Last night, Premier Smith took to the airwaves to announce what can only be described as a genius plan to stabilize Alberta’s public finances for the long term.
Well done, Lisa. Thanks, as always. I find myself thinking back to the heady days when Premier Getty told us his goal was to have every student in Alberta above the provincial average. Or to the promise that the Heritage Trust Fund would be there for Albertans on some "rainy day." Notwithstanding that a legion of rainy days has come and gone, with the much ballyhooed HTF singing, "Somewhere, Over The Rainbow ..." But I digress.
Wasn't it just last month Premier Floor Crosser was bragging about her $2.4 Billion surplus? I wonder how that happened - oh wait, O&G royalties arose like the Phoenix and saved her booty. So how is it that on the news this week I heard the cost of electricity has practically doubled over the last year:
"Stats Canada noted that electricity prices more than doubled in Alberta, going up by 119.9 per cent from January 2023 to January 2024. Nationally, however, electricity only went up by 11.1 per cent."
But you know, the bogeyman is really "Big, Bad Ottawa!" always picking on poor li'l Alberta, while the ossified rural minority eats it up like M&M's (just not those pro-LGBTQ green ones).
And don't even get me started on her profoundly embarrassing fete of Tucker Carlson.
We will never be like Norway, with their savings fund, because it's far too late. The Norwegian government had followed what Peter Lougheed did, when they created their savings fund. Peter Lougheed's oil royalty rates were very good, and even in the upper 30% range. However, that changed, when Peter Lougheed wasn't the premier of Alberta anymore. Ralph Klein really made it worse, and Peter Lougheed's oil royalty rate was pared back to only 1%. In addition, these phony Conservatives and Reformers did the most priciest shenanigans, for so many years, which cost us billions of dollars more, and we couldn't save anything. It's a lofty goal for Danielle Smith to believe she can get the Heritage Savings Trust Fund up to $250 billion. In fact, it's impossible, because the UCP also does very expensive boondoogles, which cost us so much money. Alberta's brand of sludge is going to be continued to be undermined by a lot of other less expensive oil, and that's not going to help. Danielle Smith will tell people what she believes they want to hear, and people will go right along with it. It will be the usual blame Justin Trudeau and Rachel Notley, or blame equalization for Alberta's poor fiscal predicament. It's a self inflicted matter, caused by the provincial government in Alberta, from these phony Conservatives and Reformers, who didn't continue on the trajectory that Peter Lougheed was on.
It really is a crying shame that for over a generation we had political leadership in this province that almost always took the easy way out on royalties, spending, deficits etc. We SHOULD have a Heritage Fund in the 12-figure range, had the PC's not decided to consider even the interest in the fund as general revenue. It's never too late to smarten up, but there's already been a massive opportunity cost.
I couldn't bear to listen to the "address;" I make much use of the mute and FF function since the right wing lost its mind, but did she actually MENTION Norway? Thinking not because they are not only an exemplary country by all the most important societal measures, they are also embrace democratic socialism and have high taxes.
But since her "base" (giving new meaning to the word) is so intractably ignorant of any and all context, she maybe COULD bring it up because of their also exemplary wealth?
The conservative "brand" is officially "shit" now for several reasons, it's become SO obvious that they've got nothin.' The fact that the brand is based on small government and low taxes glaringly highlights the inarguably appealing superiority of the Norwegian context, i.e. a higher quality of life for more people and society in general, not to mention recognizing AND addressing climate change's unprecedented threat.
Because that's looking more reasonable and desirable all the time may be why they're focusing exclusively on their leader federally, thereby distracting everyone from their actual agenda of privatization of public services AND destroying the Liberal/progressive brand, comparable to Netanyahu's zeal when it comes to Hamas. Except THAT visceral hatred makes more sense, speaking of context, and since it's about as complicated as it gets, it's instructional.
Clearly Dumb Yell is a bit desperate, conjuring the relatively admired Lougheed conservatives of yore as an excuse to avoid investing in our society with its crumbling health care and "50 kids per class" education system. And then there's that stupid moratorium on renewables that flies in the face of that other failing plank of conservatism, "the economy." All this while they accuse US of "ideology." Turns out our ideas are just WAY better than theirs.
