50 years later Nastiness Remains the Hallmark of Nationalist Quebec

Fifty years ago my then girlfriend (today my wife) was taking the train from downtown Montreal after work to meet me in St. Eustache for dinner and a Friday night date.
She got off the train and told me of the rather unpleasant experience of being chastised by the Via Rail ticket vendor for having the audacity of requesting a ticket for the Two Mountains stop.
The enraged defender of the faith told her rather impolitely that there was no such station and that if she wanted to go to Deux-Montagnes, that she'd have to ask for the ticket as such.

Selling train and metro tickets is honest work, but not brain surgery, it doesn't even require a high school diploma, with rudimentary literacy and sums the only job real requirement.  It would seem that lecturing passengers isn't part of the job description, but somehow the apparent frustration and animosity towards 'Les Autres' wins out occasionally.

The ignoramus Montreal metro ticket booth operator who last year put up a sign in his booth warning passengers that life in  Quebec happens in French, failed to understand that those offenders he was targeting wouldn't really get the message insult conveyed in the unilingual French sign.
As for the ticket seller opposed to the description of 'Two Mountains,' I'd ask him to name that big country south of Canada and if he answered the 'Etats-Unis,'  I'd smirk rather self-satisfyingly at his double-standard ignorance.

Such is the pettiness that hasn't changed over the decades where even today uneducated shlubs selling tickets in a dreary Metro or train ticket cage deem themselves arbiters of public policy and self-proclaimed saviours of the French language, empowered by the political atmosphere served up by nasty politicians and journalists.

Sadly this petty and hateful attitude permeates the political and journalistic class, where a failed independence movement has spawned gratuitous and mean-spirited attacks at anglos and ethnics.
And sadly the attitude pervades the CAQ and especially the Premier's office.

Make no mistake, the recent demand that the Lachute hospital remove its English signs is not based on the protection of the French language, but rather the persecution of the Anglo minority, a vicious and cruel reminder to them as to who is the boss of this province.
The idiotic rule that in order for a town to be accepted as officially bilingual, fifty percent of the population must be English, makes a mockery of the definition of 'minority.'

At any rate, as the CAQ is pushing full-steam ahead on religious restrictions, the public reaction is what is most frightening and worrisome.
Like the idiot ticket-sellers and assorted low-brows who feel empowered to chastise Anglos over perceived language slights, the Ethnics in Quebec are in for a rocky ride.

Any law that prohibits religious garb will herald open season for idiots with grade-school education to confront mostly Muslim women who choose to wear hijabs in public, EVEN IF THE LAW DOES NOT EXPRESSLY DISALLOW IT.

The unintended consequence of any anti-religious garb legislation is that it will signal to the public that such attire is unacceptable in any manner and in any place.

And it won't be pretty when the inevitable incidents of hate will manifest. Politicians and the French media will quickly disavow any responsibility for the climate of hate that the legislation will surely engender. The hand-wringing and sanctimonious reminders that Quebecers are open and welcoming won't cut it as incidents start to pile up, as they inevitably will.

For those in the media and in the radical French language and culture cabals who can't wait to lower the boom on Muslims, I wonder if they realize the cost to benefit ratio.
Quebec nationalists firmly believe that they can legislate the faith out of Muslim immigrants and somehow force them to embrace pork, poutine and maple syrup while abandoning Allah and the hijab.
Here's news for them, it ain't gonna happen, regardless of the law, regardless of the public shaming.

The truth is that if Quebec doesn't like what Muslims are, they shouldn't encourage their immigration. It is a painful truth which they don't want to face.
To those language and culture zealots, I would sound a warning that they should be mindful of the old Chinese saying.

"Be careful what you wish for; you just might get it" 

Yesterday an Angus-Reid poll indicated that 53% of Canadians believe that Quebec gets extra advantages out of confederation.
Removing the Quebec element from the poll with some simple math deduces that the number of Canadians residing outside Quebec who believed that Quebec is advantaged is actually 62.7%.

I firmly believe that support for Quebec sovereignty is much higher in the rest of Canada than in Quebec and that put to a national referendum, Quebec would certainly be shown the door.
How's that for a kick in the butt!

In light of the poll, Aaron Rand of Montreal radio station CJAD polled his listeners as to what it is about Quebec that Canadians dislike and received a variety of answers, most of which were patently true.

The answer is in fact quite simple,  Quebec's shameful and petty nastiness towards Canada, Anglos and Ethnics is what is so off-putting for Canadians.

