BC NDP promises surplus

[maryjane48]

old news .. currant news is clark 8s corrupt

[Urbane]

^^ Yes, let's put the blinders on and ignore the malfeasance and failed policies of the NDP.

[alfred2]

yes lets elect the ndp and go back to a have not province.After the first year you will see an employee payroll tax,since the polocies they put in cost a fortune and they do not know how to run a province except under the advise of the civic unions.

[hobbyguy]

Hurtlander - real world stuff:

The government needs "x" amount of funds to operate the services and agencies we want and need. All the rest is mucking about with appearances.

IF you think about it, who pays the most to ICBC? People who drive expensive vehicles. Who pays the least? Folks who use transit, bicycles etc. Seems like a fairly progressive way to achieve government revenue.

On top of that, if you understand the explanation of what is driving insurance costs that I posted, then you will see that the ICBC NDP promise is just silly, because they will subsidize insurance costs in a regressive fashion - and there will be less money for programs like health care, education etc. The other thing you need to recognize is that the maximum that ICBC contributes to the government general revenue funds is about 3% of their total revenue. So for me, that is about $30. Yup, a whole $30.

So the NDP sillies are making a great big massive hoo-haa about $30. Really?

Auto insurance costs are going up because of idiots who won't stop texting and driving! And modern cars that cost a fortune to fix. Just one small example: a fender bender can set off airbags. Lots more benders every time a dummy who is texting and driving hits the car in front of them. Look up the costs of replacement airbags!

It doesn't matter who the party is that is in government, ICBC costs are going to go up as long as the accident rate keeps climbing.

Look again at the results I posted for NDP management in Manitoba. Do you want those kinds of income tax rates that penalize lower income folks? If not, please stop touting silly NDP talking points.

Now lets look at the next silly NDP talking point: the provincial debt.

With the NDP in office in the 1990s the BC debt to GDP rose to 17% - and a lot of the debt additions were just wasted ($320 million poured into Skeena Cell, $500 million to cancel Kemano, $463 million for fast ferries that didn't work).

With the BC Libs in power, the provincial debt to GDP ratio is, wait for it, 17%. You can argue with some of the capital expenditures, but on the whole we are getting things that are useful and durable.

Overall, wouldn't the NDP have liked to be able to get this kind of recommendation? http://www.macleans.ca/economy/economicanalysis/what-provinces-can-learn-from-b-c-s-sound-finances/

Then I come to the key indicator that the NDP never, ever, ever, talk about. Real median income. That's the one that affects you and I and every citizen in BC the most. Why don't the BC NDP ever want to talk about that?

1989 real median income in BC: $54,500
By 2000 when the NDP were finally booted? 2000 real median income in BC: $48,000 - down 4.6%
By 2010 with the BC Libs in power? 2010 real median income in BC: $52,800 - up 10% from when they took over despite the 08/09 meltdown (in 2008 it was as high as $58,300).

So that real median income analysis just shows why anyone who does any kind or careful analysis would never want an NDP government again. That doesn't mean I wouldn't like a viable alternative to the BC Libs, but OMG why would anyone want to vote for a party like the BC NDP? The BC NDP is bad for the average working person.

[George+]

Clark's theme is get ready for more lies and scandals.

The NDP plan is well thought out.

Forget the Greens.

[Urbane]

Clark's theme is get ready for more lies and scandals.

The NDP plan is well thought out.

Forget the Greens.

You're very worried about the Greens and I see why. Some traditional NDP voters have had it up to here with the NDP and are jumping ship.

[Jonrox]

The NDP plan is to make a ton of promises that appeal to gullible voters, win the election, then backtrack on said promises by blaming the Liberals for "misrepresenting the province's financial numbers" (or else raise everyone's taxes to pay for them).

[George+]

Urbane....
From the polls you posted..

The ship jumpers are coming from the Liberas and Cons.

John Horgan is making a good impression.

[Jonrox]

Let me make it clear... I'm not the hugest fan of how Premier Clark ran her government and I wish there was another option. But given the choice between the Liberals and the NDP, I'll take the Liberals every time.

A lot of you seem to strongly believe the Liberal government is corrupt - I'm not sure I agree, but I'll even give you the benefit of doubt for now... I'll still vote Liberal. A corrupt Liberal government is still waaaaaaay better than an NDP government.

[George+]

You should take a look at the list of Liberal corruptions.

NDP probs are peanuts in comparison.

[logicalview]

NDP probs are peanuts in comparison.

The hundreds of millions that the NDP cost this province with their sleaze-bag back-room deal in 1998 with the BCTF is reason enough to never consider the damage that horrible party can do to this province peanuts.

[BeingHuman]

FACT: The BC Liberals have a long record of wasting taxpayers’ money. FOR THE RECORD: Let’s review a top ten list of Liberal waste.

1. Vancouver Convention Centre: $341 million over budget
2. BC Place Roof: $414 million over budget
3. South Fraser Perimeter Road exceeded the initial projections by $469 million
4. Port Mann/Highway 1: Final costs exceeded initial projections by $1.8 billion
5. Basi/Virk Legal Fees: $6 million in legal fees for guilty BC Liberals, paid for by taxpayers
6. BCeSIS: $97 million computer system doesn’t work, replacement will cost $84 million more
7. Integrated Case Management: $182-million computer system “a colossal failure” and likely to be scrapped according to the Representative for Children and Youth
8. BC Carbon Trust: Took approximately $60 million from schools and hospitals and other public sector bodies over the last three years and gave it to polluters to pay for projects the Auditor General says haven’t cut carbon emissions as they were meant to
9. Vancouver’s Diamond Centre Hospital: Cost $28 million more than it should have and the BC Liberal government used questionable accounting practices to hide the real $123 million cost
10. BC Hydro Deferral Account: $4.1 billion in losses hidden away in accounts until after the election at which time the Liberals will whack hydro ratepayers with huge rate increases.

Add all those up and what do you get? A $7.2 billion record of BC Liberal waste!!!

[hobbyguy]

Nope - look at your list - the taxpayers actually got something for their money in most cases and still have it. (except for the piddly ones). What we got from the last NDP government is a bunch of debt for nothing. And remember, we wouldn't need site C if the NDP had not killed the Kemano project and long term renewable power contract that came with it - we are STILL paying for the last NDP government!

And a note regarding my previous post, real median incomes continue to rise in BC under the BC Libs. From 2010 to 2014 the median family income in BC grew by 15%.

I would indeed be pleased to see a viable alternative emerge in BC, but it sure ain't the BC NDP. The Green Party looks far better than the NDP. I am really hoping that the Greens can kick 'em hard this election.

[The Green Barbarian]

.

2. BC Place Roof: $414 million over budget

Having been to two Grey Cups and many BC Lions games in the new BC Place, I have to say this unequivocally - only a complete idiot/communist/moron would ever criticize the new roof on BC Place.

[bob vernon]

Balancing a provincial budget in BC is the easiest thing in the world. When BC Hydro was privatized years ago by Gordo, the provincial government remained as the only shareholder. This ruse enabled Gordo to tell Hydro to borrow a coupla billion and hand it over to the province. This coupla billion could be used to balance the budget. The money never appears in the budget as anything other than general revenue.

Gordo, and now Christy, do the same thing with BC Ferries and ICBC. And also with BCBC, the BC Building Corporation that owns all the government buildings and somehow has to borrow a pile and hand it over to the general revenue. Since Gordo started these bookkeeping tricks, the Provincial Liberals have racked up $77 billion in public debt but have ignored it cuz it keeps the books balanced. This year's budget is not balanced.