[CaptainCrunch]

This goes beyond making choices about the type of coffee you drink, or sacrificing for taxes.

Between 2000 and 2005 City of Calgary spending increased by about 44%, and now we're looking at a massive increase in property taxes and user fees. The average Canadian's salaries are not increasing at the same rate as Calgary's taxes are increasing ( I think that the Canadian inflation rate is also about 6%).

Meanwhile we're hearing about wasteful spending, which on top of it the latest CFIB study talks about the City of Calgary's salary structure eating up 55% of the budget, and these people are getting raises, bonuses, and other perks.

Calgary's taxation is regressive if we're talking about taking money out of the economy and outstripping normal inflation.

We can talk about the private sector, but the fact is that with most private sector companies, if they had spending increases like the city of Calgary has had over the past 8 years, they'd price their products out of the market and they'd be forced to restructure, probably streamline or their competitors would drive them out of the market. There's no pressure on the city to change their spending strategies or sh$tcan their pet projects that are just on the left side of goofy.

In fact if the City of Calgary was in the business of building cars, their car would cost $150,000 have the performance specs of a 1975 Lada and last as long as a pinto. Of course our lobby would be lovely, but none of the bathrooms in the building would work.