[bootlegga]

OnTheIce OnTheIce:

Robair Robair:

No rainy day funds required, huh?

You can't have a 'rainy day fund' when you owe billions and you pay billions on that money owed.

It makes more fiscal sense to pay off your debts and dip back into debt if there's a need.

If that's the case, why increase spending AND institute tax cuts at the same time, in an effort to get rid of the surplus? It would have made far more sense to keep the surplus and use it to pay off our debt. When the Conservatives paid $13 billion (or thereabouts) last year on the debt, they saved us $500 million in interest payments.

Wouldn't it make sense to keep the surplus and hammer at the debt every year? $500 million can fund a lot of artists, political parties, or whatever.

[Robair]

That's just it. You have people screaming about "huge" surpluses, but they are nowhere near the deficits we're looking at. If bad times call for huge deficits, the good times call for a huge surplus.

You have to balance the checkbook. Cutting the GST when they did was stupid.

[bootlegga]

Proculation Proculation:

In 2 to 3 years, we will loose all the effort we made on the debt for 12 years... Thanks Harper !

In fairness, it's not entirely his fault. He can't be blamed for the global economy.

What is his fault is for not having a safety net under us when the rug was pulled out from under us. There was nothing wrong with cutting taxes (although he should have cut income tax, not a consumption tax) OR increasing spending.

His error was doing both at the same time. That is his fault entirely.

[ryan29]

now that the liberals think deficits are a bad thing , are they going to start calling for other finance ministers removals as well , what about Dwight Duncan from Ontario , he's running a big deficit , maybe he should be asked to quit too . its only fair if they think Flaherty is doing such a bad job that others also doing a bad job by there way of thinking should also be taking some heat .

[Wally_Sconce]

Why don't we allow the Liberal's track record to speak for itself? The Liberal party has been in the financial dumps for years, and they have learned to rely on taxpayer money to support them.

[Proculation]

What's funny too is that the liberals voted for the budget, they want to spend more on infrastructure, auto industries, IE, etc but 5 minutes after they rage against the deficit....

[2Cdo]

Proculation Proculation:

What's funny too is that the liberals voted for the budget, they want to spend more on infrastructure, auto industries, IE, etc but 5 minutes after they rage against the deficit....

Like Dion spending ten minutes completely destroying a Conservative budget but then admitted he would support it. He was his own worst enemy, every time he spoke the Conservative support increased.

[DerbyX]

They also voted for a budget that was some 16 billion less in debt. Considering the conservatives consider themselves the only fiscally responsible government and every body else "tax and spend" it smacks of hypocrisy that suddenly the deficit is a good thing and necessary.

[Proculation]

Politics rhymes with hypocrisy, you should know !

[2Cdo]

DerbyX DerbyX:

They also voted for a budget that was some 16 billion less in debt. Considering the conservatives consider themselves the only fiscally responsible government and every body else "tax and spend" it smacks of hypocrisy that suddenly the deficit is a good thing and necessary.

I agree that it isn't a good thing, but sometimes it is the lessor of two evils.

[Wally_Sconce]

finance minister Jack Layton was the greater of two evils

[DerbyX]

So was what Chretien did back in 93 yet I don't read about any conservative giving him the same consideration.

[Wally_Sconce]

Was Chretien in the exact same situation?

[DerbyX]

A massive deficit and debt to deal with. Soaring unemployment, a very weak dollar and the economy in a recession.

I'd say yes.

[Proculation]

a weak dollar is good for jobs.