"It's a clear slam-dunk" ... and Hydro customers will be the ones getting slammed

Time of Day billing will be another government cash cow

Never mind that smart meters can be a health issue for some --- my biggest concern is that the BC Liberals will allow Hydro to jack up rates with "Time-of-Day billing.

This is also something Michael Smythe also raised as a distinct possibility in an opinion piece he wrote entitled; "Smart meters will be Hydro's cash cow" (Oct 2011)

SO ... will Christy Clark and the BC Liberals rule out this possibly – confirm this will not be permitted in the future --- and do so BEFORE the provincial election in May?

We should know the answer to this question. Here is a portion of the article by Michael Smythe, which should have you asking the same thing:

"I've said it clearly - we're not going to time-of-use," said Energy Minister Rich Coleman.

Actually, it's not that clear. When you pin him down, Coleman says there will be no time-of-use billing for now - you know, before an election - but he won't rule it out in the future.

And isn't it interesting that Hydro's own manager of the smart-meter program seems so gung-ho for timeof-use billing?

"It's a clear slam-dunk," Gary Murphy gushed to Globe and Mail reporter Ian Bailey. And Hydro customers will be the ones getting slammed!

BC Hydro is in serious financial straights, and happened on the watch of the BC Liberal government.

Finally, Christy Clark has said something that I can agree with! It is possible to ... "predict future behaviour based on your previous record.”

Given Premier Christy Clark's comments, I predict
rising taxes and fees ... and ever increasing debt

The following comments are from an opinion piece, in the Victoria Times Colonist, which was written by Les Leyne; "Leaders differ on balancing the budget"

NDP Leader Adrian Dix said ... there’s no way it will be balanced. Premier Christy Clark said it most certainly will ...

Even while continuing the advertising blitz, the government announced it is currently a half-billion dollars off its budget

Clark said ... “We are going to make sure we are the lowest tax jurisdiction in the country for personal income taxes ... that is the most important way government keeps life affordable for people.”

Although the running tally for the current year’s deficit is higher than expected, the plan is to erase it in a new budget next February.

Now ... here's another comment that our BC Liberal Premier Christy Clark made, and now probably wishes she hadn't, back in December of last year.  QUOTE: “It’s possible to predict future behaviour based on your previous record.”

Okay Christy ..., let's do a little research to see if in fact that comment, which YOU made, is indeed correct.

BC Ministry of Finance (Summary of Provincial Debt Report -- page #5)
* total BC debt 2001: $33,385,000,000 ($33.385 BILLION)

BC Ministry of Finance (Fiscal and Debt Summary) 2nd Quarter Report 2012 / 13 dated November 28th, 2012
* total estimated Provincial debt (March 2013): $56,356,000,000 ($56.35 BILLION)

BC Ministry of Finance (Budget & Fiscal Plan: 2012/13 - 2014/15 - page #5) -- government document is dated February 21st, 2012
* total estimated debt by 2014/15: $66,354,000,000 ($66.35 BILLION)

Will you look at that!  Christy Clark has finally said something that I can agree with! It is definitely possible to ... "predict future behaviour based on your previous record.” 

But what a dismal record that is for British Columbians here and now ... and those in the future who will be saddled with the results, and consequences, of that ever increasing debt.

Ever vigilant to comments I make on social media, about his government, Kamloops South BC Liberal MLA Kevin Krueger was there to respond

BC Premier Christy Clark - Families First?

With regards to the pathetically partisan / self congratulatory advertising the BC Liberal government is running, using $15 million of our tax dollars. While the following, from the Competition Act applies to businesses only, it is the spirit of what is written in to the act that is of interest to me.  It is also something the BC Liberal Party brass has never given a second thought, or concern about.

False or Misleading Representations:
The Competition Act provides criminal and civil regimes to address false or misleading representations. Section 52 of the Act is a criminal provision.

It prohibits knowingly or recklessly making, or permitting the making of, a representation to the public, in any form whatever, that is false or misleading in a material respect.

