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Careful what you wish for
Posted on May 20, 2015 by Taber TimesPoll
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It Ain’t the Things The NDP Doesn’t Know That’ll Get Us Into Trouble – It’s the Things They Know That Ain’t So. This could be the NDP slogan – would be, in fact, if they were more self-aware.
They “know” that government should be controlling the means of production and the distribution of resources. They don’t know that the high standard of living enjoyed in democracies is mostly thanks to the free market system producing and allocating goods and services. They “know” that government creates wealth. They don’t know, won’t admit, or don’t care that government doesn’t create wealth. It usurps and misallocates it. They “know” government has lots of money. They don’t know that government doesn’t have any money of its own. It’s all from taxpayers. They “know” that businesses don’t pay enough taxes. They don’t know that businesses don’t actually pay any taxes, let alone, “not enough.”
Companies treat taxes as a “cost” and add them to their prices. It’s us, their customers, who pay the taxes. They “know” it’s the government’s job to provide for their retirement. They don’t know that their own RRSPs (well, those that are working) are invested in wealth producing, profitable corporations – not governments or unions. They don’t know that defined benefit pension plans are unsustainable at any level. They “know” that oil companies eventually have to drill and produce our oil.
They don’t know that Alberta isn’t the only place with oil; or that it’s one of the highest cost jurisdictions in which to work, due to bureaucracy and red tape. An example? An oil plant project in Saskatchewan received approval in 90 days. An identical proposal in Alberta took two years to get permits. I’ll do the math for you – that’s eight times as long.
They “know” that being anti-pipeline is popular with environmentalists and First Nations. They don’t know that if Alberta had pipeline access to both coasts and the USA, the oil price differential would disappear and Alberta would automatically receive higher royalties – without a review or rate increase.
I suspect that some NDP caucus members “know” that the health of the oil patch doesn’t matter to them because they get their gasoline at the service station.
In fact, I suspect that some of ’em don’t even own their own cars or even bother putting gas in their parents’ cars when they borrow them.
So what should you do?
Educate yourselves. Two of the three books I recommend are already in your library. I put them there.
If you haven’t yet read Milton & Rose Friedman’s book Free To Choose, then find a copy and study it. Pay particular attention to page 116 and learn about what I call “the utility of money.”
Basic Economics, Thomas Sowell is a must read and own. The Washington Post called it, “…not only valuable for a general lay-person audience; it would also benefit lawyers, politicians and yes, economists, as well.” I gave a copy to Brian Mason.
A third, brilliantly insightful, well researched, “Why We Bite the Invisible Hand – The Psychology of Anti-Capitalism” by Peter Foster. He concludes that the key paradox lies in the field of evolutionary psychology, which offers to help us understand both our complex ‘moral sentiments’ and why so many of our economic assumptions tend to be wrong.”
Knowing things that ain’t so – false knowledge – is what brought us where we are today. Learn and become part of the solution – get educated.
Or watch hockey, drink beer and watch us become the People’s Republic of Albertastan.
GARY BIKMAN
One response to “Careful what you wish for”
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Gee this doesn’t sound like sour grapes does it? first of all someone here doesn’t think corporations should have to pay their fair share for a well educated healthy population to draw from for their workers , and while were at it why should they have to pay for police so their property is safe? or infrastructure to get their products to market . All that should be free for the corporations. and if you want to talk about false knowledge read “Follow the Money” by Kevin Taft if you want to share reading . it tells how Alberta ended up in this hole we are in now