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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: steve harris who wrote (311894)	11/23/2006 9:14:38 AM
From: Road Walker	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1573689

re: Sounds good. Let's tax the poor based upon their burden to society. Won't do much good, they are poor. Better, let's do that for politicians. How much would Bush pay?

To: steve harris who wrote (311894)	11/23/2006 9:15:33 AM
From: Road Walker	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1573689

Steve, how you feeling about supporting the Iraq war these days?

To: steve harris who wrote (311894)	11/24/2006 5:22:22 AM
From: tejek	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1573689

O to be a liberal country like Canada............... Canada Doubles Budget Surplus Forecast to C$7.2 Bln By Theophilos Argitis Nov. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty doubled his budget surplus forecast for this year, and committed to reduce personal income taxes and buy back more bonds as part of a plan to eliminate the government's net debt by 2021. The government anticipates a surplus of C$7.2 billion ($6.3 billion) for the fiscal year that ends March 31, up from the initial estimate of C$3.6 billion, Flaherty said in his semi- annual budget update released today in Ottawa. Flaherty also forecast C$50.1 billion of combined surpluses through 2012. ``From this year, every dollar of every surplus of the government of Canada will be applied to bringing down the debt,'' Flaherty said today at a hearing of the House of Commons finance committee, where the budget update was presented. Flaherty's plan builds on a 10-year effort to improve Canada's competitiveness by shoring up its finances, cutting debt and reducing spending. Canada was the only Group of Seven country to post a budget surplus last year as the economy benefits from higher commodity prices and record corporate profits. The so-called ``net'' government debt is about C$374 billion, which includes government debt, minus the assets of the Canada and Quebec pension plans. The new target assumes that the provinces also balance their budgets, Flaherty said. The debt goal is ``very ambitious,'' Glen Hodgson, chief economist with the Conference Board of Canada, said in a telephone interview. The government also moved up by one year its target of reducing debt to 25 percent of gross domestic product to by 2012- 13, from the current ratio of 35 percent. Lower Interest ``Eliminating Canada's total government debt will mean that fewer dollars will be spent on interest costs,'' the document said. ``It will mean that more money will remain in people's pockets so they can spend it or save it.'' Flaherty reiterated the government plans to reduce the federal goods and services taxes to 5 percent from 6 percent by 2011. The tax was cut earlier this year from 7 percent. Flaherty also pledged to devote part of any unforeseen budget surpluses to reducing personal income taxes. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has argued large budget surpluses have dragged down growth and only proved the previous Liberal Party government overtaxed Canadians. Canada, the world's eighth-biggest economy, recorded a C$13.2 billion budget surplus for the last fiscal year, and since 1997 has used more than C$80 billion in extra money to buy back government debt. Flaherty cut his forecast for economic growth this year to 2.8 percent, from 3 percent, but left his growth estimate for 2007 at 2.7 percent. Growth in 2008 is expected to accelerate to 3 percent. The government cut its forecast for the 10-year government bond yield to an average of 4.3 percent next year from 4.5 percent, and lowered its jobless rate estimate to 6.5 percent from 6.6 percent. bloomberg.com