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| Please Help Conservative Alberta; A Serious Plea | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Aug 23 2004, 02:15 PM (564 Views) | |
| brewster | Aug 23 2004, 02:15 PM Post #1 |
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Winemaker Extraordinaire
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There was an interesting news item in the Calgary Herald this morning – Alberta’s exports have skyrocketed, due to a massive increase in the commodity price. The government is overwhelmed with the massive increase in royalty fees they’re collecting! No, I’m not talking about oil – I’m talking about softwood lumber! Our # 3 industry! With the present price of oil, Alberta’s royalties are beyond comprehension! On top of that Alberta Oil Sands are coming on line, giving Alberta the second largest oil reserves in the world! Blue eyed Arabs, that’s us! Poor Alberta, I hear you say, just what is the problem, and what can we do to help? Here it is, in a nutshell. Premier Ralph Klein announced just weeks ago that he has COMPLETELY ELIMINATED THE DEBT. On top of which, he’s given us a government service package second to none! He must be the only politician in the world who has lived up to every one of his original election promises! Some achievements: Lowest income tax rate in Canada, and NO SALES TAX. This spring, Calgary was rated as having the best health services in the world, Edmonton was third. Our students were rated the best at mathematics and literature in Canada. Recently, Calgary was rated the least polluted major city in the world. All of Calgary’s transport energy is supplied by Wind Power. (Ironically, the area with the most non-renewable energy resources actually uses them the least!) Alberta as a whole was rated as having the best road system in Canada. So, it puts the government in a quandary. Klein and the rest of the Conservatives have no idea what to do with the money! We need your advice… I’m being serious here – In a few weeks, the Klein government is going to be issuing a survey to Albertans asking, “Where do we go from here?” And I’m looking for Ideas. A few ideas that have come up so far: Give a rebate every year like Alaska does Eliminate all taxes entirely (We could support our government just off the interest collected off the Royalties, while letting the Royalties build) Imagine that, Chris! So much for the fight over Income vs Sales Taxes! Somehow help out the “Have Not” areas of Canada. (As long as we can make sure the feds don’t get it – no Albertan wants to give Ottawa a penny!) Please help us! Any halfway sensible idea I get, I'll forward it on to Saint Ralph and his friends! (I can hear all those Liberals in Ottawa grinding their teeth from here!) |
My Favourite CampsiteBow Valley Provincial Park, Kananaskis Country, Alberta | |
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| passinthru | Aug 23 2004, 02:39 PM Post #2 |
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John - Gainesville, FL
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If it's not too late. close your borders and keep your mouths shut.
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| Faster horses, younger women, older whiskey, more money... | |
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| MDPD6320 | Aug 23 2004, 02:43 PM Post #3 |
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Frank - Gainesville, Florida
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I have to congratulate you! Just remember this, the excess funds the govenment is in possession of belong to the people, not the government. If they have collected too much don't let them keep what isn't theirs, make them return it.! Frank |
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" The government big enough to give you everything you want it is big enough to take everything you have." "Extremism in the pursuit of liberty is no vice, and moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue" All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. | |
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| brewster | Aug 23 2004, 02:46 PM Post #4 |
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Winemaker Extraordinaire
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I know the whole thing sounds silly, Passinthru, but nobody really knows what to do. Your idea has more merit than you realize, as Ottawa will undoubtedly try to find some way to tax it away from us. And we have more Canadians pouring over our borders than we can handle, all looking for work or handouts. Calgary is one of the fastest growing large cities in the world, and even my little High River has doubled in population in the last half dozen years. One problem that has everyone here worried is: "What if the wells run dry? If we've eliminated taxes, what do we do?" The government is working hard on building non-oil related industries, such as we're now the second largest Banking centre in Canada, as well as the second largest Electronics research and development area "Silicon Valley North" |
My Favourite CampsiteBow Valley Provincial Park, Kananaskis Country, Alberta | |
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| brewster | Aug 23 2004, 02:54 PM Post #5 |
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Winemaker Extraordinaire
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Frank, you are right that all governments bear close watch, but this one sticks very close to true Conservative principles. It's really stunning to recall that when Ralph Klein came to office, Alberta was on the verge of bankruptcy, and Oil Revenues were being all gobbled up just servicing debt. But at the moment our tax load is already the lowest by far in Canada, and I think our Provincial Taxes are also lower than any state in the US. (I'm not sure here.) But your basic idea is a good one... A real survey of just how much spending is necessary might be in order. It's always very easy for politicians to find ways to fritter away money, and Ralph Klein will probably retire in a year or so. I have no faith his successor will be as careful. |
My Favourite CampsiteBow Valley Provincial Park, Kananaskis Country, Alberta | |
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| corky52 | Aug 23 2004, 02:54 PM Post #6 |
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Member
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Invest in Rand D in alternative energy sources and fuels, parlay your oil profits in to a lead in the renewable energy industry! Take the windfall and make it live for a very long time. Oil will eventually run out or be superseded but knowledge and skills last nearly forever. |
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| brewster | Aug 23 2004, 03:08 PM Post #7 |
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Winemaker Extraordinaire
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Corky, that would be a good way to handle some of it. We are already at the lead in Wind Farm Technology, that's why Calgary won the award mentioned earlier. But I'd like to see them do more with Hydrogen Fuel, which I keep hearing is the way of the future for vehicles. I think they could do more at helping the universities do research and training on these future resources. The Universities in both Calgary and Edmonton have very extensive Oil Research facilities, but you're quite correct, they should branch out. |
My Favourite CampsiteBow Valley Provincial Park, Kananaskis Country, Alberta | |