Quebec politicians and the French media make it a point to shit all over Canada through oblique and overt slights and insults, typified by the pettiness of ignoring Canada Day and turning it into Quebec's 'moving day.'

 I wonder how the Quebec media would react if Anglo towns would create 'Garage Sale Day' on Quebec's Fete Nationale.

Quebec nationalists are a petty and nasty group of frustrated losers who spend their time slagging Canada in general and Quebec's ethnics and Anglos in particular.
They are practiced in biting the hand that feeds them and remain ungrateful fantasists who believe the utter nonsense that an independent Quebec would be more successful.

And so we are treated and will continue to be treated to a certain brand of anti-Canadian, anti Anglo/Ethnic nastiness that is what modern Quebec has evolved into.
What remains is a frustrated and sad society, too afraid to strike out on its own and thus relegated to sniping, griping and insulting in order to wallpaper its humiliation over its own cowardice over sovereignty.

Like a spouse who stays in a loveless relationship because the money is good and the option to leave inconvenient, bitterness, humiliation and frustration are is the price to be paid for cowardice.

Such is nationalist Quebec, nasty and frustrated ,where Anglos, Ethnics and Canada are the targets of its frustration, blamed as the object of its unhappiness when in fact the problem lies deep within.

Quebecois Don't Deserve French Language Protection

A recent outburst by Quebec Cabinet Minister Nathalie Roy bitching and moaning about the rampant disregard for Bill 101 in signage in downtown Montreal had me seeing red.
With fighting words, she promised to teach those Anglo bastards a thing or two in the new year by re-doubling efforts to root out transgressions by issuing more strident marching orders to the petty language Nazis of the OQLF.
The done-me-wrong theme of victimization plays well in the boonies and in the radical nationalist circle where English isn't just resented but outright loathed as an existential threat.

"I fear there will be a decline in the French language in Montreal, said the minister in conversation with Le Devoir on Tuesday . When I walk around and see businesses in different neighbourhoods that only display in a language other than French, there is a serious problem. There is a lack of enforcement Bill 101.

What a crock of poop!!!
The Office québécois de la langue française published a study earlier this year on the language of public signage that contradicted the Minister completely.

"Montreal, March 29, 2018. - The results of the study published today by the Office québécois de la langue française show a significant improvement in the rate of compliance with the Charter of the French Language of Public Signage by businesses located in a commercial centres and on the street on the island of Montreal between 2010 and 2017."

Since 2010, mall-based businesses achieved the highest rate of compliance with respect to both the general signage (from 64% to 78%) and the brand name  (from 79% to 88%) Messages displayed (excluding the name) in the window or on an external sign improved from 78% to 86%. Link{fr}

If there's a recurring theme amongst French language nationalists it is that French is under attack by the dastardly English and Allophone communities and especially by those infernal immigrants that choose to speak English and embrace 'Canadian' culture over 'Quebec' culture.

The theme is played ad nauseam by cheap politicians, journalists and language militants who want 'Les autres' to assimilate into the great francophone culture by attending concerts by Marie-Mai, whilst they the francophones, embrace Drake and Shawn Mendes.

It seems that everybody must nurture and protect the French language, everyone that is, except Francophone Quebecers who generally show benign indifference at best or complete apathy towards their own vaunted Quebec culture.
French-language nationalists and separatists cast blame and nasty aspersions upon us as if it is our lone responsibility to protect their language and culture. The misguided attacks are sad deflections that serve to wallpaper Francophone laziness and apathy towards their language, conveniently shifting the blame and the conversation away from their own failings.

The famous Mathieu Bock Cote, Josée Legault, Gilles Proulx, Mario Beaulieu, Mario Dumont and every PQ leader have never demanded nor even asked or hinted that francophones take an ounce of responsibility for protecting their own language. Instead, they harp on us to save their skins.
I'm not interested in the doing their bidding...

There's an old saying that tells us that "God helps those who help themselves."
Too bad francophones and their leaders believe that the responsibility to save their culture and language lies outside their community.

 It's simple, if Francophones want to save their language and culture they need to;

• Produce an average of two and a half children per family. That means that not one hated immigrant would be required to fill the ranks.
• They need to avoid English culture, stop attending English movies, watching English TV and paying to see English artists instead of supporting local Quebec francophone talent. 
• They need to send their children to French schools, including cegep and university.
• If they don't like seeing stores with English or Jewish non-French names and are offended by seeing Birks Reitmans, Levis or Apple on the masthead, don't shop there.
• And if all that fails, hold a referendum and have just 60% of francophones vote for sovereignty.

