Winnipeg Roads & Infrastructure - Page 21

jmt18325 · #**401** Posted **Apr 22, 2014, 8:22 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Riverman

There is $5-700 million to be saved annually by reducing the size of the public sector back to the Canadian average. If you knew the level of duplication in this public sector you would be astounded.

Last I saw, Manitoba's public sector was smaller than the Canadian average. Show me otherwise.

Spending not employment (but there are too many employees for sure).

esquire · #**402** Posted **Apr 22, 2014, 8:30 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmt18325

Last I saw, Manitoba's public sector was smaller than the Canadian average. Show me otherwise.

Spending not employment (but there are too many employees for sure).

Slightly higher than average but by no means an outlier.

Here's the Frontier Centre's take:

https://www.fcpp.org/files/1/PS116%20MBPublicSectr.pdf

jmt18325 · #**403** Posted **Apr 22, 2014, 8:32 PM**

I'm actually surprised. They goes against something else I ha seen earlier.

jmt18325 · #**404** Posted **Apr 22, 2014, 8:35 PM**

Reduce it though...I'm totally good with that. That said, leave the PST as is and spend all the money on infrastructure.

bomberjet · #**405** Posted **Apr 22, 2014, 8:35 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by rrskylar

Posts like this depress me, lowering taxes and cutting govt. spending is seen as a bad thing by so many of you in here, the thought of still living in Manitoba ten years from now is an even scarier thought!

Lower taxes so schools will close and hospitals can't function? There is no where to lower taxes to. Riverman's post below will help. Start cutting arts spending too?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Riverman

There is $5-700 million to be saved annually by reducing the size of the public sector back to the Canadian average. If you knew the level of duplication in this public sector you would be astounded.

This I don't doubt it one bit. $700M in fat trimming?! That would be impressive.

bomberjet · #**406** Posted **Apr 22, 2014, 8:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmt18325

Reduce it though...I'm totally good with that. That said, leave the PST as is and spend all the money on infrastructure.

This I agree with. Keep the PST and spend the one percent on infrastructure ONLY. Roads, sewers, whatever. Regardless of political affiliation. It's not just that I like freeways and the like. They are necessary for this province to be positioned as a transportation hub. Which is all we really have going for us. The old saying rings true. You gotta spend money to make money. Spend this money on the infrastructure and the province will be positioned to make more money.

jmt18325 · #**407** Posted **Apr 22, 2014, 8:46 PM**

So far the NDP has made good on their promise with the PST. It's almost enough to get me back.

Spocket · #**408** Posted **Apr 23, 2014, 2:10 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by bomberjet

So Pallister and his Cons will cut all spending from the PST hike and then what? There's no money for anything. His main point is killing the PST hike. So then where are they going to find any money for anything? They want to cut spending, cut everything. Okay, but at the same time improve the province? Tell me how?

Trust me, I'm not a fan of Sellinger. But at the same time, like other poster said, I just don't trust Pallister. This shouldn't be a political issue. It should be a matter of necessity. We need it, so make it happen.

I know nothing about Pallister or the current crop of Cons in Manitoba but maybe there's something to be said for the idea that we'd have more money if the NDP weren't so bad at managing it in the first place. Historically they've been terrible at managing provincial economies and frankly I think they just lucked out to a certain degree this time. Doer had some idea what he was doing and while I only would have voted for him because there was no viable alternative, the NDP in general are just about the worst thing you can do if you believe in fiscal restraint.

jmt18325 · #**409** Posted **Apr 23, 2014, 2:14 AM**

Actually, the Manitoba NDP under Doer was praised for its fiscal restraint.

Riverman · #**410** Posted **Apr 23, 2014, 4:50 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmt18325

Actually, the Manitoba NDP under Doer was praised for its fiscal restraint.

All while driving up the provincial debt by several billion dollars. Great job!

rrskylar · #**411** Posted **Apr 23, 2014, 5:27 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Riverman

All while driving up the provincial debt by several billion dollars. Great job!

Come on Riverman there's a long way to go before PST increases can be maxed out!

The fact that a high PST hurts the poorest the most is of little consequence to the current speNDP regime.

Cyro · #**412** Posted **Apr 23, 2014, 5:41 PM**

Politics...I know wrong thread..

