Dalton McGuinty has been trying to demonstrate action on two files by crying to Ottawa, and not having much success.
In the Post editorial, Harper to cities: 'Grow up', we have their reaction to yesterday's Enquirer-style Toronto Star headline - PM to cities: Drop dead, but the piece is more of a reality check for McGuinty than a criticism of the Star's crass attempt to grab market-share and/or malign the Prime Minister (which they later attempted to cover up):
And then there is Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, who asks: "Why can't [Mr. Harper] come to the table and lend direct support to Canadian municipalities?" All of these politicians are getting plenty of encouragement from the Toronto Star, which yesterday ran a banner headline claiming that Mr. Harper told cities to "drop dead."
The Post also takes a shot at Toronto Mayor David Miller, calling him "whiner-in-chief". This is what left-wing politicians do best - pander to their union buddies and then upload their whining to the next level of government.
This article closes with the following observation:
It is hard to remember another time when politics in Ontario were this childish. Mr. McGuinty, the mayors and their media cheerleaders are effectively staging a collective temper tantrum until they get a bigger allowance. Mr. Harper isn't asking them to "drop dead." He's asking them to grow up.
Exactly. What McGuinty, Miller et al appear to have forgotten, is that there is only a finite resource of tax dollars to tap. Regular people are losing jobs, while public unions are still living in some kind of Lemming la-la land where reality never seems to intrude. At some point McGuinty and Miller are going to have to say 'no' to their union buddies, and then watch their support plummet!
Another wakeup call for McGuinty in this editorial, Hands off the bank, where the benefits of central-bank independence are itemized. As you know, McGuinty and Charest have been screaming and whining for the government to lower interest rates:
But most agree that money works best, and presents the least peril of catastrophe, when it is kept out of the reach of central planners and politicians with vote-driven agendas. Yet apparently those distinguished financial experts Dalton McGuinty and Jean Charest disagree.
The collapse of the U.S. dollar against our own, they announced on Thursday, is hurting the economies of Ontario and Quebec (even as it helps other provinces). The adjustments will be difficult for workers and executives. Why not just increase the money supply a tad to soften the blow? What could it hurt?
( . . . )
When McGuinty first started whining to Ottawa about interest rates, I was surprised that he actually appeared to think that Harper could directly make such an important economic decision fraught with potentially huge ramifications. I wouldn't want any Prime Minister to have that kind of power. But apparently, McGuinty did. Interesting that there are rumblings that Dalton himself has higher political aspirations....
BONUS: Great McGuinty smackdown letter in the Post (Economics 101 for McGuinty) by Charlie Cahill of Ottawa:The Prime Minister has apparently given the only possible answer, which is that for a federal cabinet to issue marching orders to the governor of the Bank of Canada is illegal, would be resisted fanatically, and would invite an annihilating backlash on world markets.
What today's investors in Canada are investing in, to a great degree, is a recent record of outstanding monetary stewardship by the bank. The damage created by the U.S. dollar's woes is genuine. But it's hard to imagine a worse possible response than setting the interest rate according to the whim of two premiers who, as much as anything, just want to appear as though they're "responding" meaningfully to tough local conditions.
When McGuinty first started whining to Ottawa about interest rates, I was surprised that he actually appeared to think that Harper could directly make such an important economic decision fraught with potentially huge ramifications. I wouldn't want any Prime Minister to have that kind of power. But apparently, McGuinty did. Interesting that there are rumblings that Dalton himself has higher political aspirations....
Dalton McGuinty says that Stephen Harper "listened to me intently" when the Ontario Premier asked the Prime Minster to lower the Canadian dollar vs. the U.S. dollar.
I doubt that the PM was listening intently. Any Grade 11 student of economics knows that monetary policy is the job of the Bank of Canada with no political interference, as the same article points out so well.
Fiscal policy is the work of the government of the day. Small wonder the PM appeared to "listen intently." He must have wondered if this man is really fit to be the leader of Ontario since he has shown his ignorance of the most basic part of monetary/fiscal policy.
Harper must also have wondered how on earth McGuinty got another majority government!
* * * *
Related: Prairie voices let facts trump fears - Sun:
Well, except in Lemmingland.
...Essentially, what is taking place across this country is Canadians are voting for parties that vow to run their governments much the same way we all know we must run our lives. That is, responsibly...
Well, except in Lemmingland.
* * * *
Sunday Update: Beautiful McGuinty smackdown from Paul Wells!!! (H/T Kerplonka!)
