Jason Kenney

[burnt]

Who said anything about leaving it in the ground?

Don’t mistake my dislike of Kenney with an idealism for oil free living. I make great use of oil and gas.

Doesn’t mean I think it should be the main or sole focus of a government. Especially in today’s global market. Oil companies have done lots for the province, sure. So have the companies of other industries. So have the workers of other industries. Why Alberta has to be so focused on oil is beyond me. It’s like we only have one eye and no peripherally vision.

If anyone needs an illustration of how that kind of thinking is very welcome and usable to nefarious interests, you just may find it here.

No one is speaking against developing other avenues of industry. And at the same time, no one is presenting a cogent argument for not promoting a dominant and abundant resource.

Finally, it's intellectually lazy to shrill for broadening an economic base without offering valid alternatives.

[Blaithin]

I have plenty of things I’d like to see more investment in.

I’ve also seen many on here disparage and degrade some of those ideas. Since I’m not in the mood or the place for an in-depth defence and explanation of why I feel those things deserve investment, I haven’t listed them. I’m sure I’m not the only member who avoids bringing up some topics. While everyone is entitled to their opinion, the vociferous and obnoxious ways some express their opinions here will definitely be curtailing others discussing theirs.

However silence on a subject shouldn’t be assumed to be ignorance or intellectual laziness. In many cases it’s probably the opposite and speaking is what gives such things away.

[helmsdale]

Take it for what it is.

[TASFarms]

Hard to believe public administration is higher than agriculture and forestry

[burnt]

Hard to believe public administration is higher than agriculture and forestry

Only until one realizes the harmful impact of leftist government.

[burnt]

I have plenty of things I’d like to see more investment in.

I’ve also seen many on here disparage and degrade some of those ideas. Since I’m not in the mood or the place for an in-depth defence and explanation of why I feel those things deserve investment, I haven’t listed them. I’m sure I’m not the only member who avoids bringing up some topics. While everyone is entitled to their opinion, the vociferous and obnoxious ways some express their opinions here will definitely be curtailing others discussing theirs.

However silence on a subject shouldn’t be assumed to be ignorance or intellectual laziness. In many cases it’s probably the opposite and speaking is what gives such things away.

Understandable. Being realistically critiqued is so inconvenient. Friendly confines are far more comfortable.

[Blaithin]

Understandable. Being realistically critiqued is so inconvenient. Friendly confines are far more comfortable.

You got me.

My unwillingness to debate on here is completely because I’m happy in my bubble. It absolutely translates to an unwillingness to debate, ever, with anyone, about anything. Discussing topics with different opinions is dull and pointless.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Not picking on you Blaithin, what you say is very common, and i'm no fan on Kenney, but...

1) he has been in power for a year, does anyone really expect any economic policies or ventures to be paying dividends within that time frame. If anyone is aware of any project or industry that could go from non existent, into planning, through approval, find funding, construction/building and be up and running showing a profit in under a year, I want to invest.

2) when did it become governments responsibility to diversify the economy? Is there any historic precedent for government making the right choices and creating successful industries?

3) we are referring to governments (regardless of name or leader) who mismanaged and squandered billions of revenue during boom times, and now we expect them to somehow manage the entire economy, and take it in new directions?

4) when the boom times return, any diversified industries have to compete for labour, real estate, and all of the associated higher costs of every service.

I think I will trust private investors to diversify the economy by risking their own capital, based on rational analysis, that doesn’t have to fit into an election cycle.

[Oliver88]

You got me.

My unwillingness to debate on here is completely because I’m happy in my bubble. It absolutely translates to an unwillingness to debate, ever, with anyone, about anything. Discussing topics with different opinions is dull and pointless.

Can you provide an example of a province or state that is more diversified than Alberta and also has a strong economy/credit rating?

I would be interested in hearing what jurisdiction would be ideal.

[Blaithin]

Not picking on you Blaithin, what you say is very common, and i'm no fan on Kenney, but...

1) he has been in power for a year, does anyone really expect any economic policies or ventures to be paying dividends within that time frame. If anyone is aware of any project or industry that could go from non existent, into planning, through approval, find funding, construction/building and be up and running showing a profit in under a year, I want to invest.

2) when did it become governments responsibility to diversify the economy? Is there any historic precedent for government making the right choices and creating successful industries?

