Alberta Politics & Government Thread 3.0

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Slava

I didn't bother to go look at the actual increase, so guilty as charged there. But regardless, they knew what was coming in the campaign against them and decided to roll all in on the tax hike. I have no idea how you could see that and think it was a good strategy.

Because people vote, not corporations. It was a corporate tax increase to still have the lowest taxes in Canada. It's also exactly what people ask for. Tax corporate profits more.

The failure is that people are morons, and politicians are able to blatantly lie during campaigns, and media companies who's actual profits are threatened pushing the same native the UCP did.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Because people vote, not corporations. It was a corporate tax increase to still have the lowest taxes in Canada. It's also exactly what people ask for. Tax corporate profits more.

The failure is that people are morons, and politicians are able to blatantly lie during campaigns, and media companies who's actual profits are threatened pushing the same native the UCP did.

Ahh yes, blame the voters. Voters were too stupid to know what they should be voting for. It couldn't possibly be a terrible campaign strategy.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Slava

Ahh yes, blame the voters. Voters were too stupid to know what they should be voting for. It couldn't possibly be a terrible campaign strategy.

Well, clearly the voters are morons, becuase Danielle Smith is our premier. But more to my point was media and the opposition outright lying, which convinced the morons to vote blue. These are facts. I'm sorry you don't like them.

[cral12]

Originally Posted by chedder

This is pretty funny, especially the comments. The Marda Loop doctor who says her clinic could go broke talking about her 911.

https://twitter.com/TheBreakdownAB/s...Jfy-WyG9w&s=19

fwiw, her medical degree is from the Caribbean...

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by Slava

Ahh yes, blame the voters. Voters were too stupid to know what they should be voting for.

You've met enough of the voting public to know that you're unintentionally correct here. People choose things that go against their own best interests all the time. People vote not even understanding how their vote works sometimes. A friend of mine -- who is reasonably intelligent and rational on other subjects -- insisted their vote for the UCP in the provincial election was 'strategic' to get the Liberals out at the federal level.

[chedder]

Originally Posted by cral12

fwiw, her medical degree is from the Caribbean...

And, according to comments, she makes and sells her own face creams but isn't a dermatologist.

[Yoho]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Well, clearly the voters are morons, becuase Danielle Smith is our premier. But more to my point was media and the opposition outright lying, which convinced the morons to vote blue. These are facts. I'm sorry you don't like them.

This 100% happened on both sides be honest

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Yoho

This 100% happened on both sides be honest

Evidence?

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by cral12

fwiw, her medical degree is from the Caribbean...

Does that matter?

She would still need to be Canadian Certified.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by chedder

And, according to comments, she makes and sells her own face creams but isn't a dermatologist.

I'd put that in my Tinder profile if I had one.

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Evidence?

Don't worry, he'll post an irrelevant tweet instead of responding to you.

[dieHARDflameZ]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Well, clearly the voters are morons, becuase Danielle Smith is our premier. But more to my point was media and the opposition outright lying, which convinced the morons to vote blue. These are facts. I'm sorry you don't like them.

Hahahaha the NDP outright lies all the time as well. That would go against your blow hard narrative though now wouldn’t it? I’m sorry things didn’t go your way and you’ve now resulted to crying 24/7 on a hockey forum about it.

[BlackArcher101]

Lol, this a$$-hat again.

[Sliver]

Meh, I actually make my own lip balm. If anybody wants a container I'll mail it to you. It's the best there is. I'll only send out three, though. Not interested in supplying the entire forum with supple lips.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

One of the issues I see is that parties on the left can't even bring up the idea of tax increases because they are instantly and loudly shouted down by the right. A reasonable discussion can't be had in media or parliament becuase the right won't allow it.

How are people stopped from discussing it? Of course conservatives are going to criticize tax cuts - that’s what they do. But they’re not stopping anyone else from talking about it.

Politicians shy away from talking about tax cuts because most voters don’t like taxes. People are polled on this stuff, and the Liberals and NDP can read polls. It’s pretty simple. There’s no sinister silencing or trickery going on.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by chedder

Yes, people making up to $82,000 (going to 87,000 next year) each get full oas. They get some of it up to $133,000 each.

Wealthy seniors plan for this if they can by taking out minimum rrif payments, income splitting pensions etc. All completely legal but set up to give them the advantage.

And the government will never change it because these seniors are their golden goose when it comes to election time.

That’s the tradeoff with universal programs: they’re popular because everybody gets them - even people who don’t need them. Stop making them universal, and support for funding them will decline.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Ashartus

I admire a party actually having the guts to say you can't have all the benefits of higher spending without higher taxes to go with it, but it was political suicide because voters want the good stuff without the bad.

Jim Prentice was admirably honest when he told Albertans to look in the mirror. The fact it was political suicide was not lost on other Canadian politicians.

Edit: I see Regorium made the same comment.

[you&me]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

That’s the tradeoff with universal programs: they’re popular because everybody gets them - even people who don’t need them. Stop making them universal, and support for funding them will decline.

It seems odd to argue that the best way to support one universal program is to make another universal program, er, un-universal.

[para transit fellow]

Originally Posted by flamesfever

I believe it's common for most people, especially the highly skilled and super busy types, that they tend to do whatever necessary to improve their skill level to earn as much money as possible, then do very little to adequately invest the money they make. <snip>

So you are suggesting that although costs are rising faster than increases to the Alberta health fee schedule for physicians...

... it is the fault of physicians who have failed to invest their dwindling net profits...

with the ultimate purpose of maintaining their practice operation in the face of rising expenses during an Era of a freeze on any possible increases to the payment schedules?

Because that is how interpret your post

[edslunch]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Jim Prentice was admirably honest when he told Albertans to look in the mirror. The fact it was political suicide was not lost on other Canadian politicians.

Edit: I see Regorium made the same comment.

After 40-some consecutive years of PC rule it took some hutzpah to blame the citizens. If we expected more than we could afford who was to blame for giving it to us?

I understand the point he was trying to make but it was utterly tone deaf. Too bad, he could have been a good premier.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by edslunch

After 40-some consecutive years of PC rule it took some hutzpah to blame the citizens. If we expected more than we could afford who was to blame for giving it to us?

Originally Posted by TorqueDog

People choose things that go against their own best interests all the time.

Sometimes they even vote against their own best interests for forty f-cking years on the trot.