And from the Left...

More mis-representation on the nature of tax cuts. This time, Linda McQuaig, writing in today's Star, tells us that neo-cons on the Right have worked dilligently over the past several years to "deingrate the role of government and suggest governments should concentrate on giving taxpayers their money back." In one bold sentence, she has completely misrepresented "tax cuts". As a person with right-leaning tendancies, I don't want the government to "give" me anything - I want them to stop taking so much in the first place. And thats what tax cuts actually are - cutting tax rates. In other words, lowering the percentages of your hard earned income that the government helps itself to. And guess what? As experience in Ontario shows, taking less of a bite can actually lead to - wait for it - higher overall revenues for the government (despite the hysterical cries from the Left, during the Harris years own source - eg tax - revenues GREW each and every year, to the point where the government was raking in more per capita than at any other time in its history).

Anyway for McQuaig and the Left, it appears that taxes can never, ever be lowered. Raised yes, because the government can always find new ways to spend your money. But lowered? Why, never! They need every nickel. So they can bribe their friends, and provide a nice nest egg for themselves, so that when they decide to retire from directly sucking from the public teat they can relax and enjoy their autumn years in peace.

She also bleats on about the "enourmously positive role" that government can play in our lives. No one is arguing that government can do some things - things which we as individuals cannot neccessarily do for ourselves - but rather than, as McQuaig suggests, arguing for an elimination of government, I myself argue that we need to limit governments role. Otherwise, politicians send the government off into all manner of policy and program directions, trying to be all things to all people, and ultimately doing nothing very well - and whats worse, doing nothing very well with alot of our money. I would argue that rather than trying to do everything, we should be encouraging smaller government - having governemnt concentrate on those things which it can do well - and stop meddling in all the other areas where there are better (private?) alternatives. Lets stop looking for government to do everything (raise our kids, tell us what we can or can't watch/listen to) - basically, turning us into sheeple looking for the Federal government to guide us everywhere.

Anyway...got off on a bit of a rant there, but my main point remains - I wish that commentators on the Left would stop talking about tax cuts as "giving" money to anyone...they are about taking less! And leaving a dollar in the hands of the person who earned it is much better than putting it into the hands of some politician to squander...I think that I am a much better judge of where to put my money (where to spend it, save, or invest) than Paul Martin and his thieving cronies.

There's just never a good time...

Elections? Never a good time to have one, is there? Well, if you are Paul Martin, I guess. Every day, it seems, our embattled PM pulls a new excuse out of the bag as to why we can't have a "holiday" election. Today, we moved on from the "friends and family" reason from yesterday (and from the overall we have "important" business to complete), and proceeded on to the idea that an election at the end of December or beginning of January just might offend someone's religious sensibilities...nothing specific, but there are lots of religions, and someone just might be offended, since, well, many religions have something Holy going on this time of year. And all religions have some sort of strictures on holiday voting...you know, of the "thou shalt not vote on festival days" or something...

Give me a break.

How long till Papa Paul just decrees that, since there is never a good time to have an election, what with all the Very Very Important Business they have left to do (after all, the 12 years the Libs have been in power was not nearly enough time to completely loot the Canadian treasury), and what with all the religious holidays scattered throughout the year, that we are just going to forego the darned things and let him Rule in peace.

Oh, I can't wait till I get to trudge my way through 2 feet of snow and minus 30 degree temps, singing Christmas carols, just so I can contribute to voting his ass out of office...

Here we go again - vote buying 2005

And here we go again. Once again, those crafty vote-whores...er, Liberals, have reached into the goodie bag and pulled out a little something for everyone, dressed up as an "economic update". Well, really, this is simply using government time, resources, etc to explain to us how they are going to buy as many votes as possible in the next election. I mean, really...can we continue to let them get away with this kind of crap? This is nothing more than the Liberal party election platform...

Isn't it just ever so convenient how the vote-whores, er, Liberals, discover the value of cutting taxes just before it looks like there is going to be an election. Otherwise, cutting taxes is never on their agenda - since they have so much extra spending to do, they could never ever think about giving the average Canadian a tax break...whats that? Looks like an election is coming? Time to buy some votes!

Now look at what they are proposing - Ralphie boy trumpeted $30 billion (count it - $30 billion!) in tax cuts. Wow - thats a big round number that will get lots of headlines. Oh, but wait - the usual Liberal sleight of hand is at work - most of these tax cuts take place many, many years from now. Like the big personal income tax cuts come around 2010. 2010??? Jesus - they can spend like there is no tomorrow, but letting you keep some of your hard earned money??? Just be a little patient - the tax cuts will be here soon enough...well, five years from now, and we are hoping that you'll focus on the big shiny number we threw in front of you, vote for us and then forget about it...cause lord knows, if we are still around in 5 years we'll figure out how to get that money back from you...

Corporate tax cuts - well, those are back too! Just sit back for a few years and they'll be right there - 2008 or so...

Once again - I dearly hope that Canadians (particularly the sheeple in Ontario/ the GTA) do not fall for this kind of bullshit and vote Liberal.

But sadly, I am not holding my breath.

Playing Politics? Why I never...

So - Martin keeps huffing and puffing that he will not "play politics", while at the same time playing politics every time he, or one of his sock puppet cronies, opens their mouths. Its really quite an amazing spectacle to watch. I honestly wonder why his head doesn't simply explode, what with having so many contradictory ideas flying through there - but maybe that is because there is so much empty space for those 'ideas' to roam in...

This time, word is that the Conservatives might rally the Opposition parties to block the Liberals from presenting their "Economic update" to the Finance committee on Monday. Monte Solberg, the Conservative Finance critic is leading this charge. Of course, the "update" is nothing more than a political theatre event where Santa Ralph Goodale can open up the big Liberal bag o'tricks and start throwing out the pre-election goodies - but, my goodness no, that isn't "playing politics". No sir! In Liberal land, this is just par for the course. So of course, PM is huffing and puffing his way up to the high ground - because lord knows he just wants to govern (we've all seen just how desperate he is to "govern" - or, well, at least have the appearance of governing).

Usually, taxing and spending matters are outlined in something called a "budget", but apparently any time there is an election in the offing and people need to be bought off with their own money - well, its time for an "update". Isn't it curious how the Liberals presented a budget many months ago which contained none of these measures (which they now feel are so very important)? And its only now that they are once again under pressure and desperate to distract attention away from the whole "Liberals are corrupt" thing that they want to pull out the usual Liberal pre-election goodie bag? Hmmm...

It would be much better if some honesty were injected into the proceedings and Ralphie just got in front of the committee and said that what he was presenting had absolutely nothing to do with governing the country, and instead was just a way for the Liberals to present their election platform. Something for everyone! Just step right up!

Let the vote buying begin...

But please, don't dare suggest that this is "playing politics"!

Oh, Thats rich...

Paul Martin is apparently dead-set against "playing politics". Yes, you read that correctly - the man who feverishly politicked away, bribing opposition members with cabinet posts (and hints of cabinet posts to come), in order to preserve his feeble grip on power, is now above "playing politics". Of course, the next quote in the Globe article seems to contradict this lofty sentiment:

“It is very hard for me to understand why one would put in jeopardy the funding that we want to give to lower income families to protect them from the rising costs of fuel oil, it's hard for me to say that pensions for senior citizens should be put in jeopardy,” Mr. Martin said, responding to reporters' questions. "

Thats right...we are not playing politics here, but if those nasty opposition members go ahead and pull the rug out from under us, we just won't be able to go ahead with all our carefully planned out attempts to bribe you gullible voters with your own money. Thats right, those other scary parties want to piss all over the poor and old people we want to buy off before the next election. Heaven forfend that someone would dare "play politics"! Thats just unheard of!

I honestly wonder how Martin manages to keep a straight face when he is slinging this kind of crap...

Welcome to Canuckistan

Did you notice that one of the "harshest" penalties handed down by Paul Martin upon the evildoers named in the Gomery report was to strip them, for all of eternity, of their membership in the Party. Oh my.

Is it just me, or is anyone else reminded of the old days in the good ol' decrepit Soviet Union where being stripped of your Party card was seen as the worst punishment the state could hand down - for without a Party card you were a leper - cut off from the higher echelons of society, shunned, unable to tap into the riches that Party membership opened up...

Perhaps its just me being jaded, but this "punishment" by Paul Martin seems to me to smack of the same mindset - you are now banished forever from the NGP (Natural Governing Party)!

Welcome to Canuckistan! One-party state in the making...

"Exonerated"

Has the much anticipated Gomery report delivered the Martin Lieberals another election victory? As much as it pains me, I believe it just may have...with a single word - "exonerated". Yes, apparently Mr. Justice Gomery saw fit to "exonerate" Martin from responsibility for the sponsorship scandal. What this really says is that while he can't neccessarily be labelled as corrupt, he certainly could be called incompetent - for, as a senior cabinet member (from Quebec, no less) and as Finance Minister (and lets not forget his taking control over virtually all the Liberal riding associations during his Long March to the throne), his claims that he knew nothing, nothing! about the misapropriation of hundreds of millions of dollars, and the chicanary that went on with the Liberal party in Quebec ring quite false.

So - the Liberals can now blanket the country with advertising (kind of ironic, isn't it?) over the next several months (or whenever the next election rolls around) - extolling the virtuous Paul Martin who was "exonerated" by the very Gomery commission he bravely called to investigate government corruption...well, you get the picture. Never mind the fact that the Liberal party that Martin leads is no different than the Liberal party that committed these gross abuses of the Canadian taxpayer - the Libs will spill gallons (litres?) of ink telling people that, well, the Liberal party under that bad man Mr. Chretien was totally different from the "new" team - which voters in Ontario (read: Toronto) will lap up - despite the fact that, well, a whole lot of faces on "Team Martin" look quite similar to those from "Team Crook", er, Chretien...

I mean, just look at how Martin has ended the Democratic deficit, and put a stop to the politics of cronyism by stacking the senate with members of his former leadership team..

Anyway - as outlined below, the Harper gang has not done itself any favours by being a one-trick pony - all Liberal corruption all the time. Yes, Harper is perfectly justified to be angry about the rampant corruption outlined by the Gomery commission, and more broadly, by the Liberal culture of "entitlement" that has lead them to treat taxpayer dollars as their own slush fund - but they need to offer something positive as well. Its not enough to thunder about how corrupt the Liberals are, you need to give the voters a reason to vote FOR you...not just against the other guy. Otherwise, the next time out, we are bound to either see another Lib minority (which will lead to more unholy alliances with the Jack!'s Big Spenders) or *shudder* a Liberal Majority government - which will only cement the idea in Liberal Land that they are the Natural Governing party, and that no matter how bad they fuck things up, the sheeple will continue to vote them in...