Don't let them brainwash you with your own money

Re: Do your homework on HST MR News June 14/2011 


Mr. Verwoerd I am glad you appreciate the time, work, effort and money that has gone into fighting this bad poorly thought out, badly implemented tax shift. 


I am afraid the only accomplishments we have really made are all in your head and you can attribute that to, as much as $20 million dollars in government and corporate propaganda. 


Next year I will still pay over a thousand dollars HST on the registered therapeutic massage that I use to control my Fibromyalgia condition. Next year I will not be spending the $800 dollars or 140 percent HST increase on the labour to do those home renovations, been there done that this year, but unfortunately our roof does need replacing and that will be an extra 140 percent on the labour to instal that roof which with all the other items and services I pay that extra 7 percent I will no doubt be up around that $2,000 dollar mark of extra taxes, same as the last 11 months. 


Every home owner will replace a roof or have to renovate at some time unless you are rich enough to buy a new house every few years and you do not even want to go there as it could cost you an extra $50,000.00 dollars or more all thanks to the HST. 


The alleged HST reductions are nothing more than birds in the bush, and as far as the reductions being law it is also against the law to run a deficit in BC and with the fiscal responsibility this government has shown it is highly unlikely this province will be running a balanced budget any time soon, and in that case which law are the Fiberals or whatever government is in power in 2013-2014 likely  to respect, balanced budget or reduce the HST. 


This is all moot in any case a 1 or 2 percent tax increase is a big deal at the best of times, but a 140 percent tax increase or even 100 percent tax increase on hundreds of everyday critical goods and services is the stuff revolutions are made off. 
Nothing has changed it is still a poorly thought out unjust tax, the only thing changing is your perception of this tax grab, do not let them brainwash you with your own money, this tax has already hurt many of the citizens of BC and it will continue to put many people in the street as their ability to borrow money runs out and drives them into insolvency.         


BC already has one of the highest rates of mortgages in arrears and has the highest consumer insolvency rate in Canada. 


Maybe instead of just giving in to the propaganda and spin you should get in touch with Corisa Bell and offer to help put an end to this financial injustice. 


The DBRS believes the province of BC has the flexibility to manage either outcome without significantly altering its fiscal outlook.  


Wayne Clark

lies do not become elected official

Re: No vote best result for everyone The Times June 23, 23/2011


As any good Conservative Mr. Dalton has certainly mastered the "believe the unbelievable”  and he has definitely mastered the “ deny the undeniable” but the outright barefaced lies in his letter go way past the acceptable as an elected public servant. 


The statement that a "no vote best result for everyone" is quite simply a lie and the statement about reducing the HST from 12 to 10 percent people will be paying less no matter what tax bracket they are in is also an outright lie. We will just be paying a 100 percent HST increase on hundreds of previously exempt goods and services instead of 140 percent increase, that is if it ever happens at all, it is also the law that BC can not run a deficit budget, so which one of those conflicting laws do you think the BC Liberals or whatever political party is in power in 2013-2014 will honour. 


The rest of his letter is nothing but hell and brimstone fear-mongering and hyperbole, a desperate bid to pull victory from the jaws of a resounding public reprimand. 


This government has taken literally 1/20th more of my small income in the last 11 months of the HST, that is on top of all the taxes I used to pay with the GST-PST which was bad enough. Oh and once again I just happened to miss those low income credits, so not even a little help there. 


I have to wonder other than praying for the seniors and other individuals that this HST will inevitably put on the street when peoples ability to borrow money expires, BC already has an ever increasing number of mortgages in arrears and the highest number of consumer insolvencies in Canada. 


This is the sad reality Mr. Dalton and Miss Clark why don’t you just do the right thing and go back to a fairer tax policy, stop the lies  and misinformation, me and the 10s of thousands of citizens in the same financial boat as I find myself through no fault of my own are part of “EVERYONE”, we do exist no matter how inconvenient it is for you and your bad poorly thought out HST tax. 


The DBRS believes BC has the flexibility to manage either outcome without significantly altering its fiscal outlook.


