tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post116224384377825875..comments2023-10-22T09:18:16.885-04:00Comments on Far and Wide: Liberals And BaggageSteve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04871113039374739208noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-1162675939969865252006-11-04T16:32:00.000-05:002006-11-04T16:32:00.000-05:00as someone who struggles with the waiting-to-finis...as someone who struggles with the waiting-to-finish-school-so-i-can-make-a difference paradigm of student life (despite a number of weekly/bi-weekly volunteer commitments) it IS admirable that GK took the opportunity to HELP PEPOLE regardless of what the world says about how super fantastic university degrees are. dropping out of university to save the world in a big way is possibly the best example of 'seize the day'.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-1162355987200161062006-10-31T23:39:00.001-05:002006-10-31T23:39:00.001-05:00"Until then, my three degrees are better than your..."Until then, my three degrees are better than yours, and you must respect my incredibly enlightened opinion!"<BR/><BR/>Thanks for taking the time to speak to the masses ;)Steve Vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04871113039374739208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-1162327674410104842006-10-31T15:47:00.000-05:002006-10-31T15:47:00.000-05:00I have three degrees and I'm quite happy to slag a...I have three degrees and I'm quite happy to slag academia. If you want to be an acadmeic, go to harvard. I want a PM that's smart and capable, and a degree proves NEITHER of those things, much less both.<BR/><BR/>Plus I think we've had ample demonstration by our neighbours that you can be downright stupid and still be elected leader, so i think we should just pack the university degree thing in. If he wasn't articulate with good ideas, then it would have some legs. Point me to a single stupid thing GK has had to apologize for during this campaign, and I'll eat my words. <BR/><BR/>Until then, my three degrees are better than yours, and you must respect my incredibly enlightened opinion!<BR/><BR/>GGavin Magrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-1162266084293513122006-10-30T22:41:00.000-05:002006-10-30T22:41:00.000-05:00idealistI don't mean to slag academia by any means...idealist<BR/><BR/>I don't mean to slag academia by any means, but I merely reject the assumption that paper equates to intelligence. I completely buy the ideal of making a decision to wade into the world when an opportunity arises. As Kennedy has said, he saw a chance to apply the abstract.<BR/><BR/>You make compelling arguments for PR, but I don't think a person should be measured by their depth of knowledge on someone's pet reform. Kennedy seems to have lots of ideas on political reform, far more than anything the other candidates have offered. I especially like his commitment to make the government less hierarchial, to ensure leadership sets an agenda that is guided by the MP's, and by extension a better representation of people's wants.Steve Vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04871113039374739208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-1162264811186463652006-10-30T22:20:00.000-05:002006-10-30T22:20:00.000-05:00Steve,Dropping out didn't seem to hinder Bill Gate...Steve,<BR/><BR/><I>Dropping out didn't seem to hinder Bill Gates or Paul Allen :)<BR/><BR/></I><BR/><BR/>Surely, Bill Gates and Paul Allen are the norm for drop outs. Except I can name about 50 dropouts from my highschool who are absolute failures, and about 25 university drop outs working either on the rigs or in a michelin factory in nova scotia... I know you were kidding, but you had to expect such a responseOlafhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12434267803807108634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-1162262369811320802006-10-30T21:39:00.000-05:002006-10-30T21:39:00.000-05:00Well, I'm not part of an "opposing camp"--unless y...Well, I'm not part of an "opposing camp"--unless you mean "opposing camp" as in "different party"--and I thought the "lightweight" thing before any of his fellow Liberals started batting it around. (If you want to know when it started, it was approximately at the moment when he indicated in a conversation with me that he had absolutely no idea what proportional representation meant. <BR/>Despite being, at the time, a member of a provincial Cabinet that had given the assent to a citizens' assembly on electoral reform!) And while I certainly wouldn't say that every politician has to have a university degree to do a good job, it would seem to be a bit of a barrier to becoming <I>prime minister</I>. I don't really buy the whole "dropped out to run a food bank" thing, either--finishing what you start doesn't take that long when you consider that you have a whole lifetime to do everything else you want to do. Maybe that's me just being defensive (as one of those "stupid career academics"), but it's the first thing I think of.<BR/><BR/>He does have many good points, though, it's true. Being the only one in the race really talking about renewal is certainly a huge positive. He'd probably be my guy if I were a Liberal.Idealistic Pragmatisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18296481430598981678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-1162259019924667542006-10-30T20:43:00.000-05:002006-10-30T20:43:00.000-05:00olafDropping out didn't seem to hinder Bill Gates ...olaf<BR/><BR/>Dropping out didn't seem to hinder Bill Gates or Paul Allen :)Steve Vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04871113039374739208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-1162258699875718702006-10-30T20:38:00.000-05:002006-10-30T20:38:00.000-05:00Lance,That did work out pretty well.Steve,The ques...Lance,<BR/><BR/>That did work out pretty well.<BR/><BR/>Steve,<BR/><BR/><I>The question is, did Kennedy dropout because of poor grades or lack of intellectual ability, or did he see the importance of practical application over theoretical nothingness.</I><BR/><BR/>Not really. Obviously I'm just splitting hairs here, but the Flames game isn't on yet, so humour me. In my hypothetical situation, just because the grade 1 student didn't drop out because of poor grades or lack of intellectual ability (see failure to properly use safety scissors), doesn't mean that he didn't miss a lot by dropping out at grade one. <BR/><BR/>Clearly, Kennedy is no dolt, but he may have missed out on some of the finer points of academia which Rae, Dion, and Ignatieff have had to opportunity to ingest. <BR/><BR/>However, some may see this as a benefit... I mean, the very successful Ralph Klein didn't graduate high school... draw your own conclusions.Olafhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12434267803807108634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-1162258309219795082006-10-30T20:31:00.000-05:002006-10-30T20:31:00.000-05:00I guess helping feed 150,000 families monthly (wit...I guess helping feed 150,000 families monthly (without a cent of government money) or directing an annual budget greater than that of Manitoba and New Brunswick combined makes him a lightweight.<BR/><BR/>By the way, if an election is held after next summer, Gerard will have convocated.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-1162254710062042472006-10-30T19:31:00.000-05:002006-10-30T19:31:00.000-05:00olafThe question is, did Kennedy dropout because o...olaf<BR/><BR/>The question is, did Kennedy dropout because of poor grades or lack of intellectual ability, or did he see the importance of practical application over theoretical nothingness. Some of the stupidest people I have ever met are career academics. By the end of my university tenure I was bursting at the seams to get outside the esoteric playground that seemed all too detached from reality- and I say this as someone who did quite well thank you very much ;)Steve Vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04871113039374739208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-1162253784884208042006-10-30T19:16:00.000-05:002006-10-30T19:16:00.000-05:00Steve,Leaving university to help run a food bank i...Steve,<BR/><BR/><I>Leaving university to help run a food bank is hardly baggage in my eyes, more aptly admirable</I><BR/><BR/>I mean, you could also make the argument that someone who dropped out of school in grade 1 to help support their family made an admirable decision. Do you admire them? Sure. But do you want them leading your country? Maybe not.Olafhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12434267803807108634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-1162251539440819482006-10-30T18:38:00.000-05:002006-10-30T18:38:00.000-05:00olaf"the others are more or less set in stone."exa...olaf<BR/><BR/>"the others are more or less set in stone."<BR/><BR/>exactly!<BR/><BR/>idealist<BR/><BR/>Leaving university to help run a food bank is hardly baggage in my eyes, more aptly admirable. The lightweight crack is a meme thrown out by opposing camps, which finds less relation to reality with each passing day. One of the biggest jobs, in the biggest province, ably managed, is hardly lightweight.Steve Vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04871113039374739208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-1162249218783301532006-10-30T18:00:00.000-05:002006-10-30T18:00:00.000-05:00Well, there's still his "no university degree" bag...Well, there's still his "no university degree" baggage and his "lightweight" baggage. But you do have a point.<BR/><BR/>Just as a mostly unrelated aside: in my "real life," I am (among other things) a foreign language educator. And I just love that Canadians view adult language learning as something that's entirely accomplishable and entirely normal. It's a refreshing change from my country of birth.Idealistic Pragmatisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18296481430598981678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-1162248327489692442006-10-30T17:45:00.000-05:002006-10-30T17:45:00.000-05:00Well put,The thing is, as far as "baggage" goes, K...Well put,<BR/><BR/>The thing is, as far as "baggage" goes, Kennedy can only improve upon his, where as the others are more or less set in stone.Olafhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12434267803807108634noreply@blogger.com