Ralph Klein - classy guy ?
 

In December 2001, Klein showed up inebriated late one evening at an Edmonton homeless shelter. After berating some of the residents for not having jobs, he threw some money on the floor and left.

"I drink too much from time to time,'' Klein told reporters days later. "I'm going to resolve to control and curb my drinking. I have the support of my wife, my family, my caucus and my friends.

"I'm going to curb and control what I see as a problem. It will test my resolve and determination to do something right.''

:confused: :(

Rich.

Re: Ralph Klein - classy guy ?
 

Does your wife talk to you much?.....If not this may be the reason why :D

Re: Ralph Klein - classy guy ?
 

OK. :confused:

I fail to see the point of either of the previous posts. :confused:

Either I've been drinking or something astounding has happened and I missed it. :confused:

Re: Ralph Klein - classy guy ?
 

Umm nor do I ..... but i HAVE been drinking :p

Re: Ralph Klein - classy guy ?
 

This guy is a clothes designer, isn't he?

Re: Ralph Klein - classy guy ?
 

Obviously I think Ralph Klein is a crazed redneck and that he well represents his constituency, but I don't really see the point of reviving this incident.

Canadian politicians are given to heavy drinking and bizarre outbursts. Mel Lastman, then Mayor of multicultural Toronto declined to join a trade mission to Africa because when he thinks of Africa he thinks of himself cooking in a pot. Steven Harper sees a division between conservative cradle Canadians and pinko foreigners "You've got to remember that west of Winnipeg the ridings the Liberals hold are dominated by people who are either recent Asian immigrants or recent migrants from eastern Canada: people who live in ghettoes and who are not integrated into western Canadian society." The BC Premier quite recently got busted for drunk driving, Brian Mulroney was entangled in a scandal over aeroplanes, Jean Chretien in one over advertising in Quebec.

The population of Canada isn't very big, so there's not much choice of people to be politicians and, on top of that, many politicians were formerly lawyers; inevitably they tend to corruption and buffonery. Klein isn't remarkable in that regard.

Re: Ralph Klein - classy guy ?
 

Ralph Klien was elected as Premier of Alberta due to his conservative fiscal policies at a time when Alberta was running huge budgetary deficits. Albertans got to choose between Klein's advocacy of large government budget cuts without tax increases or the imposition of a provincial sales tax as a means to solve the deficit issue. Albertans bought into Klein's motto that "no society ever taxed itself into prosperity" and made him their Premier.

At times Klein has made intolerant remarks over the span of his political career, but it is important to understand that Albertans supported their Premier in spite of those remarks and not partly because of them. Today, most Albertans appear to be rather tired of some of Klein's comments and will be happy to see him retire. He was great when it came to getting Alberta's fiscal house in order, but now it is time to pass the baton.

Klein isn't a lawyer, and certainly isn't corrupt... and thanks to Klein, Alberta has no PST... that's a claim no other province can make.

Re: Ralph Klein - classy guy ?
 

Erm, isnt that more due to the fact that Alberta is making pots of money from oil revenues? Which is due to geology and supply & demand in the oil markets rather than any particularly shrewd move on Ralph's part?

Re: Ralph Klein - classy guy ?
 

You dont think it was a shrewd move to stay in Alberta (where he is 'more accepted') than go into national Politics where we would be laughed out of 'The House'????

Re: Ralph Klein - classy guy ?
 

Damn, and I was letting it drop rather than pointing that out!

Re: Ralph Klein - classy guy ?
 

Steven Harper, Stockwell Day, Preston Manning, Art Hanger, Jason Kenney; Mr. Klein's not a loose lipped nutter by the standards of the federal conservatives.

Re: Ralph Klein - classy guy ?
 

The differences being
Mrs Klein, the fact he actually believes in himself rather than merely pandering to his 'misinformed' electorate (ok so does Hanger) and he IS an alcoholic.

Re: Ralph Klein - classy guy ?
 

I forgot Cheryl Gallant and that Myron Thompson; five star loons the pair of them. The idea that the MPs mentioned might be sober when they make their comments is really quite alarming; much more so than any substance dependency on Mr. Klein's part.

Re: Ralph Klein - classy guy ?
 

I think its a particularly shrewd move for Ralph Klein to stay in AB - Shrewd for the rest of Canada that is! No, my comment was more (as dbd33 has picked up) that AB's current prosperity is largely due to factors outside of provincial politicians of any flavour.

Re: Ralph Klein - classy guy ?
 

No, Alberta eliminated its budget deficit long before the big runup in oil/gas prices. Of course now with really high oil/gas prices, Alberta is running up huge surpluses.