I finally saw a political party that understood common sense trumps band-aid solutions every time

I have been VERY busy these past couple of weeks with work ... and with duties as a Regional Director for the BC Conservative Party .. which has meant only a few recent posts here.

Today is kind of a smorgasbord of thoughts , comments, and ideas ... but I think they all seem to come together in a positive way ...

Here is a comment that I must post anonymously:

... wanted to know when I decided to join the BCCP and what the reason was ... I told him it was after I'd met John at a luncheon ...and because he has a far clearer vision than Premier Clark, for the province, and a clear idea of what he'd do if he was in power ... and I still feel that way.

Today in a news story former Liberal MLA Bill Belsey stated that the BC Liberals are poised to "deal a devastating blow to the New Democrats."

Meantime BC Conservative Party leader John Cummins was quoted saying: “It is understandable that Christy Clark and the other Liberals want to put the best possible ‘spin’ on events as they gather for convention this weekend."

And then there's a story in today’s Kamloops Daily News which began with the following:

The exodus of high-ranking Liberals has done nothing to diminish the party's morale heading into the next provincial election, the candidate for Kamloops - South Thompson said Thursday.

Instead, the resignations of Kevin Falcon, George Abbott and others is a way to breathe new life into the party at a crucial political time, said Todd Stone (BC Liberal candidate for Kamloops South).

Someone is pulling the strings from behind – and whoever they are – they are cowards for not showing their faces

Allison Patton (center) of the dissident group - with Christy
Clark and Kevin Falcon.  They sure look happy together

News media from TV, newspapers, and radio were filled late yesterday with the soothing calm faces of a handful of dissidents within the BC Conservative Party.

These people gratefully acknowledged the work of John Cummins, to bring the party to where it is, and then proceeded to stab him in the back by demanding he resign.

For the past few months now a group (although the members seem to flow in and out and not really have any structure) has worked to see the leadership of the party change.

There is NOTHING wrong with that -- the members voted – and they made their choice. 

The group wishing to see a leadership race undertaken was defeated in a democratic vote of the membership.  Case closed – right??  NOT!

Since the BC Conservative Party AGM in Langley concluded, a number of people have taken it upon themselves to force the party into a leadership race. 

All that aside, the Executive and Board of the BC Conservative party has endeavored to work with members of the group to try and come to a resolution.  Even yesterday Al Siebring, along with two others, sat down face to face with representatives from the dissident group – they met until mid-afternoon.

And the results of that meeting?  Here they are from the mouth of BC Conservative Party president Al Siebring:

Taxpayers have no more money to give – either in taxes or fees – so don’t ask to squeeze us for any more

Months ago former BC Liberal Finance Minister Kevin Falcon was saying the government was going to have a difficult time meeting the numbers in what was already a deficit budget.

The wallets of taxpayers have NO MORE to give

The news media has been filled with stories today that indeed the financial estimates for the current budget do not look good – and we can expect the deficit to be higher.  Here’s just one of the news stories:

CKNW:
BC'S finance minister has released the government's fiscal update for the first quarter.  The deficit for the current fiscal year is projected to be higher than expected.  Falling natural gas revenues are blowing a hole in the provincial budget.

The deficit for this year now pegged at 1.14 billion dollars.  That's 173 million dollars more than expected.  The provincial government is announcing new spending cuts.

The government must find 241 million dollars in savings this year and 389 million in savings the following year and even with those, would still come in with a deficit this year of 1.14 billion dollars.

Premier Christy Clark however still says next year’s budget will be balanced.  She says this and yet we have had no indication, from past example, that she has any idea how that should and can be done.

Is Christy Clark still in some far away fairyland of non-reality?

Just yesterday her government tinkered with the proposed tolls for the new Port Mann Bridge saying they will now be $1.50 per trip for the first year (formerly had said would be $6 per trip).

She has continued to allow the executives and management, of crown corporations and agencies, to take big pay raises … AND undeserved bonuses.

She spends tens of thousands of dollars on photo-op after photo-op that are little more than self-promotion of the BC Liberal Party.

We still have a $6 million hole in government finances after the BC Liberals wrongly authorized payment of the legal bills for Basi and Virk in the BC Rail fiasco.

They turned down tens of millions of dollars, from Telus, for the naming rights to BC Place – that after actively courting them to submit what they were willing to pay to do that.

AND this Liberal government – and the NDP before them – have still never considered a full and complete bottom up look at all spending.  We, and government, have no idea if we are getting the best value for every department – every office – every employee and manager.

