HypoGrits Live On

[scribblet]

This is too good to cut, have to hand it to Lorrie G. he's hit this nail on the head.

HypoGrits live on By LORRIE GOLDSTEIN http://www.torontosun.com/News/Columnists/...05/1520316.html

Toronto Sun April 5, 2006

So let's get this straight. According to Liberal House Leader Ralph Goodale, Prime Minister Stephen Harper will have a big fight on his hands from the Grits if he does either of the following things:

(a) Fails to implement the national daycare plan that the Liberals promised in the 1993, 1997, 2000 and 2004 federal elections and never, ever delivered.

( Cuts the GST from 7% to 6% even though former prime minister Jean Chretien promised to scrap the GST entirely in the 1993 federal election and never ever delivered.

So what's the Liberals' logic here? That Chretien can fib about scrapping the GST but Harper can't shave one lousy point off it?

Goodale's argument is that the Grits won't allow Harper to pay for his GST cut by scrapping income tax cuts the Liberals promised. That's rich. Perhaps the Liberals can show us the law they passed authorizing those income tax cuts?

What really happened is that two weeks before the Liberals fell on Nov. 28, Goodale introduced a desperate "bribe us with our own money" economic statement that retroactively lowered income tax rates to Jan. 1, 2005.

Harper is honouring the 2005 cuts, but not the ones the Liberals introduced at the last minute for 2006, just before they lost a non-confidence vote. That's Harper's right. Why should he have to deliver a Liberal election promise? Would Goodale have implemented Harper's GST cut if the Grits had won the election?

That said, I agree with John Williamson of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation that Harper should cut both the GST and deliver the Grit income tax cuts, not because he has to dance to Goodale's tune, but because the !@@!?! Liberals had so much of our money stashed under the mattress that we all deserve a big tax break.

As for the Liberals' so-called "national daycare program," as long as they and the pro-daycare lobby, who might as well be Liberal shills, keep pretending that's what the Grits delivered just before they fell from power, the more important it will be to keep setting the record straight.

It was not a national daycare program. All it was, was a promised money transfer of $5 billion to the provinces over five years (which either side could bail out of with a year's notice) for daycare-related -- often vaguely related -- programs. It set no national standards. It was a series of one-on-one deals with the provinces. If any Liberal tells you it was a "national daycare program," ask them this: "What guarantees did you receive when you made the deal with Quebec that it would spend any of this money on daycare?" Watch them stutter.

The truth is, a real national daycare program would cost about $10 billion a year and would send Canada plunging back into deficit. Harper's plan to give parents $1,200 (taxable) annually per child under age 6 to help defray the costs of child care isn't a national daycare program either. But unlike the Liberals, he never pretended it was.

And while we're on the subject of Liberal horse manure, here's a handy quote for future reference.

Remember, when the Liberals were in power, how they accused Harper of plotting to wreck the country every time he talked to the Bloc? Remember how Belinda Stronach said she bolted from the Tories to the Grits because of it?

Well, here's Interim Liberal Leader Bill Graham, quoted by The Canadian Press this week, about how the Liberals now intend to work with the Bloc to "moderate" the Tory government. Said Graham: "There are many things in politics where the Liberal party and the Bloc Quebecois are on the same wavelength." Really? You mean like hypocrisy?

By the way does Stronach know about this? Does she have any comment? Is she now going to re-rat to the Tories?

[sideshow]

I think it is positively hilarious that the conservatives bring in the gst, liberals say they will scrap it, 13 years later conservatives want to lower the gst, liberals want to keep it. and the ndp just wants to spend it.

but then with the floor crossing and such if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck....

[GostHacked]

Hypogrits, I like that term.

I am liking some of what Harper is doing, and somethings scare me. But he may be pulling a 'Harris' (Former Ontario Primier) and just doing what needs to be done, regardless of the bitching. Time will tell.

[August1991]

Scriblett, thanks for posting that article.

a) Fails to implement the national daycare plan that the Liberals promised in the 1993, 1997, 2000 and 2004 federal elections and never, ever delivered.