Of the 27 concerts held and to be held at Montreal's Bell Centre between last September and next August, there is but one francophone Quebec artist (Marie Mai),... yup just one.
There are four English Canadian artists (Michale Bublé, Shawn Mendes, Drake, Bryan Adams) acts and two English Quebec acts Leonard Cohen Tribute and Corey Hart), with the rest being American or foreigners
Who goes to these shows?
Certainly not the newly-arrived immigrants, ticket prices are out of reach.
Is it the Anglo and Allophone communities that fill the seats of the Bell Centre to the rafters or is it mostly francophone Quebecers who prefer Anglo artists to their own?

Each July, Quebec City holds a highly successful music festival that attracts over 135,000 fans over its course. Last July the concert featured;
Foo Fighters, The Weeknd, Neil Young, Shawn Mendes, Beck, Lorde, Future, Dave Matthews Band, The Chainsmokers, Jethro Tull, Sum 41.
The year before it featured;
Muse, The Who, Metallica, P!nk, Gorillaz, Kendrick Lamar, The Backstreet Boys, Lady Antebellum, Flume, Melissa Etheridge, Migos, DNCE.

Of course, there are some local French acts, mostly offered as window dressing, the real appeal is the big name Anglo artists.
What is the reaction of language nationalists to this boycott of francophone artists by francophone Quebecers?
They ignore the reality of francophone indifference and instead complain that the Montreal Canadiens and the shopping malls play too much English music.
It's somebody else's fault....always.

Over the course of this blog, the comments section has been full of defenders of the faith scoffing at Canadian culture and vaunting the vibrant and culturally exciting francophone arts.
What a crock!
The Quebec movie scene is a desert wasteland, where but one or two decent films are presented each year.
The only saving grace is television where Radio-Canada, the French CBC functions well, but which is largely over-funded by taxes from English Canada.
The rest of the independent networks are chock full of banal talk and cheap game shows, with a solid base of English dubbed movies and TV shows from Hollywood and American networks.

Even here francophone Quebecers are displaying a stunning lack of loyalty by embracing Netflix by the millions, forsaking traditional Quebecois TV to the financial detriment of the local francophone TV industry.
Who's fault is that?  Netflix of course!
Language fanatics up to now have been making the faux-argument that Netflix has an unfair advantage because it doesn't charge Quebec sales tax on its product. In reaction to the uproar, Quebec imposed the tax on Netflix which did not exactly calm the storm of dissent, where demands are now being made that Netflix provide original  Quebec French content.
When Netflix did create a fund to produce Canadian content, Quebec militants howled that French content is not getting their fair share, that being 40% of the money that they expect, despite having 23% of the Canadian population.
By the way, if Quebec can demand that Netflix produce Quebec based content, why not the American networks of CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox?

In the Journal du Montreal the usually level-headed columnist Lise Ravary wrote an out-of-character and nasty screed about English-named stores, where she reaches back into history to carp about days of yore, intimating that the situation of French then is where we are headed now.

When I look at pre-1977 photos of Montreal, I'm flabbergasted by the almost exclusive English face, with names like Pink Poodle, Dunn's Famous smoked meat and Montreal Light and Power. Link{fr}

MLH&P Montreal head office. Where's the offending sign?

So it is the English names that bother Madame Ravary. The fact that today the signs in the stores are French, the service offered by French-speaking employees is in French, the product manuals and packaging is in French is of no consequence, it is the bastard English store name that is so offensive.

I wonder if Ms. Ravary is flabbergasted by an office co-worker's desk name-plate that is clearly English. Is it an affront to her and all francophones co-workers?

Ms Ravary seems to be engulfed in a rabid case of hyperbole, complaining about the bygone blight of signage by the Montreal Light and Power, a company that disappeared when it was nationalized in 1942, morphing into Hydro-Quebec. I've hunted high and low on the internet for a glimpse at the offending sign without much luck. I challenge Madame Ravary to put up or apologize. Even the company's power station in old Montreal had no offending signage. By the way, had Ms. Ravary actually seen a picture, she'd know that the company wasn't actually called Montreal Light and Power but rather Montreal Light Heat and Power.

The only other picture I could find is this photo of a service truck;

If this the sign that flabbergasted Mme Ravary, she's got an exceedingly thin skin. Perhaps it is the sign on the side of the truck urging the purchase of war bonds in English, which is actually quite apropos because it was only the English that bought war bonds anyways.

