"Take taxation, for example. There are real limits to tax-cutting if conservatives cannot dispute anything about how or why a government actually does what it does. If conservatives accept all legislated social liberalism with balanced budgets and corporate grants - as do some in the business community - then there really are no differences between a conservative and a Paul Martin. "
Rediscovering The Right Agenda By Stephen Harper
June 2003 - Report Magazine
Saturday, December 10, 2005
Seniors: Tax Cuts or Long Term Investment
Well as to be expected the Harper announced his Seniors bribe, err policy two days after the NDP announced their plan. And Harpers was well wait for it, yep tax cuts. 2.2 billion by 2010. To increase the amount of pension income that can be sheltered from income tax from its current $1,000 a year to $2,000 a year -- and increase it to $2,500 over five years. Yep if you are a coupon clipper and living off your investment income this helps you. But not the majority of Canadian seniors who are not as well off. And who do not have RRSP's and rely upon CPP, OAS, and GIS for their retirement.
However when it comes to seniors who are the poorest, and in need of care the NDP announced it would invest in seniors care and home care, for a total of $7.5 billion over the same time period. Investment is always better than taking a dividend, which is all a tax cut really is.The money would provide home care for about 100,000 people, Layton said, taking some pressure off hospitals, and helping to ease wait times.
Harper promises not to touch CPP, OAS, GIS and keep their COLA updated. Thats good because unlike his tax cut for the cuopon clippers, the majority of seniors in Canada rely on their income from these programs to supplement their other pensions.
The Harper tax cut will do little for women seniors who make up the majority of seniors who live in poverty. So much for family values.
POVERTY IN CANADA: AN OVERVIEW
Seniors:
Note: The number of women 65 and older in economic families who are poor increased from 5.4% in 2000 to 5.9% in 2001.
• 40% of all seniors living alone are poor
• 45.6% of senior women living alone are poor
• 32.8% of senior men living alone are poor
Oh yes and the Harper has never found a public pension fund he liked, when he was in the Reform party, the Alliance party or as President of the right wing business lobby NCC. So his promise now to protect them rings hollow.
Mr. Stephen Harper (Calgary West, Ref.): It may take 10 years to balance the budget, 10 years to lower taxes, and 10 years to reform people's pension Hansard, Thursday, March 7, 1996 -- STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS (008)
However when it comes to seniors who are the poorest, and in need of care the NDP announced it would invest in seniors care and home care, for a total of $7.5 billion over the same time period. Investment is always better than taking a dividend, which is all a tax cut really is.The money would provide home care for about 100,000 people, Layton said, taking some pressure off hospitals, and helping to ease wait times.
Harper promises not to touch CPP, OAS, GIS and keep their COLA updated. Thats good because unlike his tax cut for the cuopon clippers, the majority of seniors in Canada rely on their income from these programs to supplement their other pensions.
Seniors on the margins: Aging in poverty in Canada
Until recently, the percentage of seniors with low incomes had been declining. It went from 21% in 1980, to 10% in 1990, to 7% in 2003.4 The National Council of Welfare points out that this catch-up period is over. Since the middle of the 1990s, seniors' income has reached a ceiling and the gap between seniors' revenues and those of other Canadians is now increasing. Between 1997 and 2003, the mean income of senior households increased by $4,100 while the average income of other Canadian households increased by $9,000.5 The situation is even more pronounced for seniors living alone.
The significant increase in seniors' income over the last 25 years was the result of the maturation of Canada's public pension plans, as more and more people became eligible for the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and its Quebec equivalent, the QPP. In 1999, 85% of seniors received these benefits, while in 1983, there were fewer than 75%. This increase reflects the greater presence of women in the paid labour force since the 1970s. Another change was the growing number of pensioners receiving the maximum amount of pension benefits. The plans were established in 1966, and the first workers to receive full CPP/QPP benefits turned 65 in 1976. It is only by the 1990s that a majority of retirees were receiving full benefits. This means that the effect of the CPP/QPP on seniors' income has now reached its maximum. An OECD study acknowledged the success of Canada's public pension system in increasing seniors' income, but it also points out that "a large public system matures only once."6 Between 1980 and 1995, gaps in income decreased among seniors, the poorest seniors seeing the largest increases in income, thanks to their participation in public pension plans and to increases in the OAS benefits.7
The Harper tax cut will do little for women seniors who make up the majority of seniors who live in poverty. So much for family values.