Cuts the GST from 7% to 6% even though former prime minister Jean Chretien promised to scrap the GST entirely in the 1993 federal election and never ever delivered.

So true.

The truth is, a real national daycare program would cost about $10 billion a year and would send Canada plunging back into deficit. Harper's plan to give parents $1,200 (taxable) annually per child under age 6 to help defray the costs of child care isn't a national daycare program either.

The columnist misses the fact that the Tory plan means more more government money will go to childcare than what the Liberals proposed.

Said Graham: "There are many things in politics where the Liberal party and the Bloc Quebecois are on the same wavelength."

Death itself.

Since 1896, the federal Liberal Party's calling card in Ontario was that it could win French seats in Quebec. That is no longer true. The federal Liberal Party is dead in French Quebec now. Of the potential leadership candidates I have seen so far, none will change that fact.

Remarkably, Stephen Harper (and Mulroney and les Bleus) won 10 seats in French Quebec. There is a profound attachment to Canada in Quebec that English-Canadians should not take lightly.

[scribblet]

I thought it was pretty good too, especially the part about the daycare. IMO Harper is being decisive and doing what has to be done in, maybe, a short time.

Also, a minority government is about compromise, and Jack Layton seemed to be reasonably happy that he had been consulted. -

[Bryan]

I think it is positively hilarious that the conservatives bring in the gst, liberals say they will scrap it, 13 years later conservatives want to lower the gst, liberals want to keep it. and the ndp just wants to spend it.

The extinct Progressive Conservative Party brought in the GST. The Conservative Party of Canada wants to cut it. Different parties, different priorities.

[geoffrey]

I think it is positively hilarious that the conservatives bring in the gst, liberals say they will scrap it, 13 years later conservatives want to lower the gst, liberals want to keep it. and the ndp just wants to spend it.

but then with the floor crossing and such if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck....

Oh come on, we all know the GST was a visable replacement to another hidden tax. At least we knew the government was taking our money, before it was just a hidden 15% on some random collection of items.

The GST lowered the tax burden, and now the conservatives are lowering it again. The liberals have constantly shown they will not lower taxes, until an election is a calling.

[Hicksey]

I think it is positively hilarious that the conservatives bring in the gst, liberals say they will scrap it, 13 years later conservatives want to lower the gst, liberals want to keep it. and the ndp just wants to spend it.

but then with the floor crossing and such if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck....

Oh come on, we all know the GST was a visable replacement to another hidden tax. At least we knew the government was taking our money, before it was just a hidden 15% on some random collection of items.

The GST lowered the tax burden, and now the conservatives are lowering it again. The liberals have constantly shown they will not lower taxes, until an election is a calling.

CORRECTION

You said, "until an election is a calling"

It should have read, "until an election is a calling, and they fear they will not win it"

Every other time the tax promises are just empty promises like the rest. When Martin feared losing they became real.

[Nocrap]

I think it is positively hilarious that the conservatives bring in the gst, liberals say they will scrap it, 13 years later conservatives want to lower the gst, liberals want to keep it. and the ndp just wants to spend it.

but then with the floor crossing and such if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck....

Oh come on, we all know the GST was a visable replacement to another hidden tax. At least we knew the government was taking our money, before it was just a hidden 15% on some random collection of items.

The GST lowered the tax burden, and now the conservatives are lowering it again. The liberals have constantly shown they will not lower taxes, until an election is a calling.

CORRECTION

You said, "until an election is a calling"

It should have read, "until an election is a calling, and they fear they will not win it"

Every other time the tax promises are just empty promises like the rest. When Martin feared losing they became real.

Bryan said: "The extinct Progressive Conservative Party brought in the GST. The Conservative Party of Canada wants to cut it. Different parties, different priorities." I wish people would stop calling the CPC Tories. They are a complete 180 from the old Tory party.

