As taxpayers we can lay down and be used as doormats by our provincial government or we can fight back. It’s time to do the latter. The province’s new Reckless Spending Act is the first reason to rise up and speak out.
Okay, so it’s not exactly called the Reckless Spending Act, but that’s essentially what it translates into. What the province is planning to do, through legislation, is no different than giving a reckless friend your credit card for the weekend.
The government is trying to change the balanced budget law to allow it to rack up debt year after year until 2014; even though our economy is growing. Even cheekier, the legislation will reduce the current deficit spending penalty on cabinet ministers from a 40 per cent pay reduction down to 20 per cent.
It’s a shame really, just as no family would go out and buy a pair of Corvettes after a breadwinner lost his or her job, the original legislation helped ensure the government wouldn’t be so irresponsible either. If we don’t speak out, all the money will have to be paid back – with significant interest.
Fortunately, there is something you can do. First, call your MLA and tell them you want the budget balanced next year. Don’t accept any hogwash government response about “oh no that would mean we’d have to cut health care.” That’s fear-mongering and nonsense.
The government has been on a spending spree for a decade now; a pace that has increased at double the combined rate of inflation and population growth. To balance the budget, they would only have to reduce next year’s spending levels by $448 million or approximately 3.3 per cent.
If they can’t find 3.3 per cent to trim after years of skyrocketing spending, then they’re not trying very hard.
Why not cut unnecessary expenditures like the $31 million grant to build a polar bear house in Winnipeg? What about cancelling the $3 million Greyhound bus grant or the $260 million they’re going to loan for a U.S. wind power company?
Another cut that should be made is to MLA's personal expense accounts – specifically the fact they are indexed for inflation. Yes, that’s right, at some point our politicians chose to protect their expense accounts from inflation, but they didn’t do the same for taxpayers’ incomes.
Beyond calling your MLA, you can actually speak at the legislature in front of the committee that is reviewing the proposed changes. Consider it a healthy living exercise, you can show up and vent your frustrations and government members have to listen to it. A quick scan of
taxpayer.com will provide you with plenty of other examples of ways to save money.
Most importantly, don’t forget that if enough of us speak out, they’ll have to respond to the problem. After all, there’s a whole apparatus of politicians, political staff and others that are dependent on their cushy government jobs. If push comes to shove then they’ll do what is necessary to keep the public happy and retain their jobs. Remember a decade ago when we as taxpayers rose up and forced them to return MPI’s $20 million surplus back to drivers? We can do it again.
It’s time to speak out.
Colin Craig, Prairie Director
