How's This For Short Sighted?

Apparently failing vision isn't merely an affliction of old age - it strikes aging political parties as well.

Yesterday, Premier Klein mused aloud about a "prosperity dividend" for Albertans.

While I'm not so sure I agree with Dave "Build More Roads" Bronconnier's view that the money should be turned over to the cities to use for infrastructure, I am less than impressed with yet another cheap buy-out of voter loyalty.

King Ralph continues to snipe at other provinces, claiming some kind of moral high ground because Alberta is now (theoretically) debt free. It won't be for long unless somebody does serious surgery to repair the PC party's vision - the organ appears to be suffering from pure atrophy due to a lack of use.

Times are good - we've paid off our debts, and the economy is booming. Time to make a bit of hay. It's a good time to reinvest surplus monies in the Heritage Savings Trust fund. (Remember the multi-billion dollar fund that former Premier Lougheed started in the 1970's? - the one that Getty & crew ignored and Klein has been steadily draining for the last decade)

Alberta needs to invest in Alberta, and then in the rest of Canada. Alberta's prosperity has come about because Albertans and Canadians have invested in Alberta for much of the last century. Alberta prospers, it is time for this province to step into a leadership role in the nation that is Canada.

Handing out a few hundred dollars to individual citizens sounds like a good idea - but it is myopic in the extreme. Most people will parley that windfall into a few beer, and it will be flushed down the sewers shortly afterwards. Let's do some real planning in this province, and accomplish something that our grandchildren will be proud of.