JERRY AGAR

If I ran Canada

Posted By: Jerry Agar · 8/8/2012 8:26:00 PM

Blogger John Hawkins ran a list of how America would look if Tea Party conservatives ran the country. Here it is.

I re-worked it, and made a shorter list, using the things that I think could apply in Canada.

1) …There would be fewer regulations, lower taxes, a business-friendly environment, and a much smaller government that would lead to considerably stronger economic growth and job creation. In fact, we'd probably have to dramatically increase the number of work permits we hand out to foreign workers, not because there are "jobs Canadians won't do," but because so many Canadians would be employed that we'd have to bring in more people to do all of the available work.

2) ...The richest Canadians would have more money. Of course, so would the middle class and the poor. In fact, the only people who wouldn't benefit economically would be the ones who spend their lives relying on the government, instead of their own effort, to pay their bills.

3) ...We'd have a much flatter, simpler tax code that you could fill out on a single sheet of paper. If I could I would eliminate income tax altogether. With less government we would need less money for the government, and it is none of the government's business how much money you and I legally make.

4) ...Welfare would still exist, but there wouldn't be as much need for it, it would be considered shameful to take, and you can be sure that people would have to work for every hand-out they receive.

5) ...Social Insurance would be privatized and invested. That means the people who put nothing in would have nothing to take out, but the people who do pay in would have a lot more money to withdraw.

6) ...We'd still put some research money into alternative energy, but we'd also work to build a lot more nuclear power plants and we'd encourage private industry to produce more clean coal and natural gas. Oil would also be much cheaper because the keystone pipeline would be built.

7) ...There would be fewer government workers and the ones we’d have would make less on average than the taxpayers paying their salary.

8) ...Health care would be much cheaper and more efficient by re-privitizing as much as possible. Monopolies are illegal for a reason in the private sector and none of those good reasons evaporate when government takes over.

9) ...Legal immigration would be faster, cheaper, and much more efficient. We'd also be selecting new immigrants based on merit instead of rewarding people for breaking our laws or allowing them to come here because their son or cousin already managed to become a citizen.

10) ...The death penalty would be applied much more liberally for terrible crimes and all violent crime would result in a very stiff sentence, which generally does not happen today in Canada, (against the will of the average Canadian.)

11) ...All people would be welcome to practice their religious faith with no official state-run religion. Religious people would be just as welcome in the public debate as anyone else, which would end some of the religious bigotry we see today.

12) ....Children would be taught abstinence in school, having kids out of wedlock would be frowned upon, and abortion would be legal only in the case of rape, incest, or danger to the life of the mother.

13) ...We'd have school vouchers so that we could introduce competition into our school systems and allow all parents to send their kids to the same kind of schools that the rich do today. We'd also spend a lot more time teaching kids reading, writing, arithmetic, history, and economics and spend a lot less time worrying about their self-esteem. Self-esteem is best built through actual success.

14) ...We'd have safe water, safe food, clean air, and a clean environment, but we'd put an end to the years of legal challenges to new building projects.

15) ...There would be no public unions. Private unions would, of course, still exist, but no one would be forced to join and employers, if they so desire, would be able to fire everyone in the union and get a new work force. No one has a right to a job, but people do have a right to run the business they built.

