Justin Trudeau running for Liberal leadership

[Makarov]

Originally Posted by Azure

I'm not sure if you want to say MORE, but I agree that they do waste a lot of unnecessary money.

And yet they still managed to cut spending somewhat.

They did?

While the need to shrink government has always featured prominently in Conservative rhetoric, since taking power the Conservatives have actually run up annual federal spending to $276 billion — an increase of nearly 30 per cent.

SOURCE

[Azure]

Nice to pick and choose.

2012 budget cut 19,000 public sector jobs and around $4 billion in spending IIRC.

Yes, we all know the overall spending went up. They also had to deal with a recession and an American economy that still hasn't gotten going. Point is that they still found SOME way to cut SOMETHING, and nobody DIED.

And I'm not calling the spending increases GOOD. The point is that if governments want to cut spending, they can....and nobody is going to die a horrible death.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by Azure

They also had to deal with a recession and an American economy that still hasn't gotten going.

Can't blame the recession. The Conservatives increased spending and decreased revenues before the recession hit.

The Wildrosers keep saying "we can't give the government more money because they will find ways to spend it rather than save it." Well the Liberals were saving it just fine. It is the Conservatives who sought to reduce the surpluses the Liberals had created.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by SebC

Can't blame the recession. The Conservatives increased spending and decreased revenues before the recession hit.

The Wildrosers keep saying "we can't give the government more money because they will find ways to spend it rather than save it." Well the Liberals were saving it just fine. It is the Conservatives who sought to reduce the surpluses the Liberals had created.

Can't you also argue that the Liberal strategy of creating budget surpluses on the backs of the provinces have caused a lot of the healthcare issues and other provincial issues that we're seeing now.

Neither strategy employed by the Libs and the Cons were really the answer.

It was great that the Libs generated surpluses but was it truly brilliance of frugalness on their behalf or was it more of an illusion.

I would like to see the Cons cut more from the civil service, just as I would like to have seen the Alberta government take a wide knife to our civil service. I would like to see the Conservative government cut more from the budget as well.

[Makarov]

Originally Posted by Azure

Nice to pick and choose.

2012 budget cut 19,000 public sector jobs and around $4 billion in spending IIRC.

Wait, I rely on numbers from 2006 to 2012, you rely on a single year (2013), and I'm the one picking and choosing?

Originally Posted by Azure

And I'm not calling the spending increases GOOD. The point is that if governments want to cut spending, they can....and nobody is going to die a horrible death.

Actually, you don't know that. Indeed, it is very likely that, for example, prison overcrowding caused by the omnibus crime bill will at least contribute to the deaths of guards and/or prisoners.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by Makarov

Actually, you don't know that. Indeed, it is very likely that, for example, prison overcrowding caused by the omnibus crime bill will at least contribute to the deaths of guards and/or prisoners.

Bad example, as the omnibus crime bill is actually a spending increase that will cause bad outcomes.

[Azure]

The omnibus spending INCREASES spending which will result in overcrowding at prisons. In order to make up for the issues, spending will have to increase even more.

And for the record, I don't agree with the bill or the increase in spending. I was merely pointing out one year(2012) where the PCs decided they wanted to cut something, and did.

The Liberals also employed such strategies. Everyone remember Chretien saying to ministers if they don't stop complaining he will cut another 20% or whatever the number was?

[cal_guy]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Its similar to his whole life, he's been a part time drama teacher.

He mainly taught Math and English during his teaching career.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by cal_guy

He mainly taught Math and English during his teaching career.

Nope, he taught social studies and French, so I'm wrong and your wrong.

He taught from 2000-2004.

[Makarov]

Originally Posted by SebC

Bad example, as the omnibus crime bill is actually a spending increase that will cause bad outcomes.

Yeah, sorry. That was a stupid example.

[burn_this_city]

Inflation between 2006 and 2012 was roughly 12%, so spending is up 20% or so. I'm curious if you took the stimulus spending out of the equation what the number would be.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Nope, he taught social studies and French, so I'm wrong and you're wrong.

He taught from 2000-2004.

couldn't resist

[Erick Estrada]

How many forget the Liberals debt reduction plan of devaluing the Canadian dollar to almost 3rd work currency. Is forcing down Canadian living standards really the way you want to reduce the budget?

[Zulu29]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

How many forget the Liberals debt reduction plan of devaluing the Canadian dollar to almost 3rd work currency. Is forcing down Canadian living standards really the way you want to reduce the budget?

Well there are many who would argue our dollar is artificially high right now and that's bad for exporting goods.

[Flames in 07]

Originally Posted by Zulu29

Well there are many who would argue our dollar is artificially high right now and that's bad for exporting goods.

Not many educated people mind you.

The dollar is what it is. It's a function of supply and demand in a open market. Can you explain to me exactly how our dollar is "artificially" high?

[Zulu29]

Originally Posted by Flames in 07

Not many educated people mind you.

The dollar is what it is. It's a function of supply and demand in a open market. Can you explain to me exactly how our dollar is "artificially" high?

Speculators.

http://m.theglobeandmail.com/globe-i...service=mobile

[Zulu29]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

How many forget the Liberals debt reduction plan of devaluing the Canadian dollar to almost 3rd work currency. Is forcing down Canadian living standards really the way you want to reduce the budget?

How did the liberals plan on devaluing the currency?

[burn_this_city]

The dollar is high because Canada is on relatively good financial footing and oil is hovering around $90.

[Flames in 07]

Originally Posted by Zulu29

Speculators.

http://m.theglobeandmail.com/globe-i...service=mobile

Speculators speculate on the true value of something. Speculators estimate that current values are wrong and they look to close arbs.

It would be much more accurate to say that speculators are fixing inefficiencies or in accurate valuations, than to say they artificially alter a price.

If you do your learning on globeandmail.com you you don't get to learn much about business or economics. You just get to learn that oil and alberta is/are evil.

EDIT, if the CAD was in fact over valued, speculators would sell the crap out of the CAD, subsequently reducing it's value.

[Zulu29]

Originally Posted by Flames in 07

Speculators speculate on the true value of something. Speculators estimate that current values are wrong and they look to close arbs.

It would be much more accurate to say that speculators are fixing inefficiencies or in accurate valuations, than to say they artificially alter a price.

If you do your learning on globeandmail.com you you don't get to learn much about business or economics. You just get to learn that oil and alberta is/are evil.

EDIT, if the CAD was in fact over valued, speculators would sell the crap out of the CAD, subsequently reducing it's value.

Ok, first off I used to work in the patch in northern BC and Alberta so I'm not "anti-Alberta and anti-oil".

And I don't profess to be a business or economics expert however I think we all saw what speculation and "pumping" up of stocks led to in the world economy in 2008.

Just because I posted a globe and mail article doesn't mean I don't get info from other sources either.