Lets us examine what Ravary is all hot and bothered about the Apple store in downtown Montreal. She couldn't be upset about the actual service offered in the Apple store because French is the default language of employees. The signage in the store is completely French and the computers, tablets and phones themselves offer French keyboards or interfaces and a French operating system.
What Ravary actually dislikes is the English name, which she whines is sadly protected by international law.
What would she think of an Ontario Anglo boss who during a performance review told a Franco-Ontarian employee that his work is excellent, his English skills both oral and written exemplary and his value to the company immeasurable. That being said the boss complains that the one employee deficiency that he can identify is that the employee's name is not English and therefore offensive to him and the rest of the company.
Perhaps he hints, the employee might consider changing his name from Jean LeBrun to John Brown in order not to offend the majority.
Gentle reader, this is the real complaint about the English face of Montreal.... the hated English names.
When it comes to complaints about service offered exclusively in English it should be noted that it is so rare that every instance is newsworthy. A poor Chinese immigrant running a depanneur by working 100 hours a week is pilloried mercilessly by the French media for his lack of French skill as if he committed a heinous crime.
Off with his head!!!!
Haters like Benoit Dutrizac will run a whole radio talk show on the outrage fanning the flames of intolerance.
This isn't about the defence of the French language, it is intolerance and hate, pure and simple.

As for the referendum loss in 1995, nationalists, led by the ghost of anglo and ethnic blamer Jacques Parizeau continue to bitterly blame the 18% non-French element of Quebec society at the time for voting No, conveniently forgetting that 45% of the francophone voting population did not vote for sovereignty.
As I said, it's always somebody else's fault.

As for Madame Ravary, what would be her reaction be to the Cirque du Soleil being criticized for operating in Las Vegas under its French name? What would she say about a journalist or politician demanding that the word "Circus" be added to 'Cirque du Soleil' out of respect for the English majority?
Mais voyons donc!..... It's not the same because we are a special case, I imagine she would say.
For once I agree, Quebec francophones are certainly a very special case.

And so the nationalist and separatist leaders, whining journalists and cheap politicians peddle the done-me-wrong fantasy, all while average francophones do little or nothing to protect their language. The francophone public doesn't care or they don't care enough to make any effort.

If francophone Quebecers are not willing to lift a finger, why on Earth should we?

10 Arguments To Shatter Liberal Myths

Now if you are a Liberal, you are probably heavily invested in the current snowflake dogma, where fantasy has become accepted truth through repeated Liberal media brainwashing. So that being said, this is by no means an attempt to push you off or even nudge you towards a different opinion since it is well-nigh impossible.
Rather, the following is offered for those like-minded conservative readers who can use an argument or two in debating their friends and families over the issues of the day.
I'll tackle all these myths over the next ten posts and hope you enjoy them.

Today, in the first of a series, I'll tackle.....

 Global Warming- Climate change

Whether you believe in global warming or not, it is of little consequence because it will come or it will not come, with absolutely nothing we can individually or collectively do about it.
While climate alarmists tell us that we must drastically alter our lifestyle, the reality is that we won't, despite the entreaties, despite the consequences.
If global warming is real and as dangerous as the climate fanatics predict then sadly we are doomed because humankind, despite the best intentions cannot successfully do what must be done.
We are incapable because humans are selfish and short-sighted.  We will not sacrifice our comfortable present for an indeterminate future.

Half of us haven't saved a dime for retirement. Of the other half, most retirement savings are woefully meagre and inadequate.
If we cannot muster the discipline to provide for our very own economic future, how on Earth can we be expected to make the sacrifices necessary to combat global warming?

If humans were capable of truly attacking with effectiveness the problems that plague the world we would have long ago eliminated war and poverty.
With all the good intentions in the world, we just cannot muster the effort and sacrifice required.

