Calgary Herald by James Wood.  Finance Minister Bill Morneau came to Calgary on Friday with pledges of help for Alberta, but few specific commitments on how the federal Liberal government will assist the province hit hardest by plunging oil prices. 

ADN OpEd by Jim Crawford.  The spending elite have determined that you need to be educated about the size of Alaska’s budget. If you think government is too big, too intrusive or ineffective, well, you need to be re-educated.

They say we cannot cut state funding. That we don’t spend enough on education, our homeless, on those less privileged or on environmental protection to save our land and forests. We’re offered special tools to “understand” our budget. Those tools don’t have an option of reducing state spending, but instead force us to pick between the elites’ alternatives for raising taxes.

Lost in the whole discussion is how much Alaska’s government has grown beyond the needs of our population, and how recklessly it has squandered our common wealth.

According to ProsperityAlaska.org, “Alaska state budgets have exploded. From fiscal (year) 2005 to 2012, general fund operating and capital expenditures (not including savings and Permanent Fund dividends) have grown from $5 billion to $8.5 billion — an increase of 71 percent.” State government is simply out of control, doubling in size over the last decade. In the private sector, we must cut budgets to match available funds. Legislators should adopt this wisdom and emulate the policy.

I agree with those who demand (more here….)