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| jackd | Aug 23 2004, 04:53 PM Post #8 |
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Member
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Brewster: Indeed Alberta is floating on $$$$. Everything seems nice and rosy. I would not say Ralph Klein has much to do with this as he has no control over the price of oil nor the the price of soft woods exports. He only benefits, like all other Albertains, of the current crazy prices of oil, and that's OK. I am happy for your Albertans. Enjoy it. With all this surplus $$$ floating around, it is somewhat surprising that Klein is in the forefront of the other provincial prime minister asking Ottawa for more money to finance the health care system and institute a national drug plan The current Alberta boom reminds me of the Iron Ore, Asbestos and copper boom in Quebec in the 50's. It generated enough cash for the province to to take us out of the dark ages and allowed the building of the world largest hydroelectric power plants which we all still benefit today (along with our friends in NFLD and our customers in NewEngland) Don't let Ottawa get what they perceive to be their share. Things to do? Deversify: Any province/country/organization counting on one and only one source of revenue for more than 50% of their requirements will someday be very sorry. The oil boom will not be forever and will die down within the next 25/50 years when new/cheaper/cleaner/more efficient sources of energy will emerge. Congrat to Alberta. jackD |
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Walk in front of me, you lead me, Walk behind me, I lead you Walk beside me, you are a friend. | |
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| brewster | Aug 23 2004, 06:26 PM Post #9 |
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Winemaker Extraordinaire
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Jack, I know it seems easy to save when money is arriving by the bushel (or maybe I should say Barrel in this case.) But the fact is that under the Red Torys before Klein, the province was swimming in red ink - Royalties barely covered the interest on our debt. Also, although prices for oil are obscenely high right now, that has not been the case through most of the last 10 years, while the debt was being payed off. Undoubtedly, without oil it would have been much slower, but it would have happened. Klein is responsible for the turnaround, by setting up a budget that was not dependent on oil - nearly all royalties have gone into debt restructuring and payout, and in the early years he added tax money to "kick start" it.. He is also responsible for all the softwood royalties, by opening roads and services that never existed under Getty - when there was no softwood industry at all. As for why he is in the forefront of Medicare renewal - three reasons: 1) His budget is still independant of royalties, and he wants to keep it that way 2) He genuinely wants to help all Canadians 3) But most important, he dearly loves to needle and embarrass the federal Liberals any chance he can! |
My Favourite CampsiteBow Valley Provincial Park, Kananaskis Country, Alberta | |
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| cmoehle | Aug 23 2004, 06:35 PM Post #10 |
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Chris - San Antonio TX
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Use some of those Royalties to invest in the research necessary to replace oil as an energy source. When the oil runs low you'll already be world leaders and can market that. Oops, I see Jack beat me to the draw. On edit, so'd Corky. Oooookay, fund a truly conservative third party down here that can do the same here for the promise of removal of free-trade barriers re softwood lumber. |
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Politics is the art of achieving the maximum amount of freedom for individuals that is consistent with the maintenance of social order. --Barry Goldwater | |
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| brewster | Aug 23 2004, 07:07 PM Post #11 |
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Winemaker Extraordinaire
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OOPS! Now we're in trouble with Ontario! See what happens when you decide to boost your medical system?
We just can't win... |
My Favourite CampsiteBow Valley Provincial Park, Kananaskis Country, Alberta | |
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| brewster | Aug 23 2004, 07:21 PM Post #12 |
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Winemaker Extraordinaire
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Is our money going to be a threat to confederation?
Maybe the Western Separatists won't have to win an election - maybe the rest of the country will just toss us out! :lol: |
My Favourite CampsiteBow Valley Provincial Park, Kananaskis Country, Alberta | |
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| jackd | Aug 23 2004, 07:30 PM Post #13 |
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Member
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Brewster: Money attract doctors as honey attract bees:
I guess some of our doctors will also leave but for the time being, the Canadian Institute of Health Information (CIHI) released statistics at the end of May indicating that Quebec has more physicians per capita than any other province: 214 per 100 000, compared with 180 in Ontario and 166 in Alberta.Ontario is proportionally the biggest looser (in terms of doctors). The number of doctors in Alberta is increasing at twice the Quebec rate. The Quebec Provincial Govnmt. has curtailed the number of new doctor students a few years ago. There are still the problem in remote communities where doctors, )from the big centers) do not want to go to work. JackD |
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Walk in front of me, you lead me, Walk behind me, I lead you Walk beside me, you are a friend. | |
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| jackd | Aug 23 2004, 07:31 PM Post #14 |
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Member
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What's your opinion on this? threat to confederation........I know what it is
JackD |
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Walk in front of me, you lead me, Walk behind me, I lead you Walk beside me, you are a friend. | |
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| brewster | Aug 26 2004, 02:52 PM Post #15 |
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Winemaker Extraordinaire
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Thanks to those who gave me input - I was happy to see very little support for the notion of a rebate.
The "It's your Future" survey is out, and I have filed my answer, based on your input. I put special emphasis on Alternate Energy research, and the closely allied strong support for higher education, including increasing the research budget for our Universities. Ralph has promised the results will be out in early October, and will form the platform for his Provincial Election bid in November. I did not add Chris's idea for financial backing of a true conservative party in the US, as he hasn't found one yet... B) Ralph's latest Quote:
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My Favourite CampsiteBow Valley Provincial Park, Kananaskis Country, Alberta | |
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