Flawed logic

To the editor:
I have read with some interest the latest news releases and rhetoric from both our Tory candidate and from the Ernie Eves political machine itself.
If we were to believe the Tories’ statement, “McGuinty’s plan would see a tax increase in the average household of $1,100.”
This is, in itself, a very misleading statement based upon flawed economic logic. The kind of logic that can ruin a small business, a major corporation, and already has tested as an effective way to run a province into the ground. It would work like this:
The Tories, as claimed, have in fact cut taxes a whopping 225 times in different areas since 1995. Putting aside for the moment what type of people benefited most from these cuts, and also putting aside the dangerous and drastic cuts to quality in essential services, these major tax cuts have left us with fewer net taxes on the books than in 1995.
Among the most recent tax cuts are many that only have been promised, not implemented, such as the $2.2-billion cut to corporate taxes. Many corporations don’t pay their share of taxes as it is, so this is already a quagmire for government funds.
According to the briefings PC candidates receive from Toronto, the proposed tax cuts already have been made, so when McGuinty says that he won’t move forward with these if elected, that instead he will apply the savings directly to health care and education, the Tories try to make us think that the Liberals are set to raise taxes.
Somehow not continuing tax cuts is the same as raising taxes. I don’t get the logic here.
Right now, the Tories are desperately trying to sell us on the idea that the Liberals are set to tax-and-spend the province back into debt again. Well, guess what, we’ve already been there and have been for a while—despite the best efforts at creative bookkeeping to hide that fact.
In years past, the Tories have hidden deficits by selling off Highway 407 near Toronto, or taking federal funding designated for health care and plunking it down on the books as revenue to cover up the red ink.
Today, it is the accepted opinion of most major banks, economists, and bond-rating services that the current government is sitting on a budget deficit somewhere in the area of $2 billion-$3 billion. I’m sure more provincial assets will have to be sold off in order to balance the books.
Meanwhile, the provincial debt—our main financial albatross—actually has gone up dramatically since the Tories have been in power.
When you consider that the economy was booming for much of their time in office, presiding over a return to deficit and an increasing debt while at the same time having cut services in health, education, environment, social assistance, and many other services, and while downloading many of these to local municipalities without adequate compensation (CRF funding), is not a lot to brag about, in my opinion.
And on this record they are campaigning?
The hydro fiasco has been mismanaged from the start and has been nothing short of crippling to the province. The artificially low price we pay for hydro is being propped up to market levels by the use of government funds from general revenues.
So while the consumer feels content about his/her hydro bill, the government deficit grows—and we wander aimlessly through the problems of adequate generation and conservation.
All summer we have been treated to a display of Ernie Eves promising money for all sorts of things as the provincial campaign now gets underway. I will give the Tories some credit. They have managed to pull off this show for nine years, however, it doesn’t mean that we have to watch it for another four.
The Tories are not going to benefit greatly through their attempts to make people believe they will be paying an average $1,100 more on their taxes than they do now. I worked for this government, and watched the cuts and the blame poured on the civil service, front-line medical staff, and teachers.
Many people I know lost their jobs. Then I witnessed the government hire consultants and part-time staff when they realized the cuts had gone too far.
Many of these staffers had no benefits and were not classed so they were not included on the government statistics, so the government could show they had gotten rid of all those civil servants and saved all that money.
My vote is going to go to the party taking back the deliverance and management of land ambulance, public health, and social housing, and that which will pay more attention to the needs of northerners.
The three services I noted should not be in municipal hands delivered by District Social Service Administration Boards; the province should be administering them.
Our town’s own budget suffers considerably due to uncontrollable costs downloaded by the province.
The latest out of Ernie Eves’ office has the Liberals being called reptilian kitten eaters. My God, is this what we want running things at Queen’s Park? I hope not!!
Thank you for allowing me this space in your newspaper.
Yours truly,
Dave Bourgeault
Fort Frances, Ont.