Thread by @yomeeks

This is your daily pension announcement: The Dave Staples edition! Dave is an opinion writer who has blocked me so someone else needs to copy this to his feed. #ABLeg

edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/…

He is in the rare position of being paid to write about his opinion. I don't have an issue with that. I do have an issue with him starting with untrue "facts" and using those untruths as the bedrock for his opinions. Sorta like Trump whose base position is a bunch of lies. #ABLeg

In this missive above Staples starts with:

"A huge part of the reason why we spend so much more on health care and education than do Ontario, B.C. and Quebec is that we pay our doctors, teachers and nurses higher wages." #ABLeg

Now I will stay in my lane and restrict my comments to teachers for a bit.

Dave needs to read the MacKinnon report. It shows clearly in plain language that Alberta spends less than the average of BC, ON, and PQ on education. In fact, only BC is lower spending than us. #ABLeg

And, @jkenney knows we would be the lowest if we did not publicly support multiple school systems and private schools. (As well, in AB we subsidize school busing more than BC does.)#ABLeg

Travis and Jason WANTED the MacKinnon report to say teachers were overpaid. That would have made what they are about to do so much easier. But it didn't. Because the evidence did not support that conclusion. #ABLeg

"Toews is going to have to make a strong argument that we all must share the pain, that we can’t expect to raise taxes on private sector workers who are already earning less, working less, or working not at all, ..."

How about taxes on corporations?

Staples does not seem to mention that corporations have experienced nothing but tax cuts. And, as a result only contribute paltry amounts to the provincial coffers.

But, they can pay lobbyists handsomely to spend their time striding up and down the halls of the leg. #ABLeg

The truth has to matter. If you don't start with the truth you really hamstring your opinion David. I would like to see Shandy release some audited figures on the family doc take home pay. I think he would be embarrassed. #ABLeg