There have been flyers, advertisements, every BC Liberal stooge, all the paid economists, Bill Good, cluck cluck...Palmer and Baldrey, Smyth, Leyne, Vancouver Sun, The Province, CKNW, Global, CTV, Shaw,....Chambers of commerce, boards of trade, we have heard from rabblers, babblers, spinners and sinners, we heard from Sam, and despite........
Despite all that propaganda the public in the latest Angus Reid poll ....Nearly 75% are strongly opposed to the HST......The vast majority declare that they will vote against the HST, even low-income earners will vote against the HST, even if it means giving up their quarterly food survival stipend...
Am I missing something, Gordon Campbell and all his spineless jellyfish MLAs stand up and tout the low income supplement, Campbell wears it like a badge of honour, Colin Hansen is as proud as a new young father with a baby, only Hansen`s pride is over the HST, the BC Liberals are proud, the fact that 1.1 million poor destitute living in poverty BCers will receive an HST credit, Campbell and Hansen wear that fact like a badge of honour, look at us, our great province, how on earth can Campbell and Hansen be proud of the fact that 1 in 4 people in B.C. need a suppliment to survive another layer of taxation...
And that`s Campbell`s last gambit to sell his economy killing tax, if you haven`t heard the news, later this month, October27th...Gordon Campbell has booked $100,000.00 dollars plus worth of prime time air time on Global News....1/.2 hour of propaganda, Campbell and his minions are calling it an economic update, now that`s funny, we have idle MLAs not sitting in the Victoria legislature, Gordon Campbell again has single handidly decided there will be no legislative session, nothing to talk about, democracy has been stifled in this Province again, cobwebs and spiders have replaced our representatives and moved into the BC Legislature because Campbell is afraid of questions and legislation yet he has the audacity to spend your money to buy airtime, airtime where he controls the message, a friendly platform where no tough questions will be asked or answered,.......
Do you remember the last televised economic update, I do, in fact Campbell said things like...
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October23/2008 The Televised speech
VICTORIA — Premier Gordon Campbell unveiled a dramatic 10-point economic plan Wednesday that promised cuts to taxes, changes in government spending and even a temporary cut to ferry fares.
In a 12-minute prime-time televised speech in which he struck the most dour tone he has taken on the economy since the beginning of the current global crisis, Campbell introduced a new private-sector pension plan, promised to re-evaluate all government spending and announced he would recall the legislature next month to implement all the necessary changes.
“Today, the world’s financial system is in the grips of the worst crisis in over 75 years,” Campbell said. “World stock markets are reeling, commodity prices are plunging and the world’s financial system is under significant pressure,” he added, saying B.C. is being “impacted by events beyond our control.”
Campbell said the two-per-cent personal income tax cut that took effect on July 1 would be made retroactive to the beginning of this year.
He said a three-per-cent personal tax cut that had been planned for January will also be made retroactive to the beginning of 2008, giving British Columbians a total tax cut of five per cent for this year.
The two tax cuts were initially envisioned to offset Campbell’s carbon tax, a climate action measure that is set to rise incrementally in the coming years.
Campbell did not announce any changes to the carbon tax, though he estimated the accelerated tax cuts would return an extra $144 million to the taxpayers of B.C.
The premier also said he would cut small business taxes one percentage point to 2.5 per cent effective Dec. 1, which he said would save $146 million for small businesses over three years.
He announced a voluntary pension plan for the estimated 75 per cent of private-sector workers who do not have access to a plan through their employers.
There was nothing that appeared to offer relief directly to B.C.’s struggling forest sector.
“British Columbians have every reason to be confident about their future,” Campbell said.
“We have faced tough times before and come through with flying colours. This time will be no different,” he added.
The rare prime-time address struck a much more dramatic tone than Campbell’s government has been sounding in recent weeks on the ability of the provincial economy to weather the global financial storm.
Finance Minister Colin Hansen told reporters in mid-September, the day the Wall Street firm Lehman Brothers collapsed, “
We’re saying to British Columbians that while we have challenges on the economic front, we continue to have a strong economy; strong revenues that flow into government.
“We still see our forecast economic growth in British Columbia to be higher than pretty much any other jurisdiction in North America, and we expect that will continue,” Hansen said then.
