Inglourious Basterds! Voters' New Name for BC Liberals as Campbell's ratings dive after HST and massive budget deficit
By Bill Tieleman
By Bill Tieleman
8 September 2009
"Quite frankly, the taxpayers in this province have had enough. They have watched as this government raised taxes. They have watched as this government ran up a debt at an unprecedented rate."
- Colin Hansen, as opposition MLA, July 2, 1996
After they sprung a Harmonized Sales Tax they said they wouldn't consider, tabled a budget deficit six times bigger than they swore to and slashed public services they promised to protect, there's only one way to describe Premier Gordon Campbell's and his B.C. Liberals.
Inglourious basterds!
It's why a new Ipsos Reid poll shows that 72 per cent of British Columbians believe Campbell and Finance Minister Colin Hansen "intentionally misled" voters during the May election.
And it explains why 75 per cent polled in an Angus Reid Strategies survey don't want Campbell to run again for premier -- including 51 per cent who voted B.C. Liberal only four months ago -- giving the B.C. New Democratic Party a decisive 45 per cent to 31 per cent lead.
It's also why my Facebook protest group No BC HST now has over 118,000 members -- that's a huge number and a stunning increase of over 24,000 since I went on holidays three weeks ago! If you haven't yet joined, please do so.
France's HST: Don't go there
The response to the HST, the massive $2.8 billion deficit -- it was supposed to be $495 million -- and health authorities cutting thousands of surgeries pretty much guarantees that Campbell's tenure as premier ends long before the 2013 provincial election.
But regardless of Campbell's political fate, it's now critical that British Columbians demand the HST be dropped immediately.
I've just returned from Paris, where I have seen the future of the B.C. HST and it isn't a pretty sight -- France has a punishing 19.6 per cent version of the HST.
Like the proposed HST, the French Taxe sur la Valeur Ajoutée, or TVA, is a value added tax that is regressive to lower income earners -- since a much higher percentage of total income is paid in sales tax on basic expenses.
That means one-fifth of the total price of most goods and services is sales tax, discouraging consumers from spending money and creating jobs.
And when the B.C. Liberals propose an HST of 12 per cent anyone but a fool can see that rate is the floor, not the ceiling, for future HST rates. The French TVA is a harbinger of things to come -- unless the HST is killed.
Protest rally September 19
That's why I strongly urge you to attend a major rally against the HST featuring former B.C. Premier Bill Vander Zalm, NDP leader Carole James, B.C. Conservative Party deputy leader Chris Delaney, independent MLA Vicki Huntington, B.C. Refederation Party deputy leader Jordan Braun and others on Saturday September 19 at 12 noon outside Canada Place in downtown Vancouver.
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18 comments:
Thank Heavens you're back!
I may not be in agreement with you most of the time Bill, but it's good to see you back. While you were gone I was reduced to watching the Legislature in action on TV. What a joke!! Too much ceremony, no real debate - just insults. And I think anyone who calls Campbell or Hansen a liar shouldn't be forced to withdraw their comments but should be given a cabinet position or promotion of some kind.
welcome back,one thing that hasnt changed is the legislature,insults ,sarcassim, campells arrogance, not ansewering questions. I wish more people would watch, and see there govt. at work , they would be disgusted, they have no respect for the citizens of bc what so ever
Good on you Bill,the Liberals got reelected through deceptive means and deserve everything we can throw at them. I have already sent a scathing letter to my MLA on the HST with no response and have recently found out she supports it so what have we got to lose? Let's recall the lot of them if we can they deserve their fate for lying to the pople of BC!
Nice to have you back, Bill.We missed you and your column.
Actually, I beleive the Deficit may be higher than that. My former union, COPE378, studied the budget, and VP for Hydro Gwenne Farrel found that 1.2 BILLION budgeted in February for Hydro has become a "contemplated" item, and therefore no longer appears in the Sept Budget. Add (subtract, really) in the 700 MILLION they've already had fronted to them from the Feds, and we're nearly 2 Billion higher than they admit it to being....
So what will you call your rally? Losers who hate paying taxes? Citizen’s looking for a free ride? I hope your rally is well covered by the media. I can’t wait to see how many people have nothing better to do with their time.
Dear "Nothing better to do with your time" anon 8:05
Crawl back into your anonymous Public Affairs Bureau cave, with your 220 odd friends and your $30 million dollar budget.
How proud you must be of your leader.
There is little more important than democracy and everything that evolves from it; and holding our however slimly elected PUBLIC SERVANTS accountable for their outrageous, destructive and disrespectful actions - and have them make amends.
PUBLIC SERVANTS. Putting the best interests of the people before self-serving special interests and private profit.
The Corporate Politician’s Tale: with Apologies to Geoffrey Chaucer
There once was a virgin named Campbell
Who met an attractive offer to gamble
Now a 1.6 billion dollar HST (Harper Sales Tax) offer
Has led to an STD (Sales Tax Disaster)
- Refrain -
Hi fuddle duddle ho
Harper’s Sales Tax must go
Hi fuddle duddle hi
Campbell’s caught in another lie
Listen all lasses and laddies
To this cautionary tale of political intercourse – saddly
Grits and Tories must share the blame
For their STD (Sales Tax Disaster) shame
The moral is clear
Listener’s dear
Liberals and Tories unite
To impose a consumers’ sales tax that’s not right
So their corporate funders
Will turn a blind eye to their blunders
Nicely done Ron - are you perchance the regular caller to the Bill Good Show with such funny slogans as well?
I think campbell would listen ,a little closer if there was talk of huge protests during the olympics , he sure dont want the world to see what he is doing to bc
Sorry lefties but I maintain you are wasting your time. The HST will be a done deal and there is nothing you can about it. People like the ‘Zalm and Tieleman will stroke their own ego’s on this issue but deep down they also know this rally is a waste of time. Hence why I suggest it will be interesting to see how many people have nothing better to with their lives.
Taxes have to be paid people and in spite of what the NDP might tell you there are no free rides. But go ahead and think otherwise and have fun at your rally. Maybe next you can rally against the tide
Well righties, looks like your hero is guilty of so many things! Don't blame everyone else, its your drunk druggie gordie, leading this mess. The wheels are falling off, and the only thing that will make it all better, is to have him jailed. He is so deep into the olympic debt, he will look at anything to get him out of this hole. He is cornered, and like all rats will fight back. His gang of insiders will slowly leave, as Clark, Tayor, etc have done. Let the Raid on the Ledge / BC Rail case start!
While I agree that all good citizens must pay their fair share of taxes, this is a tax designed to take from those who haven't got. It is insulting to see comments from people that shout down common sense. I would expect that type of low behaviour from rabid dogs at a US townhall meeting protesting the health of their less fortunate neighbours.
Good to have you back Bill, I don't always agree with you but at least you make an effort.
Anon 7:57
Pray tell, where did you hear that trope about NDP 'free rides'...you might be surprised to know that, over the past 40 years, NDP governments all across the country have run fewer and smaller deficits than either Liberals or Conservatives.
You can, and should, look it up.
how about a 3 1/2 inch 1 terrabyte hard drive 1000 gb.for 129.95.and no more deleteing.should be good for 10 years of email.the whole system should be audited.
For the folks that like increases in taxes. You will just love Translink, as they want another 3 cents a litre. The carbon tax will be going up and the of course the HST. James was asked what she would do about the HSt and she correctly stated that once in place it would be very hard to remove it, and of course the fed gets to make any changes, not the province. BC, Best Place on Earth if you have lots of money
this is glorious.
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