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. 

This “FIX” to the HST could have easily come from the NDP --- no wait, even Adrian Dix and the NDP wouldn't have come up with a plan this ridiculous.

Whatever was Christy Clark thinking ???  The news is out about fixing the HST ... and as I joked the other day … it is more like “The FIX is in on the HST”. 

As noted in the Victoria Times Colonist, here is Christy Clark’s plan in a nutshell:

The B.C. government is promising to cut the 12 per cent harmonized sales tax by two percentage points, provide rebates to millions of British Columbians and hike corporate tax rates in a last-ditch attempt to save the unpopular tax from defeat in a summer referendum.

Will the Liberals and NDP will merge -- what does that mean provincially"

The call for a merger of those who lean to the left side of the political spectrum has been raised again, or this time actually an analysis of why it is likely to take place.  I'm just wondering though why the thought / idea keeps getting raised?

Are these trial balloons being floated to see the response, people seeing that a merger simply makes sense, or ??

Another call came forward over the weekend for a merger of the Liberals and the NDP on the federal front, and you can read that story by clicking HERE.

On the provincial side of things Christy Clark has allowed select party members (ie: Colin Hansen) to see what appetite there is for the BC Liberals to have a name change -- given the fact that Liberal party is Liberal in name only that may not be a bad idea.


The other day Bill Tieleman called for suggestions, and there have been some great ones :) ... but I don't think any suggestions came forward that Christy Clark would appreciate.


Politics is BC is starting to get interesting again --- and I am looking forward to seeing what kind of repositioning, if any, the NDP and Liberals look at now that the BC Conservative Party, under John Cummins, is gaining traction in the province.


I'm Alan Forseth in Kamloops ... with a a few thoughts from one conservative, and a few other folks.

I hope Christy Clark doesn't think the drop has anything to do with her!

In a story today (May 21st) in the Vancouver Sun, Vaughn Palmer wrote about the upcoming HST referendum.  In the story he mentioned that Ipsos-Reid had just completed a study where a little over one third (36%) of taxpayers plan to vote yes to retaining the tax … while just over half the people (52%) will be voting to return to the old GST / PST combination.  That vote will be taking place next month in a mail in referendum.

Now given how the hated tax was conceived in secrecy prior to being announced ... and that only a mere year and a half ago there was near unanimous disapproval of the tax (including thousands upon thousands of Liberal voters) ... the fact they have the disapproval rating down to just over 50% now is pretty remarkable.

I hope that Christy Clark doesn't think the drop has anything to do with her however! 

Bill Bennett ... the BC Liberal banner in many rural ridings is "like running a race with a bag of cement tied around your waist."

So ... BC Liberal MLA, and former Finance Minister Colin Hansen, says it’s time for his party to change its name. What did he have to say this past weekend in Penticton??

“In the minds of a lot of voters, I think there is a confusion between the federal Liberal Party and the BC Liberal Party, which have no connection at all. And yet, in the minds of a lot of voters, they believe there is a connection.”

According the Hansen, the BC Liberals have no connection to the federal Liberal Party, although as most of us are well aware of, BC Premier and Liberal party leader Christy Clark is very much a federal Liberal supporter.

BC POLITICS … the week of March 13th

This week we got a new cabinet (the old are out, but some stay in) … Lekstrom is back (but where’s Bill Bennett) … Campbell resigns seat (where will Christy run) … John Cummins to resign as MP (will he be back as MLA).  EXTRA EXTRA … all this and more is coming up, so read all about it!

Gordon Campbell's Revenge? How Campbell came to Colin Hansen's rescue - Christy Clark at risk

… as of this evening, new Premier Christy Clark, who lacks a seat in the BC Legislature, has not announced she is running to replace Campbell as his old riding's MLA. Why …

Cummins looks to step up his role with BC Conservatives
Retiring Tory MP John Cummins says his departure from Ottawa will allow him to step up his role in the BC Conservative Party – and hopefully break up the coalition of the right under the governing Liberals. The only question, the Delta-Richmond East MP …

More on the ridings of Vancouver Point Grey, and Vancouver Quilchena

I'm busier than a one armed paperhanger this week so my apologies for not having a full blog story here today.  

Colin Hansen (l) and
Gordon Campbell (r)

That said however; the ongoing connections and coincidences in the the riding's of Vancouver Point Grey and Vancouver Quilchena ... continue to come together ... as do the intertwining of Gordon Campbell, Colin Hansen, and Christy Clark. 

If you read my story on Wednesday --- I invite you to now have a look at Bill Tielman's article on Gordon Campbell's Revenge.

Tomorrow the regular "This Week in BC Politics" returns ... see you then.

CONSULTATION – Christy Clark style

Here we go again again --- this is just more of the same --- government exactly the same as we had until the recent resignation of Gordon Campbell.

For three months Christy Clark said, “I plan to consult with the public”. Maybe she didn't consider a +25% increase to the minimum wage worthy of consultation, however restaurant owners are probably wondering what happened to that consultation.

During the recent Liberal leadership campaign Clark said she wanted to increase the minimum wage; however telling 60 thousand odd members of the BC Liberal Party her plans, is not exactly public consultation – whether you agree with this increase or not.

