to the rescue

Let's get this out of the way before the anger sets in again.

In the recent NL provincial government, the government eliminated the interest on provincial student loans. Credit where credit is due, this is a good policy, one that will help a lot of students in the province deal with their debt.

People have been lauding the government for initiative, and our student unions for successfully lobbying. This is where I take offence.

The Danny Williams government is not a friend to students, at least not when it comes to tiny matters like the ability of a university to choose its President. But that's okay, because we students have strong allies in the CFS-NL branch, and the MUN Student Union, right?

Nope, that's a crock too. Where was the CFS or MUNSU when Danny's minion, Joan Burke, was making a mockery of the presidential selection process, and running roughshod over the Board of Regents? Keeping mum- one can't bite the hand that feeds. Or how about the campaign to eliminate the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation, the only bright spot in an otherwise dismal federal record of supporting PSE across the country?

Again, I'm not so blinded by cynicism to see when good things happen. Instead of braying endlessly about the inane "free tuition" fantasy, the CFS-NL and MUNSU focused on a more reasonable goal, one with a much more tangible benefit. Wonderful. Hell, I'll even credit Danny's government for doing the right thing- mind you, they did it when there was no public outcry over increased deficit spending, and we're basically going into the red to pay for this measure, but that's okay. Just don't tell me it's because the CFS-NL, MUNSU, and Danny are allies of the students. All history points to the opposite.

Yes, they did the right thing- this time.

Even a broken clock tells the right time twice a day.

Political Musings Not Necessarily of a Partisan Nature, Danny Williams Send feedback » • PermalinkPermalink

sound fiscal management

Before I start, I'd like to point out that I shamelessly stole this idea after reading nottawa, Labradore, and the Sir Robert Bond Papers, three prominent and amazingly-adept NL-based blogs. I am, of course, too much of an outsider (and lazy rube) to come up with my own scoops. I'm a student, not a journalist or power blogger. On we go.

The NL government is about to release its budget for the upcoming fiscal year- and hoo boy, the populace waits with bated breath. After a record surplus last year, the government is looking at a record deficit this year. Now, before I start flinging poo at Danny (although, he likes to be referred to as His Highness in common parlance,) governments across the world are delving into deficit as a result of the global economic crisis. That said, similar to the case of the federal government, chronic fiscal mismanagement have at the very least exacerbated the problems faced. This graph, from nottawa (I'll link it again because I think it's a brilliant read,) illustrates how Danny and his "prudent, fiscally responsible government" will, if the budget predictions are to be believed, have increased government spending by 4 billion dollars in 7-8 years. I'll say it in a different way, for dramatic effect- they've doubled government expenditures.

How is that "sound fiscal management?" Yes, government revenues have skyrocketed, due entirely to offshore oil projects coming online, but to double the spending? That's not sound management, that's spending like Scrooge McDuck on a crystal-meth bender. That's spending money before it has time to wrinkle in the provincial coffers. It's mind-bogglingly insane, yet Danny is still touted as this grand master of NL finances. The definition of unsound fiscal management is spending beyond your means- and who could have possibly guessed oil revenues were going to be unstable?

Perhaps it takes graphical representation to put this myth to bed, because logic, reasoning, and math certainly haven't done it. Every cent that came in as a result of the offshore oil is gone- and what do we have to show for it? Corrupted health-care management? Crumbling infrastructure in rural areas of the province? A big bajeezus power transmission line through a UNESCO World Heritage site?

It's times like this that just depress me unnecessarily.

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