Equalization payments

[cakadu]

If I have my history correct, wasn't Diefenbaker the last Western PM? If so, then what did he have that all that have tried since then don't? What was the reason that he swept into power with a majority that has never been equalled?

Emrald, I wouldn't want to see Belinda get in there at all either because like you, I am no fan of hers. I do wonder about her ambition and daddy's money and influence though.

[cakadu]

Linda, Dief was a rabble rouser and a leader.....Joe Clark and Kim Campbell were not.
Joe was a nice guy but that didn't get him anywhere in the East. Kim was hopeless. I really don't think Belinda really wanted to be involved in politics, she was recuited by the eastern tories because they didn't want Harper.

[cowman]

There was nothing wrong with the original Reform message, in my opinion, but it got watered down when they morphed to the Alliance, and further when they turned into the Conservative party. Along the way they lost some of their better ideas?
Linda I can assure you, your MP will win in a big big way. Probably one of the highest counts in any riding in Canada. The Liberal and NDP might get 20 % of the vote? The point here isn't necessarily what he has done or not done, but that he represents a party that has the support of most voters in this riding?
I view this whole thing with a lot of enthusiasm! For the first time I see the possibility of the beginning of a "New Canada"? Now don't get me wrong...I have not suddenly become a federalist! My hope would be that the west can become an independent country, that could still function as part of a loose union similar to the EU?
The west needs to make decisions for the west instead of having them mandated to us by the eastern power block if we ever hope to become a real prosperous nation. Canada just doesn't work for the west.
I find it amusing that Klein is trying his best to keep his mouth shut and not stir the pot! Stelmach comes out and says Alberta wants a deal like Ontario got and Klein immediately says we don't? I wonder what he will say the day after the election?

[cowman]

cowman, the feds have given AB over 450 million in fuel rebates and the Provincial government is singing their praises.

Stelmach is a front runner for the leadership of the PC's in AB., he has my support if he keeps flogging at the feds to get a fair shake for our province, and I don't care who is in power federally.

[cakadu]

Cowman, I have no doubt that our MP will win in a big way, but my vote won't be counted in that victory. Never has and never will.

Shouldn't we be looking at who will do the best job for the country as a whole and NOT for individual areas, provinces or culture? Would it be right to tip the balance of power in favor of the West?

The exploitation of our natural resources is a double edged sword isn't it? If we didn't go bringing it out of the ground at the rate that we do, we wouldn't be paying so much in royalties and transfer payments to the feds would we? I'm sure that Sask, as an example, does not send anywhere near the money that we do.

In Alberta, we should start taking a really hard look at what we are doing. We have spent a great deal of time, money and resources on bringing down the debt and for what purpose? We are sacrificing our so-called Alberta advantage and pristine areas all in the name of bringing up non-renewable energy. We have witnessed services being cut i.e. the deplorable state that our seniors find themselves in - (yet in honor or our 100th birthday anyone over 100 gets a medal) - departments such as fish and game have seen their resources dwindled to the point that they cannot adequately do their jobs and the list goes on.

But it's all okay because we are debt-free, right?

[ivbinconned]

Right!

And oh, by the way, saskatchewan doesn't send money out of the province (with the exception of debt service)...we send our kids!

[ivbinconned]

cakado, I have posted in a new thread an artical by Mark Steyn just for you...be sure to read it.

[ivbinconned]

ivbinconned, I know of a few Alberta folks that have sold their property here and moved to Sask., so it isn't all a one way exodus.

[cowman]

Linda: I'm not really into biting the hand that feeds me and I will admit oil and gas have been very good to me....and I might add to everybody who lives in Alberta? I don't believe our provincial government has handled the whole thing very well and have squandered the money shamelessly! You should remember that before we started our "Tory dynasty" we were debt free? And the government before that was truly "conservative" instead of a bunch of liberals wrapped in blue!
The present Klein government has become a very spendthrift bunch...no doubt about it! And yea they have pretty well abdicated all responsibility as far as policing a lot of areas.
As far as an MP doing what is right for the whole country: I want my MP to represent my interests. Not the interests of Quebec or Ontario or the country as a whole! And right now I see the Conservatives as about the only party that represents any part of my interests? Hopefully smaller government, free and fair enterprize, a more fair and better deal for the west? I don't want Kyoto, I don't want more rules and regulations, I don't want more tax and spend policies, I don't want to alienate the USA any further!
I personally couldn't care if gays want to get married to the government or not, but I don't think the government should spit on the people who have strong religious beliefs about that?
Obviously I am a western seperatist, but that doesn't mean I am anti-Canadian! I believe the best thing that could happen, for all Canadians, is the break up of this country! Then we can maybe have a relationship based on us acting toward each other as equals?

[cowman]

Emerald: The feds send us a fuel rebate of $450 million. Very nice but how much did we send them in the first place? I believe a couple of years ago it was $700 million a year? So what happened to the other $250 million?...well at least they sent us something, right?
If government(both federally and provincially) would spend the road tax on the darned roads, we might not have all these crumbling infrastructure problems?
In my opinion(and I realize I am definitely not in tune with the majority of Canadians)governments first priority should be to keep up the infrastructure to insure commerce can prosper! Without commerce a country has nothing!
Let people take care of their own health, education, social safety net! The government should not be involved in these things.
Instead, today, we have a government who spends the biggest part of the money on things that do nothing to promote commerce? Instead of roads we get endless drivel about gay marriage and legalizing dope? Why you would think that those subjects are about the most important things in the world!
We live in the "nanny state" where we need the government to tell us everything. How to act, what to believe in, how to tie our shoes! Is this healthy? What ever happened to the concept that we are free individuals who can decide for ourselves how we should live and accept the consequences of our decisions?