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6/4/2003 3:12 a.m.
Innovation Needed
A sweeping victory it is for the New Democrats but they will
be evaluated on how humble they are in governing with the majority
Manitoban's have entrusted them with. If they use this large majority
to vigorously and recklessly pursue ideological objectives like
Gordon Campbell's Liberals have in BC, the New Democrats will
betray the public's trust and be out in disgrace in 4 years time.
Mr. Doer and his colleagues have governed cautiously, realizing
perhaps that while Manitobans reject right wing parties, they
are essentially small "c" conservatives, more intent
on good government than some ideological champion. They illustrated
this in 1981 when they kicked out Sterling Lyon's Conservative
government after only one term because it was seen as too ideological,
dogmatic and insensitive. Manitoban's resistance to Stuart Murray's
Conservatives could have been caused by its being too close to
the reckless Alliance party and only distant cousins to the "Progressives"
which were born in Manitoba and the mainstays of Bracken and Roblin.
The Pawley government (of which I was a part) fell after 1.5 terms
when it lost public confidence due to troubles in three major
crown corporations (Manfor, MPIC and MTS), questions about its
ability to manage public finances and the resulting tax increases
and ICBC rate hikes necessary to balance the budget and get ICBC
back on sound footings. This occurred at the beginning of the
era of tax cuts and public sector cuts - what George Bush the
Elder once referred to as "Voodoo economics".
In BC we are now reaping the benefits massive tax cuts and of
years of trashing the public sector. Scores of school closures,
class sizes of 35 and more, no investments in structural health
care reforms that will enrich the public system instead of starving
it, massive increases in tuition fees, blatant disregard for the
environment and huge, record setting deficits.
The naive belief that tax cuts would stimulate the economy and
bring in ever greater revenues to government never proved accurate.
The economic boom of the 90's (like the steamer and railway induced
roaring 90's a century before) was due to sweeping technological
advancements that won broad public acceptance, were integrated
into most aspects of life and created millions of jobs not even
dreamed of 5 years earlier. Despite a recent Congressional Joint
Committee on Taxation's conclusions that Bush the Younger's massive
tax cut will only produce a "revenue feedback" of 2.6%
to 23.4% over 10 years (which means a revenue decrease of 97.4%
to 76.6% of the value of the tax cut - hardly a tax that that
pays for itself or a stimulant to the economy) Congress ignored
its warning and voted on Voodoo faith.
The good news for Mr Doer an his large caucus is that the pendulum
has swung to its rightward limit and may already be swinging back
towards the centre. The massive increases in the American deficit
will likely mean an end to the Voodoo economics behind tax cuts
as massive cuts to state transfers and federally funded programs
such as Medicare, Medicaid and Education are having a profound
impact on access to decent education and health care across the
USA and destabilizing state governments.
I would argue that the main purpose behind tax cuts in BC and
the USA has been to justify massive cuts in public services. It
has been a brilliant strategy by conservative politicians, parties,
media and vested interests vilify the public sector in the interest
of balancing the Budget, a legitimate and widely accepted objective
of sound public policy. The bigger they drive the deficit via
tax cuts, the deeper they can justify cutting public services.
Just as the War on Iraq would not have been saleable without the
fabricated WMD and Iraq-Al Qaeda linkages, the war on the public
sector would not be possible without equally false economic arguments.
I suspect Manitobans, like most other Canadians, are more focused
on protecting and improving public services than deconstructing
them. Mr. Doer and his colleagues will have to be innovative and
be willing to tackle structural issues that preclude constructive
reforms needed to tackle such vital and expensive programs as
health care, social assistance and education.
Don Scott (MLA Inkster, 1981 - 1988)
Victoria, BC
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