With all the brouhaha about the Conservatives' aborted ad campaign trying to frighten the population into believing the Dion Liberals are going to "put a tax on everything" and the NDP saying we're out to hurt poor people and little old ladies, I wonder if an opportunity isn't brewing here.
The Conservatives, in particular, are doing their best to dishonestly paint this thing as the second coming of the apocalypse. On the one hand, they’re calling attention to the issue and getting people to pay attention; on the other they’re leading people to think it’s going to be the end of the world.
What happens, though, when the plan comes out and they see it’s not hatched by Lucifer and his minions, but that it’s actually (I’m hoping) a reasonable, effective environmental policy supported by both environmental leaders and respected economists that addresses an issue Canadians really do care about?
What’s more, given that they’ve been led to expect the absolute worst by our opponents, when they see it’s not so bad as they’ve been led to believe they might be even more willing to expect a little tough medicine then they would have been had the ground not been softened by oily and his fear mongering.
There is potential, therefore, to turn this situation to our advantage. To be successful will require two things though:
1. An actual policy to put out there.
2. An effective communications strategy for selling it to Canadians, and countering the opposition spin.
We’re still waiting on number one, and in the past the LPC has proven itself far, far, far from competent at number two. Fingers crossed. Any time now please.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Potential silver/green lining
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12 comments:
BCer . . . tell us about how more taxes will benefit us . . . gas is already way over taxed . . . or didn't you know that.
I never met a lib that didn't think the solution to all problems was to tax it . . . if the problem persists . . . tax it more!!!
This is the height of stupidity . . . cause all taxes are eventually paid by the consumer . . . the last person on the totem pole.
Dion's silly ideas will only drive inflation more . . . cause even you must know that everything rides in a truck!!!
Do you really believe that if we tank the economy in Canada, we all sit at home in the dark . . . that the planet will be saved from some perceived problem that you cannot even articulate with real facts??
GW is nonsense, CO2 is plantfood, the Antartic gained 780,000 sq kilometeres of ice last year. The polar bears are multiplying.
The only problem is that crazy Al is getting rich selling carbon credits and driving inflation all over the world.
"...the NDP saying we're out to hurt poor people and little old ladies"
and kittens too! We all know that Liberals are alien kitten eaters. The people who brought us Ernie Eaves made us aware of this questionable delicacy, and it is only a matter of time that these same people, who now run Ottawa, let all of Canada know that Liberals like to eat kittens.
Whooee! From what I'm seein' the ad campaign ain't aborted. Only the part where they was playin' ads at gas pumps. The radio and tee shirt things are still happenin', I think.
I think Canajuns is ready to latch on to a bold plan aimed at savin' ol' Mother Earth. The essential part of the sales pitch should be extensive charts that show how the tax-shift will affect various typical Canajuns. i.e. 905 family of 4, rural retirees, self-indulgent overconsumers, university students, urban folks, etc. They oughta show how much the big polluters will be forced to pay and how that tax will be used to lower income taxes. They also oughta emphasize how they're going to implement cap-and-trade alongside the tax-shiftin'.
Maybe they can make a cartoon about it. :-)
JB
Oh yeah... wrt kitten-eatin', there's plenty of free kittens to be had this time of year. Fatten 'em up fer a coupla three months, add some onions, spuds an' carrots and you gotcherself a kitty stew. Mmmm, Mmmm... tender'n'tasty.
wheatsheaf, i think it's actually evil reptilian kitten eaters. they may or may not be extra-terestial in origin, i don't know.
jimbobby, a cartoon would be a good idea, although how can you top inky the lovable oil spot..consume, consume!
Oldschool said...
"tell us about how more taxes will benefit us . . . gas is already way over taxed . . . or didn't you know that."
Funny... that's what the Conservative party used to say they would fix... wait a second... aren't they in power right now... maybe they're too busy creating childish ad campaigns.
"This is the height of stupidity . . . cause all taxes are eventually paid by the consumer . . . the last person on the totem pole."
Right except the raised taxes are going to be offset by tax decreases on various things that don't involve pollution.
"Dion's silly ideas will only drive inflation more . . . cause even you must know that everything rides in a truck!!!"
