Alberta Premier resigns

[hobbyguy]

The thoughtful side Peter Lougheed, expressed in a more modern version, would probably agree with those within Alberta that want to slow down the oil sands expansion.

The basic argument is about over heating the economy and creating a boom and bust cycle. Already the Canadian Energy Research Institute in Calgary is forecasting a massive drop off in oil sands capital expenditures (and therefore jobs/gdp/taxation) around 2016. In other words, the boom just may be headed for a bust.

I'm pretty sure that a more thoughtful approach would be looking ahead and trying to create economic diversity. That might mean somewhat slower growth in the short term.

I'm only guessing, but I suspect that such a thoughtful approach would be politically unacceptable, and such a person could no longer rise through the party ranks.

I could say, and would say, that a balanced approach like that of WAC might be a tough sell in the political parties of BC too. Some things that he wanted, like including dental coverage in MSP, would sell well with the NDP, but be anathema to the Liberals and Conservatives. Other things, like building dams, would be anathema to the NDP, but liked the Liberals.

It is, of course, a lament of mine that the political parties of today seem to be unable to find their way to the rational center.

[hobbyguy]

Brent Rathgeber's comments are worth a read: http://brentrathgeber.ca/men-and-women-behaving-badly/

"Decorum is in the news because last week Speaker Gene Zwozdesky made public a letter written by a junior high school teacher, complaining that behaviour was so bad during Question Period that Innisfail School would no longer be sending classes to witness democracy in action. On the day the school visited last November, apparently then Deputy Premier Thomas Lukaszuk challenged an Opposition MLA to step outside for a fight. Clearly, not the type of role model a Junior High School Teacher wants to expose his students to."

Sounds like not all is well on the other side of the Rockies...

[Treblehook]

And yesterday there was a headline in a Canadian newspaper that posed the question as to whether the Alberta Premier was the victim of gender discrimination... was her resignation a result of?? The issue of her being simply being held accountable for questionable spending was likely the key to her final decision to resign, when added to whatever other turmoil that was occurring or had occurred during her leadership. I guess some could try to make it a gender issue, but it seems that the same pitfalls are experienced by politicians, both male and female. Several other female politicians have found themselves under the microscope for their spending: Jenny Kwan, Pamela Wallin Bev Oda, Theresa Spence, to name but a few. They join a long list of male politicians who have endured the same scrutiny and accusations. My conclusion is that gender had nothing to do with it; perhaps a sense of entitlement had everything to do with their difficulties.

[Glacier]

Fail to collect anything more than token royalties on oil and gas and Alberta ignores the lost billions.

Spend $40,000 on a trip and they go into a rage.

In Alaska the Govenor at the time, Sarah Palin, told the oil companies to pay more or leave. The companies said they were going to leave, but they didn't. As a result of higher oil taxes, the state has no income tax, no property tax, and no sales tax. Interestingly, Alberta has even more oil than Alaska, and they are in poor finacial shape.

[whitecandle]

[quote="Glacier]
In Alaska the Govenor at the time, Sarah Palin, told the oil companies to pay more or leave. The companies said they were going to leave, but they didn't. As a result of higher oil taxes, the state has no income tax, no property tax, and no sales tax. [/quote]
Nice if true for all of Alaska, but it's not.
In addition to Alaska, Texas, Florida, Nevada, Washington, Wyoming, and South Dakota have no state income tax. Tennessee and New Hampshire only apply state income tax to interest and dividend income. Of course, each state will collect taxes from you in one way or another. Generally, states that don't charge income tax impose higher rates on things like property tax or sales tax.

Sales Tax: The state of Alaska currently does not have a sales and use tax. However, 62 municipalities impose local sales taxes that range up to 7.5%. Typical sales tax rates are from 2% – 5%.
Gasoline Tax: 30.8 cents/gallon (Includes all taxes)
Diesel Fuel Tax: 32.4 cents/gallon (Includes all taxes)
Cigarette Tax: $2.00/pack of 20 (Anchorage – add $3.45)

25 municipalities in Alaska (either cities or boroughs) levy a property tax. These can be found on the Directory of Taxing Jurisdictions.

[Glacier]

I didn't say it was true for all spots. I have relatives up there who pay no sales or property tax, while other relatives pay both because they live in a different area. Neither of these taxes are applied by the state, however.

[maryjane48]

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[alfred2]

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[steven lloyd]

And yesterday there was a headline in a Canadian newspaper that posed the question as to
whether the Alberta Premier was the victim of gender discrimination... was her resignation a result of??

Sure - that was also why Gordon Campbell had to resign in disgrace.

My conclusion is that gender had nothing to do with it;
perhaps a sense of entitlement had everything to do with their difficulties.

A lot of that going on in Canadian politics these days - either criticized or justified depending on partisanship loyalties.
Sheeple - modern government's greatest creation.

[maryjane48]

(off-topic post removed - fluffy)

[Treblehook]

(off-topic post removed - fluffy)

[maryjane48]

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[DeepEnd]

Any remarks from Mrs. Redford (she's a lawyer, she knows) or her party now fall into damage control. Shift the topic away from thenselves and onto others. I believe even if this was a male being audited the spending it would have been questioned. Peter Mackay would be an example. Only he did not resign (he's a lawyer, he knows).

from CP | By Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press Posted: 03/19/2014 10:21 pm EDT | Updated: 03/23/2014 11:01 am EDT


Redford played her one ace in the hole — Stephen Carter, a tousle-haired, 40ish political strategist famous for his sly grin, acid tongue and taste for combat.

Carter had worked on federal Tory campaigns — where he first met Redford — and had become a hot commodity in 2010 for vaulting no-name business professor Naheed Nenshi into Calgary's mayoral chair.

Redford and Carter would follow the Nenshi script, selling not only policies but also a person who could be liked and trusted, a working wife and mother with a daughter in school.

They used social media, ignoring traditional political vote gatherers, to reach out directly to community and business leaders.

They aimed the message at women. Carter felt they were the influence-makers.

Mrs. Redford played the sex card when getting elected, going after women to vote for her because she was a woman so after that point saying this is an attack on her as a woman is reduced substantially.

The thing that irks me is that she took a plane to and from Mandela's funeral as a elected official having known him when she was not an elected official but as a part of party politics. Should she have gone to the funeral, sure, she became a friend of his and wanted to pay her last respects. But her position as premier had nothing to do with his funeral. Her position in the PC party did.

For not wanting to lose the photo op arriving with the PM she loses her job. If she had of paid for the trip with her own money she could have come home a winner. The future could have been off to Ottawa sometime after Alberta, maybe still, but the road will be bumpy all the way East. I'm sure she won't come back to her birth place, Kitimat.

[maryjane48]

removed

[DeepEnd]

Alison Redford ordered penthouse suite in Federal Building
Space was to include 'sleeping and grooming quarters with clothing storage' for adult and 1 teenager


The documents also reveal the government was keen to keep the apartment secret, and was prepared to overrule the City of Edmonton if necessary to keep it so.

In an Aug. 23, 2012 email, Kent Phillips, a senior Infrastructure manager, describes “a building code issue to be resolved” with the city.

Phillips states that he and someone from the architecture firm met with Maurice Otto, the city’s chief building code official, to discuss the premier’s residence in the building. Phillips said Otto told them, “The sleeping areas are considered a ‘major occupancy’ on the 11th floor and therefore a revised Development Permit would be required. This would require a public notice.

“I politely reminded Mr. Otto that the Government of Alberta does not actually require a Development Permit, as the more senior level of government and that no public notice could be issued for security reasons.”

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/ ... -1.2589713