That being said, while the GST may have in part replaced a hidden tax, many of the goods and services that were taxed with the new GST were never taxed at all prior to it's implementation. Hair cuts, rents, etc. Most economists will agree that the GST brought in far more revenue than the old hidden federal tax did. The only people who will benefit from a cut in the GST are those with exposable income. The more you can afford to spend the more you will save...IOW the rich will just get richer.

As to the tax cut, CBC ran a piece comparing the $1200.00 taxable benefit against the 1% income tax reduction, and most did better with the tax break. Even if a parent stays home to raise the children, so gets to claim the credit; it will still affect any other provincial or territorial tax credits that are based on total family income. Canadians need to read the fine print.

I would sooner the GST stayed the same and the money put toward a better environmental plan than the CPC has put forward.

[scribblet]

I think it is positively hilarious that the conservatives bring in the gst, liberals say they will scrap it, 13 years later conservatives want to lower the gst, liberals want to keep it. and the ndp just wants to spend it.

but then with the floor crossing and such if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck....

Oh come on, we all know the GST was a visable replacement to another hidden tax. At least we knew the government was taking our money, before it was just a hidden 15% on some random collection of items.

The GST lowered the tax burden, and now the conservatives are lowering it again. The liberals have constantly shown they will not lower taxes, until an election is a calling.

That's the way I see it also, good points that the tories lowered the taxes once and are now lowering it again. We are in the market for another car but will wait and see.

It is definitely interesting to read an hear the reasons for not wanting the GST lowered, from a party which promised to abolish the dreaded - hated GST.

A recent Environics poll released yesterday shows some pretty interesting numbers. It shows the tories picking up support, even in Ontario. http://erg.environics.net/news/default.asp?aID=603

Conservatives 41 (+5)

Liberals 22 (-8)

NDP 21 (+3)

BQ 10 (-1)

Green 5 (nc)

Other 1 (nc)

I'm thinking that if the opposition are foolish enough to try and bring down the gov't in the near future the Tories would get a majority.

What is even more hypocrital these days is the liberal bashing of Quebec, and here I thought the tories were mean to Quebec etc. etc.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2006/04...pf-1523170.html

OTTAWA (CP) - The Conservative government accused the Liberals of engaging in Quebec-bashing to score cheap political points Thursday.

Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon said some Liberals appear to be pandering to anti-Quebec sentiment as their party launches a leadership race. "It looks like that to me," Cannon, the Tories' Quebec lieutenant, said Thursday. "(They) are literally using Quebec as a basis for launching their campaign in a negative way. . . . What they are doing is divisive, it's not correct."

Cannon called a news conference, surrounding himself with the government's four other Quebec ministers, to respond to comments by a pair of Liberals a day earlier.

Leadership hopeful Joe Volpe and ex-minister Wayne Easter accused the Tories of playing favourites with Quebec.

[Hicksey]

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2006/04...pf-1523170.html

OTTAWA (CP) - The Conservative government accused the Liberals of engaging in Quebec-bashing to score cheap political points Thursday.

Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon said some Liberals appear to be pandering to anti-Quebec sentiment as their party launches a leadership race. "It looks like that to me," Cannon, the Tories' Quebec lieutenant, said Thursday. "(They) are literally using Quebec as a basis for launching their campaign in a negative way. . . . What they are doing is divisive, it's not correct."

Cannon called a news conference, surrounding himself with the government's four other Quebec ministers, to respond to comments by a pair of Liberals a day earlier.

Leadership hopeful Joe Volpe and ex-minister Wayne Easter accused the Tories of playing favourites with Quebec.

Like it or not this is about the only way to shore support for the federalist movement in Quebec--compromise and give them some of the things they want and do something other than just talk about the fiscal imbalance. I'm sure it will do much better in Quebec than the Liberals

solution--Adscam--did.

[geoffrey]

Plus, if the Tories give the same autonomy to us in the wild west as they give Quebec, I'm 100% behind this move.

Quebec deserves it, as do we. It's about time Ontario centered politics realised that the rest of Canada is an extremely different place.

