Hands out of my pocket, hands out of my pocket . . .

Price of my Second Cup “small” coffee (which used to be called a “regular”) last week: $1.66

Price of my Second Cup coffee today: $1.64.

A government that I worked to elect keeping a promise: priceless.

(But at which Tim’s does Reg get an extra-large coffee for the same price?)

Lorne Gunter rhapsodizes at length about the meaning of it all in today’s National Post:

What thrilled me was the principle of it -- for once, a federal government was keeping less of my money rather than grasping for more.

I have grown so tired of the assumption within government that just because they print the money it all belongs to them and those of us who earn it should be grateful for whatever fraction they permit us to keep.

Those who favour massive social programs believe themselves to possess a heightened sense of social responsibility, and have convinced themselves they know so much better how to spend our money then we do.

They have no particular right to our money, no matter how high-minded their goals for it.

…….

I know the GST rollback is piddling -- hardly worth all my excitement. Still, it marks a change in philosophy about who's in charge, whose rights are paramount -- those of government or individual citizens.

We’ve seen tax cuts before. The Mike Harris government in Ontario significantly reduced personal income taxes (30% in its first term; 20% its second – but I believe the McGuinty Fiberals clawed back part of the 20%).

Unfortunately, the Ontario Tories were succeeded by a government that imposed the largest personal income tax hike in Ontario history and has broken 50-plus election promises, yet is still hovering between 35% and 40% in the polls. I remain hopeful that a change in philosophy is happening (or, as Trailer Park Boy Ricky would say “I’m not a pessimist, I’m an optometrist”). But, as I like to say, only time will tell.