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  • 21
  1. Richard Collins posted on 08/08/2012 11:51 PM
    I love it!
  2. Justin R posted on 08/08/2012 11:54 PM
    The only point where I can find anything to disagree with is on abortion. Surely it should be mandatory in cases where it is plain and evident that the mother is unfit to raise the child, due to her economic or intellectual limitations? If she's too poor or too stupid to provide the child with the upbringing necessary to create a competent and productive adult, allowing the child to be born would be nothing less than child abuse.
  3. Aj posted on 08/09/2012 04:51 AM
    Jerry is dreaming out loud. This is the same mentality that drove people in USA to elect a black man as the president. Your bullcrap ain't going to be sold in Canada. If Jerry runs Canada, he will run it to the grounds! Hey FOX television needs a fool and you should move back there.
  4. GRT posted on 08/09/2012 09:04 AM
    Agree with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15.
    6 - not so sure,
    8 - not as simple as you suggest,
    9 - should be harder to get into Canada,
    12 - is that much different than today's reality?
  5. levon posted on 08/09/2012 09:48 AM
    This is simply another member of Agar's whacky Tea Bagger world pushing their political ignorance and delusion. It's killing the US congress and would be as devisive as the separatist party from Quebec. Canadians would be best working within our 3 major parties than adopt such a regressive political movement.
  6. Colin posted on 08/09/2012 09:51 AM
    Religious yahoos who believe in adult fairy tales having any say in the political process? The death penalty? Which has been proven to get it wrong much too often for such an irreversible penalty and has also statistically not worked as a deterrent for murder at all. Illegal abortions? Apparently the Canada Jerry is running has also discovered a worm hole and has travelled back in time to the stone ages. The whole list was complete nonsense. Ignorant to the point of dangerous on such a public forum.
  7. ArtC posted on 08/09/2012 11:26 AM
    Wheww...! just woke up in a cold sweat. I had a nightmare about Jerry Agar the radical right wing nutcase on newstalk 1010 getting elected prime minister.
    good grief! Thank the good lord it's only a nightmare.
  8. Jerry Agar posted on 08/09/2012 11:33 AM
    I notice, with amusement, a lot of gratuitous attacks on this column and its ideas, but very little intelligent comment on why my ideas won't work. I would love to see an explanation of how continuing to grow government at a faster rate than the private sector is sustainable and desirable.
    1. SteveB_10 posted on 08/09/2012 11:47 AM
      @Jerry Agar Jerry I answer the call. First your 15 cures for Canada and your preposition are totally different. You have set up a straw man, the only tool in your tool box. Obviously government can not spend faster than the growth of GDP endlessly. However, in time of low demand government must spend to support the economy. The problem is during booms it must cut spending and save. That was the lesson not one right winger learned from the great depression. I offer as proof Germany, Sweden, Finland and other northern European countries as examples of highly successful economies based upon high levels of taxation and government spending.
  9. stacey posted on 08/09/2012 12:09 PM
    Great suggestions Jerry, you have my vote.

    I've always wondered why we need the government to run our lives for us. Also is the government (all levels) such a bad employer that its employees need a union to 'protect' and 'fight' for benefits/ rights? No wonder the general public has such a negative perception of politicians.

    ArtC, are you collecting welfare benefits to enable you to sleep so late in the day?
    1. ArtC posted on 08/09/2012 12:30 PM
      @stacey no Stacey just took a little break at work. That's ok isn't it in a democratic society? I pay all my taxes also :)
      When you get radical haters of Canada and our way of life which most of us treasure because it's different from the US. i just find it more amusing to comment back with something sarcastic as opposed to trying to rationalize with people like this man and others of his ilk.
  10. SteveB_10 posted on 08/09/2012 12:27 PM
    All in all Jerry you could go to any bar in the world at midnight and find two drunks coming up with better solutions to solve the worlds problems.


    1) …There would be fewer regulations, lower taxes, a business-friendly environment, and a much smaller government that would lead to considerably stronger economic growth and job creation. In fact, we'd probably have to dramatically increase the number of work permits we hand out to foreign workers, not because there are "jobs Canadians won't do," but because so many Canadians would be employed that we'd have to bring in more people to do all of the available work.

    The repeal of Glass Stingel regulations are responsible for the current financial crisis. Private enterprise has no interest in doing the right thing, only the thing that is profitable this quarter. It is foolish not to have heavily regulated industry. It has been proven time and again that the cost to clean up or repair is far far greater than the cost to do it right the first time. Yes if there were no regulation like China our economic output would be greater for a short time, but in the long run not sustainable or profitable.

    2) ...The richest Canadians would have more money. Of course, so would the middle class and the poor. In fact, the only people who wouldn't benefit economically would be the ones who spend their lives relying on the government, instead of their own effort, to pay their bills.

    The gap between rich and poor is the thing destroying our economy. Rich people hoard there money and are actually very conservative. Not job creators. It has been proven that after a certain point the laffer curve is a joke, and the money does not trickle down. In fact in today's globalized world it is most likely to flow out of the country. What magic is going to give money to everyone, except the lazy?
    http://www.businessinsider.com/mitt-romney-economic-plan-jobs-2012-8?utm_source=readme&utm_medium=rightrail&utm_term=&utm_content=1&utm_campaign=recirc

    3) ...We'd have a much flatter, simpler tax code that you could fill out on a single sheet of paper. If I could I would eliminate income tax altogether. With less government we would need less money for the government, and it is none of the government's business how much money you and I legally make.

