Monday, June 04, 2007

This time I mean it!

Premier Pinocchio, er, McGuinty says this time he's telling the truth when he promises not to raise taxes:

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty promised yesterday that he would not raise taxes if he is re-elected this fall and insisted he means it this time.

The Premier, who ran on a no new-taxes platform in the 2003 election and then introduced one of the largest income tax increases in provincial history, said Ontarians should believe him now "because I'm in charge."


Well, there is some rock-solid logic. Try that in your next debating class, kids!

Anyway, at least McGuinty has given up trying to convince us that the health tax was not a real tax, but rather merely a "premium":


"I didn't raise that health tax in order to raise my popularity. I did it because we needed to raise money for our health care system," he said. "Now we're on track to balance the budget for five consecutive years."

Well, at least he's stopped trying to insult us with the euphemism.

He also maintains that "The Conservative party is adamant about creating another multi-billion dollar hole in the budget. We've seen that movie before..."

Well golly gee, Dalton. You're talking about the Harris-Eves years. There's a new sheriff in town now. And anyway, we've seen your movie before too, buddy. It's not worth a second viewing, trust me. Not even if you throw in free popcorn and beer.

Personally, I'm not overly enthralled with any of the provincial party leaders but so far I haven't heard John Tory lie yet. He has promised to phase out the health tax. Would it destroy the economy, as Dalton maintains?

I'm willing to take that chance.


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Update: More Blogging Tories not quite taken in by the hype - Fool Me Once, Shame on You... Frank Parker likes that one too.

Doggerel - McGuinty the Pooh. (A lovely fairy tale).

Sandy - McGuinty Won't Raise Taxes! B.P.#1


9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I trust this idiot about as far as I could throw him- and that is not far!

I'm not ambivilent- I despise this man and can't wait to use my vote to hopefully throw him out on his sorry a$$.

Joanne (True Blue) said...

At the very least he shouldn't be rewarded with another majority. It made him totally arrogant and it made a mockery of democracy in the legislature.

Tony said...

"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me"

Hopefully Ontarians will not buy any of the election promises that Premier McGuinty makes. He has consistently demonstrated an inability to keep them.

Joanne (True Blue) said...

"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me"

Tony, that's going to be my slogan for this election. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

What are you talking about Joanne?

You don't beleive "cuz I said so" is a valid platform?

Anonymous said...

CTV news explained it all for Premier McLiar - it's all the Conservatives fault that he lied.

You see, the Liberals had no idea whatsoever about Ontario's finances before they were elected - zip, nothing, nada - the Liberals were utterly and completely clueless.

Perhaps they were out of town or something?

So when they were elected, they used new 'Liberal' accounting methods to say there was a huge deficit and that they were going to 'take the high road' and break promises. Only Liberals can get away with stuff like that.

Mac said...

I'm sure McGuinty means it... and he'll find some way to blame Harris when he breaks his promise(s) this time too...

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Mac, yeah, Harris is to blame for all of Ontario's problems; in fact the whole world's problems. I'm sure that he is personally responsible for global warming.

Joanne (True Blue) said...

BTW, here is some important info from Sandy regarding the small deficit fro the Harris-Eves years, which widdle Dalton blames for having to raise taxes last time around (comment 10):

...It depends on what you use to determine the deficit. My understanding was that the Eves Tories had budgeted to sell off some provincial assets and had the Liberals done so, there would have been no deficit.

I am not sure what the assets were but I believe TVO and some large parcels of land (for development)never used were two of them. In any event, the Liberals never sell anything, so they ended up with a small $1-$2 billion deficit.

Now, keep that amount in perspective. Eight years before the Harris Tories took over a $11.9 billion deficit (I remember that amount well because I had to write about it often) but had somehow managed to spend more money on education and health care and still bring the deficit down to zero by the next election in 1999. Then, with the Hydro crisis in the summer of 2002, and the SARS crisis in the spring of 2003, the deficit went back up to that lower amount — which would have disappeared by the next fiscal year.