Ralph Deserves Our Applause

The next time my pal Ralph Klein pops over to my heavily mortgaged home on Coronado Place N.E. for a casual beer and a smoke, I'm going to give him one of the best pats on the backs and the firmest handshake he's ever had.
Might even give the guy a great big hug, too.
But, hey, don't read anything untoward into that.
I'm a happily married man.
My greater-than-ever enthusiasm for our premier comes from his decision not to hold a fall sitting of the Alberta Legislative Assembly.
The legislature will now not sit until February, 1998, and this decision has brought howls of outrage from the busybodies of the liberal-left.
It's an affront to democracy, they charge.
The Tories are showing their arrogance, they say. Klein is acting like a dictator, they insist.
To my mind, it's one of the wisest decisions our premier has made.
It was U.S. President Thomas Jefferson who proclaimed "the government that governs best, governs least" and this should actually be inscribed on the bathroom mirrors of every politician in the land.
But politicians, even some conservative ones, feel compelled to meddle in people's lives.
They feel they have to do something -- anything -- to be seen as effective.
But those of us who are tired of red tape and bureaucracy, of laws on top of laws and bylaws on top of bylaws, figure the most effective government is the one that does nothing at all.
Surely we have enough laws already?
Surely our taxes are already much too high?
Surely we have enough civil servants on the payroll without adding more?
Surely we don't want MLAs to create another program we neither need nor can afford?
So why not put the Legislature on hold for the best part of a year and let the rest of us get on with our lives?
I mean, are we facing some huge fiscal crisis?
No, the money is just rolling in.
Is the entire province about to fall apart because of civil strife?
No, we're facing a couple of petty strike threats, but nothing that is going to unduly disrupt our lives.
Are our enemies massing on our borders?
The last time I drove to Saskatchewan and Manitoba, it all seemed pretty quiet. Same when I went down to North Dakota.
Why do we need a fall Legislature sitting?
Well, we really don't.
Klein's critics say we need one because the government must be accountable to the people.
Back in March, the government put every member before the people in an election and came back with a huge majority.
I'd say that's being accountable.
Critics say the government must face opposition questioning.
Well, the leader of the Opposition, Grant Mitchell, just announced he was quitting, and so he can't be too much interested in questioning the government.
We're told cabinet ministers and other MLAs must earn their salaries.
Now, as someone who worked for a premier of a province, two other cabinet ministers, and alongside several dozen MLAs, I can tell you that whether the Legislature is sitting or not, elected politicians work very hard every day of the week and every week of the year.
When they're not passing laws, they're looking after constituents' problems, attending community functions, meeting with representatives from an entire range of industry, business, and social organizations, and interacting with other government counterparts at federal, provincial and municipal levels.
No fall sitting of the Alberta Legislative Assembly?
We should be applauding Klein, not condemning him.