Our Zealous Administrator

Ontario's premier just loves being Dalton McGuinty. He adores being premier of Ontario. It's an exciting, personally refreshing, eminently rewarding occupation. He ran for office and he was elected. Mind, he ran for office against an opponent whose major thrust was to honour equally all religions in public-education funding. An unpopular topic that garnered few votes. But Mr. McGuinty's major electoral promise was "no more taxes". And that was very popular.

One of the reasons he was elected, in fact. Although that promise evaporated fairly rapidly as stealth tactics brought Ontario's public the bad news that new taxes were in their future, after all. The most regressive of all being the re-imposition of health premiums, after decades of universal coverage sans premiums. The nasty part of this is that the health premiums went into the general income stream, while the province's hospitals and its health system mouldered.

And we saw one scandalous waste of tax-payer's funding after another in a progression of revelations that government wasn't keeping a reasonable lid on runaway expenses and waste, from Ontario Hydro to eHealth. The province stumbled to its knees with the loss of manufacturing jobs, with the results of the recession, and became a 'have-not' province, receiving for the first time ever, an allocation of equalization payments.

But we're not proud; every little bit helps. Because rapid spending by this government has helped put us in a deep, red hole. Program spending increased by 7.3% annually under this Liberal regime; expenses rose from 16.2% to 21.3% of GDP, and our debt doubled to $220-billion. Billion! 220 of them thar things! We're looking at a $21.2-billion deficit this year, and rising debt payments.

And, this government is still spending beyond its means. It's doubtful that all-day kindergarten will be all that useful in socializing very young children and helping to further their educations. But it is costly. The new Green Energy Act has seen electricity 65% higher in cost than several other provinces. 65%, like wow, man! But we're being environmentally good, is the understanding.

And the HST set to hit Ontarians where it most hurts? To the extent that the average family will be paying out an extra $792 yearly...? Well, grin and bear it, this is our future. It may very well end up helping the economy by helping producers and businesses through lower taxation levels. We're picking up the slack, but we'll benefit from an eventually-stronger economy resulting from more muscular business and trade activities.

And we should be feeling warm all over because we've pleased the premier who is having the time of his life. And who plans, absolutely, to run for office again. Fulfilling his destiny.