A state governed by market transactions, not democratic principles
By Lethbridge Herald on February 22, 2025.
Dear Editor,
Mr. Harper is back in Alberta to help the UCP government manage the Heritage Trust Fund. Mr. Harper’s stated utopian dream is the neo-liberal strong state which enforces markets. A state governed by market transactions, not democratic principles. I believe it is in our interests as citizens to inform ourselves in order to be able to challenge the neo-liberal agenda. The neo-liberal agenda flows out of the Mont Pelerin Society, the Fraser Institute and the many north American think tanks originating with Friedrich Hayek and Milton Freedman. They speak for big corporate influences and free trade agreements that limit non-union work (the so-called level playing field). They speak for the promotion of greater profits in capital markets. When the neo-liberal talks about Freedom, it is for non-interference from government, not the democratic ideal. It is the bully speech of the rich capitalist over working people. I question the appointment of Mr. Harper to the board directing the functions of our Heritage Fund. Without a clear and open public debate about the creation, management, regulation, and purposes of the resources that build the fund. We are abandoning all the benefits to stock market speculation – the market. I for one, am not willing to abandon our Alberta Heritage to capitalist privateers. Even the pirate ships of the past gave a voice to the hands in the rigging and on deck. Is the modern worker willing to give up their life, lively hood, family and fortune to the fickle winds of the market? The neo-liberal will not give us a choice. Mrs. Thatcher told Britain it had no choice, and proceeded to trash their economy on the rocks of Mr. Hayek and Mr. Freedman’s’ market. Beware the market rocks of 2008.
Don Ryane
Lethbridge
6-5
After watching what Harper did to Canada with his Reform Party stupidity cutting taxes for the rich like these Reformers have done to Albertans and putting us in financial ruin we want it stopped. We owe it to our children to do so.
The true conservatives in my world will never forget his lies about the Income Trust Investments that cost them thousands of dollars or the fact that he tried to destroy our Public Health Care System, like Smith is trying to do, by cutting $36 billion off the transfer payments to the provinces.
But that’s what Reformers do. It’s not about looking after the well being of the people, it’s about looking after themselves and their rich friends and Albertans are fools to let them do it.
Helping the rich steal the peoples wealth and replacing the lost revenues with privatization is their goal and we are the only oil rich area in the world that’s been dumb enough to allow that to happen as oilmen point out. It’s why we have lost $1.2 trillion dollars and Norway and Alaska haven’t, isn’t it?
Very well said. There are so many red flags with an Alberta Provincial Pension Plan, and Stephen Harper shouldn’t be anywhere near our pensions. The UCP and Danielle Smith doesn’t care.
https://financialpost.com/diane-francis/tories-must-correct-income-trust-blunder
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-albertas-purge-at-aimco-followed-a-clash-of-visions-complaints-about/
Under premier Peter Lougheed, Alberta could be the envy of other oil producing jurisdictions. That certainly changed, due to how the Conservatives in Alberta ruined the good things he did for us. The excuse is that Alberta gave the money away to Ottawa, to Quebec, or to other provinces, which isn’t true.
https://www.theenergymix.com/alberta-mismanages-heritage-fund-misses-out-on-575b-in-revenue-over-44-years/
https://www.reddeeradvocate.com/news/tax-dollars-should-not-be-used-for-well-cleanup-industry-watchdog-group-6799191
How Danielle Smith will say anything to get elected.
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/alberta-election-2012-wildrose-party
https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/smith-says-sovereignty-act-rcmp-replacement-and-pension-plan-not-in-ucp-campaign
https://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/new-alberta-finance-minister-still-eyeing-pension-plan-and-tax-collection
https://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/alberta-again-refuses-to-release-results-of-its-public-pension-plan-consultations
We have the best government money can buy.
Do you like paying the highest power bills in Canada, the highest property taxes, the highest vehicle registration fees, the highest vehicle insurance premiums, the highest licensing fees for new drivers, the highest liquor costs, and for seniors the forth highest provincial taxes and the highest percentage per capita of people needing help from food banks, all thanks to these Reformers starting with Ralph Klein. While these fools cheat you out of your oil wealth, like Lougheed told you, when Alaskans have received $52,000. each since 1982.
How stupid are you?
while you make excellent points, it appears you have missed the tongue in cheek nature of the entry. it points to the corruption, waste, and nepotism that we get with govts owned by big corp, self serving interests.
You believe whatever you want I’m not that stupid.
for goodness sake – he is saying the govt is bought 🙂
Well aren’t they? What backroom deals have been made over the years like destroying Lougheed’s oil royalties and corporate taxes, electricity deregulation, and how about the tickets for the oiler games in Vancouver and the trips to the U.S. and what deals were made with Trump and with the coal industry when they are so hellbent on making certain that they get to ram it down our throats.what will they lose if we don’t let them.
What about the oil industry that was allowed to dump their abandon oil wells onto the backs of Albertans after Lougheed and Getty were making them pay for the cleanup.
Apparently you didn’t hear how the General Hospital was blown up by Klein to help one of his financial supporters obtain the land it was on so he could built a Condo Development and after it was blown up they discovered that the government didn’t own the land and couldn’t sell it? Was it true I don’t know but I wouldn’t doubt it. The land was left bear for years and I don’t know if anything was ever built on it, do you?
Then we were told the Grace Hospital was valued at $80 million including the building and equipment, Klein closed it down and sold it to four friends for $100,000. then spent $8 million renovating it for his friends to turn it into a hip and knee replacement centre and then allowed them to charge 10% more for operations done there and they still went broke. Not only had I heard that story from a hospital administrator my Mother and Sister heard it from another hospital administrator after they had volunteered for the hospital for 33 years.
If that’s not buying a government what is? As the lawyers have pointed out to us over the years it usually buys them a high paying cozy job after retirement like the $2.5 million did for Klein, didn’t it?
Isn’t it ironic that Alberta infrastructure minister has admitted to receiving Oiler Hockey Tickets from the same company company that screwed Albertans out of $75 million on the cold medicine from Turkey?
That was Biff and Calabascas’s point.
Yes I sure screwed that up. I had just received notice that a dear friend had passed away and I wasn’t thinking properly . It was a real shock. He was a lot younger than me.
Yes I certainly screwed that up didn’t I. I had just gotten word that a dear friend had passed away and I wasn’t thinking properly at all. It wasn’t expected.
Notice the two fools don’t agree they see noting wrong with what these fools are doing to us.
wishing you and all those who cared about your friend the very best. the loss of those we love and who loved us never gets easy.
We can be sure Mr. Harper will invest our pension funds in planetary destruction, in spite of the fact it will increase the cost of living and the risk of local disasters affecting Alberta. I’m sure the stock market will be fine, as the rich invest in companies that rebuild burnt houses or provide military equipment to seize diminishing resources from their neighbours.
Exactly. I wonder if Harper has given up his gig selling weapons to autocrats ?
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-stephen-harper-says-he-remains-proud-of-15-billion-arms-deal-with/
And to countries run by genocidal maniacs.