[4Canada]

<strong>Written By:</strong> 4Canada
<strong>Date:</strong> 2006-11-04 08:24:48
<a href="/article/82448940-tories-liberals-equal-threats-to-publics-trust-quotnewquot-government-loo">Article Link</a>

In morphing from opposition to office, both parties confronted impossible expectations they helped create. Chrétien's government could no more kill the hated consumption tax than Harper's could tolerate a tax loophole rapidly expanding into a revenue black hole.

So, early in their terms, both took hard policy decisions to reverse easy partisan positions. Chrétien won the gamble his party would be reluctantly forgiven by voters without a viable option.

Harper is hanging his hegemony on the hope that Tories now counting their losses still won't be able to bring themselves to vote Grit.

That won't unfold before spring. But it's clear now that this government shares with predecessors more than just the facile willingness to say one thing to gain power and another during its application.

Blame it on cynical pragmatism or imposed discipline, the result is the same: Conservatives and Liberals are equally corrosive to public trust.

It's particularly unsettling that both broke their word to do what was self-evidently right and necessary. Liberals knew the GST — or something from the same gene pool — was here to stay and Conservatives knew — or should have known — that income trusts would eventually have to go.

But rather than engage history's best-informed citizens in a difficult debate, ambitious politicians fell back on a tired formula — they played voters for fools.

Sweet as short-term success may be, the long-term result is undeniably sour. Along with sabotaging individual brands, their behaviour is savaging the inclusive political sector.

<a href="http://tinyurl.com/ydae64">http://tinyurl.com/ydae64</a>

[Eleanor]

I heard a great saying the other day:

There are two horses in the race, and they have the same owner.

[RPW]

The following article: How to Conquer Canada<br />
<a href="http://www.vivelecanada.ca/article.php/20061103155641530">http://www.vivelecanada.ca/article.php/20061103155641530</a><br />
has I think, been answered by this one.<p>---<br>"Son, if you wanna get ahead in this world, never work for another man as long as you live."