Premium Issues

Back in 2003, Dalton McGuinty promised, in writing that he would not raise taxes. He won that election and then proceeded to levy the biggest tax increase in Ontario history. That was the controversial Health Care Premium. The vast majority of people are unaware of how much health tax they are paying, since it's hidden within income tax. Knowing people who work within payroll, it actually equates to $700 - $800 on average. Surely this has improved health care, right? Well, no. Wait times are still high and there is still a doctor shortage. Some would say service is getting worse, and we're actually paying more for less. I agree with that. Even routine things must be booked months in advance. The health premium is one of many hidden taxes that Ontarians pay. Another example is the so called "debt retirement charge" on your hydro bill, which directly does into general revenue. If people would actually take the time to look at the Ontario government budget reports, they'd be surprised about where taxes come from and how much the government actually spends on things. The reports are freely available online.

So now that we're in election mode, the opposition is trying to make the health premium a major issue. Once again we have Dalton promising he will not raise taxes, but refusing make that promise on camera or in writing. Why should we believe him? On the other hand, you have John Tory planning to scrap the tax. Howard Hampton wants to cut the tax for low income families and plans to reduce it by $450 for middle income earners. Hampton's plan still doesn't solve the problem, since the tax is in place. McGuinty is still blaming Mike Harris, even though he knew about budget issues before he made the "no new taxed" promise.

I'm still a fan of two tier health care for solving the problem. It would give some extra income into the system since high income earners will use it instead. It would relieve some of the pressure on the public system, and the high income earners would still be paying tax into it. It would also give Canadian doctors more incentive to remain in Canada. To keep doctors working in the public sector, we could mandate that a doctor has to work so many hours a week in public hospitals and clinics to maintain a valid doctor's license.

As for the taxes themselves, I think we as Canadians simply pay way too much already. Governments are running surpluses. It's ok to save for a rainy day but the government is not and should not be a for profit organization. Europeans have high taxes but get far better public service. As it stands, Canada's health system is really no better than the US system in which we constantly attack. Sure, everyone is entitled to equal service here no matter their income, but by the same token, that equal treatment usually amounts to only the bare minimum, if that. There is nothing about Canadian health care to be proud about. Ontario is particularly bad since there are more people in the GTA than hospitals can handle, and it's usually the GTA hospitals who are capable of providing more advanced services. We're paying through the nose, having our savings whittled away, so the government can provide sub-standard services.

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Liberal, NDP Platforms a Joke

This election is turning into a three ring circus. There are no strong leaders and even weaker platforms. All three major parties have successfully managed to outrage me. The Liberals themselves are up to their usual antics. Dalton once again claimed he would not raise taxes, but according to CTV, when pressed by reporters he refused to make that promise on camera. This is a major red flag. He says he will review the controversial health tax, but has already refused to reduce or repeal it, making a review pointless cajoling of the electorate. For the spending McGuinty is doing, tax increases are very likely in the near future. I expect the same round of broken promises as we say last time around.
The liberals also plan a province wide ban on cosmetic pesticides. Products which are safe and legal according to the federal government. Such a ban would put hundreds of landscapers out of a job. Most of the other pledges are attempts to buy votes. $300 for university and college students for text books. A little too late for me. Another $3.1 billion by 2011 to an already well funded education system, likely for the sole purpose of increasing teacher salaries. I expect very little of that would actually end up in the class room. Also a ban on trans fats in school cafeterias. Also he plans to cut the PST on bicycles and helmets. Why not cut the PST on necessities instead like say food and clothing? Many US states don't pay sales tax on those items. From the looks of it, this platform seems to be targeting a specific group. It's heavy on the environment and social services, stuff that's only important too... you guessed it, the City of Toronto. Well not so much the city itself but the crunchy granola types that live there. Interestingly enough, there was no word of a financial bail out for the city, perhaps the only smart decision McGuinty has made. However, like so many Liberal election plans, Ontario ends at the Toronto city limits.

Now for the NDP. They're big on the environment. I've been repeatedly questioning why this is even an issue. One NDP plan is good, rapid rail on busy routes, though I expect only for Toronto. Howie also wants to cut greenhouse gas emissions by closing all coal power plants. One thing missing is new power plants. It's amazing that in such a society that it totally dependent on electricity that anybody would even consider reducing supply. Also he want to cut emissions on the road. I'm not sure what that means. The news report on CFRB didn't go into depth about it. In my opinion, the environment is not an important issue considering all the other crap that's been going on.

I still hold onto my 10 things I would like to see that I wrote back in June. So far no party is offering anything close. I have to say that the 2007 Ontario election is offering up the worst crop of politicians since the Peterson/Miller/Ray days. Unfortunately the alternatives to the big three don't have a snowball's chance in hell so it leaves many big questions of who to pick, or whether to vote at all. I cannot bring myself not to vote but I expect low turn out this time around. On that, I say this to McGuinty: a low voter turn out does not mean you're doing a good job.

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Religious School Funding a Bad Idea

I think this is one of the first election's I've experienced where I did not know who to vote for. It seems that all three candidates running for the major parties are poor. I usually vote conservative but John Tory has struck a nerve with me on the issue of religion and schools. I consider myself a secular conservative, a Libertarian Republican to borrow a US term.

