Tim!

It's time for the Government of Canada to make the donuts...you remember how that one goes, raising TAXES. You'll never hear it from this Prime Minister's lips but after all -- the man is an economist.

He knows a revenue black hole when he spots one...the trick will be pulling it off. What with the gravitas of Stockwell Day newly installed at Treasury Board and the old reliable (Sorry, Jim) still calling the tune over at Finance, the squeeze is in and the tap has been closed.

Now Tim and the other creative Conservatives can spin Gerard Kennedy's remarks until the cows come home but Canadians are smart enough to know that a further dent in their wallets is not too far off.

What I like about Gerard is his intellectual honesty and yes, his guts. Sure, he wasn't reflecting party policy when he quoted the FCM poll but he gave us a lot to think about as regards federal spending priorities.

Yours truly is not a big fan of raising the GST. One of the few pleasures of many people is conspicuous consumption. I also don't like one rate that applies across the board. I prefer looking at corporate income taxes and surcharges or bracket increases on high-earning individuals (now there's another heart attack in the making just trying to set the bar) as potential means to a fiscal end.

But remember folks, Tim and the other strategists are hurting bad these days. They know that this Prime Minister has put himself in a box of his own making. They can quite literally skate for the gold medal and still end up in the dumpster.

Ain't politics a gas!