Thoughts on the Budget

Some comments and observations on the latest federal budget from the Conservative government.

Summary
Nothing for singles
Nothing if you are childless
Nothing if you are poor
Nothing if you are a senior
Nothing if you are native and unassimilated
Nothing if you don't own a vehicle and don't plan on buying one anytime soon
Nothing for cities
Nothing for public transit
Nothing for students
Less than nothing for childcare

and a little bit for everyone else, but not enough to really make any difference.

And, guess who is propping-up, in-bed-with, supporting the budget? - NOT the NDP. Not the Liberals. But the Bloc - because the Conservatives are giving a big pile of money ($ billions) to Quebec.


Some Details:

Ummmm Cities?

A budget only a separatist could love


Here's a post that sums up a number of points for a lot of people. I scored 4 out of 6 on this:

Something for everyone in the budget? Not quite.

And this one

The Disappointment of Election Budgets: Long on Pork Short on Priorities

makes some interesting points:

So while everyone gets a little bit nobody gets enough to solve their fundamental problem: a little for the environment but not enough to even come close to a serious plan; a little for child care but not enough to actually make cheap affordable high quality child care a reality; a little for provinces but not nearly enough to make up for previous years of off-loading and the economic inequalities that it help to create.

...Election budgets are bad because they attempt to mask the priorities of the ruling party...


The budget was pretty much as I expected. Too bad the Bloc is voting for it, because the sooner we get rid of these numbskulls, the sooner we can put some other party in power that probably won't screw up Canada as much as the Conservatives have been doing.


More
Here are some more interesting posts on the budget I found on Blogging Dippers:

Tax cut budget out of step with Canadians' priorities

Conservative budget doesn't make country fairer, safer or better

Budget message on child care: let parents eat cake

Harper’s cut and run approach hurting families

The 2007 Bribe Everyone Budget

And, this one provides many details:

Budget 2007

In anticipation of a federal election, Budget 2007 unleashes a blizzard of tax cuts, increased transfers to provincial governments, and small spending initiatives. Many of these measures seem somewhat innocuous and lacking a clear sense of priority. However, the Budget also continues a schedule of deep corporate tax cuts combined with subsidies for the oil sands. Its basic direction, like previous Liberal and Conservative federal budgets, is to reduce the size of government and hence its capacity to serve working people. An ever smaller share of Canada’s economic resources will be devoted to making important public investments and providing crucial services to individuals, families, and communities.


And more - found on Rabble.ca

Budget lacks leadership

Tax cut mantra music to ears of the wealthy

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.”