Editor:
Re: Andrew Riegel letter, Tuesday March 6 Tribune.
Once again another amazing NDP supporter fighting the last election. Riegel seems to forget that the Socreds were forced from power in the August 1972 election, paving the way for a provincial NDP government under Dave Barrett.
The large provincial surplus soon became a deficit.
The NDP lasted one term before the taxpayers said enough is enough, and voted back in a coalition government. Andrew also seems to forget that Glen Clark won his government election by a three-seat majority.
The present B.C. Liberal government is on the right track regarding the management of B.C. taxpayer dollars.
Elected government in 2001, the B.C. Liberals inherited a “have-not” province from the former NDP government.
In 2002, after being government for a year, the B.C. Liberals once again made B.C. a “have” province.
Both Manitoba and Nova Scotia have NDP provincial governments, and in the fiscal year 2011-2012, the Ottawa federal government will give Manitoba $1.6 billion and $1.1 billion to Nova Scotia for being “have-not” provinces.
These payments are called equalization payments. As B.C. is a “have” province, B.C. receives zero payments from the federal government.
Manitoba and Nova Scotia require this “have-not” money to cover payments to education, health care, welfare, etc. In summary, why ever think of changing the guard when B.C. is well managed?
Riegel is saying that it is time to once again elect a NDP government. If that is true, then an NDP government will be only in for one term, put B.C. back into a have-not status, and after one term, the B.C. taxpayers would vote in a coalition government once again to clean up the mess.
The Glen Clark government had to have all decisions approved by Ken Georgetti. Do B.C. taxpayers want an Adrian Dix government that would have to get all decisions approved by Jim Sinclair? I don’t think so.
I hate reading comments like Riegel’s remembering the past nightmares of a provincial NDP government.
Just complete nonsense for a B.C. taxpayer to make comments like these, shooting off from the hip just like Sinclair.
Use facts and reality before writing dear-editor letters.
Joe Sawchuk
Duncan