Alberta Politics Thread

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by belsarius

My life is better because of the NDP. My tuition didn't skyrocket, I don't have to worry about class sizes for my kids, I don't have to worry that the environment is being ignored and I don't have to worry about more of my friends losing their jobs.

Did everyone just gloss over how absolutely none of these things are actual positive contributions to anyone's wellbeing? None of these things tangibly improve your quality of life. Basically what you've said here is that if anyone else was in office you'd have to fret about whether they'd maybe possibly at some point do the bad things you've listed.

This person appears to be one of the most ardent of NDP supporters, is exactly the sort of person who presumably should benefit from them being in power (is a student and says (s)he has a family / social circle made up almost entirely of government employees), yet can't give a single concrete example of anything that they've done that's benefited them outside of some vague sense of peace of mind.

That is astounding. I know they've only been there for a little over a year, but even so.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Regorium

I think the teacher's negotiation coming up will be really interesting.

The political climate in Alberta is such that it's quite reasonable to go hard on them and force them to take a cut. In fact, I would argue that the more enlightened PC voters would actually switch to NDP if they showed that they are willing to work with spending cuts too.

It's one of the rare instances that negotiating hard with those front line workers may be politically prudent because of how hard the private sector has been decimated.

I doubt the NDP would even entertain the thought though.

The NDP have put themselves in a rough spot, they have their lords and masters in the AUPE warning them publically not to go hard on them because of the economy, and at the same time they appointed a former senior exec as a chief negotiator.

So if they give any kind of a raise or concession, the people outside of their voting space will go



If they press the unions for pay cuts and decreases in numbers, then the union membership will go



And while the Unions won't vote against the NDP, they won't support them with their negative advertising which allows parties like the NDP to claim they run a clean campaign. The Unions are basically hired assassins for that party and they might not be so eager to run ads for them in the next election.

At the same time the NDP has now literally split this province, the private sector people who have lost their jobs or seen their businesses fail are going to lose their



If the NDP continues to pork barrel the public sector.

Meanwhile the public sector unions are saying, dudes, you owe us for the election, so no budget cuts k.

At the end of the day, people talking about decreased class room sizes, and more care for the social programs, need to realize that at some point, we'll actually end up borrowing money just to pay back interest, I mean as it stands we're running government operations at a loss.

A PST isn't going to fix that, because frankly all it will do is finish throwing the dirt on the faces of the middle and lower classes, that started when the NDP campaigned without a carbon tax but rammed it through anyways (for social license you know, that didn't translate into a social license), bumped up business taxes and personal income taxes and at the same time created a environment of complete uncertainty that drove off investments in this province.

the common argument I hear is, but dude, Alberta was getting taxed lower then anyone else. I'm not saying that an adjustment probably wasn't needed, and a progressive (love that term because taxes are regressive) tax structure should have been put in place. But what the NDP are doing is avalanche the taxes, and protecting their voter base, and that's bad and cynical politics. The PC's did it, and a lot of other stupid stuff.

But frankly when I'm looking at a corrupt government under Redford and starting to say, maybe they weren't so bad, then the NDP government is doing a lot of wrong things.

I would fully expect that we are going to see a population drain in this province. between the loss of jobs, and the hyper acceleration of taxes (property, carbon, business, income etc) people are going to leave, and if that happens, combined with the lack of sensible economic strategies by this province, it'll spiral, and then we'll all float down here billy.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

My biggest miscalculation in voting NDP was assuming that they would govern from the centre in order to try to get re-elected. It seems increasingly clear that they have no such ambition, and are using their term in office to protect their core supporters from the economic downturn, before going back to being an opposition party indefinitely.

Yeah, that is what bothered me too. When it became clear that Notley was riding her way to victory, I was really hoping she would govern from an Alberta perspective. Instead, she seems beholden to the thought processes of BC socialists and - until the federal wing went batcrap crazy - Thomas Mulcair's needs.

I know I'm biased, but it really feels like the actual people who actually live here are well down the list of Notley's priorites

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by belsarius

Wow, having a nice discussion all day and then people just turn out with the pitchforks.


Thanks to everyone who wanted to discuss things and had an open opinion. I see the trolls are out for blood today so I am just going to exit stage left. (Get it? )

Given how many times you resorted to building strawmen today, I'm surprised it took so long for someone to take a pitchfork to you. I basically held off doing so myself on two different occasions because the thread had already moved two pages past whatever evil hidden plan you were trying to assign to the other side and it no longer seemed useful to go back and challenge.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

Yeah, that is what bothered me too. When it became clear that Notley was riding her way to victory, I was really hoping she would govern from an Alberta perspective. Instead, she seems beholden to the thought processes of BC socialists and - until the federal wing went batcrap crazy - Thomas Mulcair's needs.

