Dear editor,
RE: Stuart Taylor's Letter to the Editor.
Math is hard.
Ask yourself, “What is a government's role?”
Answer: Provide services to the citizens of Alberta.
It takes a bit of three dimensional thinking to see the whole math equation.
History of debt reduction:
Ralph Klein slashed spending in a draconian way by cutting the services that Albertans rely on every day. Mr Klein raided Albertans’ retirement fund, the Heritage Trust Fund, to put in his debt reduction plan. Eliminating your pension plan is not a way to budget for the future. Would you personally do it?
Mr Klein also stopped building schools and hospitals, even though the population was growing.
Hospitals designed for 30,000 were serving 80,000 plus. Emergency rooms were lined up and patients were sleeping in the hallway. Seniors housing was not meeting the needs of the aging population.
How long did it take for the Edson Hospital to be built? Thanks, Rachel.
It took how long to replace the hospital in Calgary that was blown up in the 90s? (Before any plan for a replacement).
Want to reduce overtime and burnout among nurses? Hire more of them. Work schedules can be downloaded for free.
Cutting doctors fees by cutting visits times? Why do you think people go to see a doctor? Get a Viagra prescription refilled?
I suffer from chronic acute demyelinating polyneuropathy. This affects multiple systems in my body. It takes more than 10 minutes to even review my medication lists. Should I book an appointment every day to be able to have the same care as I have had in the past?
Do you honestly think by having to pass by and ignore one's health concerns in a doctors office is not less expensive that in the hospital when the patient's health declines?
There is only one outcome from reduction in healthcare spending and it is not a balanced budget.
It is measured in lives.
Who and how many are to be determined.
Alberta was attracting young families from across Canada. Young families have children. Children need to be educated.
There is not a definite ideal number of children in a class, but definitely over 30 is too many.
During that time not a school was built. Jasper waited till 2014 to get their new school.
You are advocating to people in this area that their health and education needs are not a priority?
Visit an emergency room and tell the Albertans there that they are costing the taxpayers too much.
Go to a PTA meeting and tell the parents that their Little Timmy will be OK if he can't read and can't figure out fractions.
Tell them the program cuts will not affect Little Timmy’s future. His future is already grim with the potential threats of climate change.
Do you know who takes into account potential risks? Investors and shareholders.
What do we pay taxes for if not for these services? Who is getting rich off of the Albertan taxes? It does make you wonder how some politicians have amassed an increased wealth well beyond their yearly salary? Are they not supposed to be working for Alberta?
Who created the debt Klein had to slay? Who left government in 2015 with a deficit? Who has a larger deficit than the NDP had? Since UCP and Jason Kenney have taken power, unemployment has risen and so has the deficit.
Question: Is he still living in his mother's basement?
This government has cut its income by giving away Albertans’ taxes to investors in New York and London. They took it and moved their head offices. Corporations don't have feeling and they don't care about Martha's need for long term care. Or how she will make ends meet after Henry passed away waiting for surgery.
Tax cuts only work when tied to reinvesting and employment growth. Investments and assets and profit potential are what bind corporations to a location.
A healthy and well educated workforce keeps their costs down.
Chretien inherited a debt and deficit from the Conservatives in the 80s. Google it.
They made cuts but also had the national infrastructure program to reinvest in Canadian infrastructure to spur business growth.
Higher incomes means higher taxes, unless you are in Alberta today.
If you are really concerned with Alberta's finances and want to restore our credit rating, let us have a sales tax.
Allow Alberta to grow without being reliant on the world oil price.
The Needs of Albertans are not the Wants of Albertans but are soon becoming the Dreams of Albertans.
Math is hard, without an education.
Subtraction plus subtraction does not give you multiplication.
Ken Kuzminski
Jasper, AB
