The Transmogrifier

When, on the Two-Hour Daily Hate With Bill Rowe yesterday, Greg Byrne raised the idea in this Saskatoon Star-Phoenix story, Bill Rowe called it "stupid", one of the "stupidest" ideas he'd ever heard:

Finance Minister Andrew Thomson hinted Friday the provincial government is looking seriously at working around equalization rules to prevent what he calls a $1.2-billion con- fi scation of resource cash by Ottawa.

Under the scenario, petroleum, potash and uranium companies would make direct contributions to build infrastructure such as hospitals or highways.

Those contributions would be deducted from their royalty contributions.

It would mean the money would go directly to third parties or specifi c projects -- royalty resources would not end up in the province's general revenue fund and be counted by Ottawa in its equalization calculations.

When, mere minutes later, Sue Kelland-Dyer called in to espouse exactly the same argument, Bill Rowe was "intrigued" by the idea.

Sue Kelland-Dyer, Transmogrifier, turning Bad Ideas into Good, at least for Comrade Rowe.