BC voter states: "It is like a slap in the face, just like it is to every other BC skilled trade worker, that has to work elsewhere "

The other day, my Campaign Manager received an email message from a young woman. This is what she had to say. 

I am yet another skilled trade worker that has to work in Alberta, despite all the false ads claiming "skilled trade labor shortage" by the Liberals.

The only job creation they have made are the jobs for the people shooting and starring in the false ads. My favorite ad is "Candace is an electrician and a mom"

Pffft!!

As a female electrician it is like a slap in the face, just like it is to every other BC skilled trade worker that has to work elsewhere." 



BC Premier Christy Clark.  Do those looking for work, and having
to leave BC to find it, pasting on a big smile like this?

I find it utterly appalling that under the management of Christy Clark, and the BC Liberals, this is the situation that many of BC's best and brightest find themselves in.

But that is not the ONLY comment I have received. Here's another one that came in to me. 

My son is another example of a person training and working in Alberta because there is none here in BC. 

He is training to be a welder and is now a 2nd year apprentice working in a shop building tanks for the pipeline. He moved to Alberta when the film industry was drying up. 

He is thriving there, just fine in Grand Prairie.

Sadly, these are not just two isolated incidents -- this is happening all the time -- as this message shows:

I have two married Granddaughters in Alberta and one grandson that works in all three provinces (British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan).  I know what you mean.
When elected as the MLA for Kamloops South Thompson, I pledge to be part of the BC Conservative team that WILL undertake to turn this situation around; in a real and meaningful way. 

The people of BC -- our sons and daughters -- neighbors and friends -- deserve nothing less from the people they elect to serve them.  

BC Conservatives believe in British Columbia. We believe in our people, their willingness to be daring and innovative, our natural resources and our geographic advantages. We believe in our potential; we believe in the future. 

Let's 'stay sharp' Kamloops.

I'm Peter Sharp -- I'm a BC Conservative -- I BELIEVE in BC.

I challenge my BC Liberal opponent Todd Stone to tell the people of Kamloops South Thompson ... 'How will BC Liberals get any different fiscal result from not making any kind of real change?'

Today BC Liberal Premier Christy Clark told voters here in Kamloops, and around the province, that we are headed in to the “the most important election in modern history”.

 

I couldn't agree with her more! 

 

The writ has finally been dropped, and I'm sure it is a relief to all British Columbians, because several key things seem to be weighing heavily on the minds of people here in our Kamloops South Thompson riding.

 

BC debt to rise additional $6.7 Billion under Liberals

The Liberal Platform doesn't address the financial problems which THEY have created, and banking on the possibility of future billions of revenues from liquefied natural gas is a risky bet. 

 

BC Liberals still fail to understand government has to learn how to spend smarter!

 

I think the BC Liberals need to take one of the 'Game Sense' suggestions, from the BC Lottery Corporation, to heart.

Wondering if you can win back losses by playing more? It's possible, but unlikely. Chances are the more you play, the more money you'll lose. "Chasing losses" almost always leads to bigger losses.

 

If I apply that to BC Liberal fiscal planning and management, then it says to me, "Doing things the same way gets the same results!"

 I challenge my BC Liberal opponent Todd Stone to tell the people of Kamloops; 'How will BC Liberals get any different fiscal result from not making any kind of real change?

 

BC Liberals say the budget over the next three years will be balanced, and yet according to a Ministry of Finance document, it showed Total Provincial Debt was expected to rise a further $6.7 billion dollars -- that according to the budget they released just two short months ago.

SHAME on you for the lies and arrogance. You can't trowel on enough of that to hide and mask the truth any longer!

So, how many watched the Christy Clark Show last night at 7pm on Global TV? 
Win, lose, or draw, Clark definitely will be deserving of the Best Female Actress award from the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television’s new CANADIAN SCREEN AWARDS, which recognize excellence in film, television and digital media productions.

 

I had been thinking of possible comments I might make, but to tell you the truth after seeing the first and only three comments my campaign manager, Alan Forseth, made -- I think he really did capture the spirit of what many were thinking.

 

So, unvarnished and unedited, this is what Al had to say last night:  

 

 

Comment #1 

Just watching the taped version of Christy's 1/2 hour info-mercial. Well right off the bat I'll ask the same thing Christy that you did ... "Why is it okay to for our government to leave our kids with a debt?"