These past weeks have demonstrated with frightening clarity that efforts to curb global warming by forcing us to sacrifice will fail miserably.
President Macron of France based his presidency on the fight against global warming, hoping to become the preeminent global leader in the area, creating a shining example of a country embracing the required economic sacrifice for the betterment of mankind.
As they say... How'd that go for you?
The Yellow-Vest movement that has rocked France these last weeks has shattered the idea that citizens are willing to drastically accept a decline in living standards in order to protect the environment.
When Macron imposed increased fuel surtaxes on diesel, the countryside exploded with rage. The yellow safety vest that all cars in France must be equipped with became a convenient symbol of rage and represented a revolt over environmental taxes.
It seems that when push comes to shove, people with meagre incomes won't accept an attack on what prosperity they have on some ethereal theory of future benefit. It is as I said, the true nature of humankind.
To the yellow-vests, the global warming panic is an elitist pet project, with the sacrifices demanded disproportionately affecting the lifestyle of the middle and lower class, with the rich largely unaffected by the required sacrifices.
My absolute most favourite slogan of the yellow-vest movement is this; A riff on Marie Antoinette's supposed famous callous dismissal of the masses..... "Let them eat cake!"

Here the slogan is humorously attributed to the wife of President Macron in which she arrogantly announces ...."Let them have biofuels!" 

Just a year ago, France’s Macron seemed special, a fresh generation of thinking offering a seductively broad political church, riding high in the polls. Fast-forward to now, and his popularity has plummeted.

In the face of growing protest which over the weeks was morphing into anarchy, Macron caved and cancelled the fuel surcharges, mindful that his grip on power was tenuous as long as he championed increased green taxes.
It is a cautionary tale as the yellow jacket movement is spreading across the world, with fed up citizens telling their governments that enough is enough.

Here in Canada, we cannot smugly believe that we are different because we aren't.
A recent example is the former Quebec government's successful attempt to balance the budget and return Quebec to a semblance of fiscal responsibility by reducing entitlements, public salaries and spending in general.
After a most successful effort, the government was tossed out, largely because of the public's disdain of what they dubbed 'austerity' which became a euphemism for responsible fiscal spending.
Nope, the public in Quebec wanted no part of it, happy to download debt on future generations in order to satisfy their present lifestyle.
And how about the Trudeau government downloading a hundred billion dollars of debt so far on future generations while shamefully claiming to safeguard the future for our children by setting ridiculous and impossible climate goals.

Let us be honest, how much will you really sacrifice in order to combat global warming?
Will you gleefully give up your job if it is deemed a contributory factor in global warming?
Will you reduce your disposable income by a third or by half?
Perhaps you will if you are rich, not so much if you are living paycheck to paycheck.
The whole issue of global warming is for the rich, who can forgo income in order to save the world.
My favourite comedian is Chris Rock who in a routine when discussing divorce and alimony pointed out that if you've got 20 million and your wife wants ten million, it's no big deal because you ain't starving... But if you have $30,000 and your wife want $15,000, you might have to kill her.

Threaten people with real hardship over global warming and support will collapse.

And the takeaway argument...

Humankind will never ever make the necessary sacrifices to eliminate or curb global warming.
It's just the way it is, and if you don't believe me...just ask the yellow-vests.

100 Things the USA Should Be Ashamed Of...

It's coming up to Christmas and New Year's and as such a holiday time where we put our negativism and critical energy away for a few weeks.

In keeping with the spirit I shall remain irreverant to the end of the year.

Here's a lighthearted and not-so-lighthearted view of what's wrong with the United States.
By the way, no politicians included because they'd take up all 100 places!
...and don't worry, I'll be getting around to Canada next.

