Letters by a modern St. Ferdinand III about cults

Maybe the orgy of spending, empty platitudes and fiscal nonsense that replaces hard thinking in the Western world’s ‘conservative’ parties is not their fault. Maybe modern society is so liberal, so bourgeois, so affected with effeminate compassion, so socialist and mind-numbing, that only a middling of the road socialist can possible hope to win elections. Maybe the cunning conservative must transform himself into a moralizing cad of a Marxist. Maybe representative democracy is really nothing more than Jefferson’s lament of, “….mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.” Maybe.

There is certainly no maybe in saying the obvious - that Western ‘conservative’ parties are not truly conservative. Yet these left of center conservatives-of-convenience, hungry for power, always trot out the same tired line of hogwash. ‘Once we win the election with a good majority we will stop acting like socialists and govern like real manly conservatives!’ thus they always thunder. It never seems to work out that way. Once conservatives act like socialists gone wild, they tend to remain true to script, increasing spend just as their addiction to power nicely ramps up from simple curiosity to obsession. How else to defeat the socialists except by spending more than they would?!

Conservatism’s demise is obvious. Bush’s big spending Republican’s, [supposedly so far right wing you can only seem them hanging off the right edge of the earth by their fingers], have increased their non-military budget spend by 40% over 6 years while they dominated both US houses. Luckily for the Americans Bush also cut $1.3 Trillion in taxes, raising US government revenue by 15% per annum to pay for his carnival-and-spending show.

But alas Canadian and European ‘conservatives’ are not even bright enough, not politically astute enough, nor tough enough, to force through tax cuts and economic stimuli. Like big government George however, they just love to spend money! Canada’s ‘conservatives’ stick to the ‘tried and true’ method of bribing voting groups, little blocs, little lobby interests and sundry national causes with someone else’s money. Their methods are right out of the old Roman senatorial playbook with sadly nary a gladiatorial death match or free circus show in sight.

So we have the sorry spectacle of Canada’s scary ‘right-wing, fascist, war-mongering, GW Bush loving, conservative party’ running squealing to the pig trough with oats aplenty to make sure that all the various pot bellied swine have enough mish with their mash to ensure farmyard peace. But even farmers know that you should never over feed your pigs.

So how bad is Canada’s ‘conservative’ government spend? The name of the reigning gang can change but not the outcome. In a short 7 years Canada’s Federal government has expanded its spending by 67% - far ahead of economic, population and productivity growth. In 2000 the Federal government spent $4100 per person [$120 billion]; had a debt of $580 billion or $20.000 per person; and accounted for 13% of total GDP. Seven years later [and after 2 ‘conservative’ budgets] the Federal government will spend $6600 per person [$200 billion]; have a net debt of $490 billion or $15.200 per person; and account for 17% of GDP.

Spending per annum has gone up 9.5% [!!] on average far outpacing flaccid GDP of 2%; inflation of 2.5 % and population growth of 0.5%. Government size and spending shows no signs of slowing down. Under Canada's reigning 'conservative' party, per annum spending increases of 7.5% and more are to be expected.

Tax relief and starving that ugly beast of government you ask? Surely you jest, having the 2nd highest corporate tax rate and one of the worst personal tax regimes in the industrial world is to be lauded and safeguarded as part of the colossi named 'national values'. Please be sensible. There are votes to buy, money to spend, power to expand.

Outside of debt reduction there is no change to the ever expanding Canadian state and even in debt reduction the numbers lie. Off the balance-sheet liabilities, or future promises of payment streams for health, pensions and other social programs are escalating. Total debt and what are called ‘unfunded liabilities’ are actually going up. In 2000 these totaled $2.4 Trillion [all levels of government included] and in 2007 close to $3.1 Trillion. Pension and health care liabilities are going up by close to 20% per annum [see the Fraser Institute’s report on unfunded liabilities].

So even regarding the debt the mirage that the debt is being paid off is belied by an increase in other off the balance sheet spend that sends private market corporate directors to jail. But it is the substance and break down of the budget that also grates the nerves. The spending is so skewed to buying votes that the old ‘conservative’ lie about, ‘well..just let me win a majority then I will show voters my real conservative revolution!’ appears so shallow, hypocritical and revolting.

In the latest ‘conservative’/Marxist/populist budget Canada’s ‘far right, fascist, war mongering, small governmentalists’, showed their penchant for courage in trying to limit government size:

-Debt and interest payments: $47 billion
-Transfers to Old people; pensions: $ 53 billion
-Payments for child support: $9 billion
-Out of work payments: $15 billion
-Transfers to provinces: $43 billion [for health care, social programs, schools, housing]
-Transfers to Indians: $7 billion
-Government owned businesses: $ 7 billion
-Subsidies to Agro-business: $2.6 billion
-Business subsidies: $5 billion
-Foreign Aid: $4 billion
-Public Safety programs/borders/crime: $7 billion
-Tax office: $4 billion

A paltry military budget of $15 billion or 1/12th of the total budget [military budgets used to consume 40% or more of early federal budgets], makes up the remainder. This is 1.2 % of total GDP – an absolute disgrace for an affluent country of 30 million people.

So the commanding heights of federal government responsibility – borders; a culturally neutral immigration system; a projectionable and prepared military; along with internal domestic security – are replaced by the unprepossessing lows of socialist governance. Transfers, income equalization, apartheid [Indian] support, subsidies, and support for every possible lobby group with a grievance or at least a name are now the priorities.

For big statist ‘conservatives;’ budgets and politics are just games. There are no visions, no responsibilities, no serious attempts to limit government, make it accountable or make the country great. These are just words or abstracts for prime-time speeches to keep the ‘conservative base’ faithful, and the media busy on their laptops writing arcane briefs about what a wonderful mélange all this public spending is, and how compassionate and virtuous it all sounds. For the big ninny-state conservative public life is just one long exercise in virtual reality with the aim to fool as many people as possible, whilst government continues to expand; tax revenues continue to rise faster than incomes, inflation and economic growth, and with the state eventually controlling the commanding heights of production and consumption.

How very bloody conservative.

See also:
http://dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/Collection-R/LoPBdP/CIR/872-e.htm#A.%20Spending%20Trends(txt)
http://www.fin.gc.ca/taxdollar06/text/html/taxdollar06_e.html