Quote:
Originally Posted by crazy_eoj
Unfortunately, it seems every major economist in Canada disagrees with you. That's why they use a per capita number, to show the true amount of spending per individual on a constant and comparable basis.
So while one might argue that average age of population, for example, might have an effect on per capita spending, it gives you something measurable to compare.
Using a definition of income to increase spending is basically exactly what the PC's have done. If you got it... spend it. And thats why have huge amounts of waste, lost efficiency, and poor outcomes. It's the major reason why we have such little to show for the staggering amounts of public spending.
I'm not sure how you somehow square oilsands development with spending more than a province four times our size, but whatever floats your boat.
I'm sure you went and reviewed the budget documents. The one that Alberta, and Canada, uses to compare provincial spending habits. And no comfirmation bias can change the facts:
Alberta spent much more than other provinces on infrastructure (and other program spending) in the 80's. Even at the depth of 'cuts' in the 90's, Alberta spent as much as the average Canadian province. And since then Alberta has spent more per person on infrastructure than the average province in Canada every single year, averaging 75% more now.
Them's just the facts.
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They might be facts, but that still doesn't say why spending above the average is a bad thing. By definition, half the provinces in the country spend more than the average.
If a province is richer, which Alberta certainly is, on what grounds could you possibly justify being below average? I get the idea that we are spending too much, I don't deny that and fully support measures to cut the budget to bring spending
more in line with our provincial means. I just don't understand why you have drawn this line that spending more than average is bad.
Would you say your car/home/computer/porn collection is above average in terms of quality? Would you suddenly think you were a fool for spending that money to obtain those things, even if you could afford it? Of course not. I fail to see why anyone would place such unrealistic demands on our government then.