POVERTY IN CANADA: AN OVERVIEW
Seniors:
Note: The number of women 65 and older in economic families who are poor increased from 5.4% in 2000 to 5.9% in 2001.
• 40% of all seniors living alone are poor
• 45.6% of senior women living alone are poor
• 32.8% of senior men living alone are poor
Oh yes and the Harper has never found a public pension fund he liked, when he was in the Reform party, the Alliance party or as President of the right wing business lobby NCC. So his promise now to protect them rings hollow.
Mr. Stephen Harper (Calgary West, Ref.): It may take 10 years to balance the budget, 10 years to lower taxes, and 10 years to reform people's pension Hansard, Thursday, March 7, 1996 -- STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS (008)
Cheeky Comments
I have left a cheeky comment on bloggingtory Stephen Taylors CTV blog article Kyoto hypocrisy
And one here about the Conservative tax cuts being called bribes. Choice Is Important
And one here about the Conservative tax cuts being called bribes. Choice Is Important
Who Really Stands Up For Canada
Well no sooner had I pointed out that both the NDP and Conservatives are using Stand Up as a slogan on their web sites than a day later, and a loonie shy, the young flogger at CPC Energy caught on to this little fact. He got quite verklempt about it all. Literally gets his knickers in a twist over it. Me thinks he doth protest too much.
Tch,Tch, shouldn't draw attention to the obvious....and then advertise your opponents use of the slogan and include a graphic to prove the point. That's called advertising for the NDP. Good Go. Keep up the good work promoting the NDP, oh anonymous CPC flogger.
And speaking of the anonymous floggers at the Conservative web site, it appears their secret identities may have been revealed by none other than the anonymous blogger Phantom Observer. He has upset some Blogging Torys with his expose. One of them complains that it's rather rich for anonymous to out anonymous.
Doesn't anyone take themselves seriously enough to like, blog with their own names?
Tch,Tch, shouldn't draw attention to the obvious....and then advertise your opponents use of the slogan and include a graphic to prove the point. That's called advertising for the NDP. Good Go. Keep up the good work promoting the NDP, oh anonymous CPC flogger.
And speaking of the anonymous floggers at the Conservative web site, it appears their secret identities may have been revealed by none other than the anonymous blogger Phantom Observer. He has upset some Blogging Torys with his expose. One of them complains that it's rather rich for anonymous to out anonymous.
Doesn't anyone take themselves seriously enough to like, blog with their own names?
Why Every Conservative Should Vote; Ignatieff
A Vote for Ignatieff
Is a Vote For
The Security State
And
State Security
A tip o the blog to simonpole.ca
His blog campaign against Ignatieff, one of many blogs commenting on this, has created the largest backlash campaign against any candidate since Trent Lott in the U.S.
Is a Vote For
The Security State
And
State Security
A tip o the blog to simonpole.ca
His blog campaign against Ignatieff, one of many blogs commenting on this, has created the largest backlash campaign against any candidate since Trent Lott in the U.S.
A Confused Alberta Liberal
Who supports the Federal Tory's and for some reason thinks he belongs in Progressive Bloggers and Blogging Tories, but only flags BT on his page. He maybe the blogospheres first case of multiple personality blogging. I am speaking of Alberta Avenue aka Calgary Observer aka Running for Alberta.
In his latest blog ramble; Limousine Liberals, he uses one of those classic neo-con red baiting strategies; putting down left wing media figures like Chomsky and Moore for being ahhuh, wait for it, middle class.
Owning a big house or having stock holdings is enough to send Mr. Liberal-Conservative into a tizzy, a literal apoplexy of joy for uncovering some sort of unsavoriness in being left wing and middle class.
Well at least they don't have Filipina nannies. That is the ultimate status symbol of the American Ruling Class.
AA/CO/RFA is definitely a Blogging Tory as sure as he is definitely not a Progressive Blogger.
In his latest blog ramble; Limousine Liberals, he uses one of those classic neo-con red baiting strategies; putting down left wing media figures like Chomsky and Moore for being ahhuh, wait for it, middle class.
Owning a big house or having stock holdings is enough to send Mr. Liberal-Conservative into a tizzy, a literal apoplexy of joy for uncovering some sort of unsavoriness in being left wing and middle class.
