• You will need to login or register before you can post a message. If you already have an Agriville account login by clicking the login icon on the top right corner of the page. If you are a new user you will need to Register.

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Ralph plays while Alberta burns

Collapse
X
Collapse
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Ralph plays while Alberta burns

    Note to Supporters of the Citizens Centre


    WEEKLY COMMENTARY
    "Just Between Us"

    September 20, 2004

    Ralph should stop playing hooky and get to work

    Hey, how about that ol' Ralph, playing hooky in a casino instead of suffering through long days of health policy wind-baggery last week in Ottawa.

    He was supposed to be helping Paul Martin save medicare for the next generation--or for the next ten years--or for at least the next ten minutes.

    But he knew this medicare conference was all about was making Paul Martin look like a hero by pouring in more tax revenue he should never have taken from us in the first place, for something that's constitutionally none of his business.

    So Ralph snuck out to have fun, and it's hard to blame him.

    To Klein, politics is more about getting elected than hands-on governing. It's about personality, not policy. In "Ralph's world" the main job is to be liked, not to lead.

    "If someone starts the parade," he always says, "I'll get in front of it."

    Unfortunately he's quite wrong about this, and I fear history will not be kind to him.

    The usual political complaints we hear against Ralph, about electricity deregulation and auto insurance rates, won't last long. Such issues never do. What will last, because it matters more to future generations than to our own, is his woeful underperformance in provincial rights.

    In this, Klein's been playing hooky for ten years. Consider:

    On Ralph's watch the federal government has doubled the net drain of funds from Alberta into other provinces. It now stands at $12 billion a year. The government hasn't uttered a peep of protest. Instead, Lieutenant Governor Lois Hole lectures us on the need to "share" even more.

    In ten years the Klein government has done little, nothing or not nearly enough to fend off Ottawa's endless intrusions into our social and economic affairs. In every area of constitutional trespass--medicare, the wheat board monopoly, Kyoto, homosexual rights, species at risk, the Canada Pension Plan, policing, tax collection--Ralph has just let it happen. He doesn't care about these things.

    But he should care. Alberta premiers all the way back to E.C. Manning have understood that the federal government is not supposed to be running social and economic development.

    People who can't even run a gun registry shouldn't be trying to run hospitals.

    All those showcase Liberal national social programs--employment insurance, the Canada Assistance Plan, the Canada Pension Plan, national medicare funding, regional industrial development, equalization--have turned into expensive white elephants.

    In the end, they amount to paying businesses to create jobs and paying workers not to do them.

    The original constitutional vision of Canada--the original deal--was that Ottawa would stick to areas of national sovereignty--defence, immigration, currency, foreign policy, the Criminal Code--and provinces would handle their own social and economic concerns.

    Instead, however, Ottawa has allowed everything within its own mandate, from our dollar to our defence forces, become an international joke, while it sticks its fat nose in the business of the provinces. Paul Martin sits there lecturing premiers how to run their hospitals.

    Next I suppose he'll order them to upgrade their daycare policies, another Martin social enthusiasm which, like medicare, is completely outside his constitutional mandate.

    Paul Martin is a weak, vacillating, vulnerable leader. Ralph should be aggressively exploiting this opportunity, not waiting around for someone to start a parade.

    - Link Byfield

    Link Byfield is chairman of the Edmonton-based Citizens Centre for Freedom and Democracy.

    #2
    Ivebinconned: Please don't go there! You really are not helping the cause? You are labelling yourself as a wing ding?
    I would suggest to you no rational person can support some of the crazy things the US has done...Iraq?
    Chretien was right! That is a fact and it has nothing to do with the fact we need a seperate country here in the west? Don't mix global "insanity" into that fact?

    Comment


      #3
      Cowman I did not write that...I just posted it. The guy has some valid points.

      As for Kanada's position on Iraq...it had alot more to do with our last PM's family ties to Sadams's favorite French oil company Telifena that was busy scamming (violating)the UN oil for food program...than it did with any high moral standards.

      This FACT is something the CBC has NOT told us about.

      I reserve the right to scrutinize every position that the Liberal party has taken on any issue. If they will lie to you about one thing they will lie to you about anything.

      Comment


        #4
        Ivbeenconed you are right if they [ the U.S.A. ] will lie to you once they will lie to you twice.
        Why is everyone so willing to be steamrolled by the U.S. I cant think of any one thing the U.S has done without reward unless it was stirring up some country and creating dictators like Sadam and Bien Laden and the contras and on it goes .
        If the truth was known I suspect there is U.S. involvement in most world conflicts. And in economic pilaging.
        You can call me an anti american but its not the americans per say its thier forien policies that I dislike and the canadians that cant bend over fast enough when they call.

        Comment


          #5
          read gren winslow's editorial in the canadian cattlemen and see what good friends we have south of 49. r-calf lies about us and usda lies to us. ibc i think maybe your columnist has a rather lopsided view of how the usa deals with us and maybe they are full participants in the cold war. how many trade actions does the usa initiate against us as compared to the number we file against them? did you know that blair's british government is making diplomatic protests because the americans are not letting them in on iraq reconstruction contracts? i don't think the americans are such good friends to have these days.

          Comment


            #6
            Ya right America bad Canada good! I never implied that the US is always right. But we are no better than them...don't throw stones when you live in a glass house.

            Not one of you express any interest in my comments about the Cretian, Chirac Saddam oil for cash program.
            Not one of you responded to the artical showing that Canadian Armed Forces are bying beef from Argintena.

            But if it makes you all feel good to trash the US at every oportunity and ignor the deep corruption here in our own back yard...who could take you seriously.

            Comment


              #7
              i don't doubt what you have to say about chretien, chirac et al but what makes you think the americans are any more virtuous. there is the same chatter about ghwb's connections to the mideast oil industry and search bush, nazi on google and see what boy george's grandfather was doing financing the third reich before the war. i'm just saying let's see what's really there and get past the spin. the americans are for the americans and if we are useful they will use us but right now as far as the bse thing goes it looks like the mexicans and japanese are better friends than the americans because they aren't knuckling under.

              Comment


                #8
                "what makes you think the americans are any more virtuous."
                WHEN DID I WRITE THAT?? My critisism has been directed at those who always get off at slamming the Americans and never seem alarmed at what our government does to us!!

                "the americans are for the americans"
                Right! That is my point!!
                My focus most of the time has been on the fact that our govenment does not appear to be FOR us!

                If they were, would they not make certain that at a time like this that the Canadian Armed Forces would be eating Canadian beef!!

                If I am forced to make a choice bettween a corrupt Bush or a corrupt Chirac to have influence on my country I choose Bush every time. But don't then tell me that Bush is only in it for the oil...Chirac and his Canadian connection were too.
                Lets stop throwing stones when we live in a glass house.

                Comment


                  #9
                  One should always be watchful when those politicaly motivated people start in on how bad our gov is and how good the US is . I do believe that canada has to split to realy prosper but it scares the hell out of me to think that the ones likely to have political clout would all like to be americans.
                  If people have something to say politicaly or otherwise do so without comparing us to the US.

                  Comment

                  • Reply to this Thread
                  • Return to Topic List
                  Working...