Taxpayers grade the candidates...

[cakadu]

On the Calgary news this morning, they announced that the Calgary Health Region is going to spend $29 million on a new building in Forest Lawn. That is $29 million that could go to hospitals to look after people. I didn't hear the justification for the new building, but you can bet that it will end up costing far more than $29 million, given the escalating construction costs these days.

Now cowman, you surprise me wanting tospend more money on crumbling infrastructure -- whatever happened to your stance on everyone should pay for themselves?

What is wrong with having someone lead you who won't go out so far that they aren't really leading but going for a walk? Leadership takes many forms and sometimes you lead from the front, the middle or the back - one doesn't necessarily have to be out in front all the time.

Morton's comment about 70% of the party not voting for Dinning also holds true for himself. In fact more than 70% of the party delegates did not vote for him either when it comes right down to it.

Bear in mind that whomever gets in has to work with the senior bureaucrats that are already in place. Even the federal conservatives have had to deal with that reality. For all of Harper's bleating about being above board and transparent are you aware that the senior bureaucrats in Ottawa were given a fairly significant raise? I do agree with you cowman, that making Quebec a nation within a nation has likely opened a can of worms.

We could be reaping a whole lot more money if we increased the royalties that the oil companies have to pay.

[cakadu]

To clarify on the new health building - it is being built to offer services that the CHR feels need to be filled after their "health of the community" survey was completed. It will replace two existing facilities.

[kpb]

blackjack, I'm with you and cowman on this one. I've heard Stelmach speak on the rutherford show twice now--the latest being this morning and the man just will not answer any questions. Guys phoned in and asked him specific questions about health care, about transfer payments, about infrastructure, about agriculture and other things and he simply did a tap dance and did not address the issue in each case.

Ed may be the most honest guy in the province but who knows where he stands on issues since he won't provide specific answers to specific questions. My vote also goes to Morton this weekend although I voted for someone else last weekend. I think he's the one who best represents Alberta's interests and is prepared to fight for them.

And this business about Morton dividing the party and being oh so scary is just so much balderdash from people with vested interests who don't like their little boats being rocked.

kpb

[cakadu]

Kpb, if you listen to any candidate running in any election, they very seldom, if ever, answer the question at hand. Even in the all candidates debate - if you happened to watch it - none of the candidates came out and said what they would do specifically - not even Morton. It is always "this is what we will do....." and rarely is there any specifics as to how they are going to go about doing it.

I for one am not saying that Morton is the boogeyman or divisive or anything like that. What I do believe is that if you go looking for trouble, you'll find it and it may be a lot tougher than what one thinks. Being nascent in his political career, I don't think that Morton has any idea as to how the game is really played and that can be very detrimental for everyone.

Even if you take a look at cowman's statements regarding Morton taking a look at entry payments - how on earth is he going to bring that about? He is just one man and one vote. Bear in mind he is going to allow "his" caucus to speak their minds.

Mr. Morton had better take a page from the textbook of one Nancy Betkowski as she thought she had it all "sewn up" as well.

[coppertop]

Morton on health care: Albertans will have the opportunity to purchase private health insurance...LIKE THE US.
Then he will do away with health premiums, but he has NOT said whether or not we will have any health care coverage unless we buy private insurance.
Ed in health care: All players will be at the table, Health Regions, Doctors, Nurses, seniors and Albertans to come up with a solution that will provide top quality health care inside the Canada Health Act. Ed has also promised that once Premier he will have the checks and balances done to see whether or not health premiums can be done away with in their entirety. He is the only candidate that is prepared to provide an annual grant per capita to municipalities both rural and urban equal to the amount of education tax, this will allow them to decide locally whether or not to reduce property tax, build streets and roads or build sports facilities and libraries, those decisions will be made locally with input from the local citizens.

Has anyone asked Morton how many billions it is going to cost to replace the RCMP and put in the necessary infrastructure to house them, let alone the staff component. Doing away with the RCMP will NOT mean that those officers will transfer over to a provincial police force.

