评论：挥霍纳税人钱财多年，让安省自由党滚蛋是唯一选择

 

 

距离安省大选已经没有几个月了。执政的安省自由党最近不断抛出承诺，以保证自己在支持率每况愈下的情况下连任。

With the Ontario Provincial election just a couple of months away, the ruling Liberal Party is dishing out promises these days to keep their diminishing chances for governing alive.

聪明的选民，甚至是那些倾自由党的媒体都在思考实施这些政策的钱从哪来。这些开支会进一步加大安省的债务。安省今年的债务总额为3,120亿元，也就是说，每个安省百姓的肩上要扛大约22,000元的债。预计安省债务在2019-2020年将增长至3,360亿元。 2003年他们从进步保守党接手政府时，这笔债务约为1100亿元。短短15年期间，安省自由党想方设法“不断借债”，只用了十年时间就把债务加了一倍。

Smart voters and even the Liberal leaning media have to tally these new expenditures as they will add to the total debt carried by the province. Ontario carries a total debt of $312 billion this year, or roughly $22,000 for every Ontarian. It is projected to grow to $336 billion in 2019-2020. This debt was about $110 billion when they took power from the Progressive Conservatives in 2003. In 15 short years, they managed to create “additional debts” doubling the figures accumulated over a decade ago.

 

为此，安省的信用评级因借债无度而被降级，结果导致安省需要付更高的借债利息。 2012年，穆迪将安省的信用评级从AA1级降至至AA2。穆迪特别提到“安省不停的借债”是降级的主要原因。如果利率上升或经济状况恶化，安省不能及时还债的可能性非常大。根据2012年省级偿付能力和联邦债务研究署的报告，安省非常有可能“在10 - 20年内”无法按时偿付债务。

Ontario's credit rating has been downgraded due to its debt, thus increasing the borrowing costs even further. In 2012, Moody's Investors Service downgraded Ontario from AA1 to AA2. It specifically stated the "growing debt burden" as a major concern. If interest rate increases or economic conditions worsens the province risks defaulting on the debt. According to the 2012 Provincial Solvency and Federal Obligations study Ontario is "the most vulnerable in the 10-20-year window" for defaulting on its debt obligations.

许多人认为，为了刺激经济或投资基建设施，政府有时入不敷出不总是坏事。问题是，这些财政赤字将成为总债务的一部分，政府必须为这些债务支付利息。政府通过发行高利率（约4％）的公债来吸引债主。目前安省每年仅偿还利息就要花掉100亿元，占安省年度预算的8％以上。

Many argued that it is not always bad for governments to run a deficit from time to time in order to stimulate the economy or build infrastructures as a long term investment for economy growth. However, these deficits will become part of the total debt and interests will have to be paid. The government borrows the majority of this money through the issuance of bonds with attractive rates (about 4%). The interests on the debt is over $10 billion and above 8% of the total yearly budgetary expenses.

 

为了偿还利息，政府将不得不消减其他方面，如健康，教育，社会福利和任何新项目的开支。而新项目几乎毫无例外的会额外增加赤字并加重债务负担，从而导致政府财政恶性循环。如果你的家庭背债，且工资收入的很大一部分要用来偿还债务，你会视而不见，不采取任何措施吗？即使不一下子还清债务，在很难再借到钱的情况下，你会不会想办法减少债务？显然，自由党省政府和自由党联邦政府不会像你我这样考虑问题，因为他们有不愁借不到钱。他们只有到大选的时候才想到你。平常情况下，他们根本就不把你当回事。

The money required to service the debt is taking away resources that can be applied to improvement on existing programs such as health, education, social assistance, and any proposed new programs. New programs will almost always add to deficits which accumulate under the total debt in a vicious and never-ending cycle. If your family is in debt and you have to service that with a good portion of your income, would you not do something about that? Would you not try to pay off some part, if not all of your debt since it will affect your ability to borrow money? Apparently, the provincial and federal governments don't think like us since they have more borrowing power and they are emotionally removed from the feelings of the voters except when it comes to election times.

为了掩盖债务问题，并取得那些对政府债务担心的选民的选票，政府在大选当年都会钻会计系统的漏洞来“平衡财政预算”。安省审计长最近指出，安省政府的财政报告“靠不住”，自由党隐瞒了高达45亿元的财政赤字。

To cover up their inadequacies and capture votes from citizens concerned with the debt, governments will resort to fudging the accounting system to show a “balanced budget” during the election year. The auditor general of Ontario recently announced that the Ontario Government financial statements are “unreliable,” concealing a deficit of up to $4.5 billion.

 

安省自由党政府2018年预算的重点是韦恩省长大人的所谓“免费”托儿计划和其他耗费巨资的项目。该预算没有考虑提高安省的经济竞争力和未来经济增长的前景。在未来三个财政年度中，安省每个财政年度的财政赤字将接近70亿。鉴于审计长所指出的韦恩政府过去多年的预算漏洞，我们相信一个自由党政府的实际赤字要更高。

Ontario’s 2018 budget focused on Premier Kathleen Wynne’s so-called “free” child care plan and other big-spending items. The budget also excluded any credible plans to enhance Ontario’s economic competitiveness and prospects for future growth. Ontario will run budget deficits of nearly $7 billion in each of the next three fiscal years. Given the auditor general’s past critiques of the Wynne government’s accounting methods, the true operating deficits may be much larger.

 

安省自由党政府不考虑自己的经济实力而大手大脚地花钱，其结果是让我们的下一代背上更大的经济包袱。今年的自由党政府许诺会在2024/25年后的七年内消除这些赤字，但他们已经忘记了去年的所做的许诺，即从2017/18财政年度后每年平衡预算。这个自由党政府说话还有准吗？

The Liberal government is choosing not to spend within its means and to simply pass the cost of current day-to-day spending onto future Ontarians. While this year’s budget promises to eliminate these deficits seven years from now in 2024/25, last year’s budget promised balanced budgets every year after 2017/18. Is there any fiscal credibility left in this government?

 

选民将在短短两个月内决定谁将管理安省。安省自由党最近抛出的最低工资增长，免费牙医、免药费等政策对低收入阶层和大学生们有吸引力。但他们必须记住“羊毛出在羊身上”。迟早，他们将意识到，支付这些政策所产生的账单还得由他们自己或后代来付。

The voters will make up their minds in two short months. To the low-wage earners and the very young, the recent minimum wage increases, offering of dental and pharmaceutical care and coverage can be attractive. They must remember that “Wool comes from the sheep”. Sooner or later, the repayment for these programs will come either from themselves directly or from their children.