Say what you will about his politics, the late Premier Ralph Klein truly was a man of the people.
With a larger than life personality, he gave us a host of witty one-liners and analogies that remain a part of the Alberta lexicon even to this day.
One of his favourites was a condition common to politicians who spend too much time in the Legislature, known as "Dome Disease."
According to Klein, "You know that... you're fully consumed with that disease when you start to think that unless it's happening under the dome, it's not happening at all."
It seems the NDP government could use a heavy dose of Premier Ralph's homespun wisdom – there is a growing disconnect between the NDP government and the vast majority of Albertans.
Life under the Dome is pretty cushy for friends of the NDP these days. There haven't been layoffs or even pay freezes for many of them. In fact, the NDP have gone out of their way to stack Alberta's senior political ranks and new advisory panels with a tidal wave of NDP activists from Ontario, British Columbia and the failed NDP government in Manitoba.
Outside the Legislature, in the rest of the province, everyday Albertans face a much harsher reality. The steepest recession since the 1980s, layoffs and closures have already devastated well over 100,000 families.
Calgary's unemployment rate has reached 9.5 per cent, and may reach double-digits by Christmas.
Albertans in both industry and agriculture well understand the boom and bust cycles that accompany being one of the world's leading energy providers and food producers. We have been here before. We also know that it's a hand up – a business friendly environment – not a government hand – up that's needed to restore investor confidence to bring back jobs.
Over the past year the NDP have increased taxes in just about every way possible, and are planning massive new increases in the coming years. In the next 12 months the NDP carbon tax alone will see government take $3 billion from our struggling families to fund risky corporate welfare schemes. That is not the Alberta way.
Premier's Notley's disconnect with regular Albertans became even more apparent last week, when she advised reporters that NDP policies are not harming Alberta's economy.
She should know better. An internal NDP government memo leaked in June shows the government's carbon tax will precipitate a 1.5 per cent loss of GDP, a decline in oil exports, a $4 billion drop in household income, and a further loss of 15,000 jobs.
The Premier also seems to be selectively forgetting an internal government document that warned of the "significant job loss" that would accompany a rapid increase in the minimum wage.
At a time when so many folks are struggling just to get by, Albertans expect government to get to work on policies that will get them back to work. Yet the Premier seems fixated on talking points clearly out of touch with the present reality.
She is echoing her own echo. This is what Premier Klein would call a telltale symptom.
Folks, is this what the doctor might diagnose as an acute case of rapidly progressing Dome Disease?