Eugene, welcome to the program. Nice to see you here, especially knowing that you don’t give interviews too often.

Good morning. Yes, I don’t like to give interviews, partially because my English is not very good, but today I have a reason and responsibility to go public. We just published the latest list of social viruses and one of them really dangerous. It is spreading very fast.

Social virus? What is it?

You know what a computer virus is. It is a piece of code which can get into your computer system and live there for some time. Mostly, what it does is copy itself to other systems, infecting as many computers as it can. When it has populated many computers it can start utilizing them for someone’s benefit. It can help break security systems, or simply send thousands meaningless messages to a target server causing a so called DoS attack.

Yes, that is a computer virus, but you said social?

A social virus is a piece of information which could infect not a computer system, but people’s minds. It is transmitted through information networks, radio, newspapers, television. Once you read it, or hear it, the “computer” in your head can get infected. We have been monitoring the public information networks for several years now. One of the most dangerous social virrii was the “Dow 14K”, it hit in the beginning of 2007.

Does it mean Dow Jones 14,000?

Yes. We noticed a quick spread of extremely optimistic market related texts, many of them included the signature “Dow Jones 14,000″. The virus was very contagious. When the virus infected enough people it provoked an unprecedented activity on the stock markets. The Dow actually reached the 14K mark. The rest of the story you know.

Oh, yes we do. So, lets get back to the list you published.

The dangerous one has a signature: “crisis of capitalism”. The virus has some mutations: “more government control”, “government’s money” and “nationalization is not that bad”. Our numbers show a huge spike of the infection.

Wait a second, do you think in a crisis like that government shouldn’t act boldly to protect our society and the free market itself?

The government’s role in an economic crisis is known. First the government creates a crisis, and then it does everything to prevent the market from fixing it. Fortunately, sooner or later, in spite of the anti-market efforts, powerful market forces resolve all imbalances. Regarding the “government’s money” – there is no such a thing. And nationalization has never been good for anyone except the government itself.

I see. Eugene, how can we protect ourselves?

Do not let the virus easily settle in your mind, resist as much as you can. Think about the meaning of words. Thinking is the best natural anti virus.

You know, it takes a lot of time and energy to read, analyze, educate yourself.

At least do not listen to the infected people. Once you hear “capitalism in crisis” or “more government control” keep the sanitary distance and repeat this antidote:

I can see you on the moon
Dancing squares with a goon
In the game
Only lame
Tell me now what's your name?

Nadia, what is there?

It is the latest newspaper from America!

Ah, how nice! Sit here, honey, and read it to me. Tell me how our American comrades shovel pepper into those capitalist asses!

“Weak auto sales continued to rattle the industry in November, as Ford Motor reported that sales plunged more than 30% from a year earlier and even fell short of the terrible results reported in October. Ford shares dropped sharply and put the Ford Motors’ capitalization bellow $6B.”

How good! That’ll show that old ass Henry!

“Trade union leaders said that salary reduction cannot solve the industry’s problem and should not be considered as an option.”

Right! I always said that Trade Unions are the school of communism! And if the management only dared to reduce the salary then – strike! Immediate strike!

“The company management said that they will soon run out of cash and saving the automotive industry will require some immediate government action.”

What a great moment! You know what our comrades should do? They should request that $6B from the government, buy out their own company, take ownership of it and rename it to the People’s Ford Motors Company.

“In order to save the troubled company they requested $9B bailout from the US Congress.”

$9B? Ah, nice! Please send our comrades my Big Proletarian Salute!

Carbon tax will start July 1, 2008 at a rate of $10 per tonne of associated carbon, or carbon‑equivalent, emissions. That works out to about 2.4 cents a litre at the gas pump and 2.8 cents a litre for diesel and home heating oil. Leading economists and scientists agree: Seeing that cost, and making it real, will give us new incentives to change the habits that created global warming in the first place.

Let me get this clear. Today we pay say, $1.20 per litre, and with the tax it will be $1.224 per litre? Am I correct?

Yes, for every litre of gas an additional 2.4 cents will be charged as the carbon tax.

And why do you think this is the right thing to do?

Because we have to act on the environment. The green house gases …

Yes, yes, that I understand. What I am struggling to get is those two numbers. Why do you think price $1.20 does not work as incentives to change people’s habits, but $1.22 does? Do you have any scientific study proving that idea?

Of course, not. It is not about the exact price people paying at the gas stations. We believe that the carbon tax will be an additional reason for people to start thinking green. And do not forget, the carbon tax is absolutely revenue neutral, so all the money will go back to the people and the corporations.

Does that mean I can request back those 2.4 cents per litre right at the gas station?

No, Kevin, it does not work this way. It means every dollar raised will be returned to the people of B.C. in the form of lower taxes. The general corporate income tax rate will be reduced from 12 per cent to 11 per cent and, over the next three years, we expect it to fall to 10 per cent — on par with the lowest corporate tax rates in the country. That puts B.C. on track, by 2012, for a total combined corporate tax rate — the federal plus the B.C. rate — of 25 per cent… the lowest among the world’s major industrialized economies, and 10 points lower than the U.S. federal rate.

Right, lower taxes. That’s what I wanted to ask you about. Firstly, introducing new tax to cover reduction in existing one is not lowering taxes at all. Secondly, 25 per cent corporate tax will place Canada into the 21st position in the world. In order to be in the first ten we need to reduce it to at least 17%. So can we really reduce taxes to 17% and can we do it now, not in ten years?

17% combined? I do not think so. In order to get there we would have to set the carbon tax in the range of $30-$50 per tonne or even more.

Minister, you don’t get the concept of tax reduction right. Tax reduction means less taxes, not less some taxes but more other taxes. Do we have any chance here?

I don’t know, Kevin… theoretically… if we increase the GST…