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Airdrie-Chestermere MLA on the right track

Dear editor, Bravo to Airdrie-Chestermere MLA Rob Anderson for two recent commentaries in the City View. The equalization payments to other “have-not” provinces surely were not intended to beggar the donors as has become the case.

Dear editor, Bravo to Airdrie-Chestermere MLA Rob Anderson for two recent commentaries in the City View.

The equalization payments to other “have-not” provinces surely were not intended to beggar the donors as has become the case. The billions given to Quebec, for instance should not have resulted in single moms in Alberta going to university and not only paying higher education fees, but outrageous expense by comparison, for daycare. Is there a daycare in Alberta that only charges $7 per day? While I do not condemn some equalization, it should not create inequities such as this.

It is a travesty born of our weak liberal ideals that a Quebec political party hostile to Canada has been indirectly financially supported by these payments without which, the Bloc would surely have been cast aside, resolving two issues. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you!

I have to disagree with a hint that suggests Rob does not believe in ‘big government.’ I would prefer that our health system be a national one, if only to set equal standards. As has been suggested, a customer bargaining for supply deals for 33 million people does better than 11 separate ones bidding for three or four million each. Years ago, when I lived in Manitoba, the province paid $500 and we paid $40 for drugs needed by a family member. When we moved back to Alberta, we paid the $500 and the province paid the $40. This clearly illustrates the disparity of our loose federalism. Nowhere is this more clearly shown than in the issue of driving licences. Why do we have so many jurisdictions issuing driving licences when one could issue a Canadian driving licence and save the duplicated administration costs? Merely moving from one province to another incurs at least $1,500 in fee registrations of various types.

Part of our indigestible federal soup is the interprovincial tariffs which rob our economy of billions each year. I became something of a separatist myself in the 1970s when Alberta was (pillaged) by Eastern interests. At that time, gasoline and Alberta beef in Toronto was the same price as here. Yet, ordering a refrigerator or an engagement ring from a popular Ontario catalogue company cost $50 shipping for each. The option of becoming another state of the U.S. is no longer attractive as that country now sinks into a morass of debt. However, when “Peak Oil” is finally recognized, Alberta will become more vital to the Canadian economy. At such time, I hope our leaders will take a leaf from Quebec’s book, use the tariff barriers, and wrangle Albertans a better deal.

Regarding the carbon credits, it is high time Alberta tuned in and made some commitments to renewable energy systems. We live in a sunny and windy place and capitalizing on that will lengthen the life of our oil-based economy, create jobs and help the environment. As far as the oil sands are concerned, maybe the renewed interest in nuclear power can be used to reduce the carbon footprint of the extraction plants. If the other provinces want to profit by selling credits to Alberta, then the price of oil has to go up to equalize it. Or, simply turn off the tap.

Rob’s recent comments on education are also apt. As a society, our liberalism has promoted mediocrity as an acceptable ideal. Children now have ‘graduation’ parties for kindergarten. How stupid is that? Reward for achieving little is a suicidal course for a society threatened by outside influence. A research institute has calculated that in 40 years, there will be more East Indians with high IQs than the entire population of the U.S.

How are we going to compete with people who cannot write their own names, or as I personally discovered, do the simplest arithmetic without a calculator?

I really think we need people like Rob Anderson in our government.

John Warner, Airdrie




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