Re:An Albertan responds

>Hi Steve, I am aware of the actual dates. I didn't get that specific
as most people wouldn't have a clue or care(I grew up in Calgary and have been
an Albertan for 41 years...to your 20 .I lived in Calgary when Ralphie was the Mayor)
I was trying to make a general point. I remember the 80's very well..My
Dad was in Oil and Gas (Dome Petroleum) and I remember the problems very well.
The 80's were tough....no-one seemed too concerned with Alberta going through
a rough time then when the economy tanked...but boy people get mad when things
are going well. The commodity sector does drive our economy...but to say that
Ralph's cost cutting (which I also remember) to first slash the deficit
and then cut the debt is also a reason why things are better now. The previous
premiers continued to spend as the economy was tanking(its easier to keep
spending when you're a politician....you get better votes that way). Ralph had
the guts to stop that self-destructive pattern...I can tell you there were
protesters in the streets because of that plan. If he didn't do that and kept on spending like there was no tomorrow (like Premier Don Getty)..our financial picture would be very different. As for now...yes he has increased his spending significantly which has upset alot of Albertans so much so that in a recent Leadership review
of the PC party he only garnered 55% of the vote. To a populist like Klein,
that was a failure so he is stepping down in the fall and a leadership race has now begun. As much as people liked the 400$ cheques, more people want the excess money to go to rebuilding the infrastructure that was severely negelected during the 90's cutback period. We have too few hospitals, our roads
need some serious upgrading and the list goes on.

As I said before..I find it interesting that people get so upset with our little 400$ cheques when the thousands that Alaska pays its residents for YEARS
is overlooked. In fact Klein got his idea for the dividend cheques FROM
Alaska.

Do you honestly believe that Bush is looking into price gauging because he thought that up himself? He is responding to a consumer backlash and polls which show his popluarity is plunging. Because of that he is stopping oil shipments to the strateggic reserves to put more oil in the marketplace. He also then waived environmental oil refining rules which also helped to drive up pump prices. Knowing that there are mid-term elections this fall (with the House of representatives and 1/2 of the Senate seats up for re-election... they
are worried about votes pure and simple). Most industry people say that prices are high because of refining capacity (the hurricanes last fall didn't help in thta regard). A new refinery has not been built in the US in 30 years.

Said simply, the price that consumers pay for gasoline depend heavily on the prices that Petroleum refiners pay for crude oil and that crude oil prices have risen steadily over the past several years due to growing world demand
(This quote taken from Bush's own Economic Report..chapter 11). In addition this has been a year of increased geopolitical risk which boosts oil prices in the futures market (ie Chad, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria,Venezuela etc).

My point about conspiracy theories shows itself up in a comment closer to the
end of this thread(not your comment...you have been reasonable) with a rant about "Zionists" controlling everthing. Puleeeze! What starts off with a reasoned debate veers off to a racist diatribe. The fact is that high oil and gas prices are here for quite some time. You can put your head in the sand and think that the only reason why is because there is a conspiracy in every corporate boardroom and do nothing hoping for the politicians to fix things or look at the trends and find
a way to plan for the future (Investing in commodites right now when they are
in a secular bull run is one place to start)..but looking at ways to reduce your own energy consumption is another.

Regards

Cathy

Ralph Klein was the mayor of Calgary in the early 80's. He was elected
> leader of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party on December 5, 1992,
> and became the Premier of Alberta on December 16, 1992.

> King Ralph helped get Alberta back on track as the former governments were
> red-lined after the bottom dropped out of the oil market between 1979 and
> 1983.

> Applewood which was still a relatively new township at that time (you know
> -- out the end of 17th Ave SE Calgary) had people who had bought new
> houses there for $150,000 and it's twin, after the bottom dropped out,
> across the street was selling for $50,000. People were picking up their
> belongings and walking out...

> The "Boom" was over.

> Ralph dealt with the aftermath. Government spending was out of control.
> Everyone had to tighten their belt. I mean everyone. Ralph being
> intoxicated like he so often was, even offered people on social assistance
> "a bus ticket to Vancouver" to exploit the (then) more generous
> social assistance of British Columbia.

> At the 2004 Calgary Stampede, Klein announced that the province had set
> aside the necessary funds to repay its public debt in 2005. LOL, the hero.
> And now he's throwing money away.

> The "Boom" has begun.

> History would tell us that you are not "reaping the benefits" of
> the lean times. Alberta is "booming" and it isn't because of
> Ralph. The oil industry has always driven the economy in Alberta.

> I lived in Calgary, Alberta for 20+ years.