Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site dciem.UUCP Path: utzoo!dciem!mmt From: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor) Newsgroups: can.politics,net.politics Subject: Re: Canada and Deficits Message-ID: <1010@dciem.UUCP> Date: Tue, 31-Jul-84 15:44:53 EDT Article-I.D.: dciem.1010 Posted: Tue Jul 31 15:44:53 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 31-Jul-84 20:53:31 EDT References: <727@ubc-ean.CDN> Organization: D.C.I.E.M., Toronto, Canada Lines: 29 J.B.Robinson correctly identifies the Liberals as the governing party for most of the last 20 years, and equally correctly notes that they never "blamed" the US for the good state of the Canadian economy when both were doing well. How many political parties would you expect to say "The economy is great, but we are not responsible?" By innuendo, if not directly, he claims that a PC (Progressive-Conservative, though the reason for "Progressive" has long been lost in history) government would have reduced the deficit and provided a better economic climate when Reagan sent the US economy into a tailspin. I think the Liberals are bunch of opportunists, but their main error was to steal too much of the PC program and ideas, which was exactly the opposite to what needs to be done for the economy. Uncritical spending restraint can itself deepen a government deficit, just as much as injudicious overspending can. In my view, poorly judged restraint is just what we have had these last few years, and the huge deficit is a natural result. The PC's are just as much a bunch of opportunists as the Liberals; every time they lose one or two elections, they blame their leader and get a new one who looks better on TV. Joe Clark was probably the best leader they have had since WWI, and it is only because of his efforts that their present TV star has any chance of becoming Prime Minister. The only person who talks sense more than 10% of the time in the present election is Ed Broadbent, but how many people don't listen because "he's a Socialist"? -- Martin Taylor {allegra,linus,ihnp4,uw-beaver,floyd,ubc-vision}!utzoo!dciem!mmt