1. US citizens arrogantly anointing themselves 'Americans'
2. Omitting the 'U' from words like 'colour' or 'valour.'
3. Stupid uni-coloured green money and referring coloured currency as "Monopoly Money'
4. The useless penny and one dollar bill
5. Using 'Entreé' to describe the main course in a restaurant.
6. Constantly weather complaining about that annoying 'Canadian Cold Front'
7. Elections every week.
8. Unable to count votes properly or in a timely fashion
9. Hysterical partisan news coverage
10. Pronouncing "Montreal as 'Mohn-Tree-All' or Toronto as 'Tor-on-Toe'
11. Black Friday hysteria
12. Fahrenheit, ounces, pounds and feet.
13. The Electoral College
14. Gigantic doughy and tasteless New York-style bagels.
15. Flagpoles and flags in front of private residences.
16. Pronouncing 'Zee' instead of the proper 'Zed'
17. The 'First Lady,' as a pitiful substitution for the Queen.
18. Righteous indignation over Russian election interference while the CIA remains the biggest foreign election interferer.
19. Constant complaining about illegal immigrants while shamelessly exploiting them as cheap labour.
20. 'Stand your Ground' laws
21. Too many natural disasters like hurricanes, droughts, mudslides, floods, tornados and wildfires. ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!!
22. Taxes on lottery winnings
23. 'Venti-mocha-cookie-Frappuccino with 6 shots of expresso'...aaahhhh!
24. Appropriating 'Poutine' and describing its origins as Canadian instead of Quebecois.
25. ...and its pale imitation, the ever-disgusting 'Disco Fries' and 'Waffle Fries'
26. 'Tonite' instead of 'Tonight'....Really?
27. Bullet-proof school knapsacks.
28. Super-sized portions for a super-sized nation
29. No mustard on burgers and no vinegar or mayonnaise for fries.
30. Horrible Mexican fast-food that look the same going in and going out.
31. No steamed-hot dogs or thick-cut fries in fast-food chains and strangely, outside of upstate New York, no Michigan Hotdogs.
32. Thinking they know something about hockey. Commentators using the terms 'Dasher' and 'Cycle'
33. Cheerleading as a competitive sport.
34. Massive homeless population
35. Ambulance-chasing lawyers and prescription medicine advertisements 
36. Using the word 'Soda' or 'Pop.'
37. Cheese-filled crust pizza
38. 'Mac'n Cheese' instead of the proper 'Kraft Dinner.'
39. Drive-through banks
40. Trigger-happy cops
41. Obsession with the Bible and fundamentalist bible thumpers
42. Clueless winter-weather drivers who can't drive in snowstorms, plus 18 wheel drivers who immediately jackknife in the face of a dusting of snow.
43. Using the term 'ice hockey' but not 'tackle football'
44. Unsingable national anthem
45. Anti-vaxers.
46. Creationists and intelligent design
47. 70% of Americans now describe themselves as 'VICTIMS' while others describe 70% of Americans as 'PRIVILEGED'
48. Asians punished in university admissions for being too smart and dedicated.
49. No 'Smarties' Caramilk, Coffee Crisp, Aero or Mae Wests
50. 'Kinder Surprise" banned as a danger to society but rapid-fire assault rifles are okay.
51. Obsessional reverence of 200-year-old obsolete Constitution.
52. Right to bear arms
53. 21 years age minimum to drink....18 to buy a gun.
54. Pronouncing 'Iraq and Iran as 'Eye-Raq' and 'Eye-Ran'
55. Promoting the fantasy that Canadians pronounce 'ABOUT as 'A-BOOT.'
56. Interminable chutzpah of Americans who never travel abroad believing that the USA is by far the greatest country in the world and the best place to live.
57. Televised beauty pageants, cooking and dance competitions for children.
58. Left-lane highway hoggers
59. Emotional support animals
60. Referring to Back Bacon" as 'Canadian Bacon..'
61. Unhealthy portions
62. Hipsters
63. A technologically advanced society that hasn't yet embraced chipped credit cards.
64. Christian TV evangelists
65. Amazon package thieves
66. Mass shootings
67. Brainless politicians who ask the public to pray every time there's a mass shooting.
68. The NRA, bump stocks, assault rifles and open carry
69. Fat people yoga pants
70. Weirdos in Walmart
71. Hot-dog eating contests
72. Ambulance chasing lawyers
73. The Western Baptist Church
74. The Kardashians
75. Referring to American baseball championship as the 'World Series'
76. 2-year, billion dollar Presidential election campaigns featuring endless primaries
77. Idiot elections for judges, district attorneys and sheriffs resulting in crooked judges and cops
78. For-profit jails
79. Political Action Committees (PACS) and nasty negative political ads on TV- "I approve this message!
80. Health insurance and co-pays
81. Personal bankruptcies caused by medical bills.
82. Nation of litigious idiots suing over nothing and gazillion-dollar jury awards.
83. Ridiculously expensive college tuition resulting in....forever student loans.
84. Violent anti-abortion, Antifa and White Supremacists activists.
85. Annoying Robocalls
86. Crackers and Rednecks and Bible Thumpers
87. Ambulance chasing lawyers
88. Confederate flag
89. Civil forfeiture
90. Childhood obesity
91. Corporate political donations
92. Unnecessary and costly mid-term elections
93. TSA pat-downs of children, old people and invalids
94. Astronomical prescription medicine cost
95. Helicopter and Lawnmower parents
96. Inner city ghettos and gangs speaking in Ebonics.  'AXED" instead of 'ASKED'
97. Misogynist Rap music lyrics
98. Snowflakes and Safe spaces for fragile millennials
99. Huge prison population serving incredibly long sentences
100. and general rank stupidity of Americans where.....

