Hi Ben - thanks for this opinion. You are right that the Recall rules are tough ones but I believe we have a very strong chance of success. The Recall campaigns of the late 1990s were very politically based and were hard fought against by NDP supporters of Paul Ramsey.

This Fight HST campaign I'm working on with Bill Vander Zalm is about a single tax issue that negatively impact every BC voter - and we've had enormous support from both BC Liberal & NDP members & voters.

Lastly, we can take on just a few Recall efforts at a time and Marshall our troops and raise money from across the region where Recall will happen and indeed from all of BC.

It won't be easy but if we get the same enthusiastic support as for the Initiative I know British Columbians will rise to & meet this challenge! BC Liberal MLAs should be deeply concerned about antagonizing their voters over the HST to ghe point where Recall is inevitable.

Sincerely - Bill Tieleman, Fight HST strategist

Why did people sign if the deal was done already. I am aware the it was transfer payments the we got for the signing of the HST deal right? So you can have the whole province sign and it wouldn't of made any difference signing. So the zalm just gets to look good trying to up his already tarnished reputation from being oust out in 1989.

Corrected spelling mistakes.

Why did people sign if the deal was done already. I am aware that it was transfer payments that we got for the signing of the HST deal right? So you can have the whole province sign and it wouldn't of made any difference signing. So the zalm just gets to look good trying to up his already tarnished reputation from being oust out in 1989.

Whatever the political motivation of Blair Lekstrom, one still has to give the man credit for calling for a delay in implementation of the HST and opening a dialogue with ALL British Columbians on this type of taxation or its alternatives.

A dialogue which should include the financing of governments in general.

This latter issue seems to be purposefully avoided by all who've been embroiled on both sides of the HST issue in regards to strategy.

I have little doubt that the upcoming Recall campaigns, should the FightHST organisers decide to go that way, will be successful. Indeed, holding the grass-roots desire for Recall to "just a few ridings at a time" is going to be the main difficulty, in my opinion.

But the Achilles heel of this whole grass-roots effort is the same as the one facing Ms. James ~ what is the alternative to the HST if government finances are to be carried on under the same rules and conventions under which they currently are carried on?

And it's just here that ALL of us on the FightHST side had better start examining alternatives, which, in my very humble opinion, are certainly going to have to involve changing the current rules and conventions of governmental accounting.

I do not see any other way, and I'm sure those who advised Campbell to implement the HST did not see any other way either, so long as that larger issue is going to continue to be studiously avoided.

HOw can the HST be repealed on the provincial level if it is now a federal law?

Socredible. The alternative is to go back to the tax structure that was in place in June 2009. Leave the PST in place and business and corporations can continue to pay this tax as they did before.

By this time we should have a good idea of just how far in debt, and just how badly the Liberals have run the Government over the last few years. We can then look to borrow the money to get out of debt, or we can look at cutting Government spending. There is a lot of fat in this Government that can and should be cut. There is a lot of money being wasted on stupid projects all over the Province on a daily basis, that really has no purpose except to make the Government look good.

The Boundry Road cut off would be one example, and there are many more.

We have income from Gas Taxes, Federal Government Transfers, Gambling, Softwood Lumber Export Tax rebates, Government Fees for services, Income Tax, ICBC Transfers, etc; etc; etc;.

The ;problem is not the lack of money, it is Government spending. By giving the Government the HST, we just make it easy for them to continue to be irres;ponsible with our money.

Axe the Tax. Recall if necessary. No more Government BS.

Have a nice day.

Meet the new boss - same as the old boss.

"We can then look to borrow the money to get out of debt"

Huh??????

Let me see
... I have a loan from CIBC
..... I would like to get rid of the debt
... hey why don't I borrow some money from RBC and then I will be out of debt.

Palopu
... how many years has the BC government been paying down the debt before the WORLD economics took a nose dive?

...... how many years have they been reducing taxes while doing that?

..... how many people were trying to get the government to cut taxes even further or increase program spending with the surplus rather than paying down the debt?

Campbell lied about the budget deficit and the HST during the last election. Only someone who did not read the paper, listen to the radio, surf the internet, or follow the stock market would not have a handle on how where the world economy was heading. Oil from a high of $145.00/barrel to $30,00 a barrel, 25,000 workers releaase at Catepillar, and on and on. Amazing how Campbell's deficit was $500,000.00 million during the election and within days of being elected rose to 2.5 billion. How can you possibly project yourself as a good fisical manager with a record like that.
It should be interesting this summer as he travels the province trying to sell his HST benefits. You can be sure it won't be to the general public via a town hall meeting but to a select group of pro HST corporations.
Recall will take place and is needed to turf Campbell and his Liberal cohorts from power. No more Liberal lies.

I figure that in early July, when the pro HST taxpayer funded propaganda starts, that the usual media friends of Gordo's Goons will be in full swing. I still remember the daily anti-Ramsay stories in the Citizen during the recall attempt. BCTV and the Citizen both continue to ignore the BCR court case now taking place. Keith Valdry will likely be in full flifgt also. Look forward to lots of BS in the near future.

I figure that in early July, when the pro HST taxpayer funded propaganda starts, that the usual media friends of Gordo's Goons will be in full swing. I still remember the daily anti-Ramsay stories in the Citizen during the recall attempt. BCTV and the Citizen both continue to ignore the BCR court case now taking place. Keith Valdry will likely be in full flifgt also. Look forward to lots of BS in the near future.

Gus. Borrowing the money was just one way to return the money to the Federal Government. In fact we could just reduce what we owe them from Federal Transfers, and cut Government spending to make up the difference.

Its a total waste of time to throw your hands in the air, and cry along with the Government that there is nothing we can do but raise taxes. Or, we have to have the HST for health or education, or this money will help business and corporations, and in turn will create jobs, or whatever other two bit, low brow, excuse they want to use to get this tax implemented.

The bottom line is that if we as a Country cannot deal with our debt in a res;ponsible way that is equal to all Citizens who live in this Country, then we are a sorry lot indeed.

I for one am sick and tired of fat cat Politicians, especially Cabinet Ministers, who gross in excess of $160,000.00 per year telling me that this is a good tax. In addition I am sick and tired of paying taxes for two bit, low brow business, and corporations, who pay their CEO's obscene salaries, and there shareholders obscene ;profits, and Government entities who appoint all their friends to high paying positions.

These people are a pox on society, and need to be reined in. They are over paid, underworked, totally non-productive, and are an impediment to getting a job done, on time, under budget, with honesty and integrity. They are like lamprays that latch onto the underbelly of sharks, and suck out the blood. The lampray gets a free ride, and gains weight, while the shark works like a SOB all day to feed himself., Same with large corporation CEO*s and Big Time Government Brass. They are the lamprays of the world, getting a free ride on the backs of the working middle class.

Who need them????

The time has come to fish or cut bait.

On July 1st Hansens Stupid Tax (HST) will come into effect. On July 5th the propaganda telling you what a good tax it is will begin.

There has been millions of words expressed on this subject both pro and con. The Government from day one has been less than honest. Now is the time to take stock.

People should keep a list of everything that they buy starting July 1st that has the additional 7% HST added on, Ie; Restaurant meals, cable vision, home repairs, real estate fees, bicycles, hockey tickets, hair cuts, movies, membership fees, Rents/strata fees, magazines/newspapers, airline tickets, resort packages, campgrounds, animal feed, veterinarian,accounting, funeral services,helmets, lifejackets, just to name a few.

If you keep this list from July 1st to November you should have a pretty good idea what you are paying in additional taxes. You can extrapolate this amount to get a good idea of what your yearly increase will be. Once you have a good idea as to how much additional taxes you are paying, you can then make a determination if you want to sign a petition to recall your MLA.

In any event you should be aware of how much additional tax you are paying, if for no other reason than to prove that the Government has pulled the wool over your eyes once again.

Have a nice day.

Amen to that Palolu.

I would start with a 20% cut in pay for everyone in government making in excess of $80,000 a year. That alone would eliminate our fiscal deficit and realign public sector compensation with the private sector. If they don't like I'm sure there are plenty of other competent people that would love to live and work in BC to come and replace them for $80,000 a year.

Trying to re-implement the PST would cost a multitude of fortunes. When the PST is elliminated, out goes the beaurocracy with it and many, many jobs and empty offices. I assume there will be pay outs and severences in the hundreds of millions of dollars; maybe more. To start that all over would be insanity and far to costly for this broke province. However, down the line, a new provincial tax will be implemented, under another title by another government - - bet on it.

Supertech. That is a defeatist attitude, and exactly what they want you to think.

Firstly most of the people who work for the Government and PST will transfer to the Feds and collect the HST. It doesnt matter in the short term if it costs us some money to re establish the PST and the status quo, because the alternative, is increased taxes in the order of $2 billion a year for the next 20 years.

This is a huge amount of money, and makes the cost of keeping the PST seem like loose change.

If it looks like horse S..t, and it smells like horse S..t, then there is a pretty good chance that it is horse S..t.

Beware of geeks bearing gifts.