Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Conservative Rollback for Seniors

The conservative government is “leaking” information in advance of the budget in the hopes that we won’t all throw down our shovels and call it quits.  In particular today we heard that there will be “drastic changes” to Old Age Security.  We are told that by 2030 seniors will be dipping to the tune of $180 Billion; currently they are dipping at a rate of $  Billion .
            One is entitled at this point to ask the question -  whose been monitoring the Old Age budget to date?  It shouldn’t be a big surprise that we would this many seniors in the next 20 years, particularly given that the old age security has been scrutinized every 5 years in the last 50 years at least. 
            One quote:
In 2011, there were about four working Canadians for every retired Canadian. By 2030, it will be a two to one ratio. At the same time, Canadians are living four years longer than they did in 1970.
I’m not a great believer in the statistics that politicians throw out, the numbers are generally so malleable and moving targets that they have no basis in fact.
            I also have a great aversion to altering the truly pathetic income of seniors (now and future recipients) by one iota.  I believe there are many other ways we can budget that would have more meaning, beginning first with getting rid of the Senate, double dip pensions, political pension sizes as they stand now, expense accounts of politicians and civil servants, and essentially all the pilfering that goes on shamelessly at every level of government.  Leave the seniors alone for God’s sake.
            I cannot write more without getting over heated. 

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