Quote:
Originally Posted by Frequitude
I'd love those programs. In a vacuum, who doesn't want social programs. On that we can find common ground.
However I don't believe we can afford this at this moment.
If you're ok with deficit spending then I assume you're also ok with eliminating the Heritage Trust Fund for a while? Because with a deficit there is nothing to put into it.
Or are you just ok with deficit spending after some/all royalties have been removed from general revenues? That is, saving some/all resource revenue and just deficit spending vs standard non-renewable revenues (i.e. taxes)? Because then we're talking a massive deficit.
Its not just deficit spending. Its deficit spending over and above a massive f****** deficit with little savings.
That is why I and other anti-NDPers are scared of the NDP running this province off of a fiscal cliff. They are taking a bad situation and making it much worse.
Do you think we can afford the NDP's plans at the moment?
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I think you either end up paying now or later in some shape or form, and it's usually worse the longer you wait. I look at the U.S. where a lot of Republicans were saying similar things about the Obama administration taking them off a financial cliff to implement health care reform and it certainly looked costly at the time, but it looks like things are starting to turn around and they've been gradually reducing spending. We know that province is or has been behind the eight ball on a lot of things for a long time now.
It sucks that the PCs put Alberta in as big of a hole as they did without improving various programs and services, but at some point you have to bite the bullet. Trying to cut corners and costs and band-aid over the problems just ends up costing more down the line.
And I agree that they shouldn't be factoring royalty revenues into their budget and believe those should be going to a trust fund. I'm also not saying I agree with every item the NDP is proposing either. There are probably a few things that they could hold off on.