Monday, May 12, 2008

Re: Real leaders don't engage in gas-pump populism, May 2.

Dan Gardner wrote a very interesting and timely column on how honest politicians dare to acknowledge that rising gas prices are actually good because they may help us in our fight against climate change.

The retort by Ottawa Centre MP Paul Dewar ("NDP won't shrug off high gas prices as mere fate, May 5) in defence of Jack Layton is even more interesting. Mr. Dewar fell into Mr. Gardner's trap and runs on about how the NDP is "standing up for everyday families" against the oil companies and big polluters.

It would appear that Mr. Dewar did not read the last two paragraphs of Mr. Gardner's column -- the ones that talk about means tests and targeted tax breaks to support the vulnerable, and the fact that across-the-board gas price reductions deliver small relief today for big pain tomorrow.

Mr. Dewar's response shows how he and Jack Layton are in good company with Stephen Harper as well as American presidential candidates John McCain and Hillary Clinton in committing what Mr. Gardner called "pandering jackasses" by playing gas-pump populism.

It takes a real leader to articulate the complexities around the true costs of energy, and an even stronger leader to say, to dare to suggest, that a low gas price policy is an economic dead-end. The days of cheap gasoline are over and it is time for the political leaders to come clean on this reality. Real leaders prepare the public for the future!

Dick Bakker, Ottawa