[kpb]

well you may be right about candidates not answering questions in an election but I heard both dinning and morton speak before and felt they did address specific questions with specific answers. I didn't agree with all of them but I did hear an answer--for instance dinning clearly stated he was for a public health system--morton clearly stated on the radio that he would allow some private health providers.

Stelmach just would not answer this question but skated around the issue both today and the first time I heard him. I was prepared to take him very seriously the first time, based on what coppertop said about him, but he simply will not answer the questions that are put to him--someone phoned him up from airdrie today and asked if he would provide 24 hour emergency service in that community (where emergency patients currently have to go to calgary on the weekend) and he didn't even answer that--instead talked about a health care service that is available to everyone and one that has to be efficient, blah blah blah. I mean geez answer the question.

If you don't believe me, watch the debate and then tell me what stelmach's position, as stated in the debate, is on health care or transfer payments or increasing royalties or agriculture. I just can't decipher it from all the background noise. Sorry coppertop, it's not a slam on you but I think your candidate needs to refine his message really quickly so that us poor peasants know exactly what he stands for instead of talking in cliches. Your man's character is undoubtedly first rate but without a clear platform as stated by the candidate himself I think people don't know where hs is coming from.

I guess we'll see--dinning is on the radio tomorrow and morton on friday. Based on what I heard the first go round we'll hear some answers to phoned-in questions--we may not like them but we'll get some real answers. Even Rutherford was getting frustrated today with the big run-around.

kpb

[kpb]

coppertop, I know you feel a lot more passionate about this election than I do but come on, bringing up the scary bogeyman of providing private health care--like the U.S.--is just pathetic. It's not like what we got right now is working so well.

I mean why not say buying private health care--like Britain or like Australia or anywhere else (with the exception of a couple of countries) in the world where public health care is provided along with an alternate private system. I think the Alberta citizen is not likely going to get scared off by the U.S. reference--it just seems so sad, so tired and silly after we went through the same thing in the federal election. Do you really think people here are that dumb?

And, again, I hear a lot of talk from you about Stelmach consulting, and meeting, and formulating a plan, again but not a lot of specifics about where he stands right now on an alternative private system.


kpb

[cakadu]

Kpb, now you've gone and aparked my curiousity. Yes, I heard those same candidates state what you did regarding health care, among other topics. To me, making the statement is far different from putting it into practice. In an open, transparent and all encompassing government, that would mean consultation with relevant stakeholders and ensuring that best practices are incorporated for the benefit of all. The ability to put it into practice is generally not as easy as making the statements.

The candidates also made the statements with no clear plan for how they would be carried out. So many times we hear candidates make promises that they cannot keep for one reason or another, or their actual solution is far weaker than what they had originally stated.

I believe copper is very passionate about her statements and her beliefs. She is also not just an "instant" Tory like so many people and win or lose, I have the distinct feeling that she will still be supporting Ed on Sunday. How many of these Tory pretenders can profess to supporting their candidate come Sunday morning?

[coppertop]

If Dinning isn't the victor in this he will NOT run as an MLA. He has campaigned at great expense with corporate dollars for the main prize, that of Premier.My feeling, and that of many others is that Dinning is dead in the water,he has no gain to be made.

Private Health care clinics are one thing,I have no problem with private clinics and there are many of them now, but the fees are paid by the public system. I wonder how many farmers want to pay three or four times as much for private insurance ? The rich or those working in industries or government where their premiums would be paid certainly aren't concerned, but those on fixed incomes will have a tough time.

kpb, I am extremely disgusted with the PC Party for not ensuring that all those who voted had to have a membership for at least two weeks prior to the vote. The INSTANT TORY vote may change the way our province moves forward, but ask any of the instant ones if they will help out during the election, even man a polling station and they are all TOO BUSY.

