[whelan costen]

<strong>Written By:</strong> whelan costen
<strong>Date:</strong> 2005-09-17 00:00:00
<a href="/article/42984-kleins-wealth-">Article Link</a>

The situation is no different now than it was in the boom of 1980, he said.

"The rest of Canada was saying the same thing then: 'Give me, give me, give me,'" the premier said Friday. "Then the price of oil went down and the rest of Canada was wringing their hands in glee saying, 'You deserved it.' "
<a href="http://www.mytelus.com/news/article.do?pageID=ab_home&articleID=2031613">http://www.mytelus.com/news/article.do?pageID=ab_home&articleID=2031613</a>





[Proofreader's note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on September 18, 2005]

[whelan costen]

This is not really a story, but more of a patheticly sad state of affairs. I only post because I can hardly believe the way this is being played out. I live in Alberta, and I see that Albertan's are not all rich, rich, rich, and that we don't have enough doctors, nurses, equipment or hospitals, and that our schools are seriously overcrowded, that people live on the streets, use food banks and seniors struggle to pay their drug costs....really, what is this, playing for the separation party or what?

'Hey you guys, look over here, we are rich and you can't touch this,.... hey you...look over here... I am the king of the richest province in Canada, and I am not giving you guys anymore,... hey did I mention I am rich,.... whoops, I mean we,... we are so gosh darn rich, we just don't know what to do with all our money,' 'Say what?'... 'you guys need some, well no we can't share, no no no, remember how you made fun of us before, remember when I said for you bums and scums to stay away, well I meant it!'

Sorry but this is just unbelievable, who is making this into an us against them. Who asked for more money? Did Ottawa say we want more? Did anyone ask? I didn't hear anyone ask, all I have heard, is just in case you are thinking about it, don't! Fueling the fire, and making people think somebody wants to touch the pot. All the while the people in Alberta are still waiting for all the services we should have had all along.

This is the worst political game I have ever seen, and I do hope that Albertans are smart enough to see through this b.s.

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If I stand for my country today...will my country be here to stand for me tomorrow?

[boflaade]

Albertans aren't getting their fuel much cheaper then any other Canadians. High insurance,real estate but no known tax's. The Alberta government is now introducing private medical services yet charge user fee's at publically owned hospitals. In BC we have tax after tax added to the gas price yet not much more then Albertans are paying at the pump. Some one has to be gouging them. Albertans need money but not getting it from oil sales.

[Guest]

The weird part of this is that conventional oil and gas here out west has peaked. Yes there is a massive amount of oil sand but to get the oil out requires an equal amount of gas and the source of that is not in Alberta or BC or Sask. So who holds the cards here for the future? On a side note I just read that Norway has, at present, a 140 billion dollar fund from their oil revenues. That equals $40,000 for each citizen. Norway's oil has also peaked. Alberta’s heritage fund has, at present, 12.4 billion dollars. If my calculations are right that’s $4,203 for each Albertan. This all sounds like an argument over table-scraps to me. Damn that Norwegian welfare-capitalism!

[Dino]

The silent majority of Albertans support sharing the wealth. All together 76% of Canadians support sharing resources across Canada. Let's hope someone in Ottawa is actually reading these results.

[Wayne Coady]

I am not concerned or upset over the fact that Alberta has managed to sock away a little money. What upsets me is how their public health care has fallen away. I think that Albertans should demand that this check they are getting, which is going to be about $300.00, be put into health.
If the province has all of this wealth, then why is your health care being privatized, and please do not buy this crap that Canada has a shortage of Doctors... go to Toronto and grab yourself a taxi cab driver.. he or she is most likely to be a trained physician or an engineer.

You see our real problem is with these old boys club called the Medical Association of Canada and the College of Physicians who regulate the Medical Act in our Provinces.. They do not want to share the wealth . These private clubs which these old boys belong to use the excuse, that foreign doctors are not up to Canadian Standards… if a patient in Canada has piles and a patient in India has piles , what are the Canadian standards to treat them,?

No, I think Alberta should take their money collected off the oil and build up their health care and other public infrastructure. So Albertans treat yourself !

Put your profits to work for yourself, because if these bunch of crooks here in Nova Scotia who are running this province gets their slimy hands on any extra cash you send our way, they will put it in the pockets of their party friends. Spend wisely and remember its your money .


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Good government is not a party government

[jensonj]

Not bad for a Calgary Herald Reporter who chased ambulances and had the Police beat column and supposedly hated Politicians, Lawyers and the corporate elite!