    I could support this in principle but it would never work in practice. The rich would simply purchase things offshore, live abroad and import stuff tax free. It is the governments business to regulate the power of the individual, and money is power. We saw during the Robber Baron era in the US what happens when the government does not prevent massive accumulation of wealth through financial inertia.

    4) ...Welfare would still exist, but there wouldn't be as much need for it, it would be considered shameful to take, and you can be sure that people would have to work for every hand-out they receive.

    I think for the most part this exists right now in Canada, and Jerry you are in Canada.

    5) ...Social Insurance would be privatized and invested. That means the people who put nothing in would have nothing to take out, but the people who do pay in would have a lot more money to withdraw.

    This is totally false, its proven that most people cannot manage their money, and are nickled and dimed to death with fees. A safe stable Social insurance is what separates humans from animals.

    6) ...We'd still put some research money into alternative energy, but we'd also work to build a lot more nuclear power plants and we'd encourage private industry to produce more clean coal and natural gas. Oil would also be much cheaper because the keystone pipeline would be built.

    Nuclear power is much too expensive. If you look at the real costs in Ontario right now it is the Nuclear that is costing us the big bucks. The green energy is really not even on line yet, so its false to say its driving up costs. http://thinkingaboot.blogspot.ca/2011/05/idiot-wind.html
    Clean coal is a teabag fantasy, it does not work and the Harper government has blown billions on failed sequestration. The cost of healthcare is far higher than the stupid way to make energy cheap. Even if you’re so superstitious don’t believe in climate change, you gotta believe spreading mercury and heavy metals around the province is not a good idea. Oil would not be cheaper if the keystone pipeline was built. The oil companies control the price of gasoline in North America. They already buy Alberta oil at 30% below world prices. This savings does not go to the North American consumer. The keystone pipeline is designed to carry oil to Texas where it can be refined for export to Latin America. It makes far more sense for Alberta to refine the oil. In reality the energy and water used to make oil from the oil sands makes no economic sense. That is without accounting for the fact it is becoming the number one source of climate killing gases in the world.
    7) ...There would be fewer government workers and the ones we’d have would make less on average than the taxpayers paying their salary.
    I could agree with this, but not as you see it. You see someone making a working wage and want to pay them less. The problem is not the public workers make to much, it is the private sector makes to little. There is no intrinsic reason a private sector worker should make more than a public or vise versa.

    8) ...Health care would be much cheaper and more efficient by re-privitizing as much as possible. Monopolies are illegal for a reason in the private sector and none of those good reasons evaporate when government takes over.
    Forget this, see USA fail. If you want French Health care, no problem

    9) ...Legal immigration would be faster, cheaper, and much more efficient. We'd also be selecting new immigrants based on merit instead of rewarding people for breaking our laws or allowing them to come here because their son or cousin already managed to become a citizen.
    Agree, but sons and daughters should be able to bring parents over when they can support them. I would curb immigration and grow more of our own citizens. 3 year maternity (like Europe) leave should do the trick.

    10) ...The death penalty would be applied much more liberally for terrible crimes and all violent crime would result in a very stiff sentence, which generally does not happen today in Canada, (against the will of the average Canadian.)
    Morally wrong, if its okay for the state to kill, it sends the wrong message, and you claim to be a Christian? Crime rates are declining, why spend more money on vengeance. However I do agree repeat offenders need stiffer sentences. But we do not want an American situation.

    11) ...All people would be welcome to practice their religious faith with no official state-run religion. Religious people would be just as welcome in the public debate as anyone else, which would end some of the religious bigotry we see today.
    Religion should have no place in the state. If you like fairy tales don’t try and govern me with them.

    12) ....Children would be taught abstinence in school, having kids out of wedlock would be frowned upon, and abortion would be legal only in the case of rape, incest, or danger to the life of the mother.
    This is stupid and proven not to work. In Europe where they have much more graphic birth control instruction out of wedlock (children) is almost nonexistent. In the USA where they waste money on abstinence its epidemic. I love it when old men tell young women what they can do with their bodies.
    13) ...We'd have school vouchers so that we could introduce competition into our school systems and allow all parents to send their kids to the same kind of schools that the rich do today. We'd also spend a lot more time teaching kids reading, writing, arithmetic, history, and economics and spend a lot less time worrying about their self-esteem. Self-esteem is best built through actual success.
    I agree with the three R’s, privatization of schools is a bad idea, see the USA.

