Re: "Those jobs will be in Alberta," p. 23 Dec. 27 Gazette.
After reading Kevin Van Tighem's commentary on taxes in the Dec. 27 edition of the Mountain View Gazette, I feel that some reality must be introduced into the socialist utopia he describes for us. If I did not know better, I would have thought I was reading a primer for "Socialism 101," or a pamphlet on the virtues of communism, replete with corporations and private enterprise as the stereotypical villains, and big government as our saviour and benefactor. What is quite scary in the beliefs presented is the complete lack of understanding of fundamental basic economics and how a national economy functions.
Private sector positions have the everyday worries of how to pay for shelter, food, transportation, heat and power, which take up a substantial portion of their paycheque, with a majority of the remainder going towards taxes. Some of these taxes go to support government employee salaries, and their retirement pensions. From the little bit that is left of their paycheque after all this, they are expected to save for their retirement, raise their children, and hopefully save for other niceties. And that "little bit" gets smaller with every tax increase.
Now to the point about those evil corporations that were mocked in the article. Must it be pointed out that a major part of pensions, both government and private, as well as private individuals' RRSPs, are invested in those "evil" corporate shares? This in essence makes everybody one of those despicable investors who do not help the economy, as the article so claimed. I would recommend that some education on how all pension funds, including government pensions, be undertaken as well. Because the truth is that government does not create wealth, they only expropriate it under the guise of "taxes," and spend it, usually irresponsibly. It is left to the private sector to create wealth, and hence employment.
As for the point about the carbon tax not affecting employment or companies' bottom lines, that is just plain socialist drivel. Any tax is a drain on the economy, and hence its citizens, as it is just one more bill to pay. As well, a high tax regime will drive away companies and investors, as they will seek out more business friendly environments to operate in. Why would an investor put their hard-earned money into a province, or a nation, where taxes will consume a large portion of their profit. After all, companies are in business to make a profit, so that their owners, employees and investors can earn a living. It is only government that can keep operating at a loss, because when it runs out of money, it just takes more from its citizenry, under the guise of taxes and fees. Now do not get me wrong, government does have a purpose, but they seem to have lost sight of the fact that they are there to serve their citizens, and not have their citizens be a cash cow for the government. As the saying goes, "Socialists never tire of spending other people's money."
The one big question I do have, which no supporter of the carbon tax can honestly answer, is how is a tax on carbon, which all organic life on Earth is based upon, supposed to help the environment? If it is supposed to change people's energy behaviour, that is social engineering, and will not affect the environment one iota. What it will do is make people "energy poor," as they make the decision to either eat or heat the house, as we live in a subarctic to sub-temperate climate, and heat is a necessity for survival. This is already happening in Ontario due to their inane energy policies, and in Great Britain, where thousands of seniors over the last few years have succumbed to the cold, due to their high energy prices. It is a well-known fact that civilizations only advance by increasing their energy usage, and by using more energy dense sources. Relying on inefficient 18th century technology to run a modern 21st century civilization is just plain illogical, and dare I say it, stupid. If we really want to progress and wean ourselves off carbon based fuels, the only viable alternative is nuclear, of which Canada is a major fuel source.
And as for the true reason for the oil price crash, it was oversupply by all producers, not just the Middle East. A contributing factor was that a major importer, due to technical advances, became self-sufficient again, and is actually exporting oil again. That country, the United States, is and was a major buyer of our petroleum production, which now makes our product worth less, since we have no other customers for it. Having no access to tidewater ports to assist in marketing our oil, due to ill-reasoned objections to pipelines, is what makes Alberta's situation so dire. Any pipeline proposed in the last 10 years has been stymied, even though it is the safest, most efficient and economical way to transport any bulk fluid or gas. After all, I am absolutely sure there are few people today who haul their water from a well via a bucket, nor heat their house entirely on wood. After all, every modern domicile has a pipeline of some sort in its structure.
What I would ask of certain people, is to step outside of their socialist echo chamber and experience the real world, one based upon gritty reality. This is where many people are hurting personally and financially, unemployment is high, and hope for a better future is fading. This is due in large part to imbecilic government policies and out of control special interest groups that use the banner of environmentalism and climate to cover their real purpose. That is reality.
I will close with a fitting quote from Dr. Adrian Rogers, which is especially poignant on the subject of taxes: "You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."
Paul Nielsen
Carstairs
"What I would ask of certain people, is to step outside of their socialist echo chamber and experience the real world, one based upon gritty reality."
