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Originally Posted by Thunderball
I mean, you know that study as well as I do (I cited it back in Poli 521)... healthcare alone is gonna put Alberta in the red by 2010, and thats with assumed continuous high oil prices. Maybe if we switched to a more privatized health model you can cut taxes, but definitely not with status quo.
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Politicians in this province find themselves in a pinch with regards to the the Health Care question. Medicare is the 'sacred cow' in this country - and unfortunately most people will chase that cow right off a cliff before they would concede that choice in medical insurance is a neccessary evil.
Way back last winter, Jim Dinning spoke at the U of C to a group of students. Now, granted, this was before the leadership race was officially on, and his policies were yet solidified - but he responded to a question about Health Care by stating very clearly that he felt there was room for the private sector in the delivery of certain health care services. Since then, he has done a 180 on the issue - now stating that the system must remain entirely within the public sphere. Some may call Dinning a panderer, some may claim he was simply responding to the publics' anger over the proposed Third Way reforms. Either way - a classic example of the ugly predicament politicians find themselves in: the government health care monopoly is just too expensive and far too inefficient - but the public sentiment remains firmly against optional private medical coverage. Sigh.
Thunderball...Poli 521 with Dr. Sayers?? Great class.