The unbearable banality of provincial budget analysis

Is there anything in all of news and current affairs less edifying and more hypocritical than morning-after analysis of provincial budgets? No matter who is in power, the response of the self-serving talking heads who pop up in the media is always the same: Shame! You decreased (or failed to sufficiently increase) funding for the industry or interest group I represent. Shame! You increased (or failed to sufficiently decrease) taxes on the taxpayer cohort I represent. [caption id="attachment_11587" align="alignright" width="200"] Erjavec[/caption] Spend more (on me)! Lower taxes (on me)! And don't you dare run a deficit! The finger-waggers never acknowledge the tradeoffs required for a...