Barnes quick with complaints, slow with solutions
By Letter to the Editor on November 23, 2018.
Re: “This economy needs a new mechanic,” Nov. 21. How wonderful Mr. Barnes believes that he can clear up all the red tape regarding the Trans Mountain and Keystone pipelines. His article indicates that he has power to overrule an American judge. Maybe he doesn’t realize that Canada has no control over judges in foreign countries. He also indicates that he can countermand a Canadian judge who stopped the Trans Mountain by enforcing Canadian law. Good for him. I don’t believe it. It is unfortunate that Barnes did not take Economics 101 while in school. It teaches that the more something costs the less of it will be used. Companies are always looking at their bottom line and change things that cost them money. If emissions are costing too much they will find ways to reduce/end that cost. This is how the carbon tax will reduce emissions. But, alas, he missed Econ101. If Barnes has a conscience, he would be more worried about the world he will leave to his grandchildren instead of demanding we continue to wreak havoc on the environment to have jobs today. Asking future generations to clean up a mess we know is putting their future in doubt is unconscionable. I can’t help but notice that in the several articles that Barnes has written, he has not offered a single suggestion to correct all the woes he complains about. He is very good at complaining in a manner that fully misleads the reader. Mike Beaton Medicine Hat 10-9
Couldn’t agree more. Barnes has an almost Trumpian knack for trying to stir up his base and keep them riled so he can stay elected. He’ll say absolutely anything to stay where he’s at. I still recall when he ran under the now defunct Wildrose party his favorite scapegoat was the “progressive” conservatives, saying things like they keep doctors out of the hat and de-fund our healthcare system. Now he joins with them and sings Kenny’s praises like a good trained monkey. That should tell you all you need to know about him.
Mike Beaton has nailed it. We are sick and tired of these Reformers, who have never been a true conservative hurling their sarcastic comments at the NDP and Liberal governments while they offer nothing that won’t make our situation a lot worse.
Kenney recently promised the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce that he will slash taxes for corporations and says we should cut back oil production. What a wonderful idea, let’s help his rich friends become a lot richer and put a lot more Albertans out of work, while the NDP is desperately trying to create jobs, by spending, and get us out of this mess by increasing taxes and royalties. The oilmen I talk to have no respect at all for Kenney and consider him to be a disaster waiting to happen, like Harper was.
All along Kenney has promised to bring back the Good Old Ralph Klein days, which put us in this financial mess in the first place. He claims he will fix everything by slashing government spending by dumping the costs onto the backs of the people, with a lot more privatization, like his hero Ralph Klein did, how is that going to be good for us? His plans for a lot more privatization of health care is something doctors state will be a disaster for all of us, which of course it will, just ask my American relatives.
In addition he is promising to privatize the Treasury Branches a huge mistake. Being a retired bank manager I know how valuable the Treasury Branches have been to our small rural communities. They have provided banking services for small farm communities , where big banks won’t go or where big banks have pulled out of. Not only will all their staff lose their jobs, but rural Albertans will be forced to drive many miles to do their banking. Once again it will be seniors who will be the biggest losers. But then Reformers have never been about creating jobs they only care about looking after their own well being and that of their rich friends, just like Klein did and Kenney is promising to do.
Great write up Mike, I agree with all of you in regards to Mr Barne’s whose perception of economics goes back to his days as a realtor, the days where he would have two or three family’s suing him at the same time because of his crooked ways. Promises that sounded to good to be true, that went unanswered after the sale.
Mr Barnes is a dangerous individual, lets hope he stays in the gutter where he belongs and not given real power to damage any more families.
Just to prove how ignorant these reformers are, the Federal Conservatives have stated, on Edmonton news this morning, that the Alberta Government hasn’t provided our farmers and ranchers with enough protection to fight the crimes in their areas, yet it was their buddy Jason Kenney who voted against the NDP for providing extra funding to do just that.
Re: UCP MLAs vote against funding rural crime-fighting RCMP Officers” and “UCP paid lip-service to rural crime victims voted against action to fight rural crime”. I hope you will pull them up and read them.
I think you would agree it doesn’t make them look very smart. Kenney has proven he doesn’t care about rural Albertans. He’s quit willing to destroy your health care services, with privatization, banking services with privatization, and doesn’t give a damn about the criminal activity in your areas.
He obviously thinks he can get away with doing it, expecting rural Albertans to automatically vote conservative, like they have for years. I think he is making a huge mistake.