Dalton McGuinty .... stars in Alice in Wonderland

The Prez and CEO of NCC has noticed that McGuinty seems to be spending all his media time in classrooms talking to kids in public schools.

Looks like McGuinty would prefer not to have any debates with adults and is happy playing with putty in a kid's toyland. Will Tim Hudak please come to the rescue of Ontarians and save the Province. Time is of the essence as McGuinty governance has put Ontario on life support and if the patient does not show signs of life, the plug might be pulled  double-quick.

Is it just me or have you noticed that Dalton McGuinty has rarely spoken to citizens over the past several years - he seems to spend all of his media time in classrooms talking to children in public schools. He never engages adults- maybe that is because he has nothing to say!

In the lead up to the provincial election in 2011, we will be putting forward our ideas for what is required to get Ontario back on track. We also believe it is time that Opposition Leader Tim Hudak starts to flush out what his plan will be if he becomes Premier in 2011. Ontario is starved for political leadership and Hudak has a great opportunity if he can present a vision for Ontario –something that is clearly lacking right now......

And, how can we not agree with the comment at the NCC website from Gord Drimmie who says:

I want to see LEADERSHIP. I want to see the Government lead by example. And I want to see the Government make Ontario a place for private sector growth and investment. Leading by example means a 5% salary cut for all elected officials; a 10% cut in the extra stipend for cabinet Ministers; a 50% cut in the bonus pool; and a 3-year WAGE FREEZE for ALL employees in the public sector. And yes, that means Teachers….and Health Care workers!

Simply put, the Province is in trouble; and the average citizen cannot afford to “borrow” to pay higher wages and benefits to already very well-paid individuals.

Unfortunately, the devastation absorbed by the private sector precludes any major push to reduce the civil service - there is already way too much unemployment - much of it structural - in the private sector! And we cannot afford to make the unemployment lines any longer. That said, it seems to me that the prudent approach is the aforementioned wage and benefit freeze within the civil service…..accompanied by a pledge to maintain (but not increase) the civil service at current levels. Giving the private sector time to “catch up” and perhaps even close the wage and benefit gap makes perfect sense to me. And the overall “dollar restraint” is just what the doctor ordered for the deficit.

cartoons credit: Graeme MacKay,Ontario