The B.C. government had projected it would have a cushion of more than $1.7 billion this fiscal year — comprising a surplus and a $750 million forecast allowance — that it could translate into everything from tax cuts to extra spending.
Hansen did not update those numbers Wednesday, but acknowledged the turmoil of the past month.
“The world has changed very dramatically since Sept. 12,” Hansen said.
Campbell told reporters after the speech that the plan is meant to give people money they can use to keep the economy strong.
“
I think the bottom line is want to make sure we put more money into the economy,” he said.
“We’ve watched as our province has gone through difficult times before and when you put more money in people’s pockets, more money in small business, more money into the industrial sector, I think that actually stabilizes the economy and helps people make choices for themselves,” he said.
“We know tax cuts drive healthy economic activity.”
NDP leader Carole James said she was disappointed with the measures and thought much of what was announced lacked detail and fell short of what British Columbians wanted to see.
“I think tonight was more about the premier trying to repair his image than it was about repairing the challenges in the economy and addressing the challenges working families are facing,” James said.
“He missed the biggest opportunity, to address the biggest new tax that this government has brought in, which was the gas tax,” she said.
“He’s left the gas tax in place and it was a huge disappointment.”
The entire program is estimated to cost $485 million over the next three years.
The personal income taxes are estimated to mean an extra $56 for someone making $40,000 per year, and $140 for someone who makes $70,000.
Early business reaction was positive.
Helmut Pastrick, chief economist for Central 1 Credit Union, said while the tax cuts and acceleration of capital spending were expected, he was happy with the unlimited deposit insurance for credit union deposits.
“It certainly helps alleviate concerns individuals may have with their deposits,” he said, adding that some other provinces have already taken similar measures. “It’s quite likely ... that the federal government will go in that direction as well.”
The construction industry was pleased that infrastructure spending will be accelerated.
“The industry is slowing down. There’s certainty about some costs, more availability of labour, so taxpayers will get more value for their money now,” said Philip Hochstein, who speaks for independent contractors. “Speeding up and increasing infrastructure spending is exactly the right move.”
On the consumer side, Mark Startup, president of Retail BC, said the personal income tax cuts were very positive because they will leave British Columbians with more money to spend.
Startup said he was also happy about changes to provincial sales tax rules.
“It sounds like a small benefit, but at this time, as retailers are buckling down for choppy seas, a $25-million benefit is well received,” he said.
Marc Lee, senior economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, was critical of the Campbell’s speech, saying the government needs to start talking about deficits, not tax cuts.
“That’s a political no-go zone ... but everybody is talking about deficits right now and they need to be pretty sizable given the storm that’s coming is huge,” Lee said.
“The premier is suggesting a modest retouching of the living room, when we have a hurricane coming that threatens to blow the house down.”
Lee said he didn’t see anything that would benefit low-income families and those most vulnerable.
“The mindset that we always have to balance the budget means that if revenues really take a sharp drop-off, then government will have to cut spending,” he said. “That’s only going to make the underlying situation worse.
He said said accelerated spending on infrastructure should include climate change, which could be addressed by building up public transit infrastructure.
While Campbell’s address was meant to respond to global financial uncertainty, it is also precedes two byelections — in Vancouver-Fairview and Vancouver-Burrard — to be held next week, and a general election next May 12.
Veteran political observer Norman Ruff said before Campbell’s speech he thought Campbell had taken lessons from the U.S. and Canadian federal elections, in which voters have demanded candidates demonstrate a firm grasp of economic issues.
Ruff said Campbell can improve the economic outlook for B.C., but added that the speech’s role in the pre-election agenda cannot be understated.
“There is a civic role to play here, so it’s partly that, but one can’t forget he’s a premier facing a general election in May, not to mention the two byelections next week,” Ruff said.
“One doesn’t have to be an old hard cynic to realize this is the kickoff for the May 2009 election.”
The above highlights and lowlights was from Campbell`s televised speech in 2008, followed with some commentary from pundits....The Story was from Johnathon
Fowlie
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Now where was I....Let me slice and dice what Campbell said and did on October23/2008....
