They All Lie........

All politicians are prevaricators to a greater or lesser degree. But the Liberal record of late has been worse than most. At all levels of government -- federal, provincial and municipal (although the party system supposedly hasn't invaded Ontario's city halls.......not openly......yet.)

Citizen Ellie has voted in every election since achieving voting age some 52 years ago -- that's a lot of elections. Back in the day, she attended numerous leadership conventions -- all parties -- either as a delegate or in her capacity as a working journalist.

This is the first election campaign she's seen in those 52 years where the party leaders start off with the accusations -- he's lying about the coalition -- no, he's lying about the economy -- no, the other two are lying, only the NDP always tells the truth -- no, when it comes to protecting Quebec's interests, only the Bloc is not lying.

Iggy was on TV last night in an in- your- face campaign add where he promised pensions for all. Wonderful. Go for the seniors' vote because they always vote. But fo for it with an outright lie.

For a university professor loaded with degrees this guy conveniently fails history when it comes to pensions and universality. We seniors, especially us senior women , are not short on memory. We remember defeating Frank Miller's Conervatives in Ontario because he was the man who put the tax on tampons !

Here's a little history lesson for the Harvard man. Canadians once had pensions for all -- in other words, a universal plan. It was known as Old Age Security. There was no means test for OAS. Everyone got it when they reached age 65. It wasn't a lot of money. Poor seniors could get more -- through the means-tested Guaranteed Income Supplement. Senior women were the main beneficiaries of these two programs -- especially senior women who never worked outside the home or otherwise had no financial assets of their own. When he was PM, Brian Mulroney faced a recession and had to look for areas where cuts could be made -- but even he called OAS universality a "sacred trust". The Liberal/NDP/Bloc howlers on the other side of the House agreed. There would be no tampering with OAS during the Mulroney years.

Then along came a Liberal government headed by Jean Chretien. Nothing was said on the campaign trail about possible changes to OAS. Chretien counted on seniors' votes. Silence was as good as a lie because Chretien was hardly in power when he and his deficit-fighting Finance Minister, Paul Martin decided the sacred trust -- OAS universality -- wasn't so sacred after all. A means test was implemented and thousands of seniors across the country (Citizen Ellie included) found themselves cut off despite the fact that as working people, they'd paid for this benefit through the income taxes they'd paid during their working life -- in Citizen Ellie's case, 42 years in the work force. That's a lot of income tax !

Senior voters, especially senior women voters, be warned. Iggy's talk of pensions for all, along with Jack's yak about improving the lot of seniors is a lot of hot air. Where's the money coming from ? You and I know that governments at all levels -- especially limousine Libs and chardonnay Socialists -- view us "Depression Babies" as cash cows.

If younger women think life will be better with Iggy or Jack at the helm, think again. Think about what a Liberal government in Ontario has cost you. The first big lie was Dalton McGuinty's election promise that he wouldn't raise taxes. What did you get ? A health tax right off the bat which is costing some couples as much as $1,500 per year. This "goodie" was followed by increased license fees for cars, boats, hunting and fishing; an ECO tax on many containers -- paint cans, windshield washer fluid etc. which you don 't see until after you've paid it; disposal tax on electronics and tires; the HST; increased hydro tax by 10% in April 2010; increased tax on liquor and wine in May 2010; coming SMART hydro meters (July 15, 2011) on which you'll pay perpetual rent.

Then there's the questionable $7 billion Dalton "The Deceiver" McGuinty has spent on windmill power without creting any new jobs since he gave the manufacture of the windmills to a Korean company rather than having them built in the province.

And who can forget the $1.2 billion spent on the failed E-health program -- did nothing to benefit Ontario residents but provided financial asistance to a lot of needy Liberal friends and supporters.

So.... how's that workin' for ya ? What's it done to your household budget ? Want more ? If so, run to the polls on May 2 and vote for Iggy or Jack. And why is David McGuinty front and centre when Iggy's holding his news conferences ? Could it be he's thinking about how great it would be to implement his brother's tax and spend program at the fedel level ?

But as you cast your ballot you should also remember Iggy and Jack share the same "hug a thug, kiss a convict" mentality. They're soft on crime. They don't want to lock anyone up -- even those who commit the most serious crimes. They're opposed to spending money on more prisons.

If you're a woman voter, you should give this some thought. Women and children (especially girls) are more frequently victims of violent crime. Think about the recent "baddie" lineup: Paul Bernardo, Pickton the Pig Farmer, Killer Colonel Russell Willims, Clifford Olsen -- they didn't choose men to rape and kill.

And last, but not least. Iggy and Jack don't seem to understand that when we send our young men and women into harm's way, we should send them there with the best possible equipment available. Citizen Ellie is surprised they don't talk about bringing back the Ross rifle ! Citizen Ellie wouldn't want her grandsons to choose careers in the military if Iggy or Jack were in charge.

So you're disgusted with politics and decide you want to send a message about your disgust by not voting at all. Lots of people think this way and it's just plain stupid. Better to protest by going to the polls and spoiling your ballot. Spoiled ballots are counted. No shows aren't.

Postings weekly