Buckdog

Readers of this blog know that I have pointed out a number of cases that dispel the myth of 'fiscal conservatism'. The Right continues to believe their own political lie that they are somehow 'responsible' when it comes to administering public tax dollars. Bull feathers!

More proof of this myth was provided in Saskatchewan yesterday with the release of the annual report of the Provincial Auditor.

Here are a few choice excerpts from the report on how 'fiscally conservative' our Right wing Brad Wall government actually is:


"Because the errors significantly impair the usefulness of these financial statements, we have qualified our auditor's report on the GRF (general revenue fund) financial statements published in Public accounts 2008-09 Volume 1. 'Qualified' audit reports are not normal and should cause concern for legislators and the public. Our audit report advises readers of the errors in the financial statement."
Report of the Provincial Auditor on the 2008-09 Government Accounts


"Because the government uses inappropriate accounting policies, the GRF financial statements (for 2008-09) report net debt and annual surplus inaccurately. If the government had accounted for all transactions properly, the statements would have recorded net debt of $8.07 billion instead of $3.85 billion on March 31, 2009, and recorded a surplus of $1.62 billion instead of $2.39 billion for the year ended March 31, 2009."
Report of the Provincial Auditor on the 2008-09 Government Accounts


"The [Social Services] ministry continues to not be able to tell us how many children are in care, who they are and where they live." Report of the Provincial Auditor on the 2008-09 Government Accounts


"Environment (the ministry that was ripped off for nearly $500,000 by an employee), where "public money is still at risk" because it still "does not segregate the duties of employees".
Report of the Provincial Auditor on the 2008-09 Government Accounts


The Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority that "still does not promptly reconcile transactions with automated teller machines to its bank accounts" even after losing $1.2 million in 2009.
Report of the Provincial Auditor on the 2008-09 Government Accounts


-Regina Leader-Post

Figures released this week by the Bush administration places this year's federal US budget deficit at a record $482 billion! White House staff tried to spin the grim budget news as "fallout from the economic stimulus package approved by a bipartisan congressional majority in February". Clearly, Bush's $600-per-taxpayer rebate didn't help the economy, in fact, it merely added to the American national debt by costing the Treasury $168 billion, But that amount is minor when compared to the cost of the invasion and ongoing occupation of of Iraq. I can't even find figures that estimate the cost of the Iraq war but be assured that it is hundreds of billions of dollars. Add to these expenditures, the fact that Bush continued to cut business taxes.

The $482 Billion projected deficit figure actually understates the size of the shortfall because it doesn't include a further increase of $80 billion in war costs - the cost of the so called 'Surge'.

The recent mortgage crisis has not helped the overall American economy.

Canadians are also watching the Harper government run a fiscal deficit ... spending more than they are taking in.

The next time someone of Right Wing persuasion tells you that they are a 'Fiscal Conservative' .... laugh in their face! Mock them! Point out to them that when Republicans in the US or Conservatives in Canada get their chubby grubby hands on the public purse, deficits are sure to follow!

For decades now, the Gospel of the Right has been 'deregulation'. The ideology of American Right wing presidents Reagan, Bush Sr., and Bush Jr. has been to deregulate wherever possible ... most notably ... Wall Street. So it should come as no surprise to anyone, that letting Wall street 'regulate' itself, has led to the disastrous financial melt down that is currently occurring. You see, the basic rule of Right wing ideology is to get the government off the back of good honest hard working business types, and miraculously ... ALL WILL BE WELL FOR EVERYONE!

The flaw in the ideology is that there are a lot of crooks, scheisters, con men and greedy thieves who will walk over everyone else in their goal to accumulate as much capital as is humanly possible.

North of the border, Canadian Right wing ideologues have modeled their beliefs on the same concepts. Preston Manning's Reform Party ... (now having morphed into Stephen Harper's 'Conservative' Party), completely adhere to this same failed ideology. Deregulation is their reason for being. Harper wants to give Canada MORE of what is causing the fiscal failure of Wall street and the American economy.

