I hate to say it, but Alberta is the only Canadian province left without a provincial sales tax and with dwindling revenues and plenty of expenses I am not sure there is a more fair way than this tax.
We cannot keep up the expenditures needed without some source of extra revenue.
Of course the government that brings it in will have trouble getting re-elected, but the day is fast approaching where there will not be another choice.
If the Progressive Conservatives want to stay in power they may need to make the premier the fall guy. Regardless, the necessities in life are on a crash course with the bank account and something needs to give.
One idea we have not heard much about lately is the P3 process of building infrastructure projects like the divided highway to Fort McMurray with a partnership of private and public funds.
The best news I have heard for a long time is that Redford has stated there will be no extra money from the province for a new $600 million arena in downtown Edmonton. Thanks for that...... Maybe some of the millionaire players would like to share in that investment.
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Congratulations to the Okotoks Rotary Pub Club for a great Robbie Burns dinner at the Elks Hall on Saturday. The place was jammed and the entertainment was great. Turns out the club surpassed its goal of raising $10,000 for the Westmount School playground. All in all a fun evening out even for an Irishman.
A Scottish joke to make your day:
Four old retired men are walking down a street in Phoenix. They turn a corner and see a sign that says, “Old Timers Bar — ALL drinks 10 cents.”
They look at each other and then go in, thinking this is too good to be true. The old bartender says in a voice that carries across the room, “Come on in and let me pour one for you! What’ll it be, gentlemen?”
There’s a fully stocked bar, so each of the men orders a martini.
In no time the bartender serves up four iced martinis shaken, not stirred and says, “That’ll be 10 cents each, please.”
The four guys stare at the bartender for a moment, then at each other. They can’t believe their good luck. They pay the 40 cents, finish their martinis, and order another round.
Again, four excellent martinis are produced, with the bartender again saying,“That’s 40 cents, please.”
They pay the 40 cents, but their curiosity gets the better of them. They’ve each had two martinis and haven’t even spent a dollar yet.
Finally one of them says, “How can you afford to serve martinis as good as these for a dime a piece?”
“I’m a retired tailor from Phoenix ,” the bartender says, “and I always wanted to own a bar. Last year I hit the Lottery Jackpot for $125 million and decided to open this place. Every drink costs a dime. Wine, liquor, beer it’s all the same.”
“Wow! That’s some story!” one of the men says.
As the four of them sip at their martinis, they can’t help noticing seven other people at the end of the bar who don’t have any drinks in front of them and haven’t ordered anything the whole time they’ve been there.
Nodding at the seven at the end of the bar, one of the men asks the bartender, “What’s with them?”
The bartender says, “They’re Scottish. They’re waiting for Happy Hour, when drinks are half-price...”
