and it's not easy. Here in Canada, our politicians like to politicize every single big ticket defence purchase. Look at how much helicopters cost us. Hundreds of millions of dollars to cancel contracts and several crashed aging obsolete Sea Kings that are 30 years past their prime. How about submarines?? We went and bought old diesel subs from the Royal Navy that were not even seaworthy. I don't know about the rest of you but I want the men and women of the Canadian Forces to have good reliable equipment to defend my freedom, not old junk that nobody else wants. They don't need the Cadillac of equipment to do their jobs, the Chevy will suffice. The Halifax class frigates that are the backbone of our navy are getting older and we need to think about replacing them over the next 20 years, it takes time to develop weapons systems, hulls, electronics, engines, etc.... Our freedom that we don't fully appreciate comes with a price, don't ever forget that. As for taxation, yes, big businesses need tax breaks, otherwise they will relocate elsewhere where taxes are more favourable to them. How many well paying jobs would we lose?? Manufacturing is all but dead in Ontario because we allowed business to leave. Businesses are necessary folks, they provide jobs for everyone. We already have a bloated public sector that costs us a fortune to keep up. We can't have lots of social services without lots of taxation. All those services need to be paid for. I could go on and on and on.

I see Bob Rae as being an interim leader of the party. Ignatieff was out of touch with the people, just because the papers were reporting that the Harper Conservatives were in contempt of parliament didn't mean that Canadians wanted an election over it, the budget was right for the times and we really just didn't care if Harper's gang bullied the other parties, suck it up buttercup!! That was Parliamentary nonsense and had nothing to do with the price of a can of beans which is what we worry about.

I just saw on CP24 that Michael Ignatieff has resigned as Leader of the Federal Liberals. Good Riddance to him. He was the wrong guy to lead the party. He was out of touch with what Canadians wanted. Hopefully they can nominate an effective leader over the next few months. Dion was another disaster. Unfortunately, the party has slid over the past several years because of the lack of effective leadership. Maybe they can rebuild and in 4 years may actually contend once again with good policy.

He may as well take the free seats and whatever they offer him. To sue them in absentia would be difficult and would probably cost a small fortune in travelling, lodging etc... Not worth it.

Bob Rae will probably be the next leader of the Liberal Party and like mentioned above, Justin Trudeau will lead one day. The Liberals got what they deserved this time around, they brought down a semi functional Parliament for no good reason other than a power play. Jack Layton squeezed himself in between the Liberals and thankfully brought down the Bloc, they won't qualify for federal funding next time around if there is one for them. It's because of the Bloc that we have had 3 successive minority governments, they split the vote in Quebec. At least Layton will be in Ottawa to keep the Tories honest. The Greens have a seat and Elizabeth May should make things interesting any time the environment is brought up in the Lower House. I hope the first order of business is to bring down the Long Gun Registry. The Second to be the elimination of Federal funding for qualifying Political Parties, I don't believe that my tax dollars should fund them especially a party that wants to separate from Canada. I'm not a firm believer of cutting my own throat.

The boogeyman is finally gone. He was a great mind but also a master manipulator of people. With him gone, our friends to the South can sleep a bit easier now. Hopefully the US/Pakistan relations will strengthen over this and maybe the region can begin to stabilize. As for those conspiracy theorists out there, I thought he had morning coffee with GW every day in the White House. GOOD RIDDANCE!!!

Wayne, thank you for posting this. Twilight, your thoughtfullness will never be forgotten. Jen, you keep on fighting girl!!

Hmmmmmf. I just received one last week as a gift, thankfully I have not connected it to the web and don't plan on it now that this has happened. Too much personal information being handled by too many people can't be good. Skakin' my faith in the WWW.

Maybe at the Delawanna Inn. Call them up and see if it will be on there at the bar.

They've been around for a long time so I guess they can't be that bad.

The rowers were out at 5am when it was still calm, the wind came in out of nowhere and pitched a few in. Chilly!!

Wow is it ever blowing out there!! I've had a couple of shingles blow off the roof and already called my roofers to come do the repairs. Hopefully it stops blowing when they get here later today. We've gone from nice and sunny at 7am to torrential rains, sun again and now cloudy here in Oakville.

Try a big sucker minnow 5-8 inches in length on a 3/0 or 4/0 hook and a bobber a few feet up. Toss in and wait. The early pike can be notorious for being finnicky and closed mouthed. Give it a shot, works like a charm for us in Muskoka for the opener.

Good one!!!

I've bought tackle at both stores and I can't say anything bad about either. They beat BPS hands down. I'd rather give my tackle dollars to the smaller shops like the abovementioned two and also JB's. I haven't been to Angling Outfitters out in Woodstock but have heard good things about them.

Where bouts are ya Sinker??

Lloyd, do you work at Gilmer's Home Hardware?? We've spent a lot of time there over the years picking up lumber, paint, stain, etc... over the years for our place in Osaca.

Have him try Seafoam, maybe there is some carbon buildup that might be causing it to not shut completely. But, it is probably a broken valve spring, bent pushrod, bent valve, warped head........ Good luck.

That's a good website and so is iboats.com The forums there are very helpful with regards to engines but also rigging, restoring, hull repairs, etc...

Talk about being blindsided!! My sincerest condolences go out to his family and close friends. John helped numerous people here on the board with their real estate transactions. He was generous with his wealth of knowledge. Not too many people out there like that, helping out pretty much complete strangers. You will be missed by those whose lives you have touched. Tightlines up there John.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, PUT THE DRAINPLUG IN!!!

Nice!! Congrats to our Little Communtity that's growing by leaps and bounds.

If you guys don't want to try to tackle it yourselves, contact Brian from JB's Fishing Depot. He rigs boats as well. I don't know what he'd charge but I do know that the job will be done right. He's a stickler for the details.

-Fresh engine oil (make sure you use the correct type and grade), I know for I/0's it's usually 20W50 at least. -Fresh lower unit oil. Fresh gas (I store mine nearly empty with Marine Stabil in it and when I pull up to the pump it's really gonna hurt). -Charge batteries. -Trolling motor connections and functionality. -Make sure all fittings are tight. -Lights need to be checked and contacts cleaned where possible. -Bilge emptied out. -Engine started on muffs to see if it runs. -Condition of propellor and skeg? Repair if needed. -Instrumentation, does it work like it's supposed to? -Electronics working? -Condition of Canvas/covers?? Any repairs needed? -Hull condition?? Any visible cracks or damage? -Safety kit on board (does the flashlight work?? put fresh batteries in). -Lfe jackets (one or 2 more than you usually need). -Paperwork, insurance and ownership onboard in a watertight container. -Wash and Wax, she has to be nice and shiny before she hits the H20. Trailer: -Condition of Winch and winch strap? -Tires? Correct pressure and condition. -Bunks and rollers, fasteners snug? -Lights all working?? -Inspect bearings. Jack up and see if there is any play in the wheel. Does the wheel spin freely? -Trailer brake conditon?? -Condition of the trailer itself. Any broken or damaged welds? Metal condition? BOAT LAUNCH AND LAKE FOR TEST DRIVE!! SMILE, PRICELESS!!

It'll go plenty fast enough. The 6's of today are more powerful then the 8's of yesterday. Back in the early 90's we used to race 5.0 stangs. With some work we'd get up to 300hp and they were plenty fast. Enjoy!