Quote:
Originally Posted by jasonturbo
How can anyone look at the NDP's platform and not realize the only realistic outcome will be higher taxes and more debt.
- Creating middle class jobs by cutting tax rate for SB 2% and investing money in innovation and clean technologies. (Less tax revenue and more money spent on "job creation" = debt)
- Create a million childcare spaces for our kids and cap fees for parents – no more than $15 a day. It’s a plan that will save young families money and enable greater participation in the workforce – especially for women. (Will be subsidized by the Gov = debt)
- Help communities fix roads and bridges by transferring an extra cent of the existing gas tax to municipalities. And he’ll shorten commute times by partnering with cities on a Better Transit Plan — creating 31,000 good jobs in the process. (More gov. spending = debt)
- Cancel the Conservative decision to raise the retirement age — bringing it back down to 65. And he’ll work tirelessly to strengthen public pensions while protecting workplace pensions. (Chretien gov. was the first to say the CPP was broken, Cons made the choice that had to be made and expect that age to slip more, paying out more CPP = debt)
- Stop unilateral Conservative cuts to health and get back to working collaboratively with provinces and territories to improve primary care and expand access to long-term and primary care. (More health care = debt)
I also don't personally feel like Canada lacks reasonable environmental policies, between the laws and regulations at provincial and federal levels you can't get away with basically anything. Do emissions concern me? Yes, but our emissions are a drop in the bucket in the global picture (@1.47% compared to China and USA at approximately 20% each) though I will concede that our emissions per capita are high but that's only a result of us being a very resource based economy with an insane amount of vehicles on the road.
People in this thread shaming the cons for the current senator "scandals" and overspending, well you can apply that to every party that's ever served Canada lol.
Though Harper is totally full of shit with his balanced budget rhetoric.
Edit: We have generationally fucked as millennials (A large portion of this site), you had the boomers that did well and got filthy rich, and you have the boomers who shit the bed in life, now we are in a situation where today we have 4.9 tax payers per retiree and by 2030 that number is estimated to be 2.7, CPP will but incredible pressure on the Canadian economy in the coming years while these people also burden the health care system like never before. ( Due to the number of people >65)
Canadian Taxpayers Federation | The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is a citizen's advocacy group dedicated to lower taxes, less waste & accountable government.
So while our generation seems very cranky with the cons, keep in mind that the problems we face today, are largely caused by decisions made decades ago, and there should probably be a limit to how much we let past generations burden us, just as we should be responsible to not burden those that come after us. |
I could see why you think that way, but at the same time, many of these projects involve short term spending, but significant long term benefits to the economy and society that can help
increase tax revenue. Allow me to explain
- Creating middle class jobs by cutting tax rate for SB 2% and investing money in innovation and clean technologies.
> The last several months have shown that oil prices can fluctuate. We also don't process any of our oil before shipping it overseas, which limits jobs to extraction. Check out this calculator from the NPR which uses research from Oxford university - it predicts the likelihood of your job being automated:
Will Your Job Be Done By A Machine? : Planet Money : NPR
Speaking of automation, if we become a leader in innovation, others economies could eventually become more dependent on us for their software and hardware needs in order for them to stay competitive, instead of us remaining dependent on oil prices, and others' economies for processed petroleum and other goods.
Developing/developed economies are also likely to move towards clean energy, China is one big example of that. By innovating in growing areas of clean energy and innovation, we are participating in a growing industry, which would mean more jobs and opportunities for
future Canadians.
- Create a million childcare spaces for our kids and cap fees for parents – no more than $15 a day. It’s a plan that will save young families money and enable greater participation in the workforce – especially for women.
> If young families have one more member that is available to work, they would be able to... you guessed it! Spend more at small businesses/corporations (more revenue for them!) and afford better opportunities for their children. This sounds win win to me.
- Help communities fix roads and bridges by transferring an extra cent of the existing gas tax to municipalities. And he’ll shorten commute times by partnering with cities on a Better Transit Plan — creating 31,000 good jobs in the process.
> The reality is that a number of people take buses, and since our Prime Minister emphasized that immigration is a part of his Economic Action Plan, we can expect more people who need to get around. I live in Waterloo Ontario now, where buses come every 5-10 minutes, even at night. I'm happy, and I'm more likely to go out and spend money.
As well, traffic on the 401, Highway 7, DVP, 404, and other major throughways in Toronto is sometimes insultingly bad. Traffic makes me worn out and less likely to go out or do things after work - People are unable to get where they want to quickly, goods aren't able to get around, etc. Transit would help people save money on transport, spend more time with their families or on their own pursuits, and spend more money!
Article:
The Economist explains: The cost of traffic jams | The Economist
- Stop unilateral Conservative cuts to health and get back to working collaboratively with provinces and territories to improve primary care and expand access to long-term and primary care.
> Wouldn't you agree that a healthy workforce is a more productive workforce? Our economy relies on our workforce, and preventative care is almost always cheaper than treatment.
Article: "Canada's only supervised drug injection site can save the Canadian health-care system as much as $20 million and substantially increase a population's life span over a 10-year period in Vancouver"
Insite can save Canada's health-care system $20M: Study
I know it can be scary sometimes to spend money, but these proposals seem like a great way to add lasting value and growth to our economy. I can go into detail with regards to why some of our government's current spending imo is "bad" spending, but I wanted to address some of your points first