It's not a good press day for the Nova Scotia Tory government.
Leading off, we have news that last year's budget went $120.2 million over. Cabinet gave itself approval of the appropriations. Nobody expects budgets to be exact year after year, but 9 digits is quite a ways off. It makes one wonder if that's just a secret way of creating spending. And let's not forget to ask: is the budget still balanced?
Columnist Marilla Stephenson, a fair critic of the government, makes a good charge that the government is weak under fire. Last week, the government announced the end of mandatory retirement, an excellent plan. As universities fired back for the expense it would create, the plan was delayed. Then there's the ATV licensing plan (bad to begin with) that also just got altered. This reminds us about the smoking rooms in bars plan, only to see all smoking banned. Or the cancellation of the adult recreation tax rebate. What's going on? Yes, as Stephane Dion reminds, it's not easy to set priorities, but stick to them after setting them.
At least there's a nice story about Premier Rodney MacDonald joining the Facebook bandwagon (348 friends and counting).
These guys are all we have. They'd better get their ship in order. The alternative is no alternative.
