Comments on: Most of Campbell’s roughest spots were of his own making http://www.saynotohstinbc.ca/news-articles/most-of-campbells-roughest-spots-were-of-his-own-making/ Stop Gordon Campbell and his Liberal Government from implementing this unfair tax! Sun, 28 Aug 2011 02:17:08 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: E. Seidel http://www.saynotohstinbc.ca/news-articles/most-of-campbells-roughest-spots-were-of-his-own-making/comment-page-1/#comment-472 E. Seidel Thu, 31 Dec 2009 22:24:03 +0000 http://www.saynotohstinbc.ca/?p=623#comment-472 The HST is more than another tax increase. It is a blatant assault on our democratic system! If we let our premier get away with implementing the HST, we will have proven that it is okay for the government to completely ignore the wishes of the vast majority of the citizens, that it is okay for politicians to keep voters in the dark about important issues (such as the size of the provincial deficit) until after the election, thereby preventing voters from having any say in how those issues should be dealt with, and that it is okay for politicians to promise one thing before the election and do the exact opposite as soon as they are in power. On top of all that, we will have shown that it is okay for them to insult us all by dismissing our well-founded concerns about the HST as being simply an aversion to paying taxes -- as if the people of BC were all nothing but a bunch of cranky children who won't eat their vegetables and who need to be told what's good for them. That shows how much respect our politicians have for the public they are supposed to serve: none. If we let them get away with this, who knows what they may do next. Why stop at taxation? The law will not protect us. If something they want to do is prohibited -- no problem -- they'll simply change the law. They just demonstrated how easily and quickly they can do that when they changed the law in order to make the HST legal. Simply voting for a different political party in the next election won't make any difference. No matter which party we elect, if they know we will let them get away with doing whatever they want, then they will do exactly that. They would not care any more about the citizens' wishes and concerns than the current government does. It's time we used our democratic powers beyond the ballot box, or we may end up losing them! Fortunately, we don't need to storm any Bastille to stop the HST and to remind our politicians that their duty is to represent the people. Under the Recall and Initiative Act, BC citizens do have the power to force the government to introduce a Bill into the Legislature that would quash the HST or to put such a Bill to a public vote -- if enough registered voters sign a "Citizens' Initiative" petition, such as the one that the Fight HST group says they will launch in early 2010. Let's make sure that initiative will be a success! Let's make 2010 the year the people of BC took action to save their democracy from being subverted by dictatorial politicians and their "Big Industry" allies! The HST is more than another tax increase. It is a blatant assault on our democratic system! If we let our premier get away with implementing the HST, we will have proven that it is okay for the government to completely ignore the wishes of the vast majority of the citizens, that it is okay for politicians to keep voters in the dark about important issues (such as the size of the provincial deficit) until after the election, thereby preventing voters from having any say in how those issues should be dealt with, and that it is okay for politicians to promise one thing before the election and do the exact opposite as soon as they are in power. On top of all that, we will have shown that it is okay for them to insult us all by dismissing our well-founded concerns about the HST as being simply an aversion to paying taxes — as if the people of BC were all nothing but a bunch of cranky children who won’t eat their vegetables and who need to be told what’s good for them. That shows how much respect our politicians have for the public they are supposed to serve: none.

If we let them get away with this, who knows what they may do next. Why stop at taxation? The law will not protect us. If something they want to do is prohibited — no problem — they’ll simply change the law. They just demonstrated how easily and quickly they can do that when they changed the law in order to make the HST legal.

Simply voting for a different political party in the next election won’t make any difference. No matter which party we elect, if they know we will let them get away with doing whatever they want, then they will do exactly that. They would not care any more about the citizens’ wishes and concerns than the current government does. It’s time we used our democratic powers beyond the ballot box, or we may end up losing them!

Fortunately, we don’t need to storm any Bastille to stop the HST and to remind our politicians that their duty is to represent the people. Under the Recall and Initiative Act, BC citizens do have the power to force the government to introduce a Bill into the Legislature that would quash the HST or to put such a Bill to a public vote — if enough registered voters sign a “Citizens’ Initiative” petition, such as the one that the Fight HST group says they will launch in early 2010. Let’s make sure that initiative will be a success! Let’s make 2010 the year the people of BC took action to save their democracy from being subverted by dictatorial politicians and their “Big Industry” allies!

]]> By: L. Brandon http://www.saynotohstinbc.ca/news-articles/most-of-campbells-roughest-spots-were-of-his-own-making/comment-page-1/#comment-439 L. Brandon Sun, 13 Dec 2009 18:02:25 +0000 http://www.saynotohstinbc.ca/?p=623#comment-439 Somehow, I think, the people of this Province are being shafted. MLAs' are not allowed to speak against government policy and so they are not represtenting the people who elected them. No one speaks for the people becuase they are not allowed. 84% of British Columbians oppose the HST, but no one listens. Fascist Government in B. C. and Dictatorship in Ottawa. So much for freedom. Somehow, I think, the people of this Province are being shafted. MLAs’ are not allowed to speak against government policy and so they are not represtenting the people who elected them. No one speaks for the people becuase they are not allowed. 84% of British Columbians oppose the HST, but no one listens. Fascist Government in B. C. and Dictatorship in Ottawa. So much for freedom.

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