Ok .. so that's her plan....plans can be altered. So go get the K-car. We all know O & G is famine or feast. Feast is gone. We all know surmountable funds were provided by the Fed's. Where did they go ? She went thru funds frivolously. But we/I know there will always be funding for O & G shareholders. In my mind this announcement is nothing but to take the heat of her governance.
Smart people prepare for the worst, plan for the best, and adjust as circumstances change. Smith is pretending to plan for the best, ignoring the worst and hoping nobody notices.
But hey, it’s exactly what her fanboys want to hear.
As Alberta has the most expensive grade of oil to produce, Danielle Smith will wake up when it's too late, and realize that what we should have done, could have done, and would have done, are just words. The legacy of Peter Lougheed has been ruined.
Happens all the time that legacies are ruined by evolving circumstances, 'twas ever thus, but over time common trend lines and patterns emerge nonetheless to create a similar historical trajectory like what has happened to the right wing all over the world. That's the question to ponder, what combination of circumstances/philosophy/predisposition caused or contributed to this strikingly similar result that all reasonable people can agree is basically insane AND destroying "civilized" society as we have known it.
I'd say neoliberalism based primarily on the pure greed and arrogance of egotistical, entitled white men among whom there are a disproportionate number of psychopaths.
As if the Alberta pension plan is not enough pie in the sky, Danielle Smith is back for a second helping. Surely Albertans are not gullible enough to partake.
Another solid point I have to make is that courtesy of Ralph Klein, Albertans are saddled with an enormous cost of $260 billion to rectify all these abandoned oil wells that litter the Alberta landscape. That will eat up the proposed $250 billion Heritage Savings Trust Fund that Danielle Smith wants us to have. In Alberta, the mistakes of these phony Conservatives and Reformers cost us big money, which thwarts our ability to save money. Under the decline of oil prices, this leaves us no further ahead.
Well done, Lisa. Thanks, as always. I find myself thinking back to the heady days when Premier Getty told us his goal was to have every student in Alberta above the provincial average. Or to the promise that the Heritage Trust Fund would be there for Albertans on some "rainy day." Notwithstanding that a legion of rainy days has come and gone, with the much ballyhooed HTF singing, "Somewhere, Over The Rainbow ..." But I digress.
Wasn't it just last month Premier Floor Crosser was bragging about her $2.4 Billion surplus? I wonder how that happened - oh wait, O&G royalties arose like the Phoenix and saved her booty. So how is it that on the news this week I heard the cost of electricity has practically doubled over the last year:
"Stats Canada noted that electricity prices more than doubled in Alberta, going up by 119.9 per cent from January 2023 to January 2024. Nationally, however, electricity only went up by 11.1 per cent."
But you know, the bogeyman is really "Big, Bad Ottawa!" always picking on poor li'l Alberta, while the ossified rural minority eats it up like M&M's (just not those pro-LGBTQ green ones).
And don't even get me started on her profoundly embarrassing fete of Tucker Carlson.
No wonder I drink.
Well done, Lisa! Hilariously funny with a strong dose of reality. Keep up the great work!
We will never be like Norway, with their savings fund, because it's far too late. The Norwegian government had followed what Peter Lougheed did, when they created their savings fund. Peter Lougheed's oil royalty rates were very good, and even in the upper 30% range. However, that changed, when Peter Lougheed wasn't the premier of Alberta anymore. Ralph Klein really made it worse, and Peter Lougheed's oil royalty rate was pared back to only 1%. In addition, these phony Conservatives and Reformers did the most priciest shenanigans, for so many years, which cost us billions of dollars more, and we couldn't save anything. It's a lofty goal for Danielle Smith to believe she can get the Heritage Savings Trust Fund up to $250 billion. In fact, it's impossible, because the UCP also does very expensive boondoogles, which cost us so much money. Alberta's brand of sludge is going to be continued to be undermined by a lot of other less expensive oil, and that's not going to help. Danielle Smith will tell people what she believes they want to hear, and people will go right along with it. It will be the usual blame Justin Trudeau and Rachel Notley, or blame equalization for Alberta's poor fiscal predicament. It's a self inflicted matter, caused by the provincial government in Alberta, from these phony Conservatives and Reformers, who didn't continue on the trajectory that Peter Lougheed was on.