YOU SHOULD be ashamed you've left us worse off. Your Liberal government has doubled our debt :(  

 

 

Comment #2 

Christy Clark asks: "Do we want look after our kids future -- do we want to give them choices, that they're going to want to have, to run their future -- or do we want to take away their future by saddling them with debt?"

 

Good grief ... is she really serious? How can a government that has been so completely wasteful with taxpayers resources seriously ask that question. THIS is what BC Conservatives have been asking -- because it is BC Liberals that have INDEED doubled the provinces debt -- just as the NDP did --- and BOTH of them HAVE seriously jeopardized our children's futures!

 

Shame on you Christy Clark for NOT being to embarrassed and ashamed to try and pull off that kind of phony BS! 

 

 

Comment #3 

Oh my goodness ... I'm only 5 minutes in and I don't know if I can stomach any more of this trite revisionist look at the BC Liberals. She says she wants to balance the budget so we don't saddle our children with debt?

 

Well excuse me for asking -- but what do you call the new $7 billion you will be adding to the debt over the next 3 years, if your Liberal government is re-elected. 

 

That's no magical number drawn out of thin air by the way Christy -- that IS from the BC Ministry of Finance records.

Many moons ago an old fart was asked what he thought of politicians. He replied "They should all be drowned at birth". I think he had something there.

This morning, I received an email from a voter in the Kamloops South Thompson riding.  He was passing along the words of a friend of his, regarding news that the government had allowed a contract with the teachers to be negotiated, that included unlimited massage sessions on the taxpayer tab.

The language in the email was strong so I am only going to included the opening sentence ... and then the close of what he had to say:

 

just heard a clip on the news that has me setting my hair on fire!

 

The blame must go to the Ministry of Education who negotiate on our behalf and allow this totally unacceptable &$^%$#@$ to happen!  I am reminded of the justification for raising MLA salaries, “in order to attract the best and the brightest” Duh?

This is, in my tiny perfect mind  just another example of “serve two terms and hit the pension jackpot”! As soon as we understand that as the primary agenda of our politicians we will be better able to deal with it.

Clearly what we need sometime in the future (after you and I have gone on to our reward) is a Maggie Thatcher to get rid of the unionized monopolies that are driving BC into bed with the Greece’s of the world.  Another NDP govt in BC  will surely revive the underground economy and drive good things away.  

How the hell did we allow ourselves to get into this stupid mess?

 

Now first, I wish to say that I do not agree totally with what this person had to say -- however I can understand the frustration that has driven then to have such a strong negative thought, and opinion, of the political process.

Now, the individual that sent me the email also had their own thoughts to share, and again I am going to pass them on for you to read:

 

Peter:

This is from a friend of mine who has a way with words.  The language is a bit strong but, if you intend to swim in the cesspool of BC politics, you will get used to it.

I do not read contracts because my eyes glaze over quickly, but my friend has a keener eye on him than most.  The government negotiators who permitted this "benefit" to be included in the last go-around with the BCTF should be publicly exposed for the incompetents that they are.

I sure pine for the days when we had the Social Credit Party running things.  They too were no angels and shifty at cutting corners BUT at least the province was humming and not wallowing in debt.  Sadly, they imploded.  Our only hope is a resurrected BC Conservative Party, one who closely resembles the Socreds.

Deep down the NDP and the Liberals have the same DNA but, like competitive kids in a family, they don't get along.  And, they have proven, over and over, that they cannot be trusted to live up to their fiduciary duties.  Thus the province keeps going further and further into debt. 

Our crown jewel of Crown Corporations, BC Hydro, has been raped and robbed so often that, in the real world, would be bankrupt.

So, it is no surprise that this perk (massages) was permitted to sneak into the last BCTF contract.  One only has to look at the competency of the players.

"BC Liberals Todd Stone and Terry Lake, and New Democrats Kathy Kendall and Tom Friedman, are all welcome to campaign with the slogan 'we'll spend more and tax you more"

Today the BC New Democrats Finance Critic, Bruce Ralston, rolled out the party's election campaign budget.  A plan that will see increased taxes, and deficit budgets for at least three years.
Said BC Conservative Party Kamloops South Thompson candidate Peter Sharp, "They have indicated they not only plan to increase corporate taxes, their plan also includes an attack on individual British Columbians.""Their plan" he continued, "Will add a further 2.2% on personal income taxes for the so-called wealthy."