Wayne Clark

The big lie

Re: No vote best for everyone.The Times June 23/2011

I like a good fiction story as much as the next guy, but I feel the need to intercede Mr. Daltons spin on the HST with a little reality.

First I believe Mr. Dalton became a BC Fiberal because he was to right wing for the Conservatives. 

It seems Mr. Dalton is fairly easy to impress as he claims he joined the BC Fiberals because of their fiscal prudence. The reality is BC has had 5 Federal transfer payments in the last decade and they have still managed to increased the provincial debt by $13,969 billion if you don’t count the $60 billion of unfunded P3s which would mean tripling the real provincial debt in 10 years to $107,757 billion and counting. 

Fiberal fiscal mismanagement is the very reason Mr. Campbell attempted this desperate $2 BILLION HST tax shift in the first place. 

If Mr. Campbell and the Fiberals had been taking care of business (realistically thats all the Fiberals have done, take care of big business) we would not have needed 5 Federal equalization transfers, budget deficits or the HST. 

Mr. Dalton has had more than a few opportunities to debate the HST but apparently found that option too political for his liking, instead he chose to just regurgitate the Fiberals HST talking points which would handily be justified by $20 million dollars of government and corporate propaganda. 

As usual they stick to their fantasy $350 per family cost, that does not work out at any level, pretending that seniors and other people like me, who the HST has cost an extra $2000 dollars and counting simply do not exist. 

Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.

 

Vote YES to extinguish the HST and prove one and for all we can not be bought with our own money.

Wayne Clark

Fair and Balanced

Apparently this is what our BC Fiberals consider fair and balanced.

The yes side gets $250,000 dollars for advertising and literature, signs, etc. etc. and the government gets $ 5 million of our tax dollars and another 5 million from big business, hardly what I would call a level playing field, let alone fair or balanced. 

The government gets to put their propaganda on all the expensive prime advertising venues and the yes side gets to put up their few signs and municipalities like Pitt Meadows tear them down, hardly what I would consider fair or balanced.

The Government gets to make up pie in the sky incentives to ensure the HST is retained, that they will in all likelihood never have to deliver on, and now they have involved the Federal government in their deception by getting the Federal governments permission to lower the 12 percent to 10 percent and supposedly making it the law that the HST will be lowered to 10 percent, did you hear that they had to get Federal permission to change BC tax. 

It is also the law in BC that BC has to have a balanced budget, I wonder when it comes down to it which law they will they honour. 

Lets’s not forget the fact that it is reasonable to assume that the BC Liberals will not even be in power in 2014, will the governing party really run a deficit in order to cut the HST to 10 percent, a tax that they are not responsible for anyway, I think not.

As far as present Federal and Provincial  governments breaking their own laws it is the law that Federal elections be every 4 years Mr. Harper has broken that law twice already and in all probability the Provincial government will break BC laws concerning 4 year elections this coming September and has broken many laws over the last eight years as we have all witnessed. 

In practice rules and laws are made to be broken by this sad collection of politicians. 

Fool me once shame on you fool me twice shame on me.

Wayne Clark

Credibility deficit

So the BC Fiberals finally realize that the people of BC do not trust them, I can not imagine why. So they moved quickly to remove that major reason for us to vote yes on extinguishing the HST. 

Apparently It has to happen because nothing is enshrined unless it’s in legislation, and how else can they get the public to trust them on anything they say or do anymore.

I guess that is the end of that problem, or is it. 

It is a legislated law Federally and Provincially that elections are to happen every 4 years and Mr. Harper broke that law not once but twice and now it seems the BC Fiberals will do the same in September, it is also the legislated law in BC that it is illegal to run a budget deficit but miraculously 5 out of the last 10 budgets have been large budget deficits, it is also legislated law that it is a crime for politicians or anyone else to steal from Crown corporations but that didn’t stop individuals from instigating one of the biggest crimes in BC history with BC Rail, in spite of 18 million dollars in legal fees the culprits from that travesty still have not been brought to justice. 

I am sure we can all come up with other instances of the Fiberals breaking all kind of laws.