They have only one trick in their repertoire - and if used by the hand of a majority Harper government in this nation, well ... we will have only ourselves to blame!

McCain Defends Deregulation of Wall Street


And to prove that I know what I am talking about .. here were some earlier predictions on Buckdog .....
-If The Free Market System Works So Bloody Well - Why Does The Private Sector Always Seem To Need Billions Of Tax Dollars To Bail The Bastards Out?

-The Myth of 'Fiscal Conservatism'

'Fiscal conservatism' is a myth perpetuated by the Right Wing. It does not exist. Right wingers love to spend, spend, spend public funds.

"OTTAWA — The federal government failed to disclose $869-million in contracts to preferred suppliers, raising questions about the reliability of the government’s main contracting report used by politicians, business and Canada’s trading partners.
“How do you miss reporting $869 million worth of contracts?”
National Post

-Harper's $30,000 2 hour Olympic Party!

-Harper's $1.9 Million Fake Lake Proves the Myth of 'Fiscal Conservatism'

-If the Free Market system works so bloody well, Why Does The Private Sector Always Seem To Need Billions Of Tax Dollars To Bail The Bastards Out?

Readers of this blog know that I have pointed out a number of cases that dispel the myth of 'fiscal conservatism'. The Right continues to believe their own political lie that they are somehow 'responsible' when it comes to administering public tax dollars. Bull! More proof of this myth was provided in Saskatchewan by the Provincial Auditor.

Here is a choice excerpt from the report on how 'fiscally conservative' our Right wing Brad Wall government of Saskatchewan actually is:

"Because the government uses inappropriate accounting policies, the GRF financial statements (for 2008-09) report net debt and annual surplus inaccurately. If the government had accounted for all transactions properly, the statements would have recorded net debt of $8.07 billion instead of $3.85 billion on March 31, 2009, and recorded a surplus of $1.62 billion instead of $2.39 billion for the year ended March 31, 2009."
Report of the Provincial Auditor on the 2008-09 Government Accounts

Over the years, we have had to endure an ongoing cacophony of vitriolic right wing nonsense from advocates of the 'unfettered free-market' - Reform 'type' individuals from Alberta. I am talking about the likes of Preston Manning, Stephen Harper, Stockwell Day, Jason Kenney, Rob Anders, Ezra Levant, David McLean .. etc etc etc.

Alberta is screwed like the rest of the world because of the ideology espoused by these irresponsible right wing advocates. While they and their ilk continue to go on and on about the evils of 'socialism', the economic model that they aggressively tout has been exposed for what it is .... and in Alberta of all places ... home of Canada's extreme right wing. And what comes to the rescue of these monolithic capitalist dinosaurs when they falter and fail(?) ..... the hard earned tax dollars of average wage earning citizens ... quess what (?) .... it's called 'socialism'!


-If The Free Market System Works So Bloody Well - Why Does The Private Sector Always Seem To Need Billions Of Tax Dollars To Bail The Bastards Out?

-Endless Deregulation Is The Cause Of Wall Street Disaster

-The Myth of 'Fiscal Conservatism'

Readers of this blog know that I have brought forward a number of examples that disprove the idiotic claim that Right wingers are somehow more 'fiscally' responsible than their political opponents. I call it as it is ... 'fiscal conservatism' is a myth advanced by the Right wing 'country club' elite.

The fact that Harper is spending a $$ BILLION $$ on the G8/G20 meetings is bad enough. Now add a further $1.9 Million for a Fake lake! WTF?!

-National post
-CBC has more ....

Want further proof that Right Wing 'fiscal conservatism' is a myth? Look no further than Saskatchewan's Mid-Term Financial Update tabled by the Brad Wall government this morning. Rather than a modest surplus, grossly inaccurate estimates of revenue means that Saskatchewan will experience a $1.05 Billion deficit for 2009/10.

"The release of the government’s mid-year financial report Thursday shows it now projecting it will take in only $109 million from potash royalties and taxes – $1.8 billion below what it forecast in its spring budget.

