EXPLETIVE!!!!!

Is there even one government in this country that tries to not spend every dime they take in?

Had he been nicer to Stephen maybe ForLorne Calvert could be bragging up a budget more along the lines of John (his real name) Charest.

Quebec budget balanced with Ontario and Alberta money. again and again and a gain.

If just one single penny could be pinched, in this whole country, between all politicians, I could almost die a happy man. Seems to be too much to ask though.

True Conservatism has only been successful in Alberta who truly tighten their collective belts and more so kept lefty socialist governments out.
Everywhere else: Ontario with Mike Harris, Quebec with Charest: YES, Charest's promises included reducing size of gov., freezing gov salaries, paying down the debt etc., caused a massive revolt when he tried to implement these and he had to backtrack...Now Dumont is promising the same things and Quebecers are eating it up, Go figure!

All this to say that almost all Canadians are now addicted and/or dependant on the nanny state socialism.

How do that Rolling Stone song, Sympathy for the Devil" goes again?:
"...You ask, who killed the Kennedys, when afterall it was you and me..."

We deserve the mediocre situation we have put ourselves in. PERIOD!

Metalguru

They're lining their pockets for the day that they have no place else to run but under the wing of Uncle Fidel, who will welcome them with open arms....arms propped open by brother Raoul.

“Spending is up by $2 billion or over 32 per cent, there are 1,459 new government positions during a period when the population fell by more than 10,000 people, and spending in the Premier’s office is up by 17 per cent.”

Simply. Astounding.

More civil servants!!! I guess every taxpayer in the province has their own personal civil servant by now.

As usual they miss the point: cut the taxes and let free enterprise do the rest. In no time at all the coffers would start to fill up without having to dip into the rainy day fund.

Keven, I feel for ya. Too many people want something special for their group/cause whatever, to let the government take it's hand out of the taxpayer's pocket.

someone said that democracy is in peril when the citizens realize they can vote themselves money from the public treasury. there will be much more this not less.

Come guys, take it easy on the NDP. They have to salt a little money away for when the elctorate "retires" them and sends them off to live with their kids in Alberta!

The form on this page has been removed temporarily removed.
Please use the contact information below.

Saskatchewan New Democratic Party
1122 Saskatchewan Dr.
Regina, SK
S4P 0C4
Ph:306.525.1322
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Went to NDP Saskatchewan website to send an e-mail showing my support for the budget (another great tool to bring them down with in my opinion) and this is what pops up. Do you think maybe I wasn't the only one expressing their pleasure with the document?

The government got its $75 million surplus by transferring $510 million from one of its own accounts? Apparently Kyoto Accord logic extends to economics, too. Socialist economics, anyway.

So let's tally this up: we've got an economic boom going here, but the government's still managed to run up a deficit, and its hired more civil servants to serve a shrinking population. It's all about election year politics, of course (buying votes and keeping the unions happy), so maybe the NDP's election slogan should be: Striving For Mediocrity.

yet the Sask Party declined to suggest what they would have cut from the budget, complained about all the new government jobs but said they wouldn't get rid of any of them.....

Do I think spending more then you bring in is a good idea? Absolutely not, but if the Sask Party wanted to be credible on the issue they would offer alternatives, not just crying, whining and complaining.

Unprecedented economic boom. Deficit budget.

Does the SK government employ accountants from Bizzaro World?

Isn't it coincidental that the budget is in deficit by about the amount they were expecting from the Feds (800 million) less the 200 million that they did get.

Larry Hubich likes the budget so you know it can't be good.

No thanks! I've lived in SK and have no intention of returning for anything but brief visits to good friends! Or maybe some fishing in the north.

With the propensity of the locals to elect lousy governments and reward them for being incompetents or crooks I can't see any reason to.
One good thing about SK... for me it's 1 Hour closer to Calgary by Westjet!

"No thanks! I've lived in SK and have no intention of returning for anything but brief visits to good friends! Or maybe some fishing in the north.

With the propensity of the locals to elect lousy governments and reward them for being incompetents or crooks I can't see any reason to.
One good thing about SK... for me it's 1 Hour closer to Calgary by Westjet!"

I'm always glad when someone who thinks as you do moves to Alberta.

Oh, you went to Manitoba. Well, too bad for them. But doesn't Manitoba have an ndp government, too? Why don't you move to Alberta?

