So...yet another election

Given that this is the third election in this year, and the fourth that I feel it necessary to keep track of, I'm not all sure that I'm overly happy with Ralph Klein's decision to call an election for November 22.

Looking back over the last 3 1/2 years (it hasn't quite been four yet...), I find myself wondering if the voters have really kept track of Ralph and his merry band of bandits.

On the plus side, Alberta's economy is rolling in cash - with world oil prices well into the mid-$50 /bbl range, and a general upswing overall, we are making a huge amount of money on oil royalties - even though Alberta's royalty rate is quite a bit lower than Alaska's. I would assert that a chimpanzee could balance a provincial budget with the raw revenues coming in the door.

The question before Albertans now is who is best qualified to manage this province into the future. I think it's time to look back over the record of Ralph Klein and his people and ask ourselves just "how well" they've really done.

Yes, the budget is balanced, our long term financial debt is mostly retired. The books look pretty good - or do they? What about the people side of the equations - I can't be described in "dollars and cents" - I'm a human being dammit!

Consider:

• $400, 000, 000.00 vanished into the pockets of American-owned meat packing companies during the BSE crisis.
• $400,000 went to Gary Mar's former "executive assistant" for "consulting" activities that have never been quantified.
• The province is spending like a drunken sailor on roadways and other infrastructure. (Take a look at the south end of Deerfoot Trail in Calgary) Wonderful - but do I need to point out that this same bunch of politicians has spent the last decade and change pleading poverty on infrastructure, and letting what we had crumble?
• Property taxes are up, the province controls the purse strings, but insists that individual school boards make contract arrangements with the teachers. (When arbitration hands out raises the government doesn't like, they just refuse to pay the school boards the needed funds???)
• Health Care is in crisis - a manufactured crisis I might add. One which this government has been in a position to mitigate for most of the last ten years, and has deliberately ignored the needs of Albertans - apparently in the interests of creating conditions to allow various "commercial health care providers" to enter the market.
• Ralph likes to complain about the billions Alberta contributes in equalization payments. Alberta wasn't always a "have" province. There have been many times in our past where we have been a "have-not". The equalization payments are part of how Canada tries to spread the wealth. Remember, we are part of a larger country. It's time for our leadership to rise above the "us-them" attitude of the 1970s.
  

• This is the same government that has established "trade offices" in Washington, Beijing and other locations around the globe. At our expense as taxpayers, I might add:

1. Asia
2. Europe
3. North America

Is this good management, or is it a province sticking its oar into the foreign affairs game when the Federal Government is responsible for it?

So far, this is government record that smacks of arrogance and self-interest, not good management.

On top of all that, we have a premier whose behaviour is embaressing at best, worse than childish much of the time.

On the Federal stage, Ralph Klein is the "senior leader" among the premiers, yet instead of building consensus, and trying to build bridges across this country, he continues to behave as though Pierre Trudeau were still in power in Ottawa. (Sorry, Ralph, but you're not Peter Lougheed, and Paul Martin isn't Trudeau's man either)

I'm disgusted with Ralph's refusal to be a player in the Federal discussions over health care - instead of showing up for the negotiations, he left Gary Mar there to carry the ball, and went gallavanting off to engage in a little pre-election campaigning instead.

Last fall, he conveniently absented himself from the legislature - why because he didn't want to answer a bunch of "stupid, probing questions" that the opposition might ask. This year, to avoid a fall sitting of the legislature, he calls an election?

When his office's expenses are questioned by a public committee, Ralph engages in a bullying 'shout-down' of the questioner. Not only was that horribly inappropriate, it was rude and demeaning to the MLA asking the questions. The Public Accounts Committee is just that - they are public, and they should be open. Ralph's reaction tells me that a serious audit of his government's books would be an interesting exploration.

Really - is this the mark of a man that we can entrust the future management of this province to?

You may ask yourself "who else is ready to do the job"? My reply is that it doesn't matter - Ralph isn't ready to do it, and he's been in power long enough to prove the point.