Canadian Politics Thread

[Optimist Prime]

16 minutes ago, flat land fish said:

There's still room to deploy dollars smarter for families.  For example the daycare subsidy is available to anyone who can get in a licensed day care but that includes the wealthy who are good at paperwork.  Higher income earners should not be subsidized on childcare they should pay full freight and licensed spots should be made available on a priority basis to lower income earners.

the problem with that, as I understand it, is the savings would be lost in the bureaucracy of administration overseeing if Mrs Smith qualifies and Mr Burnett doesn't, times every kid times every family times every region times every province.... not to mention that spots are finite: if the wealthy are paying their own way they will simply outbid the government on those spots that we want to be 10 dollar a day spots. It has been thought about from every angle, i can assure you. There is always room for improvement but it isn't as easy as you might think. 

[The Lock]

1 hour ago, Chicken. said:

Wow 11.9% in the USA for married with 2 kids.. i wonder why that category is so drastically different from ours. 

 

I think there's a lot more poverty in the states and people in poverty tend to have more kids.

[Bob Long]

6 minutes ago, The Lock said:

 

I don't know. If I was to be an MP, my thought process would be to help better the country. That being said, I'm not an MP nor do I really have aspirations of being one. lol

 

sure but you have to win first. 

 

I guess we could do it like jury duty, and just pick random citizens to do 2 or 4 year terms in government. 

 

I wonder how that would go? 

[Optimist Prime]

2 hours ago, The Lock said:

 

If I had to pay over 120K in taxes,

in light of the chart somewhere up above, 400k or more a year is an amazing income and nothing anyone would feel sorry for being 'overtaxed', however I suspect the individual was including provincial taxes, property taxes and GST/PST in the summary of their tax totals. I know GST rebates go out like carbon tax rebates so generally poorer folks don't lose much if at all to the GST but if you are spending 100 thousand on nice to haves, not need to haves, then I think the GST/PST/HST is a fine thing that could stand to go up, frankly, if it meant a lowering of payroll taxes at the same time. 

[The Lock]

Just now, Bob Long said:

sure but you have to win first. 

 

I guess we could do it like jury duty, and just pick random citizens to do 2 or 4 year terms in government. 

 

I wonder how that would go? 

 

Probably depends on if they want to be there or not. It also means that racist uncle you can't get along with could be in power and making decisions for the country suddenly.

 

Not that there aren't people like that in power already. 

[Bob Long]

Just now, The Lock said:

 

Probably depends on if they want to be there or not. It also means that racist uncle you can't get along with could be in power and making decisions for the country suddenly.

 

Not that there aren't people like that in power already. 

 

my uncles were a pair. Would you like a functional alcoholic with a mean streak, or a shady dude you never quite knew how he made his money? 

 

[Warhippy]

11 minutes ago, Optimist Prime said:

Thankfully we take advantage of travellers health insurance every trip. 

My wife shakes her head because I refuse to even do a day trip to the US without the most basic medical insurance.  She says we have it on our credit cards etc and I chuckle.  Having lived there and having seen the costs and hoops needed to be jumped through I won't ever enter that nation without that insurance.

[The Lock]

1 minute ago, Optimist Prime said:

in light of the chart somewhere up above, 400k or more a year is an amazing income and nothing anyone would feel sorry for being 'overtaxed', however I suspect the individual was including provincial taxes, property taxes and GST/PST in the summary of their tax totals. I know GST rebates go out like carbon tax rebates so generally poorer folks don't lose much if at all to the GST but if you are spending 100 thousand on nice to haves, not need to haves, then I think the GST/PST/HST is a fine thing that could stand to go up, frankly, if it meant a lowering of payroll taxes at the same time. 

 

Most likely. People do tend to like to over-exaggerate where they can.

 

Reminds me that I need to get back to learning stuff for the rest of the day so I can get a job like that later on. Back to linux debugging I go!

[King Heffy]

Just now, Warhippy said:

My wife shakes her head because I refuse to even do a day trip to the US without the most basic medical insurance.  She says we have it on our credit cards etc and I chuckle.  Having lived there and having seen the costs and hoops needed to be jumped through I won't ever enter that nation without that insurance.

My credit card does cover it, but I sure as hell checked carefully before I stopped buying separate insurance.  Had one issue where I was going to need the paid insurance and the amount of hoops I had to go through made waiting out a really painful injury a more appealing process.

[The Lock]

3 minutes ago, Bob Long said:

 

my uncles were a pair. Would you like a functional alcoholic with a mean streak, or a shady dude you never quite knew how he made his money? 

 

 

Just send both into power. It'll be fine.

[Bure_Pavel]

19 minutes ago, Warhippy said:

Which still leaves us where?

 

I have a serious question for yourself and a number of people.

