Caveat: It is now early in the AM of Tuesday September 7 and this countdown is as of this specific point in time. I have added this caveat because, as noted, the principals are seemingly striving on a daily basis to be # 1. As a result the order of the countdown has changed several times. In order to facilitate finishing and publishing the countdown the order will be frozen as it is at this point in time.

Watching the evening news Thursday September 3, 2010 it seemed to me the question is not so much about whether the public is faced with deceit on the matter of the HST, but which of the five principals involved is guilty of the biggest deceit.

So here is my take on where the 5 principals involved in the HST brouhaha fall on a list from the least deceitful to the most deceitful.

Number 5 is the Liberal government.

When I started writing this the Liberals had been #4 mainly as a result of the level of distrust they have earned during their time as the government. As I was writing this piece the behavior of one of those in the top 5 shot them out of 5^th place and up the list, leaving the Liberals to fall into the number 5 slot.

The fact that Liberal government only earned the #5 position reflects not the innocence of the Liberals but how considerable the offensives against TRUTH committed by the other parties involved in the HST brouhaha were, are and continue to be.

Let me preface this by saying that I am not a fan of Colin Hansen. His decisions and policies as Health Minister and now as Finance Minister have led to the rationing of mental health services even as the demands on these services grow. This rationing has lead to deaths, including those of innocent bystanders, and has inflicted undue pain and suffering on those denied mental health services as a result of this rationing.

That being said, calls for Colin Hansen’s resignation by Mr. Vander Zalm and the NDP, based on the sin of omitting to talk about the possibility of the HST, is spurious and laughable in light of the behaviours of Mr. Vander Zalm and the NDP in omitting to disclose or discuss the $1.6 billion dollars of federal money cost of repealing the HST.

If the bureaucrats in Victoria had not been talking to the bureaucrats in Ottawa about PST, GST and a HST they would not have been doing their jobs; especially in light of the Ottawa/Ontario HST discussions.

The question of when Mr. Hansen (or even Mr. Campbell) was aware of these communications or the content of the communications is not important either.

The only question of import is when did the Liberal government made the decision to accept Ottawa’s $1.6 Billion dollar bribe and implement the HST?

I rather suspect that the answer to that will ever be known past the level of reasonable doubt.

In judging the level of offense of the Liberals there are two additional questions that need to be taken into consideration. 1. Whether the HST is, in the long run, a decision in the best interest of the province of BC. 2. Given that Ontario opted to adopt the HST and that the federal government had offered the same $1.6 billion bribe to BC it had given to Ontario, was there any reasonable choice for the government of BC other than excepting the $1.6 billion and adopting the HST?

Given the budgeting needs of BC would it not have been irresponsible to turn down the $1.6 billion; especially as most of those funds came out of the pockets of other Canadians and not the pockets of BC taxpayers.

Number 4 are the citizens of BC.

Who were #2 on the list until the actions of other principals over recent days moved them past the citizens of BC who have benefited vis-à-vis their ranking not for their innocence but for their consistency in not adding to the behaviours that have placed them on this list

In regard to those behaviours: the level of lying to themselves, at least one hopes it is lying to themselves, demonstrated by the citizens of BC on the HST and the finances of the province of BC is alarming; especially at a time when tough economic and policy choices need to be made.

This outrage at politicians lying is farcical in light of the fact that voters have been rewarding politicians who lie to them by electing those who told them what they most wanted to hear, no matter how unrealistic the promises where, and punishing anyone who told a truth voters or citizens did not want to hear.

It is unreasonable to reward politicians, news media and others for lying then get upset when they lie.

Citizens are guilty of major offenses against logic; wanting more and more services but not to pay for them. For example: parents demand government keep underutilized schools open, but have you ever heard those parents state they were willing to pay the extra costs of keeping those schools open? When the costs of keeping underutilized schools open to appease parents results in other budget cuts parents do not call for closing underutilized schools so those budget items do not need to be cut; they demand the government spend more money – without raising taxes – as if the government has Rumpelstiltskin spinning straw into gold in the basement of the legislature in Victoria.

