With schools and hospitals scrambling to cover escalating costs as governments freeze funding, former Alberta premier Ralph Klein has weighed in on the situation in this province by claiming that, if still in power, he would cut "ten per cent or five per cent across the board... everything" in his next budget. In retirement, Mr. Klein has shown that his imagination has not at all grown. My "blue dog" tendencies favor smaller government, smarter government, a government that is judged on its priorities at the ballot box. Does Mr. Klein really believe that, in tough times, we can just as easily defer teaching and healing as we can road works?
Imagine you were paid on commission and ran your household in the fashion Mr. Klein advocates. During months when you sold lots of things, you could pay your rent, go to restaurants frequently, and buy a new outfit every couple of days. But during months when you sold few things, you would choose to move out of your house and onto the streets, because you could cover only nine-tenths of that rent, still go to restaurants, but skip dessert, perhaps, while buying a new outfit only once a week. Would it not make sense to decide that your home is a priority and really cut back meaningfully on those other things that are not genuine necessities?
If it does not make sense at the level of household finance, it does not make sense for the whole province -- or for the whole country for that matter. Approaching everyone and everything as an equal priority, throwing out money when government has surpluses and cutting across the board in the face of deficits, may maintain the status quo, but it also nurtures mediocrity.
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