Klein's way

So, we have a seven billion dollar surplus, and our conservative (I am unsure what this is even means in Canada nowadays) Premier and his top aids head out for a weekend retreat to decide what to do with OUR money, and besides more infrastructure (a need in an expanding province) spending, more social spending (conservative Alberta already has the highest per capita in spending in the country), they come up with dividends! Dividends, are you kidding me! Alberta collects 5.2 billion in personal taxes, 800 million in healthcare premiums and Klein wants to do me a favor by sending me a pithy $300.

The PR spin plays out as a one time gift from our benevolent leader. let's get this straight, there's no such thing as a tax surplus (the word creates the idea that government can create money), a surplus simply means that the ruling party has "stolen" x amount too much. Klein has robbed his people in excess of seven billion dollars extra, and now he wants to give graft to the tune of $300 in an attempt to show his benevolence. First the bureaucracy needed to administer this gift will cost as much as the payout, and I bet we will keep them employed for 20 years on pet projects eradicating their worth 10 times over--you can't just lay off a bureaucrat... much too cruel.

Secondly, liberals will wax poetically that this money will simply be "pissed away" and for once they are right. the money will be presented as a windfall, and it will be accordingly be spent as such. To impact the economy in a significant way ( investment in business, housing gains, automobile purchases), a citizen has to be able to predict his increase in income and that increase must be stable. A tax cut allows the individual to balance his personal budget according to his new and stable wealth increase. An arbitrary infrequent dividend encourages wreckless spending (and yes this good for the local saloon and Wal-mart, but few others outside the retail industry). Albertan's need to demand more from the complacent and populist Klein.

God Save us Ted Morton. I'm counting the days until the leadership debate.

-Angry Roughneck