Blue Like You

Archive for November 10th, 2007

The National Post editorial page has it all today - two smackdowns aimed McGuinty, one at the Red Star, and assorted others.

Dalton McGuinty has been trying to demonstrate action on two files by crying to Ottawa, and not having much success.

In the Post editorial, Harper to cities: ‘Grow up’, we have their reaction to yesterday’s Enquirer-style Toronto Star headline - PM to cities: Drop dead, but the piece is more of a reality check for McGuinty than a criticism of the Star’s crass attempt to grab market-share and/or malign the Prime Minister (which they later attempted to cover up):

And then there is Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, who asks: “Why can’t [Mr. Harper] come to the table and lend direct support to Canadian municipalities?” All of these politicians are getting plenty of encouragement from the Toronto Star, which yesterday ran a banner headline claiming that Mr. Harper told cities to “drop dead.”

The Post also takes a shot at Toronto Mayor David Miller, calling him “whiner-in-chief”. This is what left-wing politicians do best - pander to their union buddies and then upload their whining to the next level of government.

This article closes with the following observation:

It is hard to remember another time when politics in Ontario were this childish. Mr. McGuinty, the mayors and their media cheerleaders are effectively staging a collective temper tantrum until they get a bigger allowance. Mr. Harper isn’t asking them to “drop dead.” He’s asking them to grow up.

Exactly. What McGuinty, Miller et al appear to have forgotten, is that there is only a finite resource of tax dollars to tap. Regular people are losing jobs, while public unions are still living in some kind of Lemming la-la land where reality never seems to intrude. At some point McGuinty and Miller are going to have to say ‘no‘ to their union buddies, and then watch their support plummet!

Another wakeup call for McGuinty in this editorial, Hands off the bank, where the benefits of central-bank independence are itemized. As you know, McGuinty and Charest have been screaming and whining for the government to lower interest rates:

But most agree that money works best, and presents the least peril of catastrophe, when it is kept out of the reach of central planners and politicians with vote-driven agendas. Yet apparently those distinguished financial experts Dalton McGuinty and Jean Charest disagree.

The collapse of the U.S. dollar against our own, they announced on Thursday, is hurting the economies of Ontario and Quebec (even as it helps other provinces). The adjustments will be difficult for workers and executives. Why not just increase the money supply a tad to soften the blow? What could it hurt?

BONUS: Great McGuinty smackdown letter in the Post (Economics 101 for McGuinty) by Charlie Cahill of Ottawa:

Dalton McGuinty says that Stephen Harper “listened to me intently” when the Ontario Premier asked the Prime Minster to lower the Canadian dollar vs. the U.S. dollar.

I doubt that the PM was listening intently. Any Grade 11 student of economics knows that monetary policy is the job of the Bank of Canada with no political interference, as the same article points out so well.

Fiscal policy is the work of the government of the day. Small wonder the PM appeared to “listen intently.” He must have wondered if this man is really fit to be the leader of Ontario since he has shown his ignorance of the most basic part of monetary/fiscal policy.

Harper must also have wondered how on earth McGuinty got another majority government!