Those of us properly educated by the Jesuits will understand the title.
I am of course including the scribe from my alma mater in Winnipeg, St. Paul’s College, the eminent Rick Bell.
It was Rick who got it right about the budget in his February 7th column, ‘Budget fear called scare tactics’
http://www.calgarysun.com/news/columnists/rick_bell/2010/02/06/12774941.html
So now he deserves the right to gloat in today's column, ‘Tories pick from the magic money tree’.
http://www.calgarysun.com/news/columnists/rick_bell/2010/02/09/12812701.html
However, let's not forgot some ultimate truths;
1. There is only one source of revenue in Alberta and that's the people of Alberta and all of the jiggery-pokery around the spending is buying us back with our money.
2. This Government has a revenue problem, created when they re-jigged the progressive tax structure and introduced a flat tax regime. That gave us a revenue short-fall of 5.6 billion dollars in revenue since it's introduction (supported by economists such as Greg Flanagan).
3. The majority of Albertans exist in the political centre and the Tories seem to have woken up to that fact. I have been stressing since October of last year for the opposition Liberals to find and play in the centre, it may be too late for them.
4. The Tories, with this budget, are saying to Danielle Smith, "bring it on".
5. Finally, I owe Joseph Lougheed a beer, his choice where and when.
Let the political games begin.
PS: Where's Guy Boutilier, did my sources let me down on this one? I think perhaps he's having to wait now that the budget confused everyone in Alberta.
PPS: I leave for Oman in the Gulf Region of the Middle East today, returning at the end of March. Next Blog from there!
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Here are some thoughts penned in my letter to The Herald and the Herald's blog. I doubt Corbella will print it so I'm sending it to various bloggers who have commented on Stelmach's 2010 budget.
ReplyDeleteDear Licia Corbella,
It was hard to stomach Stelmach’s avoidance of David Swann’s direct, timely questions about health care delivery yesterday, just prior to the 2010 budget. Swann said: "I'll try this again Mr. Speaker. Does the premier support public dollars going to private, for-profit health care providers?” Stelmach dodged both questions; he said nothing about preserving the principles of the Canada Health Act or shoring up public delivery. Given the budgetary spending on healthcare and the government’s numerous privatization initiatives over the past twenty years, those of us who value public delivery need to be especially vigilant of clandestine privatization initiatives. Let’s not be lulled into thinking the government is on our side. I suspect it won’t be long before we’ll need to hit the pavement with protests and placards. Yet again.
I sincerely hope I’m wrong.
Judy J. Johnson
Calgary, AB
FYI - Calgary's CTV Poll on the budget says:
ReplyDeleteShould have cut more: 45%
Strikes the right balance: 32%
Cut too much: 23%
Travel safe and forget the self-flagellation. It's only politics.
Valerie
Thank you and as the poll results say, welcome to Calgary.
ReplyDeleteJudy,
ReplyDeleteAlways willing to accommodate you.