The Upcoming Class Warfare

Although, late this year, we finally have a Federal Budget for 2015, which was immediately labelled a political document. As if budgets were not a fiscal and political document when presented by the left. The highlights are pretty good as the government forecasted a balanced budget all the while giving tax breaks to small businesses, seniors and families. The government says: "Two-thirds of the benefits will go to low- and middle-income families," 

Already the opposition parties are promising to curtail or abolish some of the proposed tax reliefs. They lament that there is not enough expenditures to combat climate change or provide more services. Public sector Unions are fighting against changes in their lucrative sick-days benefits. They also protest against the proposed increase of the TFSA contribution to $10,000 per year. Their premise is that this program only benefits the rich. The fact is that under this program some 11 million Canadians had TFSAs with total assets nears $ 120 billion at the end of 2013

The PBO forecast that the popularity of the program may deprive future government of revenues $39.3 billion by 2080, and therefore maybe we should have a lifetime cap of $100,000. We lament the fact that Canadians do not save enough, yet when a government provides the opportunity to do so, the left opposes it. Remember that unlike the RRSP, any TFSA contribution is made with after tax money. You have already paid taxes, why should your savings be taxed again, this in effect is double taxation.. In reality what they do not like is that this program which is tax free will deprives them of revenues that they would use to continue their spending ways. The question is who should spend your money?  The government or you?

Beware; the next election will see an increase in class warfare. The Liberals and NDP, who by the way are being advised by Obama operatives, will portray themselves as the champions of the middle class. But who is the middle-class? The middle class is defined by Statistics Canada as a two person family earning $82,100 before tax. Trudeau defines middle-class as ($$44,701 and $89,401). So presumably any family making anything above the defined amounts would be considered rich and therefore would come under the hammer of more taxation by the left.

Furthermore, the left believes in a higher minimum wage of $15 – (NDP Alberta $17) What they always forget is the impact on small businesses and the job losses that will result in such a move. In effect a higher minimum wage always results in a negative impact on the low wage earner. Just like, Obama who believes that he was the first to address income inequality, the Liberals and  NDP in Canada ignore history. Marxism and other socialist policies have destroyed the economy of many countries. Many European countries are still reeling under the consequences of their entitlement polices. Income inequality, if it exists, should be addressed by policies which provide opportunities, not through hand-outs which never succeed to lift the poor from a life of dependence.

The redistribution of wealth is a disincentive for citizens to climb up the ladder; it continuously promotes dependence rather than independence. The proponents of class warfare and the politics of envy include Hillary Clinton the self-proclaimed ‘dirt poor’ who makes millions from book advances and speaking engagements, and of course Justin Trudeau who has access to a trust fund,.

It is always a good thing when a government puts more money in the pockets of taxpayers.. If a program deprives the government from additional revenues that may be squandered by political spending - so be it.  Average Canadians should feel good about the 2015 budget; unless they believe that the government is the best manager of their hard earned money. Beware of politicians baring gifts; they never pay for them – you do.

Searching for Progressives

The Progressive Conservative (PC) party of Alberta governed the province for 44 years. It seems that on Tuesday the 5^th of May 2015, this reign may be cut short. Either they may form a minority government or be relegated to being the opposition. This state of affairs should not be a surprise to anybody who follows politics.

The slow disappearance of conservatism in Alberta started when Ralph Klein retired. In a series of leadership races, first they elected Ed Stelmach, the man who gave us the ‘royalty review’, which devastated the oil patch. Not having learned their lesson, Alberta PCs used the same electoral system to elect Allison Redford, who many believed was strongly supported by the Teachers’ Union to achieve her ascent from third place to become the leader. In a series of bad judgement and extravagant provincial and personal expenditures, Redford found herself in no position to lead the party as the Wildrose Party made inroads across Alberta..

Disgraced, Redford had to resign. Unfortunately the establishment decided to reach for a saviour in Jim Prentice.. Once again Alberta conservatives showed how they did not understand the difference between a progressive and a conservative. There is no such thing as a progressive conservative, this label is an oxymoron. In effect a Progressive Conservative is a liberal in disguise. Forgetting that Prentice was more a progressive than a conservative, the party chose Prentice instead of Ric McIver a proven true conservative.