If Dion's green shift is anything like the BC carbon tax... they're initially raising diesel tax by 2.7 cents / litre... which isn't exactly a massive increase when you consider that right now in Toronto diesel is $1.30 to $1.35 / litre... and prices lately have been fluctuating as much as 3 or 4 cents up and down in a day... but do fear monger away.
"Do you really believe that if we tank the economy in Canada, we all sit at home in the dark . . . that the planet will be saved from some perceived problem that you cannot even articulate with real facts??"
Tank the economy... oh PLEASE.
"GW is nonsense, CO2 is plantfood, the Antartic gained 780,000 sq kilometeres of ice last year. The polar bears are multiplying."
Just so you know that tinfoil hat you're wearing... it's recyclable if you ever decide to take it off and join the real world.
merboy . . . even the IPCC said GW is off for at least 10 years.
By the way do you have the science, the real provable science that shows us all how CO2 is driving temperatures??? Bet you don't . . . been asking for it for 10 years . . . but it don't exist.
31,000 scientists, 9,000 of them climatologists signed the Oregon petition saying Kyoto is nonsense!!!
Fact is global temperature has dropped by almost a degree since 1999.
There is no such thing as a neutral tax . . . tax the corporations . . . the last 3 left in Ontario will leave!!! Only a lefty could think taxes would fix anything. Even John Kennedy said "less taxes equal more revenue" . . . what a concept . . . of course today he would be thought of a a right-winger . . . that is how far left the left has moved in 40 years.
The carbon-trading ponzi scheemes in Europe are making billions for the banks and carbon traders (like big AL). Who is paying the fare? Why the Euro consumers . . . double digit inflation. Must be good, we need that here . . . right!!!
Most of Canada's problems are a result of 30 plus years of liberal incompetence . . . taxed corporations till they left, handouts till many canuks today think the govt will save them from themselves.
Gee, Oldschool - if that was the case, why did Harper compliment Premier Campbell??? Huh?????
You know what they say - "empty wagons rattle the most" - and Harper's wagon team are sure rattling - and, dogs that are AFRAID bark and attack.
"What happens, though, when the plan comes out and they see it’s not hatched by Lucifer and his minions,"
Explaining that worked so well for the Tories in the last 15 years didn't it?
Merboy... the Price of gas has risen 60 cents in the last 3 years.... How many people still drive? Most/all of them? Do you really think 2.7 cents is going to do anything more to alter behavior? It will do nothing except put money into government coffers.
(for that matter why are you arguing about amounts on gas.. the plan Dion presented..... well might write and present someday) won't have taxes on things people want... only on things that are pollutants... and we won't pay incomtax, wars, pollution, dictators, global warming, conservatives or anything else bad.... All because Dion saved us with his neutral (unicorn type) tax.... well.... tax.)
"if that was the case, why did Harper compliment Premier Campbell??? Huh?????"
Because it was politically expedient... just like curbing fossil fuel use... just (Dion says) not on gasoline
(because there will be a backlash if we actually target people instead of targeting people though corporations)
If they don't have people working night and day to hurry up and get this out they better start.
Steffi in 2006. The election ads write themsleves
"A carbon tax is less effective than a carbon market at reducing emissions. Some
of my opponents for the Liberal leadership have suggested that a carbon tax would be
the most effective measure to curb climate pollution. This is simply bad policy, for the
following reasons:
1. A carbon tax is almost always implemented as a direct tax on fossil fuels. Given
the current price of these fuels, however, it is difficult to argue that a further price
signal will dampen consumption or shift demand.
2. A carbon tax is a flat tax – it costs each polluter a fixed amount per tonne of
emissions. Such a tax will not inflate with a bull market or recede in times of
difficulty. In the energy market, in particular, soaring prices make anything but a
prohibitively high tax a mere nuisance for large producers.
- 30 -
3. Finally, and most significantly, valuing reductions in emissions equally across all
sectors and industries eliminates the potential benefits to be had by maximizing
reductions where the cost is lowest. In a carbon market, those areas that
produce the least expensive real reductions will experience the highest level of
interest and investment, maximizing the level of reductions per dollar spent."
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