All of our governments have exemplified a college girl on a shopping frenzy

BY STEVEN KASZAB

Last week Canadian Premiers met the Prime Minister to discuss healthcare. The Premiers had their hands out as usual, demanding billions of dollars.

Sure, all our governments have exemplified a college girl on a shopping frenzy, spending as much of daddy’s money as humanly possible without feeling any guilt. Over the last few years, our government has been borrowing and spending well over a trillion dollars trying to achieve set goals such as:

• Rebuilding the very roads, building and bridges we travel on each day
• Trying to decrease unemployment with the application of job creation schemes
• Due to the pandemic, buy safety tools, have vaccines fabricated and made available to us all
• Give each and every member of the federal public sector wage hikes
• Buy new equipment to replace many aged planes, trains and automobiles

COVID-19 gave as well as it took away. In some instances, it took our freedom of choice and many people’s health and lives too. It gave CERB to individuals and businesses to try and survive the pandemic’s effects and the government’s responses to fight it. We had relatively low interest rates, giving those who bank little returns, but also allowing others to cheaply borrow.

Then those who run our financial institutions declared an end to the serious part of the pandemic. You can get sick, but possibly not die from it. The money markets, banking institutions and Federal Bank decided to jump start the economy by raising interest rates as a way to control inflation and drive prices downward. They wanted to get back to normal business. What they created was a schizophrenic economy, unable to function and grow as they so hoped.

Inflation dropped slowly while many prices, particularly those of essential items, rose non-stop. Sure the price of a house dropped a bit, but what you needed for dinner increased. Our politicians felt the need to act, and so they did, while they live outside of the lifestyle most of us experience.

In fact, federal authorities are chasing those who may have received more than was their right, pursuing individuals and businesses that have claimed CERB while possibly not deserving to receive it. Various provincial governments and municipalities have increased their taxes and service charges drastically. The federal government refuses to give billions to provinces who cannot or are unwilling to prove where the funds are going.

The light that is at the end of the tunnel has arrived, and those in need will especially feel its bright denying lights.

What do governments do when the books need to be cleaned up? Look at the Mike Harris government for example. Winning the election, defeating a N.D.P. administration who tried to spend funds on progressively accepted services, the Conservatives of old cut and denied services to those most in need, closing institutions and hospitals so that the books could be balanced. Very different from the Ford Conservatives you may say? Ford’s Conservatives are sitting on billions of dollars given to them by the federal government to fight COVID-19. While Premier Ford is in many ways a Liberal minded conservative, he is a conservative nonetheless.

The Big Giveaway has ended. The new words in Queens Park (Ontario) or any local or state government will be: moderation, restraint, financial moderation or perhaps cost control. The government will spend millions of dollars to persuade us that costs are too high; the public’s pocket book is bare. It is time for a little restraint folks. What is interesting is that the spendthrifts tell those who pay the bills it’s time to open our wallets with humility.