The government should have been conservative with their estimates this year considering the low interest rate, the nonexistent capital gains, pension splitting and the small decrease in tax rates. All foreseeable decreases to government revenue and should have been carefully considered for the budget. This ballooning debt is unacceptable.

As long as the government has to cater to the lefties we will not have restaint on spending, big spending. Only a majority Conservative government can bring this under control.

It is not difficult to imagine the deficit being larger than expected a few months ago. Predictions have varied (and continue) as to whether we have hit the bottom and/or will see improvement before year end, or not until late in 2010 or 2011. I don’t expect anyone (elected or on staff) in Ottawa to suddenly surprise me that they actually know better than those issuing public statements about their ‘expert’ opinion for the economic future of Canada or the G20. It’s a crap shoot.
It is just sad that politics has become an ego/power game rather than a real calling to leadership and accountability to the electorate. I continue to blame media ’sound bytes’ for much of that. Even when politicians seem to try and do the right thing we get ‘holier than thou’ criticisms bubbling down from the media ‘gurus’.
We’re all finger pointers rather than responsibility takers!

In my opinion we no longer have a conservative government, we need a majority in order to stop the demands to spend, spend and more spend opposition governments.

Spending our way out of an economic downturn isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Just remember a certain provincial NDP government who binged with the taxpayers’ money. The man who was in charge of that extravaganza is none other than Bob Rae who should be hiding under a rock, but is boldly preaching his solutions to his fellow Liberals.

As long as we have a minority government, real restraint won’t be possible, and if we elect a majority liberal crew the next time around we’re in real trouble. They’ll just make up for lost time in a big way.

Reduced Spending in ALL Government departments and Agencies should mandatory to the amount of the deficit, the Conservative government should pass Legislation to this effect; otherwise we will see our Taxes and various fees steadily increase.
Perhaps its time to Outsource to real business with fiscal knowledge to run the various Government department and agencies with a mandate to balance the books or else.

We are in a situation where we must make a transition. The reality is that we are in a global economy as far as democracies are concerned. We have a population around thirty million people.Market share at ten percent of potential market, would give a domestic product sales of three million based on one to one ratio. This would include every individual.The incentive to produce products for the domestic market is not there. In essence we are an exporting Country.How can we sell a product or a service to a foreign Country cheaper then their own in house production? The solution may be private energy.We need to harness the full potential of our wind,rivers,fossil fuel resouces, that can be environmently friendly! We must tax vehicles on a mileage basis and not a fuel consumption basis.Energy should be deregulated so that individual innovations are encouraged and permitted.

Unions are not business, do not expand,and should pay taxes as labour does. Pension funds should be required to issue stock certificates to current and past contributers of the fund.There should be a transaction tax put on all stocks traded within five working days.

Political advertising or campaigning should only state the party’s platform and agenda. Negative advertising should be considered as de-harmonization of society and bullying.

The Canadian Government should create confidence in foreigners and guarantee that Canadian currency will be backed by gold on a basis of ten to one ratio with sterling silver.

The days of pink Tories should have been over decades ago as everyone knows that they were really only failed Liberals.

We should have a real Harris government to rule with an iron fist; and we must stop voting in Conservatives who curry favour with the left to save their skins. Voters respect firmness and leadership not sniping, nastiness and cheap shots. Harper has got to go to make way for a leader with resolve and courage who can face down the left and the leftie press, and not cave into the liberal hypocrisy, dishonesty and self-serving lies that Toronto Star socialists seem to like. If the Conservatives can only just beat Dion, God help us. Another Trudeau-esque idiot in the form of Iggy will make Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Reid look far too attractive.

‘cutting MP’s salaries by 5% ‘

They are responsible for deficit spending in the first place,is that the only answer in times of crises to DEFICIT SPEND. Paul Martin was responsible for defrauding the “E.I. surplus” that was in case of need and he was an MP so I say cut all they’re salaries by fifty percent.They’re overpaid for what they do for us.
Pay them more maybe they’ll work harder and we’ll get better people in those jobs. That’s not working, Jim Flaherty used to be a cab driver so he’d probably be the finance minister for a cup a timmy’s and a tip,that’s what he’s worth, give me a break.

‘The government should have been conservative with their estimates this year considering the low interest rate, the nonexistent capital gains, pension splitting and the small decrease in tax rates. All foreseeable decreases to government revenue and should have been carefully considered for the budget. This ballooning debt is unacceptable.’

I have yet to see this government do anything “Conservative”.
Same-sex marriage vote, 10% of the “Conservatives” voted for it, not that they needed too by any means?
Harper’s a lame duck because of Quebec, look at the Conservatives numbers in Quebec, he’s a dead duck there. He should just quack and get it over with as far as ever having any majority.
Quack quack Harper

Liz is right to blame the politicians for failing to show leadership. But the rot goes further than that…were is the outrage from the majority of Canadians that it would take to dissuade the government from going down this destructive and unnecessary path? We have become a nation of sheep.