Who knew, ah! Well he differently found the golden road to fame, wealth and success.

Maybe that’s the answer we are all looking for to achieve financial success in life.

Just be a self serving, self interested Pri**.


Most Albertans voted for him because as they put who else was there to vote for?

Well, in my opinion anyone who wasn’t Klien!




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Perception is two thirds of what we perceive reality to be.

Difficult decisions are a privilege of rank.

[Guest]

“I am not concerned or upset over the fact that Alberta has managed to sock away a little money.”

“Little” is the correct adjective. For a major legacy resource started in the 1950’s, Alberta has managed to save 12.4 billion dollars over 50 years in a heritage trust for the future needs of its people. To put this in perspective, the auto insurance crown corporation in BC has a “rate stabilization fund” of 7.4 billion dollars just to keep auto rates low and stable. On that note though, I really have not heard of any legacy fund in B.C. for all the natural gas that has left that province. Regarding the recent damage in Louisiana, expect a push by private insurance carriers to increase rates for home and auto in certain provinces as they spread the costs of that disaster over all their lines of business. Isn’t globalization fun?

[RPW]

<blockquote>...but to get the oil out requires an equal amount of gas and the source of that is not in Alberta or BC or Sask.</blockquote>

Nuclear reactor(s), anyone?

---
RickW

[RPW]

<blockquote>No, I think Alberta should take their money collected off the oil and build up their health care and other public infrastructure</blockquote> Wait a dern minute! Ain't that cowmoonizim.....?<p>---<br>RickW

[RPW]

It offends me that I couldn't post this right: <blockquote>...but to get the oil out requires an equal amount of gas and the source of that is not in Alberta or BC or Sask.</blockquote> Nuclear reactor(s), anyone? <p>---<br>RickW

[RPW]

Wake up, you all! Saving money for future considerations, from the sale or use of public resources is plainly cow-moo-nizim. As such, we, as a dedicated bastion of fredom and free enterprise (ask Paul, ask Ralph, ask Gordon and Dalton), have a sacred duty to <b><h5>SPEND IT ALL!!!</h5></b> Or preferably, have our appointed proxies, the federal and provincial politicians, spend it all the way they think we the people would want it spent.<p>---<br>RickW

[Perturbed]

Ralph Klein is a typical dink.

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The midget, Bush, and that Rumsfield deserve only to be beaten with shoes by freedom loving people everywhere.

- Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf, The Iraqi Informat

[lis2005]

Well - Ralph Klein makes a pretty bold statement - That this surplus is a one time opportunity so therefore we should have a one-time benefit. He recently said on the news that he could easily spread it out over social programs, etc, but our surplus might never come again, so what's the point?? And I agree with what he says. He sees what's coming.

I am personally tired of seeing other people in other provinces complaining about how we as Albertans are not sharing the wealth - well why should we? Funny how Alberta is recognized now that we have all this money. The majority of Albertans work directly or indirectly in the Oil & Gas industry - and we've all taken our lumps too. We've worked hard to get this surplus, and as far as I am concerned only we should reap the benefits of this.

So that means that every man, woman and child in Alberta will get approx. $400.00 sometime before the end of the year. That means that my family will get $1600.00 - and I am not complaining. I can put that money towards the cost of child care for my two children - because Paul Martin hasn't met his promise of creating a Child Care Subsidy program in place as of yet. It will ease the pain a bit - but only a bit. Every little bit helps these days. No - we don't get gouged with PST, and we pay a little less for most things... its the benefit of voting in a Provincial Government who chose not to create a PST for us!!

Also - we are debt free here - thanks to Klein. Again - we voted him in - why haven't your Provincial leaders done the same? It's not our fault that our Natural Resources are paying off for us - and if it weren't for our Oil Surplus money - the rest of Canada wouldn't care about us anyway!!

[Guest]

I think that we Albertans should write cheques to the rest of Canada, equal to the ones they wrote to us in the Oil BUST of 1981.

In other words, ZERO.

Funny how we Albertans make transfer payments to the Feds almost equal to the amount that Quebec draws out, in other words, Alberta TOALLY subsidizes Quebec's contribution to the federal economy and yet the Quebec economy has been BOOMING over the last 4-5 years. Where's our share of that I may ask?

When Ontario has a boom year in manufacturing, do they send one cotton-pickin' nickle out west? NO!

So shut your gob you complainers, we suffered thru without your help and we will be reaping the small benefits. The Black Sheep province, shunned by the rest of you, until we have a shiny nickle in our hand. Then you suddenly want be our friend and to go to the store with us.

Hmmff.