But the most egregious event was yet to happen. Danielle Smith the leader of the Wildrose Party and her acolytes, in one of the greatest betrayal in political history, decided to jump ship and join the PCs - a decision even worse than the betrayal at the Federal level by Belinda Stronach and Scot Brison..

Smith had been riding high in the polls. Yet impatient, and ill-advised by members of the PC establishment, she decided to navigate into the trouble waters of disloyalty. She paid the price and was not chosen by her former constituents to represent the PC.

Prentice, the saviour then produced one of the most leftist budgets seen in recent years. Reminiscent of the Getty years, he chose to amend the flat tax policy, charge a new health premium that did not go to Healthcare but rather to general revenues. He refused to make necessary cuts to the budget and caved to the unions, for at least after the elections; an election that was not supposed to be called until 2016. In effect he broke every single promise he made to become the PC leader and move the party further to the left.

Remember a move to the centre by a conservative, is always a move to the left. While I remain skeptical about polls, the latest ones show an NDP lead, with Wildrose in second place and PCs in third. The only winners in this scenario are the closet liberals of the media, who have for years been touting a progressive government and policies for Alberta.

Before you vote make sure you understand the policies presented by each Party. Consider that a minority government lead by any party will result in progressive policies based on compromise. The Alberta Advantage is now truly dead thanks to the Prentice Clan (PC).

The 2015 Alberta Budget Disadvantage.

After a hiatus of close to one year to write my latest book Conservatives: Dead or Alive? (Amazon.com) I will start blogging again on a regular basis. On every second Sunday of the month I will be blogging about politics and economics. I would like to invite you to follow me and write your comments, and share with your friends. It is the only way to share ideas given the bias that exists in the main stream media today.

It is said that charity begins at home. So for my first comeback contribution I will share with you my views on the 2015 Alberta Budget Disadvantage. Premier Prentice promised change from his predecessor Allison Redford, however his first budget produced the same ‘progressive’ agenda that believes in tax and spend Albertans hard earned money.

It is obvious that Alberta has been affected by the massive drop in oil prices. But in reality the province’s problems are not just revenue based but solidly anchored in a culture of spending and mounting debt due to ill-conceived promises and bad fiscal management.

The 2015 budget should have been an opportunity to make bold decisions and instead the Prentice government cowardly used the pretext of Alberta having the lowest taxes in the country to include 59 new or increase taxes and fees. In light of increasing costs and dwindling service delivery, they offered no cuts to bloated administrations in both education and healthcare. The healthcare premium will go to general revenue – we know where that will end up. The unions got out scot free and will only have their benefits and agreements considered after the next elections. The result is a proposed budget cut of just   0.7 %, resulting in the largest deficit in the province’s history - $5 billion.

Having masterfully got rid of the official opposition through betrayals and capitulation, the government could have done a better job. Knowing that there would be no chance of losing a majority at the next election, the government could have introduced a 5% sales tax, as well as increasing the minimum taxable income to balance the impact of its introduction. Taxes did not have to be increased, but massive cuts, as well as toll roads and other user fees could have been implemented. Restructuring of government departments and introducing managed competition and  private/public partnerships could have helped the financial situation today and for future years.

To present a ten year plan is a joke, given that this government and the Premier may not even be there in ten years’ time. This budget was nothing more than a campaign manifesto. The biggest problem is Albertans believed that Prentice would be a change from Redford. This budget proves that nothing has changed, but more importantly that the establishment ‘progressives’ are now in full control of the Party.

Please also find a link to my latest speech. A New Direction for Alberta

http://youtu.be/fkVHe0iapjE

Conservatives :Dead or Alive?

Summary

Amazon, Kindle

Price $24.95

The eighties were the golden age of conservatism. With leaders like Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and Brian Mulroney in power in their respective countries, it was a time when the values and principles of conservatism were at their apogee.

After a significant downturn under the weak leadership of then President Jimmy Carter, we saw an upturn in free trade and economic growth. America came back as a proud country after the Iran debacle. Communism was being challenged and was on its death bed. We saw the fall of apartheid, and South Africa was finally moving towards a true democracy. During George H. W Bush tenure as president we witnessed unprecedented events; as The Soviet Union lost its hold, the Cold War ended and the Berlin Wall fell

Upon Bill Clinton’s arrival things changed rapidly as America became increasingly progressive in its policies. The left had been growing in stature in the free world, despite the 8 years of George W. Bush. President Obama’s promise of ‘hope and change’ brought more leftist policies which gradually morphed into socialism.