I find it interesting and very telling that there are only 3 posts about this revolting and shocking abuse of us all. The sheeple of Canada once again will just go with the flow and pay up. It doesn’t matter whether the ruling party is left or right, or that it is in the minority, the problem is that we are coerced into paying for things over which we have no control. Why are we not outraged? How can we stop this madness? The only way is to withdraw consent ie, stop funding this bloated monster. Unfortunately, this takes courage and conviction, and who among us is willing to face the violence of the state?

Government must trim, trim and trim.

I would say the only way to stop the erosian of our money is to go back on
the gold standard which would mean government could not spend more than they something real to back the paper money they print.
The present way of just printing out more and more dollars means that every
dollar already out there is made smaller. History has proven this over and over but in order to buy votes the practice is repeated.
The present seystem just means that our savings are being reduced every day.
The capital gains tax is not a tax on real gains but on inflation and a
means governments have devised to steal our savings. The values do not really go up it is the dollar going down. Unions go for higher wages and more benifits and shorter hours and less work and if they get all this you
see it reflected in the prices the next time you get you groceries.
Smiling Jack Layton is demanding that the minimun wage be increased. This
would mean that instead of 8 x 8.00= $64.00 per day plus benifits for the
lowest paid worker it would be $80.00 which would result in huge layoffs
across the county because in order to pay this increase the employer would
need to raise prices which in turn would lose business and go broke.
I started out working at 15 years old in 1939 and the best wages was $1,00
for 8 hours hard work and no benifits only an education on how to produce
and do piece work where you got paid for what you produced.
Big unionised government employees are the problem not the solution and
without huge reduction in the numbers of these people we are all going the
way of GM and Chrysler.Now the politians want to spend their way out of
debt that has to be the most stupid plan yet, it can’t work.Result will be
where a cup of coffee for 100 years was 5 to 10 cents and now is 2.49 and
up will be $5.00 to $20.00 soon and the money you saved to retire will be
zero.

Its sad that after 80yrs. Poor management & excellent gains in Technology we arrive ,with over production in mfging terrific inflation. The wealth of the country has increased by Trillions of Dollars .And now when we need tolerance and understanding we are worrying about some help for our misguided citizens.Unfortunately I do not have availability of language some of you have,I am 93 yrs old & Had To go to work at 14 yrs old .without parential guidance. Life can be tough.I loved through the Dirty 30s.Lets get some thought at work . We dont need !0 years of that.The road ahead is going to be tough.We need to help not Critisize. Please be Compassonate & try to understand.

Let’s get a Conservative majority and we can reduce the GST again and increase the deficit even more!

You must have did this up on the 25th as the number is over 50 billion now in the Halifax Herald and going to be higher. It hard to beleive that our generation is going to leave a debt like this to my son daughter and three little grandson to deal with.

Its fortunate and unfortunate that Conservatives are in power. Consider the timing of the recession and Harper’s reelection with a Minority government. Conservative power now is good in responsible spending in priority sectors and I know that they would love to cut funding in other areas but are hampered with Liberal philosophy. ie. EI payouts, arts funding etc.

The Conservatives will not likely be able to show their true blue colours for economic and minority government reasons. I truly believe that if Conservatives in a majority government under Harper’s direction, Canadians would be more content in their day to day lives and less stressed with lower taxes and more accountability.

Just like the auto sector, the complex nature of government is our downfall and we will not likely to see true positive results unless we give Conservatives a majority.

Thanks

Economist Joseph Schumpeter used the term “creative destruction” to explain that, in order to posper, eonomies must let inefficient and obsolete firms fail and allow efficient and innovative enterprises to replace them. Corporate bailouts delay the day of reckoning for troubled companies and industries and slow down the process of creative destruction.
Past experience shows that bailed out companies do not improve operations or become more competitive but remain dependent on government assistance.
The big three brought it on themselves–greed of top management and their unions priced themselves out of business and now we the taxpayers are going to pay dearly for the Governments handing out our hard earned tax dollars to the auto companies. The Federal and Provincial Governments are, in my mind totally financially incompetent and should be kicked out of office. Just think, in about two years the Federal deficit will be in the neighbourhood of 600 billion $ and the Ontario Government deficit will be apporx. 200 billion $ which will attract an interest payment of approx. 56 billion$. Who do you think will be paying for these deficits?

Tax and spend is not the answer. Spend and tax is not the answer.

We need some hard nosed business people in governments to handle the financial decisions of the country–not politicians who try and bribe the taxpayers with promises that never materialize.

It was to be expected that we would have a large deficit and we will probably have a bigger one next year. The government has to be seen to be doing something; question is what? Until we know what works and what will pull us out of this very deep recession we should all hold our horses and our money and just watch. Believe me the opposition party could not do any better!