Liberal backstabbing and intrigue in Vancouver Quilchena … and Vancouver Point Grey

Yesterday (March 15^th) former BC Premier Gordon Campbell resigned his Vancouver Point Grey seat, in the BC Legislature, after nearly two decades of service.

In a release to the media, Gordon Campbell stated, “It has been an honour to serve the people of British Columbia as an MLA, as the leader of the Opposition, and as premier.”

"There are few things more rewarding than serving in public life and I feel fortunate to have had such an opportunity to do so for nearly three decades in a province and a city that I love."

In 1994 Gordon Campbell originally won the Vancouver Quilchena riding in a by-election (with nearly 68% of the vote) after Art Cowie resigned for him in November of 1993. Thus begins a tale in intrigue, and backstabbing, that continues today.

Don't be fooled, Christy Clark doesn't want to be mayor of Vancouver, she wants to be premier of BC

"Don't be fooled -- Christy Clark doesn't want to be mayor of Vancouver -- she wants to be premier of B.C."

Bill Tieleman, 24 hours, Sept. 20, 2005

Okay so now Christy Clark is the Premier of BC --- here's what a few of her friends have had to say so far:

·         Mike De Jong, who finished last in Saturday's vote, said that "I think people are excited about the beginning of a new chapter. I think there is anticipation. Our first chance to come together after the election of a new leader and premier-designate. It's all good."

Will that be a double latte --- or a double by-pass?

 

Are you asking the same question I am; is Tim Horton’s part of Christy Clark’s new health care plan for British Columbians?

Just like the Royal City in New Westminster, we have several Tim Horton’s outlets right here in Kamloops where I live.  I just wonder if next time there’s an emergency in our family, if that’s where I should be headed to?

Incredibly, Health Minister Colin Hansen seemed quite okay with a Tim Horton coffee shop, at Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster, being turned into an emergency ward on Monday night. 

Now available … “HST Math for Dummies”

Yesterday in the Vancouver Sun, columnist Don Cayo had a brief story entitled “The HST’s total impact on BC prices well under 1%”.  The following two paragraphs are the story in its entirety:

What might he be saying? Perhaps,"I think
the effect of the HST will be about this much"

The impact varies according to your income and spending habits, but for the average British Columbian the impact of the HST has been less, according to a just-released study, than most experts predicted. And much, much less than many of the tax's critics have claimed.

Jon Kesselman, the Canada Research Chair in Pubic Finance and Simon Fraser University, has calculated the overall impact on the price of consumer purchases at 0.6 per cent, based on StatsCan data on price changes and spending patterns, and factoring in inflation.

I guess perhaps columnists for the Vancouver Sun make enough money they can just kiss off any increase the provincial government decides to throw at us.  Stating that the impact of the HST has only amounted to an increase of .6% of course does make it sound very small … but let’s look at this in “real” dollars and cents.

BC Liberals no more fiscally responsible than NDP.

Plain and simple, the BC liberal Party has given up any right to claim being fiscally responsibile, when it comes to the finances of British Columbia.  In fact, with the provinces debt now approaching the $60 billion dollar mark, the BC Liberals have shown themselves to be no more fiscally responsible than the NDP.

The NDP actually appear to have been more fiscally responsible than the Liberals because they took the debt up to $30 billion from its initial starting point. Liberals however; including current Finance Minister Colin Hansen, have actually raised the debt by $30 billion.

In so doing, they are holding future generations to ransom to pay down this debt, and they have left today’s taxpayers responsible for debt payments of $8 million dollars a day.

Prudent fiscal management? ...... "Horse Manure!"

Yesterday the Finance Minister, Colin Hansen brought down the provinces budget --- and in doing so he said:

“We’ve come through a seismic shift in the global economy and we are emerging much stronger than other places around the world.  Business and consumer confidence are growing.  We have a solid foundation for job creation, business development and improvements in health care, education and social services.  B.C.’s future looks bright.”

BC’s future looks bright???  If our future is looking so bright, then I for one would like to know why the provincial debt is headed for $60 BILLION dollars.  The “Honorable” Finance Minister, Colin Hansen, also stated that: 

“Budget 2011 stays the course, keeping the focus of protecting health care, education and social services as British Columbia moves towards balanced budgets beginning again in 2013.

Protecting health care, education, and social services???  Mr. Hansen, would you care to tell us what the interest payments alone are on a debt of $60 BILLION dollars??  Perhaps some of you are saying $60 BILLION dollars – come on Alan, you're making that up. 

The 3rd session of BC's 39th Parliament opened yesterday --- WHY?

Yesterday in Victoria, Lieutenant-Governor Steven L. Point open the third session of the 39^th Parliament of British Columbia, as he delivered a throne speech outlining government’s agenda for change in the coming year.

This of course is a mean nothing Throne Speech as members of the BC Liberal party will be electing a new leader February 26^th, who will then become the next premier of the province, replacing Gordon Campbell. 

For the official transcript of the throne speech by Lieutenant Governor Steven L. Point can be found online -- CLICK HERE.  You can also CLICK HERE to download a .pdf document of the complete speech. 

In their view of yesterdays Throne Speech yesterday, Canadian Press said: