Daddy Dalton’s “flip flops” getting tiresome

If you look up the word “leader” in the dictionary the definition that comes up is ‘One that leads or guides’.

You would assume that any politician that we elect would lead us in the direction that may have a few small ups and downs but ultimately in a straight line. We may not agree with the direction that the chosen leader is taking us but we can be fairly certain that it would be in a forward motion of some kind.

Not so with Dalton McGuinty.

In the last year or so, there have been so many “flip flops” towards the ultimate move forward; one has to wonder which direction his compass actually is pointing to.

Just this week the announcement came of the scrapping of the much hated “Eco Fees” which were introduced secretly on July 1^st (the same day the HST came into effect). With the program full of confusion and nobody knowing what gets charged and what doesn’t, the Liberals and Daddy Dalton decided that after three weeks of public hatred, the program should be postponed.

This week came word that the province will kill the program all together but pass the responsibility over to the taxpayer in each municipality. Instead of charging the producer of the products and instead of buyers of those products paying for the recycling, everyone in the city now gets to pay as it will ultimately come right out of the taxpayer coffers.

Just last week, after years of public scrutiny from residents in Oakville, a power plant that was scheduled to be built near the Ford plant was ultimately cancelled. Rumours persist that the cost to taxpayers could run up to $1.2 billion dollars for the cancelled contract but with an election looming; you can’t keep alienating and angering a riding that has millions of dollars in disposable income waiting to support another political party.

Other notable “flip flops”;

Mixed Martial arts (MMA) – never even wanted to consider legalizing it by saying “it just wasn’t a priority for Ontario families” then inexplicably did a complete 180 and announced that in 2011 Ontario will host its first MMA
Legalized gambling – for years Daddy Dalton again said it was bad for families but after seeing the amount of money they could bring in, Daddy Dalton announced a plan for 2012 to begin online gambling through the OLG.

Sex education in the classroom – after announcing the new curriculum and then strongly defending it, it was cancelled (all in a span of 4 days) after complaints from Catholic groups and parents

Of course there were the documented broken promises that McGuinty was so famous for;

Stop the waste of taxpayers’ dollars

Make sure health dollars are being spent wisely

Hire 8,000 nurses by the end of 2007

Provide Legal Rights to Victims of Crime

Cut Ministers’ Pay for Running a Deficit (they would all be broke if he kept this one)

Spend “Every Penny” of the New Health Tax on Health Care

End the “Claw back” of the Federal Child Tax Credit

Create Tens of Thousands of New Child Care Spaces (did this by creating all day ‘daycare’ kindergarten and making everyone pay for it)

Close Coal-Fired Electricity Plants by 2007 (now maybe by 2014)

Stop School Closings

Close “private” MRI and CT clinics

Reduce Auto Insurance Rates by 10% within 90 Days

Provide autism treatment beyond age six

Abide by the Balanced Budget law

Not Add to the Province’s Debt – was $138 billion when they took power, now stands at $212 billion

Fund Medically-Necessary Health Care Services (de-listed eye exams, chiropractic care and physiotherapy)

Roll back tolls on the 407 – Today the highway is most expensive than ever

Balance the Budget by 2007 – Way off the mark, in fact today in 2010 we are at a $19 billion deficit (slightly higher than the $5.6 billion that McGuinty chastised the PC’s for in 2003)

Balance the Budget every year of their mandate (Hah!)

And of course the most famous of them all – “I won’t raise your taxes.”

Like a fish flopping on the deck after it’s been caught, McGuinty has changed his mind on almost every important issue facing Ontario families. So far as a leader the only place Daddy Dalton is guiding us to is the poor house.