Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!ubc-cs!alberta!calgary!enel!steven
From: steven@enel.ucalgary.ca (Steven Leikeim)
Newsgroups: can.general
Subject: Re: Political Suicide (was Re: TAX REVOLT NOW!!)
Message-ID: <1730@cs-spool.calgary.UUCP>
Date: 19 Aug 89 07:11:30 GMT
References: <28363@watmath.waterloo.edu> <2410@client1.DRETOR.UUCP>
Sender: news@calgary.UUCP
Reply-To: steven@enel.UCalgary.ca (Steven Leikeim)
Organization: U. of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Lines: 36

In article <2410@client1.DRETOR.UUCP> kevin@client1.dciem.dnd.ca (Socrates) writes:
>If a party really wanted to distinguish themselves all they would have to
>do is to only make election promises that were possible, and then make damn
>sure that they fulfilled them all in their term.  Unfortunately the siamese
>twins can't seem to do this and no one else can ever get enough support to
>be given a chance.

But most of the election promises that they would be likely to keep would
generate a lot of flak for them. Take the following case:

	A party states that the ecomony is in a mess, and to help fix the
	mess they would have to raise the gas tax a lot.

	A different party states that this is utter nonesense, and promises
	that if they are elected, they absolutely will NOT raise the gas
	tax.

Question: Who gets elected here?

2nd question: What happens to the gas tax?



The second party gets elected and they raise the tax MORE than the first
party said they would have raised the taxes.

This actually did happen when Joe Who (oh sorry, Clark) was leader of the
Conservatives and had just been defeated in a vote of non-confidence due to
a minority government. Needless to say, he was defeated in the next election.
Why am I not suprised that few politicians are willing to say what they are
REALLY going to do when they get in office.

Steven Leikeim                        |
University of Calgary                 |   There are lies, damned lies,
Department of Electrical Engineering  |        and statistics.
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