 

The 2019-2020 years saw some of the highest ever recorded rates of home purchases.  Homes purchase at insane highs with artificially low interest rates that many were unable to afford without these low rates.

 

Canadians have been holding record debt for almost 18 years.  Almost 2 decades of warnings from top economists where Canadians have owed roughly $1.60 for every dollar owned.

 

As Canadians have lived on credit since the 2008 financial crisis.  Have over leveraged themselves due to those artificially low interest ratings and have purchased homes or vehicles or lifestyles they otherwise couldn't afford if rates went up.

 

Why are we surprised that once rates went up and it was time to renew loans, mortgages etc that people are all of a sudden worried about their finances?

 

One of the hallmarks of true conservative ideology is living within your means and being financially responsible for your own pocket book.  For almost two decades that has not been the case for Canadians.

 

How is it now that rates have gone up and people are unable to borrow and repay on a dollar for dollar basis that it is the governments fault that rates went up and they were unable to meet their minimum debt repayments?

 

Or that now that they purchased an $800,000 condo they couldn't afford it's the governments fault?

 

Or the boat, sea doos, new truck, multiple trips to Mexico a year on credit or financing 

 

This has been spoken of for over 15 years as a serious problem.  So why is it now that Canadians are so worried about their finances and why is it the governments fault so many lived beyond their means?

 

This is a serious question and I'm not seeking some sort of buck passing.  We all know this is a financial reality and we all know people that have literally done just this with their finances without increasing their net income.

 

So who is to blame here?

The blame falls on the Federal government that failed to address the housing issue that has been developing over the last 20 years. Over the last 9 years for example the population of BC increase by 17.4% while not anywhere close to that number of dwellings have been built to facilitate it. Over the 9 years previous to that the population of BC increase by 12.6% and there were already warning signs of a unstable housing market developing even after the housing crisis in 2008. Ramping up immigration without providing the infrastructure to support it has left us in a sticky situation. 

[Bob Long]

1 minute ago, The Lock said:

 

Just send both into power. It'll be fine.

 

I mean they do kind of represent some folks in there already.

 

I do have respect for people that put themselves forward tho, particularly now, with all the harassment etc. that goes along with it. I do worry that fewer women will get into politics after what the far right nutjobs have been doing to try to intimidate female MPs.

 

[The Lock]

5 minutes ago, Bob Long said:

 

my uncles were a pair. Would you like a functional alcoholic with a mean streak, or a shady dude you never quite knew how he made his money? 

 

 

I'm just going to double reply to this.

 

I have a pair of uncles kind of similar to that too. One's... not really a functional alcoholic but still an alcoholic and another wants to debate with you on topics you don't even care about and will complain about carcinogenics on steak.

[Bob Long]

1 minute ago, The Lock said:

 

I'm just going to double reply to this.

 

I have a pair of uncles kind of similar to that too. One's... not really a functional alcoholic but still an alcoholic and another wants to debate with you on topics you don't even care about and will complain about carcinogenics on steak.

 

sounds like we have some real cabinet level talent in our families 

[The Lock]

Just now, Bob Long said:

 

sounds like we have some real cabinet level talent in our families 

 

I feel like we just described Alberta...

[Bob Long]

Just now, The Lock said:

 

I feel like we just described Alberta...

 

this reminds me of a story about the shady uncle. I never found out the extent of his involvement, but he was associated with a manager of a grocery store who installed an extra checkout aisle in the store he was managing. All the money from that went into the managers pocket. This was way back, before computerized cash registers but you get the picture. 

 

For some reason, Alberta made me think of that. 

 

[Wilbur]

1 hour ago, Chicken. said:

Wow 11.9% in the USA for married with 2 kids.. i wonder why that category is so drastically different from ours. 

This picture from my kids school always makes me chuckle

...families CAN be different sizes...but there IS a correct answer...and it's 4.

[aGENT]

20 hours ago, Optimist Prime said:

my fam runs 400 acres of dairy farms on vancouver island. True story: we didn't get a penny of new money per liter or on the butterfat content since covid started. 
literally still plugging away with the same cash for the same product. If inflation is in there due to any taxes...it is in the supply chain not the producers end. And I am all for some increases for farmers, they deserve it, it just hasn't trickled down to them yet. 

 

Your fam do grass fed? Butter in stores has gone down hill big time in the last 5'ish years. Doesn't taste the same, didn't even soften properly anymore. My sister gets some of the Kirkland grass fed stuff from the mainland for us occasionally, unfortunately they don't carry it at the Nanaimo Costco and in between we're stuck with crap butter.

 

20 hours ago, bishopshodan said:

 

Now i am picturing you stomping in a tub of grapes.

