The British Columbia 2012 Budget: The Morning After–Premier Clark Delighted in YOUR Misery; Patrick Kinsella Being the Helpful Chap…as Usual

Here’s a TWITter from Christy Clark, yesterday afternoon, post-budget release:

“Today’s budget controls spending and keeps taxes low for BC families and to create BC jobs. Great work Kevin Falcon.”

It’s worth asking again: Has this woman no shame at all?

Yes, it’s the most conservative budget since 1983, but it had to be. We’re almost in the dregs of a full blown recession, with more doom and gloom on deck south of the border, with our exports in a flatline, with new vehicle sales, home sales and consumer confidence all DOWN and China in a holding pattern, worried about their own looming fiscal problems–regardless of the Premier’s ignominious, undignified pandering to that same country.

The budget had some good points. Off the top, I like the PRINCIPLE of privatizing liquor distribution–Kevin Falcon is right, the government shouldn’t be in that business, however….

How ethical is it for the Premier’s leadership co-chair and close personal advisor to be the lobbyist for a large liquor distribution company? I don’t give a flying flip if there are no rules or laws, broken, it’s unethical of this government to allow it to happen.

British Columbia’s top investigative reporter, Bob Mackin, has once again unearthed a screaming conflict–or what should be a conflict. How does the government get away with this?

Are you going to tell me that with his closerthanthis relationship to the Premier, Kinsella and Clark have never had a single discussion about the privatization of liquor distribution?

I’m really supposed to believe that?

Okay, I’ll take their word for it. Say they haven’t. But, if the Premier is really running a government “different from my (her) predecessor” then please explain what the difference is between Pat Kinsella bringing a $1.45 BILLION dollar contract forth to take out part of BC Hydro’s billing process or him being both consultant to CN and BC Rail during the fixed sale of the latter to the former, and his current status as the man who stands to profit most if his client lands the liquor distribution contract with the province of BC?

Go on, Christy, explain that please? This is just disgusting. The Premier’s friends, whether it be possibly fracking in Kitimat or lobbying in Vancouver, have continued the Gordon Campbell tradition of allowing friends and insiders to turn the province’s map into a ‘Monopoly’ board.

But to you and me, it’s not a goddamned game. We have mouths to feed and bills to pay. How is this keeping costs or taxes “low” for BC families, Christy? Why don’t you talk about the hidden costs to taxpayers?

Why don’t you admit that your government, this one that you lead and the previous one you were Deputy Premier of, have been operating one long Ponzi scheme, well-before the shell game started for the Owelympics–which we should have never allowed to be carried on the backs of the most needy in this province. For shame!

How is is it fiscally prudent, or “conservative” to act like this, Premier?

Three things that leapt out at me when I was reading this latest disgrace by a government that has really and truly lost any moral authority to govern any longer.

1) MSP Premiums have gone up almost 26% since the BC Liberals took power. Who was the Deputy Premier when BC families first took this one in the teeth? Who is the Premier now that yet another hike is legislated? Families first Christy? You abominable, lying harridan.

2) In order to be able to say they’ve slashed the budget deficit, let me tell you how they did it. To start, they took ONE BILLION dollars from ICBC. No wonder they don’t have enough good sense to dismantle the bloody thing and make it cheaper for BCers to get car insurance–they need to keep ICBC going to continue fleecing you! They siphoned off that amount while telling ICBC employees that there will be no increases in pay, while a good portion of them are earning below the cost of living!  And the billion dollar raid of ICBC doesn’t include the subsidy they provide the government through licencing fees and registrations, etc. Nice, families first., Premier, you walking joke.

3) The government is taking a massive dividend payout from the nightmare they’ve made of BC Hydro. Notwithstanding that they are heavily laden with deferral accounts which the Auditor General has identified as a $2.25 BILLION liability (deferral accts are supposed to be used to level off hikes in rates). The kicker? BC Hydro will contribute a whopping 13% of its deemed equity to general revenues. Last month the BC Utilities Commission announced that they were going to hike the rate rider in order to reduce Hydro’s deferred payments. But the government doesn’t care about that, they need the money and they need it now. So which is it going to be Christy? Massive layoffs at Hydro, or huge increases in fees to consumers of this power monopoly (run almost exclusively by your friends)?!?! What a joke.

So let me get this straight: This budget is a “conservative” budget. It was a budget that keeps “taxes low.”

It’s a budget that puts “families first.” Yeah, BC families FIRST in the breadline and the Kinsella family FIRST before a pot of gold!

Rates at BC Hydro, ICBC and with MSP are all going up and this miserable lying, uncontainable little shrew of a Premier maintains she’s looking out for families first?!?!?!?!?

WHERE IS THE GODDAMNED MAINSTREAM MEDIA IN THIS PROVINCE?! FOR SHAME–ALL OF YOU! YOU ARE ALLOWING HER TO SCREW BC FAMILIES BY NOT CALLING HER TO THE MAT ON THESE EGREGIOUS ACTS AGAINST THE MOST NEEDY IN THIS PROVINCE!!! YOU’LL ALLOW THE KINSELLA STORY TO DIE? WE WON’T!!!

Oh, I forgot, big business remained untouched while there was no new money for the starved Ministry of Children and Families….

….and welfare rates sit at about $600.00 per month. That’s just above my fuel bill per week.

How can BC Liberal caucus members look themselves in the mirror anymore?

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