tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400574.post110851908143680661..comments2024-03-14T23:06:04.731-07:00Comments on Paying attention: Trust me, says Campbell, things will be differentUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400574.post-1108665055581307092005-02-17T10:30:00.000-08:002005-02-17T10:30:00.000-08:00Great analysis, Paul, thank you. The two questions...Great analysis, Paul, thank you. The two questions you've highlighted are pivotal: 1) Were the tax cuts worth it? and 2) Do we trust Mr. Campbell to be more compassionate if given a second chance?<br /><br />1) Has anyone convincingly demonstrated that the tax cuts created marked economic improvement, thereby growing the tax base & contributing to the current surplus? We know commodity prices, low interest rates and federal transfer payments have helped, but I haven't seen a convincing case yet to show whether or not the precipitous first round of tax cuts were worth the pain. Other examples, like the MCFD mess, also bring into question their much-vaunted management skills and judgement.<br /><br />2. Trust is crucial & much easier to lose than to regain. An errant politician must work much harder to regain trust than a wayward lover, however. Love may tempt us to overlook self-interest, but political choice is far more objective. People will decide to forgive or not forgive, based on self-interest and alteratives.<br /><br />A third issue, related to trust, is transparency. I think many people are offended by the relentlessly PR-gilded approach to "transparency". Anyone who lives in consistently rosy New Eras and Golden Decades and is never wrong is just not credible, especially for those of us on the outside scratching our heads.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com