I wonder if they have ALSO read this section?

False or Misleading Representations:
Paragraph 74.01(1)(a) of the Act is a civil provision. It prohibits the making, or the permitting of the making, of a representation to the public, in any form whatever, that is false or misleading in a material respect.

Ever vigilant to comments I make on social media, about his government, Kamloops South BC Liberal MLA Kevin Krueger was there to respond:

Kevin Krueger:  Have you been to the web-site which the ads refer job-seekers to? Probably not. Do you know or care that the B.C. Liberals have built an economy which has added hundreds of thousands of jobs for British Columbians? Or that we have vastly ramped up skills training in B.C.?

Alan Forseth:  Yes I have actually been there Kevin --- and there is much self-congratulatory rhetoric there ... along with of course useful and helpful information.

Where I have the biggest issue is the out and out lies being told about the fiscal record of this current government --- its tax policies that have negatively impacted and affected middle-class families struggling to make ends meet -- and the impossibility (given ever-rising annual deficits) that it can possibly deliver a balanced budget next year.

This has been the worst partisan advertising -- rivaling even that done by the NDP in the dying days of their government -- and to ad insult to injury, its is we that taxpayers who are funding this BS advertising.

Shame on your government!

Kevin Krueger: Your continual disparaging of British Columbia's economic success is false and destructive. Name a non-socialist economist in Canada who agrees with you! We have the lowest income taxes in Canada, and with Alberta, the most robust economy in the country, which is world-leading. Ontario is running a $14 billion deficit this year; B.C.'s deficit will be eliminated on March 31. Most western countries are running deficits, Al. You should stop your fear mongering and deception.

Alan Forseth:  On this we will just have to agree to disagree Kevin ...

I am part of the shrinking middle class that continues to see nothing but increased government costs whittling away at resources that should instead be used for not just necessities, but even a little entertainment and relaxation. Those things, for low and middle class British Columbian's, are getting harder and harder to do, under the BC Liberal watch.

So Madame Premier ... given the facts ... would you now apologize for misrepresenting the true state of finances in our province?

Why people would ever try to accuse me of fudging and miss-representing figures, regarding the ACTUAL DEBT being racked up by this BC Liberal government, is beyond me. I have said, and will continue to say -- the BC Liberal government, being led by Premier Christy Clark, is LYING to us.

Despite spending millions of taxpayer dollars on partisan advertising, trying to convince us otherwise, the facts speak for themselves.  These are NOT numbers I have made up -- these figures that follow are directly from the BC Ministry of Finance.

Budget and Fiscal Plan ... for the years 2006 / 2007 through to 2008 / 2009

February 21, 2006 -- Ministry of Finance (http://www.bcbudget.gov.bc.ca/2006/bfp/Summary2.htm)  

Budget Estimate of debt (in billions) for the year:
2006 - 07  ... $36,590
2007 - 08 ... $38,175
2008 - 09 ... $39,800

 

Budget and Fiscal Plan ... for the years 2009 / 2010 through to 2011 / 2012

February 17th, 2009 -- Ministry of Finance (http://www.bcbudget.gov.bc.ca/2009/bfp/2009_Budget_Fiscal_Plan.pdf)

Budget Estimate of debt (in billions) for the year:

2009 - 10  ... $40,471
2010 -  11 ...  $44,203
2011 - 12  ... $47,215

 

Budget and Fiscal Plan ... for the years 2012 / 2013 through to 2014 / 2015

February 21st, 2012 -- Ministry of Finance
(http://www.bcbudget.gov.bc.ca/2012/bfp/2012_Budget_Fiscal_Plan.pdf )

Budget Estimate of debt (in billions) for the year:
2012 - 13 ... $57,603
2013 - 14 ... $62,714
2014 - 15 ... $66,354

So Madame Premier ... given the facts ... would you now apologize for misrepresenting the true state of finances in our province? Will you also now STOP running highly partisan ads cheering the obviously questionable financial management of our province by your government -- given the fact it is NOT the truth?

