Why is Ralph Klein Greater Dead Than He Was Alive?

They're all lining up to heap praise upon old Ralph now that he's dead.   They sure didn't seem to be so reverential to him while he lived.

Yes, Ralph Klein did balance the provincial government's books.   Yes, Ralph Klein did pay off the provincial government's debts.  Yes those were both wonderful achievements.

So what happened?   Why is Alberta in such a mess today?   Are Ralph's fingerprints also on what went wrong?

Was it not under Ralph Klein that the Alberta government allowed itself to become dependent on fickle oil royalties to pad its operation budget?   Was it not Ralph Klein who scoffed at Peter Lougheed's warning against reckless expansion of the oil fields that could overheat the economy and evaporate its wealth?   It seems to me that Ralph did those things too and, in the process, put Alberta on the path to an unstable, boom and bust economy, a path followed by his successors.

Oh well, Alberta always was a place where they like their myths super-sized and very well polished.