Saturday, April 9, 2011

Tory platform 'doesn't add up': Ignatieff

Tory platform 'doesn't add up': Ignatieff | Decision 2011 | News | Edmonton Sun

"Eleven-billion dollars in cuts over three years will have a devastating effect on the capacity of the government of Canada to serve our citizens," - Michael Ignatieff

Uhhhhh Mr. Ignatieff? Perhaps that's the point, and the main selling point of the Conservative platform. Perhaps they are concentrating on reducing the size and capacity of the federal government to deliver services which they shouldn't be delivering. Perhaps their goal, as with the goal of the GST and tax cuts previously, is to reduce the ability of future governments to reach into their bank vault and use the power and resources of the federal government to create more and more spending programs without forcing that same government to go to the citizenship, cap in hand, to ask them to hand over more tax dollars to fund the new programs.

Perhaps, Mr. Ignatieff, the Conservatives are suggesting, in their own way, that the electorate be allowed to judge the merits of any new massive program of spending (like a national day care program, etc) and allow them to consent to being forced to directly fund each program through a tax increase.

Besides, Mr. Ignatieff, I would hardly consider a 1.5% decrease (worst case, 4.4% decrease) to have a devastating effect on the ability of the Federal government to deliver services. Personally, I would consider it a great start.

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