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Sad but true
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ShonTron
Moderator
Member Bio
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2007
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- 12,409
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- Ward 13 - Toronto Centre
Uh, context please?
afransen
Senior Member
Coyne has always struck me as a bit of a CPC sympathizer. I find myself agreeing with him a lot of the time, mostly because we share the pragmatic view that the state and the market both have roles to play.
It is indeed a shame that we don't have a true conservative voice in this country. I find myself pining for Reform. They did more good in opposition than their successors have done in government.
It is indeed a shame that we don't have a true conservative voice in this country. I find myself pining for Reform. They did more good in opposition than their successors have done in government.
urbanfan89
Active Member
Ever heard of "power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely"?
It's especially true for a group of people incapable of independent thought.
It's especially true for a group of people incapable of independent thought.
kEiThZ
Superstar
Afransen,
I too sympathize with Coyne's views but I part ways with you suggesting that it was better for the Reform to be relegated to the opposition benches. The whole purpose of politics is to push forward the interests of their constituents. I may not agree with their platform, but the Reformers were right to try to attain power to push forward their platform. The problem is that Harper et al. have found it hard for whatever reason (lack of discipline, too much ambition) to stick to their principles.
But Coyne is a little pessimistic on some fronts. Consider for example, the tax cuts slapped on by the Conservatives. We can all agree that cutting the GST was not the best tax policy. However, as a constraint on future government growth it's quite effective. The successors of this administration will have to balance the books working within the constraints of a 5% GST and reduced income and corporate tax rates. Likewise, for things like the transit tax rebates. What government is going to want to cut tax rebates for transit users to find the money to fund transit, for example. All in all, I think the result is a little more mixed than Coyne's picture.
I too sympathize with Coyne's views but I part ways with you suggesting that it was better for the Reform to be relegated to the opposition benches. The whole purpose of politics is to push forward the interests of their constituents. I may not agree with their platform, but the Reformers were right to try to attain power to push forward their platform. The problem is that Harper et al. have found it hard for whatever reason (lack of discipline, too much ambition) to stick to their principles.
But Coyne is a little pessimistic on some fronts. Consider for example, the tax cuts slapped on by the Conservatives. We can all agree that cutting the GST was not the best tax policy. However, as a constraint on future government growth it's quite effective. The successors of this administration will have to balance the books working within the constraints of a 5% GST and reduced income and corporate tax rates. Likewise, for things like the transit tax rebates. What government is going to want to cut tax rebates for transit users to find the money to fund transit, for example. All in all, I think the result is a little more mixed than Coyne's picture.
afransen
Senior Member
It's not that the Reformers shouldn't have been competing for government; my point is that they achieved more of their objectives by hounding the Liberals from opposition than in actually holding power.
As far as the GST cut being an attempt to constraint the size of government, that seems to have failed utterly. As Coyne points out, federal spending is the highest it's ever been in inflation-adjusted per capita dollars. So much for reducing the size of government. Furthermore, they have single-handedly dealt a serious blow to the culture of fiscal discipline in this country. It's hard to say what the repercussions of this might be, but I expect it will lead to a significantly higher long-term debt load.
Furthermore, I think the transit tax credit will be all-too-easy to kill. For instance, per tonne of CO2 abated, it cost $10,000 or more. It is extremely costly to administer. It would be more cost effective to provide a per-ride or percentage fare subsidy. They could even claim that they're paying ten cents of every fare you pay at the point of sale. Much more transparent than some abstract tax credit you get 3 - 15 months after the expense is incurred.
As far as the GST cut being an attempt to constraint the size of government, that seems to have failed utterly. As Coyne points out, federal spending is the highest it's ever been in inflation-adjusted per capita dollars. So much for reducing the size of government. Furthermore, they have single-handedly dealt a serious blow to the culture of fiscal discipline in this country. It's hard to say what the repercussions of this might be, but I expect it will lead to a significantly higher long-term debt load.
Furthermore, I think the transit tax credit will be all-too-easy to kill. For instance, per tonne of CO2 abated, it cost $10,000 or more. It is extremely costly to administer. It would be more cost effective to provide a per-ride or percentage fare subsidy. They could even claim that they're paying ten cents of every fare you pay at the point of sale. Much more transparent than some abstract tax credit you get 3 - 15 months after the expense is incurred.