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Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

The electorate has become so infantilized that we can’t even acknowledge that there are tradeoffs in public policy, let alone support politicians in making tough choices.

Demographic decline is real. Health care and pensions are already cannibalizing everything else in public budgets, and it will only get worse. Health care capacity is in a permanent code red status. And no government will take measures to address the unfolding crisis because it would involve pain for some part of the electorate who will howl.

A responsible Liberal government brings in the GST to assure reliable public revenue. A populist Conservative government rolls it back. A responsible Conservative government plans to increase the eligibility age for public pensions to account for the ever-longer lifespans? A populist Liberal government scraps it.

We will accept no pain. We’ve bought into the notion that we can solve any problem with someone else’s money. Or that problems are all the fault of bad government - especially the party we hate. Can’t possibly be that our entitlements exceed our willingness to pay.

This is so true.