Who’s out for the BC Liberals? The question should be, “Who isn’t”?

The clock is ticking on Christy
Clark and the BC Liberals

Well, as of late Thursday morning (August 30th), here's the list of BC Liberal MLAs that have announced they will not be running in the next election:

• Harry Bloy – the ONLY Liberal MLA that supported Christy Clark
• Kash Heed – former Solicitor General
• Kevin Krueger – former Minister of Social Development … Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts … Minister of Community Development … and former Minister of State for Mining
• Dave Hayer
• Murray Coell
• John Les - Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier
• Bill Barisoff – House Speaker
• George Abbott - Education Minister
• Mary McNeil - Children & Family Development Minister
• Kevin Falcon - BC Finance Minister and Deputy Premier

... and Randy Hawes, as of Tuesday (Aug 28^th) says, “… he is still weighing his options.”

Would you not agree with me in saying that's a very substantial list given the names on it?

Other than two backbenchers (Hayer and Coell) these are all BC Liberal MLA's that have played a major role in the Cabinets of both Gordon Campbell, and Christy Clark. 

For Christy Clark to say this is simply nothing more than a rejuvenation of the party is absurd. 

Who’s out for the BC Liberals? The question should be, “Who isn’t”?  Stay tuned … there will definitely be more to come.

I’m Alan Forseth in Kamloops, with the thoughts of one conservative.

"Fear of a name, increases fear of the thing itself"

Former BC Solicitor General Kash
Heed to retire after just one term

Remember the classic rock anthem from Queen ... Another One Bites the Dust?

Another one bites the dust

Another one bites the dust

And another one gone, and another one gone

Another one bites the dust

Hey, I'm gonna get you too

I was reminded of the song, when yet another BC Liberal MLA decided to call it quits late last week … former Solicitor General Kash Heed.  Heed was only elected as a BC Liberal MLA in the 2009 provincial election, in the riding of Vancouver - Fraserview. 

The fact that he has decided to bow out, after just one term, speaks volumes to the chances of BC Liberals in the next general election.

In an interview with the Asian Journal, Kash Heed laid out several reasons for his decision, including the following:

"...the system within British Columbia is very, very difficult to change and there really was no real, clear action by the government to make those significant changes."

"Unfortunately, our government has decided to move forward on signing a multi-billion-dollar, 20-year contract with the RCMP without doing, in my opinion, due diligence on what the best policing model is for British Columbia.

"I go away from politics, saying that I am glad I had my 31-year career in policing, because had I entered politics as my career, I would have been so, so disappointed.”

Kash Heed is now the third sitting BC Liberal MLA to announce he will not be seeking re-election.  The first, sometime ago, was Harry Bloy.  Last week, Kamloops South Thompson MLA Kevin Krueger also announced he was stepping down and would not run again.

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).

Is Terry Lake setting up a situation for an ‘honorable retreat’?

Environment Minister Terry Lake

INTERESTING NEWS from the Globe & Mail, in the form of a story entitled, “BC Liberals announce review of province’s carbon tax”.  In part it read:

The Liberals are not announcing a new schedule of increases in the tax beyond the one that ends in 2012.  But Mr. Falcon rejected a reporter’s suggestion on Tuesday that he is laying the groundwork for the demise of the tax.

“I wouldn’t make that leap,” he said at a news conference during the budget lockup.

Instead, he said the government has been proud to lead in addressing climate change through the tax.

“The issue is: four years on is the right time to review where we are at,” he said.

The minister added that he is especially interested in whether the tax is affecting economic competitiveness, especially in the agricultural sector, which faces competition abroad from rivals unburdened by such a tax.

Mr. Falcon said B.C. always expected other provinces and jurisdictions to adopt carbon taxes, leading to an “equalizing effect.”  But he said that has not happened, and B.C. is isolated.

Later in this story they went on to quote George Heyman, who happens to be BC’s Executive Director of the Sierra Club BC, saying that Falcon’s remark were basically a signal of the governments intentions.

“There’s no way to read the minister’s hints except that they’re definitely looking for a way to get out of the carbon tax,” he said.

Now just in case you have forgotten, BC’s Environment Minister is Kamloops North Thompson Liberal MLA Terry Lake. 

That makes it odd that it’s Kevin Falcon talking about, and discussing, what is happening with the Carbon Tax.  It is after all part of the government’s environmental green plan --- and that would make it is something which would be on the radar for an environment minister.

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.

This is NOT a government friendly to BC families --- this is NOT a government that understands fiscal prudence – this is a government that needs to be sent packing.

BC Finance Minister Kevin Falcon

Finance Minister Kevin Falcon concluded today’s budget speech by stating:

When we were first elected and we got the province back on the road to balanced budgets, there were people who asked us why, and questioned the need to meet — as they saw it — some kind of arbitrary target.

Well, Mr. Speaker, as we look around the world today, we can see that balanced budgets are anything but arbitrary. They are an essential foundation for growth. That’s why our balanced-budget legislation mandates not just a time frame for balancing, but also pay-cuts for ministers for every year the budget is in deficit.

Keeping British Columbia’s fiscal house in order does mean some tough decisions in the short-term. But consider what’s at stake here. It’s our future, Mr. Speaker — the future of this province, and the future of our people.

We have one of the most diverse populations anywhere... with ties to countries and cultures around the world. And while we are all unique individuals, we all want the same basic things for our future.

We want to be able to support ourselves, and take care of our families. We want to know that important public services will be there when we need them. We want strong, secure communities where everyone contributes, and everyone belongs. And we all want to share in the wide-open sense of opportunity that has, for over 150 years, been the hallmark of British Columbia. 

That’s what keeps on bringing people here. That’s what generates confidence, growth and investment. And that’s the kind of future we’re building with this budget — a future of security, growth and opportunity. Thank you for being part of it. Now let’s get to work.

This government has NOT delivered on balanced budgets --- ending rising debt -- getting it's fiscal house in order -- or making it easier for families to care for themselves!

Right now, I have a few things to note for the moment --- and more I am sure will follow.

Any talk of balanced budgets is mathematically impossible when the provincial government’s debt will continue to rise.  Here’s the facts:

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. 

Isn’t that the kind of fiscal prudence we would expect of a government led by the New Democrats?

Saturday on CKNW News, they featured a story entitled “Premier says Tuesday's budget will demonstrate prudence -- Don't expect tax increases or big spending announcements.  Here is the story in full (my italicize and bold):

With the province determined to balance its budget by next year, British Columbians shouldn't expect any big spending announcements in Tuesday's budget.

Premier Christy Clark says the government wants to demonstrate it can manage its spending.

"I'm just not interested in dumping piles of debt on the backs of our children and grandchildren," she says.

She also says it's wrong to go to the public to ask for raises for public sector unions.

"You know, I think that's pretty sensible. I think that most British Columbians, in these very tough fiscal times, understand it's important to be prudent, and I'm going to make a virtue of being prudent."

The finance minister has already said British Columbians should not expect any tax increases.

That all sound fine and well, but what has the BC Liberal government been doing for the past 10+ years?  While they initially had spending under control, for the past five or six years, they have been running bigger and bigger deficits – and steadily increasing the debt.

Here’s just a quick look back at a few of the instances this has been pointed out by the media, and financial watchdogs:

The Tyee (August 2004)

Nobody seems to want to mention the fast growing $38 billion elephant in our living room. Each of us owes $9,003, sharply up under the Liberals.

Canadian Taxpayers (February 2010)

B.C.’s Liberal government was elected on a platform of fiscal responsibility and started off well. Between 2001 and 2004, government spending hovered around $30 billion per year.

The government commendably reduced the debt from almost $38 billion in 2003 to $33.4 billion in 2006. However in 2005, spending restraint started to fly out the window – a result of that dreaded second-term spending disease that seems to infect governments at re-election time.

BC Politics … the week that began February 5th

It’s the end of the week … and during it; we have of course had a number of stories on BC politics.   

No surprise, BC Hydro was again in the news … as was news on another poll showing declining support for the governing BC Liberals … and the appointment of nine new judges in BC.

Here’s a quick recap of some the stories in case you missed a few:

Poll in line with B.C.'s history

This is the province that threw out the old Liberals and Conservatives in the mid-20th century and replaced them with Social Credit and the NDP … then turned on the Socreds and exterminated them as a party … then, a decade after that, reduced the NDP to a rump of two members … we are not kind to those who have disappointed us, failed us, led us into hard economic times, or lied to us …

B.C. Liberals expecting tight Chilliwack-Hope byelection

John Martin, BC Conservative party candidate said he's going to put up a good political fight … "I don't buy into this Liberal line that somehow anyone who is not an NDP voter should get their vote, owes them their vote, that they should get their vote by default" …

BC Hydro Withdraws Massive Effort to Build a Spin Arsenal
… the Times Colonist and Global TV reported that BC Hydro was pre-approving 25 marketing firms to have ready to go to spin various initiatives … Thursday, BC Hydro announced that they had withdrawn their call for companies … a win for taxpayers who are sick and tired of government agencies using our money to sell us their ideas …

That is NOT fiscal restraint … or financial accountability

BC Finance Minister Kevin Falcon

A story yesterday in the Vancouver Sun (Monday February 6, 2012) said that “Kevin Falcon reaffirms promise of balanced budget by 2013”

In it, Falcon stated that, "We are focused on controlling our spending and protecting our revenues to ensure we can continue to deliver the priority programs taxpayers want."

