There is a new guest blog posted today on Reboot Alberta by Dave King. Dave is one of the founders and organizers on the gathering of Progressives that is happening in late November. Dave says "We need to reject the politics of fear, confrontation and intimidation."
With the current and coming budget pressures, many citizens, civil society organizations and community- based service provider agencies are feeling fearful. They fear their funders and if they will have the resouces needed to do their jobs for some of the most vulnerable in our society. There is significant anticipation of a confrontation attitude and personal intimidation from the provincial government as it promises to cut $2B next fiscal to deal with its expected budget shortfall of $7B.
Part of that stated $7B budget anticipated shortfall seems to be made up of some smoke and mirrors. It includes the paper losses from stock price declines in the Heritage Savings and Trust investment portfolio. Those losses are not real or crystalized, as the Accountants like to say, unless the equities are sold out of the fund. That is not happening or likely to happen any time soon. Those capital devaluations not cash drains on the Alberta Treasury but they are made to appear that way in the messaging doming out of government. It appears to be a tactic to enable the province to return to fiscal folly of the mid 90's of massive versus brutal cuts as Stelmach has decided to shift farther right fiscally in response to the Wildrose Alliance Party.
The market has recovered significantly since that last deficit calculation was done. It will be interesting to see what the Third QTR numbers will show for Alberta's budget status as at the end of December. We will know in January 2010 so pay attention Alberta to what the next deficit calculation is and how they arrive at it.
King also says "We are not well served by the politics of selfishness, exclusivity, immediate gratification and harsh judgement." He calls for a new politics of "...hope, cooperation and respect...(based on) community and the public, incluson and diversity, the long term and affirmation."
This made me think of the astonishing immorality of the Calgary Flames Hockey team jumping the H1N1 flu shot que. It was well known the flushot clinics were being shut down just as the players, teams executives all got private preference for flu shots. They must have known of the vaccine supply shortages and the well publicized preferential needs of pregnant women and young children who run the greatest H1N1 risk. Where was the sense of community and cooperation by the team management and leadership when they showed such a misplaced sense of entitlement that they get to ignore the greater good? How did this get past the provincial government and will we ever see some accountability for this deplorable behaviour? There is lots of blame to go around and Albertans can't let it be swept under the political carpet.
There is so much more thoughtful commentary in Dave's blog post. I highly recommend you read it. Here is the link.
A key phrase you use is "smoke and mirrors."
ReplyDeleteThe manipulation of facts prevents everyone from dealing with the issues in a realistic way.
Some how or other they got caught on the Flames flu fiasco! I like it .
Can you clarify? Who are you saying is artificially raising the budget deficit?
ReplyDeletePCs or opposition?
Thanks
Jarrett Leinweber
Well, Ken we can relax as we now have “accountability” for the Fames immunizations. Actually we have more accountability than is being announced by the official communications arm of AHS and the Minister’s/Premier’s communications people. In fact two people lost their jobs. A middle manager and a front line manager. But not to worry. They are probably not influentials in the Party. They certainly don’t have the heft of the managers of the professional hockey team or the involved physicians who were prepared to pull rank to achieve their ends. They aren’t important like the upper management team of the "super" system who have been planning on the fly on this one. Multiple different plans, sometimes more than one a week, certainly provides clarity to the front lines. Even better news these folks won’t get the massive severance packages of previous CEOs or even the present one, when the disgust over his confrontational management style will finally boil over. No, these two folks were expendable. That they have spent the last several weeks working 15 hour days to organize and man clinics is merely a blip in a project management resource chart. That these folks would have worked through this crisis only to have to implement an announced 30% cut in the public health budget for their city is simply a result of a budgetary challenge. Of course we don’t have to worry at all about morale in the front lines, because in health care we all know that mistakes allow us to learn and do better and should not be punished. No, now peace has returned to the Party. We have shown leadership. “Nothing to see here folks, time to move on.”
ReplyDeleteHere is talk of change and rebooting. Rebooting it is, when old politicians who had their day continually reboot instead of stepping aside and mentoring the young activists who are involving themselves at other levels.
ReplyDelete