| Dear Ralph Klein:
What does a fella who doesn’t run a race track or own an oil company have to do to get some political love in this province? Don’t bother answering; I don’t want to know. It’s a sad day when even this faithful correspondent must resort to rhetorical tricks to get your attention. Be warned – if you are wise or are considering another term, you will listen to what I have to say this time.
We middle Albertans are feeling neglected by our down-home provincial government in these days of drought. I now understand why my grandmother claimed there is no lonelier person than a needy constituent with two years to wait until the next election.
In the middle of the worst drought ever, rural Alberta is perishing from a thousand cuts. Oil and gas prices are going through the roof without any sign of relief. Rural health care is being sacrificed for a few extra MRI machines and heart operations. The provincial government, afraid of offending its high-placed friends, is silent while the U.S. declares a subsidy war on Alberta farmers. Meanwhile, you and your ministers are off chasing windmills like the Kyoto Accord and health-care reform.
Then there’s the sense of déjà vu that was noticeably absent when I looked at my gas bill. The transfer of gas revenues from the government’s pocket to mine is still missing. All I gained from this price shock was a lesson in accounting framed as a government press release. It doesn’t take a political scientist to figure out the only difference is we aren’t three months away from an election.
You are right to assume most Albertans won’t notice your political cynicism in these days of wealth and warmth. Farmers and small businesses in rural Alberta, however, are pinching every penny this year, and we remember the hard times. We also remember whom we choose to blame for those hard times.
Unless you give a little tender loving policy to the heart of this province, we will do our best to punish you in the next election. I know, without an organized political opposition in this province, that is an idle threat. Sadly, idleness is all we have these days.
Down at my farm implement dealership showroom, for the past six months me and the boys have been debating what is worse –facing a wrathful Mother Nature or a world power that barely recognizes your existence. Droughts are tough, but at least hope returns every spring. There is no end in sight to the grinding economic bullying of U.S. agricultural policy.
The U.S. subsidies are the real killer. It pains me every time the Alberta government is granted an audience with the almighty White House to talk about oil and gas, while agriculture is slipped under the rug. I know that talking about agriculture would be frustrating. You would get a sheepish grin, a shrug and a "Congress – whattaya gonna do?"
So I thought to myself, we should put the two together. Saddam’s Iraq can negotiate an oil-for-food deal with the U.S. Why can’t we arrange an oil-for-agriculture deal? You have already given the farm away to the U.S. on oil and gas, so we don’t have a lot of leverage, but you could offer a price break on our line of petroleum products in exchange for a break on the farm subsidies.
The tough part will be convincing the oil and gas companies to help out farmers – a group they would rather see disappear most days – by repaying some of the royalties Don Getty gave back to them. You might want to remind the oil and gas companies of the untold millions in free security that farmers provide for their facilities installed on our lands. I’ve chased a few suspicious folks away from the compressor site on my back 40. They always say they’re from the gas company, but for all I know, that company truck is stolen.
Anyway, we both know that details aren’t important in politics. Just get out there and work the corridors of U.S. power on our behalf and all will be forgiven. Mind you, a gas rebate cheque in the mail next month wouldn’t hurt either.
Yours in sucking up to the biggest bully on the block,
Buzz Angus |