[blackjack]

...coppertop your starting to preach like the federal libs did just a short time ago... i'm one of those that are at end of the baby boomers and so when i talk to the 20 and 30 somethings i know...we all agree on one thing... the current social system cannot afford to continue in its current format...since most politicians like jumping on the bandwagons you will see the right wing movement get stronger...as the last forty years has proven govt cannot be all things for all people...and that is exactly what ed is preaching...where is the money going to come from if oil goes in the tank ...we spend more money for capita than any other province already...many say we are not getting our money's worth...why not... since i'm young and do not use the health care system much...what would hurt if i bought health insurance if it would help open up more space for those that need it now...this health thing is getting mighty tiresome and no one has what ever you want call it...to do anything about it cause politicians know its the older folks that vote...tell ya the truth i'm of kinda tired of the older people thinking there health care should be free ...same could be said for parents that want free daycare...just quit taxing the crap out of us and let us decide what we want to do with our own money ...

[coppertop]

Ed has certainly not preached being all things to all people. He is adamant that we need to improve the delivery of health care with the same dollars. Dinning has also said that health care isn't something people should have to dig into their pockets to pay for.
The municipal grants Ed is advocating do nothing more than replace the old Municipal Assistance Grants that the provinces lost ten years or more ago. Since that time municipalities both rural and urban have had to debenture basic road and utility projects, and pay interest on them.

I don't know how often you have heard Ed speak, but I have been on the campaign trail with him numerous times and heard his message over and over, it doesn't change from day to day like Morton and Dinnings does.

[blackjack]

...that is impossible coppertop to keep the delivery of health care with the same dollars unless you let the private sector build the infrastructure...let the private sector take the risk...and by all means do not let the govt subsidize these ventures neither...let them have their own administration and let there be competition...just maybe the public system might be a little more accountable for their actions than they have in the past...i have nothing against mr. stelmach as a person i just see more of the same ...maybe none of the three are what i truly want...but one of them is going to be our premier...so i think morton would be the one closest to how i feel in what it takes alberta to move forward...not only for alberta's sake but canada's as well...

[kpb]

Whoa coppertop, what happened to taking the high road and not slamming the other candidates? I don't want to argue with you about this--I told you I'm not a Morton supporter and I didn't vote for him the first time around. But this time I think I will because I agree with most of what he says--not all--and I think he's clear on where he stands, like it or not.

Seems to me that there are a lot of people out there like me. We're not dumb so we likely won't get scared by the old Lib private health care bogeyman. It's kind of telling when the other candidates bring this up--shows me where their campaigns are going.

The thing is I just want to hear Ed tell me in his own words where he stands on the issues. Not from his supporters, not in a newspaper column but when someone asks him a direct question, from his own mouth. I've listened closely to him twice now, over a period of half an hour or so each time, and I've yet to hear a straight answer to a straight question.

That's all I'm saying--I have no ax to grind here, don't support any particular candidate. But I have a pretty good idea of where Morton and Dinning both stand.

Cakadu, please, no more studies, no more committees. Sure let's build a consensus before we act but is it not too much to ask to know what a candidate thinks is right? I mean look at coppertop's reply as to what Stelmach thinks should be done about our health care mess (it's a few posts up)--does that tell you if he favors private clinics? Or is a firm advocate of public only health care? He's apparently going to act within the Canada Health Act--does that mean he is opposed to private clinics? or what? Which direction does he want to go? Surely we are entitled to know that. I'll make it real simple--would Ed allow private clinics or not--yes or no?

Now I know what's the answer for the other two candidates on this question and I'd really like to know Stelmach's answer, from his own mouth. All I've ever heard from Stelmach on this and the other big issues is a whole lot of fog that I can't wade my way through. The questions are pretty straightforward but who knows where Ed stands?

kpb

[ivbinconned]

It's Dinning who's living in the past, not Morton

Conservatives are strong when they are guided by the past without living in it.

This is what sets Ted Morton apart from Jim Dinning.

Dinning is clinging to a Canada that is already vanishing -- a Canada of political correctness and big central government. It is being methodically dismantled and redesigned by Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Calgary.

