Well, I’ve just sat through a load of bullshit the speech from the throne (well okay, Michaëlle Jean, but who’s counting), and now in retrospect (what, about 15 minutes later, but I figured this out as it was going) the speech is nothing more than a Harper directed rhetoric outlying his “plan” for Canadians (read Conservative cronies), which is highly flawed at best.
I did find it amusing when Michaëlle Jean made a direct point of how cutting the GST from 7% to 6% will be such a benefit for all Canadians, especially low income Canadians.
DID WE ALL FAIL MATH PEOPLE?
Let’s look at it this way. I make $9.80 an hour at Best Buy. At the end of the month, that translates to $1332 after income tax, CPP, and EI. $600 goes toward rent, which though may be applicable to GST charges, lowering the GST won’t make my landlord lower my rent, nor would it encourage most other landlords to do the same.
As such, after rent there is about $732 left. Take at least $200 away (per month) for non-GST eligible grocery purchases. That leaves $532 left. Now with the cost of living, I end up with $0.00. So, the amount of that that goes to GST would be $34.08, and at 6% the portion that is GST would be $30.11. So the government thinks that $3.97 per month is going to make an impact in my life? Well, maybe I might be able to go to the pub once every two months for a pint of lager.
The GST cut benefits those with higher volumes of revenue the most, which, surprise surprise, is the rich.
As well, Harper believes that the $1200 child support payment will make a direct impact financially in mothers lives. It does, especially for single mothers who needed the daycare plans, proposed by Paul Martin and supported by Jack Layton, but disregarded by the conservatives. Hey, single moms now are taking a pay cut of at least $10,000 under the Harper plan, as most will struggle intensely to work while raising a child under the age of six.
How the hell are we still buying this bullshit?
That is all.
