Sunday, September 13, 2009

The 55 billion dollar man

This just in from Agent 26 down in the banana belt...

I had to share this, because what has riled me to no end is the persistent Conservative claim to be "fiscal conservatives"! Is anyone paying attention to the amount of overspending that has happened with these so-called "fiscally conservative" people? How can they continue to make this claim in light of the overwhelming statistical evidence?

What is particularly galling is that as a country, we have nothing to show for this kind of spending. If we had a national day care program, or some real fixes made to our health care system, or some kind of environmental plan to combat climate change, maybe I could stomach this kind of spending. But we have had NOTHING that improves our quality of life as a nation.

Forgive my rant, but this data (see below, ed.) on spending excess was just too much.


When pigs fly: More huffing and puffing from Harper’s $55 billion man

Last October, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty predicted no deficit and no recession.

In January, he predicted a $34 billion deficit. In May, that prediction ballooned to a record $50 billion deficit.

Today, Mr. Flaherty huffed and puffed his way out of his 2013-14 surplus projection and revised the deficit - yet again - to $55 billion. He expects Canadians to believe him this time when he says he can control growth in government spending by 2015.

But the Harper government can’t hold themselves back from the trough. Here are just a few examples of how successful the Harper government has been when it comes to exercising fiscal restraint:

1. Government expenditures. Since Harper came into office, government expenditures have ballooned by over 30 per cent. They increased spending by three times the rate of inflation in the three budgets before the recession hit, and now spend $40 billion more annually than the last Liberal government.

2. Prime Minister’s Office. Last week it was revealed that spending in Prime Minister Harper’s own office soared by 14 per cent in a single year – the tune of a whopping $20 million. (Canwest News Service, September 4, 2009).

3. Senate Appointments. In less than one year, Senate patronage king Stephen Harper has made 27 partisan appointments to the Senate—more in a single year than any other Prime Minister in history – costing Canadians $3.46 million annually. (The most egregious example being the appointment of that fatuous toady, Mike Puffy. Walt.)

4. Advertising. In 2007-2008, the Harper government spent $84.1 million on its various advertising activities. This was more than double the amount spent under the previous Liberal government, which was $41.3 million in 2005-2006. For the first quarter of 2009-10 alone, the Harper government put aside $65 million for advertising campaigns, $40 million specifically for partisan promotion of the Conservative budget.

5. Ministerial expenses. Despite promising to tighten their belts, a Toronto Star analysis found that Conservative ministers are spending more than Liberals ever did in government (The Toronto Star, November 22, 2008), while Harper’s expansion of the federal cabinet last fall will cost taxpayers an additional $3.9 million in salaries alone for the extra ministers and their staff.

6. Consultants. Harper government spent nearly a billion dollars on consultants in its first two years in office: a 42-per-cent increase over the amount the previous Liberal government spent between 2004 and 2006 on consultants (Toronto Star, December 8, 2008).

7. Polling. In 2007, the Harper government commissioned more than two polls per business day which totalled $31 million in the government’s first year of government.

The foregoing is a press release from the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, 10/9/09.

1 comment:

  1. It has always frustrated me that the general public have a perception of the Conservative Party as being fiscally responsible.....the protectors of the economy in general......apparently not!!!!!

    ReplyDelete