I'm not very political.
<!-(Secretly, my objective is to destabilize the Canadian economy so that the USD/CND exchange rate sways in my favor. I'm tired of earning less and less money every day I go to work)->
I don't really know much about what's going on other than the little bits I accidentally catch on the news and the anti-Campbell propaganda that I get from family. (It used to be anti-NDP... now it's anti-Campbell. No doubt it'll change yet again).
Personally, the guy just rubs me the wrong way though... always did. I think it's the perceived arrogance. Bully'esque'
Here are some of my thoughts:
IMO the Liberals/Campbell got into power because of two main things. 1) The promise to get rid of photo-radar. 2) Punish the NDP. That's a big part of the way we vote in this province. To punish, not to reward.
Just like Obama, Campbell inherited a mess. Things had to get cleaned up and that meant some sacrifices had to be made. I think for the most part the province drank the kool-aide... until he gave himself a raise. Even then, though, they were just still too p'ed off with the NDP so they gave him slack.
The NDP's tendency to give out handouts to every Tom, Dick, and Shaun was not a wise way to run government, but in the case of at least Shaun, it turned out to benefit him, and the province.
We lost a 15% income tax cut. Why? Two possible reasons come to my mind (which I guess are basically the same, with just a little different spin):
1) the bribe failed and the party/leader wouldn't benefit from it. No point in giving a gift if you're not going to get a thank you. Might as well take it back and save it for a better time.
2) the party was not really in favor of it to begin with, but Campbell was determined to buy back the people. The bribe fails, the party says, "Told you so", Campbell resigns, and the party takes back on his promise.
Economy in the dumps (worldwide). Gas prices go up. So what happens? He decides to go ahead with the pre-planned increase of the Carbon tax to promote environmental awareness (which affects the poorest of the province the greatest). He gets to look like he's doing something about the environment and makes money for the gov't at the same time. At the same time he's driving 'important' people around in huge gas guzzling suv's advertising the greenest Olympics ever. He can afford it. Obviously, the environment is not really a concern of his. Does he drive a smart car? Ummm... I guess I went off on a bit of a rant there. Oh well...
Instead of negotiating contracts, he tears them up. Reminded me of my ex-employer who said, "Your contract is only as good as the money you have to back it up in court." Nice. Is that the way of a good leader?
Closing down hospitals and making people have to drive 3-4 hours just to get to the nearest hospital? Really?? To put it into perspective, Manning Park is only about 2 1/2 hours away.
Closing down schools... due to lack of enrollment? I think there's a potential chicken vs the egg debate in there somewhere.
Promoting amateur athletics (ie Olympics/BigShow) and at the same time telling school kids to take a hike in the park.
I think the people of the province are just tired of it all, and having the HST crammed down their throats is the straw that broke the camel's back. Is the HST good or bad for the province? Sure, the people are guilty of not debating the merits of the HST, but neither is the government. There is no debate. There is no real education on the issue. There's just propaganda. There is no vote. It's just cram, cram, cram.
I don't believe in this idea of 'trickle down effect'. It's kinda like saying that he'll take a paycut when the province is in recession. Not gonna happen. Nothing ever seems to get trickled down to the people. Country is in recession, but Cable Company's are making record profits and continue to raise rates every couple of months? That's the reality. Is that the only leg that they're trying to use to hold up the HST?
What's the point of the recall campaign? Simple. To punish the Liberals. That's why we vote in this province. To punish.
Referendums are a waste of money. Especially when nothing's gonna change regardless of the results. And IMO, that's his legacy. Contracts are only worth the money you have to back them up in court.
But like I said at the beginning... I don't really know much about politics. I don't vote. I choose not to vote to spite anyone, and I really don't like the other options.