KEEPING IT REAL: The real HST fight is to save our democracy
By Harvey Oberfeld
I will sign the anti-HST referendum petition. That doesn’t mean I think the HST is a bad way of regulating our tax structure or bettering our economy: it does mean I see protection and preservation of the integrity of our democratic system as a much higher priority.
Right from the start, I have always said I was willing to weigh/listen to advice from the economists and experts (even those from the government) on the HST issue. I’m sure no expert myself.
But then came the election .. or I should say the post-election.
The government’s “turnaround” on the issue–elling many people/groups it had no plans to introduce the H-S-T before the vote, but then doing just that a few weeks after the vote– really bothered me, as it did most of you, I’m sure.
And then came the latest reports that Victoria was talking to Ottawa about bringing in the HST only three days after the election. It’s clear … the FIX was in.
Liars! Deceitful elected representatives! With an arrogance that absolutely reveals disrespect for even those who voted for them!
Why couldn’t they even say they were still considering the value of the HST before the vote; or even just bring it in months before the election. (It has been in effect in some other provinces for years … and Ontario had already announced it planned to bring it in). Frankly, I think the Liberals still would have won!
It’s looking more and more like the Liberals just couldn’t bring themselves to tell the truth to the voters. And they apparently thought they could lie and just give the electorate–even their supporters–the finger afterwards.
We all MUST take a stand against this, whether we voted Liberal or NDP or Green or supported of any other party; we all MUST protect the integrity behind our democratic election system; we all MUST send a message to ALL p0liticians that we are not going to be lied to, deceived, taken for granted or for fools without striking back.
If the government was to get away with this one–thumbing their noses at the voters and showing how they disrespect the electorate-it would hurt our democracy far more than any HST would help it.
So I suspect I will be like most other British Columbians who are signing the petition calling for a referendum on the HST: our real message goes far beyond any dislike of the tax itself. The message is, ”Don’t take us for fools … or for granted”.
Sign the petition. Stand up for your own dignity and an honest democratic election system.
To find out where you can sign the pettition, go to the anti-HST website and look for the scheduled signing locations for your riding.
Let’s send the politicians a lesson they will NEVER forget.
Reprinted by permission of Harv Oberfeld. This article first appeared on his blog, Keeping it Real.
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