Denying the obvious

[lasnomadas]

Enough about daycare. Let's go back to that Health Researchers investigation, and the part that says there was no government intervention. If you believe that, I have a new bridge in Kelowna for sale........cheap. There has been 'government intervention' with every BC Liberal scandal since 2001,including Railgate.

If only BC Mary were still alive today! That was one journalist who never denied the obvious.

[Urbane]

^^ Yes, let's not discuss anything that involves an expensive NDP program with no details re costing out except that it will magically pay for itself.

[lasnomadas]

First you complain that the NDP has no program, and then you complain because they do. And you still have no sensible defense for the government who was responsible for ruining seven lives and ending another.

[Urbane]

First you complain that the NDP has no program, and then you complain because they do. And you still have no sensible defense for the government who was responsible for ruining seven lives and ending another.

So far we know that the NDP promises to bring in $10 a day childcare and that it will magically pay for itself. We also know that John Horgan doesn't disagree with the bulk of the Leap Manifesto and that he pledges to bring in his own Leap Manifesto if elected. That Leap Manifesto is a blueprint in itself so perhaps that's the NDP program. As to the other issue you must have missed some of my posts because I have commented on that issue.

[lasnomadas]

I did read your last comment on the topic. You said that you believed there was no political interference, but that's preposterous, since everyone knows the BC Liberals have been at the core of every scandal since before and including Railgate. If you weren't so bound and determined to trash the NDP, you'd realize that there are many similarities between Railgate and Researchgate.

[Urbane]

I did read your last comment on the topic. You said that you believed there was no political interference, but that's preposterous, since everyone knows the BC Liberals have been at the core of every scandal since before and including Railgate. If you weren't so bound and determined to trash the NDP, you'd realize that there are many similarities between Railgate and Researchgate.

You don't have to believe me. Just read what the ombudsman said. He said that there was no political interference. That's not to excuse the way that the government handled the issue. I agree with the criticisms that the ombudsman made.

The reason I started this thread was that while most of the Liberal supporters, or those who will vote that way because there is no viable alternative, have their eyes wide open when it come to the Liberals, NDP supporters have blinkers on when it comes to their party. I was asked the other day to find any NDP malfeasance and I quickly produced quite the list. And that's from a party in opposition, not even in government! Both parties are sleazy. Both.

[logicalview]

First you complain that the NDP has no program, and then you complain because they do. .

No, he's complaining because the program is joke and is going to fail, and will cost the taxpayers millions of dollars, for nothing gained. Much like all other NDP programs.

[lasnomadas]

So you plan to vote Green then? Or is there an independent candidate in your riding? Or perhaps you're in Chuck's riding? It would make more sense for you to vote for him, since the BC Cons and the BC Libs were going to merge at one time. They still might, after May 9.

[hobbyguy]

So much of what the NDP have out there is just populism a la Trump, and with just as much "plan" behind it.

One of the "issues" on the NDP website is "Housing Affordability". Click on it - nothing, no plan, just a whining that housing is expensive.

Housing affordability and real estate price levels are a very complex issue, and most of the "levers" and most of the "problem" are NOT controlled by provincial governments. Not only that but the "levers" have impacts in other sectors that can come back to bite you. That is further complicated by the investment provisions that are embedded in agreements like NAFTA.

While the foreign buyers tax has helped a tad, it was always going to be a flawed effort. The biggest driver is low interest rates coupled with high risk lending and public assumption of the debt risk. However, if you make mortgages more difficult to get, and push up mortgage rates - housing affordability does not change. (I can attest that housing was not very very affordable when prices were low and mortgage rates were 18% plus.). Plus, if you drive up interest rates, you will impact a lot of businesses, and they will either fold or be forced to drive up their prices, resulting in fewer jobs and smaller proportion of income available to go to mortgage payments.

I won't pretend to have a solution, other than to accept the inevitable, normalize interest rates, and watch the bubble burst. That would leave a lot of homeowners "under water" - which would have its own set of problems.

So the reality is that from a provincial government perspective, about as much as can be done has been done, the rest is really a set of issues for the BOC (I have zero confidence in Poloz) and the feds.

In another context, where it is a little easier to see "the forest for the trees": http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-10/debt-distribution-poses-new-threat-to-housing-market/8429578

So what do I see the NDP doing? Trying to lay a federal, BOC, and global problem at the feet of the BC Liberals. Having done so, my guess is that when they finally get around to putting a platform together, they will offer up a "free lunch" solution that will neither address the problem (because provincial governments can't) nor prevent further erosion of affordability.

The obvious in this is that residential housing is in a bubble.

[maryjane48]

healthcare is falling apart in bc and mz clark cuts msp in half for everyone .

[The Green Barbarian]

healthcare is falling apart in bc .

it was, but then the government built a new hospital in Kelowna and Vernon, and thank goodness for that.

[George+]

Why just a foreign buyer tax?

How about prove residence and not just speculation?

Hundreds of condos have no one in them.

[logicalview]

Hundreds of condos have no one in them.

Really? Where?

[lasnomadas]

@Urbane; No, I don't think the NDP is sleazy. Naive, maybe. After all, they haven't been around since the beginning of Confederation like the Libs and Cons have, so they haven't had time to hone their 'courtroom skills'.

You see, I view an election campaign like a trial in a court of law. The sitting government is the Prosecution, and the official opposition is the Defense. We, the people, are the defendants. We have been deceived, lied to, and stolen from by a corrupt government for 16 years. Our defense team, the NDP, must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that this is true, and the burden of proof is on them.

The NDP, for obscure reasons, haven't been able to hire a leader for their defense team who can bring to the courtroom the intensity of a Dave Barrett, who I still believe was an exceptionally good leader who let his ego get in the way of common sense when he decided to call an election long before it was necessary to do so.

[Urbane]

You can bet that the same things that some of us complain about when it comes to the Liberals will happen should the NDP win as well. But unlike those of us who have acknowledged the sleaze in the Liberal Party the loyal NDP supporters, with blinders firmly attached, will tell us that there's no hint of sleaze in the NDP. We're already seeing examples of denial on here and the NDP hasn't won anything yet.

Negative campaign ads? We're told that negative campaign ads are terrible if they're put out by the Liberals but BCTF and NDP negative ads are okay! How about that!! Liberal promises, like promising to cut bridge tolls in half are a form of bribery we're told. The NDP promises to abolish the tolls altogether but that's okay! How about that!! Lots of other examples too . . .