prorogue The Legislature? Good idea.

Michael Warren of the Toronto Star is suggesting that Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty prorogue the Ontario Legislature which I think is a good idea, if you want to lose the next election. In this case it would be over a budget, which the minority liberals can't seem to pass. Tim Hudak and the Progressive Conservatives have never supported the budget and Andrea Horwath and the NDP are listening, but are making big demands. For example, the NDP want a new tax on people earning half a million a year in income a year. Huh? I'm not sure what to say to that. Should I be glad that I don't make that much? Maybe Andrea Horwath doesn't.
Anyways, I think it may be important to look at the polls here. It shows the PC's at 35.4, NDP (29.9) liberals (28%).

"Emboldened by recent polls that show the liberals trailing both the Tories and the NDP, Horwath has made a new, costly, last-minute demand. She will reduce the number of budget provisions the NDP currently opposes in committee..."
So if I put forth a budget and you were opposed to let's say 20 of the ideas proposed by the budget, you  
would only oppose 10? Again, huh? That kind of says that these proposals don't mean much too them. They're not doing this for the people I don't think. The Conservatives are doing the good thing by opposing the budget from the beginning and it may prove to be the smart move. I'm not sure what the polls were at the time of the budget which was presented back in March, but they may be doing the right thing.
The Star makes has no problem with the Ontario Budget being 327 pages long. But it opposes the federal Conservatives Omnibus budget bill being 425 pages. It may be the issue of the Opposition not having enough time to go over the budget with a fine tooth comb. The federal Conservatives have a majority, McGuinty doesn't. There's a few reasons. The Star supports these liberals.

Among the sticking points that the liberals need the NDP to support is the arbitration process to Ontario Public Service. That's not just government employees they are dealing with, that's unions. And we all know that NDP is pro union. These unions in their members actually send a big chunk of their donations to the NDP. Federally and Provincial.

In the column it says: Emergency Services Steering Committee representing large urban mayors, regional chairs and Police Service Boards (I guess when you talk large urban mayors you also mean places like Toronto), it says Ontario public service employees' wages rose a staggering 40-70 percent higher than the consumer price index between 2005 and 2010. Maybe they mean inflation. Either way it's a lot. But the column mentions 14.8% when it comes employees wages. If you were the NDP, you might oppose the fact that it isn't 15% and should be higher. The heck with the rest of the Province, they can pay it.
The question is: Will Andrea Horwath and her members support this budget proposal? Doubt it.

So again, proroguing Parliament. Is it a good idea? Here are his reasons:
1. It allows the liberals to sell their budget during the summer to the public.
    I say it's a bad idea but especially during the summer when we're all taking vacations,  watching baseball and sports and going up to the cottage on long weekends. Politics, politicians and elections are the last thing on people's minds, and the last thing people want to hear about.

2. I gives the liberals a chance to negotiate with the Opposition on their Budget proposals.
    Better idea I say, but do politicians really want to meet in the middle of summer to go over this budget? If I was the Leader of one of those political parties I'd send in one of my colleagues and ask him/her to just phone the details.

There is a third reason which is not very significant.
Overall, I say this: Proroguing Parliament is a bad idea. The only people who will lose by doing this is the liberals who will feel the wrath from the Opposition for doing it. There will apparantly be a bi-election in the riding of Kitchener/Waterloo which will come in September, I think the liberals will feel the wrath of the people in that bi-election. If it is called.

Here is the Latest:

file:///Users/useruse/Desktop/Ontario%20budget%20battle:%20McGuinty’s%20best%20option%20would%20be%20to%20prorogue%20the%20legislature%20-%20thestar.com.webarchive