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Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Revolt of the Ontarians
In boring and sensible Ontario, the masses are getting angry:
Premier Dalton McGuinty has certainly come up with a novel way of selling his 13% Harmonized Sales Tax to Ontarians, coming everywhere July 1.
His messaging appears to be: "You're too stupid to know this tax is good for you, so I'm going to impose it on you for your own good."
It's an arrogance typical of second-term majority governments, similar to the mistakes McGuinty's predecessors, former Conservative premier Mike Harris, followed by Ernie Eves, made during their second terms in power before they were defeated by McGuinty.
While the Conservatives came into office in 1995 claiming to be common sense revolutionaries who would "fix" the problems created by the previous NDP government, by 2003 they were the problem -- adrift in scandals and political patronage and disconnected from the public they claimed to represent.
I'm not sure it's arrogance exactly. There is a kind of resignation in the whole HST business. The Dalt seems to have reached the conclusion that he is not going to win the next election, so might as well go out with a bang. His victory in 2007 had very little to do with his own virtues. By all rights John Tory should have utterly thumped the Liberal leader. As with Dion and Harper, one looked like a leader, and the other clearly was not.
There was not much policy difference between Dion and Harper, or Tory and McGuinty, except on that one issue that sealed the election: religious schools. Images of public funds going to Mississauga Madrasahs, and Christian Academies for evangelical rednecks, were enough to destroy the idea in the public's imagination. Catholic Schools were introduced in Ontario over bitter opposition a century and a half ago. They are tolerated today as a historic exception, allowed on political grounds, and on the condition that the Catholicism taught stays within the confines of PC fluffiness.
It's unlikely that Tim Hudak will display the remarkable tin ear of his predecessor. The game plan is simple. Being as righteous as possible on the HST, but also as vague as possible. There is nothing Hudak, or anyone outside of cabinet, can do about the HST. It's coming and when it's here it's gonna stay. Too complicated and expensive to replace, a Hudak government will offer some cosmetic mitigation, declare mission accomplished and move on. He can't do anything else. But he can make political hay on this disguised tax grab. Hudak needs to show himself as the clean, sensible and reasonable alternative to the Dalt. If he can successfully signal competence to the middle class 905 voter, the Dalt is toast. It's two years before the next provincial election, which gives the premier about six to nine months to decide whether he will run again. A decision to spend more time with his family will not augur well for the Grits.
Posted by Richard Anderson on November 24, 2009 | Permalink
Comments
The HST should be good for Alberta… Doing business here will cost only 38% of what it will in Ontario, and sensible minded business people and fiscal conservatives will continue to migrate here.
Have I mentioned that our province is littered with "Help Wanted" signs? Yeah, I guess we needed some more bailouts and recessionomics. I'm quite positive our moron premier delayed this even.
Posted by: Pete | 2009-11-24 11:20:52 AM
Gentle constructive criticism: you really need to work on your paragraph structure. Whenever you start making a new point, you should really break for a new paragraph.
Example:
"I'm not sure it's arrogance exactly. There is a kind of resignation in the whole HST business." [Break here: you go on to a new point in the next sentence]
"The Dalt seems to have reached the conclusion that he is not going to win the next election, so might as well go out with a bang. His victory in 2007 had very little to do with his own virtues." [Break here]
"John Tory should have utterly thumped the Liberal leader. As with Dion and Harper, one looked like a leader, and the other clearly was not."
...
Your paragraphs seem to be broken up based on length rather then content...
I couldn't help but point this out as I find it a little difficult to read.
Posted by: Mike Brock | 2009-11-24 2:56:04 PM
Perhaps you should read slower then.
Posted by: Publius | 2009-11-24 9:07:34 PM
"In boring and sensible Ontario, the masses are getting angry:...
I'm not sure it's arrogance exactly. There is a kind of resignation in the whole HST business. "
If its not arrogance, why exactly are they so mad?
Don't wuss it down because your afraid of Fakt Czech
or M.Brock the News lit. Gestapo agent,. That said, your critique could have been just as good with one paragraph less.
Posted by: cid the cidious | 2009-11-24 9:49:57 PM
How come you Albertans are always angry about everything?
Posted by: Doug Gilchrist | 2009-11-25 10:01:54 AM
Actually Alberta has some of the laziest people I've ever seen. They say there is no work when help wanted posters are everywhere. People complain when they only make $19. Get a fucking life and mind your own business. Try getting by on $765 a month. If your in that case bitch and moan all you want, otherwise, cry me a fucking river.
Posted by: Doug Gilchrist | 2009-11-25 10:05:33 AM
"In boring and sensible Ontario, the masses are getting angry:...
I'm not sure it's arrogance exactly. There is a kind of resignation in the whole HST business. "
If its not arrogance, why exactly are they so mad?
Don't wuss it down because your afraid of Fakt Czech
or M.Brock the News lit. Gestapo agent,. That said, your critique could have been just as good with one paragraph less.
Posted by: cid the cidious | 2009-11-24 9:49:57 PM
Your typical uneducated albertan hick
Posted by: Doug Gilchrist | 2009-11-25 10:07:32 AM
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