Well at least they don't have Filipina nannies. That is the ultimate status symbol of the American Ruling Class.
AA/CO/RFA is definitely a Blogging Tory as sure as he is definitely not a Progressive Blogger.
Friday, December 09, 2005
Conservative Blog Bashed by Blogging Tory
Well its not just those of us on the left wing of the blogosphere, or the MSM election blogs that have a problem with the Conservative Party Web Site Blog.
Its taken a week but finally a bloggingtory; Blue Blogging Soapbox has given up in frustration and vented.
"Just to be clear, I think the CPC Campaign Blog sucks. I don't know why they even call it a blog.
1. No permalinks
2. No trackbacks
3. No comments
4. Anonymous poster - come on - it's an election campaign. If it's a paid staffer blogging, then identify the person. If it's a volunteer, at least give us a screen name and an email for feedback and comment.
There is no way to link to individual posts, other than providing a link to that week's posts. It's as bad as Kinsella's musings page, masquerading as a blog."
Oh I like the cut of your jib fella. That last line was choice. It's a real good comparison. Hmm maybe WK is ghostblogging.....
Its taken a week but finally a bloggingtory; Blue Blogging Soapbox has given up in frustration and vented.
"Just to be clear, I think the CPC Campaign Blog sucks. I don't know why they even call it a blog.
1. No permalinks
2. No trackbacks
3. No comments
4. Anonymous poster - come on - it's an election campaign. If it's a paid staffer blogging, then identify the person. If it's a volunteer, at least give us a screen name and an email for feedback and comment.
There is no way to link to individual posts, other than providing a link to that week's posts. It's as bad as Kinsella's musings page, masquerading as a blog."
Oh I like the cut of your jib fella. That last line was choice. It's a real good comparison. Hmm maybe WK is ghostblogging.....
Praise from the Right for NDP TV AD
So even the rightwhingnutz in the blogosphere like the new NDP TV AD called 'The Gift'.
Now THIS is a good ad
Political Staples
Very effective. An attack with humour. Perfect.
1st NDP ad
Dispatches from the Socialist Gulag
but they do know how to make a good TV ad. I just saw it this morning on Newsworld & I laughed my ass off. Very funny & very well done, which cannot be said lamentably about the Tory ads.
Now THIS is a good ad
Political Staples
Very effective. An attack with humour. Perfect.
1st NDP ad
Dispatches from the Socialist Gulag
but they do know how to make a good TV ad. I just saw it this morning on Newsworld & I laughed my ass off. Very funny & very well done, which cannot be said lamentably about the Tory ads.
Who Said This?
Ok, now this is scary. I must have lived in Alberta for 51 years too long. I find this makes sense. Scary, very scary.
"A ban. That's fine, you can say ban handguns. That's like saying ban sugar, ban coffee, ban cigarettes, ban anything. You can say 'ban it.' You can pass legislation to ban them. But it's not going to stop the bad guys from getting a hand-gun and shooting someone."
"A ban. That's fine, you can say ban handguns. That's like saying ban sugar, ban coffee, ban cigarettes, ban anything. You can say 'ban it.' You can pass legislation to ban them. But it's not going to stop the bad guys from getting a hand-gun and shooting someone."
Harpers Russian Pension Plan
ThePolitic says that Harpers pension announcement is just what folks need. And then in fine old red baiting conservative tradition he uses Russia as an example of the success of free market pension reform. Yep I kid you not.
"If we are charitable to Harper and assume this is not just a campaign promise led by polls and pundits, he may be realising what it took the people of the USSR almost 75 years to find: private citizens can allocate resources for their own well-being far more efficiently than bureaucrats in some distant government office."
So I had to leave him a reply; "Thats why the Soviet Union became a basket case economy, with baba’s begging in the streets that they used to sweep for an assured income, benefits and housing…yep they sure did come a long way….."
"If we are charitable to Harper and assume this is not just a campaign promise led by polls and pundits, he may be realising what it took the people of the USSR almost 75 years to find: private citizens can allocate resources for their own well-being far more efficiently than bureaucrats in some distant government office."
So I had to leave him a reply; "Thats why the Soviet Union became a basket case economy, with baba’s begging in the streets that they used to sweep for an assured income, benefits and housing…yep they sure did come a long way….."
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