The government is now spending more than it is taking in, even with higher-than-expected oil royalties, tax revenues and federal transfers.

That has required a drawdown from the reserve Growth and Financial Security Fund of $564.3 million and a special dividend from Crown Investments Corp. of $460 million from the sale of the government’s share of SaskFerco.

However on a summary basis – which includes all of the operations of government including the Crowns – a deficit projected at $25 million at budget is now pegged at $1.05 billion."
The Star Phoenix

The Brad Wall government was warned in the spring that their revenue projections were grossly out of touch with economic reality. They did not listen and now the people of Saskatchewan will pick up the tab for Brad Wall's fiscal buffoonery.

In March, during this year's Budget Debate, NDP Finance Critic, Harry Van Mulligen said in the Legislature ...
"Mr. Speaker, in this budget there‟s another set of economic
assumptions that need to be questioned. Here I speak of
revenues from potash in Saskatchewan. Twenty per cent — 1 in
$5 of all of the revenues in this budget — come from potash
royalties and related surcharges. That‟s a huge number. And
when so many eggs are placed in one basket, Mr. Speaker, we
need to be careful.

That kind of increase in spending, Mr. Speaker, is not
sustainable.

Mr. Speaker, wild revenue assumptions, out-of-control
spending, and a mounting debt problem, this budget is all about
short-term gain for long-term pain.

I worry, Mr. Speaker. I worry that this government can‟t help
themselves when it comes to spending money. I worry that the
private sector forecasters are right and that the Saskatchewan
Party is wrong. I worry that they have gambled on potash and
will come up short. I worry that they are not helping the most
vulnerable in our province. I worry that spending initiatives
today will not be affordable tomorrow. And I worry that the
government is just not up to the job.

In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, the government would have you
believe that this budget is strong and steady. We think this
budget is wrong already.

Premier Brad Wall was not available to speak to the media on his government's irresponsible budgeting. Wall had conveniently scheduled a trip out of the county in order to duck the political fallout from his government's Mid-Term budget update.

-Official Opposition Website has more details ....

Over the 3 years that I have been blogging 'Buckdog', I have been subjected to yammering from Conservatives and right wing Liberals about 'socialism' ... 'free-spending lefties' ... etc, etc.

Back in July, I did two posts that advanced an uncanny prediction of things to come:
-The Myth of 'Fiscal Conservatism'
AND
-If The Free Market System Works So Bloody Well - Why Does The Private Sector Always Seem To Need Billions Of Tax Dollars To Bail The Bastards Out?

Both of these posts were published before the economic meltdown on Wall St / Bay Street last fall. I rest my case!

Regina Leader-Post

Conservative Party supporters like to advance the myth that their party is the party of 'fiscal conservatism'. This is total B.S. 

Put aside all of the outrageous wasteful spending (Bev Oda's orange juice - flying limos to India - fighter jets, etc etc) .... the main reason for this ongoing record Canadian deficit is the massive giveaway that the Canadian corporate sector is receiving from the Harper administration. Corporate tax cut after tax cut has put the nation into a fiscal mess ... and Harper is to blame.


"In a speech to the Chamber of Commerce in Fredericton, Flaherty said the deficit will jump to $26.2 billion — up $5.1 billion from the $21.1-billion estimate in his March budget. The fiscal books won't be in a surplus position until 2016-17. That's a year later than he had predicted.
CBC.ca

To every conservative, free-market, right winger who EVER criticised the Left with your vitriolic verbal rhetoric, WATCH THIS CLIP!!

This interview by Republican President, George Bush, explains CLEARLY what your Free Market crap is all about!


More proof that Conservative/Republican economics are a failure!

-Endless Deregulation Is The Cause Of Wall Street Disaster

-If The Free Market System Works So Bloody Well - Why Does The Private Sector Always Seem To Need Billions Of Tax Dollars To Bail The Bastards Out?

-The Myth of 'Fiscal Conservatism'