Calls by BC Conservative for 'smarter spending', rather than more spending, seem to have fallen on deaf ears.Said Sharp, "I have already been informed that right now -- today -- people are looking at their options in terms of where they plan to live in the very near future."

"The BC Liberals put in their 2013 budget (which passed in the legislature on March 5th), that they are going to increase the tax on incomes over $150,000 by 2.1% in 2014."

"This is not just a platform plank of the BC Liberals.", continued Sharp, "It's law.  And now we have the provincial New Democrats announcing a tax increase of 2.2%." "I am already hearing, from reliable sources, that people right here in Kamloops are seeing their accountants to see how much lower taxes would be in Alberta.  That's because of the 2.1% increase the BC Liberals have already approved -- never mind the even higher increase Ralston is proposing under the New Democrats."

Currently, on incomes over $135,000, the top tax rate is 43.7%. This new increase would make the top rate 46.8% on incomes over $150,000. By comparison, the top rate in Alberta is 39%. The closer you get to 50% marginal tax rates, the more people are going to start running away from BC."Let me say as plainly as I possibly can, 'Neither the NDP, or the BC Liberals, should be in control of the public purse strings'."

"I believe John Cummins and I will take him at his word ... I will look after the concerns of my constituents over that of the party."

Kamloops South BC Conservative Peter Sharp

In a recent issue of Kamloops This Week, columnist Dale Bass took the position that no politician works in the best interests of their constituents, but instead slavishly follows the party line. 

Given recent political practice, it is not hard to see where such blatant cynicism comes from.  Nevertheless, the “tarred with same brush” approach is inherently unfair to those politicians who do genuinely work hard, often behind the scenes, for those they represent. 

I was recently asked what one change I would make if elected. This is what I had to say.

"…it would be to show the people of Kamloops South Thompson that government
really  can represent them.  We now have more and more people becoming apathetic,
and who no longer believe it makes any difference if they vote or not."

"I want them to see that they can have input into the decision making
process, and that government really can be accountable to them.”

 

With regard to the Ajax Mine project, I had a lengthy discussion with party leader John Cummins over how I, as a potential Conservative MLA, could (and should) handle the issue.  Here is my summary of that conversation:John Cummins told me that I should tell my constituents that when the environmental reports are released, to definitely consult with all constituents to seek their input. From the beginning, that is exactly what I have said I will do. 

I will not only do it on this issue, I will do it on any major issue of concern to the people of Kamloops South Thompson!"

I believe John Cummins and I will take him at his word.  I can state truthfully that I will do just that, I will look after the concerns of my constituents over that of the party.

Like Big Bird says: "One of these things just doesn't belong"

Big Bird, "One of these things is not like the other"

John Les, soon to be retired BC Liberal MLA, and former Minister of Small Business & Economic Development and Minister of Public Safety & Solicitor-General, spoke over the weekend to the financial well-being of British Columbia, under the Liberal government of Christy Clark.

Les stated, "British Columbians really don't want more debt.  I think at the end of the day they are going to choose the BC Liberal policies of balancing the budget, and keeping our spending under control."

He went on to say, "They (the NDP) would spend a lot more money, as government, than we have.  Now it's not easy to keep your spending under control ... it's also extremely important to keep your spending under control ... that's what we've been doing."

BC Liberals say the budget over the next three years will be balanced, and yet the estimated Total Provincial Debt for 2013 / 14 will be $62,689 billion --- that will rise to $69,428 by 2015/ 16 (see official BC Fiscal and Debt Summary). 

On the weekend I happened to have a chance to hear the opening remarks of Michael Campbell, from the program Money Talks. What he had to say really caught my attention.

Michael Campbell ("Money Talks" - April 6th, 2013)
"While it is our obligation to pay taxes, is there any obligation for governments to spend the money efficiently? We have a lot who don't think that's the case."

Now as I say, those words caught my attention.  That's because while the BC Liberal government is forecasting a SURPLUS budget this year of $197 million dollars, we're NOT hearing a word from them about the fact our total provincial debt will be rising to $62,689 BILLION dollars!

That's keeping spending under control?

British Columbians must indeed be wondering about the so-called 'under control spending' brought up by John Les on Saturday afternoon, as well as these additional words he had to say: