The title includes both Danny Williams and Dwight Ball - as Williams started the Muskrat mess and Ball seems determined to finish it.
The domino affect for Newfoundland and Labrador of this disastrous, ill-conceived, potentially corrupt project is astounding.
1. the astronomical debt burden on taxpayers and ratepayers
2. the questionable engineering to date on the project
3. the unquestionable loss of population that will occur
4. the unquestionable decimation of disposable income for a significant percentage of people
5. the unquestionable destruction of small/medium sized businesses relying on disposable income
6. the unquestionable increase in unemployment (already at third world levels)
7. the unquestionable reduction in essential services - as government seeks to find savings
8. the unquestionable increase in poverty - particularly seniors on fixed income and children
9. the unquestionable rise in taxation that will have to be introduced should energy subsidies occur
10. the unquestionable giveaway of more resources to try an offset 1-9 above
This project will be successful as the driving factor for out-migration and those remaining will have to shop at Costco or Walmart to survive - thereby eliminating and NL or even Canadian company existence.
Many of our abnormally high aging population will be left here as their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren move to more economically stable province, States or countries.
Rural Newfoundland and Labrador will be decimated at a greater pace.
Health care, education, and social safety nets will not be maintainable at today's level - let alone advance.
Crime, drug addictions, and suicides will - in my opinion - be on the rise.
Meanwhile the fat-cats will be enjoying the wealth attained through the destruction of our province.
The fat-cats don't care - for the most part that's why they're fat-cats.
More seniors homes and long-term care will be needed as they cannot live at home with assistance from their children (who are gone) - yet there is no money to do this.
As younger taxpayers/ratepayers leave Newfoundland and Labrador the taxation and revenue needed to fulfill debt obligations will be shared among fewer people.
This is the catastrophic position we are in.
Ball - for his part - will not stop Muskrat and conduct a forensic audit and truly examine all options. Muskrat has consumed him and many of his colleagues. Ball - instead - will hold out on making a decision - any decision - as is his norm. This will cost us - our province.
Williams is running around complaining about infrastructure St. John's is "unfairly" imposing on him - and taking potshots at Dobbin - another "leader" of the business community.
Ball's biggest concern about seeking leadership, winning leadership, seeking elected office as the Premier - is whether or not the Townie big corporate community would accept him and take him seriously. He is working extremely hard to win their approval.
In my opinion - Williams for his part is unwilling to accept criticism - of any type and will parade around like a litigation happy snapping turtle.
The current crop of MHA's and. Ministers are primarily incompetent as it relates to policy areas such as energy, education, and health - to name but a few.
The government backbenchers are as probing as our media was during the Muskrat cheer-leading days.
The Official Opposition is in free-fall having promoted and backed the Muskrat fiasco - including Kent who opportunistically found another source of grand public servant pay - as leadership hopes or return to Ministerial prominence was fading like the caplin stock. Leadership potential is about as good as chicken left on the counter for 2 days.
The NDP is nowhere in sight - as it finishes its dismantling to start anew. Now that the union workers have completed a fair chunk of the Muskrat fiasco - it might be okay now to throw out a few jabs.
The Danny dominoes were lined up when the Liberals took power - and the dominoes are now falling quickly after Dwight pushed the first one.
As I said in my last post - time is NOT on our side.
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