So Christy Clark squeezed herself into the Premier's chair in BC.
Quite remarkable actually. Considering her silence on the BC Rail issue. Yes, it seems that is still an issue except for many of the people of Point Grey, who probably never took a train into BC's interior in their lives. Maybe they are just Palm Springs people. I don't know.
But we have a new Premier who seems to be hoping the people of BC will forget Gordon Campbell, and indeed that she was even part of his government.
We have noticed that most of the radio talk shows, both of our so called newspapers, TV News hours and many other media outlets are pretending the issues with the Liberal government are over. They poopoo any talk of the past with scolding comments of 'moving on'.
Well the news outlets want fresh news, and we don't have a real investigative reporter anywhere within our news media system. Sorry, but I am old, I remember Jack Webster and Simma Holt.
Mz Clark is working hard to convey an image of newness in her new (old) government. She and her shopworn colleagues are putting themselves forward as the new Liberals, even though the faces remain etched on the bathroom walls of deceit.
You see, that IS the issue. Only one Liberal has stepped away in shame. All the others pretend they had nothing to do with the actions under Campbell. These are the same people who voted 84% support of him one week before he stepped down in humiliation.
So Christy Clarke is asking us to trust her. That she will look out for us. Save our families. Guard our future. Yet too many questions remain. Most of them embarrassing. And too many more are emerging. There are way too many doubts about how well we really are.
The HST is great for British Columbians. That line has been heralded for months, yet a new report claims otherwise. That it will hurt us. Us people. Yes we know it will be good for companies. They will save millions in accounting costs. I would like to see a list of the larger corporations operating in BC, just to see ownership and where they send THEIR profits. Whenever a big business tells me something is good for me, I am naturally suspect that it is exactly the opposite!
Our new Premier has effectively shut down all discussion about BC Rail. In spite of her suspected involvement in the scandal. In spite of her government paying the guilty parties six million dollar lawyers' fees! Can we trust a premier with this kind of evasiveness? Do we just let a massive deception like this melt away? Do we let them get away with their scam?
Clark refused to attend any all candidates' meetings during her short run up to the by election. Was she afraid of prickly questions? Or was it just plain arrogance? Learned from following the attitude of her mentor, Gordon Campbell?
We know nothing of her plans for Run-of-River Private Power Projects, even though information is surfacing that they will hurt the BC economy in favour of foreign profits.
And we wonder what she is planning for BC Hydro, the jewel of BC utilities?
We know nothing about her stance on the foreign owned fish farms and the Liberal denial that they could be destroying our natural sockeye salmon fishery. Once one of the wonders of the world! Do we allow a resource to perish in favour of foreign profits?
It was the attitude of the Liberals toward the people of BC that brought them down in my mind. Sending 430 million dollars to German families to build our BC Ferries instead of using our own competent shipbuilders was yet another slap in our faces. Those Germans bought fridges and stoves and cars and holidays for their families, spent their money in German communities while British Columbians were left wondering.
There are so many questions that no one will answer. If a government evades a confrontation with the electorate, the voters have no choice but to assume the worst. That is human nature. Especially if you have a history of deception, arrogance and scandal. Her stealthy handlers successfully kept her away from any uncontrolled contact with an inquiring public. From anyone who might inadvertently ask an embarrassing question.
Christy Clark will probably spend a ton of OUR money on trying to get us to buy into the HST. They she will go into a general election, hoping for redemption for her party.
My only point about the HST over the former PST, is that we in this province control a PST.
Provincial Sales Tax. With the HST we simply send all the money to Ottawa. And you know from the last federal election result that most of that money will be funnelled into Quebec. I would chose to have our sovereignty intact and not relinquish a power we desperately need to keep the hard earned tax money of BCers remaining in OUR province.
I am not against Liberals at all. This argument would be the same regardless of what party had been in power. But I do believe we need to throw out these people, simply to force them to start afresh. We need to give someone else a chance, yes, even the NDP, or Conservatives or BC First if it falls to them. Then the Liberals can come back as truly fresh faces and try to win us all over again.
But for now, I have seen nothing in these same old Liberals that warrants my vote. I simply don't believe anything they say. It's a trust issue.
The washroom graffiti needs a good scrubbing.
And some politicians need their mouths washed out with soap.