OT: It's Your Future
 

Well, if you live in Alberta, that is. Though actually, it appears anyone can get onto Alberta's special survey website and answer the questions about how King Ralph will use that surplus he's building up under the mattress. While I won't post the URL, there is no screening to ensure the visitor is from Alberta, and anyone can answer the survey questions. Maybe we Eastern .......s might want to offer some advice?

Wouldn't that be a first! :rolleyes:

Anyway don't bother as this is all just a PR exercise and our gracious government does what it wants anyway. But at least there's an appearance that Ralph is listening...

Have you been speaking to my brother-in-law? He feels that way about anyone East of Sask ... even though I grew up in Sask I still fall into that group now since I am in YYZ ... ya know after all we ARE the centre of the universe! :)

D*mn right I would give some advice :D CHILL!

PB

Are you poorly governed?

You mean ruled?

I see Alberta as a place with a lot more personal freedom, more wealth,less poverty, much less taxes, and much less bureaucracy than the big eastern provinces....

That for the most part is true and part of the much heralded "Alberta Advantage". But there is a certain smugness that's much like the federal Liberals displayed up until recently. This swagger gives the impression that the Tories were put on this earth to rule Alberta as a personal fiefdom with little regard to the public, except of course at elections times. Do I think anyone else could do a better job? No, not at the moment. Do I pay my taxes and am therefore entitled to b*tch about anything the government does? Yes.

This is going to sound a little strange, but...

Whenever I drive to AB, I feel this sense of openess, freedom, happiness, busynesi, fun. The people seem upbeat and positive, they are busy making their lives and appear to be happy in the process. I don't hear any of the whining in AB that I hear in BC or the Eastern/Central provinces.
If I could find the Okanagan climate in AB, I'd be there in a sec.

and so would all of those Albertans that are living in the OK. :D

Truth In There Somewhere
 

As an Albertan, there is some truth to the aforementioned statement but there were some astute points by others such as tcook052. tcook052 is correct; our illustrious emperor has no clothes. After all, how long would you or I stay in our jobs if we admitted that we indeed had a drinking problem and that it interfered with our respective jobs and decision-making skills (as Ralph did) ? I could count my career longevity in seconds... not minutes. In good ol' Alberta, however, Ralph's popularity rating actually went up after this debacle (can you hear the banjos) ? Oh yeah, he also went to a homeless shelter around midnight - while intoxicated - and told those less fortunate to get off their %$#$% and get a job - classy, no ? As for there being less poverty in Alberta, that's partially due to the fact that in 1993, Ralph, after cutting welfare from approximately $1100 to $800 per month, offered those complaining a one way bus ticket to YVR to get them off Alberta's welfare rolls - and several hundred people were forced to take him up on this "generous" offer. In recent years, the Klein administration has also floated such trial balloons in the papers as cutting literally all funding for mental health programs. After being chastised by letters to the editors in YYC and YEG, Ralph reneged and backed down saying that he "listened to the people." It actually is intelligent governing as his party will never be ousted from power using this informal survey approach. Whether it is leadership - now that is another question...

As for less bureaucracy, that is probably accurate but with 74 seats out of 83 in the Legislature, only 10 members of the party faithful even need to show up on vote day. Can you say "tyranny of the majority, boys and girls."
There is no question that Alberta is terrific - if you are wealthy - but not everyone is enjoying the much-touted Alberta Advantage...

Sorry about the diatribe but, like most things, there are two (or more) sides to every story.

As an aside, Ralph was also the gentlemen, who, while mayor of YYC in the 1980s, called "easterners" "bums and scums" and informed them that they were not welcome here in God's country as they were taking our jobs. Currently, Mr. Klein couldn't make the premier's meeting on healthcare (he referred to it as a "boondoggle") in Toronto (I believe) as he was giving a keynote address to the oil barons of the province - I guess we know where his priorities lie.

Having said all that, Alberta is a wonderful place to live - for many reasons. By the way, I personally welcome all "easterners" to Alberta - not all of us eat our young.

Cheers,

Singlepoint

Well well, there are two liberals in Alberta...do you both live near dinosaur museums.

As for Ralphies survey methods....Shareholder would not agree as he makes a living doing formal polls

Admitting you are a drunk is the first sign of recovery and no one should be canned for that;in fact he's a good role model for alcholics anonymous and should be applauded for admitting his weakness. Too many people with addictions hide them and make them the worse for wear by doing so.

You don't stay in power as long as they have by being wrong too often an Ralphie's the penultimate pol.....he just pulls the strings whenever he needs to.

Good for him. At least at the Oil dinner there might be something accomplished. The boon-doggle with the feds is just a waste of time.

Smart Boy - Poor Optics
 

In the Herald today, Klein stated that they (feds) must have gotten his holiday days incorrect. He then chidingly suggested that AB health minister, was sure to have a "good time." I'm not saying Klein or exAC is wrong necessarily, but the optics don't look the best.

[QUOTE=Parnel] You don't stay in power as long as they have by being wrong too often an Ralphie's the penultimate pol.....he just pulls the strings whenever he needs to.

I never said that Klein was not a savvy politician; just the opposite as he knows how to read people and determine what they want. I give Klein some credit as he's one of the few politicians who actually went through with his campaign promises unlike the myriad of others...

Fiscally, I'm not sure you can argue with his neoconservative tactics (although it is easy to be premier in AB when the oil/natural gas sector is providing you with huge surpluses every year). Ethically, however, I think his government should be held accountable for their past actions.

I am inclined to agree with some of your previous comments. The homeless shelter adventure was a total disaster.

But on your points above, let's be a bit careful. I don't see Klein as a neocon or anything really as far as ideology is concerned. He is an opportunist, period. He cares about one thing, getting elected, period. Just look at his little game with health in the last federal election, purposefully helping Martin getting elected. Precisely because getting outflanked on his right in Ottawa would be a total disaster for his own position with Alberta voters.

As for his fiscal policy, let's make no mistake either. We do get (1) the neocon rhetorics (and yes, early on his did do the cutting on which he built his reputation hence the cxredibility of his rhetorics.) Then there is that BS (AKA as accounting, as always, an exercise in creative writing) on "no debt." Alberta has had no net debt for some time already. But of course, if you don't include a big pile of assets in the accounting, you get whathever you want to cook up.

However if you look at actual figures, he actually has turned into a fairly big spender. Not that he can't afford to.

So, in the end, he gets everyone happy and he gets reelected. Not a bad exercise of smoke and mirror for old king Ralph. Of course, it's easy when you sit on the current oil and gas windfall. Now, when are we going to give a sewrious look at the envronmental disaster that's mounting in the north, with all the contaminated water that the oil sands business is producing? Wishful thinking can only go so far; but eventually, the bill for the mess will come back home with a revenge and it won't be nice. When flying back from Europe to YYC on a clear day, just look out the window and ask yourself what all these water ponds are. Just count them and see how many of them there are.

what proof do you offer about contaminated water in the north?