• 51%  don't believe in Evolution. 
• 55%  believe that the Constitution established America as a Christian nation. 
• 51% don’t trust the Big Bang theory.
• 56% believe that vaccines cause autism.
• Only 38% believe the Civil War was fought over slavery
• 77% believe in Angels
• 18% believe the Sun revolves around the Earth
• 33% believe in ghosts
• 20% are counting on winning a lottery as their retirement plan
• 33% believe Bigfoot exists 
• 60% believe dreams predict future
• 26% believe in witchcraft
• 42% believe that homosexuals choose their orientation
• 75% have at least one paranormal belief
• 7% think chocolate milk comes brown cows
• 25% believe God has a role to play in who wins the Super Bowl
• 41% believe in psychics
• 40% believe that spiritual powers lie in objects like trees and crystals
• 62% say you have to believe in God to be a moral person

aaahhhhh!!!!!......... 

BTW... Care to add something??

Quebec's Humiliating Reaction to Equalization

"Legault promises zero equalization"  "Go ahead we're listening!" credit Ygrek

Quebec Premier Francois Legault was widely panned in the West for referring to Alberta crude as 'dirty oil' and for saying that he didn't want a pipeline crossing Quebec to ferry it to refineries in the Maritimes.

He said this just before it was announced that Quebec would be receiving a whopping $13.1 billion in equalization payments from Ottawa, a portion of which is paid for by this same dirty oil.

The political cartoon by Ygreck mocks Legault for promises made in the National Assembly

"What I want to say to Quebeckers is that a CAQ government will target zero equalization," said Mr. Legault. A CAQ government will eliminate the wealth gap with the rest of Canada. A CAQ government will have ambition and plan  big for Quebec. "

Ha!Ha!
Today Legault reminds me of the mythical broke-ass, unemployed brother-in-law who freeloads on your couch and complains about the free food.
Yup...
Like Rob Ford, Legault is off to a maladroit start, both gaffing rather publicly, displaying a lack of sophistication and deficient political skills.

Legault's jab at Alberta's 'dirty oil' had his own cabinet members wincing at the lack of manners, unbefitting of a Premier. It fell to Sonia Lebel to try and mitigate the damage to Alberta/Quebec relations via a statement wherein she clarified that both provinces enjoy good relations. This after Alberta Premier Rachel Notely furiously scolded Quebec telling reporters that Alberta's oil pays for Quebec schools.

What is interesting and a bit amusing is the reaction in the French press to the equalization payment and its relation to 'dirty oil.'
Even more interesting is the hysterical reaction in the comments section below these stories, both of which I'd like to offer you a glimpse of.

There is of course fact and then there is opinion, but in Quebec, it seems that opinion is considered fact by some journalists and a considerable portion of their readership.

(my translation) They try to embarrass us with the $13 billion figure, omitting to mention that $5 billion comes from Quebec. Net, it is $8 billion that remains which insures that equal services are available as compared to other provinces. Rejean Parent-Journal du Montreal

Mr. Parent must be mathematically or factually challenged or both. 

Of the $13 billion that Ottawa sends to Quebec, he claims that Quebec contributes $5 billion of the amount or about 39%.  Really????

Where and how can Quebec possibly do so? It would mean that Quebec contributes 39% of Ottawa's revenues with 23% of the Canadian population.

By the way, a recurring theme in the comments sections is that Quebec pays 23% of Ottawa's revenues because it has 23% of the Canadian population. 

This, of course, is nonsense. With its 23% of Canada's population, Quebec actually contributes just 18%.

Of the $13 billion in equalization that Quebec is to get this year, the truth is that Quebec contributes just $2.4 billion to it.

Mr. Parent goes on with more nonsense.....,.

(my translation)" It would be easy to believe in a conspiracy theory imagining that equalization was invented so that Quebecers would feel lousy and dependent on the generosity of other provinces, however, I am convinced that the federalists did not even think that."

If you don't believe it's true, why mention it, other than to plant the seed of doubt.

More dishonesty.

(my translation) "In the meantime, there is no reason to say thank you to the other provinces because we are just receiving what we contribute in taxes in Ottawa."

Really?? This is the irrational mindset of the idiot element of the nationalist movement.

