To All Levels of Government, Raising Taxes Is Not the Answer

This time of of the year we all think about taxes.  Every time you turn around, it seems like we are paying some sort of tax. Well, we are taxed almost to death, in one form or another by one level of government or another.  The Fraser Institute has just put out a report that says that taxes for average Canadian family have increased at faster rate than costs of food, clothing and housing.  It says also that our taxes since 1961 have increased, get this, a big %1,624.  That's tallied from all levels of government.

That is huge seeing that there is only one taxpayer and all levels of government are running deficits and/or having a tough time raising revenues to pay for the delivering of services etc.  So what to do. Some are advocating raising taxes to pick up the slack.  Mr. Z  wants to raise your taxes, so would the Dippers  and others etc.   Ontario and BC will be implementing and HST come the summer. That is going to put a bigger burden on an already maxed out taxpayer.

All those fees, levies, premiums etc., don't let that fool you. They're really taxes. Can you afford this? Heck no! Many folk are having a tough time right now trying to make ends meet. 

So what's the answer?  Kevin Gaudet from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation suggests that reigning in spending is the way to go. He's right. Spending has gotten out of control in ALL levels of government, mostly on services we really don't need and there's been a lot of waste and mismanagement. The size of all level of governments have been ballooning over the years.

Reining in spending is what needs to be done so that future generations of Canadians are not burdened with the debt and deficits that has been racked up.  If something isn't done now, we are in for big, big trouble ahead.

I will quote John McCain in speaking of the huge debt deficit that is crushing the United States right now. He refers to  it as "Generational Theft"  It applies here too. Do you want to leave your future generations to pay off the debt and deficits that have been piling up, I don't think so.

It's up to us to pressure our governments at all levels to stop the out of control spending and make hard choices to actually make cuts and reduce the size of government. In other words, let's stop the nanny state.

BTW.  A bit of a reminder, if you haven't filed your return, you got 'till the end of this week. 

Lorne Gunter Says CBC Should be Pulled Down

Lorne Gunter says the CBC should be pulled down. I happen to agree. The sooner the better. It's spews nothing but leftist propaganda. It's main pollster Frank Graves,from Ekos has been outed for his Liberal bias. It costs the taxpayer a whopping $1.1billion a year. I'm sure most taxpayers want to see value for their tax dollars.  Pouring these kind of funds into CBC, the taxpayer is not getting value for the money. They don't speak for all Canadians in which as a public broadcaster, they are supposed to.  That money could be better spent like on our military for instance or just give it back in form of tax cuts.

 The CBC will never be able to exorcize its left-wing missionary zeal -- for global warming, for Islam, for big government, Barack Obama, multiculturalism, public health care, human rights commissions and so on. And it could never survive on private donations or ad revenues. So the only thing to do with Mother Corp is to pull down its office buildings and stations and pour salt in their foundations.
And I mean radio as well as television

Anyway with a 500 channel universe now why do we need it?  The only shows that are worthwhile watching on Mothercorp is Hockey Night in Canada and Dragons Den. On radio Cross Country Checkup with Rex Murphy. Other networks could pick those shows up easily and do a fine job.  Let's shut it down. What ya waiting for Mr. Heritage Minister James Moore? Fire them all! Better yet, sell the whole works to Rupert Murdock and maybe we can have some fair and balance programing for a change. Let all the CBC so called journalists go look for real jobs.

Climategate, New Revelations, Connection to Marxism

Watch this video. Sean Hannity on his show last night had a guest on that has written a book that connects  the whole global warming scam  to Marxism and how politicians, elitists, and scientists created  a phony crisis.  He estimates Al Gore has made about $500 million so far and could end up making about $1billion when it's all over. The guest, Brian Sussman author of "Climategate" and meterologist calls Gore a "charlatan". He's right, Gore is a charlatan.
BTW, how much has David Suzuki made so far from this made up crisis?