Well here’s what I think after seeing another story in the news … this one on the new prison, to be built in an industrial park on Osoyoos First Nations land, that was of such urgent importance it demanded the personal appearance of Christy Clark

It seems the somewhat obvious wasteful spending of Christy Clark's photo op, doesn't come under the controlled spending Kevin Falcon was referring to.

Wardens, Deputy Wardens, and heavy equipment on
hand for Premier Clark's announcement in Osoyoos

You’ll note from the photo that appeared with the story (it was much larger in a story released earlier in the day) that not only did BC Liberal Premier Christy Clark decide she had to personally be there to make the announcement … she also required a large contingent of BC Wardens and Deputy Wardens to be on hand.  PLUS … she also hauled in expensive heavy duty equipment that won't be needed, or put to work, for goodness knows how many months from now.

So much for controlling spending Kevin!

Common sense ideas and policies are making a comeback once again.

Edmund Burke -- viewed as
the philosophical founder
of modern Conservatism

Here is what Murray Langdon, of CFAX 1070, had to say in his radio editorial today (January 30, 2012)

When the BC’s Finance Minister unveils his budget in a couple of weeks, we will get a sense and snapshot of how we’re coping financially in this world of turmoil. Sadly however, because of the political climate in the air, we may not get that.

As Kevin Falcon adeptly put it, BC, on a world stage, is a “small, resources-based economy”. As such, that means we are subject to shocks, gyrations and swings that occur on a continent-or-world-wide basis. But we still have control over our own destiny, and much of that revolves around our expenditures.

What we have right now in BC is a situation where several areas of concern drastically need funding. Areas such as our criminal justice system, which has been mired in a multi-year funk over shortfalls in legal aid, the judiciary, etc. This is but one area requiring more money to function as it properly should. This isn’t a wish list; it is a must have list. There are several other areas of similar state; the list could go on and on.

The point is for every extra dollar taken in tax, fees or licensing, there is already a home for it. We have an acute need for revenue, which our looming or demanding expenditures can’t wait to get their hands on.

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”

‎

‎

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.

Tax and spend BC Liberals WILL NOT win the next election -- regardless of whether BC Conservatives run candidates

Kamloops South Thompson MLA Kevin Krueger was heard this afternoon (December 19^th) stating a Conservative vote in the next election is a vote for an NDP government.  He said we should look at the record of the BC Liberal government.

In little more than one week Kamloops South Thompson Liberal MLA Kevin has asked the people of British Columbian to look at their record, as has Chilliwack Liberal MLA John Les, who you may recall served as Parliamentary Secretary for HST Information to the Minister of Finance.

John Les had this to say regarding NDP leader Adrian Dix:

"He's talking about a much bigger government and a lot more government spending … he has just three choices: Higher taxes, or deeper deficits, or both.  British Columbians deserve to know exactly what he would do and how he would pay for it.  But he is being very, very, very vague."

Finance Minster Kevin Falcon (L) and Kamloops
South Thompson Liberal MLA Kevin Krueger

As I mentioned not too many days ago, here are some NOT SO VERY VAGUE words that John Les, Kevin Kruger, and our BC Liberal government may not wish to be reminded about:

... increases every year on the Carbon Tax

... increased costs for drivers licenses 

... increased costs due to HST 

... increased ferry costs 

... increased Hydro costs 

... increased parking fees at hospitals 

... increased green taxes and fees 

... increased probate fees 

... the soon to be increases on auto insurance from ICBC

... increased MSP payments 

… exorbitant salaries, payments, bonuses, and payouts to executives (directly or indirectly) on the government payroll at Community Living BC, BC Ferries, and BC Hydro.

That’s the SHORT list … don’t forget our every increasing debt which is now approaching $60 BILLION dollars --- and also Finance Minister Kevin Falcon who has now had to admit, for 2 consecutive quarters, that government debt will increase dramatically.