Here is a Edmonton Journal article on Danielle Smith. It is terrifying. And her party is leading in the polls. A brief rundown of what Mrs. Smith believes:

Alberta should not be investing in the “knowledge economy” (basically a direct shot at anyone in post-secondary, since the knowledge economy focuses on economic activity through research and innovation) and “silly things like nanotechnology” (a direct shot at the University of Alberta, home of the National Institute of Nanotechnology). She says Alberta’s economic future lies entirely, ENTIRELY, on the oil and gas industry. Our future rests on a finite resource. I see a logical problem here.

Smith believes that social assistance should be provided by private individuals, not the government. “Individuals and non-profit groups are the first line of support for underprivileged Albertans,” Smith says. Oh, yay. I would not want to be an underprivileged Albertan under Premier Smith. While Albertans may be generous, there’s no way even the biggest of charities can provide enough money necessary for social assistance.

Smith believes in school vouchers in school choice, meaning that the government will pay for students to go to private schools. Excuse me? We have a public system funded by the government. The government is not responsible for paying private schools. If people want to go to private schools, they can. They just have to pay for it. Our tax dollars can simply not go to these for-profit institutions rather than our already struggling public system. She believes in a similar system for healthcare, which would allow private healthcare.

She truly is the Sarah Palin of the North.

Under no uncertain circumstances can we allow Danielle Smith and the Wildrose Alliance to come to power. The policies of Smith and the Party are dangerously backward and short-sighted, and are filled with thinly-veiled separatism. A Wildrose government would, in no uncertain terms, ruin this province. It would leave our impoverished out in the cold, would severely weaken our post-secondary education system and our research industry, our healthcare and public education systems, and would turn our government into a subsidiary of the oil industry (moreso than it already is). If Wildrose is still leading by the time 2012 rolls around, we have a responsibility to fight this party with everything can. We cannot allow them into power.