- Put rationality into the way our country is run - Give Harper, Flaherty and all the Con's the boot
A credible budget will have to include tax increases, C. Scott Clark and Peter DeVries
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/a-credible-budget-will-have-to-include-tax-increases/article1400092/
Tab 4
It is time that we put some rationality into the way the country is run and it certainly isn't with Harper at the helm.
20 Sep.'08 I posted:
The Harper government’s strategy from the time it took office was to slash taxes to the point that there is no appreciable surplus. This, obviously, was not an accident but a well thought out strategy. For one thing it was intended to make people ‘Happy with Harper’ by reducing taxes. For another thing, their obvious strategy is that any programs promised by the Liberal or other parties, would be attacked on the grounds that taxes would have to be increased to support it.
In actuality reducing taxes to the extreme is one of the objectives that the paper by Mike Harris and Preston Manning for the Fraser Institute just before Harper was elected and is part of a far reaching, well defined, Extreme Right Wing agenda. They recommend reduced government spending [to 30% of GDP, if I recall]) – which Harper does seem to have got to yet.
By slashing taxes to such an extent Harper has weakened Canada’s ability to withstand hash economic times through social policies (enshrined in the Canadian way of life and distinguishes us from the Americans).
This of course will be very important in the next year or two.
Disjointed ‘micro-policies’ also weakens our ability to deal with large problems like the environment and the economy in a coherent, comprehensive and effective fashion. For Harper and the Con’s this is not a bad thing since they really don’t want to ‘deal with the environment’ but would rather push it off to the individual Provinces ‘À la Firewall’. They really don’t want comprehensive Federal social programs since this detracts from their Laissez-faire, sink or swin, approach to the economy (which, of sourse, one of the major factors defining them as extremist, right wing) which again can be seen in Harper’s Firewall Letter.
Harper's reducing surpluses to zero is actually a result of his sink or swim approach to our economic activity. That is, people should not turn to the Federal government for help when they are thrown into dire need due to economic downturns, they should turn to themselves. This became very clear when Flaherty told the municipal leader to stop whining when The Federation of Canadian Municipalities released a study last November warning that much of the nation's municipal infrastructure is "on the brink of failure" and will cost $123 billion to upgrade. Flaherty responded "we're not in the pothole business in the government of Canada." (see: Toronto Star, "Cities told to stop `whining'", 22 Nov.'07).
. . .
Here is one of the Harper quotes – Scary Stuff! it is something that everyone should consider when choosing how to vote:
· Whether Canada ends up as one national government or two national governments or several national governments, or some other kind of arrangement is, quite frankly, secondary in my opinion… And whether Canada ends up with one national government or two governments or ten governments, the Canadian people will require less government no matter what the constitutional status or arrangement of any future country may be.
(Speech to the Colin Brown Memorial Dinner, National Citizens Coalition, 1994 )
***
10 December, 2009
- "Debt Men - and Women - Walking"
Of course, if you think the deficit is large now just wait until the interest rates are increased by 2 points.
Interest rates will increase. Most economists in other countries are already pointing to the economic tsunami that awaits us when this happens.
This is a serious concern, more immediate than Global Warming, more far reaching than Afghan transferees being tortured.
When you look at the huge deficit Harper, Flaherty and the Con's are racking up, and you look at the "do-nothing" approach to Global Warming - one can only wonder, just what does Harper and the Con's have against our children and our children's children anyway.
When the Federal Government finances start to collapse under the weight of the debt and when the personal and company bankruptcies start to exponentiate, what will Harper have to say then - "we saved the Canadian economy", "steady as she goes", "even hand on the keel", "let the market forces prevail", "minimize Federal Government interference", "it's the Laissez faire way or the highway".
***
- 17 Oct.'09, "Best to give Harper the boot now"
Harper's strategy for the economy is to do nothing and it will grow itself out of deficit, in 5 to 6 years - wow, what a great excuse to keep Harper in power. This is like someone max'g his credit cards out on the basis that sometime in the future he will get a higher paying job and pay them off.