Questioning the CBC and Polling Impartiality

Kory Teneckye did an excellent job exposing Ekos pollster, Frank Graves yesterday on CBC's Power and Politics. It was revealed that since 2001, Graves has given over $11,000 to the Liberals compared with not quite $500 to Conservatives.   Frank did finally admit his progressive liberal leanings, fine but identify yourself as such especially when you're giving a political party strategical advise.  Ekos is the main  polling firm  for CBC. It puts in question the validity of their polls.
 Lawrence Martin in his column yesterday had this in it. In Mr. Graves own words. He's been giving the Liberals strategy advice that's actually pretty divisive.   He was basically advising to the Liberals to start a culture war in other words, create division in the country as a way to win.

In his advice, Mr. Graves could hardly have been more blunt. “I told them that they should invoke a culture war. Cosmopolitanism versus parochialism, secularism versus moralism, Obama versus Palin, tolerance versus racism and homophobia, democracy versus autocracy. If the cranky old men in Alberta don’t like it, too bad. Go south and vote for Palin.”

Now the Conservative party is questioning the impartiality of the CBC and has sent a letter to CBC's ombudsman.

The president of the Conservative Party has accused a CBC pollster of advising federal Liberals to incite a “culture war” that pits Canadians against Canadians.
Conservative Party of Canada president John Walsh sent a letter Thursday to the CBC’s Ombudsman charging that EKOS pollster Frank Graves’ comments reported in the Globe and Mail that day raise “serious questions about the impartiality of Canada’s publicly funded national broadcaster.”

This indeed does put into question the impartiality the CBC and it's main pollster. I think this alone is a good reason to cut funding to the useless and biased taxpayer funded public broadcaster. 
 We pay for the CBC to the tune of over a Billion dollars a year and it's supposed to speak for all Canadians not just a few on the left. I don't think we're getting our money's worth,especially in a time of fiscal restraint. I want it gone.
 I agree with Ezra Levant, Frank Graves must be fired.  If they don't CBC will have lost the little credibility they had left.

Good Reason Not to Trust Ekos Polls

Norman Spector this morning points out good reason why, when you see an EKOS poll, don't trust it. EKOS polls for our taxpayer funded CBC, plus pollster Frank Graves is a Liberal shill.

Still, even a poll skeptic such as myself was surprised to read in The Globe and Mail this morning that Ekos’s Frank Graves is simultaneously polling for the taxpayer-supported CBC and providing partisan political advice to the Liberals: “Frank Graves of Ekos Research … has told the Grits that the wedge politics of the Conservatives provide them with an opportunity to stake out a stark alternative. Stop worrying about the West, he’s told them. No need to fear polarizing the debate. It’s what worked for Mr. Chrétien against Preston Manning and Stockwell Day.
In his advice, Mr. Graves could hardly have been more blunt. ‘I told them that they should invoke a culture war. Cosmopolitanism versus parochialism, secularism versus moralism, Obama versus Palin, tolerance versus racism and homophobia, democracy versus autocracy. If the cranky old men in Alberta don’t like it, too bad. Go south and vote for Palin.’ The Grits haven’t told him whether they favour this approach or not. But they are keen on projecting a more activist agenda for the party.”

Kudos to Norm Spector and you know it's just as I suspected. Above all we're probably paying this pollster. Still some will argue Graves is non-partisan like Kady O'Malley who religiously reports these polls like they came from on high but then she's a CBC hack.
Don't forget polls can be easily manipulated.

In regards to polling on the Canadian political scene, the EKOS Polling Company, which is the number one supplier of the polling data for the federal government, recently concluded a poll commissioned by the CBC showing that the Alliance has fallen to fourth place among the political parties. Competitors, Ipsos-Reid and Environics, found that the Alliance support was in second place between 19% and 20%. Which is right? Which is pushing an agenda?
Canadians should be forewarned - don't always believe the polls and treat their results with extreme caution.

BTW. Are the Liberals paying Graves for his advice?

Update:Must listen, Dave Rutherford has a good rant on this here. April 22 approx. 10:45 am mark.