    14) ...We'd have safe water, safe food, clean air, and a clean environment, but we'd put an end to the years of legal challenges to new building projects.
    More fairy dust.

    15) ...There would be no public unions. Private unions would, of course, still exist, but no one would be forced to join and employers, if they so desire, would be able to fire everyone in the union and get a new work force. No one has a right to a job, but people do have a right to run the business they built.
    Right to work teabag disinformation.
    1. NeilK_4828 posted on 08/09/2012 01:37 PM
      @SteveB_10 Brilliant Post!

      Looking forward to Agar's response.

      If he had any chutzpah, he'd have you on his show for an hour (but then that would require Agar to demonstrate civil discourse - something most of know he's incapable of).
    show more replies
  11. nick posted on 08/09/2012 05:51 PM
    A few changes and you have my vote:

    4) Welfare would be third partied to a private secular charity, where there will be regular full unannounced public audit.

    7) Government workers would be paid a fair wage parallel to a similar job in the private sector. After all there is enough dead wood in the government now, we don’t want to attract more. Any raises and bonuses would be performance based. Seniority would cease to exist.

    11) The rule of law will always without exception override religious conventions. Yes this could mean the end of circumcision for boys and girls and the end of barbaric slaughter practices where there are more humane options available (that don’t necessarily mesh with religious requirements)

    13) Add the option of fully private schools.

    16) Legalization of all drugs. Prohibition is a waste of time.
    1. Getting Bored posted on 08/12/2012 05:26 PM
      @nick To #4; Who would do the auditing?

      We have seen multiple auditing companies in the USA go out of biz because of shenanigans and their fine outstanding corporate leaders sent off to jail. Private auditors can fudge the books for decades before it getting caught.

      13) But no taxpayer funding. You want it, you pay for it.

      16) Yes, a winner. Would also bring down the street price thereby reducing petty crimes to get the cash for the high prices now charged.

      It would also eliminate many jobs in the prison, police, counsellors and legal professions' thereby freeing up taxpayer dollars.
  12. SteveB_10 posted on 08/10/2012 01:34 PM
    For some intelligent discourse.
    http://www.esquire.com/features/keystone-0912
  13. SteveB_10 posted on 08/10/2012 02:43 PM
    More good news from the real world.
    http://www.businessinsider.com/germany-renewable-energy-production-is-living-up-to-the-hype-2012-7?utm_source=readme&utm_medium=rightrail&utm_term=&utm_content=1&utm_campaign=recirc
  14. Jerry Agar posted on 08/12/2012 08:56 AM
    So there are a couple of honest tries here among the moth breathing leftist idiots who can't communicate beyond hurling profanities to announce that they slept through school.

    You can attack my position on the death penalty if you like, but the majority of Canadians are for it, so that makes me mainstream on that one.

    Steve B, the idea that government has to spend in bad times is a belief that has led to the problems we have now, and is how people like FDR extended, rather than solved, the great depression. You don't spend when the money gets tight, and neither should government.

    There is no such thing as the Glass Stingel Act. You may have meant Glass-Steagall Act, and some will argue that you are right. But others would argue that it had more to do with the Community Reinvestment Act forcing banks to lend to people who could not pay back.

    Stop using the USA as an example, when it is obvious to me, having lived there, that many - most - people who criticize it have no clue what the reality is there. Our health care system is copied only by N. Korea. We lose to all European nations, which have a combination of social and private. Canadians need to wake up and get over the idea that ours is best. Ours is communist and an embarrassment.

    Saying that at some point the Laffer curve is a joke is a ridiculous argument. Of course it is. At both ends. That is how a curve works.
  15. Getting Bored posted on 08/12/2012 11:46 AM
    Most alert people understand that the 'New Tea Party" is a Koch Industries led Corporate shill, not at all related to the issue's the original TP'ers were fighting, which was Corporations teaming up with Governments to give the Corporation unfair Tax Advantages. Some call that Fascism.

    May i also add that having been away for many years I am, shall we say, taken aback by what CFRB has become. Did they get bought out by some right wing American Corp?