Lloyd MacIlquham cicblog.com/comments.html
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/a-credible-budget-will-have-to-include-tax-increases/article1400092/
Tab 4
It is time that we put some rationality into the way the country is run and it certainly isn't with Harper at the helm.
20 Sep.'08 I posted:
The Harper government’s strategy from the time it took office was to slash taxes to the point that there is no appreciable surplus. This, obviously, was not an accident but a well thought out strategy. For one thing it was intended to make people ‘Happy with Harper’ by reducing taxes. For another thing, their obvious strategy is that any programs promised by the Liberal or other parties, would be attacked on the grounds that taxes would have to be increased to support it.
In actuality reducing taxes to the extreme is one of the objectives that the paper by Mike Harris and Preston Manning for the Fraser Institute just before Harper was elected and is part of a far reaching, well defined, Extreme Right Wing agenda. They recommend reduced government spending [to 30% of GDP, if I recall]) – which Harper does seem to have got to yet.
By slashing taxes to such an extent Harper has weakened Canada’s ability to withstand hash economic times through social policies (enshrined in the Canadian way of life and distinguishes us from the Americans).
This of course will be very important in the next year or two.
Disjointed ‘micro-policies’ also weakens our ability to deal with large problems like the environment and the economy in a coherent, comprehensive and effective fashion. For Harper and the Con’s this is not a bad thing since they really don’t want to ‘deal with the environment’ but would rather push it off to the individual Provinces ‘À la Firewall’. They really don’t want comprehensive Federal social programs since this detracts from their Laissez-faire, sink or swin, approach to the economy (which, of sourse, one of the major factors defining them as extremist, right wing) which again can be seen in Harper’s Firewall Letter.
Harper's reducing surpluses to zero is actually a result of his sink or swim approach to our economic activity. That is, people should not turn to the Federal government for help when they are thrown into dire need due to economic downturns, they should turn to themselves. This became very clear when Flaherty told the municipal leader to stop whining when The Federation of Canadian Municipalities released a study last November warning that much of the nation's municipal infrastructure is "on the brink of failure" and will cost $123 billion to upgrade. Flaherty responded "we're not in the pothole business in the government of Canada." (see: Toronto Star, "Cities told to stop `whining'", 22 Nov.'07).
. . .
Here is one of the Harper quotes – Scary Stuff! it is something that everyone should consider when choosing how to vote:
· Whether Canada ends up as one national government or two national governments or several national governments, or some other kind of arrangement is, quite frankly, secondary in my opinion… And whether Canada ends up with one national government or two governments or ten governments, the Canadian people will require less government no matter what the constitutional status or arrangement of any future country may be.
(Speech to the Colin Brown Memorial Dinner, National Citizens Coalition, 1994 )
***
10 December, 2009
- "Debt Men - and Women - Walking"
Of course, if you think the deficit is large now just wait until the interest rates are increased by 2 points.
Interest rates will increase. Most economists in other countries are already pointing to the economic tsunami that awaits us when this happens.
This is a serious concern, more immediate than Global Warming, more far reaching than Afghan transferees being tortured.
When you look at the huge deficit Harper, Flaherty and the Con's are racking up, and you look at the "do-nothing" approach to Global Warming - one can only wonder, just what does Harper and the Con's have against our children and our children's children anyway.
When the Federal Government finances start to collapse under the weight of the debt and when the personal and company bankruptcies start to exponentiate, what will Harper have to say then - "we saved the Canadian economy", "steady as she goes", "even hand on the keel", "let the market forces prevail", "minimize Federal Government interference", "it's the Laissez faire way or the highway".
***
- 17 Oct.'09, "Best to give Harper the boot now"
Harper's strategy for the economy is to do nothing and it will grow itself out of deficit, in 5 to 6 years - wow, what a great excuse to keep Harper in power. This is like someone max'g his credit cards out on the basis that sometime in the future he will get a higher paying job and pay them off.
Lloyd MacIlquham cicblog.com/comments.html
posted by wlloydm at
9:56 AM
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