3) we are referring to governments (regardless of name or leader) who mismanaged and squandered billions of revenue during boom times, and now we expect them to somehow manage the entire economy, and take it in new directions?

4) when the boom times return, any diversified industries have to compete for labour, real estate, and all of the associated higher costs of every service.

I think I will trust private investors to diversify the economy by risking their own capital, based on rational analysis, that doesn’t have to fit into an election cycle.

You're alright, I don't feel picked on. I'm used to my political preferences not being the norm in this area in person, I'd hardly gained the misinterpretation that Agriville was different LOL I could say I dislike Notley or Trudeau all day long and nobody would ask why. Such is life.

Regarding Kenney..

1.1 I don't have many expectations for him, really. Which can be applicable to 1 and 3. Do I think he could have successfully implemented anything that would be paying off by now? Probably not, especially considering what's happening. But he also hasn't even STARTED anything that provided a vague feeling of promise.

1.2 My dislike of Kenney stems more specifically from his dedication to playing politics. He'd much rather play the blame game with the previous party and trash anything they attempted to build. On the same flip coin of 1.1, did anyone expect things the NDP had implemented to be in full stride yet? They were never given the chance. I know it's a word lots here don't like, but the funding for renewable projects was chopped AK (After Kenney), and I'm fairly sure that those programs were around before the NDP. He chopped the provincial carbon tax and even the Ultra PC people in my Ultra PC area recognized that this would be removing tax dollars from the province into the federal coffers when we had to take up the federal tax instead. (Fast forward to a pandemic that sure, nobody seen it coming, but now they're blaming Trudeau and mad at him for not cutting us slack on the fed carbon tax. Gee... too bad the provincial one wasn't kept so the provincial gov could have a bit of control with it.) As a whole other topic, can anyone list the things the provincial carbon tax was funding? Because it was quite an extensive list. Now not only were those programs axed, so are other things like campgrounds and park lands and ag extension resources. Which feeds into...

2. When did governments become responsible for economic diversity? Well... I would probably say about the time we started expecting them to support industries that are struggling and failing. If we have expectations of them supporting workers who have had their job sector collapse then shouldn't they be doing something economical besides just handing out benefits/money. But that could be another topic of discussion. I'm not sure I'd say governments are responsible per say, but I'd like to think they aren't a hindrance to economic development of other areas. I can't say Kenney isn't a hindrance. In his devotion and promotion towards one specific sector he has discarded others whom he obviously feels are incompatible. Every now and then he tosses a bone out to Ag as his stalwart voter pool in the form of a good word or two but wouldn't say he's done anything for us either.

3. Again, my expectations aren't really there, but hope springs eternal.

4. I'm not sure I would apply that logic to it. Did the oil boom raise Alberta's cost of living that much? I mean... sure it greatly lowered the workforce here willing to work for minimum wage. Few who worked within the O&G sector and got those wages want to work for less, they'd rather sit on EI and clamour for the same paltry job offerings being offered by the industry right now. But there are areas with higher costs of living and no really "booming" industry that I can think of. Take BC. If ag were to experience a boom because all of a sudden people realize how important food sources are, what services are going to go up. I guess anything could really. I'd happily take my extra eggs into Red Deer right now for someone to pay more than the $2.50 the community here thinks they're worth. So me making more could drive the mechanic to charging more and the electrician, etc. etc. because obviously I would be a flush farmer at that point (very small world example Hah) But if everyone else was still struggling I'm not sure a booming ag industry would really increase services that much. Maybe for a time until they balanced out again. I just don't feel one industry booming and being an economic leader would be that big of a detriment to other industries. In many cases it fuels those industries success. Retail and Tourism rely a lot on some other sector providing the monetary resources for people to use those sectors. Pros and Cons to it, as with everything.

Would we rather live in full economic dependence on one industry because we don't want competition in the industries? In farming we want competition in things like auctions and grain companies, I also apply that principle to industry sectors. A bit of competition never hurt anybody.

Anyway, I'll be phone reliant for the rest of the day and I can't be bothered to type out long responses on my phone so it'll be back to short quips. Consider me to be entering my intellectually lazy mode

I will post script that I was impressed with the first couple of weeks of Kenney’s Covid response.