The Pied Piper of Lemmings tells all here - Warren's War Room 'Wisdom'.
The Pied Piper of Lemmings tells all here - Warren's War Room 'Wisdom'.
24 comments:
"Harper must also have wondered how on earth McGuinty got another majority government!"
And Harper is certainly not alone in his wonderment. It amazes me how easily the voters of Ontario are duped.
It amazes me how easily the voters of Ontario are duped.
Because they only read Toronto Star headlines.
Miller & McGuinty represent the worst kind of 'leaders', neither will leave their jurisdiction a better place, it's just a gong show for both of them.
Ontario is sliding towards the bottom of the province rankings, yet voters choose these finger pointing whiners?
Rational people don't choose a lower standard of living, why does Ontario?
Rational people don't choose a lower standard of living, why does Ontario?
See previous answer.
Hey, thanks for the great set-up, guys!
"What McGuinty, Miller et al appear to have forgotten, is that there is only a finite resource of tax dollars to tap."
Hmmm. . . maybe when Mr. Harper and Mr. Flaherty finish counting the federal surplus they could hand back some of the "finite resource of tax dollars" to the people who paid it.
Bob - From the Post editorial:
Please. If anything, Ottawa is giving out too much. The budget delivered in March contains transfers of $43-billion to other levels of government -- $14-billion more than four years ago. On top of that is another $5-billion to cities as part of the gas-tax giveaway. Mr. Harper has also radically reduced taxes in his recent budget update, thereby creating room for other levels of government to increase their own levies.
See, this is how it works. Harper passes along the money to the provinces, and then the provinces are supposed to take care of the cities. But the provinces have to be fiscally responsible. There's the problem.
In BC we have the spectacle of the Provincial Government allowing the health care industry care providers to reduce their costs (by 35% of labor costs) so that the run away health budget could come into line with “reality”. The Unions take the Province to court and win a decision that indicates the Province should have “consulted first” so now the Unions want their jobs back at the old rate and back up go the costs! The taxpayers were consulted at election and “we wanted tax relief” but never really got it.
The whining Mayors and Premiers need to get tough with their over paid unions, extract by force if needed, major concessions to balance their budgets and allocate their own surpluses to the infrastructure problems they have. Government wages are way out of line with tax payer wages.
BTW it is my opinion that government workers are NOT tax payers but tax users and what they return to the coffers has already been paid by productive workers who have added value to the economy.
West Coast Teddi
"Hmmm. . . maybe when Mr. Harper and Mr. Flaherty finish counting the federal surplus they could hand back some of the "finite resource of tax dollars" to the people who paid it."
Funny, I thought that's what the gst and income tax cuts was meant to do. Harper and Flaherty are doing exactly what you asked. Taxes rose steadily over the years. Don't expect them to go down all at once.
So now that you brought it up though, what's your opinion on Dion and the Liberal's talking about raising taxes for social programs again(national daycare, poverty fighting)?
Paulsstuff
I did a little analysis of yesterday's issue today.
It's such a classic example it deserves to be used as a teaching aid for budding propagandists.
I'll now go and read all the juicy links you've provided!
You people seem so against partisan MSM and yet you refer to the most partisan Canada has - hypocrites or what.
Nat Post, CanWest, Sun "chain" all right wing partisans and yet ONE paper leans a little left and you wet your pants.
You don't have to read the Star do you.
Partisan media is so totally unbalanced in Canada it's laughable that that you people concern yourselves with it.
80% of Canadians live in the cities and 80% of the taxes received by Ottawa are from the taxpayers of the cities - grow up? We do deserve our share.
It amazes me how easily voters in Ontario are duped - you your are right - you have been duped by right wing rhetoric and hatred.
Well done, Caveat.
I studied Marshall McLuhan a long time ago, and was also fascinated with the subject subliminal advertising. I love your analysis.
you have been duped by right wing rhetoric and hatred.
Hatred?
"duped by right wing rhetoric and hatred" - fill your boots anon. At least we've learned to walk upright and use opposable thumbs.
I'm pretty sure the lemming left haven't evolved that much yet.
"Harper must also have wondered how on earth McGuinty got another majority government?" I'm pretty sure that Steve knows that the Ontario conservatives gave his majority to him on a silver platter. Ontario conservatives made a poor choice.....no alternative, and Kinsella won....not McGuinty.
Kinsella won....not McGuinty.
Yup. Kinsella ran the whole campaign right off the pages of his book. It was right there for anyone to read. And Ontario got sucked in a second time.
