canada goes to hell
A reader sent me this great story.
not so fast
Not everyone thinks the Conservative government is a lock. Canada's opposition Conservative Party, which is set to bring down the minority Liberal government later this week, was hit by a new opinion poll on Monday that showed it was trailing in the country's most vote-rich region. The Leger Marketing poll for the Sun chain of newspapers put support for the Liberals in the powerful central province of Ontario at 43 percent compared with 31 percent for the Conservatives. Ontario, a Liberal stronghold at the federal level for the past 12 years, accounts for 106 of the 308 seats in House of Commons, and no party can hope to form a government without doing well there. . . . Prime Minister Paul Martin's Liberals have been badly hurt by a corruption scandal and Conservative leader Stephen Harper says the government must be defeated as soon as possible. The Leger figures, however, suggest there is no guarantee Harper can end 12 years of Liberal rule. Thanks, ALPF! I must say, I...
I've read this story too. Ah, the things I do while waiting for quitting time. My job (programming), runs in cycles. There's this dull period between cycles where there isn't much to do except surf the net. It gives me time to read your blog though :). At other times, I have to work long hours for weeks on end. I love my job, but sometimes I wish things flowed a little more evenly.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I noticed you mention somewhere that you'd be considered common-law (i.e. married without the certificate) in Canada. You mean there isn't an equivalent in New York? Here, after a couple has been living with each other for a set amount of time, they get pretty much all the legal benefits of being married.
--Kyle
I've read this story too. Ah, the things I do while waiting for quitting time. My job (programming), runs in cycles. There's this dull period between cycles where there isn't much to do except surf the net. It gives me time to read your blog though :). At other times, I have to work long hours for weeks on end. I love my job, but sometimes I wish things flowed a little more evenly.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I noticed you mention somewhere that you'd be considered common-law (i.e. married without the certificate) in Canada. You mean there isn't an equivalent in New York? Here, after a couple has been living with each other for a set amount of time, they get pretty much all the legal benefits of being married.
--Kyle
Well, I should clarify that. You don't get all of the benefits, especially if the relationship breaks up.
ReplyDeleteBut for tax purposes anyway, you have a spouse if you've cohabitated with another person for 12 months *and* the relationship is intimate.
--Kyle
Well, I should clarify that. You don't get all of the benefits, especially if the relationship breaks up.
ReplyDeleteBut for tax purposes anyway, you have a spouse if you've cohabitated with another person for 12 months *and* the relationship is intimate.
--Kyle
Oh, interesting. My day-job (i.e. the job that supports my life, as opposed to my work as a writer, which earns some income but not enough to live on) also has lots of down-time. I do my best reading and web-surfing there.
ReplyDeleteNo, there is nothing in NY State, or any US state as far as I know, that is the legal equivalent of common-law partner. A court may recognize it if you sue for an estate or child custody, but it's not actually a legal designation, and you never see it on an official document.
I've been wondering, do Allan and I living together without being legally married threaten the married couple next door more or less than the same-sex couple who want to get legally married? This moral value stuff is so confusing!
Oh, interesting. My day-job (i.e. the job that supports my life, as opposed to my work as a writer, which earns some income but not enough to live on) also has lots of down-time. I do my best reading and web-surfing there.
ReplyDeleteNo, there is nothing in NY State, or any US state as far as I know, that is the legal equivalent of common-law partner. A court may recognize it if you sue for an estate or child custody, but it's not actually a legal designation, and you never see it on an official document.
I've been wondering, do Allan and I living together without being legally married threaten the married couple next door more or less than the same-sex couple who want to get legally married? This moral value stuff is so confusing!
Good question, who knows? I'm common law with my girlfriend, but that's fairly common around here. She hasn't even been baptized, so I guess we're already doomed heathens. But nobody complains that we threaten the institution of marriage. If my gay uncle gets married, it doesn't treaten me, but I'm already "living in sin".
ReplyDeleteActually, the gay marriage debate sounds very different in Canada than in the U.S.
Common law has applied to same sex couples in Canada for several years. That weird "God hates gays" pastor from Topeka Kansas came around when the law was changed years ago and protested, but nobody on either side of the debate paid attention to him.
The latest surveys say 40% of Canadians support gay marriage, 27% are dead against it, and the rest seem to want it called something other than "marriage".
Although, if the question was asked "would you vote based on gay marriage", I think that only the 27% that are dead against it would really care.
--Kyle
Good question, who knows? I'm common law with my girlfriend, but that's fairly common around here. She hasn't even been baptized, so I guess we're already doomed heathens. But nobody complains that we threaten the institution of marriage. If my gay uncle gets married, it doesn't treaten me, but I'm already "living in sin".
ReplyDeleteActually, the gay marriage debate sounds very different in Canada than in the U.S.
Common law has applied to same sex couples in Canada for several years. That weird "God hates gays" pastor from Topeka Kansas came around when the law was changed years ago and protested, but nobody on either side of the debate paid attention to him.
The latest surveys say 40% of Canadians support gay marriage, 27% are dead against it, and the rest seem to want it called something other than "marriage".
Although, if the question was asked "would you vote based on gay marriage", I think that only the 27% that are dead against it would really care.
--Kyle
Yes, the debate is very different up north...
ReplyDeleteIn Alberta (the only province openly against gay marriage) most people would support legislation that allowed some form of civil unions, but not marriage. Which to me makes no sense. If it is the same thing and u just have 2 terms for it then really we are just ubfuscating the issue. "The word is not the Thing" comes to mind...
I personally think Gays should be allowed to marry, and further more if people really don't want to call it marriage then the gov't should get out of the business. Call all marriages civil unions and remove the term from legal use. But people should be equal... Always!
I am just glad that our "Man in White" Steven Harper doesn't have more pull on this issue! And that our gov't is progressive enough to deal with this situation in a mature and rational manor.
Yes, the debate is very different up north...
ReplyDeleteIn Alberta (the only province openly against gay marriage) most people would support legislation that allowed some form of civil unions, but not marriage. Which to me makes no sense. If it is the same thing and u just have 2 terms for it then really we are just ubfuscating the issue. "The word is not the Thing" comes to mind...
I personally think Gays should be allowed to marry, and further more if people really don't want to call it marriage then the gov't should get out of the business. Call all marriages civil unions and remove the term from legal use. But people should be equal... Always!
I am just glad that our "Man in White" Steven Harper doesn't have more pull on this issue! And that our gov't is progressive enough to deal with this situation in a mature and rational manor.
If you have two words for something, then it is not the same thing. Why do you need two different categories, two different words, if all people are equal? Separate is always unequal.
ReplyDeleteI personally don't like the institution of marriage for myself, and I find the whole thing pretty pointless. But why should one person's relationship get sanctioned one way, and another person's not, based on something as insignificant as sexual orientation?
That's a rhetorical question. I'm not turning this blog into a gay marriage forum. Anyone against it can just post elsewhere!
If you have two words for something, then it is not the same thing. Why do you need two different categories, two different words, if all people are equal? Separate is always unequal.
ReplyDeleteI personally don't like the institution of marriage for myself, and I find the whole thing pretty pointless. But why should one person's relationship get sanctioned one way, and another person's not, based on something as insignificant as sexual orientation?
That's a rhetorical question. I'm not turning this blog into a gay marriage forum. Anyone against it can just post elsewhere!
Education is the main difference between the 2 societies. I wrote something in my post called "Prisoners" but...I had no comments from people yet
ReplyDeleteEducation is the main difference between the 2 societies. I wrote something in my post called "Prisoners" but...I had no comments from people yet
ReplyDelete