Spilled Coffee Means Fourth Consecutive Deficit Budget in Alberta

Welcome to that bastion of conservative fiscal responsibility, Alberta.

Where over the last four years, our government has shown that after Albertans sacrificed greatly to finally become the only Province in Canada without debt, we now have a Province that has spent much more than it is brought in for four consecutive budgets.

Four consecutive deficit budgets.

Budgets which have propped up a grossly bloated bureaucracy, of manager, upon manager, upon manager - who all seem to receive lovely golden parachutes when they exit the government employ after, typically, doing nothing to make things at all better (can you say Stephen Duckett getting $700,000.00?)

Where Conservatives discuss with fondness the idea of Gary Mar seeking the leadership - after giving his former executive assistant some $374,000.00 for untendered "consulting" contracts, with virtually no work product to show for it.

A projected $5 billion deficit is coming this year, and all indications are that the plan is to continue running deficits the following year.

There are approximately 3.7 million citizens in Alberta.

Consider, for the moment, that you and I - as citizens of this Province, are really the owners of a large business operation - shareholders if you will.

The announced budget deficit means that the Government will be taking $1,351.35out of the pockets of each and every one of us because they can't seem to now control spending.  For a family of five, that means as a stakeholder in this Province, you are going to lose $6,756.75 this year.

Why is this?

To explain best, I can only refer to a comment by a friend a few weeks ago.  He works for the government.  And he explained to me over lunch how a memo was being circulated to all employees because two women spilled coffee on themselves.

So.

Because of two people being too stupid to pour or carry coffee without spilling on themselves, someone has to sit down and write a memo and then send that to all other employees, who then need to take a few minutes out of their day and read it.  And really, memos are meant to be considered, and so no doubt, many of them then discussed that memo with other employees - all during working hours.

But it doesn't end there.

You see - an official incident report then needs to be completed by the government employee responsible for assuring work place safety.  And that report needs to be vetted by their superior, no doubt, who then in turn puts it in a file of similar "incidents" to be considered at a later meeting of supervisors.  And then after meeting on that point, minutes of the meeting will be circulated for consideration of all present - and ultimately, no doubt, someone will suggest that there be a committee formed to consider other ways of delivering coffee to employees.

And someone, no doubt, will also have to assure that if they are contracting out the delivery of coffee, they need to assure that the coffee they use is purchased using "fair trade" standards, and that the employees of the coffee supplier are properly represented by all genders, races, and sexual preferences.. "What, no transsexuals?  Sorry, we can't buy your coffee..".

Of course, if a decision is made to change the mode of delivery, to assure that they have employee input, they will organize a retreat, and spend a day or two beating ceremonial drums before engaging in a broad discussion to determine if the needs of the employees are being understood and respected.

And none of this, not one speck of this effort, concerns the actual delivery of service that the government is charged to provide on behalf of the citizens.

So. 

Then.

This is exactly how government works.. or doesn't.  And our Provincial government shows no interest in changing the paradigm of waste and useless bureaucratic inertia.

And so.

Spilled coffee gives us a $5 billion deficit.

And so on, and so on, and so on...