So if and when the Fiberals do manage to get in power again and they run another couple of deficit budgets which at this point seems inevitable, it would literally blow my mind if they did keep this pie in the sky legislated promise, after all circumstances change all the time as they tell us time and time again when they once again do not keep their word or promises. 

It also goes without saying that if another party wins the election it is unlikely they would honour those commitments if it meant running a deficit budget.

As the Fiberals see it, it is not a lie if they believed it to be true at the time they made the promise or enacted the legislation. 

Which of the two laws do you think they will honour if they have a choice, balanced budget or tax cut, you be the judge.

Wayne Clark

voting NO is DUMB

Re: no sanity in saying “yes” The Times June 14/ 2011

Mr. Banov I can not believe you are bringing up the matter of honesty when talking about this HST cash grab, and if you are seriously taking this governments word that this 12 percent tax will go to10 percent in three years after an election that the BC Fiberals will very likely lose in the first place, and if god forbid they do win, more than likely two more deficit budgets, I have got a bridge I will sell you real cheap. 

BC is a have not province thanks to the Fiberals and their voodoo economics, BC would undoubtedly have had another Federal government transfer payment if the HST had not been implemented.  I doubt very much this will ever be paid back, the $1.6 billion will turn out to be just another transfer payment just like the 5 others this province has had with our Fiberal masters deft stewardship of the BC economy. 

I would agree with you that taxes are necessary but would have to say accepting a 140 percent tax increase on hundreds of necessary products and services is truly insane.  

You have obviously not been hit with some of the more onerous injustices of this tax as I have, over $1700.00 extra and counting. Do you realize that if you had a roof replaced on your home you are looking at, at least $1400 dollars alone in HST can you imagine what a kitchen renovation would cost extra. 

Maybe this is chicken feed to you but to most seniors and the majority of families this is the difference between eating and going hungary or maybe having a roof over their heads literally. 

Once again maybe you could  tell me what economic theory recommends adding huge tax loads on consumers to help pull a country out of recession. 

Wayne Clark

More BS about HST

Re: Government false advertising about HST News June 8/2011

Unfortunately the government continues to try to deceive and frighten the citizens of BC with more of the same, millions of dollars of our tax dollars spent on false advertising, propaganda meant to brainwash, frighten and bribe the citizens of BC with a another empty promise that most likely will never see the light of day, a cut of 2 percent and which totally fails to address the many injustices that this pitiful red herring fails to rectify. 

The government just can’t seem to tell the truth about this issue, with a claim that if we vote against the HST and keep the GST& PST it will be at 12 percent, failing to mention the reality that on many costly products and essential services it will be only the GST at 5 percent. 

This government just digs itself in deeper with every new lie and misrepresentation, the people that have been paying attention know what this tax really costs them and $350 dollars a family is an outright barefaced lie. 

Wayne Clark

Nothing is irrelevant to the health care debate

Re: Health care users speak up The Times May 31 2011


I would have to agree with Mr. Brown about Canadians looking outside North America for their health care solutions, but would have to vigorously disagree that American health care is irrelevant to the Canadian debate.  


It’s always amusing when the NeoCons try desperately to steer the debate carefully around the rotting, stinking, red herring they call U.S. style health care system or any other inconvenient embarrassment they would prefer to ignore.


The fact is the American system has already been forcefully injected into our health care system for years now by the BC government, for instance July 31 2007 when Maximus Ltd. an American corporation was put in charge of administering the BC Medical services plan and Pharmacare programs, knowingly or unknowingly injecting a good dose of American influence as well as jeopardizing Canadians personal privacy to a foreign power (Patriot act). 


Staying away from the failed systems out there in the rest of the world is at least as important as finding the best of other systems to adopt and improve the Canadian health care system. 


Let’s not forget the Americans already have a foot in the door which gives them a big advantage over other superior systems.


Wayne Clark

Time to wake up and smell the Bull Shit

 The HST was conceived in dark, secret rooms by dishonest politicians   and greedy   corporate masters. and it still reeks of lies, disinformation and greedy vested interests.