 

...at a dinner party with his friend who's a vintner 

[Optimist Prime]

16 minutes ago, aGENT said:

 

Your fam do grass fed? Butter in stores has gone down hill big time in the last 5'ish years. Doesn't taste the same, didn't even soften properly anymore. My sister gets some of the Kirkland grass fed stuff from the mainland for us occasionally, unfortunately they don't carry it at the Nanaimo Costco and in between we're stuck with crap butter.

 

We are fortunate, the cows are all named and we know them by name and on sight. Each one has to have its stupid id tag earing by government rule, but we never use them ourselves. I am a bit out of the loop but we name them with the first letter of the mom's name to keep geneology somewhat sorted out too. They are out in the big fields most of tthe SPring SUmmer and Fall, and mostly indoors for 90 days of the worst of winter where they get grain and hay. Grass fed, free range, grain and hay but the secret ingredient which made my brother in law a "Master Breeder" in Canada twice in a row (it is a twenty year aggragate award, so forty years worth of his life tied up in two awards in Ontario Gala dinners he was flown to..) ...that key ingredient is a deal he made with a local brewary, Phillips, where we haul away the leftover 'gruel' from the beer making business and the cows LOVE IT. They are fat happy slightly tipsy cows who produce the greatest butterfat content in pretty much the world. We sell eggs from one of our grande dams for 5000 dollars a pop as far away as China, Russia and Israel. My nephew overseas western Canada's dairy cattle AI programs too, so that is a feather in the cap for the family. 

 

the ID tag comes in handy as we have RFI sensors in the tags so the automated portions of the dairy parlour know each cow when it enters the stall to be milked and if a cow is say, on medication for something, its still milked, but that milk is automatically dumped down the drain and the system flushed before the next cow, until whatever infection is cleared up for example and the milk is clean for shipping to the plant and public consumption. 

It is a pretty amazing set up really. 

[Sapper]

On 6/14/2024 at 12:15 PM, ArmchairGM22 said:

Great 

 

as i said, enjoy paying off govt debt 

 

you already pay close to 70% of your earnings to the govt after income tax, property tax if you own, sales tax, carbon tax, soon capital gains increases,  only a matter of time before they come for principle residences too!

 

And those taxes will only keep going higher because debt servicing costs go up and Trudy keeps spending.
 

the source of govt money to pay off debt is our tax dollars or borrowing / inflation (still a tax on us as purchasing power declines). 

 

some people like to keep their money not pay most to Trudy. 

That’s why I’m leaving. 

 

bolded part - irony 

The issue is the conservative ideology of trickle down theory has destroyed Canada 

 

The thought process goes like this ... Give major corporations massive tax breaks and incentives , ditto for our billionaires .... And they will invest those savings and boost wages and what we will make for taxes on those higher wages and money spent at the till will fill our cupboards with lots of cash to fund government.

 

Now this is the part that exposes the axe the tax freedom convoy movement as completely bullshit. That entire plan in simple language said "pass out tax obligations to the workers so we can be richer".  Not one of those people worried about taxes now said a dam thing when the conservative "great reset" occured 

 

Now the problems. Billionaires really like those records profits so did little to nothing to raise wages at the pace of inflation. Here in BC John , Cristy and the like skyrocketed user fees the poor peasants need ( medical services, toll fees etc).

 

With workers taxes maxed out and their safety net needs skyrocketing it's an absolute horrific storm heading out way ... All in the name of corporate profits of record amounts 

 

Add in the 80s/90s March to kill unionized work sites that expedited the end of workplace pensions in the private sector and now can you see just how bad our country is being screwed by conservative trickle down voodoo economics ?

 

PP should be says no more free rides for the very Rich and corporations..... Rise their taxes back to what they where 25 years ago so we can stop spending so dam much of the working man's paycheque to prop up corporate profits 

 

PP has made it clear he won't be making business pay their fair share so all these cuts you support and PP has promised is going to absolutely end the Canadian way of life for generatioons of Canadians 

 

PP has done a really good job of selling shit as gold and somehow by cutting the hand ups ,and just calling something illegal will end all our problems and pave the streets in gold

 

What part of corporations a d billionaires are hording all the gold don't you understand ?

 

That's why PP scares so many. He is promising to make their lives much much worse .... But eh your boss gonna love him

Edited June 17 by Sapper

[Bure_Pavel]

6 minutes ago, Sapper said:

The issue is the conservative ideology of trickle down theory has destroyed Canada 

 

The thought process goes like this ... Give major corporations massive tax breaks and incentives , ditto for our billionaires .... And they will invest those savings and boost wages and what we will make for taxes on those higher wages and money spent at the till will fill our cupboards with lots of cash to fund government.

