GOP candidate Michele Bachmann

McGuinty is the guy on the right ducking a taxpayer's right hook

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Michele Bachmann, a GOP candidate for the U.S. Presidency, and Dalton McGuinty, Premier (like a Governor in US) of Canada’s largest Province, Ontario (a little like Texas), have both made pledges to the people and it is rumored that they are getting together to discuss the merits of such pledges and how to make them and avoid delivering on them. Both are facing upcoming elections and winning or losing may depend on the fallout from broken pledges.

It appears McGuinty may be at greater risk. First, Bachmann isn’t likely to win anyway, while McGuinty is the incumbent and stands to lose it all. Secondly, Bachmann would only lose the votes of gays and all intelligent thinking people, whereas McGuinty could lose the votes of almost all taxpayers. What these politicians have in common is the making of pledges on two different, but big issues: Taxes and religion. Talk about dealing with visceral issues – just shows to what lengths politicians will go (read lie) to get elected.

Bachmann apparently signed a pledge drawn up by the conservative group, The Family Leader, which states that marriage is to be defined as only between a man and a woman.

(continued) Now this pledge will put her in cozy with the conservative right (lot of votes there) but not pass the smell test with independents and common sense thinking, everyday Americans (a lot more votes). But we can understand Michele’s thinking. Her goal isn’t to win the presidency, it’s to emulate Sarah Palin’s ride into the political circus. Enough exposure, enough controversy, enough money and it’s 2-3 years on the TV-blabber shows, celebrity-book tours, historic-bus tours, a ride on a Harley – maybe even huntin’ with Sarah and Todd or Dick Cheney. Win or lose, she wins. So she signed a narrow-minded, bigoted pledge to get a few more votes and more coverage on Rupert’s Fox TV.

Now McGuinty is a different story. Taxes may not be as crucial as religion in the bible belt, but it effects everyone. And as the Canadian Taxpayers Federation states, Ontario’s debt is rising at a rate of $59-million a day with no plan to do anything about it, despite the fact that McGuinty signed a pledge that he would protect taxpayers against rising taxes. Geez, that’s one of the oldest political lies in the book – remember George Bush I: “Read my lips, no taxes.” Lips, pens, pledges … it doesn’t matter how they lie, they still break their commitment. Eight years after McGuinty’s lie, he has doubled the province’s debt. Doubled! What can we do about these liars? Vote’em out!

With only a few months before an Ontario election the CTF are asking voters to get out now and: i) Contact their MPP, the Finance Minister, and McGuinty himself and demand they detail a plan to stop the increasing debt (it’s a Canadian version of the US debt-ceiling crisis, which they hope goes better than the recent, tepid tea party attempt in the US Congress); ii) Sign a petition to cut spending rather than raise taxes; and iii) help out with a donation to make the throw-the-bum-out campaign work. Check out the campaign page on Taxpayer.com for more details.

Bachmann supporters can go to her website and make a donation. Or save the money and added it to your church tithing for this Sunday. Or wait until she makes a few million from her sure-to-publish book and then ask her for a shekel or two.

Think about it. And if your Canadian, do something – make a donation to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.