I wish there was a political party in Canada/British Columbia that had real innovation and would tackle the issues a lot of us care about. Of course, this is politics, and not everyone will agree with me, but below are just a few policies I'd like to see become a reality. Unfortunately, they will not become a reality with the existing political parties we have today in either Canada or British Columbia. ______________________________________________________ Economic Policy General Philosophical Statement: Taxes are a penalty on economic activity and are bad for the economy. That being said, it is recognized that government still needs to raise revenue to pay for programs and services. The key is having LOW taxes that are widely-spread. Specific LOW user fees for a variety of government services are also good. Legalize Cannabis General Philosophical Statement: There are economic and social benefits to be gained if cannabis was legalized. Legalize, control and tax cannabis. It would provide a large source of revenue to the government and decrease a lot of organized crime. There are also medical benefits to be gained from this drug. The war on cannabis makes no sense. It is costly, ineffective and results in a thriving black market economy with the accompanying crime. Death with Dignity Law General Philosophical Statement: Having a Death with Dignity Law is desirable. A majority of Canadians would like to have a Death with Dignity option for themselves. This is part of an overall quality of life issue. Other progressive societies like Washington State, Oregon, Montana and certain European countries have comprehensive Death with Dignity Laws for their citizens to make use of.
Now who could disagree with this? No one right? The problem is that governments have to 'do' things to keep people happy and those things cost money. Enforcement and administration of new laws (long-gun registry) and programs (there's lots!) continuously increase costs. A government that didn't continuously come up with new laws and programs would be labeled as useless by the opposition, media and citizens. So the default of the government to say 'yes' to as much as possible is what drives our taxes higher. Saying 'yes' to as many people as possible gets more points than lowering taxes. It's very expensive, and annoying. Common sense but the Feds in the US would go ballistic. That's not without consequences for example if out of concern about proliferation of marijuana up here the US suddenly requires visiting Canadians to get visas. I know about European laws but can you expand on the US laws?
low taxes is an impossible fantasy...you cant run a modern social society without significant taxation...other than that good thoughts...
For the most part I do agree with you in the sense that Canada needs a party that represents what the west wants too instead of every party having to bend over backwards to make sure Québec doesn't whine about them not being the center of attention for every waking minute. As much as I agree with everything else you said I just can't agree with this since government just can't run without a way of keeping it running. I would just add that certain programs(like perhaps the defense budget) should be cut back a little bit and be put into things to stuff that actually progresses the advancement of humanity.
Quebec is different, they are not like the rest of us, they should run their province as they see fit... ya low taxes is very vague wish that many want but when asked how they are planning to pay for services they're short on answers...running a country is expensive there is no getting away from that, I suggest anyone want to try live in a country with low taxes move to a third world country and try that lifestyle for a while then get back to us on how that worked for them... yes, I'd sooner see more walk-in clinics then Super Jets flying patrols over the frozen arctic...
