Of the six experts assembled by the National Post to grade last week’s federal budget, five were from the business world and one was the head of a right-wing taxpayers’ federation.

So it wasn’t surprising they were all keen on Stephen Harper’s tax-cutting budget. Their only complaint was that the tax-cutting didn’t go farther.

Of course, no one turns to the National Post for balanced debate, certainly not on the subject of tax-cutting — a goal which lies at the heart of the right-wing dogma championed by the Post. But the tendency to measure the worth of a budget by the extent of its tax relief is becoming standard in our media.

On CBC’s The National last week, right-winger Andrew Coyne held centre stage on a panel of journalists with his contention that the budget didn’t cut taxes enough. The other panelists either agreed or had no opinion.

Nobody offered the counter viewpoint — that taxes are a crucial vehicle for paying for public services we need and want, and cutting taxes diminishes our ability to have these services.

No sensible person would deny Canadians want these services: health care, education, pensions, public transit, highways, water inspection, parks, libraries, museums, police, to mention a few. Most Canadians would probably like to have more and better public services, as people do in Europe and particularly Scandinavia, where taxes are high and public services are fabulous. But in our stifled media debates, this option isn’t even raised.

This amounts to a national tragedy, especially now, when our massive federal surpluses — $17 billion this year and $19 billion next year — could easily be invested in rebuilding public programs or creating new ones that would make a real difference in people’s lives.

This money could do wonders for public transit, or for creating a national drug program or free dental care for children.

Instead of building new programs, Harper is destroying what we have.

Next year his government will axe the national child care program, finally worked out after years of federal-provincial wrangling.

The $1 billion saved from this cancellation will enable the government to inject yet more money into the military, one of Harper’s top priorities.

But are these the priorities of Canadians?

Let’s take something basic: post-secondary education. By any standard, investing in post-secondary education is a slam dunk. It creates a more educated public, raises national productivity, gives young people a shot at improving their lives and realizing their dreams.

But there’s almost nothing in the Harper budget to increase access to post-secondary education.

That doesn’t matter to the six experts the National Post assembled to grade the budget. Their kids will go to university anyway and go on to earn big incomes like their parents. But imagine if the government had used the surplus to ensure that other kids also have a shot at university — not just a shot at saving 50 cents in GST on their next pair of jeans.

Linda McQuaig

Journalist and best-selling author Linda McQuaig has developed a reputation for challenging the establishment. As a reporter for The Globe and Mail, she won a National Newspaper Award in 1989...