As for separatist resident apologist Josée Legault's take on the equalization story, it's just a case of the same old/same old Quebec-bashing, using the comparison of a husband humiliating his wife by reminding her that without his income, she'd be up shit's creek. Link{fr}

Not all French journalists were inventing facts to mitigate the shame of the equalization payment and in an article entitled "Quebec wins the big prize of $13 billion" in the Journal du Montreal, Michel Girard, lays out the naked truth, fact by fact. If you have French I highly recommend reading it. Link

Some of his points;

• In terms of disposable income (after taxes and social contributions), Quebec is at the tail end, with its meagre income of $28,785 per capita, $4,548 less than in the rest of Canada. 
• As for GDP per capita, Quebec ranks 7th out of 10, with an amount of $ 50,276. 
• Our productivity shows a deficit of $ 10,638 in per capita GDP compared to the rest of the country.
• "Last week when François Legault put a stop to the construction of a new pipeline that would cross Quebec's territory to transport oil from the west to New Brunswick, the frustration of the premiers of Western Canada climbed up another notch. They feel largely cheated by the Equalization program. They are all the more frustrated when the Legault government tries to sell its "clean energy" to the provinces while pocketing $ 13 billion thanks to their oil that he describes as 'dirty energy."

At any rate, it was a bit amusing to read the comments under these various stories, some offering feeble excuses meant to belie the apparent humiliation and shame.

• "First of all, it is not the western provinces that pay equalization, it is the federal government; therefore more or less 23% of our equalization received is paid by ourselves. On the other hand, the western provinces would only have to tax their citizens more: this would increase their fiscal capacity and could lead them to receive it. 
• In fact, equalization is a federal program paid for by taxpayers .... The provinces do not send a cent to Quebec, contrary to what these provinces tell the people.
• We are far from being beggars! Through taxes, we send Ottawa $ 53 billion each year. Through equalization, it only gives us $13 billion, of which we contributed about 23%. What is Trudeau doing with the rest of our money? Ottawa is not giving us a present!
• François Legault has been on the job for two months and has nothing to do with this federal grand prize. If Quebec is in the Canadian welfare club it is rather thanks to the good work of the undermining Quebec Liberal party which has continued to applaud each sale of flagship Quebec companies. And when Hydro-Québec is finally sold, we will be all be forced to speak English ...
• Oil is subsidized by the federal government. Hydro-electricity was financed by Quebec with the help of American banks while Alberta burned its wheat because it was unable to sell it and so received equalization to survive ...
• They must regret the famous Love-In of 1995? Should have thought about it before.
• Do English schools in Quebec not also benefit from this money?

• If English Canada is angry with the cost of the Occupation of Quebec, it has only to end it by withdrawing. It won't be the first time that a foreign occupation declares defeat.

But surprisingly, there were more realistic and well thought out comments, showing that ordinary Quebecers are no longer led by the nose by bullshitting journalists and politicians

• The hatred of some is such that one prefers to do business with Saudi Arabia than Alberta. It's really sad and pathetic.
• Whether we like it or not, we receive a lot more than we give to the Canadian federation because equalization means that the rich provinces pay for the poor. We are poor because of our low productivity (the highest level of unionization in North America) and we live on the arm of Albertans and spit on our benefactors
• You have to be honest with yourself. Say tomorrow morning Petro-Canada comes knocking on your door to pass an oil pipeline on your property in exchange of $1 million, be honest with your answer. Would you say yes or no? If you say yes, your reasoning in writing the earlier comment does not hold water. If you say no and hold out for $2 million,  does the answer become yes? If it's still no, which I doubt, we'll end up finding the amount where you're going to say yes. Which leads us to conclude that humans are green only when it suits them.
• To believe that Albertan oil money does not entitle us to benefits in Quebec is utopian. Raise your hand and swear that you are ready to give up the  $13 billion we get which will be spent on important services in exchange for a stop in Albertan oil production. Go ahead, get your hand on the Bible and swear it!
• I must admit that the logic behind the calculation of equalization frightens me. ''The more that I prevent the person who gives me charity to become rich, the more that this person must give me charity ' 
• Here we prefer to receive the BS check (welfare) and cry rather than exploit what we have to potentially give up being beggars.
• And yes, when we come down to Earth and get off our high horse, we pick up the spoils, without saying thank you or offering our help ... that's our reputation.
• I see that you do not understand the Canadian tax system. All the money we send to Ottawa comes back in different forms to Quebec plus the bonus of equalization. We should work hand in hand with Western Canada. Quebec takes but is too selfish to help.

and my favourite comment of all.....

• Why does Legault criticize Albertan oil? Alberta pollutes its own territory and Quebec picks up the cash!