Friday, September 30, 2011

The new Alberta premier

Tomorrow, members and last-minute members of the PC Party of Alberta will be casting their ballot in the run-off vote for leader of the party to select one of the three remaining candidates:

Doug Horner
Gary Mar
Alison Redford





I watched a little bit of the Wednesday night debate and I throughout, I simply asked myself, who would I prefer, and who seemed like a premier to me.   And I would say by far Alison Redford looked like someone I wouldn't mind representing Alberta.  After the sudden loss of her mother--she displayed herself as dignified, tough, calm, and well spoken. There have been comparisons to Margaret Thatcher, but I don't know about that.  I may put an "X" for her at the last minute.

Watching Gary Mar only made me not want to vote for him more--he seemed smug and totally uninspiring.  Doug Horner seems like a smart guy with some good ideas, but those ideas appear convoluted and unclear--it's difficult to know where he stands.  I'm tired of cliche platitudes.

All that said, all three have been at the cabinet table of this PC party.  When questionable policies came up and passed, they weren't stopping them and are therefore, part of the problem with this party.  One of them being is also some ethical questions for Mr. Mar. 

This party is intrusive, off-track and out of touch.  None of the candidates have convinced me otherwise.   There will be no change in how this party governs.  They have become Liberals in every way.  And as Peter Lougheed once said, "A Liberal is a Liberal, is a Liberal." 

40 years is enough.  The last seven have been completely uninspiring, directionless, and damaging.  It's time to fire them next election.

3 comments:

maryT said...

As all 3 are more of the same, and we have to elect on of them, I will vote. I have watched them all, attended meetings they had in our town (only Horner) and will make a very serious choice.
During the debate I quit watching and just listened and thought, is that the voice I want to represent AB. Remember how they dissed Manning for his squeaky voice.
Never mind what they are saying, just the sound of the voice and so Redford will get my vote.
Horner #2.
If anyone has a better reason to vote, please let me know. lol

Anonymous said...

It doesn't matter what clown is running Alberta, it's all about the price of oil. If oil goes up, it's party time, if oil goes down, it's hell. If you try to mess with the royalty structure, there will be collusion by the mafia to put you to pasture and shut exploration investment off until you back down. The oil windfall is keeping taxes low, artificially attracting head offices for "accounting purposes". Once the oil windfall goes away (and it will, maybe not in this lifetime tho), taxes will have to supplement revenue and the head offices will go away basically so everyone will leave alberta at that point and it will be nothing but a ghost town with a few empty rusted pipelines and refineries. Count your lucky stars that the tar sands is floating the economy and masking very bad governance. Other than that, Alberta has little to offer other than a job making someone else rich or a tax haven for your company.

Things that are concidered "normal" in Alberta are considered "corruption" anywhere else. Just take a look at the contracts the Alberta government gives out, it's like printing money for those few companies that get the contracts. The trickle down is all most people ever see.

Anonymous said...

America will put a carbon tax on the dirty oil, it's guaranteed. Transportation costs to export to china will be around the same cost and have a higher carbon footprint. Looks like America it is, and looks like carbon tax it is! Obama will tax your polution.