If there ever was any doubt, there isn't anymore. The $2 million Wide Open Future campaign is a cynical, taxpayer-funded pre-writ campaign conducted by a government desperate for re-election.

There is an old adage that a wounded and cornered animal is most dangerous. The government is certainly wounded, and they are pulling out all the stops in an effort to maintain their hold on power. The Wide Open Future Campaign, launched in October to much fanfare, is an affront to democracy, and an insult to the residents of Saskatchewan who toil under onerous and backward provincial tax policies.

The stated purpose of the campaign is to show the rest of Canada what a wonderful place Saskatchewan is to live, and to win back the expatriates in Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. Unfortunately, people in those cities won't be seeing those catchy ads because the majority of them run only in Saskatchewan. The intended audience is not expatriates or outside opinion leaders as the government insists -- the audience is you, the Saskatchewan voter.

The campaign is manipulative because it goes for our hearts, and not our minds. It plays on our feelings of loyalty and patriotism, and attempts to channel them toward the government's political gain. It's cynical because the government knows that 'appearing' to do something is more politically expedient than actually affecting change.

Whatever outward appearance of non-partisanship the million-dollar campaign had at the outset disappeared when it was revealed that the province hired veteran NDP crony, umpteen-time Cabinet Minister, and former Deputy Premier Ed Tchorzewski to run Wide Open Future. Mr. Tchorzewski's previously chaired the NDP campaign readiness committee, but now he's running the NDPs political campaign from the Premier's office - at taxpayer expense.

There are those who look at this campaign and roll their eyes, shrug their shoulders and say "that's politics for you." Many remember past gimmicks pulled off by former leaders going back to Pierre Trudeau's "the land is strong" campaign. People laugh when they remember Grant Devine's ridiculous Rally 'Round Saskatchewan stunt. This is an age-old strategy employed by political parties of all stripes.

We can shrug our shoulders and let this assault on basic democratic principles slide off our backs. We can file this away as just another reason to distrust government, another reason not to vote in the next election. But we can also stand up and tell this government that we aren't falling for it. The NDP - NOT taxpayers - should pay for this.

Here's a little game you can play while you're watching television in the evening. Keep a pen and paper on the coffee table. Each time you see a Wide Open Future television ad, write it down. Every time that commercial airs during West Wing, it costs the taxpayer around $800. If it interrupts an episode of ER, it cost us around $1,000. Sportsnet charges $1,500 per spot during hockey games. Keep track. Compare notes with friends. You'll see thousands upon thousands of taxpayer dollars being flushed down the NDP campaign toilet.

This taxpayer-funded political campaign to re-elect government MLAs must be stopped immediately. Instead they need to focus on fostering an economic climate that keeps young people working, conducting business and raising families. Then we would have something to sell to expatriates.