Or Canada Revenue sent me out a refund on my income taxes and it was $12,000 more than I thought.
Or I just got paid and when I checked I found I had $12,000 more for the hours I worked last week.
In all cases, I know I will be able to keep my windfall because that’s not my mistake, but someone else’s. It has to be a mistake, but it’s not mine!
Sure, I get to keep all this good fortune. Unfortunately, life usually doesn’t treat individuals this well for the mistakes of others. In the majority of cases, mistakes have to be rectified.
Last week, NDP provincial leader Lorraine Michael made a plea to the House of Assembly Management Committee to have the House, and in effect taxpayers, absorb a $12,000 accounting mistake the party benefitted from last spring. The party took the extra money with no questions asked, smiled and hired an office researcher.
Now she thinks since the party did not make the mistake, then it should be forgiven.
It’s rather naïve thinking for a political party leader and party advisors to suggest they should benefit from a mistake involving taxpayers’ monies.
The ‘orange crush’ of the NDP in the last federal election and surge in the Newfoundland provincial election was unexpected and exhilarating for party members. However, a poll this month claims voters are now resuming traditional voting patterns and returning to hard line parties.
It’s difficult to put faith in a party to handle government finances when they make requests such as this, and get miffed when they’re denied, as Ms. Michael did.
The Bob Rae NDP experiment in Ontario three decades ago, when his party formed the government for four years, ended up surrendering to the demands of unions – the party’s biggest financial backers – and with that province $9 billion in the hole.
The NDP offers a social agenda attractive to voters but its economic policies leave a lot to be desired.
George Macvicar, Editor/Manager
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