I strongly believe that church and state should be separated. To use an extreme example, take a look at Iran of pre-2001 Afghanistan. The merging of church and state clearly has been a negative for those countries. Here we try to keep them apart, and so we should. That is why Tory's plan to extend funding to faith based schools bothers me. There are two reasons why it does. First of all, why do we need multiple education systems when the public system is fine as it is. School is supposed to prepare one for higher education or the job market, not for religious instruction. That's what church is supposed to be for. I have been a strong opponent of the Catholic school system for that reason. I'm not one of these people who wants "God" removed out of every government context like many atheists in the US however, I don't think its unreasonable to keep it out of schools. This is yet another case of multiculturalism run amok. This country spends way too much time and effort trying to please everyone, which is impossible.

Secondly, there are also numerous economic factors that make this a huge problem. The Ontario government spends a huge chunk of the budget on public education. Despite what Liberals and teachers would have you believe, it is a very well funded system. However, full funding to faith based schools would put a serious strain on the budget. Now you may be saying "But Mike, I choose which school I pay for through my property taxes." Maybe so but 100% of education is not funded that way. Most money goes into a single pot and is dolled out according to what these schools "need". They'll all want new buildings, their own texts, supplies, hire their own staff, etc. to fulfill their "special needs" as a faith based institution. All that costs money, money that has to come from somewhere. By doing this, we will cheapen the public system and then we really will have funding issues. I don't like the idea of my tax dollars going to fund a system that supports something I don't believe in. My tax dollars don't fund the local church or mosque. Why should they go to find religious schools?

Yet another thing regarding religion and schools mentioned by Tory as also upset me. He supports creationism in schools. In an article with the Toronto Sun, he noted that he supports evolution as part of the Ontario curriculum but also would like to see students learn about the alternatives. The problem with these "alternatives" is that they have absolutely no scientific merit. Where are we, Kansas? Evolution is a proven scientific theory. Creationism, or intelligent design, or what ever the hell you want to call it has no place in public schools.

I want Mike Harris back.

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Family Day?

Wow, just... wow. The Liberals actually think that making a statutory holiday in February will get Ontarians to give them their vote. While I've seen many tactics for buying votes, I have to say this is a new one. I have to say that this both disgusts and insults me at the same time. Quite a feat.

The sad part is, the Liberals may be onto something. The fact that this is even being discussed is a great piece of social commentary. It just goes to show how full of ourselves we must be that the Liberals would even consider this to have even an off chance of working.
The cause for these desperation tactics has become obvious. Back in January, I predicted that the Ontario Liberals would receive a minority government in the October election. Sure enough, that's where they stand right now. They hold 40% of the popular vote, which just stuns me after all the crap they've pulled, but this still isn't enough to claim a majority of seats in the legislature. The Liberals are hinging this holiday on that. They say that they will only make Family Day a statutory holiday if they are given a majority. This is essentially blackmailing voters.

Will this tactic work? Who knows. An informal internet poll done by CTV (with 350 respondents as of right now) shows that 69% will not change their vote based on this. Still, 31% said they would. While this only reflects CTV viewers, it presents a nice snapshot of our society. At least 108 people can be bought with something so cheap and selfish. It also seems to be an integral part of what's amounting to a poorly managed political campaign being put forth by the Liberals. In essence, McGuinty is just throwing last minute money at people in hopes of buying votes. This has what the Liberals have done time after time (more notably at the federal level) yet people still keep falling for it.

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Treason of Seoul

South Korea has greatly put the Afghan mission in danger. They did the one taboo in international politics, negotiating with terrorists. As such, the lives of both civilian and military personnel in Afghanistan, including Canadians, have been put in great danger.
Back in February 2002, South Korea sent a token amount of 99 troops on the mission. Canada has about 2500 troops in the country and is one of the few that allowed to actively engage the Taliban. If South Korea wanted out, there were better ways to do so. They weren't doing anything useful anyway. You really can't with so few in such a large country.

This past summer, several Korean Christian missionaries were captured by the Taliban and held for ransom. As difficult and seemingly heartless a concept to grapple, the responsible thing to do would have been to allow them to be killed. It's a very difficult decision for a government to make because on one hand you have citizens and family from your own country demanding action while on the other, you have to look out for the greater good. By not negotiating and allowing them to either be killed or forcing their release, you loose moral high ground domestically but gain it internationally. Negotiating with terrorism serves the opposite effect, and also sends a powerful message to the criminal actors. You're basically saying that terrorism works. The Taliban now believe that this is an effective means of getting their way.

The Taliban itself has one goal, to restore itself as the rulers of Afghanistan. Most Afghans don't seem to want this. Before 2001, the Taliban regime was perhaps the most oppressive government in the world, perhaps exceeding the brutality of the North Koreans. The difference between the Taliban and Kim Jong Il is that at least the later tries to cover up atrocities. Since then, a small amount of progress has been made. Small in North American eyes anyway yet huge to the people there. Not without struggle and dissent within the country of course but nobody said it would be all smiles and sunshine. Military strikes have been making dents in the Taliban, weakening their resolve. Then South Korea does this. Effectively that act boosted the morale of the Taliban, they will fight harder, more brutally, and use more terror tactics. You'll see plenty of Iraqi style kidnappings and murders after this point in conjunction with the increasingly popular roadside bombing tactic. (As a side note, the Taliban likely does not know much about what's going on in Iraq and the tactics their counterparts are using.)

Make no mistake, the South Korean government is responsible for what will inevitably come. They have put everyone in that country at serious risk. I think its important to note that the group that was there, a Christian mission group, should not have been there to begin with and despite any good work they were doing. Naturally, the Taliban would assume they were trying to convert Afghans to Christianity, which is likely what made them a target. They were almost asking to be captured. When it comes to war like this, there are no rules. Korea must be held responsible, either financially or through some other means, for any future problems their actions will cause.

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