Politics

[coppertop]

As I indicated before grassfarmer, ministers very seldom keep the same portfolio after a general election. The reason for it is that after an election there are new faces, and the Premier has to select his cabinet from all groups represented to give each fair representation. George may stay in Agriculture but he may go to another porfolio.

When you look at the logistics of running any election campaign, either for the leadership or a provincial election, travelling across the province can pose a problem....and if you think that Ed was the only party leader travelling courtesy of campaign donors you are wrong. Even the candidates that travelled with their own mini vans were filling the tank with cash from donations.

[per]

Odds of friends donating to your campaign are pretty good Grassfarmer. If they were enemies you would have even more reason to be concerned. Convincing the electorate to vote for your guy takes lots of friends and each and every one of them donates something, time, money and some influence on their friends. To bring about the change that you want you need to convince your friends and neighbours to donate time, money and effort. Is that corrupt? No, it's just a lot of work. You might want to cultivate some friendships with people that have helicopters. As far as Groeneveld is concerned he had a higher than average turn out and a huge majority. Someone must think he is OK.

[coppertop]

George has been a solid minister, he laid down the law to the beef industry organizations last fall, telling them to unite and come to him with a plan they all agreed upon,to assist the livestock industry, and that ticked off poor old ABP. Ed may decide to leave George in that porfolio for that exact reason, he will not be controlled by industry..
As for campaign contributions, many people I know routinely contribute to candidates, even if they personally didn't suppor that candidate during the nomination process, they do support the party.

Today the Liberals are blaming their loss of seats on the lack of funding to run a campaign....the local Liberal candidate had ads on CFCW every few hours, and the PC candidate had none, so go figure !!

[Bez]

Jesus H Christos!

You guys kwitchyerbitchin!!!!!

You have never lived until you have lived under a Dalton M'gintee government. Or those dammed Kebekers that have the feds wrapped around their wallets.

Be glad you have what you have and trust me if you did not have what you have - you would want it back within minutes of losing it.

Start following what is happening to your east and west and be glad you sit where you do.

Sheesh!

The part of this damned country that actually works for a living wishes they had your government.

The remaining two thirds of the socialistic bastards that live in this country want you to change governments so they can **** your women, steal your children and sell your businesses.

Funny part is - many of you are too damned stooooopid to even see it. Get your heads out of your arses boys.

Beware of what you ask for - you may very well get it.

Bez

[coppertop]

Well said Bez !!!

[farmers_son]

I think it is questionable whether or not George was a solid minister. It is known that he could not persuade government to provide him the agriculture aid package he asked for. I take from that he does not have the respect of caucus.

Since it has been 37 years since we had another government it is hard to compare. Newfoundland’s Premier got a far better deal for their citizens from their provincial oil industry than Alberta has even with the royalty review. And what kind of government could the PCs provide if they did not have that oil revenue.

We see a real imbalance here in the Alberta economy between the haves and the have-nots. Businesses shutting down because they cannot hire help. We see the government now spending money to rebuild the health care and education systems after Klein gutted it. Still Alberta only spends $42 per capita more on health care than Saskatchewan. Remember the Vegriville Hospital scandal? Rural Alberta hospitals have disappeared or are relegated to seniors centers. A woman cannot have a baby in our local hospital.

There is no reason to believe that the Alberta economy has been diversified and will prosper after the oil and gas is gone. Alberta’s environmental record is very questionable not to even mention the effects coal bed methane will have on rural Alberta’s water supply.

Even with our non renewable oil and gas revenues, Alberta’s GDP is no higher than British Columbia’s and our GDP per capita is only 2/3 of the North West Territories. High housing prices mean working people in Alberta live on the streets. A single income family in Alberta would find it very difficult to afford a house. While the income of a family in Calgary is higher than the national average the family income of someone living in Red Deer, Lethbridge or Medicine Hat is merely at or below the national average of the rest of the country which does not have the same oil bounty. Why is that?

What about debt? While the province had got rid of its debt, the municipalities have not. A lot of the strong economy in Alberta is based on debt. Household debt in Alberta is growing faster than household incomes. Those houses being build are not being paid for with cash but are all mortgaged to the max. Personal debt to disposable income is higher in Alberta than in either Saskatchewan or Manitoba.

The PC dynasty in Alberta in not based on what a great job they are doing, rather what a lousy job the opposition is doing. There are lots of problems in Alberta and a government that has been in power that long has lots of skeletons in the closet and carries a great deal of political baggage.

I have not even mentioned the loss of the district agriculture offices. Or deregulation. Or the EUB spies.

[farmers_son]

I should have pointed out that while Alberta spends $42 more per capita on Heath Care than Saskatchewan, Albertans personally have to pay Health Care Premiums while Saskatchewan does not. Over $1000 per year for a family in Alberta.

I should also say that in many ways things are better here than in Saskatchewan or Manitoba but when you consider the amount the province gets from oil and gas and where that money goes there is room for honest criticism.

[coppertop]

fs,I don't think you can hold the government accountable for the debt people are getting themselves into.
Debt for a basic home is one thing but choosing to mortgage a huge mansion to the hilt is another, and it is a personal choice.
There is a gap between the very well do to and those living on a very limited income, but I suspect you will find that everywhere.
I don't know how our province would flourish under either an NDP or Liberal government, for one thing we would have mass unemployment because both those parties would tax the resource industries out of business.

I do think there is room for improvement in the health care system but the new advanced technologies that are available in Alberta certainly benefit many people. State of the art health centres in both major cities, new hospitals being built, and more continuing care beds, are currently either being built or in operation.
The increase in population in the province has certainly put enormous stain on the health care and education systems.

As far as George goes, he may not have been the best ag minister, but compared to whom ? Seems that folks had problems with Shirley, Horner etc., so no minister will be able to please all sectors.