[shoop]

You gotta provide some support for your wild assertions. Actually no you don't, just get a job on the campaign for the Liberals next election and provide them with your *insights*.

Which *old Tory party* is the CPC a complete 180 from? Seems like these guys would fit in pretty well with the 84-93 gang.

Maybe use facts that make sense, re your GST ramblings. GST is not payable on residential rents. *All* economists agree that the GST brings in far more than the old MST (that *old hidden federal tax* you didn't know the name of.)

*Exposable income* doesn't make sense. Do you mean *disposable income*???

I wish people would stop calling the CPC Tories. They are a complete 180 from the old Tory party.

That being said, while the GST may have in part replaced a hidden tax, many of the goods and services that were taxed with the new GST were never taxed at all prior to it's implementation. Hair cuts, rents, etc. Most economists will agree that the GST brought in far more revenue than the old hidden federal tax did. The only people who will benefit from a cut in the GST are those with exposable income. The more you can afford to spend the more you will save...IOW the rich will just get richer.

As to the tax cut, CBC ran a piece comparing the $1200.00 taxable benefit against the 1% income tax reduction, and most did better with the tax break. Even if a parent stays home to raise the children, so gets to claim the credit; it will still affect any other provincial or territorial tax credits that are based on total family income. Canadians need to read the fine print.

I would sooner the GST stayed the same and the money put toward a better environmental plan than the CPC has put forward.

[betsy]

The Liberal criticisms of Harper's throne speech and plicy is laughable. They harped on about needing to fix a lot of things NOW...when they'd had 13 solid years and had done practically nothing on what they're suddenly urgently fighting for now. Suddenly, there's an overwhelming urgency.

Goodale keeps reminding people that "there's a lot of money in Ottawa there's no reason why Harper can't do his own promise and at the same time fulfill the Liberals' last-minute vote-buying promises." If that's the case we've got so much money...why are the provinces complaining and some seriously in debt...and some social programs cut back...and GST promise by Liberals unfulfilled...and healthcare in such a mess etc..,?

[betsy]

Harper should suddenly scrap the Gun registry without any by-your-leave...and immediately call for an inquiry why it cost so much!

That should keep the Liberals busily scrambling running for cover and distracted. And their flapping lips corked.

That should give Harper the time to just quickly implement his own policy.

[geoffrey]

I think the gun registry is going quickly. Which is good. Hopefully by fall, I don't want to have to have the hassel of registering my planned purchases for the fall hunting reason.

[Hicksey]

Harper should suddenly scrap the Gun registry without any by-your-leave...and immediately call for an inquiry why it cost so much!

That should keep the Liberals busily scrambling running for cover and distracted. And their flapping lips corked.

That should give Harper the time to just quickly implement his own policy.

This is just a hunch, but does anyone else think the only reason the Liberals are opposed is that this will become AdScam 2? How else can they waste billions of dollars on a program that was estimated to cost in the range of 30 million?

[sideshow]

cpc = tories. nothing new here other than a paint job and a decade and a half.

[Montgomery Burns]

Geoffrey:

Oh come on, we all know the GST was a visable replacement to another hidden tax. At least we knew the government was taking our money, before it was just a hidden 15% on some random collection of items.

Actually the hidden FST/MST was 13.5% but it originally started at 9%. Being a hidden tax, people bitched a bit when it was raised but they quickly forgot about it. There is little chance of that happening if the govt wanted to raise the GST.

All my prices went down with the implementation of the GST and NAFTA. I didn't hear any of my customers complain.

I was paying between 9% and 18% duty on the items I imported from the US. With the lower prices I can now offer (now that the CDN dollar isn't at $0.65) my customers better prices and it forces my Canadian competitors to become more effective and efficient...which helps all of us consumers.

For example, an item that costed me $100 (pre NAFTA and GST):

$100 + $18 duty + $13.50 MST/FST equals $131.50 cost...before I even add my mark-up. Say I add on 50% to my $100 cost (before duty and MST/FST). That means I sold my product for $181.50 plus PST.

