Current Parliament and WWII Parlaiment fiscal cowards?

[Machjo]

In WWII, the Canadian Federal Government, while enthusiastic about heading off to war, lacked the moral fortitude to raise taxes as required to fight it. Indeed it did raise taxes, but not enough to cover the costs of the war, thus putting itself in the red big time. Essentially, it just lacked the backbone to be honest with the Caandian population and raise taxes as needed to pay for the war so as to let Canadians not just know, but feel the real cost of the war.

Seeing that Canada is going into the red again, always making war an excuse, isn't it essentially revealing the same cowardly lack of backbone its WWII counterparts exhibited?

If we want to go to war, fine, but let's at least show the moral leadership necessary to raise the taxes to pay for this war. It would seem our current government would rather fight the war and let us know the real costs later. heck, even the military has declared the real cost of the war secret for national security reasons... from our elected officials! And the government defends it!

So much for fiscal conservatism.

 

[darkbeaver]

Better still let's show true moral leadership and refuse to fight this immoral war.

 

[Machjo]

Better still let's show true moral leadership and refuse to fight this immoral war.

I'm still undecided about the ethics of the war overall, though I certainly question many aspects of it. You might be right. But either way, even if it is a moral war, politicians ought to have the courage to raise the taxes to pay for it and not hide its true costs from us.

Besides, isn't that what a fiscally conservative government would do?

 

[pegger]

Damn right they are fiscal cowards. We've got a $500 B debt - which is pegged to grow by $110 B in 3 years (?) - and no guts to raise taxes to a rate that will pay that off BEFORE the Boomers begin retiring.

In 10 years, the tax base will shrink by approx. 40 to 60% as the boomers retire, and us "X-ers" and our kids (and their kids - and their kids) will have the priviledge to pay for their (federal and provincial) debt, their CPP, their OAS, their Health Care, etc...

What's even worse is our PM declaring he will never raise taxes - and the 30-40% that will blindly "hurray" that short-sighted, poor decision.

Don't beleive me - wait 10 years...then we'll see a REAL tax revolt.

(As to this war - the only way to win a war is to "fight" a war. Since we are unwilling to kill every last Afgani to win this war, we should get out. Please note - I am not advocating killing every last Afgani - but the reason we won WWII is that both the Germans and the Japanese knew we would wipe both populations off the face of the planet - that is the ONLY reason we won that war)

 

[AnnaG]

In WWII, the Canadian Federal Government, while enthusiastic about heading off to war, lacked the moral fortitude to raise taxes as required to fight it. Indeed it did raise taxes, but not enough to cover the costs of the war, thus putting itself in the red big time. Essentially, it just lacked the backbone to be honest with the Caandian population and raise taxes as needed to pay for the war so as to let Canadians not just know, but feel the real cost of the war.

Seeing that Canada is going into the red again, always making war an excuse, isn't it essentially revealing the same cowardly lack of backbone its WWII counterparts exhibited?

Going into the red? Did I hear you right?

Canada's National Debt Clock : The Canadian Taxpayers Federation

If we want to go to war, fine, but let's at least show the moral leadership necessary to raise the taxes to pay for this war. It would seem our current government would rather fight the war and let us know the real costs later. heck, even the military has declared the real cost of the war secret for national security reasons... from our elected officials! And the government defends it!

On top of what Pegger said, So much for fiscal conservatism.

So much for fiscal anything in Canuckville. the healhcare system and the education system were ignored for so long it'd cost a bundle to get them to the standards they were. Especially considering the critters that Pegger mentioned: BOOMERS, will be hogging the horsespittles and stuff soon.