Dead-man's switch political promises

[tvstrip]

I don't know the actual term for it, but I'm referring to the incumbent passing popular legislation which would only come into effect AFTER an upcoming election.

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-...n-to-temporarily-cut-gas-fuel-taxes-1.5846934

Ontario plans to temporarily reduce taxes on gas and diesel, but it will only take effect after the June provincial election.

Tax cuts would be the obvious choice. It's basically saying "Elect me or kiss the tax cut goodbye". It's also stronger than a standard election promise since it's already enacted into law.
The challengers are at a disadvantage, as they're going to have to address whether they'll cancel the tax cuts if elected- which could sway some people against them.

Or from a left side, maybe a government would offer a massive boost to public health care, or some other popular social program.

It seems like a viable election tactic, but I can't recall many examples.
Have you guys seen other examples of using this tactic?

 

[gmase]

In the US, Congressional pay raises would take effect after the next election. It keeps current legislators from giving themselves pay increases. For something like you’re posting, I have not seen it.

Why not just pass it effective immediately? It seems like a prickish thing to do.

 

[tvstrip]

I agree, it's totally a prick move. Legislation is there to benefit the people, not the politician.

But it could be an effective tactic, and I'm just surprised I haven't seen more prickish politicians try it.
Imagine if twump passed a law saying every US citizen gets a $5000 stimulus check on Jan 21 2021. I wonder how that would have went?

 

[Tokaji]

it's totally a prick move.

I like that expression. Visceral. Just had someone from Charlotte, North Carolina use it on a call yesterday. It leaped out at me, then I saw you use it.

Its like holding back information on drugs for 50 years. The NHS has done this sort of things as well.

https://www.reuters.com/legal/gover...ss-foia-request-over-vaccine-data-2021-11-18/

 

[tvstrip]

As an update, this guy ended winning a second majority government (not even close), so I guess the tactic worked?

 

[Mr. Daystar]

I know it's not on topic, but it is related, and since the states and Canada do transport over the boarder, fuel costs there, effect us, like ours effect them.
All I know is this. Diesel fuel should not be more expensive then gas. I know they're doing it on purpose, which is my point. All that does is slow down the movement of goods, and it fucks owner operators deeply. It can't be fun filling up your tanks, and pumping a couple hundred gallons, that you have to front the money for, and if you don't get a back hall. It's also helping to raise the cost of rail, and sea shipments. Railroads had to clean up emissions, which means more expensive fuel, and they aren't going to absorb the cost.

 

[tvstrip]

I know it's not on topic, but it is related, and since the states and Canada do transport over the boarder, fuel costs there, effect us, like ours effect them.
All I know is this. Diesel fuel should not be more expensive then gas. I know they're doing it on purpose, which is my point. All that does is slow down the movement of goods, and it fucks owner operators deeply. It can't be fun filling up your tanks, and pumping a couple hundred gallons, that you have to front the money for, and if you don't get a back hall. It's also helping to raise the cost of rail, and sea shipments. Railroads had to clean up emissions, which means more expensive fuel, and they aren't going to absorb the cost.

You're 100% right. Gas tax is worse in Canada than the US, and has always been. Even factoring in currency exchange and the litre/gallon equivalency, gas costs much less in the US. That's why when Canadians cross-border shop, they will ALWAYS fill up; the savings in gas alone will probably pay for the trip.

The thing is, while politicians used to be quiet about this, they're now actively flaunting it.

https://www.newstbt.com/post/ctf-hidden-gas-taxes-driving-up-pump-price

The CTF’s 2022 Gas Tax Honesty Report shows that taxes make up to 38 per cent of the pump price. Across Canada, taxes cost 55.1 cents per litre of gasoline, on average. In Montreal, drivers pay six different taxes every time they fuel up. The federal government and some provinces calculate sales taxes after all the per-litre taxes are added. This tax-on-tax costs drivers an extra 4.1 cents per litre of gasoline, on average. The federal carbon tax has increased three times during the pandemic and currently costs about 11.1 cents per litre of gasoline.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he will continue to increase the carbon tax until it reaches 37.6 cents per litre of gasoline in 2030. Trudeau also announced plans to impose a second carbon tax through fuel regulations that could add an extra 11 cents per litre by 2030. That would push the total tax bill to 96 cents per litre in 2030. The average tax paid on a 64-litre fill-up will be $61.44 by the end of the decade.

When he was asked to hold off on the carbon tax increase because gas prices were hurting Canadians, the PM said "It's supposed to hurt, that's the point". Talk about being tone deaf.

These measures were planned before the pandemic and before people gave a shit about Ukraine. They didn't plan for a post-pandemic inflation spree, or a natural resource boycott of Russia. So the impact this is having on regular people is more than they planned, but they're not changing course.