At the same time, Alberta’s real debt will climb to $14.5 billion, as the booming province takes out $5.1 billion in loans to fund the capital budget, which will pay for new infrastructure.
-EdmontonJournal March.2014

Komatiite · #**413** Posted **Apr 24, 2014, 4:39 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by bomberjet

So Pallister and his Cons will cut all spending from the PST hike and then what? There's no money for anything. His main point is killing the PST hike. So then where are they going to find any money for anything? They want to cut spending, cut everything. Okay, but at the same time improve the province? Tell me how?

Trust me, I'm not a fan of Sellinger. But at the same time, like other poster said, I just don't trust Pallister. This shouldn't be a political issue. It should be a matter of necessity. We need it, so make it happen.

Given that we live in a capitalist economy, the shortfall needs to come from the private sector. Is that easy to do? No, it's fucking hard, but then again, that's why we supposedly elect specialists to oversee such tasks. I'm not convinced the PCs are any better than the NDP at this point, but as someone who works in exploration and mining, I have seen NDPs mismanagement of our bureaucratic capacity for natural resource development (career geologists in the provinces say it's been gutted), the one thing, in my mind, that Manitobans could actually be competitive in over the short term while we take a breather to restructure the economy into something that aligns more with the priorities of leftists and environmentalists.

Taxing consumers and devoting a significant portion of the proceeds to resurfacing highways to cottage country and between sub-10,000 person towns does not constitute forward thinking for me. I don't see 'good jobs' coming from that, unless you are an extra-provincial/national engineering firm or a summer student delighted to earn $18/hour holding a slow/stop sign. At this point in my cynical resignation, I honestly think we could eliminate the PST-hike funding and not notice a damn difference; in fact, since the difference would mean fewer lights for my travels around Steinbach and Winnipeg, I would prefer it.

bomberjet · #**414** Posted **Apr 24, 2014, 5:12 PM**

I was more thinking that if we call ourselves a shipping/transportation hub, we should actually have the infrastructure to support that. Private sector isn't going to pay to upgrade the Perimeter I can guarantee you that much. I wasn't really referring to the actual construction of the highways as an economic driver.

Komatiite · #**415** Posted **Apr 24, 2014, 5:34 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by bomberjet

I was more thinking that if we call ourselves a shipping/transportation hub, we should actually have the infrastructure to support that. Private sector isn't going to pay to upgrade the Perimeter I can guarantee you that much. I wasn't really referring to the actual construction of the highways as an economic driver.

My bad. Has anyone done an accounting of the PST-hike expenditures relating to the Centreport development?

biguc · #**416** Posted **Apr 24, 2014, 5:45 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by bomberjet

This I agree with. Keep the PST and spend the one percent on infrastructure ONLY. Roads, sewers, whatever. Regardless of political affiliation. It's not just that I like freeways and the like. They are necessary for this province to be positioned as a transportation hub. Which is all we really have going for us. The old saying rings true. You gotta spend money to make money. Spend this money on the infrastructure and the province will be positioned to make more money.

Why keep a regressive tax that hurts the poor the most when repealing some of the crooked, rinky-dink tax credits that benefit the upper-middle class only would do the same?

steveosnyder · #**417** Posted **Apr 24, 2014, 8:05 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by biguc

Why keep a regressive tax that hurts the poor the most when repealing some of the crooked, rinky-dink tax credits that benefit the upper-middle class only would do the same?

Because of trickle down economics, that's why... Commie.[/SARCASM]

Riverman · #**418** Posted **Apr 24, 2014, 8:31 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by biguc

Why keep a regressive tax that hurts the poor the most when repealing some of the crooked, rinky-dink tax credits that benefit the upper-middle class only would do the same?

Manitoba taxes it's poor harder than any other other province. The PST hike sure didn't help.

bomberjet · #**419** Posted **Apr 25, 2014, 12:13 AM**

Meanwhile at Bishop and Kenaston, the first trapezoidal box girder is going into place. They built a temporary pier for it to sit on yesterday. But it was still on the ground when I went by this evening, with the crane in position and cables hooked up. Also will be closing Kenaston over the weekend. Likely to install more girders over the roadway. This one was off to the side on the east.

rrskylar · #**420** Posted **Apr 25, 2014, 4:12 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by biguc

Why keep a regressive tax that hurts the poor the most when repealing some of the crooked, rinky-dink tax credits that benefit the upper-middle class only would do the same?

The NDP are great at paying lip service to the poor, guys like the late Harry Lehotsky and David Northcott who advocated for the poor saw through the speNDP bullshit and continually called them out.