Handsome Rob

The BMW thing very well may be true, but when people only want to buy cheap stuff it drives down the wages of workers who can then only afford to buy cheap stuff, making it a self-perpetuating cycle.

Making it 10x more important to try and influence consumers rather than corporations or governments.

Chicken-egg problem. Are businesses spending less on wages because people want to spend less or do people want to spend less because businesses are spending less on wages?

I would say it isn't the case when you see people making above average wages parking their BMW's in WalMart's parking lot.

I just spent my holiday in a medium sized American town that doesn't have a single franchise.  Every single commercial enterprise is mom & pop, and the community is flourishing.  20 miles up the road is franchise/multi-national city, and its a dump.

And problems with labour are problems for management to solve.

In my experience this sort of attitude most often creates problems that cannot be solved within the scope of labor law and profitability.  I work for such an employer & union, of which neither party looks out for the best interest of the employees and we are faced with many such problems that will ultimately end in failure.

I believe the two parties have to work together jointly to find success.

I think people may not realize that ever since Ken Taylor, the Canadian Embassy in Iran has always been difficult and relations with Iran very trying.

While I don't consider Iran a Global Threat, one must remember they march to a very different drummer and could be unpredictable. I am not surprised are Diplomats have been pulled, I don't believe this is the first or last time. Nor Do I think Iran much cares what we do.

My concern would be for any Canadians in Iran, who may require the services of the Embassy which they will not be able to receive.

In the end, few here realize that Iran is a democracy and that the people are not as harsh as the right wing government that gets elected.

In fact as well as name?

Is there any more proof that the election valid than there is that it isn't?

I'm curious Benz, what exactly you find unacceptable about today's Quebec-Canada relationship.  Could you post that in concise form?