Follow the money trail

The Liberals are scattering loot to Ontario and Quebec with abandon. Their new motto: "Flags are not enough". I read the list of Liberal grants in The National Post and with a few nods to key East and West Coast weak areas, the bulk went to these two provinces. The fact that the Liberals still cling to their past record of fiscal responsibility does not stop them from making absurd promises. Depending on whose figures you accept, the Liberals have now committed between $15.7 billion and $20 billion to various programs. The ever-tricky Finance Minister, Ralph Goodale, can only "estimate" that the present federal surplus will be around $9 billion. So how can the government fulfill their promises without driving the country into deficit? Just as Chretien's legacy will be one of grand larency, Martin's will be of squandering a fine fiscal policy for the sake of staying in power at all costs.

© Bud Talkinghorn

PS: As for Martin's 'fine fiscal responsibility', Bud, remember that as Finance Minister, he started paying down the debt and stopped Canadians' whoosh into further debt, the legacy of Trudeau, Mulroney, Chretien, Quebec influence and the usual claque. PM did collect too much in taxes and in other ways so as to have $$$ for election pork when he needed it. For example, I believe he over-collected employment insurance from participants and under paid out on claims, to further buttress his shiv in the back shoving JC aside, along with sitting MP's and others, to run the country with the intention of being elected and re-elected.

I still think there is more to Paul Martin's utterly undignified desperation to remain Prime Minister than mere "very very" great concern about everything and his desire to serve -- more even than mere money. Of course, that is just in my humble opinion which is worth . . . . . NJC


Related: Resistance is futile Michael Dabioch on March 28, 2005

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