I get that carbon taxes are supposed to make gas so expensive that people look at other alternatives like EV's and public transport. The problem is, the government hasn't done FUCK ALL about those alternatives to gas. If EV's cost as much as regular cars, then EVERYONE would be getting one. Who wouldn't want to skip buying gas? But as it stands, you need to be driving for DECADES before you even break-even on the gas savings over the extra price of the car. But have EVs become more accessible to the average Joe? No, they're as expensive as ever, and there's barely any selection even if you could buy one.

Same with public transport. Places like Europe and Asia have top-class public transport and the civilian mentality to use them. It makes sense to use public transport in these places because it's cheaper and faster than driving a car. But in most cities in the US and Canada, public transport sucks. It's always late, it's inconvenient, and the cost savings are minimal, especially when you factor in the extra time it takes you to get places. Again, it's not a practical option.

The whole thing was done more to appeal to liberal tree-hugging hippies, more than an actual effort to save the environment. They put the carriage infront of the horse, and that half-asses planning is really showing. And like you said, it's not just the cost of filling up your own tank - it's affecting everything we buy.

I'm all for saving the environment and reducing carbon emissions. But I literally had to write an assessment on the effectiveness of carbon taxes half a year ago, and they're not as effective as people make them out to be. At least not the way they have been implemented.

Wow... that was a lot. Good to get that off my chest. The point is @Mr. Daystar, you're not alone. I hear you.

 

[Mr. Daystar]

Now you know why I think every last one of them is a vile piece of trash. Left or right, they're greedy. self serving pieces of shit. It's not what cause they champion, and for every thing they do, the people perceive them as decent, and for the people, they do 5 things behind the scenes we only find out about later, after it's to late to do what should be done. Everyone screams there needs to be a change, and all they want to do, is gut the Constitution, bur they never want to solve the real problem, which is the leaders that abuse it. You don't kill a dragon, and leave it with it's head, you take it off. Instead of letting all of these wind bags blow out their hot air, we should just get together as a nation, and start firing them. They are employee's, they work for us, so we should show them the door. I don't mean, if your in, then you're out, at every new election. I mean yank them out of office, take them to court, or whatever needs to be done, and then hang pictures, and papers on the wall of their office, to remind the next chucklehead, they can get exactly the same, if they fuck the pooch. We also need to start cracking down on law breakers, with stiffer harsher penalties. Another thing that needs to be done, is regulate certain industries. I'm all for free enterprise, but when it comes to things that EVERYONE needs, it needs to be curtailed. Health care, pharmaceutical, medical (hospital care), and energy, are things that every person has to have, at least in North America. We allow this to happen to ourselves, and we are the ones that truly have the power, yet we choose to accept the crap that they feed us. Maybe that's why Americans feel such a need to hold a certain Amendment more dear to their heart, then most people can understand, or are willing to try to understand.

Of course this is just my opinion, but while I can't speak for anyone else, I know I speak for every single one of my friends.

 

[Theopolis Q. Hossenffer]

Now you know why I think every last one of them is a vile piece of trash. Left or right, they're greedy. self serving pieces of shit. It's not what cause they champion, and for every thing they do, the people perceive them as decent, and for the people, they do 5 things behind the scenes we only find out about later, after it's to late to do what should be done. Everyone screams there needs to be a change, and all they want to do, is gut the Constitution, bur they never want to solve the real problem, which is the leaders that abuse it. You don't kill a dragon, and leave it with it's head, you take it off. Instead of letting all of these wind bags blow out their hot air, we should just get together as a nation, and start firing them. They are employee's, they work for us, so we should show them the door. I don't mean, if your in, then you're out, at every new election. I mean yank them out of office, take them to court, or whatever needs to be done, and then hang pictures, and papers on the wall of their office, to remind the next chucklehead, they can get exactly the same, if they fuck the pooch. We also need to start cracking down on law breakers, with stiffer harsher penalties. Another thing that needs to be done, is regulate certain industries. I'm all for free enterprise, but when it comes to things that EVERYONE needs, it needs to be curtailed. Health care, pharmaceutical, medical (hospital care), and energy, are things that every person has to have, at least in North America. We allow this to happen to ourselves, and we are the ones that truly have the power, yet we choose to accept the crap that they feed us. Maybe that's why Americans feel such a need to hold a certain Amendment more dear to their heart, then most people can understand, or are willing to try to understand.

Of course this is just my opinion, but while I can't speak for anyone else, I know I speak for every single one of my friends.

We have seen that in Illinois' for decades. No matter how many you put in jail the ones to follow think that they are smarter than the ones who got caught and won't get caught themselves. Our former Speaker of the House here was in charge for almost 40 years and controlled everything that happened with the iron fist. He was such an asshole he quashed his daughter's Legacy bill when she was leaving to be come Attorney General. For money. And even she was scared of him as were all the other Attorney General here. All the state officials ever convicted here have been done by the Feds. The culture of dishonesty is very deep in many Political arenas. A few are not and are worth their weight in Platinum but most are in it for money and Power.