Ted Morton is looking forward to Stephen Harper's new Canada, and knows how to shape Alberta's place in it. He's eager to do it.

The Canada Jim Dinning talks so much about was run by Jean Chretien and Paul Martin. Dinning spent most of the Chretien/Martin years on sabbatical from his career in government. He was salaried at $400,000 a year by a provincially regulated utility. His main duty at Transalta seems to have been to support Jean Chretien's Kyoto policy by needlessly buying useless carbon credits from South America, financed by Alberta power consumers, and arranging a $25,000 gift to the Liberal Party of Canada (http://www.jimdimming.com/images/letter.gif).

Ted Morton, meanwhile, was actually working with the Reform Party, the Canadian Alliance and the new Conservative party to defeat the Liberals and restructure Canadian federalism.

It was regrettable, perhaps, that Premier Ralph Klein was of such little help. But it is unacceptable that Jim Dinning was actively supporting the other side. While Ted Morton was pushing the Alberta Agenda at public meetings in places like High River, Stony Plain and Nanton, defending the rights of farmers, gun owners and families, Jim Dinning was shmoozing it up at the Petroleum Club, amassing his $2 million leadership war chest, recruiting all Ralph's worst people to run his campaign, and signing up MLAs who wanted promotions to cabinet.

Dinning has no evident interest except to be premier. And if he can't be premier he has expressed no intent to become an MLA.

Ted Morton, meanwhile, has spent the past three years becoming an MLA, talking to town hall meetings about our future as a province, and promoting a vision of Alberta in the new Canada Stephen Harper is creating with the people we sent to Ottawa to do it.

In this new Morton/Harper Canada, all provinces will have the social and economic rights and responsibilities the Constitution of Canada gives them and that Liberal governments have stripped away. (Dinning refuses to discuss the Constitution.)

In this new Morton/Harper Canada, the Senate will be elected to represent provincial interests in Parliament as originally intended. (Dinning has no interest in the Senate.)

In this new Morton/Harper Canada, judges will not remain, as they have become, a law unto themselves. (Dinning ridicules this as "refighting old battles.")

This is the Canada that Ted Morton and Stephen Harper are trying very hard to create. It's a difficult and risky political task, and Alberta must step forward to play a bold part. That's why a dozen Alberta MPs are coming home this week to urge their friends and aquaintances to help make Ted Morton the Premier of Alberta on Saturday.

You should help too. Recruit a few friends and neighours and vote for Ted this Saturday.

[coppertop]

kpb, there is a debate on Global tomorrow night at 6:00. I am sure the health care issue will come up, and hopefully you will get answers on this from each candidate.

I think we all realize government has to change, but Ralph tried to bring in an enhanced health care for Albertans and each time he tried it the public got up in arms and he backed down. I think health care dollars can be utillized more efficiently. Top heavy administration within the health regions does not cure one person, or speed up the process in emergency wards. I think that Oberg had some good ideas on health care, although he was certainly not my choice for leader. If you called twenty people and asked them what should be done to make the health care system more streamlined and keep costs down you would get twenty different answers, and unfortunately that is what the government has been getting thousands of times over.
Municipalities face the same thing when they try to charge fees for service, such as garbage collection etc., People think that because they pay taxes everything should be covered but it is not. We need to realize two things, one, that healthcare is not free, and secondly we need to take ownership of our own health as much as possible.
All the candidates are getting varying wish lists from rural and urban Albertans. Urbans want more policing, more freeways, more affordable housing etc. Rurals want a guarantee of a good health care system, an agriculture policy that really works, and decent highways, and all Albertans want clean air, ample and safe water supplies etc.

Pretty tall order for anyone to fill, hopefully after the dust settles on Saturday the man in the 3rd floor at the Leg. is up to the task and has the support of caucus, because regardless of who it is, well over half the new found PC's won't be around for long, in fact I suspect a lot of them will vote Liberal or NDP in the next election.