Hydraboss

I abhor the "rationale" behind equalization. I understand the mechanics, I just don't like them. It's theft. Why the reduction game? Why not? Currently it's my money they're giving to you, so I should have your permission to write what I wish about it on the net. At the moment? A tax return. With any luck (although doubtful), Alberta would be able to have trade agreements with Canada. You guys can worry about how you want to re-jig the equalization scheme when the money is gone. Canada is a dead as a country, so why try to save it? Wouldn't it make more sense for the Liberals to have everything east of Manitoba (or Sask if need be) and the Cons to take everything west? It's not like it would change much except for your federal budget (no money) and us then having a justice system instead of what's currently there.

Although this may seem remarkable to you, I actually have a fairly solid, layman understanding of equalization payments and the process in general. Where the money goes is not really the point. In the end, look at the amount of personal transfer: Alberta Ontario BC I have a family of four. Basic math says I'm sending $20,000 per year to Ottawa than my family is getting back in benefit. Do you want to write me a check for $20,000??????? Anyone???????

Uhmm....is that maybe the department the Liberals were using to purchase big-ass fountains for Shawinigan?

Wow! That's really insightful of you. First of all, Klein (the early years) had the balls to do what had to be done. Cut everything. Second, the feds f*cked Alberta and continue to do so. You saying it ain't so doesn't make it true. Third, Stelmach IS an idiot. He spends like an NDP'er and has a thought process like a borderline mental retard. You must mean something like the fragile financial state of the United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia? Our economy would be be $18,000,000,000 ahead today just from 2008 if it weren't for us paying for the rest of Canada. So, please, continue to speak about that which you obviously have no knowledge. I have news for you: the economy of Canada in 2009 will be based on in Alberta.

Here, go through the coles notes version and let me know where you want to start chopping. I suggest Aboriginals and Foreign Aid (2010-2011 this one will be $5 billion alone). http://www.budget.gc.ca/2008/pamphlet-depl...pliant1-eng.asp Nice thing is, if you get rid a departments all together, you get to lose the dead weight civil servants as well.

Geez, you don't think Alberta being in deficit has anything to do with the net $18 billion we sent to Ottawa in 2008? We sent $36.3 billion and received about half of that back in federal transfers and services. The "Left Wing Eddie" Stelmach government caused this freakin' mess, and it will take a true conservative-minded government to put it back the way it should be. Or seperation. That would fix it just as fast.

From http://alberta.ca/home/NewsFrame.cfm?Relea...1E121F9F6D.html Smallc The $9.3 billion I posted was incorrect. I'm not sure where I got that one (I was obviously looking at too many numbers at once). Still, in 2008 Alberta didn't send $18 billion dollars to Ottawa, it sent $36.3 billion dollars to Ottawa. You really like to pick and choose without context, don't you. What I said was: I made no statement that said people outside of Alberta don't work. I said that the Liberals will intentionally piss of those Albertans that do. Incidentally, in another thread you made the statement that Ontario will continue to be a "have" province and put funds into the equalization rip-off scheme. You are incorrect again. Perhaps before you spout off about someone else having a you should ensure that you are as well informed as you would have others believe.I believe the number that Ontario will receive this year is $347 million.

Of course you support equalization theft payments. You live in a province that has always received them and therefore directly benefit. How're you enjoying my money???? These differences in spending priorities are exactly why the equalization must end. Alberta can afford to support itself and it's financial needs and wants, but it can't afford to continually pay for the rest of the country to have anything more than the basics. These payments were designed for that purpose, but if you look at the numbers from last year Alberta paid $18,000,000,000 into equalization and yet the federal government only paid out $9.3 billion. The rest went into general revenue. You and I have disagreed on this before. Canada is only about dollars and cents because Canada is nothing more than an idea of a country. We are more like the EU in that it is strictly a financial arrangement; not a joint identity. Alberta has more in common with Montana than it ever has or will have with Ontario or the east coast. The true divisions in the country run North-South not East-West. The Convenient Canadian's idea of raising taxes will resonate with those areas of the country that pay less tax already (the receivers of Alberta's money) and this year that list will include Ontario. It will further piss off those of us in the West that work and pay taxes, but that won't matter because we will heading back to the same-old same-old Liberal antics of "screw the west, we'll take the rest".

Most prominently, there would be a political cost no matter which way they go. You and I don't seem to have an arguement here, but I'm simply pointing out that those who say that tax increases are the "only way" to deal with a deficit are 100% wrong.

I can agree with that. But before we cut money to those industries that have a net financial benefit, let's start hacking the useless programs like Arts and Culture and specifically, the CBC. After all, it seems a "profitable" industry like broadcasting ought to be able to fund things on their own. Right?

That's exactly my point. Surplus and deficit mean absolutely nothing. You can always cut whatever you have to in order to balance the books. The question is: What are you willing to give up? Raising taxes is the ONLY way to balance the books IF you're not willing to do without some pet project.

I just started to sneak a peek around the Fed website and the first thing I came across was this: Performing Arts (2007) $300,233,000 (million) net expenditures (after deducting operating revenues) Cultural (2007) $8,287,998,000 (billion) net expenditures Let's see....that's $8.6 BILLION per year. Hmmm. That's one. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation $1,100,000,000 (billion) Funding under the Equalization and Territorial Formula Financing programs $9,300,000,000 (billion) in transfers [[[[***Funny note here: Alberta paid $18,000,000,000 (billion) last year. Where'd the money go?]]]]

Cutting $85B is not as hard as you make it out to be. Just depends on what you are willing to give up. Billions and billions on "official languages" - gone Billions on long gun registry - gone Billions on foriegn aid - gone Billions on immigrant services - gone Billions on "arts and culture" - gone Billions on "environmental initiatives" - gone See? It's simple. But for every cut there will be a group, large or small, that will defend that particular one as a sacred cow. The alternative that some of you are looking at as the only option is to increase taxes and make absolutely no cuts. If your family runs up a ton of credit card debt going to movies and out to dinner, your only option is to cut spending on "niceties". Unless you're the government. In which case you take even more from the masses (that actually work) to pay for the pet projects of the few.

Molly, I agree. Perhaps there needs to be a small amount of reality injected into some of these people. I'm leaving for work. My office is 75km one way (but not nearly that far as the crow flies). It already takes me over an hour. Maybe I should take my kids bike. Just have to figure out how to mount my laptop case and briefcase.

The current deficit is easy to counteract. Just take the money from the EI fund. Paul Martin stole $60 BILLION dollars of taxpayer money from the fund and miraculously made the deficit disappear. All Harper has to do is follow in Liberal Party footsteps. And Dobbin, if there were any way true conservatives could vote for a more right wing party (social and fiscal) without allowing the Liberals to come up the middle again and plunk Canada into another Dark Ages, you would see huge numbers of people scram from the Cons. Right now, though, better the devil you know than a Liberal angel.

Listen, liberal, give up on the "you were given everything" BS. I haven't seen you or your cronies out here in January on a rig in the middle of f*cking nowhere working night shift. Why hasn't SK been as successful as Alberta? They have pretty much the same damn reserves as us. What about NE BC with natural gas? What about the east coast and their offshore deposits? Funny. No one ever spouts off about the maritimers collecting pogy when the fish stocks finally gave out. No one says "But a massive deficit is unavoidable when your entire economy is based on the value of the little swimming things in the ocean". And Smallc, the rest of Canada can shove the constitution (a wholly useless document) up their collective socialist asses. Hard to respect a "national" ideal that doesn't apply to the whole nation. Alberta would be far better to cut loose the needy children and go on about it's way solo. There might actually be a chance that we could even have a justice system instead of the legal system we have now. We would have the health care system that we can afford instead of dying in lineups so the whole country can feel good about "free healthcare". Guess what? It's not free. I pay for it. Oh, and to not be Kwebek's bitch for a change would also be a pleasure.

Na ... only a low life if he has to live off the hard earned wages of another. And can't stand up for his province, his family or himself.

Low life's in Alberta? Most of them will go back to their own provinces eventually. Me? A low life? Probably (in the eyes of anyone from other parts of the country and NDP/Liberals). You see, when someone from Alberta stands up for his province, he's a low life. When someone from the east coast or central Canada does it, he's showing pride. You can kiss my entirely non-french ass.

What truly needs to happen is for "the weakling Stechmach" to serve Ottawa with the requisite one year notice that Alberta intends to change to collecting all income taxes (provincial and federal) and will forward that which is due the Federal govenment.......minus the amount of the transfer payments made from this province. The first part is constitutionally the responsibility of the provincial governments, the second is just what's right for the people of Alberta. Let the ROC decide how to split up the remaining money that they tax and redistribute in a nice, communist way. I'll happily pay taxes in my own part of the country. My money belongs to my family, not some lowlife in Kwebek. Looking at the post above (payment per capita), it's blatantly obvious that Albertans are fifth-class citizens in Canada. $508 per person? We make enough money in this province to increase that amount by a factor of 20. But apparently my kids are far less important than some psuedo-french kid.

August, since you're going to be rich and...well...be blessed by Viagra, maybe I should forward the one I just got for Adult Friendfinder. Might come in handy.

PT, are you jdobbin's mother or something? Iggy is an opportunistic leech. He comes back to Canada when he sees an opening to collect a public pension, and you are trying to equate him to "the god-like Obama"? Harper is meeting with him as the leader of a country. Iggy is meeting with him so he can put it in his memoirs. Where's Jack's meeting? Where's Gilles'? What about Stelmach (god knows he has more clout than the almost-Liberal leader, even though he's an idiot).

Jail, period. Time may not be much for simple crime (ie. stealing cd's from a car), but it should be followed up with public service in a VERY visible location (picking up garbage around the kid's own high school starting at 3:30pm Mon-Fri for a start). Names must be published for all criminals, not just those over 18. And while we're at it, bring in the three-strike rule and send some of these little "gangsta's" away for life.

In the end, it doesn't matter how it is collected. Albertans pay for the lazy asses in the rest of Canada. Call it a tax, a user fee, or what it really is...national welfare.

Canada has become a haven for scumbags because they know we wouldn't dare insult them or hurt their feelings. As for where to deport them...who cares? Send them back over the border from whence they came..US or by water...again, who cares? Set them afloat in a dinghy on the ocean. Not my problem. Not my kids' problem. Not the Canadian taxpayer's problem.