Do you find it surprising?

I find it surprising not at all that even though many people who support politically right-of-centre parties (such as our current government, senate, and supreme court) often say things like: “we need LESS government not MORE”, the governments they elected always tend to grow and grow and grow. Case in point: the parliamentary budget officer is somewhat leery of Stephen Harper’s Conservatives being able to reduce/eliminate the deficit. Let’s just pretend for a moment that the headline doesn’t sound like the poor fellow is actually a stage magician who swallowed some of his own props by mistake (“throwing up flags”. Seriously.) and read roughly the middle of the article.

The bit where it says that even though Stephen Harper’s Conservatives said they were going to reduce the size of government and freeze salaries and benefits and all that jazz, their current plan actually would *increase* their spending on bureaucracy and government. *I* think this should really come as a surprise to no one, because the history of Conservative governments really is to drive the economy into the terlet and to increase spending on themselves while simultaneously cutting important things like research and development budgets, health budgets, education budgets, and sport, arts, and culture budgets. Mark my words – we are looking at a government that WILL increase the living costs of “ordinary Canadians”. This is a government that refers to “ordinary Canadians” as “the chattering classes“.

Let’s just assume that MP Tony Clement actually *meant* to use that particular derogatory term to mean “middle-class socially liberal”. Which, ostensibly, would be a large number of Canadians. He’s ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. Stephen Harper’s Conservatives do NOT govern on behalf of the chattering classes. They govern on behalf of, overall, a minority of Canadians.  *insert rant here about people who think that they make an effective political statement by choosing not to vote. Dummies.*

So unless you’re an Alberta oil baron with pockets deeper than the river Styx, or a Toronto businessman with more money than sense, Stephen Harper’s Conservatives DO NOT GOVERN ON YOUR BEHALF. Because you’re a dirty chatterer. Question your government. Ask them how they plan to actually do what they’ve said, for eight years, that they’re going to do.

I think I know the answer already.