🚀 go-pugleaf

wj705@freenet.Victoria.BC.CA (Dewdney R. Riffet) wrote:

>Now, Karl also wants to pay down some of the debt in order to "get rid of
>the $28 billion of provincial debt." So, another expenditure. How much
>will the Liberals pay down the debt in the first year?

I don't expect a hell of a lot would be paid down the first year, but by
the third and fourth year of the mandate I would expect at least a billion
a year paydowns.  You see any idiot can blow $10 billion in 4 years if he
tries hard enough.  To pay it off will not be as easy.  If you try to take
too much out of the economy too quickly, you're going to run into serious
problems.

>What do we have then?

>   Budgeted spending            20,186.0
>   Off-budget                    1,414.0
>   Total                        21,600.0

Your figures are wrong.  Contributions from government enterprises totalled
$970,000,000.  That revenue was spent through the budget.

>less (untouchables)

As far as I'm concerned, there are no untouchables.  Unfortunately, I have
it on good authority that I am not being considered for the next Finance
Minister.

>   Education                     3,989.9
>   Health                        6,642.6
>   Debt Servicing                  979.0
>   Total                        11,611.5

When you are payoff your debts, debt service expenses drop.

>leaves
>   spending available for cuts   9,989.0

Again, you're wrong.  There are savings to be had in both Health and
Education by more frugal use of the money that is already there. My guess
is that a minimum of 10% can be cut from those budgets without affecting
service.

>PS. The sooner the Liberals admit that they are going to have to generate
>savings in health and education, the better. They are high enough in the
>polls to do it now and still get elected. Just do it!

See above.  As for the debt paydown.  Some of it can be achieved by selling
off Crown Corps (a major part of the debt load) that are not necessary to
be run by government. 


Karl Pollak
Bottom Line Productions           Canadian Infomaticon BBS,
Richmond, British Columbia        Fido 1:153/965  (604) 275-9579