So I guess it's only ok to try to force a company or nation to clean up it's act, and then bitch and moan when it doesn't happen, when it's the US or a US company, eh?
What say some of our forum readers who hail from the "Great White North" and like to mention the Kyoto treaty, etc from time to time? Any comment on this? Why hasn't the Canadian government forced their own businesses to clean up their act as they did when acid rain was such a huge issue with companies inside the US?
While our previous PM was a firm proponent of the Kyoto accord, and railroaded some stuff through Parliment to get his way, the populace of Canada is much more divided on the issue. Not everyone agrees that the Kyoto accord was drafted in a way that makes economic sense. Thus, without having read your linked article, I'm not surprised if enforcement has not been as stringent as some might have anticipated. I wouldn't be surprised if PM Martin is less adamant on the issue.
"Why hasn't the Canadian government forced their own businesses to clean up their act as they did when acid rain was such a huge issue with companies inside the US?"
Because they're stalling hypocrites who want to reap the rewards of being socially responsible without incurring any of the costs?
Because they're too often in the pocket of businesses, rather than the Canadian public?
Because, especially here in the West, Corporate interests, since they have influential lobbies and generate lots of revenues, are given truly ludicrous breaks in nearly every contest between their interest and the public good?
No, you're not going to find me defending my government on that. In many respects, they're even worse than you Americans.
So from now on, when some Canadian complains about how bad the US is screwing up whatever the issue of the second is, anyone from the US should tell them to:
Look twice in the mirror and call us when you've fixed your own issues?
Neither has the moral high ground when it comes to government effectiveness. That doesn't mean legitimate complaints should not be addressed on both sides.
You heard me talk about how piss poor some other country's government was, unless it was a response to a citizen of their's bashing the US first?
Yes, it's childish to react like that, but the point is, if half the people who bitch and moan about how bad the US is looked in their own backyards and fixed their OWN governments first maybe they wouldn't look so silly when stuff like this hits.
It's the old saying about glass houses and rolling boulders, you know.
When was the last time you heard me talk about how piss poor some other country's government was, unless it was a response to a citizen of their's bashing the US first?
When's the last time you heard any Canadian on this board bashing US policy? Certainly I haven't seen anything on the board to that effect recently. Your rant seems to be misdirected to me.
When's the last time you heard any Canadian on this board bashing US policy? Certainly I haven't seen anything on the board to that effect recently. Your rant seems to be misdirected to me.
Umm, let's see, about every other day last year around this time?
Misdirected? Maybe if you only remember anything that happened in the last 24 hours and forget anything else, yes.
As mentioned earlier I am not postng any of this to get back at anyone, or anything like that, but I couldn't help but put the link as a kind of 'in your face' thing. Yeah I guess I'm childish, but I like poking holes in hypocrites as well.
Am I holding a grudge? Not really, but I do have a long memory. Forgiving is no problem, forgetting is not going to happen.
See my post to Zed. It's easy to join the mob and poin t fingers at some other country. What's hard is to work and make your own government, where ever 'you' are, do better than the country 'you' are complaining about.
That's the only reason I linked to that article to begin with, more of a 'doctor heal thyself' comment than any real barb. People are people, we all goof, but geeze, it would seem that folks would make sure their own house was in order before they started bashing some other government for whatever action. At the least, some should admit their government's aren't perfect before the tirade begins, instead of seeming to imply that the country they are complaining about is the only example in the world of a country doing something they don't like.
