Budget Thoughts

There's nothing like a federal budget to bring out my schizophrenia.
Scratch that: there's nothing like this federal budget to bring out my schizophrenia.

Anyone who's been poking around this here Breadbin for any length of time knows I was raised conservative, if not Conservative, and have become more and more progressive is many (but not all) respects. Such an animal as I, when confronted with Harper's conundrum of a budget, is apt to twirl himself into a tizzy.

ITEM: TAX CUTS

Last year I railed against the Liberals' infamous proclamation that parents would blow Harper's child care allowance on "beer and popcorn". I still believe that parents are much better qualified to raise their children than a government could ever be, but at least now I understand where that comment was coming from.
I used to parrot the right-wing mantra that taxes are my money, damnit: give it back. Indeed, some days I'm still apt to say that out loud, usually when I see some egregious example of government waste and incompetence I've come to realize that we pay taxes for a reason: to fund all those things we're loath to pay for on our own. There are a lot of things that fall into that category...left to our own devices, it's a good bet we'd blow our dough on trivialities and items that, sadly, "enrich" ourselves without enriching society. Accordingly, I have no trouble paying taxes, so long as that money's doing something useful.
I think that in this one way I'm actually becoming more and more like an average Canadian. Certainly the majority of Canadians are happier with broad-based spending rather than broad-based tax cuts.
The Toronto SUN seems to hate this budget, hurling the worst epithet in their arsenal: "Liberal, Tory, same old story." By this they mean they are incensed that Harper's increased spending by some nine percent and neglected to cut taxes by any "meaningful" amount. But they concede that politically, this budget is "brilliant".
The Toronto Star's Thomas Walkom, examining the budget from the sinister side of the political spectrum (my inner neocon loves Latin, in this instance) also seems to hate this budget (while calling it "politically clever") and he proves that you can find secret agendas everywhere if you're absolutely wedded to them.
The Kitchener-Waterloo RECORD, owned by the Star and usually at least as left-wing, surprised me with their editorial, entitled "Smart budget, brilliant politics". The first paragraph reads as follows:

"The hidden agenda of Stephen Harper is finally out in the open for everyone to see: After 14 months in power, after Canadians coast to coast have worried, whispered and speculated what he is really about, the Prime Minister has dropped his mask and revealed in every paragraph and page of the latest federal government (sic) the deepest desire of his Conservative party. And that desire is nothing more nor less than re-election."

The plaudits continue: "serious, sensible"..."positive benefits are considerable"..."deserves to pass". I just know that's going to provoke a flood of letters to the editor from people who didn't pay any attention to the budget beyond the fact the evil Conservatives authored it. Of course it's all about re-election, they'll say. He gets elected with a majority and he'll destroy the country. Mark my words, somebody's going to say that.

But then I get to thinking. What are the so-called good points here? For one thing, the document purports to solve the much-ballyhooed "fiscal imblalance". That's government code for taxes are my money, damnit: give it back. See, here's where my inner right-winger makes an appearance--and where I wish Harper's inner right-winger had. There is too much government in this country, too much by half, and it really gets my goat when one level of government bleats to another about a lack of funds. Who cares who does what? Just get it done, already! And live within your means while you're doing it!

On the plus side, there is a new gas-guzzler levy of up to $4,000 on SUVs, while you can get a rebate on an energy-efficient vehicle of up to $2,000. That's the way to go. Things like this ought to be expanded. Of course, anybody that can afford a Hummer isn't going to balk at an additional $4,000, but I'm Grit-picking here.

The almost-unanimous consensus is that Harper's budget is designed to appeal to middle-class parents and Quebecers. I say "almost unanimous" because, as expected, Stephane Dion (a Quebecer) has a different take. I watched him on Global National last night repeatedly say there was "almost nothing" in this budget: "almost nothing" for cities, "almost nothing" for families, "almost nothing" for the middle class, and so and on so forth. Gee, Stephane, $233000000000.00 is a whole hell of a lot of "almost nothing".

The Bloc has said it will support Harper, so his government won't fall just yet. In crafting a budget almost indistinguishable from one a Liberal Minister of Finance might table, Harper has made it very difficult for the Opposition to criticize substantively.

And that, of course, was his intent all along. I think I find myself once again in the camp of most Canadians, unsure about where Harper's going but willing to concede he's doing an okay job.