Gordon Campbell doubled the fee paid to small business to collect the PST, a move that was worth $25 million dollars to small business, ...But guess what, with the HST not only is that additional fee not paid to small business, small business with the HST now get paid ZERO dollars to collect tax, the additional and original fee has been stripped from small business, a $50 million dollar hit.
Campbell talked about a new pension?...That has vanished from the "radar"....But more importantly, the so-called income tax cuts, they were announced before the HST, and oh what large cuts they were, someone earning $60,000.00 per year with the announced income tax cuts was to save $60 dollars per year, and guess what, those tax cuts were to offset the Gordon Campbell carbon tax, yet now Hansen and Campbell are calling the same tax cuts that took place in early 2009 and July 2010 as offsetting the HST, which is it? the last 2 income tax cuts were announced at the 2008 televised speech, one took effect in 2009 the other in 2010.....And look what else Campbell said after that speech, .....Campbell talked about consumer confidence, he talked how the best way to stimulate the economy was to and I quote..." They best way to stimulate the economy is to put more money in consumers hands"
That was then, yet after our last election Campbell reached into your pockets for $2 billion dollars per year tax hit, a direct lie, a massive flip flop, before the election tiny tax cuts, after the election $2 billion dollar tax hit, per year, the largest new tax in B.C. history.....and what do we have to show for it, the food industry is down, forestry is reeling, tourism is flat, cross border shopping is rampant, businesses on our side of the border have been crushed, the consumer have pulled back and we have lost thousands of jobs, that is the result of the HST, ....The reason I put Campbell`s 2008 televised speech for you to peruse is....
Look at all the contradictions, look how Campbell gave to small business then took it back plus more, look how Campbell gave a $60 dollar income tax break to offset the carbon tax only to take $2000 dollars more each year in the form of HST....Look how Campbell said the best way to stimulate the economy was to put money in consumers pockets yet after the election Campbell flip flopped and is taking $2 billion dollars or more per year from consumers, .......Look what Hansen said in that 2008 economic speech, all his budget lie numbers on display, the imaginary surplus, how great BC is compared to any other jurisdiction in the world.
So that`s the deal folks, Gordon Campbell rather than being able to speak for free and address the very serious concerns BCers have in our Legislature has decided to spend $hundreds of thousands of dollars on a televised speech, a speech where Campbell will go out of his way to scare the 1.1 million BCers living in poverty ...He will talk about the removal of the cheque, Campbell will stand tall and be proud of his flock of poor people who get a little cheque four times a year for food,......
No folks, Gordon Campbell won`t open the legislature, Campbell won`t talk how the HST cheque is to make people living in poverty whole, Campbell will act and sound like a proud father, proud of the low income HST, Campbell will come across in a tone of celebration, yes siree Bob, the premier will tell the 1.1 million starving people in B.C. that receive this life sustaining offsetting HST rebate that they should be dancing a jig in the streets!
B.C. tourism is on the ropes, B.C. auto sales are down, restaurants are laying off thousands, BCers heading south to Washington state is up 60% , Watcom county is reporting the sale of retail goods to BCers up a staggering 55% since the HST....The HST fraud is hurting the economy, the Michael Campbell`s, the Michael Levy`s, Fraser institute, Jack Mintz, Colin Hansen, .....They talk of job losses for 5 years because of the HST, they talk about how it will take a decade to see positive results from the HST, it`s all hooey, it`s a fraud, there is no way to quantify jobs and investment after a decade and point to the HST as the catalyst, it`s voodoo economics......
Without the HST, over 10 years the BC consumer would inject $20 billion more dollars into the economy, how many jobs would $20 billion create, ...a heck of lot more than taking $20 billion dollars out....
It`s all perfectly clear why Gordon Campbell is a 3 and according to the latest Angus Reid poll......
Gordon Campbell has achieved an all time low approval rating of 9%, No Premier in the history of B.C. has ever polled that low, that includes Glen Clark and Vander Zalm at their lowest points in their careers!.......That means that less ...LESS ...
LESS than 1 person in 10 approve of Gordon Campbell.........I wonder how long the media will support Campbell and the HST, because according to the latest poll numbers, the only people in the Province supporting the Campbell Liberals are the media!
You can read the latest poll here
The Straight Goods
Cheers-Eyes Wide Open