"Watch for David MacLean's reaction on this baby."

I can tell you David Maclean's reaction - no need to wait or to read. In fact, I can tell you what David Maclean will say on any topic related to politics or the economy.

1,459 new government positions during a period when the population fell by more than 10,000 people

And I'd bet that very few, if any, of those government positions are for people who repair roads, arrest criminals, fight fires, keep the sewer system running, etc. They're probably mostly for things that aren't worth doing at any price.

a 15$ cap on seniors perscriptions that should drive the economy. do they get them mailed to florida and phoenix?

I think first nations get free perscriptions - done them a ton (tonne) of good. not.

For a brief moment I thought there would be a glimmer of hope!

But alas, true to form, another Communist budget!

But, voters have only themselves to blame for continually electing a government that is rapidly killing this province. The stupidity of this is what is astounding!!

What is most disturbing is the grip the Socialists have on the media. Why any reporter would blindly accept the NDP's claim that their budgets are "balanced" when the net provincial debt increases every year is incredilous.

Is this the same government of retard commies that demanded more money from ottawa?

Sounds like they're in the red through incompetence/socialism and not through being short-changed Ontario's and Alberta's money...

I have no patience for a-holes that demand other people's money then say they're "cheated" because they didn't get it (or as much of it as they'd like.)

Equalization has to stop.

"True Conservatism has only been successful in Alberta who truly tighten their collective belts and more so kept lefty socialist governments out."

Sadly this is not the case. Even Alberta has a spending problem. They just don't have a revenue problem - yet.

Alberta spends far more per resident than any other province. If the price of oil drops (and it will eventually,) Alberta will go back to the red as it did the last time.

The problem with spending windfalls (as all governments do) is that the increased spending rate becomes the benchmark and the usual parasitical leftards riot and throw tantrums if you try to cut back even a fraction of the new spending.

Alberta is not above the laws of economics and the simple mathematical rule that 1+1 must always equal 2 and not 4. Klein has proven himself no more a conservative than Harper has. By rights, the NDP should be quiting en mass as their party has been made redundant.

It's kind of dangerous passing money off to provinces when they are about to have elections.
Quebec will use their booty to cut taxes and try to get their gov party reelected and same in Ontario.

The feds will get all the blame for whatever goes awry.

The gormless Calver and mouthpiece Danny Williams of Newfy are a fine pair of thankless recipients of a fair share of our money.

As for Saskatchewan, they have a huge problem, it's home to Ralph Goodale, that's enough notoriety for one province to handle.

Goodale squirms around like he's having a rectal exam and Calver looks like he just had one.

Sorry 'bout this, but enough IS enough.

A whole post devoted to your disappointment over the Sask budget but barely a word about the Liberal-esque big spending federal budget which delivers almost nothing in the way of tax cuts, and buys off Quebec voters with western oil money. Kate I'm disappointed. Methink you are biting your tounge for partisan purposes. Its like "nation" all over. Screaming at your radio much lately?

"You don't speak for me".

KC - If you paid a little closer attention, you'd have noticed something about this site.

For all the claims to the "kkkontrary", I don't usually share my opinions.

Furthermore, I'm not obligated to. I'm not a pundit. I'm not a journalist. And, last time I checked, you didn't pay for a subscription.

If you pay even closer attention, you'll learn that I make a living as a free-lance artist.

Meaning that, sometimes I'm busy working on stuff that pays the bills and don't have time to opinionate, even if I were inclined to.

Now, sod off and start your own blog if the content here isn't up to your standards.

Please don't blame rural voters for this stinking mess. We haven't elected an NDP in 50 years in my riding! Blame the socialist city folk (who seem to spend most of their time in a dream world where everything in SK is hunky-dory). They need a serious reality check in there so they finally wake up and boot those debt-building jerks.

No you aren't obliged to (although you certainly do, albeit typically in an indirect manner), but when you whine about one budget, and ignore the glaring shortcomings of another you are being inconsistent.

KC:

I'd suggest you give up before you have your ass handed to you by a girl...

Sorry KC, ignore that last post...

It appears she has already handed it to you...

$15 Viagra? I can picture another Spirited Energy campaign taking shape.

why stop here in Alberta for retirement , go to Kelowna and break bread with Brian Peckford and some of the other uberprovincials.