 

Now this is the part that exposes the axe the tax freedom convoy movement as completely bullshit. That entire plan in simple language said "pass out tax obligations to the workers so we can be richer".  Not one of those people worried about taxes now said a dam thing when the conservative "great reset" occured 

 

Now the problems. Billionaires really like those records profits so did little to nothing to raise wages at the pace of inflation. Here in BC John , Cristy and the like skyrocketed user fees the poor peasants need ( medical services, toll fees etc).

 

With workers taxes maxed out and their safety net needs skyrocketing it's an absolute horrific storm heading out way ... All in the name of corporate profits of record amounts 

 

Add in the 80s/90s March to kill unionized work sites that expedited the end of workplace pensions in the private sector and now can you see just how bad our country is being screwed by conservative trickle down voodoo economics ?

 

PP should be says no more free rides for the very Rich and corporations..... Rise their taxes back to what they where 25 years ago so we can stop spending so dam much of the working man's paycheque to prop up corporate profits 

 

PP has made it clear he won't be making business pay their fair share so all these cuts you support and PP has promised is going to absolutely end the Canadian way of life for generatioons of Canadians 

 

PP has done a really good job of selling shit as gold and somehow by cutting the hands up and just calling something illegal will end all our problems and pave the streets in gold

 

What part of corporations a d billionaires are hording all the gold don't you understand ?

 

That's why PP scares so many. He is promising to make their lives much much worse .... But eh your boss gonna love him

How's Ireland and the USA's economy doing? Companies wanting to do business here/set up shop here and investing capital into generating revenue for our economy is a good thing. 

[Alflives]

14 minutes ago, Sapper said:

The issue is the conservative ideology of trickle down theory has destroyed Canada 

 

The thought process goes like this ... Give major corporations massive tax breaks and incentives , ditto for our billionaires .... And they will invest those savings and boost wages and what we will make for taxes on those higher wages and money spent at the till will fill our cupboards with lots of cash to fund government.

 

Now this is the part that exposes the axe the tax freedom convoy movement as completely bullshit. That entire plan in simple language said "pass out tax obligations to the workers so we can be richer".  Not one of those people worried about taxes now said a dam thing when the conservative "great reset" occured 

 

Now the problems. Billionaires really like those records profits so did little to nothing to raise wages at the pace of inflation. Here in BC John , Cristy and the like skyrocketed user fees the poor peasants need ( medical services, toll fees etc).

 

With workers taxes maxed out and their safety net needs skyrocketing it's an absolute horrific storm heading out way ... All in the name of corporate profits of record amounts 

 

Add in the 80s/90s March to kill unionized work sites that expedited the end of workplace pensions in the private sector and now can you see just how bad our country is being screwed by conservative trickle down voodoo economics ?

 

PP should be says no more free rides for the very Rich and corporations..... Rise their taxes back to what they where 25 years ago so we can stop spending so dam much of the working man's paycheque to prop up corporate profits 

 

PP has made it clear he won't be making business pay their fair share so all these cuts you support and PP has promised is going to absolutely end the Canadian way of life for generatioons of Canadians 

 

PP has done a really good job of selling shit as gold and somehow by cutting the hand ups ,and just calling something illegal will end all our problems and pave the streets in gold

 

What part of corporations a d billionaires are hording all the gold don't you understand ?

 

That's why PP scares so many. He is promising to make their lives much much worse .... But eh your boss gonna love him

I’m trying to think of poor people who have employees? 

[Bob Long]

5 minutes ago, Alflives said:

I’m trying to think of poor people who have employees? 

 

drug dealers? 

[King Heffy]

Just now, Bob Long said:

 

drug dealers? 

Pimps for sure.

Edited June 17 by King Heffy

[Sapper]

3 minutes ago, Bure_Pavel said:

How's Ireland and the USA's economy doing? Companies wanting to do business here/set up shop here and investing capital into generating revenue for our economy is a good thing. 

If each of my neighbors have me 10k towards my mortgage I could pay it off sooner and do more improvements maybe ... That might increase their value ... Maybe 

 

See the problem ? 

 

I'm not saying don't help business but if taking their taxes as low as possible is your ask then how do we fund it?

 

When companies don't pay enough so employees can live and survive on.their own .. taxpayers have to top up those wages with services.

 

PP is stating he will be cutting those services without increasing they pay ( a tax cut , carbon tax cut with the Matching rebate loss .... Won't be anywhere near enough )

 

So what's the plan ? Seriously .... What's the plan.

 

As a start government could attach tax cuts to proven wage increases , benefits for workers ... So government doesn't have to be all that to the working class

 

Canada has arrived at critical mass. We.dont bring in enough taxes from those that can afford it and we have overtaxed those not rich enough to fight them.

 

To be fair .... The cons and libs share this equally for Letting it get this bad and neither Truduea or PP have said or done anything major to address it.

 

truduea does get a few points for pharmacare and seniors dental ..... That will help many