Cuts.
Layoffs.
A couple of tight years.
Hard times.
Premier Kathy Dunderdale, finance minister Tom Marshall, and natural resources minister Jerome Kennedy have been preaching that since before Christmas.
Apparently, a couple of Conservative politicians didn’t get the memo.
Check the weekly newspaper in Stephenville this week and you will see not one but two stories from the local Conservative politicians. Cabinet minister Joan Shea and Tony Cornect - the Premier’s parliamentary assistant are talking up the good news, as you can plainly see from the headlines.
White hot! I can’t take it any more.
Cornect recites all the major accomplishments and good news in his district. For the future, Tony sees nothing but sunshine. Here’s the entire part of the story that deals with the future:
Mr. Cornect described the province’s economy as “white hot.”
He said there’s a lot of work in the province coming up in 2013, including the Muskrat Falls project, and he hopes a lot of local skilled-trades people will avail of job opportunities within the province.
“I’m hoping for more Municipal Works projects in the district,” he added.
In addition to the communities of Mainland and Lourdes continuing with their waterline projects, he expects Kippens to look for help with a new community centre and their sewer project.
He also said roadwork is important for the district, and he would like to see tourism expanded in the area.
And that’s it.
Meanwhile, Joan Shea isn’t a slacker when it comes to reciting all the good things happening in her district. In her interview, Shea rattled off the spending past and present. She even talks up money for a job creation program. Yes, friends, Shea is enthusiastic about an old-fashioned make-work project designed to nothing but to stamp people up, that is, to qualify them for employment insurance.
White hot economy, Tony? It’s all government spending, apparently.
The only cautionary note from either of them is this bit Burke, errr Shea tossed out:
“I temper that with the fact that we’re going to have a very difficult year or two from a budget perspective. It doesn’t mean our priorities change, it just means that things may not get done as quickly as we’d like to see them done.”
Slow things down for a couple of years and then ramp up the spending spree again.
Clearly, Shea and Cornect did not get the austerity memo.
-srbp-