Damit... get rid of 1459 of the newest civil servants and make one of those cow paths a real road!

Bruce - Your attempts to divert attention from the real issue aside, the fact of the matter is that Kate has remained silent during a massive betrayal of the west, and the conservative movement generally by the federal CPC; and as a consequence her criticisms of the provincial budget reak of hypocritical partisan hackery.

Kate is a big FAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She says she shoots gophers!!!!!!!!!

She drives over MANY!!! more than she SHOOTS!!!!

Where is the honesty in blogging????

I'm going to vote for the french guy I can't understand.

"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Here is what the Bank of Montreal says about the 2007 Budget in their article, '13 Going On 14'.
"The Province of Saskatchewan is projecting its 14th consecutive balanced budget for 2007-08. The $75 million surplus in the General Revenue Fund follwans an estimated $70 million balance in 2006-07."
Bank of Montreal
BMO Capital Markets
March 22, 2007

http://www.bmonesbittburns.com/economics/
(Article 13 Going On 14)

Hmmm... who do I believe, David Mclean & Brad Wall or the the economists with the Bank of Montreal????

I think I believe the Bank of Montreal BEFORE I believe those who want to paint this as a deficit budget.

The Bank of Montreal is unbiased whereas the Official Opposition is Saskatchewan has a political reason for wanting to paint this budget negatively.

Bravo to the Bank of Montreal for their expertise, critical analysis and honest appraisal of this budget.

"Please don't blame rural voters for this stinking mess. We haven't elected an NDP in 50 years in my riding! Blame the socialist city folk (who seem to spend most of their time in a dream world where everything in SK is hunky-dory). They need a serious reality check in there so they finally wake up and boot those debt-building jerks."

But rural voters are to blame for the last conservative gov't. The stinking mess they left behind makes anything Calvert has done smell like a rose garden. With Wall waiting in the wings, the prospects for the future look grim.

"I'm going to vote for the french guy I can't understand."

Urinal reminds me of the saying in the last election.

Even though they stole all our money and screwed up the country, I'm still voting for the Liberals cause I'm a f**king moron!

Horny Toad(ex Sask. resident and glad!!)

Hey leftdog... take it from an accountant then... actually, take it from ALL accountants... "transferring" money from another fund does NOT balance a budget or create a surplus. After reading the budget documents, all I can say is that the government has an operational budget surplus of about $75 million. The operational surplus is BEFORE interest payments on the debt. After interest on the debt is factored in, the province has a deficit of 480 million. It then takes transfers from the Fiscal and Infrastructure funds to get your 75 million surplus.

Simply put, if Mulroney had drawn money from a fiscal stabilization fund back in the 80s, he too could have boasted balanced budgets (after all, he had an operational surplus at the end of his reign too).

As for rural voters being to blame for the last Conservative government, I would disagree. The last Conservative government is to blame for the last Conservative government. When a group of people get too arrogant, then they get stupid. When they get stupid, they get careless. When they get careless, they make mistakes which inevitably come to the fore. There needs to be a regular change in government for 2 reasons - 1 so that the people riding the bench get more experienced at governing and doing so well, and 2 - so that the government of the day can take a rest and refocus on what the priorities of their constituents are. I would agree with those who say that Wall should be citing alternatives, but he is smart to not do so before he has a chance to study the budget and the details contained within it.

$15.00 cap on prescriptions?? The Seniors run on Viagra will break the bank in two weeks

Len Pryor

Clearly a case of running up all of the credit cards before they get taken away. It looks like they hired Murdoch Carriere as a consultant for this budget.

"But rural voters are to blame for the last conservative gov't. The stinking mess they left behind makes anything Calvert has done smell like a rose garden. With Wall waiting in the wings, the prospects for the future look grim."

Ooooo. Beware the evil Boogy-man conservatives! They have a "hidden agenda"! Where have we heard these left-wing warnings before? Oh, yeah. The last federal election. When someone uses what might maybe could happen and tries to scare me with it, I tend to think that they are full of S**T. The only thing that the NDP have left to cling to in elections in this province is Devine. Get over it already. There is nobody in the Sask Party who was present in the Devine years yet the NDP keep painting them as Devine-clones. What a bunch of garbage.

You can't scare me and if voters were smart here, you couldn't scare them with those words either.