Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Download fines? Not in my Canada

I'm truly upset with an attempt by the Conservative federal government to make us more American. And not even in a good way! I'm talking about prosecuting (or persecuting) internet file sharers.

http://www.nationalpost.com/most_popular/story.html?id=558674

I read in the National Post yesterday that the Tories intend to introduce legislation Wednesday that includes targeting illegal file sharers with $500 fines. If the Conservatives were looking for a way to make the Liberals carbon tax seem easier to swallow, they found it. Even though I still plan to vote Conservative for now as I have for the last decade, many will not.

Put the two side-by-side for comparison.

A) Impose $500 fines on individual taxpayers who occasionally use an unlawful copy of a ringtone on their cellphone

or

B) Implement a new tax that is revenue neutral (lol - no such thing) that causes big producers of green house gases to pay for global warming.

Neither option seems very appealing to me. But you could probably sell the second option to the people.

I have tried my best to explain to friends and coworkers when we discuss politics that the best way to appreciate the Conservative ideal is that they are the only party that believes that the more money you leave in the hands of the consumer, the better.
I feel the two other national parties (N.D.P. and Liberal) would just like me to endorse my paycheck every week over to them and hope for the best.

But with this move by the feds, I have nothing to defend them.

Looks like Dione might finally find a crack in the conservative shield.

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