The citizens of BC are currently being subjected to a $5 MILLION 24/7 PROPAGANDA CAMPAIGN, complete with the sky is falling, threats, outright lies, false costs that most of us already know if we are paying attention complete fabrications, intimidation, dire consequences if the government and big business does not get it’s way. 

The truth is this province has been completely mismanaged financially with a tripling of the provincial debt in the last decade if you count the P3s that the people of BC will be paying through the nose for for-forever. 

The implication of this tax shift will be the final death blow to the BC economy culminating a decade of flawed voodoo economics.

If cutting taxes for the rich and big corporations worked ALL Americans would be rich beyond their wildest dreams. The right has run out of ideas, trickle down economics has been disproved decades ago and run it’s course long ago and the right just keeps up with the tired old mantra we just have to cut taxes on the rich and corporations more, we just have to ship more jobs offshore, we just have to relax regulation more, we just have to get the government off the backs of the economy, and everything will be all right. 

Surly even the slowest person in the world has to see that this radical right-wing theory has just not worked, we are going in the wrong direction and it can only lead to total disaster for the people of Canada to continue down this tragic path. 

Every free market economics theory I have ever seen tells us that the last thing you do in a recession is raise taxes on the consumers of that country.

Wayne Clark

Respect is Earned

Re: Is Bob Groeneveld aware the election is over? Times June 2/2011

Yes Cherryl the election is over and I am sure you are very happy with the results. 


But for the 75 percent of Canadians that did not vote for Harper and have watched the antics of Harper and the Conservatives for years now this election was just proof of the pudding. 


It was the dirtiest sleaziest negative election spectacle I have ever witnessed, even including American politics. 

A man either has honour or he doesn’t, he is either a truth teller or he is a lier, he is either respectful or disrespectful, respect is something that is earned and I have yet to see Harper do anything to earn that respect. 

To Harper there is no line he will not cross to achieve his ambitions, and I dare say that is true for a lot of his supporters, to them the end justifies the means and nothing else matters. 

This is not that unusual even after all the evil Hitler inflicted on this earth he still has a fan club, it is a sad fact that some people just do not have a moral compass. 

All Harper and his ilk have shown Canadians and their peers over the years is contempt, disrespect, a how low can you go fanatical quest for ultimate power, well he has the power, but I am afraid that power will only earn him more disrespect from the majority of Canadians, as well as the rest of the world as he try’s to turn Canada into Texas north.  

Our electoral system is completely broken and with this crowd in power I cannot see how we can ever fix it because it quite simply works well for them.

Wayne Clark

View from the far right

Ya got to love it, the biggest shill for big business and government Tom Fletcher suggesting that the citizens of BC do not like the HST because we are the “ME GENERATION”.  Well it is good someone thinks about us because it will be a cold day in hell before Mr. Fletcher and his corporate masters and this particular provincial government do something for the people of this province. 

If you and “ME” have to take to the streets or force a referendum to help ourselves then so be it, it will certainly if nothing else make the powers that be think twice before they try anything like this again. 

I don’t even have to ask Mr. Fletcher about how he would handle the living standard of our children or our aging population, just take the most radical right wing ideal ( no minimum wage and get rid of all those stupid socialist ideas like pensions would be a good start I suppose) and that’s what he would do no doubt, that is what he pedals every single inedible article and our government certainly doesn’t disappoint him as they both dream and legislate the same ultra-rightwing wet-dreams every day. 

I guess you forgot to mention the $7 million dollars of our money the government is using in a last ditch effort to brainwash the voters of BC, hardly a level playing field. 

Last but not least I don’t believe we should continue to emulate a proven flawed business model and corrupt government system, after all Mr. Fletcher maybe you haven’t noticed America is bankrupt. 

I for one am not wearing rose coloured glasses, I already know what the HST has cost me and I am not so gullible as to think I am the only family that this is happening to, $350 dollars I can only dream.

PS  HST on my RMT (deep muscle massage for my Fibromyalgia alone is over $1000 dollars) for seniors who can not do the odd jobs around the house and the sick this tax increase is brutal and will force many seniors out of thier homes.

Wayne Clark