Interpretations of Reality

[c9]

If you're ever bored, and looking to see the country through vastly different eyes, check out the comments section on any post on National Post columnist Andrew Coyne's site. Any time you think the crazies have settled, hoo boy.

Here in Alberta,home to capitalism, King Ralph is spending like a drunken sailor.
Whos at the trough? same old whiners,health,education,cities for infrastructure projects,police,ambulance,libraries.
Of course alberta is exploding so there is great need here to get up to speed and some spending im sure is recquired.
In terms of tax cuts for the populace;NONE.
Quebec wants to separate,bring it on and let them be a third world country of their own.

Seriously. I just want to point out that this person typed the following without irony: same old whiners,health,education,cities for infrastructure projects,police,ambulance,libraries.

Right there, that's a sharp dividing line between perspectives. I *hate* it when the police get all whiney.

Comments

[miket61.livejournal.com]

Either this guy is a wacko, or the entire provincial government is seriously corrupt.

Since they haven't replaced Chicago, or Iraq as the butt of jokes about government corruption, I'm guesing they're not that bad.

[c9.livejournal.com]

Not sure how familiar you are with the players, so I'm not sure who you're referring to.

King Ralph = Ralph Klein, premier of Alberta. Conservative. Not really a wacko, but had a drinking problem and actually acted out a couple times. Now is off the sauce, but still acts out so I guess the alcohol wasn't the whole trouble.

"Spending like a drunken sailor" refers to the fact that Alberta paid off the last of their provincial debt last year, so the govt has tons of cash available. They didn't give it all back as tax cuts, partly because they've been giving tax cuts for ten years anyway. It's horrifying to some, including friends of federal Tory leader Stephen Harper. They're very "tax cuts first, tax cuts only" oriented.

Andrew Coyne = not crazy, but annoyingly conservative in certain areas. Refreshingly though, he's fiscally, not socially, conservative.

Andrew Coyne commenters = *totally* nuts. :)

[miket61.livejournal.com]

Wasn't at all familiar with the players. Now I am.

So, the government is so fiscally responsible that they've been able to cut taxes every year for the last ten years, and still have a surplus.

Apparently, Mr. Coyne is bothered because people think that the surplus should be spent on something.

Even in "red-state" America, we expect that a government surplus shouldn't equae to tax cuts unless it looks like it's going to continue, and it wouldn't be a bad time to upgrade emergency services and infrastructure.

I still remember the person who took the 911 call from the Eric Rudolf on July 29, 1996.

Rudolf: "There is a bomb in Centennial Olympic Park."
911 Operator: "Where's that?"