"Fiscal Conservatives"

[brokenpine284]

The liebral party of Alberta is a cabal of self-serving self-appointed elitists. Because they think they know better. No rational person in this province buys the propaganda that they spew.

Come to think about it, I could just as well be talking about the current government. This ad, and the PC's recent shallow swipes at the WRA are both a tell they know they are both going to be punished during the next general election.

[KMAN6000]

This is nonsense I am a fiscal conservative however I am a social liberal. I believe in balanced budgets, lower taxes, limited smaller government, more free open markets, small scale capitalism. I think sometimes fiscal conservatism is abandoned and stephen harper and george w. bush have done that.

[mtanara]

Alberta Liberals have not been linked to the federal party in quite some time now...look into it.

[6670skycat]

you are right. Alberta Liberals and Federal are not one and the same

[Canucklug]

Sure Reagan would have restrained spending if their Congress and Senate had shared his views. Bush wasn't a fiscal conservative - read 'Compassionate Conservativism' which he wrote the foreward to. Clinton had a republican congress holding the pursestrings.

Mulroney was handed the double digit inflation and interest rates and a debt load whose interest payments were straining and turned it around. Chretien and Mulroney were great.

No denying that Harper's been growing the government.

[Canucklug]

That might have something to do with all those fiscal hawks who tried to bring down the government over it's lack of spending though.

Lets see a Harper majority :)

[TheElMoIsEviL]

Canucklug, Presidents have the power to VETO any legislation. Of course Congress can overside the VETO with a two-thirds majority in both houses of congress but the odds of that happening are next to none.

"fiscal conservatism" does not exist. Once in power, conservatives spend and their spending rarely helps "the people" in the form of social programs.

[TheElMoIsEviL]

Tommy Douglas proved the "fiscal conservatives" wrong by balancing the budget in his own province all the while offering the people far more services.

The Tax and Spend Liberal is a myth. Those who are "taxed" are generally the wealthiest while 95% of the rest of the population rarely get a tax hike under a more "liberal" government (usually it is "fiscal conservatives" who raise taxes on the working poor and middle class).

[6670skycat]

David Swann is a solid, mature, grounded, with integrity, inner strength, a good listener, has common sense, and knows the issues.The conservatives have shown no balance.When that happens, someone suffers.David Swann is the most sensible person of all the party leaders I have seen in Alberta.

We can't do worse and I believe with him we can do better.

[canucknorth]

Most people are not very well informed about politics. For example, they hear conservatives constantly ranting about spending and social programs and they assume conservatives spend less. In fact, conservative administrations have left huge deficits. In Canada, liberal governments have left surpluses in recent history anyway. I guess it's a case of "repeat something often enough and people will believe it".

[powe2550]

mcburgerd,

Chretien, Martin, and Clinton took deficits and turned them into surpluses. How are they not "paragons of fiscal conservatism"?

[Unkn0wnGuy]

What are the liberals complaining about? Stelmach has proven himself to be the biggest liberal in Alberta. I can't wait until the conservatives kick him out.

[bikenik]

Better yet, what are you talking about Unkn0wn? How come all Liberals get 'branded' with the label of spendthrifts? Provide us - if you please - with the raft of Liberal governments beyond the Trudeau era of the 1970's that have left the public purse with record deficits.

[Unkn0wnGuy]

I'm not part of the right-left paradigm, instead I observe based on my beliefs, and I believe in less government, which is traditionally a conservative believe. Liberals (and they aren't the only ones... conservatives have been just as bad) like to increase social programs which in turn costs the taxpayer more money. We certainly don't need that now, and stelmach certainly doesn't fit the conservative brand of less government and controlled spending.

I would love to see Ralph back.

[kyleevans5]

the ominous background music gives me the shivers!

[mcburgerd]

It's nice to see someone finally point out the obvious, that so-called 'fiscal conservatives' are anything but. The only leaders in North America that could balance the economy were Jean Chretien, Paul Martin and Bill Clinton.

[mendelbot]

mcburgerd, I'd be interested in learning the factual basis behind that. And you're right in a way, it's clear many politicians are hypocrites. However, I have my doubts as to whether those three were really the paragons of fiscal conservatism.

[universalradio]

Good one!