Yesterday liberal leader, David Karwacki announced his plans for political accountability. On principle it is a plan everyone should support. Interestingly, Ken Rasmussen, a University of Regina administration professor, made critical comments on Karwacki's accountability plans, as reported by CBC Saskatchewan, indicating that the provincial auditor can't dictate how a government spends money on itself. He went on to make the ludicrous statement that accountability is a non-issue in this election and that this isn't Ottawa where you had a big scandal and an accountability issue. More interesting, he said Saskatchewan doesn't need new laws and more third party officials.
I have never understood why these well paid professors should be consulted for their views on political matters in Saskatchewan. If Rasmussen is an expert on administration he should be working for some government or maybe he should risk it all and run for elected office in the next provincial election. I just can't stand these supposedly smart guys sitting on the sidelines taking pot shots at the policy proposals of the various political parties and their leaders.
Further, for all their education, I have never understood how they can be so wrong in their assessment of politics in Saskatchewan. To begin with, every election is about accountability and especially as it relates to our elected officials unnecessarily padding their own pockets with our tax dollars. Karwacki is correct to question how tax dollars are being spent. The primary responsibility of opposition members in any legislature or parliament is to be a guardian of the public purse. Why Rasmussen doesn't know this is beyond me. Maybe we should also have someone audit how our universities are spending tax dollars.
Rasmussen's comments that we don't need new laws and more third party officials are also dead wrong. What would he have our government's do? Maybe they should just stop amending existing legislation and regulations. Maybe they should just stop introducing new legislation, which is new laws or maybe they should just stop governing. Now wouldn't that be a catastrophe! The public is constantly calling for the government to take action on one thing or another. How do you do that without introducing new laws and sometimes third party officials?
Rasmussen must be on some political agenda supported by the CBC. He has dug a big hole with his criticism of David karwacki's accountability policy. Maybe he should just jump in that hole and stay quiet until after the election or until he has some intelligent comment to make on the policies being announced by the various political parties in this provincial election.
David karwacki is attempting to address the issue of accountability in Saskatchewan politics and deserves the support of voters in this regard. It is expected that his political opponents may criticize him on his policies, but he shouldn't expect to be blind sided by some uninformed political professor with the support of the CBC.