McGuinty did not win the provincial election...
Pure and simple...
TORY BLEW IT!!!
Racist or not...
the reaction to the Faith Based Schooling policy sunk the Progressive Conservative
Which goes to show again...
when given a choice between Liberal and Liberal-lite(PCs)Liberals really have to screw up for Progressive Conservatives to win.
Time to become an Ontario Conservative party. It worked for Mike Harris, it will work again.
Ernie Eves lost power after Mr. Harris. He tried to be too progressive(IMHO regressive)
The PCs were hammered by the teachers, SARS, Walkerton and the media.
In the future only the teachers and the media will have to be dealt with. SARS was not the fault of Conservatives. Walkerton was the result of the laziness of a couple of nimrod brothers.
As bad as McGuinty was/is...
TORY BLEW IT!!!
He has got to got go...
not all teachers were against Harris. Not by a long shot. Many teachers, principals and board types I know supported him and what he was doing......their unions...not so much....not at all.
There are plenty of teachers out there who privately like what Harris did....and still do. Not all need to be told how to vote and who to support.
"Enquirer like headline"
Give your head a shake.
it was actually a very sophisticated one --- too much it seems for the blood torries.
As Red Tory pointed out the above was in reference to a 1975 headline. http://redtory.blogspot.com/2007/11/leave-it-to-beaver.html#links Just to note, Red did get a little carried away though. Half the blogsphere was not born in 1975.
“Any barely sentient person should be aware that the deliberately provocative headline in the Toronto Star (and faithfully repurposed for the web by the good folks at National Newswatch) was quite obviously a direct knock-off of the infamous headline “FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD” that was run by the Daily News in 1975 regarding the bankruptcy of New York City government and the refusal of President Gerald Ford to provide financial assistance.”
Koby, that was duly noted in an earlier post, but thanks.
If you have to explain a joke, you can't tell jokes.
Guess the Star can't tell jokes.
I second 'hatred?'
It amazes me how easily the voters of Ontario are duped.
Because they only read Toronto Star headlines.
And because PC leaders run idiotic campaigns. To be honest, I don't blame the average voters for the result. They don't particularly pay attention to politics, but can latch on to an idea with which they don't agree, to decide their vote.
As bad as McGuinty is, he was handed the majority by our own. Time to clean up.
Hmmm. . . maybe when Mr. Harper and Mr. Flaherty finish counting the federal surplus they could hand back some of the "finite resource of tax dollars" to the people who paid it.
In case you haven't noticed, they are doing so, especially with the GST. The province can now increase the PST, and hand the money over to the municipalities. Or, give the cities the power to levy their own sales taxes.
Taxes should be levied as close to where they are needed as possible. Why filter the money through the federal government to the provinces to the cities? That takes civil servants, with each getting a piece along the way.
I find it somewhat amusing to see people arguing that taxes should be strictly domiciled in some way or other given that we have different jurisdictions that overlap in their spheres of responsibility and yet share responsibility for various aspects of common governance. I’m fairly certain we would be hearing an altogether different tune being sung from Joanne and her ilk if the political affiliation of the federal and provincial governments were reversed.
I feel somewhat sorry for municipalities that occupy the lowest rung in our taxation food chain and yet are responsible for delivering many (if not most) of the services that directly affect people’s daily lives.
Endless downloading of costs onto lower levels of government is something that both the Liberals and Conservatives have been guilty of in order to balance their books, but the fact remains that the bills have to be paid at the end of the day for things many people regard as essential amenities and necessary investments in the infrastructure. At the end of the day it all comes from the same source — you and me.
It’s kind of funny that Joanne et. al. have no problem whatsoever if one level of government wants to spend $140 million to upgrade its 114 Leopard C1 main battle tanks by adding to each a refurbished turret equipped with a new, computerized fire control system and a thermal imaging system, but will go into paroxysms of fury if another wants to upgrade a local sewer system or build a new road.
Red, I just saw your Remembrance Day post.
Absolutely despicable.
That little smidgen of respect I had left for you is totally gone now.
I find it somewhat amusing to see people arguing that taxes should be strictly domiciled in some way or other given that we have different jurisdictions
I would, and have, argued that taxes should be levied close to where they are needed. Let the municipalities tax at the local level where necessary to fund local initiatives.
Let the other levels of government allow "tax room" for this. Stop filtering tax money through 3 levels of goverment and the associated infrastructure.
This is the good part of GST reduction, that the provinces could give the cities the value of the percent reduction to fund their own needs. All it requires is political will.
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