Layton's Budget Demands Make Sense...

It's no secret I'm not a big fan of NDP leader Jack Layton. Socialist policies tend to be a waste of taxpayer dollars and are never cost efficient. More often than not they punish those that work hard for their money and reward those who blame their troubles or woes on evrybody but themselves.

But Layton's budget demands, or what he calls priorities, seem to make sense and would benefit Canadians from coast to coast. Layton has also thrown the PM a bone by offering to support the budget if some of his demands are met in exchange for not pushing for a stop in the corporate tax cuts. Seems like a win-win for both sides.

"The NDP have asked the Conservatives to take the GST off home heating bills, restore the EcoEnergy Retrofit program and increase the Guaranteed Income Supplement for seniors. The party also wants changes to the Canada Pension Plan and a plan to increase access to family doctors."

Taking the gst off home heating bills is a no-brainer. Seniors and low-income earners are the ones most affected by changes in hst in Ontario and BC. Other provinces also include the tax. At a time when Ontario voters have finally had enough of Dalton McGuinty, this could also provide the Conservative's with a boost in electoral fortunes.

Increasing the GIS and expanding or making changes to the CPP also are a good idea, particularly because of our aging population. The only criticism I have is Layton's demand to reinstate the EcoEnergy retrofit program. This program was a government albatross, with rougly 50 cents of every dollar spent going to administration costs.

A side benefit of meeting Layton on some of his priorities is the fact the Tories keep rolling out those corporate tax cuts. As much as Ignatieff and his mainstream media sidekicks scream, those cuts are essential to improving and expanding our economy. The corporate tax rate is not the only factor considered when a company or corporation decides where to make investments or expansions. Energy and transportation costs, emplyment costs such as insurance and benefits all factor in. Having a more attractive tax rate will help.

Harper and Layton getting this done in the budget also throws Ignatieff and Duceppe to the sidelines. Imagine Ignatieff and the Liberals voting against a budget that helps seniors. The fact is those corporate tax cuts won't even be in budget 2011, so Ignatieff will look foolish stick with that as his talking point.

And Duceppe? Well, in my opinion he has probably done more to improve the Conservative's chances of getting that majority government. There is no way the PM will meet his demands and pander to Quebec for a handful of seats in the province. Instead, voters outside of Quebec will applaud the PM ignoring a seperatists blackmail demands, boosting our fortunes across the country.

Well played Mr Harper and Mr. Layton.