The usual suspects. I see a woman front & centre with a cradboard sign reading "Gordon, have U been drinking again?"
If that is the level of discourse, I can see this going far.

I had pretty low expectations for the turnout to this and it actually came in under what I thought.

I was disappointed about the location (too noisy to hear anything) and the signs were not readable from any distance at all. I am all in favor of the intent of the rally. Pat Bell's office was closed.

Of course Bell's office was closed, he didn't want to be anywhere around to try and defend the Liberals because he knew he'd be shut down. A whipped puppet as all the rest of the Liberal MLA's

So the obvious conclusion is that most people really don't care enough about this issue as to head to some rally on a Saturday afternoon. Good luck with the petition!

Of course Bell's office was closed, that's what offices do on Saturdays.

Regardless of how this rally turned out and how many showed up,the only democratic way or instituting this tax is with a referendum!
I also do not think that's going to happen unfortunately.
Keep the heat on!

On the overall scheme of things, politicians of any stripe don't give a rat's ass about angry mobs or petitions. The only thing that means anything to them is a vote in the ballot box. Maybe the mob should have purchased carbon credits for all the CO2 they exhaled at the demo wasting their time.

I was in attendance. It was very noisy right next to the bypass and a hand held megaphone was a little less than what should have been used. (Unfortunately)'

A young UNBC New Democrat tried to turn it into a party platform and I left.

In my opinion, this is about the HST, not about BC Rail, or this party or that one.

I'm not voting for NDP, just because I don't like the way things are going with the current government. So, if these rally's turn into a bash the government and look at our party type of gathering, I will not be attending.

I will however do everything in my power to educate myself and also everyone I can influence to know how this tax will effect them so they can make an informed decision about HST. Based on the research I have already done, I will not be supporting the HST model and will work very aggressively to oppose it.

They trying to bury the GST so we will never be able to get rid of it. I never wanted it in the first place and anything that is designed to replace it is still a tax and I have had enough of those bandits trying to find more ways to get their hands in my pockets. Enough already. I'm fed up and I'm not going to take it anymore.

I'd say people's time is best spent educating themselves about the HST and figuring out ways to reduce its impact on their individual budgets.

Because like it or not, it's coming.

I have figured out lots of ways to reduce the amount of taxes I pay. first, reduce my taxable income. Get out of debt. Trade services, work for a donation, shop at garage sales and on e-bay. Buy one house and stay there your whole life. Buy one used car and keep it as long as legally possible.

Never buy new, never finance, never buy anything you can't pay cash for, only use cash, don't use banks or keep your money any place where somebody else can keep track of it, quit using debit cards for all of your transactions, quit using charge cards, quit using lines of credit, the bankers know what you eat, where you spend your money and how much you go through every month. Our lives are so transparent, yet we spend millions of dollars trying to protect our privacy. Ha, what a joke.

Sell everything. If you sell your house, you don't need to worry about property taxes. The less you have, the less you need. Cut the government out of your lives.

Sell your business, so you don't need to pay corporate taxes on your income or your profit, (If there is such a thing)(profit that is)

Then, when all is gone, call the government up and get in line for all of the benefits that are available. All paid for by all of those people busting their asses trying to make a living and who are paying for everything.

I was there....some good points were made but people are still of the opinion that Campbell is going to withdraw the HST or he can be overthrown on it....it isn't going to happen...he has dug in his heels and isn't going to move on this afterall he has probably already taken the money from the Federal government and spent it...and he has a majority governemtn which means he can pretty much do as he likes...no one in the government can stop him...as for re elction...he probably has no intention of running again... he has a huge pay check and an equally huge pension awaiting him...

and as I though the big bad bald Bell had scurried away in to some hidey hole

you want to sign the petition against the HST...
go here...
http://www.bcndp.ca/hstpetition

People never cease to amaze me. This HST thing is just getting started, and already people on these posts are throwing in the towel and predicting the Vanderzalm petition will fail. Good God get a grip you people. Be something besides a born loser.

Can you imagine a world heavy weight championship fight where the challenger refuses to come out for the first round because he thinks to might lose, or might get hurt.

A number of people on these posts complain constantly about the Government and taxes etc; Now is the time for you to put your money where your mouth is.

Remove your eyes from your screen and your fingers from your keyboards and look around for a change.

Example:::The Rally in Vancouver to-day drew a crowd over over 5000 people. There were 17 other rallys around the Province plus Prince George.

Hansen is out trying to do damage control because he and the Government know that they have a tiger by the tail, and that people are not going to forget this HST BS.

The Liberals have plummeted 21 percent in the polls since they brought in this HST issue, and they are continuing to fall.

Once the initiative gets going, it will be necessary to get signatures of 10% of the registered voters in each riding. There will be booths set up around the City, and people will be going door to door to get signatures.

Im sure that we will be able to get the required number in the ridings in this area.

First and foremost we have to move beyond defeatism, and recognize that we have an issue that can have a signficant effect on Politics in BC for years to come.