Today I sell that same item for $150 + 7% GST for a total of $160.50 plus PST (however GST is refundable for businesses; MST/FST was not refundable). Ergo, it really costs my customers a total of $150 plus PST

$160.50 today (PST included) versus $194.21 yesteryear (PST included). Did I mention my customers are content?

Best damn thing Mulroney ever did.

Lower prices is a good thing--which is why Walmart is so wildly popular. When you save money somewhere, what do you usually do?

You spend it elsewhere.

And where do you usually spend it?

At other businesses...which creates a cycle of extra money circulating....which makes the economy continue to roll.

I believe that Reagan and Dubya proved this with their lower taxation doctrines.

[Biblio Bibuli]

Lower prices is a good thing--which is why Walmart is so wildly popular.

Gee, you work for Walmart? What a waste. :angry:

[shoop]

The GST has been a good tax.

Reagan and Dubya haven't proved much. They both missed the key point to supply-side. Cut spending. It ballooned under both, which lead to the huge deficits both ran.

Mulroney made some cuts in spending, but not enough.

Best damn thing Mulroney ever did.

Lower prices is a good thing--which is why Walmart is so wildly popular. When you save money somewhere, what do you usually do?

You spend it elsewhere.

And where do you usually spend it?

At other businesses...which creates a cycle of extra money circulating....which makes the economy continue to roll.

I believe that Reagan and Dubya proved this with their lower taxation doctrines.

[hiti]

Well, well, well.... Stephen "wanna-be" Bush just had to say a few words and all of a sudden he is the savior without having delivered on anything.

In 2000 the government brought in tax cuts worth $100 billion while fixing our CPP fund for many generations. Last year I saved almost $400 in income tax thanks to Ralph Goodale. With the Harper "savior's" planned GST cuts, I would have to SPEND $40,000 in GST taxed goods to save the same $400. Not to mention thousands of low income Canadians that will be added back onto the tax rolls with the cancellation of Goodale's $500 exemption and increasing the tax rate to 16% from 15%. Wait until that hits the pocket books of Canadians and they will realize who really does have their hands in their pockets.

And then there is the family allowance being passed off as child care spending with the recycled promises of the Harris government to provide grants to businesses to create child care spaces, which never materilized in Ontario.

The spin doctors are in charge but he who laughs last laughs best and so far this government has deliverd on nothing. Nada.

[scribblet]

Harper should suddenly scrap the Gun registry without any by-your-leave...and immediately call for an inquiry why it cost so much!

That should keep the Liberals busily scrambling running for cover and distracted. And their flapping lips corked.

That should give Harper the time to just quickly implement his own policy.

This is just a hunch, but does anyone else think the only reason the Liberals are opposed is that this will become AdScam 2? How else can they waste billions of dollars on a program that was estimated to cost in the range of 30 million?

Probably, and once Sheila Frazer gets going, who knows what else she will uncover. The gun registry will be gone soon (and rightly so) but licensing will not be gone.

[tweedledee]

Well, well, well.... Stephen "wanna-be" Bush just had to say a few words and all of a sudden he is the savior without having delivered on anything.

In 2000 the government brought in tax cuts worth $100 billion while fixing our CPP fund for many generations. Last year I saved almost $400 in income tax thanks to Ralph Goodale. With the Harper "savior's" planned GST cuts, I would have to SPEND $40,000 in GST taxed goods to save the same $400. Not to mention thousands of low income Canadians that will be added back onto the tax rolls with the cancellation of Goodale's $500 exemption and increasing the tax rate to 16% from 15%. Wait until that hits the pocket books of Canadians and they will realize who really does have their hands in their pockets.

And then there is the family allowance being passed off as child care spending with the recycled promises of the Harris government to provide grants to businesses to create child care spaces, which never materilized in Ontario.

The spin doctors are in charge but he who laughs last laughs best and so far this government has deliverd on nothing. Nada.

Just exactly what does Bush have to do with this, oh I know, mindless Bush/Harper bashing. thanks to Stephie Canada's on the right track for a while.