Finally --- given past performance, what on earth would ever convince us that there is any hope you will be able to present a balanced budget for the coming year --- any more than the BC NDP were able to do in the past?

Only one party stands for common sense government, and smarter government spending -- that's the BC Conservatives.

I'm Alan Forseth in Kamloops ... with the thoughts, and questions, of one conservative.

POINT / COUNTERPOINT: Elect an MLA who works for you

The following is an editorial piece I was invited to write for Kamloops This Week.  It was published in today's edition (May 29th).

BC’s next provincial election will focus on issues of big government, and its twin big spending … concerns about increasing fees and high taxes … trust … and accountability.   These have been issues which have drawn many to the BC Conservatives … and reinforced our commitment to present a clear and well-defined vision of how to deal with them.

                

Christy Clark BC Liberals proudly boast of being fiscally responsible, and yet they are well on their way to doubling our provincial debt.  By 2014 it will top $60 BILLION dollars!   Is it the hallmark of a fiscally conservative government, to make interest payments of over $6 million dollars a day, on this ever increasing debt?

 

That’s $6 MILLION dollars a day which is NOT available to:

… improve our deteriorating health care system

… go into classrooms and to build new schools

… provide better services for seniors

… provide programs to help our children get a good start in life

… better assist people in BC that face mental and physical challenges

… make making improvements to our highways and ferry system.

Our commitment, as BC Conservatives, is to provide government that lives within its means.

Here is something else you won’t hear from Christy Clark.  Last year more people left BC, for other parts of Canada, than moved here.  Our children, skilled trades’ people, and professionals are leaving because provinces like Alberta and Saskatchewan are offering more jobs … and a lower cost of living.

I could list many things which have created concerns in recent years; but you already know what they are.  Each of those concerns has added to an ever increasing number, who have a growing distrust of those who seek elected office.

The carbon tax was really nothing more than a tax grab, designed as a phoney green initiative, and the government knew that from the start

The other day I was asked on Twitter what BC Conservatives would do about the Carbon Tax. 

Twitter allows for a limited number of characters to respond, far more that what follows, but basically what I said was … It’s bad for business, bad for people in the interior and north, and it adds to the cost of goods and services.  It has yet to show any benefit.  It is negative, unfair, and with a BC Conservative government it will be gone!

They responded by asking, “How would you make up revenue? It’s a huge amount.”

To which I said … “I thot it was 2B revenue neutral.  4 starters we won't have the PCT giving free$ 2 corps/ org

Again in case a translation is needed here is what that meant:

I thought it was to be revenue neutral?  For starters we won’t have the Pacific Carbon Trust giving free money to corporations and organizations.

I wanted to say more, and using Twitter wasn’t going to work, so the remainder of my reply was sent as a message via Facebook instead. This is what I had to say:

Rather than the BC government trying to convince me / us that the Carbon Tax is reducing our carbon footprint -- they should cancel it and let me keep MY money.  I can then spend it on something I want to purchase, which helps keep people employed and helps creates new jobs.  Because I am spending money I have earned, on real purchases of goods and services, government will get tax revenue via the HST (or soon to be GST / PST).

Budget 2012 / 2103. Read what you can, and then you decide if the BC Liberal Party has delivered a budget focused on austerity … and fiscal prudence

Murray Langdon Comment (CFAX 1070):
 “Manageable debt”. I’ve never heard of such a ridiculous phrase

That’s just one of the comments, on yesterday’s budget, that caught my eye.  Media from across the whole spectrum were quick to have stories up and online … as were the politicians.  Here is just a snapshot of what they had to say.

The Tyee:
BC Conservative leader John Cummins released a statement blasting the budget as the kind of thing the NDP would deliver. "The core features of this budget are ballooning debt levels, higher taxes and growing spending masked by accounting tricks," he said.

"The [Premier Christy] Clark Liberals are raising taxes on the most productive part of our economy -- small businesses," he said. "By cancelling the planned reduction of small business taxes, with only a month's notice, they are killing jobs and reducing investment in British Columbia."

