TORONTO - Recently, the state of California passed a law that requires out-of-state internet retailers to collect sales tax on purchases that California customers make. Governor Jerry Brown believes that this measure will aid tax revenues, hailing the measure as a "common-sense idea." However, Amazon Inc. has already threatened to effectively "cut ties" with California businesses because of this maneuver. In a termination letter sent to 25,000 California websites it does business with, Amazon stated that similar legislation in other states hasn't lead to increased revenue, only job losses. It is nice to see a company (especially a technology company) stand up to this sort of ill-devised liberal policy.

The squabble between California and Amazon Inc. made national news because it related to California's stab at 'austerity' measures. Every day Jerry Brown and California are making world news with their bumbling attempts to balance their budget, but the grim reality is that Ontario is in a worse shape than California. A generous estimate of California's debt has them at $200 billion which is $5,404 per person. Meanwhile, Ontario has a debt of $220 billion, $16,900 per person. Just like California, and General Motors for that matter, Ontario is NOT too big to fail. Ontario's lawmakers need to address this problem head-on, and end eight years of fiscal lunacy. For those who aren't aware, Ontario's debt under McGuinty has doubled, and Ontario has become the poster boy of a "have-not" province.

There is little to be optimistic about on this front. Rather than committing to meaningful reform, Dalton McGuinty has opted to 'tinker' - and this has had a disastrous effect on hydro rates in the province. Hydro is not a luxury - it is an essential utility, especially when facing a Canadian winter. As such, it seems clear that hydro ought to be a 'depoliticized' issue. In other words, politicians should keep their hands off this file if they are truly acting in the best interests of the public. Yet, this is not what Ontarians have become accustomed to. Rather, our hydro rates and fees have been used to hide a variety of new taxes and political tinkering.

It is no secret that hydro rates have climbed up to 85% for many Ontarians, yet hydro was still included in the new HST scheme that Dalton McGuinty ushered in last year. This means that hydro is now taxed at a full 13% - even those on a fixed income. Furthermore, the skyrocketing hydro rates mentioned previously have not been caused by 'natural market forces.' Instead, the cause can be almost exclusively chalked up to McGuinty's failed Green Energy Act, which has seen untold billions prematurely spent on unproven green energy infrastructure. That's right. Ontarians are paying grossly inflated rates because of faulty decisions right at the top.

It is Ontario's hydro authorities that ought to be crafting infrastructure plans, not politicians interested only in shoring up their base of support. Our hydro utilities hardly seem like "arm's length" agencies when policy is being made directly from the Premiers office. Unfortunately, providing affordable energy has not been high on this government's list of priorities.

As mentioned, Ontario's hydro rates have risen eight times since 2003. The average hydro bill has increased 84% since McGuinty took office. If you happen to have a "smart" meter, your bill has increased 150% on average. McGuinty had promised Ontarians his meddling would only increase their bill 1%. He recently admitted that was not going to happen, and bills will by rise another 46% before 2016. This should be no surprise. After all, green energy developers are still receiving 80 cents per kilowatt in subsidies when the actual market price is 5 cents per kilowatt.

Parents are always eager to educate their children about the value of a dollar. It seems that after eight years with his hand in the cookie jar, McGuinty has truly lost sight of this lesson. Every poor fiscal decision has repercussions - and we have only begun to feel them in Ontario.