The U.S and Canada shared border, close geographical and cultural proximity has a major effect on our political landscape. In the US and Canada you have a celebrity cultural norm backing leftist candidates via social media.   The electoral process has turned into something of a media circus. Canada needs to keep close tabs on its media to ensure unbiased reporting that influences election results. The US media has s significant influence on how Canadians think and vote...

The twice elected Obama certainly gave hope to the left, but we rarely see a true evaluation of his policies by the Canadian media. Since generally we have been a more ‘progressive’ nation, any perceived Obama success emboldens Canada left. It is important to expose his blunders, to show how socialist/liberal ideas and policies not only fail but also endanger the security and economic liberty of us all.

“Conservatives: Dead or Alive?”  analyses the differing positions and paradigms facing both the left and the right today. We tackle how both the left vs the right ideology ideas attempt to remedy the major issues, including education, healthcare, climate change, national divides, immigration, and cultural/social values facing the next generation and generations to come.

Some very important elections will be faced by both Canada and the US in the coming 2014, 2015 and 2016 years.  Like all previous elections they will have consequences of its past to bear.  In the U.S the failed policies of Obama may give rise the Republicans. In Canada despite a Canadian Conservative government for the past eight years, we are not guaranteed the progressives have disappeared.

 This book is meant to be provocative, to elicit a discussion about the values of conservatism ^v/_s liberalism. Today’s small ‘c’ conservatives seem to have disappeared as progressivism has made large inroads, especially in Canada. Too often we are seeing many conservatives fighting among each other in their search for power. These actions have known and well documented reactions, contributing to the erosion of conservative values and principles.. In order for conservatism to survive this book will act as a sounding to conservatives everywhere, as a call to put social issues on the back burner, and concentrate on true conservative principles in order to survive and flourish in the future.

 

Remembrance Day; but politicians forget

On this day of remembrance, it is unconceivable that Canadians do not take some time to examine the financial plight of our veterans. Over the years governments of every stripe have been responsible and responded to the call to arms with when required. Our young men have been thrown into the battlefield on several occasions to respond to attacks by our enemies. World War One and Two come to kind but we must not forget the other campaigns of Korea, and more recently the two wars in Iraq, and the continuing one in Afghanistan.

Despite President Obama’s stupid declaration that “the war on terror is over”, we shall continue to have skirmishes and perhaps even greater conflicts in the future.  The bigger issue that we should consider, on this day, is not only how we honour the heroes of the past but how we treat the survivors of all these wars. It is apparent that once these heroes return home they are quickly ignored and left to their own devices to survive in a world which they sometimes feel they do not belong due to mental and physical illnesses suffered on the battlefield.

Today with advances in medicine there are more survivors, but alas many of them survive without limbs and mental problems. Today we acknowledge ‘Post Traumatic Stress Disorder’ which once was diagnosed as ‘shell shocked’. Yet we still do not do enough to re-integrate these great men into normal life.

In addition, governments try to ignore the financial plight of these men. We talk a lot about their bravery but we do little to compensate them adequately for their service. This is not a partisan issue as governments on different political spectrum treat these men with the same disregard. The Conservative government in Canada and the Democrat and Republican leadership in the U.S share the same blame.

We remember these men’s and women’s sacrifices, but we do not compensate them appropriately. Yet governments get bigger and salaries and union wages keep growing and increase the taxpayers’ burden. But we do not find enough funds to make sure that these heroes have a future life devoid of the financial loads they face.

For the past couple of months we have seen the Senate travesty of politicians defending the alleged misuse of taxpayers’ money by three Senators. We debate whether they should retain their health benefits and pensions, and yet we do not debate how we can better look after our soldiers.  Mental health is difficult enough to treat, but financial help should be easier. It takes only a change in Legislature and Congress to remedy the situation.

On November 11 of each year we have ceremonies around the world to honour the fallen, but the following day we do not discuss how to look after the survivors. New generations are reminded:  “Lest we forget’, but it seems that politicians of all stripes do forget what we owe the fallen and the survivors. Politicians should cut the rhetoric and provide the survivors of all wars with adequate support.

Marcel Latouche