Okay why do they keep talking about eliminating the Senate as the only alternative? Why can’t we have an elected Senate? Let the people have a say in this! —Bluesnozer
This article appears in Jun 11-17, 2015.
The Senate…
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Because the house of commons works so well, we need to duplicate it? Fuck the senate. There’s no such thing as sober second thought from a bunch of party hacks drunk as newts on trough liquor. Need to reward your fart-catchers when they outlive their usefulness? Gold watch and a shove out the door. If they truly need to live on the public tit, they can apply for benefits, just like the rest of us proles.
The Senate need be neither abolished nor elected. It should be required, however, that all senators hold a Ph.D. in the Humanities – Philosophy preferred – from a recognized university. Only then would we have sober second thought in our upper chamber. Thank you.
Well like him or not Harper did try for changes but PET’s Constitution makes any changes virtually impossible, especially if Ontario or Quebec are not on board.
Nova Scotia rid itself of its Senate in 1928. Canada should follow suit. The Senate of Canada is nothing more than a retirement home for government favourites. Most of those old dudes have one foot in the grave, the other on a banana peel. And let’s not even get started on how many probably have dementia.
If the senate were comprised totally of Ph.D.s, just think of the entertaining arguments. How many Duffy’s can dance on the head of a pin, or the body of a pinhead? Can cold Camembert and broken crackers truly be considered a breakfast. Watch whole new boundaries in transracialism be set when everybody lines up for their status card.
For amusement potential alone, we should consider Montrealman’s modest proposal. With one proviso. They receive no remuneration at all, save for one (1) ripe canadian apple per year and hemlock for when they say or do something truly asinine.
How many times has the senate actually blocked a bill? Once that I know of (heard that on a random radio interview about the senate, could be wrong).
Apparently they’ve only been sober once in its entire history. Doesn’t sound useful to me.
Something tells me if you took away the fat-cat paycheques, make it say….
$20k a year to sit on the senate rather than their basic salary of $142,400 per year,
we wouldn’t have a senate much longer.
Seriously… damn near 150k a year minimum for 80 odd days of work is fucking ludicrous.
http://www.parl.gc.ca/parlinfo/compilation…
RSVP
Ernst Stavro Blauwaffl (10:15AM)
Thank you for your interesting suggestions. However, bear in mind that my claim was for PhDs in the Humanities – preferably Philosophy – which renders such suggestions problematic. That being so your reference to how many angels could dance on the head of a pin, while having considerable mediaeval “cachet” (that’s French for “cachet”), belongs rather in the realm of Theology which, strictly speaking, cannot be considered a Humanity at all but, of course, its current status is vexed.
In the same way, your reference to whether cold camembert and broken crackers can be truly considered breakfast – “truly” of course signals the philosophical problem of the word-world correspondence and so is a stronger contender – questions might be raised as to its appropriate home in what is normally understood to be Philosophy which addresses matters of a more fundamental nature such as Ontology (the nature of Reality), Epistemology (the grounds of knowledge claims) and Axiology (the criteria of ethical action). I’m sure you take my point.
However, your recompense of only one ripe Canadian apple per year – to say nothing of a libation of hemlock for doing something truly assinine – I found unduly harsh and punitive. My vision of Philosophy PhDs in the Upper Chamber more closely resembled a Platonic Symposium, one in which good fellowship and quick minds, sufficiently lubricated with the gift of Bacchus, would be conducive to warm and convivial bonding.
Perhaps you’d like to join.
The diaper changes alone would cost the taxpayers of Canada millions. 3 or 4 full-load changes a day, I’d figure. Those old duffers – you give ’em a gentle squeeze but then you’re up to your ankles in shit.
What about a big genetically-modified apple that doesn’t rot, Ernst?
Well, One&Only, I’d have to say – if it stays fresher than Montrealman’s “Professor Kingsfield” routine, then Go Team Monsanto!
Come have wine with us this weekend Ernest…
“Professor Kingsfield routine”? But what can this possibly mean where “meaning” is ordinarily understood to possess a minimum of syntactical coherence? Of course, such “meaning” may well not be limited to the narrow confines of syntactical coherence but, in its turn, the further question of the legitimacy of such syntactical coherence itself cannot but raise its ambivalent and ambiguous head(s). These, of course, are difficult questions.
Jackboots and Jost, Chaz? Sounds delightful. And we’ll all go to Schwartz’s for some mile high smoked lean on rye.
Schwartz’s in Halifax? Incroyable!
A senate that was the place of Sober second thought would be awesome if we had one.
That way no dictator in office …. I mean “Prime Minister in a majority government” can simply do whatever they want.
Which means not only does the Senate need to be reformed, perhaps elected would be the best way. Maybe with a stipulation no one who has ever been in any Political Party can be eligible to run.
That way we never end up with a Government of 1 Party in the House of Commons, while theres a Senate made up of a majority of the same Party !
The hell with the whole puppet-show, as they’re all liars anyways. SURELY you would’ve clued into this by now… I’m sorry, but such ignorance and gullibility really do disturb me. This species is doomed…. and thank goodness for that!