The SaskParty's green policy to provide a twenty percent reduction on registration and insurance for those of us who buy energy efficient vehicles is next to no incentive at all. It is a token offer and will do little to encourage people to spend the extra two thousand dollars for a hybrid vehicle. Who wants to make the switch and wait ten years for the reduction in registration and insurance fees to make up the difference.
The SaskParty should consider a Saskatchewan price for fuel to offset work related fuel costs and one that is not hinged to the world price of oil. As a major producer of oil and gas, Saskatchewan residents should get some kind of break on vehicle fuel and home heating costs other than another social program that we may or may not need. One thing is sure, we need gas to heat our homes and we need fuel for our vehicles.
Of course it could be worse. The NDP may buy us all a new bicycle, which would cost about two hundred dollars and that would be one tenth the cost of the SaskParty green proposal as it would be a one time expenditure that would last about ten years. Now wouldn't that be exciting. We could all bike pool to work in minus thirty degrees Celsius facing a twenty mile an hour wind.
What the heck, get on the wind powered wagon as we all go green. It's the in thing right now and all the political parties are trying to lead us where we may have to go as fuel prices are forecast to hit $1.50 per litre in the spring of 2008.
As the election moves along it is becoming possible that we may have a hybrid government if we add a few liberals to the opposition seats in the legislature. If that happens then we will see who is the greenest of all the parties. A lot of the newly elected will be green in more ways than one and that should make for an interesting legislature. Add all the promises and it seems like Christmas is coming sooner than later. I can hardly wait to cash in on all my tax dollars these parties have promised to spend.
Let me end it with this note about green. Who was the last leader of a political party that claimed they would turn the province green if that person became Premier? Regardless, the only real green is Rider Green.