Who pays for promises?

With our provincial election winding down, party leaders can cut back on their “gifting programs,” where they try to outdo one another by offering “gifts” to the electorate to encourage a vote for their party.

As individuals, when we consider giving a gift to someone we usually think of the cost of that gift; can we afford it? Provincial party leaders are in the enviable position where they don’t have to consider the cost of the goodies they promise the electorate because when it comes time to pay for their promises the ruling party has a number of options.

First, they can simply forget the promises they made (and can’t keep).

Second, when they find that the promises they made are too costly they have the luxury of raising taxes to pay for them.

Finally, they have the option of borrowing money to pay for these promises, oblivious to the fact that their borrowing has to be paid back at some time in the future. Present and/or future taxpayers will have to pay for their extravagant gestures made to get elected. But, no big deal, they are now in power and, to them, that’s what matters.

Being honest and responsible is a rare thing in politics and this applies to the Liberals, Progressive Conservatives or NDP. They are “all cut from the same cloth.”

George Jones

Baden