Harper is compelling me to buy a BMW

As a concerned taxpayer worried about the massive debt that is being accumulated by the Harper government at a rate faster than you could utter the words “A conservative government will never tax income trusts, or the rate at which these trusts have been taken over by foreigners who pay ZERO taxes”, I have come to realize that I can do my part to reduce this burden to taxpayers and to my children, by avoiding the purchase of any GM or Chrysler vehicles.

This saddens me a bit, given that I have been very pleased with my most recent purchase of a new 2007 Chevrolet Suburban LTZ, with the new Flex Fuel engine. Pleased, despite the fact that, at the time, I had to pay Flaherty’s $2,000.00 “Green Levy” to upgrade from my old gas-only 2003 Suburban to the Flex Fuel and better gas mileage 2007 Suburban. These monies of mine, were then diverted to underwrite and subsidize someone else’s purchase of a foreign made vehicle? Huh? As per usual, Flaherty placed constraints in the way of my purchasing a domestic vehicle and upgrading to a more environmentally friendly combustion engine, thereby placing constraints in the way of their ostensible goals.

Can Flaherty or the Stephen Hapless Government ever get anything right?

Now, that same Hapless government is going to start a piece meal campaign to rescue the auto industry.....one finger in the dyke at a time.....instead of a comprehensive plan of building a whole new levy....and no, not the Green Levy.

Today’s Stephen Hapless plan to underwrite the warranty costs of GM and Chrysler vehicles will simply provide me, as a taxpayer, with an incentive to shun these vehicles, in order to lessen the burden it means for Canadian taxpayers.

Strange, because this move to underwrite car makers warranties is intended to improve sales, not hinder them? I wonder how it will all work out in the balance? Like they intend, or more like my experience with Flaherty’s inane Green Levy, that almost stood in the way of my buying a new domestic vehicle in the first place or upgrading to one with a lower carbon footprint.

Which will be the next hole in the dyke to be plugged in Hapless Harper’s auto bailout “strategy”? This is a like a comedy in seven acts, except nothing about it is funny at all, including the preservation of jobs in an important segment of our, once, economy



Ottawa jumps into the car warranty business
Government to spend up to $185-million to back warranties of new GM, Chrysler cars to prevent crisis from causing sales collapse

SHAWN MCCARTHY AND GREG KEENAN

April 8, 2009

OTTAWA, TORONTO -- The federal government says it wants to protect consumers and parts suppliers faced with a potential bankruptcy filing by General Motors of Canada or Chrysler Canada by backstopping their warranties on new car sales and bolstering support for the parts makers.

Worried that the companies' financial crisis will drive away customers and seal their fate, Industry Minister Tony Clement said Ottawa would insure the warranties of new GM and Chrysler vehicles sold between yesterday and the conclusion of their restructuring efforts.

The minister said he remains hopeful that General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC can complete restructuring efforts that will avoid the need for court-supervised bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 in the United States and the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act in Canada.

"But we have to ready ourselves for other options, including Chapter 11 in the U.S. and CCAA [Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act] here in Canada," he told reporters.