Gotta love the irony in Lisa's column. Nothing like a smile to start the day
It really is a crying shame that for over a generation we had political leadership in this province that almost always took the easy way out on royalties, spending, deficits etc. We SHOULD have a Heritage Fund in the 12-figure range, had the PC's not decided to consider even the interest in the fund as general revenue. It's never too late to smarten up, but there's already been a massive opportunity cost.
I couldn't bear to listen to the "address;" I make much use of the mute and FF function since the right wing lost its mind, but did she actually MENTION Norway? Thinking not because they are not only an exemplary country by all the most important societal measures, they are also embrace democratic socialism and have high taxes.
But since her "base" (giving new meaning to the word) is so intractably ignorant of any and all context, she maybe COULD bring it up because of their also exemplary wealth?
The conservative "brand" is officially "shit" now for several reasons, it's become SO obvious that they've got nothin.' The fact that the brand is based on small government and low taxes glaringly highlights the inarguably appealing superiority of the Norwegian context, i.e. a higher quality of life for more people and society in general, not to mention recognizing AND addressing climate change's unprecedented threat.
Because that's looking more reasonable and desirable all the time may be why they're focusing exclusively on their leader federally, thereby distracting everyone from their actual agenda of privatization of public services AND destroying the Liberal/progressive brand, comparable to Netanyahu's zeal when it comes to Hamas. Except THAT visceral hatred makes more sense, speaking of context, and since it's about as complicated as it gets, it's instructional.
Clearly Dumb Yell is a bit desperate, conjuring the relatively admired Lougheed conservatives of yore as an excuse to avoid investing in our society with its crumbling health care and "50 kids per class" education system. And then there's that stupid moratorium on renewables that flies in the face of that other failing plank of conservatism, "the economy." All this while they accuse US of "ideology." Turns out our ideas are just WAY better than theirs.
Ok .. so that's her plan....plans can be altered. So go get the K-car. We all know O & G is famine or feast. Feast is gone. We all know surmountable funds were provided by the Fed's. Where did they go ? She went thru funds frivolously. But we/I know there will always be funding for O & G shareholders. In my mind this announcement is nothing but to take the heat of her governance.
Smart people prepare for the worst, plan for the best, and adjust as circumstances change. Smith is pretending to plan for the best, ignoring the worst and hoping nobody notices.
But hey, it’s exactly what her fanboys want to hear.
As Alberta has the most expensive grade of oil to produce, Danielle Smith will wake up when it's too late, and realize that what we should have done, could have done, and would have done, are just words. The legacy of Peter Lougheed has been ruined.
Happens all the time that legacies are ruined by evolving circumstances, 'twas ever thus, but over time common trend lines and patterns emerge nonetheless to create a similar historical trajectory like what has happened to the right wing all over the world. That's the question to ponder, what combination of circumstances/philosophy/predisposition caused or contributed to this strikingly similar result that all reasonable people can agree is basically insane AND destroying "civilized" society as we have known it.
I'd say neoliberalism based primarily on the pure greed and arrogance of egotistical, entitled white men among whom there are a disproportionate number of psychopaths.
As if the Alberta pension plan is not enough pie in the sky, Danielle Smith is back for a second helping. Surely Albertans are not gullible enough to partake.
Another solid point I have to make is that courtesy of Ralph Klein, Albertans are saddled with an enormous cost of $260 billion to rectify all these abandoned oil wells that litter the Alberta landscape. That will eat up the proposed $250 billion Heritage Savings Trust Fund that Danielle Smith wants us to have. In Alberta, the mistakes of these phony Conservatives and Reformers cost us big money, which thwarts our ability to save money. Under the decline of oil prices, this leaves us no further ahead.
A sinking boat sounds* "All Aboard!"
(*drowns)
Makes sense to, Lisa! Back to the 1980's! Yippee!
Very funny!.... oh, wait Smith was serious??????
https://www.nbim.no/en/
Opportunity...lost.
https://www.nbim.no/en/
Opportunity...lost.