I know I'm biased, but it really feels like the actual people who actually live here are well down the list of Notley's priorites

Hey you Settle Down

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by belsarius

As for my public service buddies... why do they have to be fired just because Oil and Gas collapsed?

They enjoy salaries that are tens of thousands of dollars higher than their counterparts in other provinces because of the revenue brought in by the oil and gas sector. Now that revenue has dried up and the province is spending $11 billion a year more than it brings in. Doesn't it make sense to make up some of that shortfall by bringing public sector compensation back to where it was before energy royalties inflated salaries?

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Handsome B. Wonderful

Why do we need so many people in the public service if the population of the province decreases?

It didn't. It increased 1.8%

http://economicdashboard.alberta.ca/Population

[Robbob]

She Speaks...in front of a union in Ottawa

http://www.660news.com/2016/08/24/no...llar-deficits/

“We got rid of a backward-looking, climate-change-denying, deficit-offloading, austerity-loving, failed Alberta Conservative government.

“We’re not just going to cross our fingers and hope that cutting taxes for rich people will magically turn the economy around. That’s what Conservatives do.”

[Robbob]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

It didn't. It increased 1.8%

http://economicdashboard.alberta.ca/Population

Those numbers are from Apr 2015 to Apr 2016. A lot of the EI was due to expire around that time. It will interesting to see the numbers in Apr 2017.

[CaptainCrunch]

Yeah Rachel your plummeting popularity numbers are telling you that Albertan's are onside with your government.

Notley is worthess to me, she threw Hoffman under the bus on the PPA's and has had no viewpoint on that, she explains her policies to a union crowd.

Frankly if there was an election today I'm pretty sure the voters in this province would show her exactly how we feel.

Edit btw way who's paying for her to go out and make a speach to a union that has nothing to do with promoting Alberta?

[chemgear]

Originally Posted by belsarius

As for my public service buddies... why do they have to be fired

I don't know, maybe because we are short $10,900,000,000 for just this year?

[Handsome B. Wonderful]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

It didn't. It increased 1.8%

http://economicdashboard.alberta.ca/Population

I said if. Do you really think it's going to grow through another three years of NDP mismanagement?

[Tacopuck]

Originally Posted by chemgear

I don't know, maybe because we are short $10,900,000,000 for just this year?

Maybe all of these teachers can teach the kids in their classes on how they are effectively paying their salary now with the debt that has been taken on to cover operational budget shortfall.

[DiracSpike]

Originally Posted by Robbob

She Speaks...in front of a union in Ottawa

http://www.660news.com/2016/08/24/no...llar-deficits/

“We got rid of a backward-looking, climate-change-denying, deficit-offloading, austerity-loving, failed Alberta Conservative government.

“We’re not just going to cross our fingers and hope that cutting taxes for rich people will magically turn the economy around. That’s what Conservatives do.”

Austerity??? FFS, try going to Greece, what a stupid term to use but I can't say I expected anything less from Notley.

[RubberDuck]

Originally Posted by Robbob

She Speaks...in front of a union in Ottawa

http://www.660news.com/2016/08/24/no...llar-deficits/

“We got rid of a backward-looking, climate-change-denying, deficit-offloading, austerity-loving, failed Alberta Conservative government.

“We’re not just going to cross our fingers and hope that cutting taxes for rich people will magically turn the economy around. That’s what Conservatives do.”

We are f'd

[GaiJin]

Originally Posted by DiracSpike

Austerity??? FFS, try going to Greece, what a stupid term to use but I can't say I expected anything less from Notley.

Yes, I as well spit my ovaltine all over my Vic-20 when I read that.

[KevanGuy]

Originally Posted by Robbob

She Speaks...in front of a union in Ottawa

http://www.660news.com/2016/08/24/no...llar-deficits/

“We got rid of a backward-looking, climate-change-denying, deficit-offloading, austerity-loving, failed Alberta Conservative government.

“We’re not just going to cross our fingers and hope that cutting taxes for rich people will magically turn the economy around. That’s what Conservatives do.”

Jesus christ.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by KevanGuy

Jesus christ.

Beyond buffoonery and well into the realm of negligence.

Proving what everyone who had any common sense believed going into the election.

But don't believe me...im merely a caricature. LOL

[V]

Originally Posted by RubberDuck

I'm just looking for one person who would say, "Today, my life is better because of NDP social policy."

I can say I have more money because of the NDP. Conservatives were going to remove a bunch of funding to independent schools and the NDP didn't make those cuts, and restored some funding that was taken away earlier.

Thanks Notley!!!

[Kjesse]

The article states that Notley believes "Albertans are on side with her plan."

She is now not just incompetent but delusional. Wonderful.

I have previously posted that I think we deserve to endure the NDP in part because Albertans wrongfully let the PCs do their thing under a cloak of unaccountability for well too long, and I still think that, but what a rough ride the NDP is giving us.

Accountability will be a word at the forefront of the next election campaign, methinks.