Budget 2007 - The Day After

Nation, just checking in with a few sober second thoughts...

The Bloc supporting the budget was a god-send for the NDP and the Liberals. It gives them the chance to oppose the budget just on principle without forcing an election. So they'll moan about how awful it is, but the reality is that if the Bloc weren't voting for this budget, they'd likely HAVE to. The irony is that, by coming out right off the bat and saying they would NOT support this budget, they're staking their claim to the ideological ground but also disenfranchising their own voters by giving the Tories no reason to sit down, talk to them and come up with compromises. Once again, political considerations get in the way of doing what's best for Canadians.

Once again, it bears repeating: This budget isn't going to save the world, and it won't get the Tories their majority. BUT, it does show the country that Harper is willing to piss off some of those groups his critics accuse him of pandering to at every step - Saskatchewan voters and Big Oil come to mind. Oil companies are BESIDE themselves at the regulation changes in store that affect oilsands production... predictably, the environmental lobby is claiming it's not NEARLY enough, but they wouldn't be happy unless Harper legislated that all gas companies shut down and their CEO's be assigned "cleaning oil-stained waterfowl with toothbrushes" duty.

So, the opposition and the government are once again going to give us less than what we deserve (also known as "good government", because the government is trying to get a majority and the opposition is more interested in opposing for the sake of opposing Harper than they are in offering credible alternatives), the special interests are ticked off (when are they not?), and partisans across the country are falling all over each other to fawn over their respective leaders for their "principles and beliefs" (or, more commonly known as "the opinions that our polling numbers tell us our voters want you to have") in supporting or rejecting outright this budget.

Sigh... the Greeks are rolling over in their graves.

- ES