Deficit Continues to Shrink

Smallc · July 27, 2012

Well, it looks like the government is well on track to meet their targets, despite some doom and gloom in the world economy. Hopefully this can continue. Oh, and it seems lowering corporate taxes wasn't so bad.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/business/fp/Ottawa+deficit+shrinks+income+rises/7000561/story.html

socialist · July 27, 2012

Well, it looks like the government is well on track to meet their targets, despite some doom and gloom in the world economy. Hopefully this can continue. Oh, and it seems lowering corporate taxes wasn't so bad.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/business/fp/Ottawa+deficit+shrinks+income+rises/7000561/story.html

yeah. real good. cut important services and people like you celebrate. this cpc government is destroying my Canada.

waldo · July 27, 2012

Well, it looks like the government is well on track to meet their targets, despite some doom and gloom in the world economy. Hopefully this can continue. Oh, and it seems lowering corporate taxes wasn't so bad.

so..... Harper Conservatives are on track, presumably, to attempt to fix their own created deficit problem, hey?

WWWTT · July 27, 2012

Deficit continues to shrink!

According to the people who brought you the deficit!

WWWTT

Shady · July 27, 2012

so..... Harper Conservatives are on track, presumably, to attempt to fix their own created deficit problem, hey?

So the Harper Conservatives created the sub-prime mortgage problems in America and the Eurozone debt problems in Europe? Riiiiiiight. :lol:

Smallc · July 27, 2012

So the Harper Conservatives created the sub-prime mortgage problems in America and the Eurozone debt problems in Europe? Riiiiiiight.

Yeah, nothing like some revisionist history courtesy of Waldo.

login · July 27, 2012

I think saying things are good is a little circumspect there is labour unrest, people are displeased about reforms to government programs and cuts, as well the government racked up the debt. Bringing the deficit down is a far cry from paying down the debt.

However, was paying down the debt even part of the plan?

The price of consumer goods has skyrocketted since 2008. With recent drought in the US many foodstuffs may increase further. While you can paint a picture of aresponsible government, there is still a lot left in want. Making life better for the rich at the hands of the poor isn't a good government.

Government programs should be hand in hand with poverty elimination, I don't see taxes being adjusted enough to provide the provices with the capacity for poverty reduction, nor greater subsidies for the poor. The removal of programs such as RRAP is just one example of how the government is alienating the poor.

Personal debt is also very high in Canada.

I think passing the costs off and giving people a worse deal isn't improving the government. While some changes are needed, one still needs to see the way the government has gone about doing it, and it is one that alienates regular Canadians, and the poor.

It is also one that abuses the processess of government such as the parliamentary process.

It is also grossly negligent in efficiency.

While everything I would say in review is not negative I will fixate on the negative as they are important points of fixation, in labour interferance, underhandedness, and absence of provision of the poor through assurances.

There is still a lot of waste, government luxury is just one part of that.

Its not all just dollars and cents, there should be a social interest in mind of policy, and I don't think the government is insuring that the provinces are given the leadway. Canadians are too taxed for no social safety net.

While the removal of corporate taxes is good in the long run, there needs to be reorganization of the personal tax system, and drastic reductions in that system, with subsription based program delivery implemented.

There is still a lot of bad programs out there and a lot of bad funding that is purely porkbarrelled nonsense and political bribes. It ain't good enough and it ain't doin it in the right places. Cut perks for the rich and bring the quality of life of the poor to a relative standard though assurances from the programs to provide a streamlined equal oppourtunity program for social housing, local development and self sufficiency. The government is not insuring provision. It is not good results, they are horrible results.

Edited July 27, 2012 by login

gunrutz · July 27, 2012

Deficit continues to shrink!

According to the people who brought you the deficit!

WWWTT

Spend on stimulus, you didn't spend enough on stimulus, spend more on stimulus, OMG WHY DID YOU BORROW ALL OF THAT MONEY FOR THE STIMULUS! WHY IS OUR DEBT SO HUGE!!!?

Brought to you by the opposition, or we could just say that they are all politicians playing the same game, we would have had this debt in some form, maybe more, maybe less, no matter who was in charge at the time.

waldo · July 27, 2012

Yeah, nothing like some revisionist history courtesy of Waldo.

pardon! Let me interrupt your head-cheerleader role, hey:

Prime Minister Stephen Harper: This country will not go into recession next year and will lead the G7 countries

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty: We will not run a deficit

what was the government of the day? Do Harper Conservatives take responsibility... for anything? Whaaa! The Opposition made us do it!!!

as the astute MLW member, 'login', highlights... deficit? What about paying down the accumulated debt Harper Conservatives have rung up during their spending spree?

CPCFTW · July 27, 2012

pardon! Let me interrupt your head-cheerleader role, hey:

what was the government of the day? Do Harper Conservatives take responsibility... for anything? Whaaa! The Opposition made us do it!!!

as the astute MLW member, 'login', highlights... deficit? What about paying down the accumulated debt Harper Conservatives have rung up during their spending spree?

Yeah they should have just looked into the prime ministerial crystal ball... then slashed spending with a minority government... silly conservatives! :rolleyes:

Edited July 27, 2012 by CPCFTW

August1991 · July 27, 2012

Well, it looks like the government is well on track to meet their targets, despite some doom and gloom in the world economy.

Given Canadian tax rates in a world that wants our natural resources, is it any wonder that our federal government can reduce the deficit?

Smallc, the issue is not government deficits; it is government spending.

And I still have not seen clear evidence that the fake lake, the $16 orange juice, the civil service double-dipping, or absurd items on the annual Transfer Lists are a thing of the past.

When the usual lobby groups start howling, then I'll start to believe that this Conservative government is spending less of our collective money - whether taxed, created or borrowed in our name.

