From the Globe and Mail,
Stephen Harper’s Conservative government announced they’d pony up $190,000 for Mrs. Dunster’s Donut of New Brunswick. The money, for a cold-storage freezer, is supposed to help the doughnut-maker sell more doughnuts. It is part of a string of small funding announcements the government has been making since Parliament closed shop two weeks ago.
It only takes one member of caucus to bend the minister’s ear to deliver some half-baked dough to his or her riding, but how about some caucus support for the principles of fiscal restraint and staying out the marketplace? The government should not indulge in picking winners and losers. Of course, this donut example is but a small example of a larger problem. Bailouts and corporate welfare have become too common in our system.
This has to stop.
No more pinko donuts from the government bakery.
UPDATE: Some think it would be fair to point out that this is a loan from the government. This is still outside of the market and one not underwritten by any bank.