The First NDP Budget Ever,,,,,,,,In Alberta

[boarderbloke]

[URL="http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2012/02/10/national-post-editorial-board-albertas-first-ndp-budget/"]Albert's First Ever NDP Budget[/URL]

[boarderbloke]

Being from Saskatchewan, I find this so sad, pissing it all away when the boom is on. If not for Wall(and the Saskatchewan people), Calvert was and would have continued doing the same thing, useless and mindless spending.
Any chance PC back benchers would defeat their own government and vote down the budget?(perhaps to save their own seat?)

[mustardman]

Mindless and Useless spending? How about getting a nickel per DOLLAR on Resources that Wall is getting. Calvert put this royalty structure to kickstart things when Commodity prices were low. Now that commodity prices are high the Saskparty won't raise it.
NOW THAT IS MINDLESS AND USELESS

Try and cashrent farmland for $20 an acre.

[ajl]

The problem is that in Alberta NDP budgets
have been the norm for a number of years.
This just continues the trend. Don`t
blame me, I voted Wildrose the last two
elections. What I wonder though is, can
they even stop this.

[bucket]

mustard

What is wrong with 20 bucks an acre???

I won't pay more than that but then again I was renting land from landlords when they couldn't find a renter and they remember it. It's nice to have partners/landlords/relationships that last through the good and bad times.

[cottonpicken]

Damn Vikings

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Government_Pension_Fund_of_Norway

Goes against everything i believe but....in this stupid world??????

Comparable populations/comparable exports if i'm not mistaken.

And there great great grandchildren will have educations.

If they had sask's potash,they could buy the world.

[hobbyfrmr]

I had a quick look at the wiki site, it's looks like
Norweigans love Guns n Roses. They invest in
tobacco and munitions companies in approx. 17
different countries. They also invest in mines that
are not environmentally friendly.

[ASRG]

Mustardman: You might be surprized that Alberta has a similar royalty rate to Sask., perhaps even lower? The rate for oil sands developement is 1% until the project is paid for (several years...if ever!).
Unconventional O & G is 5%.....again a complete royalty holiday until project costs are recovered! By the time project costs on unconventional wells are recovered the well has usually fallen into the "marginal" class and royalty rates drop to 3%.
Unfortunately, Albertans like the goodies their government provides never understanding that sooner or later they will be paying for them? A clear example of what is coming was laid out in the Ab. throne speech by the finance minister, when he talked about the need to have a "discussion" on how we fund government programs.....after the election!
We might also have a good example in the $107 Million extra money Premier Redford gave to Ab. teachers (claiming this money would come from existing programs) only to find that instead it will be tacked onto property taxes!
It is very clear the AB.government has squaundered our natural resources and the Ab. taxpayer will be picking up the tab for continued government program spending.....after the election!

[mustardman]

ASRG No I'm not surprised on your facts. I have followed the give away that happened under Ralph Klein.
How about this?
Did you know Alberta made more from VLTs from 2000-2005 than they made from royalties from the tar sands?
Saw it in the Oil and Gas review while sitting in a waiting room.
I just hope we don't give it all away here in Sask like they did in Alberta.

[cottonpicken]

Ahh..Hobby,you need to read a little closer,those are
excluded companies.

[bucket]

A certain part of me always wonder why politicians don't say to the companies.

" ...if you don't like the royalty structure go find another place on earth that you can mine/explore/develop in relative peace..."

You have to wonder why these executive think they have it so bad doing business in Canada when you consider the alternatives. It should be easy to get a good/lucrative/fair for both parties royalty structure in place.

[hobbyfrmr]

I stand corrected by cotton, these are the
companies that are excluded by the Norweigan
government pension fund. I think I just learned
why i am so poor at picking stocks!