So far, this Harper crew seems as spendthrift as all the previous crews. Do we really need more big/fast airplanes flying around in circles?

And this gets closer to the issue: if government spending is the issue (not government deficit), what should our governments buy on our behalf?

Edited July 27, 2012 by August1991

Smallc · July 27, 2012

what was the government of the day? Do Harper Conservatives take responsibility... for anything? Whaaa! The Opposition made us do it!!!

As I've already told you, more than once, the opposition was right to force a stimulus, and the government needed to go into deficit.

as the astute MLW member, 'login', highlights... deficit? What about paying down the accumulated debt Harper Conservatives have rung up during their spending spree?

Well, no one ever accused you of critical thinking. In a few years, the debt to GDP ratio will be back where it was. Canada can easily handle the current load.

waldo · July 27, 2012

Well, no one ever accused you of critical thinking. In a few years, the debt to GDP ratio will be back where it was. Canada can easily handle the current load.

well... your critical cheer-leading thinking has you pumped over a couple of months, with one of those months being the principle month income tax monies were processed. Hey now, just wait till some wag comments about wanting to see what the PBO actually has to say rather than relying upon some self-serving Harper Conservative pronouncement.

WWWTT · July 27, 2012

Spend on stimulus, you didn't spend enough on stimulus, spend more on stimulus, OMG WHY DID YOU BORROW ALL OF THAT MONEY FOR THE STIMULUS! WHY IS OUR DEBT SO HUGE!!!?

Brought to you by the opposition, or we could just say that they are all politicians playing the same game, we would have had this debt in some form, maybe more, maybe less, no matter who was in charge at the time.

Where did I say those things are the sole cause of deficit???

You have a link???

I guess since I did not say these things your only solution(since you only have one argument) is to add them into a response to my comment!?!?!

And if you think that spending on infrastructure stimulus was the sole cause of our deficit then you have a lot of research to do.

Good luck

WWWTT

WWWTT · July 27, 2012

well... your critical cheer-leading thinking has you pumped over a couple of months, with one of those months being the principle month income tax monies were processed. Hey now, just wait till some wag comments about wanting to see what the PBO actually has to say rather than relying upon some self-serving Harper Conservative pronouncement.

Check out Smallc's link.

It is the department of finance that released the numbers.

Not,I repeat not an independent report.

The Ontario Harris PC's did this all the time.

WWWTT

Smallc · July 28, 2012

well... your critical cheer-leading thinking has you pumped over a couple of months, with one of those months being the principle month income tax monies were processed.

And hey now, what did the article say about those receipts?

Smallc · July 28, 2012

Check out Smallc's link.

It is the department of finance that released the numbers.

And....who should release those numbers?

Signals.Cpl · July 28, 2012

And....who should release those numbers?

Someone the NDP trusts, so probably the Taliban.

WWWTT · July 28, 2012

And....who should release those numbers?

Why are you asking me?

But nice try.

I would not put too much faith into those numbers.

Unless of course someone can independently confirm them?

Any more questions in an attempt to divert?

WWWTT

WWWTT · July 28, 2012

Someone the NDP trusts, so probably the Taliban.

Taliban?Who's that,an accounting firm?Auditors?

Why are you saying that the NDP trust an extremist group to conduct an audit of Canadian government expenditures to verify government stats???

This is odd and an extreme statement to write?

WWWTT

Wild Bill · July 28, 2012

Taliban?Who's that,an accounting firm?Auditors?

Why are you saying that the NDP trust an extremist group to conduct an audit of Canadian government expenditures to verify government stats???

This is odd and an extreme statement to write?

WWWTT

Perhaps, but it is a very humorous statement to write!

The NDP have set themselves up for that one!

Signals.Cpl · July 28, 2012

Taliban?Who's that,an accounting firm?Auditors?

Why are you saying that the NDP trust an extremist group to conduct an audit of Canadian government expenditures to verify government stats???

This is odd and an extreme statement to write?

WWWTT

Well come on, you don't trust the department responsible just because the information just does not agree with your position, so it makes me wonder who would you trust? Any source as long as they support your argument?

Shady · July 28, 2012

pardon! Let me interrupt your head-cheerleader role, hey:

what was the government of the day? Do Harper Conservatives take responsibility... for anything? Whaaa! The Opposition made us do it!!!

as the astute MLW member, 'login', highlights... deficit? What about paying down the accumulated debt Harper Conservatives have rung up during their spending spree?

You gotta love the shell game people of waldo's ilk like to play. First they state that Harper caused the deficits. Once you point out to them that the recession, caused by external situations is responsible for the drop in federal revenue, they quickly move on to the notion that Harper should have seen it coming. Despite the fact that leaders in those particular coutnries didn't even know the extent of the situation. It wasn't until October of '08 that the presidential candidates, and the American government in general knew the full extent of the economic crisis. But Harper needs to be privy to information that they didn't even have. :rolleyes:

I hate to say it. But, Harper Derangement Syndrome.

Shady · July 28, 2012

Spend on stimulus, you didn't spend enough on stimulus, spend more on stimulus, OMG WHY DID YOU BORROW ALL OF THAT MONEY FOR THE STIMULUS! WHY IS OUR DEBT SO HUGE!!!?

Brought to you by the opposition, or we could just say that they are all politicians playing the same game, we would have had this debt in some form, maybe more, maybe less, no matter who was in charge at the time.

Great point. It's almost Orwellian of them. The opposition complains about a lack of stimulus spending. So they threaten an election. Harper meets them half way and initiates some stimulus. And then they complain about the deficit because of the stimulus spending they asked for. You gotta wonder about their sanity sometimes. :blink: