Harper's Plan
One thing about Canada that really steams up Harper is our social support system - healthcare, education, employment insurance, welfare, public transit, etc.
Well, he has been working on dismantling all of it. Here is how.
Step One - Reduce Government income
By reducing the GST, and lowering corporate income tax, Harper has reduced yearly income for the government by about $20 billion. - Accomplished.
Step Two - Create a Financial Crisis
The Recession gave him the perfect cover to spend money. Harper spent so much money with his infrastructure projects in Conservative ridings, and generally mismanaged money - mainly spending on his friends and those loyal to the party - that we went from a surplus to now having a deficit of over $50 billion - Accomplished.
Step Three - Cut Programs
He has finally reached the final stage. This is where he claims that times are tough and with our big deficit and debt, we must tighten our belts and we will have to cut programs. He has already been cutting all sorts of programs and support to important things. But now he will begin to cut spending to our vital national programs.
He had to prorogue parliament or the Afghan scandal would have derailed his government and spoiled his plan. Proroguing parliament hopefully will backfire and we will be able to get rid of him as soon as possible.
Wake up Canada! Come out of your caves and pay attention. Our country is being destroyed by someone who cares nothing for our way of life or our values. it's time to stand up to him and toss him out!
See also: Here Come The Spending Cuts
and
First Prorogue, Then Eviscerate
The most wasteful government in Canadian history wants you to tighten your belt
Socialism for rich is Tory way
by Frances Russell
Owen Gray makes some excellent points about Harper's plan in his post:
The Wrecking Crew
excerpt:
Because Mr. Harper and the recently retired American president have so obviously drunk from the same well, Mr. Bliss's opinions should be considered alongside those of Thomas Frank, whose book, The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule, is a fascinating chronicle of the second Bush administration and its discontents. Frank says that neo-conservatives, like Bush and Harper, champion four key objectives once in office. First, they oppose bringing top notch talent into government service. Second, they wreck "established federal operations," because they disagree with them. Third, they make a cult of outsourcing and privatizing. And, finally, they pile up "an Everest of debt" in order to force government into crisis. The results are cataclysmic. "The ruination they have wrought has been thorough;" Frank writes, "it has been a professional job. Repairing it will take years of political action."
When one considers what the present government has done in office, the parallels are stark. The way it has treated Linda Keen, Paul Kennedy and Richard Colvin speaks volumes about its ability to attract and keep good talent. Its handbook advising caucus members on ways to obstruct government is a cynical attempt to shift blame. And Mr. Flaherty's last fiscal update mimics his colleague, former Ontario Education Minister John Snobllen, whose prescription for forcing change was to "create a crisis." The debris Mr.Snoblen left behind still clutters Ontario's schools.
Professor Bliss would have us believe that all it would take to change things would be for the opposition to have the courage of its convictions and force an election. But, as Mr. Frank makes clear, democracy is not just about elections. It's about what governments do between elections. And, the truth is that -- while Mr. Bush and Mr. Harper have no trouble with government -- they have a visceral hatred of responsible government. The issue is, how do citizens hold a government accountable between elections? Professor Bliss is unconcerned with that conundrum.
Well, he has been working on dismantling all of it. Here is how.
Step One - Reduce Government income
By reducing the GST, and lowering corporate income tax, Harper has reduced yearly income for the government by about $20 billion. - Accomplished.
Step Two - Create a Financial Crisis
The Recession gave him the perfect cover to spend money. Harper spent so much money with his infrastructure projects in Conservative ridings, and generally mismanaged money - mainly spending on his friends and those loyal to the party - that we went from a surplus to now having a deficit of over $50 billion - Accomplished.
Step Three - Cut Programs
He has finally reached the final stage. This is where he claims that times are tough and with our big deficit and debt, we must tighten our belts and we will have to cut programs. He has already been cutting all sorts of programs and support to important things. But now he will begin to cut spending to our vital national programs.
He had to prorogue parliament or the Afghan scandal would have derailed his government and spoiled his plan. Proroguing parliament hopefully will backfire and we will be able to get rid of him as soon as possible.
Wake up Canada! Come out of your caves and pay attention. Our country is being destroyed by someone who cares nothing for our way of life or our values. it's time to stand up to him and toss him out!
See also: Here Come The Spending Cuts
and
First Prorogue, Then Eviscerate
The most wasteful government in Canadian history wants you to tighten your belt
Socialism for rich is Tory way
by Frances Russell
Owen Gray makes some excellent points about Harper's plan in his post:
The Wrecking Crew
excerpt:
Because Mr. Harper and the recently retired American president have so obviously drunk from the same well, Mr. Bliss's opinions should be considered alongside those of Thomas Frank, whose book, The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule, is a fascinating chronicle of the second Bush administration and its discontents. Frank says that neo-conservatives, like Bush and Harper, champion four key objectives once in office. First, they oppose bringing top notch talent into government service. Second, they wreck "established federal operations," because they disagree with them. Third, they make a cult of outsourcing and privatizing. And, finally, they pile up "an Everest of debt" in order to force government into crisis. The results are cataclysmic. "The ruination they have wrought has been thorough;" Frank writes, "it has been a professional job. Repairing it will take years of political action."
When one considers what the present government has done in office, the parallels are stark. The way it has treated Linda Keen, Paul Kennedy and Richard Colvin speaks volumes about its ability to attract and keep good talent. Its handbook advising caucus members on ways to obstruct government is a cynical attempt to shift blame. And Mr. Flaherty's last fiscal update mimics his colleague, former Ontario Education Minister John Snobllen, whose prescription for forcing change was to "create a crisis." The debris Mr.Snoblen left behind still clutters Ontario's schools.
Professor Bliss would have us believe that all it would take to change things would be for the opposition to have the courage of its convictions and force an election. But, as Mr. Frank makes clear, democracy is not just about elections. It's about what governments do between elections. And, the truth is that -- while Mr. Bush and Mr. Harper have no trouble with government -- they have a visceral hatred of responsible government. The issue is, how do citizens hold a government accountable between elections? Professor Bliss is unconcerned with that conundrum.
3 comments:
I share your concerns. I too would like to collectively throttle them.
I only hope this crisis in Haiti doesn't distract most Canadians from this prorogation.
damn straight, hopefully he'll be out of power soon after Canadians react to this pathetic poroguation
You pretty much nailed it. This has been the game plan for pretty much every Con for the last few decades.
Of course, if Canadians were REALLY paying attention, they'd also notice that one of the few budgets that won't be slashed is defense. It's been climbing from roughly $10 billion in the 80s to a current peak of nearly $30 billion PER YEAR.
We'd have no problem balancing the books if we started insisting that the military hold bake sales while our schools and hospitals got the billions.
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