Monday, November 24, 2008

Finally The Right Minister At Heritage!

I found that I had to come back to the exchange between Minister James Moore and Bloq MP Lavallee, because so far the feminists have been running the Heritage show, and having a female Minister hasn't stopped them from making ridiculous allegations. Finally, I think they have met their match!



These feminists are arrogant women who think that just because they are female they are the only ones who have the right to decide anything about "arts and culture". The only reason the Bloq didn't get decimated was because of supposed arts cuts. Moore clues them in and watching the tape you can see that Lavallee is steamed. HA!

Keep up the good work James!

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have to wonder where you get some of your ideas, Miss Hunter. Let's fisk.

Re:"so far the feminists have been running the Heritage show, and having a female Minister hasn't stopped them from making ridiculous allegations"

What do you mean - that former Heritage Ministers were responsible for the Status of Women? And that now, that portfolio belongs to another department?

What feminist ministers are you talking about? Jose Verner? And what ridiculous accusations has she made? I would have thought she was too busy presiding over balloon festivals and pie bakes to make any ridiculous accusations. Anyhow, while we are on the subject, what are these ridiculous accusations of which you speak?

Re:"These feminists are arrogant women who think that just because they are female they are the only ones who have the right to decide anything about "arts and culture".

That is a straw woman :) argument and completely unsubstantiated. It doesn't say anything about arrogance and privilege on Carole Lavallee's wiki page. She's acting on behalf of her constituency. Just like any proper elected official is supposed to do. If you think you CAN substantiate your remarks please do. I'm all ears.

Re: "The only reason the Bloq didn't get decimated was because of supposed arts cuts."

Um, didn't the Bloc come in with around 50% of the vote in Quebec? Hardly near decimated. No matter, there is also the little
question of what people value - let me fill you in - you like videos right?

Re: "Moore clues them in and watching the tape you can see that Lavallee is steamed. HA!"

This guy just says the same thing over and over again and it gets funny because, he is factually wrong, His rant is designed to obfuscate the issue and Lavallee's rebuttal is right on track. Check out the last four paragraph's of this aticle and tell me that you still find Mr. Moore's "argument" convincing :

But the Conservative record on cultural spending when measured as a portion of all government spending shows that Conservatives, three years later, support the arts at about the same level that the Liberals did in their last year.

During the final budgetary year of former prime minister Paul Martin’s government, $18.06 of every $1,000 spent by the government was spent on cultural programs. That jumped in Harper’s first year in government to $19.54 but by this year it has fallen back to about where the Liberals were at $18.23 of every $1,000 spent by the government.

Using that measure - spending in one area compared to overall spending in any other area - cultural spending has fared worse than any other program in the three-year Conservative term.

The Tories have seen the portion of all spending they need to make on public debt drop by more than 22 per cent. But they have used the spending room created by smaller debt charges to boost spending, as a portion of all government spending, on security and public safety (up 15 per cent); environment and resource-based programs (up 14.4 percent) and general government services (13.7 per cent.)

Re: "Moore clues them in..."

Not really. Not at all actually.

The eight percent figure is FUBAR. This minister is a joke, announcing the cancellation of the National Portrait Gallery in a two paragraph statement at five pm on a Friday... Where are the Heritage Committee deliberations (ie. parliamentary protocols) on this subject? What, there are none? Ha! No skin off his back to be the one announcing the government is just wasting millions of Canadian taxpayer dollars they already spent on the project with which they no longer wish to be bothered.

The Heritage issues in parliament have nothing to do with women (be they feminist or not) anymore. As a female I would have thought you could comprehend such nuance.

Oh well.

Anonymous said...

BTW, maybe the conservatives should think about running more women in Quebec. It works very well for the Bloc and Liberals there!

Anonymous said...

Oh and one more thing in parting - I think it's time to stop referring to the cuts to Trade Routes and Prom Arts etc as "supposed". Cuts are cuts. Same with recessions. You can use all the "supposeds" and "technicals" you want to describe'em. A cut to arts funding is still a cuts to arts funding. A recession is still a recession.

Anonymous said...

I would really like to know how arts and culture spending affects my life and the lives of the majority of Canadians. I'd like to know how the status of women affects the lives of the average woman. I'd like to know how multi-culturalism has affected the lives of average Canadians.

Funny, most of my generation's grandparents were immigrants and somehow we blended without the assistance of elitest government departments.

As far as I know, these three initiatives (there are many more) have done nothing to significantly enhance the lives of the majority of Canadians of either gender.

Anonymous said...

Um. Nice diversionary tactics East of Eden. Keep digging that hole you've got going on there. Maybe you'll get somewhere.

Anonymous said...