An astounding number of people who signed the anti-HST petition are not aware that a major factor in the BC government’s decision to implement the HST was the $1.6 billion bribe from Ottawa and that the $1.6 billion would come out of next year’s budget and back to Ottawa if the HST were repealed. Being against the HST and signing the anti-HST petition without being in possession of the facts is not only foolhardy but irresponsible.

It is even more irresponsible to be aware of the $1.6 billion (as are Mr. Vander Zalm and the NDP) and ignoring or burying one’s head in sand so as to avoid thinking about the $1.6 billion cost and the effect of having to repay that money will have on services, other taxes and the budget.

Choosing to believe that the media will report in a fair and balanced matter all pertinent facts on an issue so as to avoid the effort required to learn the facts themselves is further self deceit. News broadcasting is about ratings, not about informing the public; hence the ‘if it bleeds it leads’ credo of news broadcasting.

Perhaps the biggest, most self-deceptive lie people tell themselves is that they are not consuming their children’s future. Every lie citizens tell themselves to avoid dealing with issues or avoid paying for programs and services they want comes at the expense of the future, the much reduced and impoverished future our children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and so on will inherit.

Number 3 is Mr. Vander Zalm.

Mr. Vander Zalm started the article in 5^th place but advanced to number 3 through his actions on Friday September 3, 2010.

Mr Vander Zalm had earned the number 5 spot as he is guilty of lying by omission for his failure to address the consequences of revoking the HST. Unless Mr. Vander Zalm is so out of touch with the economic reality of the province and the lives of most British Columbians he cannot fail to be aware that, while the loss of the extra $300 million the HST would have raised for provincial coffers this year and next would inflict painful cuts on next year’s budget, it is the reduction of next year’s budget by the $1.6 billion of lost federal funds that were (or would have been) paid into provincial coffers for implementing the HST that will inflict severe reductions in services on the citizens of BC.

Paying for the loss of the $1.6 billion will fall mainly on health care and education as a result of their being the only budget areas that have $1.6 billion to cut. You cannot cut the $1.6 billion out of the next largest budget item, safety, because even if you cut the entire budget in this area – closing the courts, the jails, prisons, sheriffs, et al – there would remain the need to cut a further $0.5 billion out of the remain provincial budget.

The irony here is that Mr. Vander Zalm is guilty of the same offense he claims to be incensed about by the Liberal government – failing to disclose the inconvenient economic truths or facts that would reduce the popularity of Mr. Vander Zalm and his anti-HST campaign.

At least one hopes the high cost, $1.6 billion, of repealing the HST would cause citizens to reconsider the matter rationally.

Mr. Vander Zalm earned his move up the countdown as a result of his announcement that he would be targeting Mr. Campbell and Mr. Hansen for recall campaigns.

Recall legislation is intended to allow constituents of a riding to recall an MLA whose behavior they found unacceptable. Ignoring the question of possible negative consequences to our democracy and our electoral system this abuse of the recall legislation will inflict on government and governance, the fact remains that the legislation was intended for use by the constituents of a riding and not for the use of those outside the riding.

Mr. Vander Zalm’s malevolent abuse of the recall legislation to attack Mr. Campbell and Mr. Hansen demonstrates, beyond any doubt, that for Mr. Vander Zalm the anti-HST is not about principles or the good of the citizens of BC but about politics and settling old political scores.

This behavior raises the question of whether Mr. Vander Zalm is seeking political redemption. With the Liberals mortally wounded by the HST and the NDP mired in financial irresponsible nonsense could Mr. Vander Zalm be hoping to a Social Credit resurgence?

After all Mr. Vander Zalm is safe as long as the HST is not repealed and the cost and consequences of the loss of the $1.6 billion in federal funds is not revealed or does not come to pass. Since the Liberals, whatever their faults may be, are (one certainly hopes) to financially responsible to repeal the HST and forfeit the $1.6 billion in federal funds – Mr. Vander Zalm would appear safe of the repeal coming to pass front.

Given the willful blindness and obtuseness by BC citizens that earned citizens a higher spot on the countdown than the Liberals themselves, Mr. Vander Zalm would seem to have reason to hope citizens will not be demanding he explain the cuts to services he would make to compensate for the loss of the $1.6 billion in federal funds.

Number 2 are the NDP.

