Canadians (and Americans I guess) - what do you think of this independent?

[HEyHEY]

This is a couple clips from the platform of a guy running as an independent in my riding........ tell me what you think.


On Debt Reduction

"Debt reduction is happening by accident and not through a plan. Paying down the debt is a policy objective that is essential."

On taxes

"We need to increase the amount of income Canadians can earn tax free. The basic personal amount, from it's current level of $7,245 to $8,000 in 2004, $9,000 by 2005, $10,000 by 2006, $11,000 by 2007, and to $12,000 by 2008. This will move 2.3 million Canadians from the tax rolls. These are Canadians who can least afford to pay income tax, yet are forced to do so by the current government.

We need to assist Canadian families by increasing the married and equivalent to spouse amount to $12,000 by 2005. This means that single income families, including single parents, will not have to pay tax on their first $24,000 of income."

Yet he also seem very right wing on some issues. I'll read his whole platform tonight. And post more tomorrow. What do you think so far?

[carpetbagger]

1. So his defecit reduction plan is to lower taxes.

Money don't grow on trees, no matter what George Bush says.

If it's too good to be true, it probably is.

[HEyHEY]

2. That's the thing

While I agree with the plan to lower taxes for modest income families..... the rest of it seems..... daft

[canuckagainstBush]

3. So he's a left-authoritarian then? n/t

[Djinn]

4. sometimes I feel I'm the only person left

that really honestly doesn't have a problem paying my tax - I actually refuse to take up the salary packaging option available at my work (because it's a non profit) because I really don't feel that my tax obligation is that high and while earning a little less than the Australian average wage have more than enough to live on.

Maybe it's because I work in a public hospital that's chronically underfunded and can see a million better uses for that $50 - 75 a week than me buying more clothes, CD's or other crap that'll just take up room in my house.

Am I insane?

[tkmorris]

5. If you tried that in the US

You'd be stoned to death as a heretic.

:beer:

[tkmorris]

6. I'm a bit leery of him

He wants to cut taxes while simultaneously paying down debt. What is left out here is how he intends to do that.

I see basically two methods of doing that. Raising taxes on the upper income earners and cutting services. Raising taxes on the higher wage folk doesn't jibe with his message so I assume he isn't planning to do that. Therefore he intends to cut spending, and drastically. I assume he doesn't mention that fact because he assumes it would not be a popular platform component and is merely hoping that Canadians are as bad at doing the math as Americans seem to be.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

7. Why isn't he running as a Conservative or Liberal?

Those policies seem to fit into either camp, more so with the CPC.