Nice try, Stereo. Sorry, not going to work. Too bad you can't answer the questions I posed.

Anonymous said...

What do you mean? Not going to work? Are you not off topic? Nor would I be so hasty, if I were you to predict my ability to answer your question or not. How do you want to start, with the fact that as an economic sector culture makes up 7.4 percent of the GDP? Or should we start where you live and see what we have in the way of libraries, theatres and museums etc.?

Southern Quebec said...

A program does not have to effect the lives of a majority of Canadians to be effective. How much money is spent on our "elite" (I know you love that word) Olympic athletes. Why should money be spent on synchronized swimming for pete's sake?

If you don't have arts and culture, you basically have that North Korean grey look. For some reason, and this goes to the local and provincial level, there is always money for sports, but not culture.

Anonymous said...

Actually, SQ, I am not in favour of so much being spent on the Olympics. It has become a money pit and overly commercialized. The whole spirit of the Olympics has deteriorated into something which does not reflect the original spirit of the games. I would rather that we either cut the funding or move the funding to support local sports in our communities. I'd like to see more bike paths, hiking trails, outdoor skating rinks...that sort of thing, if we're going to put millions into it.

Stereo - as far as libraries, theatres and museums are concerned - the libraries in my city are funded at a municipal level. Theatres should be encouraged to support themselves by putting on productions which people will pay to see. As for museums - perhaps but we seem to have more and more museums and, really, how many of us go to them frequently. I also recall paying to enter the museums which I visit, not that I do it often.

I will, however, concede that we should have partial funding for a limited number of venues but not as many as we do.

With regard to art - IMHO, we spend too much on overpriced pseudo-art. Art is subjective and from what I've seen at our art gallery in Ottawa - feh. Television shows and the CBC - why should they not stand on their own? Why do we have to fund Canadian productions which insufficient number of people watch? If a Canadian production cannot garner an audience sufficient to support the production, then it should not be funded from the public purse.

The money we waste (in my opinion) would be better spent on building retirement homes for vulnerable senior citizens or more teachers to reduce classroom size.

Anonymous said...

Re: "I'd like to see more bike paths, hiking trails, outdoor skating rinks...that sort of thing, if we're going to put millions into it."

How are the Status of Women, Arts and Culture and Multi-Culturalism in the way of your lobby?


Re:"...as far as libraries, theatres and museums are concerned - the libraries in my city are funded at a municipal level."

And the books in those libraries - any written by Canadians who might have been funded federally?

Re:"Theatres should be encouraged to support themselves by putting on productions which people will pay to see."

Actually that doesn't really answer the question of whether or not you have theatres in your town. I assume you do - is it a fair assumption?

Re: "As for museums - perhaps but we seem to have more and more museums and, really, how many of us go to them frequently."

Too many museums to have an impact on the life of an average Canadian? Mon Dieu!

Re: "I also recall paying to enter the museums which I visit, not that I do it often."

That should sit well with you. My guess is they're trying to support themselves by charging you for an experience you wanted to have. Anyway, memberships at museums tend to bring the costs of visits down. Also most museums have free or pay what you can nights.

Re: "With regard to art - IMHO, we spend too much on overpriced pseudo-art. Art is subjective and from what I've seen at our art gallery in Ottawa - feh."

Again, this doesn't answer the question of whether and which museums you have in your city. Examples please. Also, that art is subjective is well known. And?

Re: " Television shows and the CBC - why should they not stand on their own?"

Do they not?


Re: "Why do we have to fund Canadian productions which insufficient number of people watch?"

Why do we have elections wherein an insufficient number of people vote?
Seriously, what is a sufficient number of viewers and how do you know this magical figure?

Re: "If a Canadian production cannot garner an audience sufficient to support the production, then it should not be funded from the public purse."

The same could be said of Canadian retail chains like Eaton's and Hudsons Bay.

A tragic mentality thinks this way about artists and the arts though. Why should talented and skilled people stay working in a country that cares for artworks only once they're recognized elsewhere? Ever heard of Brain Drain?

Anyway - as mildly interesting and diverting as your quibbles with the arts may be, they're still beside the point of the post in question which was all about the incredible James Moore and the fight with evil feminists in parliament!

Anonymous said...

Which, BTW he lost.I wonder what the folks back home in Port Moody, City of the Arts are thinking?

hunter said...

Thank you Mystereeoso, you are presenting ideas for debate, not just name calling, very refreshing and much appreciated! Have you been talking to our favorite SQ??

Also thanks to EofE who takes those to task who need it, but in a very nice way! I trust that when I am at work, my posters will hold down the fort for me.

Anonymous said...

You're welcome Hunter. Say, don't you think James Moore seems a bit like a yelling angry person in that video?