Keep you eye on the ball, and stay the course. Dont get sidetraced by partisan politics, and we will bring these dogs to their knees.

sorry palopu - 5000 out of Van is even less impressive than 100 out of PG. If anyone knows any bookies taking bets on this I will easily make more money than the HST is going to cost me...

Interceptor. 50,000 sat on their asses at home and watched the rally on TV. Once we knock on their doors they will sign the petition, gauranteed.

I will personally sign up as many people as I possibly can. I will also help them get registered to vote if they are not registered.

We have 90 days to get the signatures after the initiative is approved. Surely we can get this done.

The question for you is.

(a) Are you a registered voter, if not are you going to get registered.

(b) Are you going to sign the initiave.

(c) Are you going to help in getting signatures on the initiave to stop this tax.

(d) Maybe when you go to your bookie you can sign him up.

"People never cease to amaze me. This HST thing is just getting started, and already people on these posts are throwing in the towel and predicting the Vanderzalm petition will fail. Good God get a grip you people. Be something besides a born loser"

What amazes me is how wound up you get when people disgaree with your position and/or don't think or act the way you think they should, LOL. That is funny stuff.

Chester, I totally agree with your post. Use the underground economy and cut the governments out of your life. As a pensioner, it is getting to the point where I won't have any choice but to do the things you suggest. Makes good sense to me.

I totally agree with you Chester. I'm working on it really hard already. I have the cabin in the woods, it costs me nothing. Meat at my door step, and wild vegetation that is good for me.Heat for my cabin, just a beatle away. I just hope they don't take my GUN away before I get my winter meat....lol There is moose, deer,rabbit, pheasant and pleanty of fish. And NO, where I am talking about, I do not need a license! It is in the wilderness, where NO Government belongs!!

We all better get on board, or we will become a dictatorship that Campbell calls a democracy

It is interesting that these various rallies held in different parts of B.C.generated so little press?
Now why is that?
This is the strongest opposition we have seen to the Campbell government, and it IS getting stronger everyday.
Unless of course you listen to a politician like Hansen who denies that.
And where is Gordon Campbell?
Is he resorting to the old political tactic of keeping out of the limelight in hopes it will all go away?
That has worked for some in the past, but for this government,I really don't think it will help.
It may however,do the opposite!

"It is interesting that these various rallies held in different parts of B.C.generated so little press?"

Well, in PG's case, 100 people showing up on a Saturday is barely newsworthy IMO. 100 people probably walked through the front entrance of Walmart in about 5 minutes on the same day.

The fact of the matter is that most people just don't care. Half the people couldn't even be bothered to vote in the last election. Sorry to rain on palopu's parade, but the odds of this thing succeeding are slim at best. I will sign the Zalm's petition, but I'm not going to be delusional about it.

actually Palopu, if you realize Campbell has a majority government, the NDP nor anyone else can overthrow anything he wants to do, as long as it is legal, (and he can change some of the laws there as well I do beleive...) I find it hard to believe that he is going to let his ego take a slap, and step back on this tax.

Am I prepared to help get names you bet...does that change my feelings on thiis matter....not one bit.am I throwing in the towel, not a chance...but I am not so blind as that I can't see the trees for the forest either...

Keep the heat on and we'll beat this thing. Every politician "yields to pressure" ~ that's why we've got the HST proposal in the first place. The "pressure" has come from FINANCE, just as it came from that same source to privatise the Coquihalla, and sell BC Rail.

But the collective "pressure" of the people, if we stand together and demand this tax be withdrawn as it has been presented, is far greater.

Palopu is absolutely right. Don't ever believe we CAN'T beat this. "Can't" never could do anything. Whether you believe you "can" do something, or you believe you "can't", either way you're going to be right. So lets believe we CAN and get on with exerting the necessary "pressure".

We never really had any exposure (press or TV) because VanderZalm will not dig into his pockets. He just wants the attention as "Joe good guy" when he's really just another DORK.

At least Vander Zalm, and all the other politicians, past, present, or would be, who are as opposed to the HST as most British Columbians are, have put their political differences aside to speak out in unison against something which is just plain wrong-headed and stupid.

If that doesn't warrant media coverage, then perhaps the old statement that "control of the Press and control of Finance are 'concentric'" is true after all.

I was there and yes the location was noisy and you could hardly hear the bullhorn but just about everyone who drove by blew their horn. I wish all of those people had of actually stopped and supported but we can always dream. What interested me the most was the information that if this goes through our taxes will be looked after Revenue Canada. They will take the money to Ottawa and then funnel our share back to us. LOLOLOL okayyyy! Since when has Ottawa ever treated the West fairly? How will we know how much money they took in the first place and if we are getting the right amount back. Why cant BC and all the individual provinces continue to look after themselves? In the Canadian Constitution it states that the Federal Government can not tax the people directly. This is a very scary thing people and WE BETTER WAKE UP!! Why is Harper bribing the provinces with our hard earned tax money? There is a reason and we better find out what the hell it is. BC has always looked after their own finances and the constitution is being broken if this changes. In other words in my opinion this in illegal as hell.