Comments on: I tell my kids that “hate” is not a nice word…

By: trashee

trashee — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 19:02:35 +0000

Yeah. “Loathes” is better. It has the added advantage of expanding their vocabularies!

By: sassy

sassy — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 16:14:31 +0000

whoops – emotions got in the way that should read.

If your children ask, feel free to tell them that Sassy loathes Harper.

By: sassy

sassy — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 16:12:38 +0000

If your children ask, feel free to them them that Sassy loathes Harper.

By: Evolving Squid

Evolving Squid — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 03:36:22 +0000

I ask because it has been my impression that the civil service, after having been cut from 90-92, started to balloon under Chretien, and popped like a popcorn by Martin’s time, and even a bit under the early Harper.

The cuts now, I think, still leave the civil service bigger than it was in the 90′s and 2000′s.

But I don’t know so I figure “let’s find out”

By: trashee

trashee — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 23:53:01 +0000

I’ll look it up next week. We have those data.
I’ll exclude the military.

By: Evolving Squid

Evolving Squid — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 23:50:33 +0000

Maybe you can answer a question for me. How many civil servants were there in:

1993 (Chretien)
1997 (Chretien)
2001 (Chretien)
2005 (Martin)
2009 (Harper)
today (Harper)

Those numbers might be interesting and prompt further discussion.

By: trashee

trashee — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 22:51:27 +0000

Squid. After six years of deep cuts, my “yeah, those guys could be let go” thoughts have passed. Read my lips. There. Is. More. Fat.
Seriously. It’s not like what you experienced 10 years ago – or how many years it has been since you were in the PS.
Seriously. This is just being vindictive.

By: Evolving Squid

Evolving Squid — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 21:56:46 +0000

Or it could just be that he believes, like so many people do, that the Public Service is bloated and inefficient, that it doesn’t provide the services needed, where they’re needed in a cost effective manner, and frankly needs a good housecleaning.

There is a danger to reading into actions that can easily be explained at face value.

I can’t believe that even you have never said or thought “yeah, those guys could be let go”. I sure did when I was a public servant. Eventually I thought I should be let go, so I left. It genuinely bothered me to be in an ineffective government organization, being paid from taxpayers’ dollars and not producing much of value.