Alberta budget news

[CaptainCrunch]

The administrative side of health care is bloated, the practical end is a bit understaffed.

There's a reason why the PC's don't want an audit of AHS, besides salary and expenses issues a pretty big axe could be swung there.

You could probably look a the general Bureaucracy and thin it out quite a bit.

[Mr.Coffee]

if only there was a way to somehow transfer the millions squandered by NHL players to teachers and nurses and doctors...

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by Tinordi

Counting down until someone says "waste"

In

3...

2...

1...

Originally Posted by GP_Matt

There is no easy solution to the budget problem but years of government waste hasn't helped the problem. They are in this position because of both revenue and expenses, but I don't think it can be fixed this year.
The governments biggest cost is salaries though and the only way to lower that is to lay people off, freeze hiring or lower salaries. IMO lowering salaries doesn't work, if you take something away from people they will be unhappy until they get it back. I think the problem is that the government was too lenient in negotiating with unions but I have no idea how that can be fixed.

Too funny.

CP hilarious in the last few days.

[Ducay]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

Close loopholes.

End entitlements.

I don't know if this is a joke, but how do you expect to reduce Alberta's budget deficit by closing loopholes and entitlements in a province with a flat 10% tax? You're forgetting the key to these changes involves lowering the rate, and broadening the base.

God I hope no one thinks Im serious

[albertGQ]

They were talking about implementing a sales tax on Global News last night. I wonder who serious the Redford gov't is thinking about this.

[Slava]

I realise that this is an American chart, but I would almost guarantee that the issue at the end of the day is the same here in Alberta. The cuts that everyone can agree on easily just aren't enough to get the job done; ergo its a revenue problem.

[Tinordi]

Originally Posted by albertGQ

They were talking about implementing a sales tax on Global News last night. I wonder who serious the Redford gov't is thinking about this.

Hopefully very seriously.

[GP_Matt]

I think Tinordi was referring to the popular idea that trimming waste can fix the problem.

I was suggesting that waste and mismanagement has caused the problem. Trimming it is not the solution because that money has been spent.
As examples, Ed bribing the teachers with a billion dollar top up to their retirement account. That money was to cover the teachers share.
In Grande Prairie we were promised a hospital about ten years ago. It was announced at something in the range of $100 million dollars and was supposed to meet the need for the next 25 years at which point the population growth would require something new. That hospital has been canceled and announced four or five times now and they broke ground this year on a $600 million hospital that is still expected to meet the same requirements as the original which means it will only meet the needs of the population until about 2027 and it won't be built for two or three years. Somehow they went from 100 million dollars for 23 years worth of hospital to 600 million for 12 years.

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by Slava

I realise that this is an American chart, but I would almost guarantee that the issue at the end of the day is the same here in Alberta. The cuts that everyone can agree on easily just aren't enough to get the job done; ergo its a revenue problem.

No. Its a spending problem. Nobody likes cuts but sometimes you have to bite the bullet in order to balance the budget.

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by Tinordi

Hopefully very seriously.

Glad you and your kind are in the minority in this great province.

[GP_Matt]

I would like to see a poll with the question.
In light of the expected deficit would you rather see the government solve it by:
Cutting health care spending and services
Incurring debt
Raising taxes

Asking people where they would cut is meaningless because they will all chose for selfish reasons. And as the chart shows they are not cutting areas that will affect the budget. Cutting foreign aid will not balance the budget.

[Senator Clay Davis]

"You and your kind"....you mean those of us that actually believe in fiscal responsibility?

And many of us are disappointed that people like you Rerun want to be selfish and pass the burden on to future generations rather than pay a little bit more now.

[Tinordi]

Originally Posted by Rerun

No. Its a spending problem. Nobody likes cuts but sometimes you have to bite the bullet in order to balance the budget.

So lay it out then. Where do you cut. We're talking billions here so it's not 'granular' or at the margins. You need deep cuts. Where do they happen.

You need to move past ideology to practice. People just need to bite the bullet? I know you actually don't mean that because you'd be the first to raise a stink if your service levels were affected.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Rerun

No. Its a spending problem. Nobody likes cuts but sometimes you have to bite the bullet in order to balance the budget.

And now we're going in circles. This was the problem during the campaign as well; people argue in favour of "cuts" but then you can't get an answer as to where those cuts would take place.

During that campaign many of us pointed out that to balance the budget in the way the Wildrose proposed they would be cutting. We asked where and no real answers came forward. Here we are, 8 months ahead and its the same old rhetoric.

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

"You and your kind"....you mean those of us that actually believe in fiscal responsibility?

And many of us are disappointed that people like you Rerun want to be selfish and pass the burden on to future generations rather than pay a little bit more now.

Fiscal responsibility is not spending more than your revenues and not leaving a massive debt for future generations.

The absolute last resort should be to raise taxes in order to increase revenues. We as Albertans should learn to live a little more frugally. Instead we are like the family that keeps piling debt onto their credit card in order to support a lifestyle that they really can't afford. Eventually that debt will have to be repaid and its our children and their children that will end up being stuck holding the bag.

[nik-]

I would prefer a consumption tax over an income tax increase or cutting from an already ####ty Health Care system.

[Ducay]

Looks like Alberta is heading towards going off its own "Fiscal Coulee"

[crazy_eoj]

Originally Posted by Slava

I realise that this is an American chart, but I would almost guarantee that the issue at the end of the day is the same here in Alberta. The cuts that everyone can agree on easily just aren't enough to get the job done; ergo its a revenue problem.

Just because you can't agree on where to cut spending doesn't mean you have a revenue problem. If we had elected leaders prepared to make hard decisions we wouldn't be having a discussion about mortgaging our childrens 'future ability to fund their own programs.

Provincial program spending in Alberta has seen double digit increases nearly every year for over a decade, while far outpacing population and inflation growth. Yet, outcomes from spending really haven't changed at all. The provincial government has been terrible managers of the public purse, and waste and inefficiency are becoming Alberta's new trademark instead of the Alberta Advantage.

[crazy_eoj]

Originally Posted by Slava

And now we're going in circles. This was the problem during the campaign as well; people argue in favour of "cuts" but then you can't get an answer as to where those cuts would take place.

During that campaign many of us pointed out that to balance the budget in the way the Wildrose proposed they would be cutting. We asked where and no real answers came forward. Here we are, 8 months ahead and its the same old rhetoric.

Just to be clear, the Wildrose definately did have answers but you just chose not to believe them.

A little honesty would be helpful here.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by crazy_eoj

Just to be clear, the Wildrose definately did have answers but you just chose not to believe them.

A little honesty would be helpful here.

Great. Care to point them out? Just show me where the cuts are coming and then as an informed voter I can make the decision on whether I want to support it. Surely you can post this for us all to see now and it wasn't just deleted after the humiliatiing defeat?