    Very strange and hostile to Canadians indeed.

    But let's review the items and the omissions........

    1) Which regulations would be eliminated? And why only those ones? Do you mean CRTC, Labour, Safety. Pollution regs or others? Of course you will lose the lawyers vote if you propose eliminating regulations because they would be out of work as well as the legal Secretaries and all of the support staff employed by thse Law Firms because there would be no regulations to fight against. But on the positive side there would be a lot of empty buidings on Bay Street that I could move into.

    Hummm maybe you woule lose the Landlords vote as well if they thought about the consequences.

    Lower taxes for who and how?

    2) So no Corporate hand outs say to GM, Ford, and the Oil and Gas Industry?

    3) Well you could eliminate all of those deductions that business of all size and salespeople enjoy such as lunches and dinners, dry cleaning, car leases, insurance and fuel, promotional costs, airline travel etc.. You know all those little perks that 'regular employees' can't deduct. I'm with 100% on this.

    Of course the best way to reduce income tax would be to go back to a tariff based economy that we had before 'Free From Tariff Trade'.

    4) So if these people would have to work for welfare what job(s) would they do? Radio Yapper? And when would they have time to look for a real job?

    5) Many, many people in the USA have had their 401k's wiped out under this type of pension plan. Let's leave the Corporates to what they already have and not swallowing our pensions as well.

    6) OK. I'm trying not to fall into the trap but it is August and not April 1 right? What is the purpose of this blog?

    The Keystone pipeline would lower Oil Prices? For who? Are you suggesting OPEC would all of a sudden feel some sort of benevolence to who, Canada or the USA and lower prices. The Oil is already here. The pipeline is just a matter of where it is going to be refined to which Canada will lose out on the refining jobs as it will be refined in the USA , which as a canadian I find repulsive but we have a Federal Conservative government, so I will say no more,, Canadians lose on jobs again.

    7) Yes if we have less (I propose no regulations period) govt workers, if any, because what would they be required to do? The last census put the number of govt employees at 315,500 . Would we even need 500? what would those 500 do?

    Of course that would kill 3 birds with one stone. Make more people available for work, lower house prices (they would have to sell because there would be no regulations restricitng foreign workers from coming in) and they could not afford their homes in Canada's no minimum wage non-regulation system.

    8) Yes just like Health care is cheaper in the USA. Please not all reading this are cogntively dissassociated.

    Monopilies are supposed to be Illegal but the gas prices at all the gas stations are always the same. Why is that? And car insurance in Ontario is pretty much the same wherever I check. After 35 years no accidents, tickets, impared, none, ever. Why is that?

    9) Define Merit? Forget it, just eliminate that pesky immigration/refugee regulations and get rid of all the govt workers and private lawyers who work on these things and we can save even more money. Let anyone who makes it come on in.

    10) Death penalty more liberally? Shoplifting is where I would start. No age limit for execution either.

    11) How about freedom from religion? No that would be a regulation. By the way, what is Canada's state run religion?

    12) You can't regulate biology............Ask grandmother Sarahaha Palin about that one.

    13) The voucher system is taxpayers money going to private corps. Aren't we getting tired of being hosed by these people?

    And I got news for you. If you think all kids have the same opportunities coming from different homes, you are being disingenuous. Both parents out working etc.. Homelife for the majority of kids is lacking.

    14) So if we get rid of those regulations who would insure we have clean anything? And if no regs, no need for challenges on new building projects.

    Opps. You may have lost the building inspectors vote to.

    15) Yes that what's we nedd, a right to work for less atmosphere. But then again those regulations wouldn't be required because there would be no Labour regulations.

    So much for the LabourlLawyers vote......
  16. Kathy Hamilton posted on 08/24/2012 09:12 AM
    Hi from rural Ontario, Jerry.

    Your list is well thought out, but can't see how it could ever become reality as long as Canada continues alignment with the UN Agenda 21/ Sustainable Development action plan, the "Rio Principles" and remains signatory to the "sister Conventions" signed onto in 1992.

    Are you aware that rural Ontario is being aggressively pushed over the "Smart Growth" cliff of "special policies" through a "special process" and that "urban growth boundaries" are being established under the public radar at the County/ Regional bureaucratic level, encompassing the "urban cores" of even our tiniest hamlets and rural Ontario villages?
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