The NDP earned a higher ranking than the Liberals because, in addition to the offense of lying by omission for their failure to address the consequences of revoking the HST, the NDP have compounded the level of offense against TRUTH by their attacks on the Liberal government on funding for Healthcare and Education.

The NDP continue to call on the Liberals to increase funding for Healthcare and Education at the same time they are demanding the liberals reduce the government’s revenue by $1.9 billion ($1.6 federal money and $0.3 billion extra dollars for healthcare raised by the HST).

Besides moving them past the Liberal government on the top five countdown, this type of financial nonsense is why the BC NDP (as well as the federal NDP) need to build a strong, financial sound and responsible right wing in the party. The Saskatchewan NDP have demonstrated that an NDP government can be both progressive and financially sound and if the NDP elsewhere are to be viable alternatives to govern they need to build a financially sound and responsible wing of the party.

Post Script: Prior to NOW the NDP had been ranked #4, having been supplanted on the countdown by Mr. Vander Zalm’s efforts to achieve a higher ranking. However two occurrences have shot Carole James and her NDP to number two.

First was watching the video of Carole James speaking about how the people of BC wanted more Healthcare and Education. The second, and I admit quite annoying item was receiving an email soliciting donations to the NDP because “The BC Liberals are playing a dangerous game with democracy.”

Urging me to “Please do your part and make a donation today.”

I have a better idea; how about I call the NDP on the dangerous games they are playing with BC’s finances and financial future.

Ms. James and the NDP are, through their anti-HST policy, going to cut $1.6 Billion in federal funds out of the BC budget while they are calling for spending hundreds of millions of dollars (Billions of dollars?) on Education and Healthcare.

Leaving any financially responsible citizen wondering if Ms James and the NDP are trying to turn BC’s debt into junk bonds – or are they simply that far out of touch with fiscal reality ?

Number 1 is the media.

The media is the one group that remained unchanged in their placement on the top 5 countdown. Not surprising in light of their ongoing daily efforts to not ask any questions or convey to the public any information that would threaten to end this ratings winner of a ‘story’ for the media.

It is not just that the media is also guilty of lying by omission on the matter of the $1.6 billion that earns the media top spot as perpetrating the most consequential of HST deceits.

No, the most consequential media deceit is that they continue to foster the untruth that they are about reporting important stories, events and facts when in fact the media is about the bottom line. The priority of the bottom line has a profound effect on what makes it into the media.

Mr. Vander Zalm and outraged citizens railing against the government and HST makes far better theatre and thus ratings than Mr. Vander Zalm or citizens sputtering and trying to answer what services they would cut, or other taxes they would raise, in order to compensate for the loss of the $1.6 billion of federal funds.

Raising that question to Mr. Vander Zalm, the NDP or other leaders of the anti-HST campaign at the beginning may have scuttled the campaign with the result that the media would have lost this juicy bit of easy to cover theatre. When it is about the bottom line, it is about fermenting juicy theatre, not asking questions or raising issues that could potentially bring the drama to an end.

It is why media makes outrageous statements such as “the HST has resulted in the increased cost of most things”.

The GST is on no more items than it was before the HST came in. The PST was on more that 50% + 1(item or service) of the goods and services in the province of BC. Since the HST is the amalgamation of the GST and PST the HST was already collected (just as two separate taxes) on 50% + 1(item or service) the HST was already applied on ‘most (50% + 1) items.

If ‘most items’ have in fact gone up after the HST was brought in then the public is being bilked by those taking advantage of the introduction of the HST to sneak in price increases and blame them on the HST.

But you don’t see the media doing stories on the City of Abbotsford taking advantage to slip price increases at recreation facilities in under cover of the HST. Nor will you see mathematical checks of new prices to see how much is due to HST and how much to surreptitious price increases. Remember the GST portion was already applied to all goods and services so price increases should only occur on items to which the PST did not previously apply but now does – and those increase should be only 7%.

But that wouldn’t make for the theatre that stating “the HST has resulted in the increased cost of most things”. Which is why you get “the HST has resulted in the increased cost of most things” no matter how obviously untrue that statement is.

Theatre, ratings and the bottom line is what media is about – not the popular misconception of informing the public. Which is how and why the media earned the number 1 ranking in hypocrisy and duplicity.