He said its "smoke and mirrors" to claim a balanced budget for 2013-2014 while also increasing the debt by $5.1 billion. "Even if the government is calling it a surplus, the government is spending more than it is taking in."

News 1130:

School districts are dealing with overcrowding and the BC government isn't providing a lot of new funding to build schools. A UBC professor says the problem is a lack of communication between municipalities and the province.

"These communities are, in part, created by long-planned policies on a municipal level that need to connect up to how the province, and in particular the Minister of Education, decides to build schools," argues Adjunct Planning Professor Andy Yan.

Dix-onomics? Sounds like the pot calling the kettle black to me

British Columbian taxpayers will continue
to be flattened by rising government debt

Today is budget day for Finance Minister Kevin Falcon, and the BC Liberal government.  Yesterday (February 20, 2012) Bloomberg had the following story, “British Columbia to Beat Deficit Targets, Finance Minister Falcon Says”.   

In this story they stated:

Falcon, who is scheduled to unveil his first budget tomorrow, said that as recently as November he was concerned a deepening of Europe’s sovereign debt crisis would further delay the U.S. recovery, undermining the western Canadian province’s effort to restore fiscal balance.

The government forecast in a November update that it would have a shortfall of C$3.1 billion ($3.12 billion) in the year ending March 31; C$805 million in 2012-2013 and a surplus the following year.

The current fiscal year’s deficit had originally been forecast at C$925 million. That figure widened to cover the cost of reversing a value-added tax that was rejected by voters in a referendum in August.

Debt is debt --- and deficits are deficits.  Simply put, this government continues to spend more money than it takes in. 

What I see in those headlines is shifting values, shifting beliefs, and shifting principles.

“bc liberals, christy clark, shift to right”

Type those words into your nearest Google Search Engine, and immediately you will get a number of media releases and story titles pop up. 

If you weren’t already aware, here’s one thing you should know.  With the search engines -- like Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc -- things don’t just ‘pop up’ without there being the written word.  And for there to be the written word, there has to be change, or a spark of something different, being talked about and discussed.

BC Premier Clark, with Prime Minister Stephen Harper

For example, the Globe and Mail on January 15th had a story headlined, “Clark flirtation with the right predictable, dangerous”.

A couple days earlier a story came out in the Vancouver Sun; “Hockey game helps Clark punctuate a right-wing shift”

Three days ago the Globe and Mail had another story that came up using the same search ingredients … “For BC's Liberal Premier, Harper conservatism the key to success”

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Here’s another one, this time from Yahoo News Canada … “Stephen Harper helps BC's Christy Clark appear more conservative”

What I see in those headlines is shifting values, shifting beliefs, and shifting principles.  I have to say, given that; I would find it a bit disconcerting to be a member of the BC Liberal Party right now.  After all how would you know, from one week to the next, what direction the party is taking?

When the BC Liberals emerged from the political desert, led by Gordon Wilson, they seemed to have a tilt to the lift of the political spectrum.  When Gordon Campbell ousted Wilson from the leadership of the party, the Liberals took a swing in the other direction, and for several years became what many would consider to be a fiscally conservative party and government.

Here’s a thought ... maybe the BC government can have a bottle drive!

How does Wikipedia define a “Balanced Budget”??

The public perception of balanced budget is when there is neither a budget deficit nor a budget surplus – when revenues equal expenditure ("the accounts balance") – particularly by a government. More generally, it refers to when there is no deficit, but possibly a surplus.

The private definition used by government is often setting the tax so high that if it were any higher a tax revenue shortfall, rather than gain, would be predicted.  Thus "maximum tax rate" would be a better way for the public to perceive it.

Meantime ... what does the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) say about deficit and debt in BC?

When you run your credit card to the limit, you soon get a bill in the mail, and B.C. is beginning to experience the hangover from this borrowing binge of Olympic proportions … the sooner we balance the budget, the sooner we can start paying down debt.