Green Party An Alluring Enigma

This is the problem with the Green Party. They hook their name to the environmental movement and most people generally assume this means that the rest of their policies are congruent with that movement. In reality, their economic policies are more conservative (libertarian actually) than the Conservative Party. Both they and the Conservative/Liberal Party (both the same for the most part) never get around to explaining how they are going to actually run government after cutting, cutting, and cutting taxes. I'm all for lower personal taxes but this has to be offset by increasing corporate taxes so they are carrying their fare share of the tax burden.

Are you identifying a problem with the Greens or a problem with Star reporting? The article claims it will introduce the Green platform and then does no such thing. With this kind of journalism it is no wonder the party seems an enigma to some.

Having just checked out my options localy and finding that the NDP candidate is a union leader (not a choice for me, simply too "for me, anti you") Green seems my only choice (the other two being no choice at all, no CAP here) but I do wish they would spell out their platform a little better, I intend to go digging for more info but am more and more into not bothering mostly because those I may vote for will have NO impact upon what actualy happens in the next parliment. Dont like it, defeatest attatude, cynical, lost in the manure......yes. What does one do? I have bitched to some of the National media about lack of "alternative" party news and platforms but do not expect a real change in reporting practices.

Increasing taxes on gas means nothing. Wealthy people can afford to burn all the gas they want. Poor people have to burn gas to get to work, and surely cannot afford a price hike in gas. It`s fine to want to clean up the environment, but as long as policies are either directly or indirectly aimed at punishing what`s left of the middle class and the poor, then progress will not be made. Let`s get after the big polluters first- the corporations. Let`s get car companies to build fuel cell vehicles. Or perhaps a crown corporation to do just that.

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Dave Ruston

I like the Toronto Star but this is poor reporting. The Green Party like all the other parties (last I checked) have yet to release their overall party platforms for this election.

If I was a betting man (which I am not - spent too long working in Casinos to know how that works) I would suspect the majors are waiting till the new year.

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If there was ever a time for Canadians to become pushy - now is the time - for time is running out on this nation called Canada.

Increasing taxes on gas means that people will have to make choices. If you can't afford the gas, take the bus or bicycle, or move closer to work. There is only so much oil in the Earth, and we waste it unnecessarily.

Besides, they also propose reducing prices on things like sports equipment (eg. bicycles), so it's not like everything will be more expensive.

I think environmentalism is a natural fit with balanced budgets. Both suggest a long-term viewpoint.

I believe the tax cuts are supposed to be offset with gas taxes, taxes on environmentally unfirendly products and other consumption taxes. Also, they propose encouraging healthier more active lifestyles which may reduce medicare costs.

A problem with the Green Party of course. Seems to me the article did as good a job describing their platform as it could. I have yet to see anyone in the Green Party even attempt explain their economic policies, likely because they know that except for the regressive gas taxes and other environmental taxes their economic policies are taken out of the Conservative Party policy manual. They sure seem to be vague in what they do disclose and I sure would like to see an explanation of how they will pay for it while reducing taxes all around.

Even the environmental taxes they propose will not have the effect they claim; all Canadian cities are built around cars so people will have to drive even if it means a greater portion of the family budget goes for this. This will not result in less polution, only hardship for Canadian families. In reality, these taxes will almost certainly go into general revenues and not be used for what they claim.

As well, let's say that againts all odds their plan was successful in reducing pollution. The only way this could happen is to reduce the number of drivers and/or the amount driven. This would mean that they would be the victim of their own success, as with less people driving less often this source of tax revenue would dwindle. Then they would be sitting there with huge amounts of added debt (federal, provincial, or municipal is irrelevant) to fund massive transportation infrastructure so there goes their promised personal tax cuts.

Well there's the problem of PEAK OIL. And The Green Party Knows that soon supply won't meet the demand of oil and we will have to raise prices in the form of inflation.

Either we choose to raise the prices now while we have control or they are raised for us when Saudi Arabia starts producing less cheap oil. I for one want to keep control.