I hope Albertans take note of being blamed for the political mess — a looming crisis the PCs have got us into over the past 44 years. Mr. Prentice, you must accept responsibility. It was your party with power that set policies, laws and direction and tinkered with regulations to suit the big guy. You tried to prep us offering to take a cut and now when it suits, you try to tell us “we’re in this together.” You continue to favour big business and industry and now want the small guy again to suffer, most of whom try to eke by, many on little more than minimum wage.
Let me remind you how over the years those near the bottom of the scale were getting two, three or, if lucky, four per cent, and when a couple years ago MLAs awarded themselves a 30 per cent increase, yes, it should be easy for you to take a five per cent reduction. No thanks; we’re not fooled! It’s no wonder the banks have been increasingly concerned about the steadily increasing
debt-load of average Canadians and you resolutely refuse to consider a sales tax or return to progressive taxation which, if adopted, judging by B.C., would increase revenues by $11.6 billion.
We ask, what have you done to curtail spending or to diversify our economy and get us away from this “boom and bust” economy? Why threaten education? Is health care next? Mr. Prentice, one does not have to be a rocket scientist to realize that it’s
much easier for you, with salary of a couple hundred thousand per year and MLAs with $127,000 per year plus expenses including travel, as well as your industrial and big-business cronies, most on even bigger salaries and benefits, to go after those on close to minimum wage or not much more.
Yep! Easy to talk and “good try” trying to psych us into believing we must go along with you. It’s high time the opposition got a chance at re-balancing things. The only way we can establish some balance is, and I plead with you my fellow Albertans, vote for the opposition in the upcoming election.
Michael Cormican
Lethbridge
